What do Pee-Wee Herman, 80’s design and Leroy’s Place all have in common? The Memphis Milano movement! This quintessentially 80’s aesthetic influenced the mood and decor of our Leroy’s Place spaces, and we are honored to carry an amazing collection of vintage jewelry designed by members of the iconic Memphis Group.
What is the Memphis Group a.k.a. Memphis Milano?
Named after Bob Dylan’s song, “Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again,” Memphis Milano was an Italian design and architecture group founded by Ettore Sottsass that was active from 1980 to 1987. The group’s work was known for incorporating plastic laminate and terrazzo materials to create their iconic postmodern furniture, lighting, fabrics, carpets, ceramics, glass and metal objects, characterized by their colorful and asymmetrical abstraction.
What is ACME and the “Memphis Designers for ACME” jewelry collection?
Founded in 1985 by Adrian Olabuenaga and his wife Lesley Bailey, ACME studio is a design house famous for their jewelry and accessories. In 1986 after the fateful meeting of Adrian Olabuenaga and Ettore Sottsass, Memphis Designers for ACME was created – becoming the first American company that Sottsass ever designed for, and the only company to work with all fourteen Memphis designers. This original collection of over 100 products debuted at the Cooper-Hewitt and many pieces can now be found in the permanent collections at museums around the world, including the Brooklyn Museum and The Groninger Museum in The Netherlands.
ACME Studios is based in Maui, and after the recent fires that devastated the island, we are planning to donate a portion of the proceeds from the jewelry collection to a local organization recommended by the owners of the company – Maui Nui Strong – as part of the Leroy’s Place give-back initiative.
