Cartwheel Recap: Designer Con 2012 opens in Pasadena ~ Part One

Now in its ninth year, Designer Con 2012 is growing by leaps and bounds. If you’re not familiar with DCON. then you should start brushing up on it–and quickly! DesignerCon is where pop culture, art, and vinyl toys all meet in a beautifully orchestrated one-day event, held at Pasadena Convention Center.

Vinyl toys are the hidden gems of the art world and collectors of of this kind of art are in a universal of their own. Vinyl collectors are on a different level than basic fanboys, comparable to that of sneaker-heads (those that collect limited edition shoes). These limited edition designer toys are made from vinyl, resin, wood and plush.

Artist like Luke Chueh (Munky King), David Flores (Toy Art Gallery) and Scott Wilkowski (DKE Toys) release limited edition toys that are sought after by collectors because of their small runs and quality. This form of collecting is similar to collecting print releases of artists like Dabs & Myla and Obey Giant. The toys are made more unique by having an artist paint on a vinyl and add embellishments to enhance its features.

At DesignerCon, artist are part of the crowd because they also collect. Many artists spend time looking at each others’ work and exchange vinyls out of admiration for one another. The artists are also discovering the next wave vinyl creators making names for themselves locally or abroad. We’ll touch on that on the Part Two of our Designer Con Coverage.

For more details about Designer Con 2012 and visit their website, DesignerCon.com.