Cyberoptix Tie Lab

Cyberoptix Bow Ties

2012-02-02T16:39:00.007-05:00

Though Bethany began printing bow ties quite some time ago, she's nestled herself into a comfortable space in which she's experimenting with long tie designs applied to our bow tie shapes, often with really beautiful results. Happily, the bow tie is going through a sort of revival, moving from the wardrobes traditional conservatives to fashion-forward and the downright cool. In our opinion, it's instant cool whether worn with a formal dress shirt or a more casual one. It's still linked to nerds and brains and geeks, and that, my darlings, is where we love to dwell.

Our bow ties are the 'thistle' shape (as opposed to the squared off 'bat wing' shape) and so there's a lot of tie 'real estate' to take a nice bit of print. They're made of microfiber, very smooth and silky, and vegan-safe. They're also freestyle, which means that you tie them yourself, and they're adjustable for size. We also have a very limited number of bow ties with hooks in a few colors, so if you want to have one that's tied for you and stays tied, just ask us if the color you want is available.

We do encourage you to go for the non-hook kind, though. Learning how to tie a bow tie isn't as hard as you'd think. There are several instructional videos readily available, and there's this excellent graphic from The Natty Urbanite.

If you've bought up your favorite color combos, have a look at our bow tie color selections and our ink selections and see what tickles your fancy. YES, we do wedding/multiple order discounts for same design/same ink (any tie color we have).

You can see our whole collection of bow ties right here: Cyberoptix Bow Ties

Bold Dragons and Old Lace

2012-01-25T01:58:00.015-05:00

As we wish you a happy Year of the Dragon, Black Water Dragon to be exact, we're over the moon to bring you these striking new designs. As a Dragon baby herself, Bethany put in ours of time clicking and cutting this bold black dragon, right down to the eyelashes. Even those of you who don't wear ties (WHAT!) can enjoy this design on scarves including our brand new 100% Pima cotton, ragged edge scarves.

We're told that the Dragon is attracted to bold colors with black, particularly red and green, and that his year is one for great deeds, innovative ideas and big projects. It is also said that the Black Water Dragon is so enigmatic, and large, that you cannot see his head and his tail at the same time.

And even if you don't believe that for a second, you need to add these to your collection, right? Right. Let's have a look.

Oh, yes. They're available in black pearl on black too - skinny, narrow and standard widths, and also on a variety of incandescent reds with a stunning gold ink. At publishing time, Bethany was still grappling with the photos of the gold ink ones (fist shake at overcast Detroit skies!) but here's a sneaky peek from the production side of the studio.

You can get these right here: Chinese Dragon ties from Cyberoptix Tie Lab

And as promised, the scarves!

This is on a new type of scarf for Cyberoptix - the 100% Pima cotton, raw edged scarf. It's loooong - 88" by 16" wide and this one is raspberry red. You can also get it in jade.

Sold? Get it here: Chinese Dragon Pima cotton scarf from Cyberoptix Tie Lab.

Is that all? Certainly not. Soon to come are the pashmina and silk scarf options, which we'll update when they're ready. Now, just have a look at these beauties:

This is arguably the most intricately detailed print ever done at the Tie Lab. Fine lace threads are all completely visible in this bold but delicate design. (Click it to see it bigger!) Is it naughty? Is it refined? Both? All down to the wearer and your intentions. You can get it in a subtle or bright color and if you don't see your favorite tie color in the menu, you can always request it.

How can you resist? Get it right here: Boudoir Lace tie from Cyberoptix Tie Lab.

Now for another lacey tie, this one with a completely different feel.

The Cottage Lace tie is evocative of old mystery novels, an elegant touch in most settings, but of course nothing in our oeuvre is entirely innocent. Tatted lace stars, pinwheels, pizzelle lace, maybe the subversion is only implied to us, but we're picturing spiked tea and bitter almond chocolates. We'll let you ascribe your own meaning.

Available in warm cream ink on a variety of colors. Get it here: Cottage Lace tie from Cyberoptix Tie Lab.

So there you have it, the bold and the intricate, painstakingly worked up, burned, printed and photographed by our patient, determined designer Bethany, just for you. It's not too late to add these to your Valentine's gift list!

xo,

Tie Lab

Back with Valentine's greetings.

2012-01-19T04:47:00.007-05:00

Ah, love. Since Chaucer's poem linking "Saynt Valentyn" to romance was published, we've had reason to declare our affections for our beloveds at a particular time of year. Though many believe that St. Valentine's day was used to absorb the pagan Lupercalia, nobody linked any of the three St. Valentines to romance until ol' Chaucer. However, if you're decidedly pagan, Lupercalia is a GREAT reason to celebrate love... and lust. And if your sweetie isn't into sweeties, your petal isn't into flowers, and your bunny isn't into stuffed animals, where do you turn?

We've got your back, you non-traditional traditionalists. Have a peep at our more obvious choices for the holiday, and of course if you'd rather put a fork in your thigh than celebrate Valentine's day in any way, you may wish to look at our final choice below, because WE love you enough to know how good that'll feel to wear.

Heart Attack - These anatomical heart ties are appropriate for both broken hearts and targets of your affection. Get it here: Heart Attack screen printed tie from Cyberoptix.

Bombs Away! - Love bombs for your strange love! Get it here: Bombs Away! screen printed tie from Cyberoptix

Quiver: Arrows - A subtler statement, understated and versatile. Get it here: Quiver: Arrows screen printed tie from Cyberoptix.

Lust - A striking double printed tie for a bolder statement. Get it here: Lust screen printed tie from Cyberoptix

And for those who are anti-Valentine and not quite on board with Lupercalia, wear your statement proudly, darlings.

Screw - A revival of an old favorite, oh yes, we did. Granted, a statement this bold can also be used for an absolutely blatant, more positive use by gifting it to the right person. Whichever meaning you ascribe to it, get it here: Screw screen printed tie from Cyberoptix

Regardless of your decision, we hope you'll enjoy the day, solo, paired off, or in a group, and do something lovely for yourselves. You deserve it!

xo,

Tie Lab

Cyberoptix for Diesel Sweeties - Pixel ties!

2009-11-11T03:39:00.005-05:00

Destroy all hu-mans!

Words really can't express how excited we are to officially announce our collaboration with DIESEL SWEETIES! For those not in the know yet, it's one of the best web comics in the whole of the intertubes, fer reals. Robot Infernos and Magic Paint Buckets? How could we possibly say no?

Ready for pre-order! (They just arrived at Casa Del DieselSweetie and will be ready to go in two shakes of a lamb's stinky tail.)

Red Robot Inferno Microfiber Tie

Sometimes you can’t wear a t-shirt but still need to put the fear of borg into people. Now you can! Hand-printed by the Cyberoptix TieLab on microfiber ties. Metallic gold ink on intense pure red. Standard width ties are 3.75" at widest point. Narrow are 2.75". $34

Magic Paint Bucket Microfiber Tie

Splash a little color onto your fancy outfits with this iconic bit of neckwear. One click and it fills to the edges. More colors to come! Black ink on aster blue and pink. Standard or narrow. $34.

CityBird - opening up in Detroit!

2009-11-11T02:53:00.002-05:00

City Bird -- the beloved Detroit craft label designed and produced by sibling duo Andy and Emily Linn -- will celebrate the opening of their new retail and studio space at the Canfield Lofts on W. Canfield between Cass and Second on Nov. 13 from 6 to 11 p.m.

[See more in the Model D article.]

We recently sent an armload of new ties (many Detroit centric styles) to a great new Detroit boutique that opens up this Friday, Nov. 13. Sadly we won't be in town to attend the grand opening, but please still stop on by!

_{Detroit Watertowers neckties}

City Bird will also carry a whole host of fantastic wares from local artists. Don't feel like waiting by the post for online orders? Support these nifty shops local to you! Follow City Bird's progress opening up their new space on their blog. It's so exciting to see more young entrepreneurs take initiative downtown.

Actual Size Biennial: Contemporary Art Institute of Detroit

2009-11-07T13:01:00.002-05:00

2009 Actual Size Biennial
November 7 – December 19, 2009
Opening Reception: November 7, 6 pm-11 pm

More than 100 Metro Detroit and Windsor area visual artists will show works in all mediums in the 2009 Actual Size Biennial.

Curated by Aaron Timlin, the Contemporary Art Institute of Detroit (CAID) presents this year’s biennial at CAID, “This is always a fun show and I look forward to it every time,” said Timlin who invited each artist to create one work in any medium, 2-D or 3-D, with the stipulation that at least two dimensions are 8 ½” x 11”.

I'll be showing one of my smaller, sound-activated companion pieces to the ATMOSPHERIC/PRESSURES series:

_{Atmospheric/Pressures, 2009
Wood, reclaimed latex rubber, dye, sound-reactive circuit, EL-wire.}

I once got a really bad critique way back in art school about my making sound and light activated work - that the same thing was going on in the lighting aisle of Home Depot and in airport toilets. Yeah, I'm over it now, thanks!

Hope to see you tonight!

Crash + an art opening in New York

2009-10-31T14:14:00.006-04:00

Egads, is this thing on? Being so busy has sadly really halted my old penchant for writing on the interwebs, and that's a shame. I miss it, and promise (as usual) to be better this time! So many interesting things have gone undocumented. Bah.

ANYwhooo, if you're in the New York area, tonight Devotion Gallery in Brooklyn will host one hell of a grand opening show - I'm honored to be showing two photos alongside some truly amazing artists: Keep Adding; Arnold Steiner; Sougwen Chung; Carrie Villines; Elisabeth Timpone; Dan Tesene and Jeffers Egan.

See the Breaking Glass (Crash Series) 2009 . Vinyl giclée on Gatorfoam, 24”x36”

Join the Car Crash Set (Crash Series) 2009 . Vinyl giclée on Gatorfoam, 24”x36”

You can see a slideshow the whole Carcrash Set here.

Schooled in both sculpture and photography, Bethany Shorb creates elaborate prop, costume and set constructions that blur the line between both editorial fashion photography and performance art documentation. Her recent Crash series refers to J.G. Ballard's novel of the same name with scenes titled by the lyrics of The Normal's song of similar influence, "Warm Leatherette." Technology, celebrity, sex, and death are perversely glamorized and fetishised in unison in a single explosion of red Swarovski crystals and inflated black latex rubber. Models, wardrobe and set decoration all retain the same visual and emotional weight, a hyper-saturated amalgamation exploring the interstitial space between the alluring and repulsive; hedonism and restraint; the seductive speed of expressways and the still finality of Last Rights.

Photo credits:

Models: Corey Ring, Vivka, David Blunk II
MUA: Justin Ruppel
Wardrobe: Cyberoptix
Styling/props: Bethany Shorb

NEW YORK -- Devotion Gallery is pleased to present "Pherepaphe: The Fourfold Roots Of Everything", an inaugural group exhibition opening October 31, 2009.

The name "Pherepaphe" alludes to Plato's recontextualization of the Greek goddess Persephone as "wise for seeing that all things in the world are in motion" and who, furthermore, is a part of that dynamic quality. Traditionally, Persephone is known as both the "Queen of the Underworld" and the "Goddess of Fertility". These seemingly disparate titles collide each year on All Hallows Eve, a ghoulish day that also marks the harvest and descent into winter. Persephone's conflicting roles point to the cycle of life and ultimately explain the changing seasons, a process Empedocles referred to as "the fourfold roots of everything".

"Pherepaphe: The Fourfold Roots Of Everything" visually resolves the contradictory elements of Persephone, through her recasting as Pherepaphe and the primordial of the fourfold roots. It makes the necessary visual references to the dark and the sacred, but also to the organic and the dynamic -- the "in-motion" quality that Plato referred to in his renaming of the dark goddess. This group exhibition includes in-gallery work by Arnold Steiner, Bethany Shorb, Carrie Villines, Dan Tesene, Elisabeth Timpone, Keep Adding, and Sougwen Chung. A living installation of dark fashion works by Bird Ov Prey, Cyberoptix, Mercantile, Sinner/Saint, and Victorian Death Kult in November will further underscore the dynamic and ephemeral qualities of Pherepaphe.

"Pherepaphe: The Fourfold Roots Of Everything" will open with a reception at 7:00 p.m. on Halloween, and remain on display until December 14, 2009. The reception will also serve as the public opening for Devotion Gallery, located at 54 Maujer Street in Williamsburg (near the corner of Maujer and Lorimer Streets).

Admission will be free and open to the public. RSVP to http://AreYouDevoted.com is recommended. Attendees who arrive in-costume will receive one free top-shelf signature cocktail!

..........................................

ABOUT DEVOTION GALLERY

Devotion is a new gallery located in Williamsburg, where space exists as a cross-section of the world at-large. Devotion combines science, art, sound, data, and complexity to reveal our existence as part of an integral whole.

Devotion Gallery will open its doors to the public at 7:00 p.m. on October 31, 2009.

Cyberoptix to join Austin Fashion Week

2009-07-17T13:13:00.003-04:00

Sadly Blogger didn't seem to be working for me yesterday, so instead of being an announcement, this is a little more of an archive instead. Meh! Anyway, I was honored to be brought in among some really fantastic designers and hopefully some of you had the opportunity to attend!

Austin’s hottest lingerie designer debuts her new intimates’ line with exciting guests for Austin Fashion Week.

[Austin], [TX],[7/15/09] – Megan Summerville, Texas Next Top Designer 2009, will share an intimate evening featuring the her lingerie line and new menswear collection at Qua of Austin at 11 pm CST (213 W 4th St # 100). Special guests include; benson of Mange la Mode, Bethany Shorb of the Cyberoptix Tie Lab and a few other surprises!

Megan Summerville lingerie is an evolving refinement of foundation wear. From silk bras and firm compression wear, Megan shows the soft elegance of true underpinnings. Fresh from her Win at Dallas' Texas Next Top Designer; this is Megan's first show in her hometown since winning the award. Ms. Summerville will be joined by Mange la Mode Principal Designer, benson. Mange la Mode designed the gowns used in Swarovski Crystals international advertising campaign and has been featured in Harper’s Bazaar and French Vogue. Bethany Shorb’s Tie Lab (eco friendly designer ties) is often featured in editorials all over the globe.

