A question I’m often asked by friends when speaking about my work in design is, what do I wear when not wearing my own designs? This is a great question so believe me when I say it’s actually a question I really love to answer. But before I do, let me tell you a few things about my work in how I create my watches. I have no particular mode or design genre I’m married to, my work is intuitive and creation flows from these selected projects.

I love all precious gems for the artistic collage of color that nature has painstakingly created, this is why I have a diamond line of watches, they really are a beautiful thing to own or wear. I also love designing from a simplistic but classic elegant mode, which I use in my self-branded Urban Picasso line. Creating beauty without the use of precious stones is the biggest challenge by far for me because you cannot rely on the brilliant enhancements of diamonds, only the materials selected and the creative positioning of dial type, number indexes, hands, and shape etc is all you have to work with.

I have amassed great volumes of watch design drawings over the years, in excess of 3000 and someday wish to produce many of them for my fan-base to see and own. My humbled opinion is my greatest work lies in these volumes of drawings yet to be manufactured and they would rival any major brand watch designer in this difficult business. I take great pride in knowing that last statement is a fact!

Let’s revisit the question I enjoy being asked, what do I wear when not wearing my own creations? Well, without being pretentious I have to admit I’m partial to fine quality timepieces. But I can be seen with modest priced sport watches such as Seiko or Hamilton for example and my collection of these various affordable models is quite extensive no doubt. But I know that’s not what you really care to know about is it? Ok, I’ll let you know the better brands I wear. Let me start with at least positioning my outlook of my character when wearing finer quality timepieces. First and foremost I need to say yes, I do wear a Rolex President 18kt Yellow Gold with all the diamond trimmings. However, I only wear this watch several times a year where is it most appropriate and most appreciated. And I love to wear vintage models and appreciate that part of my collection as well.

Formal
For a formal evening I am most comfortable wearing my Audemars Piguet timepiece, Glashutte Original timepiece or my Urban Picasso timepiece. I get plenty of compliments whichever I wear.

Sport
My sport pieces consist of a Tag Heuer timepiece (several), Breitling timepiece (several), or Omega Speed-Master Professional timepiece. I have to admit though; if I’m traveling abroad I always wear the Speed-Master on the plane even though you would think I would wear the Breitling because it’s originality was for flight pilots and being an ex-pilot myself. But no, it’s always the Speed-Master Professional! The first and only watch worn on the moon, mine has an open back to see the manual movement and is a limited edition. This watch is stellar in black beauty!

Fashion
For making casual and fashion statements, of course it’s GGI Passport with plenty of diamond bling. I have other brands of course, but this is my line, what did you think I was going to wear? And besides, I have customers that wear it in the boardroom. Now that’s saying a lot and you know I got to be feeling good about that.

Tell us your story about the watch you wear most often, and why it makes you feel so good to wear it. Send a photo of you wearing your timepiece and I will add it to our blog page with your story.

I’m happy to have completed my newest collection of the GGI Passport line and will be photo-shooting them shortly for all to see.

Integrity Fashions and Urban Picasso in search of the missing “Pretty in Pink” timepiece with help from the infamous “Pink Panther”, Inspector Jacques Clouseau.

San Jose, June 3, 2008 - At exactly 4:50pm PST on May 29, 2008 at the gifting lounge for the MTV Movie Awards, Integrity Fashions noticed that our new “Pretty in Pink” watch designed by Urban Picasso, who is head designer at GGITIME Watch Co, was missing! This watch along with the “Time for Change” watch was our donated gift for Brad Pitt’s Make It Right Nola Charity. The collection was to be signed by top celebrities at the MTV Movie Awards and to be auctioned off with 100% of the proceeds going to Brad Pitt’s charity. This charitable project is to house the still suffering victims of Hurricane Katrina (www.makeitrightnola.com).

We notified Urban Picasso and his response to the unfortunate news was “Time Fly’s!” We all have heard that expression before so perhaps there is some truth to that saying. After the usual well what do we do now questions, we decided on calling Inspector Jacques Clouseau, you know him, that infamous character from the Blake Edwards “Pink Panther Series”. If anyone can find the missing timepiece it would be this bumbling, stumbling, clumsy, French detective and master of deduction and disguises. The Pink Panther if you don’t know was the name of a Priceless Jewel in the Inspectors first case. Albeit our watch was not priceless, it was to be given to a cause that many would argue that fact.

