OLIO UNITED CELEBRATES 1ST BIRTHDAY AUG 29 - 31

We’ve made it one year and we’re ready to celebrate! Parties, a silent auction, workshops and trunk shows – running August 29 – 31. Read below for the lineup.

August 29 7-10 PM: 1ST BIRTHDAY PARTY!!!
TOMS Shoes Silent Auction & Entermodal Pop-Up Factory to benefit Transitions Cambodia
TOMS Artist Series with Jill Bliss, Amy Ruppel, Ryan Bubnis, Aaron James, Erik Railton, Trish Grantham, Max Erdenberger, Yellenna James and Katie Kulper. The auction will start at 7pm on Friday and ends at 10pm – FRIDAY ONLY!! Beer, appetizers, & music provided.

Entermodal Pop-Up Factory
Designer/Owner Larry Olmstead is packing up his custom tool sets, a century old stitching horse, and a selection of never before released leather options and colors for an in-shop / studio project. 15 of our favorite trig flip cases will be sold Friday night only! 100% of proceeds will go to Transitions Cambodia, who will also be attending the event. Larry will be sewing the cases by hand in the shop and taking custom color orders during the party. Learn more about Entermodal by visiting their website.

Transitions Cambodia
Transitions Cambodia, Inc. is an Oregon-based 501c3 Non-Profit Organization serving the needs of Cambodian and Vietnamese female survivors of sex trafficking. The organization was founded by James and Athena Pond, who have been actively working in Cambodia since 2004. We’ve partnered with TC for our birthday celebration because we hope to raise awareness and support for James and Athena’s current projects. Read more about Transitions Cambodia on their website.

August 30 11-6 PM: Accessory Trunk Shows
Entermodal Pop-Up Factory: A full day of cutting, molding, and sewing by Larry and his crew. Come in to take a look at the Fall collection available in the shop or put your order in for a custom bag!
Hubris & Sophrosyne Trunk Show
Appleseed Designs Trunk Show
Faith Hats
Form & Flora Plant Show
Treats by Two Tarts Bakery

August 31 12-5 PM: Kids Workshop Day
Prefresh Trunk Show and Screenprinting Workshop
Entermodal Sewing Workshop
Kiki & Polly kids art opening and portraiture giveaway ($250 value)!
Anna Joyce & Homespun Goods Collaboration Trunk Show

Treats provided by Two Tarts Bakery

SUNDAY AUGUST 17TH: BARGAIN HUNTING 101 AT KENNEDY SCHOOL

more info on our blog.

Olio United presents: Esque Studio June Installation

Opening Reception: Thursday, June 19, 7-10pm
Exhibit runs June 19 – August 8

Coolhunting video featuring Esque
Email us at info@oliounited.com with questions

Olio United is proud to present the glass works of Esque Studio. A local company, Esque creates glass pieces that are both breathtaking and functional. In conjunction with the Glass Arts Society’s 38th annual conference, held in Portland June 19-21, Olio United will show a selection of Esque’s collectible works in their shop June 19 – August 8.

Esque’s talented design team, Justin Parker and Andi Kovel, create unique, handblown glass pieces that marry art to function. This Portland pair has gathered much-deserved attention for their inspired objects, each made to order, modern, and museum-worthy. Their phenomenal glass works can be seen installed throughout Portland-area restaurants, in New York City, and have been featured internationally in design magazines.

Join us for their opening party at the shop on Thursday June 19. Wine, snacks and chocolate should always be expected.

Industria / Victory Garden Update (May - June)

Group show up May 23 – June 27. Ben Hull: Industria. Salvaged old growth wood and steel.
Dave Burke: Victory Garden. Heavily poured resin and acrylic on canvas.

A few photos from the show last month, be patient still more to come. The show will be up with the Esque collection and come down on June 27.

Opening Reception with artists May 23, 7pm – Late
Reception DJ: Al James of Dolorean

Exhibit runs May 23 – June 21, 2008
Olio United hours: Mon – Sat, 10am – 6pm

PRESS PHOTOS shop.oliounited.com/pages/pressphotos

More About the artists:

David Burke’s paintings are constructed of thick pours of resin, gel and acrylic paint, which create 3-dimensional terrains of puddles, pools and windows. These surfaces create intimate, reflective spaces that can be entered and explored by the eye of the viewer. The process of pouring and painting becomes an act of covering and discovering that finally reveals layers of each painting’s history and intent. As if exposing the human skins that scar and eventually heal again over time, these works reflect the depth and growth of an individual over time.