New double-printed series: 7 Deadly Sins and 7 Holy Virtues

2009-02-05T12:05:00.002-05:00

A long time in the making, we're proud to finally release the first and second pieces in our new double printed series! Lust and Chastity are the first counterpoint in our Seven Deadly Sins and Seven Holy Virtues line. Although they take a lot longer to actually make, the double printed ties are always exciting to design.

Intertwined snakes, conjoined Venus-like ladies, a celestial background - sure to get you hot and bothered.

Looking for a little more restraint? The padlock on the front is marked with the word "Castus" meaning "chaste" in Latin.

Be extra reminded of your favorite sin or virtue as the words "Lust" or "Chastity" are also printed inside a regal banner on the back tail of the tie.

Shop Local: Los Angeles [A+R]

2009-02-01T12:09:00.007-05:00

This is the second in our "Shop Local" series of posts, our first was the Detroit edition - today we're heading west! Last week we proudly shipped two huge boxes of brand new silk and microfiber ties in both standard, narrow and skinny widths (and some super special ones for Valentine's Day!) to one of our favorite shops, A+R in Los Angeles.

Michael and I were fortunate enough to be able to personally make a visit to A+R on Abbott Kinney when we were out there last September for a friend's wedding. (And our friends got some really sweet gifts as a result!) A+R was our lifesaver...and we sure wish it was more local to us...but fear not, they have a fantastic website stocked with all sorts of wonderful wares if you're not in the area...but if you are, by all means check them out. You won't be sorry! P.S. I want one of everything in there.

A+R - "Global design. Edited." is British ex-pat Andy Griffith, a former film editor and self-avowed design junkie, and Rose Apodaca, a pop culture and style journalist. A+R obsessively seeks out the newest products, aiming to offer them first.

"We love talking about the designers we find locally and from afar, because it only goes to show that this brilliant and bold community is not so much distinguished by geographic or cultural boundaries but bound by the pursuit of aesthetics and innovative ideas."

Don't feel like waiting by the post for online orders? Support these nifty shops local to you in the Los Angeles area:

A+R West 1121 Abbot Kinney Blvd, Venice, CA 90291 Tuesday-Sunday 11 a.m.-7 p.m.

Rose Apodaca is a pop culture and style journalist and the co-owner of A+R, the design retail lab in Los Angeles. She contributes to Harper's Bazaar, Elle, Glamour, Paper, The Los Angeles Times Magazine, Style.com, Preen and other publications, and consulted on the launch of Image, The Los Angeles Times newest style section. Her first book, Style A to Zoe: The Art of Fashion, Beauty & Everything Glamour, an all-encompassing lifestyle guide written for celeb stylist Rachel Zoe, is now in paperback and hit The New York Times bestseller list in September 2008. She is currently wrapping up a biography on Fred Hayman, co-founder of Giorgio Beverly Hills and marketing architect of Rodeo Drive, as well as co-authoring a beauty book with neo-burlesque queen and style icon, Dita Von Teese. photo: PAPER Mag

Not only is shopping locally fun, it helps to protect local character and prosperity. Locally owned businesses build strong neighborhoods by sustaining communities, linking neighbors, and by contributing more to local causes. Your dollars spent in locally-owned businesses have three times the impact on your community as dollars spent at national chains. When shopping locally, you simultaneously create jobs, fund more city services through sales tax, invest in neighborhood improvement and promote community development.

New designs, sneak peek valentine!

2009-01-29T10:38:00.003-05:00

A happy early Valentine's to everyone! We're in the throes of shooting a few new designs here at the 'Lab and hope to have them properly up for grabs on the site tomorrow. We're about to debut "Lust" and "Chastity" - the first in the Seven Deadly Sins/7 Holy Virtues series for 2009. Here's a sneak peek, we like tickling your fancy.

Chastity - black pearl on black narrow.

Lust - gold on burgundy narrow.

This one came out this past fall, but is appropriate given the season - who isn't a little cuckoo over an object of his or her affection?

Cuckoo - copper on olive narrow.

We've also re-released an old anatomical favorite:

Heart Attack - copper on olive narrow.

Ties are always very useful to have about the bedroom or boardroom.

Stay naughty,
xox
bethany

A fond farewell to the holiday rush...

2009-01-04T21:39:00.002-05:00

Happy new year to all from the TieLab! We made it through the holidays once again, every last parcel was shipped by X-mas Eve. The studio has been cleaned of all the little clippings, ink splotches and doo-dads strewn about everywhere (and mountains of take-away boxes) tons of new materials have been ordered, and cheeky new designs are in the works.

Here are a few photos of one of our last shipping days.

Normally there are no sad pouty faces in the 'Lab, but it was about 30 below with the windchill and I was making the poor thing suffer while fumbling for my camera - this was at nearly 4am. I am truly evil and sadistic.

If I can remember correctly, this was from the very last day after the last drop was made, and celebratory stickers went on noses!

So now I'm making up some new designs for you all to give your sweet things on Valentine's day, as always, they'll be subtly (or woefully) inappropriate. Hope to have 'em on out in the next few weeks.

Thank you all for a most fantastic holiday season.

Much love, health and prosperity.

xox

CORE77: 77 Design Gifts Under $77

2008-12-14T01:19:00.003-05:00

Venerable design blog CORE77 picks out this year's 77 under $77 most coveted/best design objects/books/and causes to donate your loot to. Hugest thanks in the universe to the editors for including the TieLab!

Cyberoptix Tie Lab: Ties That Don't Suck!
$40 microfiber (w/ wood box), $50 silk, (w/ wood box)

The original Ties That Don't Suck. Hand-screenprinted neckwear in a premium wood gift-packaging that's Forest Stewardship Council certified. The TieLab manufactured a maligned accessory in a maligned city, quietly hoping to turn around the perception of both to one of subversive enjoyment.

With the economy being rather crap right now, we sure can use tips on where to find the good, clever stuff in exchange for comparatively few duckets. People always comment that my prices are too low, but I'm a stickler for not raising them just because there's some obtuse need for design objects to cost a lot. I call BS! (And it's my initials, I can't wear it out...)

If anyone is looking to send the TieLab presents, look to this list. We especially like the throwing star magnets.

Detroit By Design 4 Year, in pictures

2008-12-14T00:47:00.001-05:00

Cyberoptix Tie Lab founder and designer Bethany Shorb ties on one with the boys. - oh WDIV/Angela's Eye, you are teh fuuuunnny! ;) Soooo true....

Thanks so much to the hordes of people that made it to a magnificent show, Detroit By Design's 4 Year Anniversary was our first runway show in a long time. How do you make showing a tiny little accessory into something that people will bother taking a look at? Super interesting models and photographers sure don't hurt. ;) Binding them with hundreds of ties (and tape) is a good start too. Special thanks to my main photographers Amy Hubbarth, Josh (grimindistries.com) and Christos (detroitartist.org) for capturing all the brou-haha and my models...of course. Without them, neckties just really aren't all that exciting.

Sample/debut from a forthcoming line of latex dresses crafted from re-purposed, cold-war era weather balloons. Yes, this means "something other than ties" is in the works. *gasp*!

Such patient, tolerant and loyal models let me half-blind them and wrap their pretty little heads in tape!

Enough screwing around in the portrait area, on to the runway...

So at about 1am, a quick costume change and our dj alter-egos DETHLAB+1 come out to play. I'm not sure what I thought I was doing, but I was hell-bent on making the most ridiculous faces and faux-music-making o-faces on this green earth. We must have been having fun or something. Photos all by Amy...

Broken goat? Here I am apparently quite dismayed at the site of my comparatively flaccid goat. Where is my goat? Where is my mind? who the eff knows.

My goat-throwing can sure use some work, but the fist pumping I have down. Yep. Most certainly do. RAWK. I look constipated, I assure you I wasn't.

Who me? I didn't do it. Dear lord it's a good thing I don't have much in the way of boobs, cuz that would have been a nipslip for sure.

So that's it for now. We had a fantastic show and then dj set after. Not that playing other people's music is particularly difficult, but we sure seem to have a darned fine time doing it. Doing two shows in one night was an extra special bit of fun especially while in the throes of getting holiday orders out the door, but we're masochists and wouldn't have it any other way. More special thanks to Mr. Doyle for help in visually producing the show and modeling, and my assistant David Blunk II for both walking the show as well and keeping my sanity.

xox

Detroit by Design: 4 Year Anniversary

2008-12-05T04:01:00.002-05:00

Model: Chrissy; Photo: Rich Rice; Design + Wardrobe: Bethany Shorb

Saturday, December 6, 2008 (VIP Reception 9-11p / Party 11-3a)
Detroit By Design, 2944 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, MI 48201

Fashion Shows: 10:30pm

Femilia Street Couture
Camilo Pardo
Cyberoptix Tie Lab
PeaceLoveSpandex
Wound

A major event for Detroit By Design commemorating four years of our creative and cultural programs with the Detroit community. We are fortunate to have dozens of our favorite artists, designers, musicians, sponsors and promotional partners participating in this special occasion. We recognize that our success is a product of these positive community relationships and make it a top priority to provide publicity and personalized value for each of our supporters.

-Butler-style cocktails and canapes provided by Four Star Culinaire catering.
-Reception environment designed by Melinda Anderson and Colonial Event Services.
-323 Art installation curated by 323 East. Detroit Fashion Photography exhibition.
-A dozen DJs performing in the Detroit By Design and Art In Development galleries.
-Fashion exhibition by designers including Femilia Street Couture and Camilo Pardo.
-Film short by Andrafilm featuring Detroit By Design’s Green Carpet at BravoBravo!

Shop Local: Metro Detroit

2008-12-01T02:53:00.000-05:00

This is the first in our "Shop Local" series of posts, our first (of course) is the Detroit edition. We've recently brought armloads of new ties to some of our favorite Metro Detroit boutiques and galleries, who also carry a whole host of fantastic wares from local artists. Don't feel like waiting by the post for online orders? Support these nifty shops local to you:

Naka
171 W 9 Mile Rd
Ferndale, MI 48220
(248) 582-9113

323 East Gallery
323 E. 4th St.
Royal Oak, MI
248-246-9544

Design.99
Hamtramck, MI
(313) 576-6941 - please call for hours and directions, they're just about done moving!

16 Hands Gallery
216 S. Main St
Ann Arbor, MI 48104

Not only is shopping locally fun, it helps to protect local character and prosperity. Locally owned businesses build strong neighborhoods by sustaining communities, linking neighbors, and by contributing more to local causes. Your dollars spent in locally-owned businesses have three times the impact on your community as dollars spent at national chains. When shopping locally, you simultaneously create jobs, fund more city services through sales tax, invest in neighborhood improvement and promote community development.

For those in the Detroit area on Saturday, December 6, Detroit by Design will be hosting it's huuuuge 4th Anniversary Party - we'll be doing a runway show during the first half of the party with Dethlab+1 dj's closing out the evening. Oh my, Double Trouble!

Saturday, December 6, 2008 (VIP Reception 9-11p / Party 11-3a) - WDIV's Hank Winchester will Emcee Fashion Show w/ 5 designers
Detroit By Design, 2944 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, MI 48201

Take a peek at some brand new designs, and a favorite new model:

Topographical Error A large area of the tie is printed with distressed remnants of 1900's sea-depth estimates taken in Scandinavian and Arctic waters. These levels are rapidly changing now due to climactic shift.

Cable Tie: (Haha, we made a funny!) Yes, it is a tie full of cables - 1/4" and RCA connectors. A large, bold print - great for dj's, producers, guitarists and all sorts of music nerds. Original illustration.

Our fierce new model for winter: Rick. Woooo! He's got on one of our best selling ties,
Victorian Gears, originally made for Alan and Siouxie's wedding last year, but now released in tons of colors and finishes. They're still cute as ever too.

Epic photo post: what I did on my "summer vacation"

2008-08-31T16:41:00.004-04:00

What better way to spend Labor Day eve? I guess I'm supposed to be not laboring or some such hooha, so let's have a semi-proper Summer wrap-up, with a look at what's been going on inside the TieLab - more on the process end of things rather than product.

Overall, we're pretty product-obsessed, but our new-ish studio space has begun to make a world of difference in terms of what, how, and the quality of production. It's been, for the most part - to quote the internets - full of win.

For those following along at home, in the beginning of March we began our migration down from the sixth floor, a tiny wee spot (ok, super-massive by nyc standards, LOLZ). It was less than one quarter of the whole floor. Our new spot a few levels down is a full half of the floor, clocking in at nearly 3000 sq'! Awesome, right? Well, most certainly, except it was hit and required one serious load of work to transform from a predominantly afterhours raveity-rave spot to a proper studio. (Yes, we had a ~~EPIC SUPER RAVE~~ one small little gathering of friends since then, and no, we won't talk about that now. ;) Thnx!

A few befores and afters (please pardon some of the camera phone shots - they're not the best but at least you can get an idea of what we've been up to. When it's a little more done, hopefully some better pictures will follow):

BEFORE:

Main printing area at brightest time of the day.

AFTER:

Main printing area at brightest time of the day.

A little cheap laminate goes a long way

Of course there were the many requisite trips to Ikea, which is always a good time!

And yes, we had to buy one. Some designer at Ikea is funny.

One of the big Ikea quests was getting some proper lighting - although the studio is well bathed in light during the day, as soon as 8pm hits now, it goes dark pretty darned fast. With 16' ceiling, it turns into a lightless cave.

Being able to actually see what you're printing really rules!

Ikea is great, but it alone gets a little boring, so I've been trolling craigslist to try and find some key pieces that would otherwise be financially implausible.

Hello Saarinen! Painting by Joe Jagos who has since migrated to nyc. bastard.

We've been up to much more than just re-decorating and minor construction. We've had a few school groups through to tour the space, given some talks on running your own shop and studio business and have had some wonderful press opportunities. Our other giganto project was the acquisition of our new packaging. 1000 wood boxes = very heavy!

