NEW YORK, Nov 17, 2010 / — Riding his bike up the East River to his studio every morning, designer Lars Stoten was faced on one side with the majesty of the East River, and on the other with the grit and pungency of New York City in the summertime.

These sensory observations led to intensive, eclectic conceptual research and thus finding the history of industrial New York and Coney Island, Depression-era photography, aerial views of farmland, stained glass windows, and contemporary art, which all became part of the inspiration of the Mjolk Spring 2011 collection.

Palette, proportion, and sense of line further dictate the theme and personality of the range. An exercise in color theory and the art of design, the Mjölk Spring/Summer 2011 collection draws from the mechanics and history of visual art, focusing on relationships between colors and shapes, and the affect these manipulations have on the viewer.

Bold primary colors give way to subtle secondary and tertiary shades of green, burgundy, soft brown and warm grey, allowing magnanimously disjointed looks to come together in chromatic harmony when the collection is viewed as a whole.

Carefully calculated combinations and distributions of hues, patterns, and textures pay homage to aesthetics and the visual sense, creating a spirit of subtle affability, visual coherence, and focused artistry throughout the line.

Photos courtesy of Mjolk

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