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MoCo’s own Karen Morris (general manager of our Hong Kong office) found inspiration and combined it with her love of fashion to start her own line of ladies’ hats. She’s planning to launch two consumer brands later this month, and we were able to get a special sneak peak of the goods at a recent photo shoot in the MoCo studio.  All of the hats are handcrafted by Karen herself, and we’re telling you right now, they are fabulous!

1. Have you always been interested in women’s fashion?

Yes, always! I remember as a little girl I liked picking shoes to match my outfit before going out of the house with my parents. Sometimes my mom did her nail polishing on the weekends, and I thought it was so beautiful and I begged her to paint my nails, too.

Another factor contributing to my love of fashion has to do with my upbringing in Hong Kong. Having previously been a British colony for more than a century and a half, Hong Kong is a meld of “East meets West” influences, not only from Britain but also from America, Europe, Australia, Southeast Asia, Japan, Russia, Arabia, etc. Today Hong Kong is the definition of an international city and it is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. There is a fantastic mix of cultures, styles and classes, which all make for a an interesting palette for fashion – women’s fashion and men’s fashion – I love it all.

2. On becoming a modern-day milliner…

My husband and I split our time between Hong Kong and the Twin Cities. Last year we attended a horse race in the U.S. and it was required that all the ladies wear hats – grand ones. I was a little nervous because I’d never worn such an extraordinary hat before, however it turned out to be a greatly fun experience. Some of the women wore hats much bigger than mine with all kinds of feathers and shiny embellishments. It was so enjoyable I thought I could try making some of my own crazy creations. I started reading and studying about the art of hat making and I’ve been crafting them ever since.

3. Ladies’ hats are quite popular around the world, particularly in England. Do you think the trend will catch on in America, or have you seen glimpses of it already?

I totally believe the trend will catch on in America. I subscribe to a lot of newsletters, and I see tons of events published that are all about hats. In fact, just last week my husband and I went to a hat exhibition in New York. There were a lot of people there, so that just goes to show there is definitely a growing interest among many Americans.

4. What is your greatest design inspiration right now?

Anything you can think of … pencils, clouds, teapots, shoes, books … they can all be the theme (and sometimes even the materials) for making hats. I’m already planning my next hat, which will be made of real wood branches. I’m so excited to start working on it.

5. Is there one piece of advice you’d give to aspiring artists?

Don’t worry about anything. Think crazily!

6. Do we need to be “high fashion” to wear your hats?

Absolutely not. I’m launching two brands: Karen Morris Milliner, which are haute costume hats, and Obsessions by Karen Morris, easy-to-wear. There’s something for everyone.

7. When and where can we buy?

You’ll be able to purchase directly from my website starting in May. Stay tuned for more!

- XOXO, Karen

Account Coordinator

What tools do you use to keep yourself organized, either on your virtual or physical desktop?

On my virtual desktop, I use a lot of folders, and folders within folders, to keep myself organized. I also have a ton of virtual post-its with notes and reminders for myself.

On my physical desktop, I keep a running to-do list that is right next to me at all times, crossing things off with a big red marker as I go.

What is your favorite thing in your workspace?

My pen holder. I have a tendency to lose my pens, markers, etc. and so having a fully stocked pen holder at all times comes in handy.

What is your desktop image of and how long have you been using it?

One of my background images is of my husband and me on my 21^st birthday at the Uptown Cafeteria. I’ve been using it as my background since my first day here last November.

My other background image is a grid. I’ve changed my settings so that each icon fits perfectly in each section, in hopes of keeping everything more clean and organized. However, I drag a lot of things to and from my desktop every day so it never stays that way for very long.

Account Coordinator

What tools do you use to keep yourself organized, either on your virtual or physical desktop?

Virtually, desktop Stickies are my go-to. I have bad luck with the real-life ones – they’re just not sticky enough to depend on. Every so often I’ll find a month-old to-do list entangled in the cords behind my monitor. Physically, I keep everything I’ve done at MoCo in a file drawer. And I mean everything.  I get teased for it all the time… but I have this horrible, totally irrational fear of throwing away something that I will need later on. Watch for me on “Hoarders: Buried at the Office.”

What is your favorite thing in your workspace?

I don’t know when or why it happened, but I was gifted with the MoCo goose (er, swan?) shortly after we moved offices last summer. I feel honored that my coworkers have put their trust in me to take care of our agency pet. Goosey really is a handful because she never, ever sleeps, but I honestly don’t know what I’d do without her unconditional companionship. She’s just always there, ya’ know?