Of course this happened on one of the hottest days of the summer. We all look...ravishing! ;)

So what did you do on your Summer vacation? At some point, I'd like to actually go on vacation.

Plaid Habit - new design + new silk!

2008-08-27T13:28:00.001-04:00

New design of the week - Plaid Habit! (har har har)

Are you a design addict or fashion victim? Interlocking vintage syringes are reversed and doubled in a kaleidoscopic pattern. Fresh from the prep school underworld! Wahoo.

Finally, I have silk in colors, it's been a few years and a few manufacturers (and one positively terrifying quantity!) in order to allow them able to remain affordable ($40). Of course I still have the microfiber which is even kinder ($30) to the wallets, easier to care for and appropriate for our vegan friends. But silk. Finally. So excited. This new silk has a tight weave, is a bit more matte and as a result, holds the print detail really, really well.

Still all hand-printed right here in our downtown Detroit studio. With love.

Angela's Eye + our new NICE PACKAGE

2008-08-08T10:48:00.002-04:00

Hanging At The House Of 'Ties That Don't Suck' - Angela, of Angelaseye.com/WDIV Channel 4 spent the afternoon in the TieLab last week.

To coincide with our nice little chit-chat, I stayed up all night last night (this morning, ugh!) and was finally able to add our NICE PACKAGE to the necktie offerings. Hopefully I didn't screw anything up too bad. I code only well enough to get myself into trouble. ;)

We also have a brand spankin' new new design I'm more excited about than a can of snakes feigning to be honey roasted peanuts: Fool's Gold.

That's the news. It's a Friday in August and we should be on vacation like everyone else...but we're not, because we love you.

Nice Package!

2008-06-20T01:52:00.002-04:00

We're about to introduce some snazzy new packaging - it's all here and finally finished! Hopefully I'll some have time to add it to the site this weekend and rebuild the cart. It's my folks' 35th wedding anniversary (!!!) and there should be the litany of requisite sitting on planes and trains to reach good ol' Connecticut - which means lots on non-printing time where I can attend to much-procrastinated tasks like site updates. :P This is M&D's last hurrah soiree before moving down to sunny Florida, so many congrats to the parental units.

So back to that nice package. Each "gen-U-ine" pine box comfortably holds one necktie or scarf, is screenprinted, velveteen-lined, and varnished for your protection. A perfect ~~coffin~~ keepsake and presentation device for your nifty new neckwear! Each one is somewhat different due to the differences in woodgrain pattern, I've been picking out my favorites all week. And another added bonus - it really protects the tie from wrinkling in transit. I Just did a test-mailing to myself to see how they fared. :)

This upgrade in extreme swankitude should only cost you a mere 10 bones more...still running all the numbers on that but should be in the $10-$12 range for the sweet package upgrade. ANyway, stay tuned to cyberoptix.com for their launch.

Naka trunkshow photos

2008-06-19T01:22:00.003-04:00

A quick report - better late than never? Our recent trunk show at Naka in Ferndale was a huge success! Thanks to the staff at Naka and Stephanie of Phantom Limb for all their help and enthusiasm. It was good to see local folks and bring the cases out of the studio, and who can turn down wine, cheese and conversation?

AWWWWW! Merry studio assistants soooo cute!

More on Kill Devil Hill

2008-06-19T01:13:00.002-04:00

People just can't stop talking about our Cowboy and Kill Devil Hill!

The retail stores on Franklin Street are organically developed; they are creative, unique visions of the shop keepers. Kill Devil Hill is no exception. The exciting part of this general store is that pretty much every time you visit, you will see new things. Cowboy Mark has "a whole barn-full" of unique one-of-a-kind items that will be gradually revealed. Brockman added that they both travel a lot and are always finding new things...

Again, it's great to have a cravat-home in Brooklyn...stop on by for some old-timey goodness!

CPM & S2DIO NIGHT PRESENT CHEMICAL SALVATION, This Saturday!

2008-06-12T09:41:00.001-04:00

As part of the long-running Detroit by Design S2DIO night, this month's installment will have Dethlab and Cyberoptix, all in one! What more could you ask for! I'll have some neckties for sale, especially targeting those last-minute bad-kids who haven't gotten dear-ol-dad a darned thing. I'll also have 3 large photos on display from different editions of the Meat Series, taken over the last few years.

Mad Love, 2006

S2DIO Night is a monthly event for creative types in Detroit featuring art, photography, music, dancing, and more at the legendary Bankle Building/Detroit By Design HQ.

VISUAL FREAKOUT BY:

BRANDON BELKNAP
CYBEROPTIX TIE LAB
LEO HANIFIN
LYNN UPSON
INX
KOOLIK
MYNAMEISSNOW
MATT ABBOTT
ERIC LEISS
+MORE

AUDIO FREAKOUT BY:

DETHLAB
VACUUM-live funk edits
E SPLEECE-live
JOSH DAHLBERG

BANKLE BUILDING: Saturday Jun 14, 10PM
2944 WOODWARD AVE. DETROIT

Kill Devil Hill covered by Refinery 29

2008-06-10T01:48:00.002-04:00

While Kill Devil Hill evokes the feel of an old-timey general store, it couldn't be more of modern day specialty shop. With the bulk of the stocklist shipped from a connection in Montana—an aging mountain man with a penchant for animal bones, 19th-century trading beads, and handmade Native American crafts, owners "Cowboy Mark" Straiton and Mary Brockman have filled in the rest with their own expertise—Industrial American-era home, gift, and clothing collectibles circa 1870-1962..."

Not only does Refinery 29 has some most excellent things to say about the new shop, they provided a lovely photo of the ahem...Cyberoptix ties also finally having a great home in New York!

As penned by Miss Lis Hsu - "admit it. you've been wondering where cowboy mark disappeared to. he's been setting up a store in greenpoint, brooklyn. it's called
KILL DEVIL HILL (i dunno, ask him what it means yourself!) and since he has not yet finished his time machine, he decided the next best thing is to gather stuff that's really old from all over. and it's not just your average "vintage" or "antique" items. he's going WAY back in time... u know, manifest destiny, frontier life,
carpetbaggers, turn of the century, model T, bonnie & clyde, world wars, FDR.

serving as a general store for all your old timey needs, you will be able to buy SKULLS, taxidermy, vintage workwear, military uniforms, western wear, arrows, jars, pots, pans, wax, trade beads from the 1800's, antler art, a jar full of teeth... thousand year old (not an exaggeration) buffalo teeth... and lots of other things that might be obsolete or definitely not alive anymore.

and if they don't got it? they will get it for you!

KILL DEVIL HILL
170 Franklin St. (btwn Kent and Java)
G train to Greenpoint Ave
http://www.myspace.com/killdevilhillny

Rob Corddry wears "Bombs Away" tie at world premiere

2008-06-03T02:32:00.003-04:00

L to R: Actors Lake Bell, Ashton Kutcher, Cameron Diaz, and Rob Corddry arrive at the red carpet world premiere of Twentieth Century Fox's "What Happens In Vegas" - 5/1/2008

photos courtesy of IESB.net
Rob Corddry's necktie: Cyberoptix TieLab

Not only is Rob Corddry funny as hell, but he has great taste in neckties! (Thanks to an observant customer for pointing this out to us!) Get your own "Bombs Away" tie from the Cyberoptix TieLab. Or if you prefer, it lives in Toybreaker's tandem Etsy shop as well.

Corddry is onscreen now in New Line's "Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay" and "What Happens in Vegas," stealing scenes as he's always done since his getting his start as a correspondent on "The Daily Show." Corddry has recently landed his first starring role with "Project A," a New Line action comedy being produced by Ben Stiller and will be portraying former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer in Oliver Stone's "W," which is currently in production.

Trunk Show at Naka Thursday, May 29

2008-05-28T22:56:00.000-04:00

See new work from:
Cyberoptix TieLab & their new BSD luxe-line
Phantom Limb: The Stuff You're Missing

+ food! drink!
+ brand new designs!
+ door prizes and discounts!
+ friends are welcome.

Naka is located at 9 Mile and Woodward
171 W. 9 Mile, Ferndale, MI.
Thursday, May 29 from 6:00pm - 9:00pm.
248.582.9113

Metro Detroit designers host trunk show at Naka, Ferndale

The work of two Metro Detroit designers will be on view at a special event taking place at Naka in Ferndale. Naka is a boutique featuring the work of both local and internationally based independent designers. Kelly Pettibone, owner of Naka, will be hosting food, drink, door prizes, discounts and brand new designs from both The Cyberoptix TieLab (Bethany Shorb) and Phantom Limb (Stephanie Tardy). For more info, please visit http://www.nakastore.com.

Many of Naka's artists are scouted from the pages of Etsy.com. Both Shorb and Tardy also maintain storefronts on Etsy. Conceived in early 2005, Etsy is an online marketplace for buying and selling all things handmade. It was built for consumers conscious of the true value of handmade goods and their creators, as well as to give all independent artists the technology and information they need to make a living, making things. Etsy's intention is to offer viable alternatives to mass-produced objects in the world marketplace, and to encourage consumers to be aware of the social and environmental implications of their purchases.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:

Formally trained in sculpture and photography but now focusing on product-based work full-time, Bethany Shorb received her MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art in 2001 and BFA from Boston University in 1998. She founded the Cyberoptix TieLab in 2006 after noticing a void in creative yet sophisticated neckwear.

Recently featured on The Martha Stewart Show, Shorb designs and hand-screenprints each necktie, selling both to individual clients and filling wholesale accounts to shops across Metro Detroit and over 100 boutiques and museum stores across five continents. Her studio recently expanded to occupy an over 3000 square foot space in an old furniture factory on the edge of Eastern Market in Detroit.

Echoing the core environmental and socially conscious values of Etsy, Cyberoptix strongly believes that a designer's ethics need not inform nor limit the look of the object. "There is always a more reasonable alternative to the historically toxic trade of screen printing - these alternative processes can also perform better on fine fabrics. It may not be as financially viable in the short run, but the long-term effects on workers' health and our surroundings are invaluable," says Shorb. Cyberoptix is committed to being a solvent-free shop and only uses nontoxic, water-based ink, a practice uncommon especially in high-volume workshops.

Selections from the Cyberoptix TieLab can be found locally at Naka in Ferndale; The Museum of Contemporary Art in Detroit; Design 99 in Hamtramck, and The Store at Cranbrook Art Museum in Bloomfield Hills.

http://cyberoptix.com
http://toybreaker.etsy.com
http://toybreaker.net/blog
http://bsdluxe.com

Stephanie Tardy of Pleasant Ridge makes colorful paper goods under the name Phantom Limb. With the motto "The Stuff You're Missing," many of Phantom Limb's products are made from re-claimed paper culled from unusual sources.

In addition to selling her line of cards and journals, Tardy will debut a 15-piece grouping of playful, mixed media art at the Naka Trunk Show. A new series of Michigan collages, inspired by her popular Michigan mixed-paper notebooks, will also be for sale.

Tardy founded the local indie craft collective Handmade Detroit and the Detroit Urban Craft Fair, now in its third year. In 2007, she was named a "20 in their 20s" by Crain's Detroit.

http://phantomlimb.typepad.com
http://thephantomlimb.etsy.com
http://handmadedetroit.com

DETHLAB + 1 : spring 2008 LIVE mix

2008-04-24T12:28:00.001-04:00

We interrupt the usual tie-chatter to bring you a delicious treat, fresh from the necktie baroness and her two favorite models!

Download new LIVE mix by Dethlab +1
[93mb, .m4a format]

Cocks on Techno Blvd.

Tracklisting:

DETHLAB + 1 : spring 2008 LIVE mix

DETHLAB mashup: The Producers: "Keep it Gay" vs. Homotronic: "U Look Like a Gay"
Rude 66: "The Strings of Death"
Lowfish: "Domination Ver. 2"
Josh Dahlberg: "Interloop"
Kiko: "Slave of My Mind"
Sascha Funke: "Kuschelrock"
Apparat - "Arcadia (Telefon Tel Aviv RMX)"
The Reflecting Skin: "Traffickers"
Das Bierbeben: "Sturm Bricht Los"
Deutsche Amerikanishe Freundschaft: "Tanz Mit Mir"
Adriano Canzian: "You Excites Me So Much!"
The Presets: "My People"
Tomas Andersson: "Washing Up - Ttim Deluxe Mix"
SebastiAn: "Smoking Kills"
Synapse: "Dust-Mite (Edit)"
DETHLAB mashup: Ambivalent: "R U OK" vs. Gershon Kingsley: "Popcorn"
Zoo Brazil: "Face"
Richard Bartz: "Symphonies of Midnight"
DETHLAB mashup outro: "The Producers: "Keep it Gay" vs. Homotronic: "U Look Like a Gay"

AND!

REMEMBER, this SUNDAY night, Apr. 27: DISCO SECRET
Music by Dethlab +1.

Sunday 4/27 at the Detroit Eagle
1501 Holden St, Detroit, MI 48208
$2 drinks, guarded parking, leather.

PRESS: Crain's Detroit Business

2008-04-21T11:13:00.002-04:00

Photo credit: NATHAN SKID/CRAIN'S DETROIT BUSINESS

If you think most ties are boring, you're not alone — designer Bethany Shorb agrees.

Visit the Web site for Cyberoptix TieLab, Shorb's online boutique, and you'll be greeted with a promise in the form of a slogan: “Ties that don't suck.”

Shorb's neckwear venture began as an afterthought back in 2006. Completing a screen-printing project, the Cranbrook Academy of Art-trained artist decided to make a tie for fiance Michael Doyle...

See the full article at Crain's Detroit Business.

On swinging and parachute jumping

2008-04-21T09:24:00.003-04:00

We've been busy here all weekend printing and shooting new designs for Summer - these are hot off the presses and just released today!

Who doesn't like Coney Island? We sure do. Sadly developers will soon have their way with it as a whole, but this iconic Brooklyn structure will thankfully never see the wrecking ball due to it's status on the National Register of Historic Places. Show your love for Brooklyn with our new Coney Island Parachute Jump necktie. Our litigious society will probably prevent it from ever being operational again as an amusement attraction (silly modern safety standards) ... it sure must have been fun in it's day.

