One to Watch: Caste Projects

Caste Projects brings a playful touch to serious design.

A chance meeting in a Victoria clothing store sparked a whirlwind romance for Hanahlie Beise, an Emily Carr visual arts grad, and her future husband (and future design partner) Caleb Beyers, a Harvard psychology grad and graphic designer. After a stint in New York, the pair formed Caste in Vancouver in 2009 as a way to pool their skill sets and share the workload. Design work came after various pro-bono projects—their first break was with Pyrrha, where they collaborated on the branding, marketing and interior design for the award-winning jewellery designer’s L.A.-based flagship store.“We try to incorporate as much chance as possible. Even though the result might be flawed, it’s always interesting.”TODAY| Beise and Beyers moved to Victoria a year and a half ago, and their design aesthetic now graces some of the hippest businesses in the city. The modern, quirky burger joint Big Wheel Burger, two locations of Habit Coffee (Chinatown and the Atrium) and the bespoke barbershop Victory Barber and Brand (a manly mix of vintage barber chairs, old school lockers and taxidermy) all received the Caste touch. On paper, the duo tackled labels and branding for craftbrewer Hoyne and the wonderful graphic posters and program for the Rifflandia 2012 music fest.

TOMORROW| From their cool studio digs in Victoria’s historic Chinatown, home to the city’s bohemian set, Caste is gearing up to launch its first homeware line, Made by Kin, including furniture, lighting, home accents and hand-felted accessories. The playful line reflects their love of natural materials (wood and felt), and will offer the duo a chance to share their work with a bigger audience. The line can be found in design-savvy stores in Victoria (like Only Human and Gabriel Ross) as well as through their soon-to-be launched website. We can’t wait. wl