VICTORY GARDEN is borrowed from the Victory Gardens that were started toward the end of World War II when the bulk of America’s resources were being diverted overseas in order to support national war efforts. In an attempt to supplement the loss of resources, the U.S. government solicited American civilians to create community gardens that would provide fresh fruits and vegetables for local neighborhoods and communities. The emphasis was placed on making gardening a national duty that helped contribute to the “defeat of the enemy”. Additionally Burke will be showing Fear I & II. The color palette in Fear I & II is taken from the Terrorism Threat Advisory Scale created by The Homeland Security Advisory System in 2002. Each color is linked with a perceived level of threat, red representing a severe risk and green being the lowest risk level. I am interested in the relationship between how we perceive color and our own sense of security as Americans: Who is the target? Who is the enemy? What are we declaring? What do we believe? Who do we support? What is victory? What am I afraid of?

Ben Hull’s newest series of works, INDUSTRIA, showcases nature as art, while building natural elements into an industrial format. The result produces a juxtaposition which talks about balance, conservation, intuition and potent beauty.

Born in Southern California, Hull remembers endless rolling hills of grass fields and countless orange groves.
At an early age his parents introduced him to their active outdoor lifestyle which began my relationship with the natural world . Moving to Bend, Oregon at age 8, incubated his appreciation and connection with nature. Hull studied Sculpture at Portland State University. His career as an artist, designer and fabricator has brought him full circle, to the works and ideas showcased with INDUSTRIA. Hull also created the all the one-of-a-kind, handcrafted fixtures inside Olio United’s retail space.

Discussion Night with Good Society + Apolis Activism at Olio United

THURSDAY APRIL 10 6-9PM
1028 SE Water Ave Portland 97214
See Olio blog for more info

Talk with the designers about fair labor issues, organic cotton, and their grassroots beginnings
Shop from their Spring/Summer collections Thursday April 10th ONLY!!

Preview Apolis Activism’s collection and learn a bit more about what they’re about.
Preview Good Society’s collection and learn a bit more about what they’re about.

Olio United carries local designer, Heather Treadway's new line

Launch Party
Friday, March 28 7-10 pm
music, food, viewing

Preview her collection and learn a bit more about Heather on her blog.

OLIO UNITED carries new locally designed line by Heather Treadway

Sea VS Sunset by Heather Treadway of Paper Doll Fashion is inspired by a culmination of events happening from the time of her move to Portland from Olympia, her acceptance of the fact that she’s not going to live in France after all, and that the Pacific Northwest really is the best place on Earth. Textures involve cleanly edged strips of cotton fleece woven into pieces of lightweight sweatshirts, quilted padded detailing on shortsleeved jerseys, ripstop nylon and cotton fleece jackets, and tops made of paper thin and soft flowing knits from peach, to lime, to foggy blue/green. Her blue denim Umbrella skirts are featured in either a Sea Green, or Sunset motif, hence the title of this season’s line and coordinate with all of the tops. What a joy a cohesive collection can be. She thanks you for coming to her Trunkshow and hopes you’ll enjoy yourself and get to meet you in person.

More about Heather Treadway

Heather Treadway is an apparel designer who produces clothing under the label Paper Doll Fashion. She is from the Pacific NW and is currently dealing with the transition of her identity as Washingtonian to Oregonian. She will hopefully have this all figured out soon. With nature on her mind and in her view you will oftentimes find natural themes in her designs. She’s almost 30 now which means she’s very smart, responsible, and totally self assured. She’s a bit of an obsessive compulsive and has a very intense imagination which makes independent fashion design a perfect occupation for her busy busy mind. She works it all out on the dance floor a few times a week, plays many instruments in a band called explodeintocolors, and wants to get closer to a feeling of oneness with her new surroundings.

Along her path as fashion maker and stylist she’s had the opportunity to work with amazing inspiring people. Creating three outfits for Kimya Dawson to wear at various awards ceremonies for Juno was a lot of fun and was also a great experiement in creating and deconstructing at the same time. She has worked with a few different musical groups as official stylist for their various photo shoots and hopes to continue her work as media magic maker and collaborate with many more artists to come. Currently she is in cahoots with Sarah Utter of “Reading Is Sexy” fame on a new Egyptian themed cowel neck top. Heather gets to use a silk screen for the first time in her fashion design career! She hopes to share her love of fashion-making with the world and has no plans to crumble under the fist of “the man”.

photos by TorStudios visit for more Paper Doll Fashion