Also in a similar vein of jumping, swinging and general tomfoolery is our Swinger tie. (Poo poo on double entendres, we like triple and quadruple entendres around these parts!) We've seen this chandelier glyph adorn just about everything in designed goods over the past year or so - from wall graphics to sketchbooks to t-shirts - we decided to have a little fun with it.

for once, a post other than ties!

2008-04-18T03:12:00.000-04:00

But we all look good in them...

Music by Dethlab +1.

THIS WILL BE FUN. YOU WILL COME

Yes, it is a Sunday, but it takes place in a seriously most awesome bar. Yes, it is technically a gay bar, but be not afraid, Sunday nights are dance nights for all folks bent and not, assless chaps not required. Appreciated...though... :P

PLUS two dollar drinks, who can argue with that?

If you've never been, it's nice and dark with a good sound system, security guard for parking, it's CLEAN and not GROSS like so many other fine establishments in our fair city...so don't be scared.

A special mix for you forthcoming...

xox

Some love for Detroit from Mr. Sterling...

2008-03-25T16:11:00.001-04:00

Beyond the Beyond: Toybreaker: Cyberoptix TieLab

Best review from Bruce Sterling ever:

(((A great tie to wear when you're a Detroit mayor in court for imaginary sex crimes. Or on the Martha Stewart Show, live from the slammer.)))

2008-02-27T02:22:00.000-05:00

February 27, 2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Work of Local Detroit Designer to Appear on The Martha Stewart Show: Highlights of Etsy.com

Local Detroit designer Bethany Shorb (aka Toybreaker) is to be featured on The Martha Stewart Show on Friday, February 29th on WXYZ Channel 7. The segment can also be seen at primetime on Fine Living Network Monday, March 3 at 8pm and midnight Eastern Time. The show features movers and shakers as well as everyday people who've accomplished extraordinary things. This entire segment of The Martha Stewart Show highlights the best of Etsy.com, touted as "Your place to buy and sell all things handmade." Shorb's men's accessory line, "The Cyberoptix TieLab" is featured along with the work of fifteen other successful independent designers also part of Etsy.com.

Conceived in early 2005, Etsy is an online marketplace for buying and selling all things handmade. It was built for consumers conscious of the true value of handmade goods and their creators, as well as to give all independent artists the technology and information they need to make a living, making things. Etsy's intention is to offer viable alternatives to mass-produced objects in the world marketplace, and to encourage consumers to be aware of the social and environmental implications of their purchases.

Formally trained in sculpture and photography but now focusing on product-based work full-time, Shorb received her MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art in 2001 and BFA from Boston University in 1998. She founded the TieLab in 2006 after noticing a void in creative yet sophisticated neckwear. Based in the Eastern Market area of Detroit, Shorb designs and hand-screnprints each necktie, selling both to individual clients and filling wholesale accounts to shops across Metro Detroit and nearly 100 boutiques and museum stores across five continents. Her studio currently occupies a portion of the top-floor of an old furniture factory and will soon be expanding to an over 3000 square foot space on a neighboring floor.

Shorb runs her stand-alone web store, The Cyberoptix TieLab (http://cyberoptix.com) in tandem with her Etsy shop (toybreaker.etsy.com). "The Etsy shop has been a great boon to my business," says Shorb, "it has introduced a much broader customer base than I was unable to reach before. Etsy also supports a strong sense of community among both buyers and sellers - we are all able to collectively learn more about our art and good business practices." Brooklyn-based Etsy now has 48 full-time employees, approximately 650,000 registered users, 60,000 of whom are individual artists selling more than 950,000 of their handmade creations.

Echoing the core environmental and socially conscious values of Etsy, Cyberoptix strongly believes that a designer's ethics need not inform nor limit the look of the object. "There is always a more reasonable alternative to the historically toxic trade of screen printing - these alternative processes can also perform better on fine fabrics. It may not be as financially viable in the short run, but the long-term effects on workers' health and our surroundings are invaluable," says Shorb. Cyberoptix is committed to being a solvent-free shop and only use nontoxic, water-based ink, a practice uncommon especially in high-volume workshops.

Selections from the Cyberoptix TieLab can be found locally at Naka in Ferndale; The Museum of Contemporary Art in Detroit; Design 99 in Hamtramck, and The Store at Cranbrook Art Museum in Bloomfield Hills.

POOL Tradeshow recap

2008-02-18T03:26:00.002-05:00

Damnit, I never post anymore...uncut for your pleasure! :P

POOL Tradeshow (part of MAGIC) Feb 12-14, Las Vegas Convention Center

I had the best helpers anyone could ever dream of having - we thoroughly rocked the work hard play hard work ethic. ;) Thankfully for the first time in my life, I had the forethought to ask some people to help with the booth that I knew I'd get along well with in potentially stressful situations. I owe them the world for keeping me very happy and very sane. It's no secret that I'm a Type A from hell; I've attempted to do much smaller-scale shows alone and it was all kinds of not fun. I finally feel as if I'm attempting to learn from experiences and not make the same, stupid mistakes 12 times. For those ever thinking of doing something like this, a tradeshow threesome is the minimum way to go, otherwise you're left standing around or running around like the proverbial chicken sans head. Load in and tear-down are some of the most vile, fast-paced/race against the clock events, but with the right amount of hands, it can almost be fun.

Backstory on the BFF co-conspirators - Amalia is my old college roommate from Boston University who is a published Mayan archaeologist currently based in New Mexico - since it wasn't all that far of a plane trip, it seemed like a great time to actually see each other, which sadly is something we never get to do. WTF does Mayan archaeology have to do with menswear? Who cares! She has this uncanny ability to get away with just about anything, so I knew we had a great asset. Speaking of assets, she's also fiercely hot and has an IQ of about 612. Hot and smart do good booth help make!

David is a fellow photographer/electro musician/curator/consumer of all things most rad also based in Detroit. He is involved in about eleventy billion art and music projects. Mr. Blunk has been the face of the TieLab along with Mike in Sweatshop Boys Published in the "POOL Art + Fashion Volume 4" - which was given out to all buyers at the show. Of course the book was displayed prominently at our table and tapemeasure strangulation pantomime was de riguer. Also see aforementioned fiercely hot and IQ of about 612.

Intros complete - we crammed more work and play into 5 days than I ever thought possible.

Day 1: Arrival at the Las Vegas Hilton from McCarran Airport. Fear and Loathing style sunglasses...check! Travel was pretty uneventful - flight wasn't too too late and we scored an exit row seat.

Before fetching all of our 8 boxes from the business center we decided to head down to Quark's Bar - the Star Trek Experience is located inside the Hilton. Amalia got a little fresh with some aliens:

Tribbles were also procured.

First night and not a moment too soon to start having fun, we bounced over to the Palms Hotel and went up to Ghostbar. Located on the 55th floor, the views are beyond amazing. The music wasn't, which was to be expected, unfortunately, but it was still totally worth seeing. Amalia scored free drinks, because, well, it is Amalia.

We headed back down to the main level and got an incredible sushi snack at Little Buddha and then went to the other 55 story tower - the Playboy Club - for the 944 Magazine party.

It was vile...truly truly vile, but we left nose and face prints on the glass and made fun of all the orange-tanned top-heavy things and booty danced to some atrocious music. Then we found *another* club on top of that one, Moon, and continued the absurdity. It was what it was - glaringly tacky and gross, but for the first night, I think we did well.

Day 2: Arrival at the convention center, we walked around in circles. A lot. With all our stuff. "Is this where we register?" Yep, right here. (wait in line for 45 minutes) "Nope, not here...you have to go ALLLLL THE WAY OVER THERE. (get "there") No, not here...you have to go.... this game went on for a long, long time but we finally got it all sorted out. Damned virginal tradeshow experiences.

Finally arrived at the right place and our lovely David got right to hanging wallpaper - we'd have been wicked screwed had we not someone who could reach over 8 feet up! Ladders = union labor = no.

We were all tired and probably a little cranky so no carousing before the first night of the show - we did get amazing tapas at a little place off-strip called Firefly. Trip advisor steered us very well.

Day 3: (Day 1 of POOL show) Our booth! The S(eco)nd part of the show was great, and I felt very fortunate to have been considered. The bamboo flooring was not only aesthetically pleasing and didn't necessitate stupid carpet rental, but it seemed friendly to stand on for long hours. It was so refreshing to see other brands that embraced all facets of socially responsible and environmentally friendly practices, not just a bevy of American Apparel organic cotton t-shirts.

Detail of neckties in specimin jars - I really wanted to do the display this way, but for future reference, traveling across the country with antique glass is a bad, bad idea.

It was a long day for everyone - and they even had SUMO Fatboys for catnapping, of which Amalia took full advantage.

At this point we were sorely in need of some good music, my only complaint thus far was the music inside POOL - the bank of speakers for the entire convention all was strategically placed right over my booth - normally that would be grounds for wooting but with the R&B tripe that was being played at +11 all day, I was less than amused. We heard there was a POOL party at the Hard Rock Hotel - we feared more orange bimbos and P Diddy or Puffy or whatever the hell that hiphop crap was, but we were proven wrong in the best of ways. It was the VICE Magazine party, and I still don't know who the dj was (Huffer?) and it was like 5 hours of Dethlab. It couldn't have been better. The club itself was dark and opulent in the best of ways.

David also got shot as a Vice do.

We just had SO MUCH FUN. Whatever triggered me to be a stressed-out pain in the ass got broken, we all danced like complete idiots and everything was fan-effing-tastic from then on. Something got purged, maybe it was all the good music (?) and the rest of the show, although still craploads of work, seemed painless.

Day 4: (POOL day 2) David and Amalia giggling at pictures from the night before.

I met a lot of new buyers and connected with many previously only encountered over email, it was wonderful to finally put all the names with real faces. Press contacts were made and all in all it was a very positive experience.

More captions soon....also in need of more photos, especially day 4 Why did I forget to take photos? (Sushi dinner, Amalia to airport (SAD!!!) Aoki at Prive, K:rave (gaybar) MGM...)

Day 5: (POOL day 3) Booth teardown...so sad! Many, many, MANY thanks to Amalia's local-ish friend Louis who hooked us up and helped us out in immeasurable ways. (Louis is seen throwing goat.) Show was over at 5, this was lights out at 6. (!!!) Those convention center guys run a tight ship.

A quick disco nap was had...no sleeping and staying in (although tempting) during the last night in Vegas. That would have been laaaaaaaaame.

Wandering about the strip after teardown...headed into the Bellagio for a quick dinner before more dancing - ended up at FIX by total accident, I have a terrible habit of just stumbling upon 5 star restaurants. Ooops!. ;) FIX was designed by the Graftlab, also of the Pink Project in New Orleans.

Lobster tacos! Holy crap was the food good there - yellowtail sashimi, lobster tacos and Blue Point oysters. Perfect pre-dancing snack.

We went to Prive for the second time - Diplo played. We were well taken care of by the folks that work there. Many thanks! :) Their sound is incredible, I haven't had my guts rattled like that since the Control Party in Detroit.

After closing down Prive, we wandered back around Paris and the Bellagio, because they are so ridiculous they rule beyond words. Liberace vomit. I played a table game for the first time, blackjack and I get along famously. I won a little bit and ran. :)

All good band names, dj names and fashion lines are conceived on Sharpie and napkin.

POOL is just one week away...

2008-02-05T02:21:00.000-05:00

...and we're frantically preparing all kinds of new stuff!

*** Come see the Cyberoptix TieLab at POOL, we will be at BOOTH #601. *** Plus, meet our lovely assistants David and Amalia, they'll charm your pants off. (Really)

We'll be debuting our new line of BSD luxury silk neckwear. See a sneak preview of the new styles here.

Caviar: Beluga; Salmon; Wasabi Tobikko

Ammo Belt [Tie]

Terminal Illness: Avian flu virii attach and replicate at the nodes of six conjoined international airport terminal diagrams.

Trainwreck: Kaleidoscopic Union Pacific Big Boys wreck harder than... [insert dj name here]

s(eco)nd, the newest launch of POOL TRADESHOW, made its debut in August 2007, focusing on the new breed of environmentally and socially conscious organizations emerging worldwide. “It only takes a second to change the world,” says Mindy Weiner, creator of s(eco)nd and Director of Operations for POOL TRADESHOW. “We now have an opportunity to lead by example on THE issue of our time. The fashion industry has been working to raise awareness for the last few seasons, but the timing is right for s(eco)nd and our stand on environmental issues. s(eco)nd will allow us to take a second look at how we do business, from an ecological standpoint, and will encourage our audience to rethink their basic day to day habits. We are proud to take a stand and to help pave the way for greater change.”

POOL TRADESHOW, held twice a year in Las Vegas, showcases the best emerging designers and new products ranging from fashion and accessories to a wide variety of lifestyle products. Designed for the directional boutique market, POOL carefully curates each show, balancing fresh talent with established brands. Each line participating at POOL is pre-screened to allow buyers more time to place orders.

POOL Tradeshow

2008-01-28T09:35:00.000-05:00

Come see us at the POOL Tradeshow, we will be at BOOTH #601.
POOL takes place at the Las Vegas Convention Center, Feb. 12-14 2008.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Detroit-based neckwear designer, The Cyberoptix TieLab, has been selected to appear at POOL in Las Vegas, February 12-14, 2008. The TieLab is confirmed to appear at the exclusive S(eco)nd area of the POOL show, highlighting environmentally responsible design and manufacturing.

POOL is where the visionaries of retail come to scout hot new items for the boutique market. From emerging brands, to the world’s best graphic artists POOL is where designers and thinkers come to shape the trends.

Cyberoptix has been making custom clothing for stage and film since 2001. The TieLab division was founded a few years later by principal designer, Bethany Shorb. With a market flooded with boring corporate neck nooses and novelty ties, the Lab aims to fill a void within the fashion conscious 18-35 year old market, offering a subtly subversive, well designed, handmade alternative to the men's uniform staple while strictly adhering to ethical manufacturing processes.