What is your desktop image of and how long have you been using it?

My two cats: Mac-Attack (orange) and Sookie-Monster (calico). They’ve been keeping me company for a few months now. Achieving the coveted crazy cat lady status one monitor at a time.

Graphic Designer

How do you organize both your physical and virtual desktops?

I need everything to be in order and have its place. I usually have a very clean virtual desktop and just have 3 or so sketchbooks out and different drawing materials. This was a very busy week for me though.

What is your favorite thing in your workspace?

I have been working on improving my calligraphy skills lately so I would have to say my favorite thing in my workspace would be my calligraphy pen set.

What is your desktop image of and how long have you been using it?

The image is from Canadian designer James White for a conference he spoke at last year.

Director of Market Research and Strategic Planning

What tools do you use to keep yourself organized, either on your virtual or physical desktop?

I frequently load up my desktop with documents that are high priority (current work) and then I dump them into a holding tank folder (daily files) for quicker access than I get if I go to the hard drive, then my MoCo folder, then my client folder then the doc within the client folder.

Tell us a little something about your desktop image.

A bright spot during the 2011 season, the Twins swept 3 games from the San Diego Padres at Target Field in mid-June.

What tools do you use to keep yourself organized, either on your virtual or physical desktop?

On my physical desktop: A combination of notebooks of various sizes, post-its and writing utensils in multiple colors and point sizes. Gotta keep it interesting!

On my virtual desktop: I wish I could say this was as clean and organized as my physical desktop. My email inbox needs some serious housekeeping. Thankfully our project management software, activeCollab, keeps me in line.

What is your favorite thing in your workspace?

It’s a toss up between my Red Swingline stapler (yes, I’m channeling the movie Office Space) and the mini Nerf gun (watch out, it’ll get ‘ya!)

What is your desktop image of and how long have you been using it?

I’m constantly changing my desktop. I’m really in love with the pastel art deco background on my main screen right now. On my other screen is an adorable shot of a couple bicycling. I have no idea who they are or where they are, but they look so happy. I imagine them riding through the streets of Italy in the drizzling rain.

What tools do you use to keep yourself organized, either on your virtual or physical desktop?
For my virtual desktop, I group things into categories and folders for specific items I’m currently working on. When working, I usually keep email/finder windows on my right monitor (or things that I want up constantly), and any files that I’m working on in my left monitor. For my physical desktop I would keep my to-do items to my left, and my finished projects to my right, so I had a visual way of knowing how my work day was planned out. Other than that, I have a cup of writing utensils, boxes of tea, and a small row of books.

What is your favorite thing in your workspace?
Favorite item…hmmm. Either my boxes of tea that I drink often or my “junk bowl” as our creative director Paul likes to call it (holds post-it notes, keys, iPod, and random stuff I want easy access to and don’t want to dig out of my purse).

What is your desktop image of and how long have you been using it?
My desktop is a collaged image that includes a calendar. Oh Hello Friend blog (http://www.ohhellofriendblog.com/2012/01/new-month-hello-2012.html) provides a free desktop calendar (designed by the author, Danni) at the beginning of every month (so that’s how often it gets changed). I like to keep my folders and files grouped in that space so the rest of my desktop is clean and white!

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Kaitlin Hughes Townley
Account Coordinator

What tools do you use to keep yourself organized, either on your virtual or physical desktop?

I LOVE Post It notes, physical and virtual. I keep my virtual desktop pretty clean and minimal by using Excel spreadsheets to organize my projects and progress, but my Mac dashboard is a complete mess of sticky notes. My physical desk is more similar to my Mac dashboard, there’s usually at least a few Post Its or pieces of paper spread out with the same kind of information on all of them. I just can’t stop writing things down, even if they’re already written down somewhere else!

What is your favorite thing in your workspace?

My favorite item in my work area is the vase of flowers from my wedding. The flowers are dead of course, but the type of flower, Craspedia, or “Billy Balls”, dry beautifully and maintain their bright yellow color. I love how easily they brighten up my workspace, not to mention the happy memories they represent.

What is your desktop image of and how long have you been using it?

My desktop images are of my cat, Oliver Pierre. I’ve been using both on my work computer since I started at MoCo in November, and the one on my main desktop I’ve used at home for the last couple years as well.