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Forward Focus on Fashion and Design Gives Nod to
Nostalgia
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Previous Issues:
Issue #1 07/09
Issue #2 08/09 |
 It’s estimated that the average
American woman owns six
handbags. Memphis, Tenn.
resident Caryn Scheidt has nearly
300 vintage designer Lucite acrylic
bags she’s been collecting for
some 20 years. Until recently,
Scheidt was unaware that the U.S.
headquarters for Lucite
International, which manufactures
the well-known brand of acrylic
central to the creative design and
beauty of her vintage bags, was
right in her own backyard.
"Carry Me!," a special museum exhibit of the uniquely styled bags is set to be
on display at The Dixon Gallery and Gardens in Memphis from October 18,
2009 through January 17, 2010. Lucite will host a special reception at the
exhibit by invitation, on Thursday evening, November 12th. The exhibit is
expected to travel to additional U.S. cities.
“We’re very pleased to be a part of this exhibit,” says Lucite’s Business
Director, Sheet & Resins, Simon Ellis. “Lucite has a great heritage and market
reputation for quality and fashion which continues in our products today.
Sponsoring this exhibit allows us to build on the beauty and design capability
of Lucite from the past to get creative juices going with the design community
as we launch our new PERSPEX® from Lucite® FROST and specialty lines.”
During the 1950s, American designers reinvented the traditional handbag
using Lucite acrylic, an exciting, new, decidedly modern medium reflecting the
futuristic trend of the times. Today, the one-of-a-kind, designer handbags are
considered highly collectable and can be found in vintage fashion and antique
shops, at antique auctions and on Internet auction sites.
Scheidt’s interest in the bags began when she purchased a bag as gift for her
mother-in-law, but ultimately decided to keep it.
She says, “I began collecting the bags because I thought they had an
intriguing artistic flavor, very architectural in their design. Each one says
something different, has a unique artistic message. It became a collection of
art, like collecting sculptures or paintings. I think they are beautiful.” Several
designers and design houses crafted the sought-after bags, a few of the most
prominent being Wilardy, Llewellyn, Rialto, Gilli, Maxim, Myles and Patricia of
Miami.
Ellis notes, “Lucite continues to be a sought after material for designers,
fabricators and artists due to its clarity, strength, beauty and ability to be
fabricated using any color imaginable. Indeed, modern innovations such as
bringing texture into the product have allowed us to expand our reach in the
design community.”
This year, as Lucite marks the product line’s 75th anniversary, Ellis adds,
“Lucite is seeing a resurgence in popularity at the consumer level. Jewelry,
shoes and furniture again are making fashion statements, adding to the
bathtubs and hot tubs [spas] that have been the mainstays for our business
today.”
For more about the Dixon Gallery and Gardens, visit www.dixon.org.
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 From Faberge eggs and Tiffany art
glass to Egyptian artifacts and
priceless gem collections, Lucite
International’s museum grade
acrylic sheet with ultraviolet (UV)
protection filters out 98 percent of
harmful ultraviolet lighting offering
distributors and fabricators the
optimum in UV-filtering protection,
while showcasing objects with true
clarity, letting the detail and beauty
shine through.
“Whether used for enhancing and
protecting the beauty of fine
objects or people from harmful UV light, our museum grade Lucite sheet offers
consumers added benefit and value backed with the durability and high
standard of quality that is the Lucite brand,” Chris Robinson, sheet business
manager for Lucite says.
On the opposite end of the UV spectrum, Lucite also offers its customers
Lucite® UTRAN, a cast acrylic sheet which allows for UV light transparency
that can be used in products ranging from tanning beds to greenhouses.
Lucite clear cast acrylic sheet is used in myriad applications for exhibit and
retail displays, skylights, and much more.
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For sales information and assistance
Jane Nash @ 1-800-4-LUCITE ext. 2426
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