"Clichéd use of green tones coupled with faux chipboard to do not make a "green" product. We strongly believe that a designer's ethics need not inform nor limit the look of the object, rather they must fuel it's making. Neither bales of hay, nor burlap nor any other fashionable, eco-hippified trappings dress our design decisions. In the garment industry, we all know that screen printing is notoriously environmentally unfriendly. We are doing what we can within our means, re-thinking tired industry standards to make our trade better. We are a 100% solvent-free shop -- although far more time-consuming and far less cost-effective, we only use nontoxic, water-based ink rather than Plastisols," says 31 year-old entrepreneur Shorb.

POOL has an industry reputation as a launching pad for emerging brands that soon become the popular standard for specialty boutiques and leading retailers around the world. POOL features Women’s Contemporary & Young Contemporary, Women’s Accessories & Footwear, Men’s Contemporary & Streetwear and Men’s Accessories & Footwear.

s(eco)nd, the newest launch of POOL TRADESHOW, made its debut in August 2007, focusing on the new breed of environmentally and socially conscious organizations emerging worldwide. “It only takes a second to change the world,” says Mindy Weiner, creator of s(eco)nd and Director of Operations for POOL TRADESHOW. “We now have an opportunity to lead by example on THE issue of our time. The fashion industry has been working to raise awareness for the last few seasons, but the timing is right for s(eco)nd and our stand on environmental issues. s(eco)nd will allow us to take a second look at how we do business, from an ecological standpoint, and will encourage our audience to rethink their basic day to day habits. We are proud to take a stand and to help pave the way for greater change.” POOL TRADESHOW, held twice a year in Las Vegas, showcases the best emerging designers and new products ranging from fashion and accessories to a wide variety of lifestyle products.

DETH From Above Volume 3: A Pattern of Violence

2008-01-09T22:56:00.000-05:00

It's usually all ties all the time here, but in anticipation of our upcoming mini-North American tour with Solvent and Lowfish, it is time for a new mix. Plus loud music in the studio always makes the working time far more enjoyable! Hopefully we'll be picking up a slot at the POOL Tradeshow in Vegas in Feb.

The third installment of our Dethlab mix trilogy

A Pattern of Violence
[MP4 format, 74.2 MB]

01. Mathew Leutwyler - Jovencitas
02. Das Glow - Cathedrale
03. Daniel Wilhelm - Alster Dream
04. Markus Lange - Ruhestorung Plattenbau (Oxia Remix)
05. Alex D'Elia - Biancaluna
06. Namito + Martin Eyerer - Quipa (Etienne De Crecy Remix)
07. Savas Pascalidis - Boccaccio Life
08. Dibaba - In Your Face is the Place
09. Cirez D - Tigerstyle
10. Lutzenkirchen - A View To the Sea
11. Fergie - Up & Over
12. Gui Boratto - Tipologia (Lucy Remix)
13. The Shock - Manhattan (Einmusik Remix)
14. Stephan Bodzin, Swoop - Superlicious
15. Kardinal, Lowkey - Zombie's Night
16. Etienne De Crecy - Funk

(Top 10 of 2007 still in the works, about 5 of these are representative of that forthcoming list.)

It starts off nice, but fear not, it'll hit you in the face with a brick soon enough. This is a slight deviation a bit from the other two which were primarily of Mr. Burnlab's curating. A little more dark ambient and French electro-house this time.

Listen to the two previous installments here.

A Steampunk Wedding

2007-12-05T09:14:00.000-05:00

Our good friends Anditron and Alan recently got married in Chicago and had a beautiful, unique DIY ceremony - and their story and photos just made boingboing!

A Steampunk Wedding on BoingBoing. The TieLab was honored to have made their custom neckwear:

Also featured in Offbeat Bride:Taffeta-Free Alternatives for Independent Brides.

We have special wedding package discounts for you and yours (and a small army, if need be) to tie one on.

Cyberoptix for THE KILLERS!

2007-11-29T20:09:00.000-05:00

Cyberoptix for THE KILLERS! Win a limited edition hand-screened tie and cd!

Enter to win at Ultimate-Guitar.com.

Contest winner will get The Killers custom made hand screened tie as well as a copy of “Sawdust” CD. Winner will be announced Dec. 28th, 2007 thru Ultimate-Guitar.Com website.

The Killers | Cyberoptix.

Sawdust, the first collection of previously unreleased session tracks, B-sides and rarities to be released by, Grammy-nominated, MTV VMA Award-winning, multi-platinum Island Records group The Killers. The album was completed by the band at a recording studio in New York’s Hell’s Kitchen, where they worked with Rock And Roll Hall Of Famer Lou Reed.

Big surprises on the 17-track Sawdust include “Under The Gun” (the B-side of 2004’s “Somebody Told Me”); “Move Away” (from theSpiderman 3 soundtrack); and “Glamorous Indie Rock & Roll” (from their Hot Fuss debut album). Two notable cover versions are: Kenny Rogers & the First Edition’s “Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town” (B-side of 2005’s “Smile Like You Mean It”) and Dire Straits’ “Romeo and Juliet” (B-side of 2007’s “For Reasons Unknown” from The Killers’ RIAA platinum second album Sam’s Town, released October 2006). And previously unreleased tracks including: “Leave the Bourbon On the Shelf” (from the Hot Fuss sessions) and “Sweet Talk” (from the Sam’s Town sessions).

Cyber(optix) Monday

2007-11-26T13:08:00.000-05:00

New styles for the holidays...because we're nuts (and we love you.)

We've got two new editions of last Spring's super popular Whiplash series for All Purpose - now available in standard and narrow microfiber, and standard silk. These were previously only available in our skinny width, but due to everyone and their mother, brother and creepy uncle asking for more sizes, we've made them. So git your Exhaust Pipes and Engines!

Exhaust Pipes v2, $30-$40 | Engine v2, $30-$40

Each comes packaged all tidy, ready for gift-giving!

We're cranking stuff out up here in the great white, sleety, nasty, gray north...busy little fingers keep warm, right? The TieLab has come up with all kinds of new designs just in time for the holidays to delight the men in your life who are usually relegated to lame-o presents. (+ Lots of new styles in SKINNY TIES for us girls too.)

Transformer Pole, $30-$40 | All-Seeing Eye, $30-$40

In addition to all the new stuff, all our best-sellers are still in stock, including our Plaguesley, Catstooth, Bombs Away! and Hive.

We're now in over 70 stores across four continents, so if you need instant gratification and don't like waiting for the post, check out our list of exclusive retailers to see if one is nearby you! For Detroit locals, we just dropped off an armload to the MOCAD shop.

Computer Love and Refinery29

2007-10-29T12:15:00.000-04:00

Huge thanks to Computer Love for the feature last week!

Cyberoptix Tie Lab a.k.a. Bethany Shorb, the original purveyor of "ties that don't suck", has just released her fall//winter line of neckwear for boys and girls - in 100% silk, deluxe microfiber and hand-woven Fair-Trade silk scarves...

Also, a reminder to check us out on Refinery29 shops - see specifically the lovely folks at All Purpose.

Working closely with other artists and designers to create an organic mix of merchandise, including 4VOO men's skincare products, ties by Cyberoptix, and accessories by Citizen:Citizen, All Purpose has also opened the door to special collaborations and exclusive customizations for patrons who, Tomassetti deems "the creative non-conformist."

Chicago Tribune and new shops

2007-10-26T12:55:00.000-04:00

Sharp Dressed Models: Sophie + Joe

Press!

All tied up

Look, let's not make this a big deal. The whole idea behind ties becoming a subtle fashion statement among men under 35 is that they no longer need to be on their way to a job interview or a wedding to snake one around their necks. So, the next time you see a young guy sporting a tie, refrain from the blush-inducing 20-questions routine and just let it slide so he can sink comfortably into his newfound casual, hip elegance... [ Chicago Tribune, 10.25.07]

Big thanks to the Chicago Tribune for their review of our ties at Hazel in Chicago. Unfortunately it doesn't seems as if the photos made it to the web edition, but we can assure you that it is a lovely shop, and you should definitely stop on by!

We've welcomed a ton of new shops to our stockist family, most recently, Trueffelschwein in Berlin - ties should be arriving at their shop in about two weeks.

For Portlanders, we also welcome Tender Loving Empire - our ties should be there in about a week. We also have a HUGE shipment of new styles coming to Redux, 811 East Burnside suite 110.

2007-10-18T03:29:00.000-04:00

Models: Sophie, Joe
Wardrobe (capelet, dress, jacket, tie): Cyberoptix
Stylist: Bethany Shorb
Photographer: Bethany Shorb
Location: Detroit

This is more of the Argyle Key pattern - shot on Saturday.

It lives + chemlab

2007-10-17T02:03:00.000-04:00

I'll be resurrecting this space after a few month hiatus - it'll morph into the official Cyberoptix Tie Lab blog (which is what it was becoming anyway) - I may even have one of the fabulous interns take on some additional writing so there is actual content and not me just whining about being too busy to publish any.

Growing pains.

Things are pretty exciting around here and we'd like to share. Sharing is nice.

FluoroScrew. We've collaborated with Chemlab to design and fabricate their 2007 North American tour wardrobe and accessories. We've made custom ties, limited run t-shirts and intricate suit coats - here's your chance to get your own! A limited run will also be available at the merch booth at their live shows.

"FluoroScrew" is a hybrid design between Bethany Shorb, Michael Doyle and Bob Nixon, an expansion on our Screw tie.

xox

Bethany

Plaguesley

2007-10-13T02:16:00.001-04:00

Model: Kristi
Stylist: Bethany Shorb
Wardrobe: Vintage
Tie: Cyberoptix
Photo: Bethany Shorb
Location: Detroit

This is Part two of the last photoshoot downtown. More on Saturday!

The Black Plague causing bacterium, Yersinia Pestis has begun to invade the Land of Traditional Paisley, thus forming the mutant strain, Plaguesley. Original illustration, hand drawn from an electron microscope scan of Y. Pestis.

This is our second in the Disturbing Patterns series - where preppy tie patterns go wrong. More to come.

Catstooth

2007-10-10T02:14:00.000-04:00

Models: Kristi and Zack
Stylist: Bethany Shorb
Capelet and jacket: Cyberoptix
Ties: Cyberoptix
Photo: Bethany Shorb
Location: Detroit

This is the result of yesterday's photoshoot downtown - being in the studio full-time is by far, the smartest thing I've ever done. One more Disturbing Pattern to come tomorrow. Think black. (Think death, too.)

Disturbing Patterns: Catstooth. Just give your average houndstooth a quarter turn and add some shifty little eyes, all the sudden you have a whole different animal! Beware, they've evolved and are much more likely to eat you in your sleep than the ol' loyal hound.

MI local

2007-09-29T02:09:00.000-04:00

Hive necktie, available in narrow and standard widths.

We all know waiting for shipping is just about the most annoying thing ever (well, not for me, I hate driving around for hours, I'd prefer it hand delivered by the ever-lovely postal carrier...) ANYWAY...

We have some sweet new shops carrying the Cyberoptix TieLab, right in metro Detroit!

For Detroit-area dwellers, visit Design99 in Hamtramck. We just brought an armload down to Design99 last week, including many of our new styles. Created by husband and wife team Gina Reichert and Mitch Cope with the purpose of showcasing local and regional talent, Design99 is an awesome new gallery/home furnishings/architecture studio located in the familiar old Threads space - and the falafel place across the street is killer.

For Ferndale/Royal Oak denizens, check out Naka in Ferndale. They always have a great selection and have cute jewelry section that my picky self even likes.

And for the North folks, see The Store at Cranbrook Art Museum - we'll be doing some special projects with the Cranbrook Store as well as debut our new Fair-Trade handwoven/hand-screened silk scarves.

Need something you don't see at one of those shops - make an appointment to come up to the studio! We're located just on the edge of Eastern Market, Detroit and are usually there from about 11am to Stupid Late every day. Come see what we're up to, we may even have punch and cookies.

Strangle necktie, available in skinny, narrow and standard widths.

URB Magazine

2007-09-13T02:11:00.000-04:00

Pg. 48, URB Magazine, Sept/Oct. 2007. Vol. 17 No. 149
On newstands now, pick up a copy. :)

Photos: Bethany Shorb
Words: Michael Doyle

See full MOTOR set
See selected Detroit Urban Exploring set.

2007-06-11T10:53:00.000-04:00

The TieLab has made a special, 3" narrow cravat just for the Motor, Goudron and Dethlab show at CAID, this Saturday, June 16:

Hand-screened, super soft microfiber, black pearl and red water-based ink - it'll debut at the show for only $20, and $35 thereafter, if any are left.

There will be a selection of other items to tie around your neck, perfect if you forgot about ~~national tie giving day~~ er...Father's Day the next morning...then he'll forgive you for smelling like whiskey while smooching grandma. ;)

Psst: it looks just like the flyer!

MOTOR live at CAID, Saturday June 16th

2007-06-06T20:18:00.000-04:00

JUNE, 16 2007: MOTOR[Novamute, London/Paris] LIVE!
at CAID: 5141 Rosa Parks Blvd., Detroit
10:00 PM | $10
GOUDRON[I.T./Ersatz Audio, Detroit] live
DETHLAB [Toybreaker/Dorkwave, Detroit] DJs
DETRONIK (video installation)

MOTOR's performance last summer has been cited as the best live show in the history of Oslo (arguably even over Vitalic!) We are extraordinarily pleased to bring Bryan, Mr. No and Hugo back to Detroit, to the legendary CAID/Detroit Contemporary space.