I was told that when Inspector Clouseau arrived at the scene in his London Fog trench coat, inspectors cap and very large magnifying glass, he tripped over a large potted plant while sifting for clues in what would be his usual appropriateness of decorum. He then proceeded to interview all those present with the same intensity of interrogation and asking the same questions in his paté-thick accent, where were you when the missing Pink Panther, I think he meant “Pretty in Pink” watch was taken. But to his perplexity all the answer where the same, “Yea, it’s a beauty for sure, and I want it for myself, but I swear I didn’t take it, you gotta believe me!” Rapper Lil’ Romeo was at the scene, but Inspector Clouseau didn’t question him as he had his own bling on his arm, ears, eyes, and everywhere else you looked at him. With a fretted but whimsical look, he had no choice but to say what all Inspectors say, don’t leave town because this case is still open and you’re under my professional and watchful eye.

The last details we have at 9:20am on May 30, 2008 is that no less than several hundred people led by the infamous Inspector Clouseau were on Hollywood Blvd. They all had netted butterfly catchers chasing a Ladies “Pretty in Pink” watch, which somehow sprouted wings to fly away from the MTV Movie Awards Celebrity viewing merchandise table. By hook or by crook, an Integrity Fashions watch designed by Urban Picasso is really worth having!

More importantly, The Make It Right Charity…www.makeitrightnola.org is doing what any humanitarian would do regardless of wealth. Reaching out a helping hand while gathering friends and unknowns to help in a cause is truly an unselfish gift. We felt honored to be able to support this charities efforts and look forward to many other opportunities to support in our own community as well as where needed.

Integrity Fashions has teamed up with Urban Picasso, designer of fine time-wear to launch the new “Pretty in Pink” collection of premium timepieces. This is an extension of our “Fashion For A Cause” line and the proceeds from this watch supports the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. For every dollar we donate to this charity, 85% goes to research and breast cancer awareness programs. You can learn more at www.bcrfcure.org

www.ggitime.com
http://www.integrityfashions.com

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Integrity Fashions has teamed up with Urban Picasso, designer of fine time-wear to launch the new “ Time for Change” collection of premium timepieces. This is an extension of our “Fashion For A Cause” product line and will debut the new collection at this year’s MTV Movie Awards. The “Time For Change” collection will be signed by top celebrities at the MTV Movie Awards and will be auctioned off with 100% of the proceeds going to Brad Pitt’s charity, Make It Right Nola. This project is to house the still suffering victims of Hurricane Katrina. Learn more at www.makeitrightnola.org

Urban Picasso the head designer for Garlason Group Int’l Watch Design Co sets a new stage of timepieces that stand for quality, innovation, and fashion. Watches are no longer a sole time reporting mechanism. Timepieces today are a combination of technology and art involving intensive craftsmanship, innovation and creativity. Together with Integrity Fashion, these timepieces will help send a strong message to our community to help make a difference.

Urban Picasso is proud to collaborate with Integrity Fashion to give back to the community. It is a rewarding way to celebrate fashion and design. The seed for Integrity Fashion’s Company was planted in late 2006 while watching Movie Producer Spike Lee’s documentary “When The Levees Broke”, which chronicled the 2005 devastating natural disaster of New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina. Since then Integrity Fashions mission has been to promote artists and fashion to raise capital and distribute this capital from sales proceeds back into the community. This collaboration between Integrity Fashions and Watch Designer Urban Picasso is the latest testament to two dynamic company’s coming together for a wonderful humanitarian cause to tell and show the world through fashion and design that now is the “Time For Change”.
www.urbanpicasso.com
www.integrityfashions.com

This is the place where you can relax, enjoy a warm cup and catch up on what we’re doing in the watch making industry. This is also the place to find out about many other local and distant creators of fine quality merchandise from fashion design to jewelry design. This will be a place where music lovers can discuss their favorite artist, and artist can discuss their latest work. Our blog is neutral and  […]read more

Life is always full of surprises - twists, turns, new opportunities. Just over seven years ago, I founded Garlason Group Int’l (GGI). I thought I would be at the head of my company for a long time building my style and brand of watches. Then, out of the blue, I received an opportunity I couldn’t refuse. A major manufacturing company abroad requests my design services and offers me a designer position. I told myself I couldn’t turn down the opportunity because […]read more