"People have this tame image of live electronic music and we go out there and smash things up and spit in your face," states Bryan Black. For the man who used to programme Prince's keyboards as an in house technician at Paisley Park Studios in the 90s [and founding member of H3LLB3NT, Haloblack and XLover] knowingly confirms, "we make more noise than a guitar can make and that's what we enjoy doing." Whilst electronic live acts have merged further into the anonymity of the DJ booth over recent years, MOTOR guzzle petrol, bellow toxic fumes and roar from the stage as all three band members wrestle with vocal duties and (alter) egos over their instruments. Forging live gig energy into the sonic envelope of a club environment has enabled MOTOR to play live 'gig' tours with Nitzer Ebb across America and Europe as well as landmark club venues such as Frankfurt's Cocoon and Paris's Rex and festivals throughout Europe like Pukkelpop and Lowlands. - Mute

Motor's new LP Unhuman out now.

Goudron is a modern craftsman of synthesis, structure and song. His music seems choreographed to a film, breaking down, starting up, fluctuating and adhering to rules that make his music sound like no other. His unique 'sound' comes in part from the fact that he modifies a lot of his gear himself; it also comes in part from the
fact that he knows his machines inside and out. Watching him live, he masterfully manipulates analog synths without schematics - an amazing skill to those that truly know vintage analog gear. - Ersatz Audio

Detroit musician and visual artist Ron Zakrin [a.k.a. Goudron] shows that he is truly the King of the synth riffs, with music that is wholly synthetic, yet with all the energy of pure Detroit rock... From the music to the art on the sleeves it is all hand made. Ron is like Buckminster Fuller trapped inside the body of a character from SE Hinton's Over the Edge. Raw power. - I.T.

Goudron's new EP Stiletto out now.

2007-05-12T11:18:00.000-04:00

Just a quick note from the TieLab - we're gearing up on a campaign to dissuade the giving of bad ties for Father's Day (June 17). We think dads are pretty swell, so they should get swell ties, no? I'm not one for the maths, but that seems a pretty simple equation to me!

So head on over here for Ties That Don't Suck -if you have to wear one and you have to give one, you may as well have fun with that ever so maligned accessory!

Neck Noose:

Tired of being a corporate slave? At the end of your rope with boring office attire? Show your true feelings! Don't be A Frayed Knot to. Detailed rope print begins where the tie is knotted, so it looks as if you have a nice tidy rope around your neck. Dove grey, white or black ink on a range of colors and widths. We think the skinny version looks best.

We also love bad puns too. More coming soon.

Graduate Degree Show

2007-04-19T15:27:00.001-04:00

2007 Graduate Degree Exhibition
April 22 - May 11, 2007
ArtMembers' Opening
Saturday, April 21, 6-8pm

Established in 1932, Cranbrook Academy of Art's Graduate Program remains a "living studio of artistic invention" as envisioned by its founder, newspaper publisher and philanthropist George Booth.

Each April, as part of the requirements for earning either a Master of Fine Arts or Master of Architecture degree, the second-year Master's degree candidates present their thesis work in the annual Graduate Degree Exhibition.

Download .pdf of invite: front | back

Sneak peek - Installation in progress:

Beats and Meat

2007-04-11T11:39:00.000-04:00

Beats and meat
Metrotimes
by Walter Wasacz
Dethlab’s multimedia party-exhibit takes over CAID.

Michael Doyle and Bethany Shorb look a bit tired, understandable given that they've just returned from a New York weekend hopping from ballets in Brooklyn to museums in Manhattan followed by parties, afterparties and after-afterparties in each borough. They saw daylight only briefly, they say, as they walked at murky sunrise across the Williamsburg Bridge.

But the pair — who call their Detroit-based performance project Dethlab — should not be mistaken for mere rave- or rock-culture vampires. They say they'd rather be known as bloodthirsty carnivores — and prove as much by each ordering titanic identical half-pound burgers topped with bacon and blue cheese. They look resplendent, if pale, dressed in layers of bruise-colored clothing, biting into juicy meat and ketchup-soaked fries, as they sit against the dark sapphire upholstery in the lounge of Royal Oak's Redcoat Tavern.

Dethlab is all about sonic and visual art. It has formal roots in design and sculpture — Doyle is an industrial graphic designer and Shorb is a sculptor with an MFA from Cranbrook — but the vibe created is pure pop culture mayhem and the duo's academic seams are hardly visible.

"We think of ourselves as artist-curators ..." Doyle begins "... who make no apologies about eating meat," Shorb finishes. "Excuse us while we devour this," Doyle says.

Dethlab hosted a string of successful club nights called Sex & Sedition at the now-shuttered Oslo. And last summer they launched Machines That Feel, a multimedia party-exhibit which included experimental indie bands, DJs and films at the Contemporary Art Institute of Detroit (CAID). The second part of the expected-annual series takes place this Saturday at the same location.

The night will feature Chicago-based Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, whose raw, homemade synth-pop has drawn comparisons to the Postal Service; Spectral Mornings, a trio from Grand Rapids that combines elements of shoegaze rock with ambient electronics; and Thirty (Over) Thousand, another indie-tronica group from Grand Rapids.

Joining Dethlab at the DJ mixer is special guest Cowboy Mark, whom Doyle describes as "one of New York's best DJs ... and a total foodie."

Why is that not surprising? Pass the Dijon mustard and fire up the amps.

Machines that Feel is Saturday, April 14, at the Contemporary Art Institute of Detroit (CAID), 5141 Rosa Parks Blvd., Detroit; 313-899-CAID.

Casiotone For The Painfully Alone featured in this week's Real Detroit
by Deleano Acevedo

Is a Casio keyboard a real instrument? Of course they physically exist, but would a musician consider one a "real" instrument? Owen Ashworth, a.k.a. Casiotone for the Painfully Alone thinks so. He started making music with only a Casio keyboard and his voice. It's one of those great ideas that seems so practical and simple, yet totally ridiculous at the same time... [read more at Real Detroit]

Casiotone For The Painfully Alone perform at CAID this Saturday, courtesy of Burnlab/Dethlab.

CFTPA

2007-04-10T22:50:00.000-04:00

We couldn't possibly be more excited for Casiotone For The Painfully Alone to be arriving on Saturday for their show at CAID - check out this video of them just last week in Claremont, CA.

CFTPA will be live, Saturday night at CAID for the second installment of Machines That Feel.

Two events back to back, next weekend

2007-04-09T23:17:00.000-04:00

After an extended hiatus from producing or performing at events locally, DethLab shifts focus back to Detroit in April with two very different events - two on back to back nights no less.

April, 13 2007: JAK THE RIPPER.
$5 at Bohemian National Home.

TRAXX
COWBOY MARK
BMG OF ECTOMORPH
DETHLAB

Co-produced with our good friends at Interdimensional Transmissions, JAK the Ripper promises to be an all-out bloodfest of evil electro and volatile acid, featuring the one and only Traxx. Expect it to be dark, loud and sinister until the wee hours. Count on selections from Traxx's new label Creme JAK.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

April, 14 2007
Machines That Feel II at CAID with Casiotone For The Painfully Alone

Casiotone For The Painfully Alone [Tomlab, Chicago]
Spectral Mornings [Square Root, Grand Rapids]
Thirty (Over) Thousand [Square Root, Grand Rapids]

DJs Bethany Shorb & Michael Doyle [Dethlab, Detroit]

CAID is located at 5141 Rosa Parks, Detroit, Michigan 48208. Cost :$8
[ See big poster]
[ See full press release ]

Trunkshow - Thanks for coming!

2007-04-09T15:48:00.000-04:00

Thank you all for coming out on Saturday night! Our trunkshow was way too much fun (especially for the night before a holiday...) We tried to be respectable adults, but you know that goes. By the end of the night a few select guests got plugged into the 1950's Massage-A-Belt. Good times were had by all.

Concealed Weapons preview: Double printed ties - a subtle clue on the front to a print not so subtle on the back. L to R: Let Them Eat Cake: Marie Antoinette's coat of arms + (rev. Guillotine); 40 Whacks: Lizzie Borden + (rev. Axe); Walking Timebomb: Pocketwatch + (rev. dynamite and battery).

See some photos from the night.

Paying homage to the audibly dapper imprint:
Check out this month's issue of BPM Magazine, issue 81 - (the one with Iggy Pop on the cover in hot pink pants) - can't be missed! Our Ghostly International ties are features as well as our Whiplash: Exhaust System ties pictured (available online and at All Purpose in Los Angeles.)

Again, thank you everyone for making our first official trunkshow a smashing success - special thanks to Stevo for playing excellent music and Mike for the musics and last minute oh shit people will be here in 15 minutes whirlwind preparations.

Trunkshow

2007-03-26T12:08:00.000-04:00

We're having a trunkshow (with real vintage trunks too!)

See a flickr gallery of all the Whiplash pieces in process - also be the first to see our new Concealed Weapons preview pieces for Summer/Fall 2007. Whiplash will only be available at the trunk show, Spy (Detroit), All Purpose (LA) and at Cyberoptix.com.

We'll have slipmats, t-shirts and scarves for the non-tie-wearing set - we'll also have a full range of skinny ties, they look quite nifty on the ladies as well. One-of-a-kind super special awesome treats too.

Gallery Music by DethLab and friends.

2007-03-19T14:22:00.000-04:00

If you are on the Left Coast, head on over to All Purpose in Los Angeles, just this past week they received the first batch of Whiplash scarves/ascots from the TieLab!

For those of you in our local, less-green and sunny pastures, just this morning we dropped off a batch of Victorian Skinny, Poppy, Raven, and Fern ties to Naka, a fabulous indie boutique in Fabulous Ferndale. Speaking of Naka, they're having a trunk show this Thursday night from 6-9, more details when I find the card saying who the featured artists are. I'm totally in love with this little shop, I just splurged and bought myself the best little skull ring in the whole world from Smallthings Designs in Portland. The picture dooesn't do it justice, it is all hand cut silver and black stained glass, with a level of detail that frightens me. If anyone wants to get me the accompanying necklace, please go right ahead!

Whiplash now available for preorder

2007-03-09T15:44:00.000-05:00

NEW Spring/Summer 2007: Whiplash!

Look for Whiplash in the New York Times Style Magazine, Sunday March 11! The TieLab has partnered once again with All Purpose, LA's acclaimed outpost for the creative non-conformist. New for Spring/Summer 2007, Whiplash is available exclusively at the Cyberoptix Tie Lab and All Purpose. If you are located on the Left Coast, please stop in to see them in person and all the other wonderful things on view at All Purpose.

Whiplash caught the silver son
Took the film to No. I
Crashed the car and left us here
Broken glass for teenage boys trapped in steel and celluloid...

2007-02-22T13:22:00.000-05:00

Etsy, A Working Community of Artists

The Cyberoptix Tie Lab's BombsAway! tie was featured in this morning's CBS News story on Etsy. (One of the mods bought one last week. ;) In addition to the storefront, Etsy has just launched EtsyLabs, a 7000 sq.ft physical studio space in Williamsburg as a community art studio space.

I aslo maintain an Etsy shop in tandem with my regular web shop; although I'd never abandon my traditional stand-alone site, it is a welcome augmentation. Their interface and cart system is very clean and easy to use, take a look!

2007-02-22T12:32:00.000-05:00

Web Goth: Low-Wattage Web Pallette.

White and bright colors (especially in backgrounds) can use up to 20% more power than black or dark colors. So not only is most of Web 2.0 terribly boring to look at, it is terribly inefficient! Interesting related post on the savings ofBlack Google.

2007-02-20T13:44:00.000-05:00

shown L to R: silver, sky, blue aster, electric blue, sage

Tentacular love now in colors of the sea.

2007-02-19T21:21:00.000-05:00

Taking a quick break from studio remodel -- I have the tv on in the background, and a Ceasar Dog Food commercial comes on soundtracked to a Magnetic Fields song off 69 Love Songs - THEN it is followed by a Wendy's fish sandwich commercial with backing music by the Violent Femmes - Blister in the Sun. The dogfood commercial already teetered on the absurd but yammering about cod to one of the most notorious masturbation songs ever???

10 points who whomever snuck that shit through corporate!

2007-02-19T15:37:00.000-05:00

2007-02-16T10:39:00.000-05:00

"a diet heavy in bird meat during the autumn...". Awwww, so sweet!

2007-02-14T12:25:00.000-05:00

Happy Valentine's day to everyone. May your day be warm and meaty.

2007-02-12T00:06:00.000-05:00

Since there is absolutely nothing of use going on in this city anymore, the last few days have been nothing but work and restructuring of the home and studio. Trips to Target and Ikea have been frequent. Pardon me while I don my woollen fleece and start making domesticated sheep noises.

Anyway. I've begun to reshoot much of my catalog with the new 30d, because I'm realizing my old photos are pretty terrible.

New Poppy Tie colorways.

I hope to get a very substantial web update fishinshed this week highlighing my recent partnership with Filius at All Purpose in Los Angeles. The TieLab will feature 100% silk ascots and 100% silk skinny ties is black, white, olive and charcoal grey. This collection is called - Whiplash and will debut soon for Spring/Summer 2007. (click Whiplash link to see tons more from the shoot - Jennifer is one hell of an incredible photographer!)

Photography: Jennifer Becker
Model: Eduardo

The silk ties will be available mid-March and the acsots a bit sooner, all with images of fragmented and repeated vintage automotive schematics and diagrams.

I've had to keep this under wraps for a little while and it's been very difficult, I haven't ever been so excited for new colors and designs, not to mention putting something fully into production and silk manufactured to the Pantone color choice of my bidding. (drool.) I'm still printing everything by hand and hand-dying the ascots...that's the fun part.

I'm also finally working on a proper line sheet, so if anyone has a boutique in their area you think should carry some TieLab, holla.

Again, it'll probably be all shop talk around here for a good long while til we hit Paris in May, then I may have something to talk about that doesn't bore the pants off everyone.

2007-02-04T21:54:00.000-05:00

I like to cook, but a sweet tooth I have not, so I've never delved into the land of making cookies, cakes or candy. All the sudden, I have a very worthy reason to bother.

2007-01-23T12:13:00.000-05:00

Dior Homme Summer 07 Campaigns. Yeah. Um. Whoa, I'll try and get something accomplished today but I'm just a bit distracted.

2007-01-16T22:05:00.000-05:00

For this one night only I am breaking both my No Labyrinth Rule *and* my No Going Out Ever Again in Detroit Rule all at once.

SAT JAN 20, 2007

THE HACKER (live + dj)
PERSPECTS (live)
BMG of ECTOMORPH (dj)

THE LABYRINTH
Installations by Infinite Dimensions
1703 Cass at Bagley | 10 PM til you go home

$10 presale tickets: online and at SPY

Stop on down to SPY - Miss Vidosh has lots of great new things in, including one of my new hot off the presses designs:

Victorian Pattern - Poppies and ginkgo leaves are grafted together to construct an inkblot-like pattern. Some see a cross-section of a skull, some see moths - what can you find? Tons of color choices, as this pattern looks good on everything...

And I finally bit the bullet and have SKINNY ties in stock...

Sweat Shop Boys

David, who is getting mauled by the sewing machine (and lord knows what is happening behind him, tsk tsk) is wearing the new Victorian Skinny tie - silver on black.

2007-01-16T12:20:00.000-05:00

Abandoned house near John R and I-75. This old terra cotta house has been photographed to death, but I was particularly enamored by the roof covered in ice. And the doom clouds.

I haven't been feeling very wordy lately, hopefully this will pass.

Last Monday my new Canon 30D arrived, so if there is no wordy content, at least there will be some pictures. Up until now, I never really understood what all the fuss was about RAW mode. My friends, I have rethought that, much to the horror of my immanent lack of hard drive space. Hi, 16 bit 50mb tiffs! The image quality is amazing, I just started screwing around with the EOS software for the first time last night. I never gave much thought to using bundled camera software, it seemed pretty unnecessary with strong Photoshop skills, but Canon has done some nice things with it. Their after-the-fact white balance is truly something else.

2007-01-09T17:49:00.000-05:00

An exciting special program related to Shrinking Cities at Cranbrook:

Friday, February 23, 7-8 pm
Sound Effects: Music Builds Community in Shrinking Cities
Gallery talk and music presentation by Walter Wasacz

Journalist-photographer Walter Wasacz produces The Subterraneans, a column in Detroit's MetroTimes devoted to international electronic music culture. He is also a founding member of the DJ collective Paris '68. Walter will talk about the contemporary music scene and will play samples from Detroit and the European cities featured in the Shrinking Cities exhibition.

The presentation will be followed by live music at MOCAD from 9 to 11 pm, featuring World Class Detroit Jazz Improvisation: Raw Truth Ensemble with Michael Carey; Skeeter C. R. Shelton; Ali Allen Colding; Timothy Caldwell; Jiles Rosbury; and DJ Brad Hales. A bus will travel from MOCAD to Cranbrook at 6:15 pm and from Cranbrook to MOCAD at 8:15 pm; the bus will leave MOCAD at 10:50 pm to return to Cranbrook at 11:30 pm.

2007-01-04T16:01:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year.

Hopefully there will be even more photos to come this year - I just invested in a Canon 30D (my first digital SLR, yay!) and I have a Holga that desperately needs use.

2006-12-28T14:28:00.000-05:00

New Poppy colors in the shop! Icy blues for winter and spring (which is still pretty icy in Michigan.)

2006-12-28T12:03:00.000-05:00

I'm really not some crazy neo-Luddite here, but seriously, I'm not down with eating cloned meat or milk. That is some seriously eff'd up biz. What's worse is that no special labeling is required. I guess it is time to learn to hunt?

I'm pretty responsible with what I put in my body and having that choice is incredibly important to me. If I had stronger will and animals weren't so damned tasty I would not eat them at all...maybe in the future. But for now I only buy cage-free/free range eggs, the same with beef and primarily wild caught fish products. I don't eat fast or processed foods where I know for a fact that these concessions are not made. I'm not saving the world, but I do what I can, within reason, for both my own health and ethical stance.

2006-12-27T14:09:00.000-05:00

Ghetto Gourmet.

Last night's culinary adventure in the vein of Clean the Fridge was in the form of "Sushi Fried Rice." I have thoroughly googled this concoction and have found zero other occurrances of the name, so therefore I am calling it mine!

Christmas Eve Eve while ~~starting~~ finishing my holiday shopping, I got takeout from the venerable Noble Fish, a local favorite Japanese grocery up in Clawson. For those who have never been, tucked in the very back, they have a takeout counter and a few tiny tables...and probably some of the best fish in the area. Always fresh, comparatively inexpensive and unpretentious, it is also no secret that they supply fish to many of the local sushi restaurants. Some restaurants do import their own fish, as Oslo did, but Noble is definitely a repuateble authority on fresh, awesome fish.

So as per usual, my eyes were far bigger than my stomach could ever hope to be. I walked out with sashimi to prepare myself and a a whole ton of rolls and pieces of nigiri fit for a party of about six, rather than two. If you are adept with the knife, it is a total deal to make your own sashimi - for a five dollar filet of fresh cut, sashimi grade mackrel, it probably would have been about $35 out and any good restaurant. Now I am no sushi master here, but mackrel's firm, oily texture is hard to screw up. It was tasty. But holy hell did we have leftovers and two whole plates of rolls left. With the next days being Christmas and Christmas Eve, we were under family's wing for absurd amounts of feeding already, so the poor sushi sadly lingered in the fridge for two days.

Last night we opened the fridge and longingly looked at the rice that was drying out and pondered what microorganisms were replicating in the raw scallop, tuna, mackrel and salmon. Probably nothing good. Still, it was far fresher than anything you'd ever get at a supermarket fish counter that alleged "sashimi grade" ... but still, there was a serious disconnect between the logical and the "ew this can't be ok" parts of the brain. But so much waste, so sad...what to do?

SUSHI FRIED RICE!

I took a big hunk of butter and tossed it in a large sautee pan and put in the leftover sashimi to sear first. (Scallop and mackrel.) Then I dissected the rolls and picked out the raw fish and also put that in the pan to sear. The fish should cook longer than the rice or vegetables. Then I picked out anything that wouldn't go well in the mix, like avocado. Hot avocado = gross. Then I crumbled up thr rice and the seaweed and fried it all aup. Added soy sauce and a little wasabi.

It rocked. Sushi Fried Rice is rather kick ass. Way better than any seafood fried rice I had ever had. It also reminded me to never eat fried rice out anywhere, as it is always leftovers!

2006-12-26T17:23:00.000-05:00

Comme des Garcons Series 3: Incense Avignon

I sure do smell good! My lovely other half (henceforth known as Santa) gave me some amazing fragrances - initially I had been quite opposed to such frivolity, but eff that, I have amended my ways. I just never found anything I liked and found most of what people paid hundreds of dollars per ounce, patently offensive.

I didn't think that High Mass was able to be put in a bottle. It is. My Catholic Guilt is proudly on my wrists in an amalgam of Frankincense decaying mahoghany, and age-old censers.

2006-12-26T13:04:00.000-05:00

Detroit is a special shade of ugly today.

[deleted for triteness]

New York in afew days, at least there is *something* to look forward to.

2006-12-22T15:55:00.000-05:00

Hey, last-minute holiday shoppers...all hope is not lost!

SPY is a new specialty located in the heart of downtown Detroit, and they have just received a new batch of 20 ties from The Cyberoptix TieLab. SPY has available a full line of the TieLab's neckties as well as a variety of hand-made and artist-designed items, providing it's customers with exciting new options from Detroit's fashion, design, and fine art community. SPY is located at 4470 2nd Ave., Detroit, MI 48021. They're open til 8pm or later!

2006-12-21T14:09:00.000-05:00

I just got a tip on a really interesting artist from Cranbrook Art Museum's curator - California-based artistMichele Pred."The artist creates sculptures of confiscated items from airport security checkpoints-scissors, pocketknives, clippers, or recycled objects such as cell phone chargers. Most of her material comes from San Francisco's International Airport, obtained and confiscated since 9/11/2001."

What I want to know is how she was able to buy them off the Port Authority after they were seized from citizens, but at least it went to art. This makes me think that perhaps the confiscated liquid project I had been thinking about could be a reality, but it looks like it may have already been done anyway.

2006-12-21T13:10:00.000-05:00

Gothest thing EVAR. A species of moth drinks tears from the eyes of sleeping birds.... Yikes!

2006-12-21T10:32:00.000-05:00

At least we're not alone...not only is Detroit going straight to Hell, but alas, so is Brooklyn. (News?) The end of Galapagos. Word on the street: an acquaintance heard it from a friend, who heard it from a friend who knows the owner of Galapagos - he's selling out in the next year or so to cash the space in to make way for more CONDOS going up in the hood (NOOOOOOO!!!!!) EDIT: Apparently this is just a bullshit rumor. Carry on. Yay!

Speaking of Hell - The old Limelight has finally met it's final doom in a similar fashion, at least it may be an H&M? (Inset eyeroll here.) Not that it hasn't sucked ass for the last, oh nearly fifteen years...but..ugh. [Thanks, Spliffrd]

2006-12-19T16:06:00.000-05:00

I recently stumbled upon Pitchfork Wine - doubtfully having anything to do with the otherPitchfork, but still a place to find reviews of consumables that SuckorNot. Pitchfork's wine descriptions seem quite on, I have no idea who these cats are in real life, but they know their stuff.

I like wine, a lot, but seldom buy based on anything other than good label design. You CAN judge a book by it's cover and a wine by it's label. Usually. Read Murketing's Aesthetics of Wine Packaging. The one wine that fails this logic is a red called "Bitch" in a snarky pink and vector hearted label. It makes you feel like a dumb bitch for buying it. Total swill.

2006-12-19T12:44:00.000-05:00

Sadly, I've had to all but abandon this space due to the holiday rush. I'm most certainly not complaining that the Ties took off by leaps and bounds this season, but I feel terrible about not being able to properly document anything else that has gone on. Nearly four months of 18+ hour days is getting old for both mind and body. I fear my poor, feeble, addled brain will have no other means to recall any of November's and December's events. Although I'd like to permanently erase the lion's share of much of it, there were some momentous things, such as, like prolly, the best dinner I've ever had at Lever House in nyc - the most incredible food, interior - and we got the best seat in the house. We also were invited to perform at my favorite museum in the whole world, and we didn't screw up.

So as promised, some content that has nothing to do with ties. Check out dorkwave.com, Rob and Sneak have put together the 2006 Dorkwave Holiday Mixes - seven free, 45+ minute mixes for your downloading pleasure for a limited time only! Mixes from Jon Ozias, Nick Calingeart (aka Common Factor), Sneak, Mike Doyle, Lance Uppercutt, Team Stephlab (haha), and Your's Truly. There should be a few more posted by day's end as well.

I had a grand plan for mine, both overconceptualized and extremely narrative (and boy do I ever have nice things to say, ha). It was probably a stupid idea anyway, but I need to get it out of my system. (Art therapy is never fun to listen to or look at.) As luck would have it my four preparatory hours of dumping records and sample-editing went corruptof*ck, so all you get is a one-take slammed together live biz, complete with remnants of multitasking. About four-and-a-half minutes in, you get a gold star if you can tell what I shouldn't have been working on concurrently. Ugh.

I started off doing my master plan, but devolved into just playing my favorite stuff from the year, which is what usually happens anyway, as evinced by the **3** Heil tracks at the end. Predictable. Lolz. Music for Killing. Check out Mr. Doyle's music for slashing your wrists with broken victorian glass ornaments. No narrative wha?

Tracklist:

Sound Effects Doctored for Super Stereo - Gas Engine Starting - Audio Fidelity
Stereophonic Sound Effects - Bridgehampton Road Races - Audio Fidelity
Marriage Education for the Religious - Queen City Album Co.
Perspects - Autobody - Interdimensional Transmissions
Stereophonic Sound Effects - Bridgehampton Road Races - Audio Fidelity
Theo Parrish - Falling Up (Carl Craig Remix) - Third Ear
Sound Effects Doctored for Super Stereo - Radio Code Signals - Audio Fidelity
Toybreaker - MIR - (unreleased)
Väth vs. Rother - Komm - Cocoon
Candidate (Serge Santiago) - Anticipation - Arcobaleno
Johannes Heil & Richard Bartz - Don't Stop (Session Mix) - Kurbel
Martin Peter - Bad Day With JJ - Compost
Johannes Heil Feat Marcellus Nealey - Step Into The Light - Masterhit
Johannes Heil - Warrior of Light - Klang

2006-12-10T23:52:00.000-05:00

Limited edition Ghostly International + Cyberoptix TieLab silk neckties are here!

We have teamed up with Ghostly International, one of America's premier channels for forward-thinking music, and have produced a set of limited edition silk ties just in time for the holidays. Perfect attire for Ghostly's Holiday Formal, at OSLO, Saturday December 16th! ;)

Lots of wonderful things have been happening in the studio, I don't have time (or desire, really) to do anything else. I doubt I'll be yammering about anything else here aside from the occasional studio biz.

2006-12-06T14:19:00.000-05:00

Go west, young gal. Our culture editor kisses Detroit goodbye, sort of. Fare thee well, my dear, and may all of our impending departures be expedited.

I was supposed to comment in the column, but last week's shitstorm prevented me from both thinking straight and remembering to answer my email. I've cried wolf more than my fair share over the past *gasp* seven and a half years of tenure here, but it's time. More than time.

2006-12-05T11:53:00.000-05:00

Dethlab at the Guggenheim, 12.01.06 - Art after Dark, sponsored by Flavorpill.

More photos soon, the internets are being cranky this morning.

2006-11-28T17:04:00.000-05:00

Come see us play with Telefon Tel Aviv at the Guggenheim Museum in New York City this Friday night!

In other news of making and art, The TieLab will be partnering with All Purpose, LA's newest outpost for the Creative Non-Conformist. We will be launching a line of hand-dyed, 100% silk cravats that can be worn in creative ways by both men and women.

Look to see new Spring ties planned around the theme of "Whiplash," they will be available at the website and exclusively at All Purpose/Filius. Also look for features in the March issues of The New York Times Style Magazine and I-D Magazine.

More in partnership news - we will be teaming up with Ghostly International and producing a set of limited edition silk ties - these will be available for the holidays and at Ghostly's Holiday Formal, at OSLO, Saturday December 16th.

Partnershp is essential to life.

2006-11-27T15:07:00.000-05:00

From the venerated god of all things that are teh awesome, Design*Sponge - Gift Guide Part 6: For Him...people seemed to want some ideas for guys so i called in my better half for some help. ac helped me and we pulled together some ideas that he thought guys might actually like. it's just a jumping off point...

2006-11-22T10:35:00.000-05:00

On the cover of this week's Real Detroit: (14 more images at Real Detroit's page, so click the link!)

The images are a little small online, so here are some larger ones too:

The Big Hunt
By Keith N. Dusenberry
Nov 22, 2006, 23:59

Here’s how Bethany Shorb, the multi-disciplinary artist who set up, styled and photographed this issue’s cover shoot and inside fashion spread, came to now find herself making a “ridiculous fur coat” for current WWE Intercontinental Champion wrestler Johnny Nitro.

Shorb grew up in Connecticut, about an hour outside of New York City, got her undergraduate degree in sculpture (with a concentration in photography) from Boston University and then came to Cranbrook for grad school. She would — and still does — use her sculpture skills to make props for her photos. Eventually, she needed clothes for the photo shoots — so she started making them too.

Shorb has since done clothing and costume work for movies, music videos and her own clothing lines. Her Eastern Market studio is in perpetual motion. “I like it a lot,” Shorb says of working on so many projects at the same time. “I go crazy if I’m doing just one.” Though she initially became known for goth-y, techno-y rave wear, Shorb has diversified into doing vintage military graphic-adorned ties and deconstructed-reconstructed vintage military coats. Johnny Nitro found her Web site (cyberoptix.com) and bought a tie; the custom fur coat order soon followed.

With clothing, design, sculpture and music, Shorb’s always been a bit of a tinkerer. Besides Dethlab (her musical partnership with Mike Doyle), she also performs as Toybreaker. “I’ve always been a bit of a nerd about taking apart electronics and making my own keyboards,” Shorb admits. “So, I think when I was doing a lot of that in my music, that that project kind of leached into the fashion a little bit … the projects bleed into one another.” | RDW

More info: cyberoptix.com
Dethlab play the Guggenheim Museum in New York on Dec. 1.

Credits:
Photography by Bethany Shorb
Men's pants and shirts provided by Peasant, Birmingham; 248.203.6470.
Men's ties and jackets by Bethany Shorb of Cyberoptix; cyberoptix.com.
Women's clothing by Sarah Vidosh of SPY, Detroit; 313.833.6623.
All hats and accessories, Cyberoptix.
Jewelry by: Suum Jewelry Equations, Ferndale; 734.649.7743
Models: Laurie Smolenski, Stephanie Skuzenski, Elena Callis, Robin Callis, Inky Nkhumise Noge, Michael Doyle, Jon Ozias, Jimmy Edgar.
Makeup Artists: Justin Ruppel, Eric Ford.
Hair Stylists: Amanda Gordon.
Antique Taxidermy provided by the Vidosh family and Oslo.
Additional props by Showcase Antiques; Detroit.
Locations: Northern Lights Lounge, Oslo, Centaur.
Thanks to Brendan M Gillen & Amber Lesicki for the cover location, and
Cyberoptix intern Kelly Pelletier.

Thank you again to everyone who helped out, with locations, props, modeling, makeup - it was a huge project to take on in a very short amount of time. Please come out on Saturday night to the grand opening of SPY at 4470 Second Ave. - most of the garments and accessories featured in the shoot will be for sale.

2006-11-20T12:57:00.000-05:00

I swear I'll talk about something different than my own sweatshop...I promise...this is somewhat different? A little? Just wanted to make you aware of a grand-opening party that features the work of Detroit artists and designers in a new Detroit shop. I can attest the folks at Spy have been working hard to make this happen for the community in time for the holiday season. There will also be a feature about the store in this Wednesday's issue of Real Detroit. SPY will feature *lots* of selections from the Cyberoptix TieLab, including more limited edition menswear in the form of coats, pants and gloves!

SPY Grand Opening
New Store Opening in Midtown Detroit
Grand Opening Gala: Saturday, November 25, 2006 7pm – Midnight

"Design In All Forms, Created With Our Bare Hands."

SPY brings together one-of-a kind works by over 20 Detroit-based designers, fine artists, and musicians. SPY offers a wide selection of items – from garment and textile collections to jewelry, ceramics, as well as furniture and gift items. Designers represented by SPY include Bethany Shorb (Cyberopitx), Lauren Joy Casteel, Sarah Vidosh, Jef Hancock, and many others. SPY will also carry media from acclaimed record labels such as Interdimensional Transmissions, Low Res and Submerge. The store will serve as a community gathering location, with SPY presenting monthly openings and other events. All work is for sale.

SPY aims to promote, sell and distribute handcradfted, original design in all forms. Located in a historic Detroit home, the design house of SPY will feature the works of Detroit and international designers, combining our individual talents and resources. Through the constant exchange of assets and ideas, SPY will inspire new creative relationships and endeavors in order to develop commerce among the independently owned businesses in our community.

• Location: 4470 2nd Avenue (2nd Ave & Prentis St.) Detroit, MI 48021 (313)833.6623
• General Store Hours: Tuesday – Sunday, 11am – 8pm

2006-11-17T16:29:00.000-05:00

Thanks for the kind words, blogland!

From Oh Futura: I love neckties. I own about ten (which is quite a few for a college student that seldom finds excuses to wear them). Granted, I’ll admit my taste isn’t exactly great, since my collection ranges from Banana Republic to Goodwill, but I am fond of these screenprinted ties. Christmas, anyone?

And Notcot: Somedays i can’t believe how fabulous the Fabulist is. They pointed me to Cyberoptix… a fine line of beautifully darkly illustrated hand screen printed 100% charmeuse silk or poly-blend based ties. These are the brainchild of Bethany Shorb, who holds an MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art, and has dabbled and excelled in disciplines ranging from sculpture, to fashion and graphic design, to photography, to multimedia and music. She has an impressively wide range on her background… and Jermacide is in need of a tie. I think these might be the perfect gift.

Much printing, printing, printing up in the TieLab today. Lots of exciting things in the works...

2006-11-17T00:00:00.000-05:00

(Packard Plant, Detroit, March 2005)

I pulled this from the archives tonight, a silly little animation meant to be the opener for my urban exploration page, then I got Projectitis and it never really happened aside from uploading an assload of pictures to flickr at its inception and getting an accompanying case of chronic bronchitis. Nostalgia.

I had a strange day today, the words aren't really happening tonight.

Anyway.

There are tons of art openings on Saturday night, including The Dope Show at Corktown Tavern, of which I'll have some photography in from the Meat Series, though different pieces than the concurrent Primary Space gallery show.

_{Confession: Foot Fetish (Meat Discards Series, 2006)}

Straight With No Chaser - It is absolutely criminal that The Dope Show at Corktown Tavern is a one-night stand. This exhibit (featuring the most impressive line-up since the last shindig at DAM) is a veritable explosion of local and much-admired talent.

More by Metrotimes arts reviewer, Rebecca Mazzei, ...artistically exploiting bad habits in a themed exhibit about "over indulgence and habitual vices." It's a show about the beautifully disastrous damage coke, caffeine, Catholicism, porn subscriptions and illegal prescriptions can do.

Right around the corner is also Urban Arts Experiments Vol. 1 (Custom Toy Show) with Glenn Barr, Adam Battestilli, Christina Gibbs, Brandon Garrison, Mark Heggie, Dennis Jones, Nicole MacDonald, Dave Roberts, Shades, Scotty Agee, Jason Shram, Gilda Snowden, Tom Thewes, Ron Zakrin, and Ziam - at 2000 Brooklyn, Detroit.

After all that arting is done, of course, not to be missed is the, Sass one year anniversary, at Olso. Get your gay on.

I shouldn't be doing any of this, mind you.

2006-11-16T23:30:00.000-05:00

Thank you, Fabulist! Amazingly Illustrated Ties - These are my favorite ties I've found in the whole world. (Not only that, but the icon for their website is a Speak-and-Spell, which was my favorite toy when I was little. They have won my heart forevermore.) The silk ties are hand-screened with ravens and sixteenth century book imprints and diagrams of hearts and things. Damn sexy.

2006-11-15T14:58:00.000-05:00

On little red tablets of contraband...

I've been a bit under the weather over the last week, to put it mildly, but the world is not going to stop just because I feel like hell. I ran out of anti-snot medication today at work, so I decided before subjecting everyone at my late-morning meeting to incessant hacking and droplet splatter, I'd run up to the CVS and attempt to medicate myself into some semblance of normalcy. I've noticed during this rhinovirus' tenure that the new pseudoephedrine substitute that they put in all the standby combo cold medications (thera-flu, day-quill, etc.) well, it just plain doesn't work. Not even as well, it really doesn't do crap. Nearly all manufacturers have voluntarily eliminated pseudoephedrine from their products so it needent not be sold behind the counter, because, if it is sold behind the counter, people don't bother to buy it. The problem is, pseudoephedrine (like real ephedrine) is really effective. So my plan was to brave the gheyass counter and get a bottle of the tussin and some good ol' generic Sudafed, as I was tired of feeling craptastic.

Twenty-five minutes of waiting behind a queue of geriatrics with full-blown dementia and countless others with insurance quibbles, as there is no seperate line for the simple pickup of OTC cold medicines, not only was I late to my meeting I was trying to prepare for, but I was ripping pissed off. Once I get my box of contraband I grabbed it and went to resume my shopping for soup and crappy orange juice and the pharmacist curtly demanded I come back and I had to show her my license and then she had to write all my license information down in the Big Bad Sudafed Consumer's Log. WTF! Like this is really going to curtail methamphetamine production. I then had to sign the holy book.

I am greatly amused that a beautifully penned, cursive "BullShit" looks quite similar to my legal signature.

I will probably end up in jail for terrorism or harassment. The five minutes of satisfaction were more than worth it.

Some day I hope we can revert back to a society that is less obsessed with bullshit govermnment posturing and actually deals with real problems. I also want that twenty five minutes of my life back, at my current rate, CVS and the current administration owes me around $35.

2006-11-14T12:57:00.000-05:00

In non-cravat news, I am picking up a Novation Super Bass Station tonight. I am excited.

2006-11-13T13:13:00.001-05:00

As featured on the front of Indie Fixx today: From the Tie Lab…Does your guy need to wear ties to work or maybe he likes to wear ties? Or maybe you are a guy who needs to or likes to wear ties. Whatever the case may be, I know you don’t want to see anymore tired, staid, lackluster ties and you won’t see any over at Cyberoptix. Each necktie is hand-silkscreened onto a quality, 100% charmeuse silk or poly-blend base with designs such as Poppies, Raven, Skull, Bombs Away, Bats, Heart Attack, and many more cool motifs from which to choose. Get one for your boyfriend, your husband or even your dad and get the whole office talking about his cool new tie.

Indie Fixx rocks, they feature all sorts of independent designer goodness. Do check 'em out...

2006-11-12T00:24:00.000-05:00

See a few photos from the Potluck II show at Primary space over at Detroitarts Blog.

I have the wost head full of snot that I can ever remeber, looks like all the work has caught up to me in a most miserable way. I feel, in no mincing of words, like utter dogshit. I'm not amused.

In the meantime, I've made quite a few web updates because it is something I can do from the couch in my pajamas. This was after sleeping for 14 hours and thoroughly loopy on nyquill, I bet there are errors. Probably lots.

There are tons of new ties, and people actually wearing them:

Ex Libris tie

New design - Poppies, shown in gold on black and gold on olive.

2006-11-09T17:42:00.000-05:00

Tom Roche - Convergence, Tokyo Japan, 2005; Truss Cafe Chair designed by Scott Klinker.

Context Furniture and aedis design make party tonight, November 9th, at 8pm. Preview the latest in contemporary furniture and digital photography. Food, cocktails and music will also be in attendance.

aedis design, 808 South Old Woodward, Birmingham, MI.

2006-11-08T01:07:00.000-05:00

Winterformal
as the weather grows colder every guy who has a pair is breaking out his charcoal grey slacks for those times when he has to look a little more business and a little less casual. now all you need is something to wear with your pants. my first suggestion comes from something i discovered this weekend...which brings us to cyberoptix, who make ties that make statements. not offensive statements, just manly ones. jocko likes bombs away, which would look great in so many color combos with this shirt. i’d recommend grey with black print, or if you want to go really bold, black silk with a white print.

i prefer the gas mask. i’m a sucker for victorian style prints of odd contraptions. because of the print, you can rock the monochrome look and get the black print on a light blue tie. either one will look a whole lot better than that seasonal tie you got last year for the company holiday party.

Thanks, Boldawaths! Bold swaths is a new approach to style for men. It’s painfully obvious to me that most guys don’t want girls, stodgy old men, or super rich new york kids telling them what to wear. I know I will personally be seeking out a lot of things for gifts on that page, great suggestions spied online!

2006-11-07T14:19:00.000-05:00

I feel a little dirty and a little scared.

Kind of like that first time in high school, where you go back behind the bleachers and smoke your first joint that is probably no more potent than grandma's oregano - from all you've heard in school you're pretty convinced that by next Tuesday, the "gateway drug" will have firmly taken hold and you will undoubtedly have a $200 per day crack habit.

I voted for two Republicans.

It was only for school board and board of regents, but what's next, I stop living in sin and start coding for godhatesfags.com?

I guess I made an informed decision rather than simply a partisan one, but I can't help feeling a little icky. I cast my vote for the school board candidates who were strongly in favor of supporting the arts in school, increasing rather than cutting funding for the arts, and actually sat on the boards of and chaired arts organizations. I chose these folks over the Democratic candidates for the board who only had their heads shoved up their rears over litanies upon litanies of affirmative action business. That's nice and all but there are other issues. (And no, I am not complete evil incarnate, I did vote NO on 2, the danger of cutting funding for gender-based health initiatives was even too strong a worry for me.)

Sigh. Research can lead to unexpected choices at times.