AGENT2 FEATURED THE FANTASTIC DEBUT COLLECTION AND INTERVIEW FROM RAUN LAROSE LAST SEASON AND WE BRING YOU HIS LATEST COLLECTION FOR S/S 2012

This Brooklyn based, young and upcoming designer is destined to be a big name and has been on the AGENT2 ‘One to Watch’ radar for quite some time now. His latest collection sees an exciting progression since we last saw him and Raun states:

“For this collection I was inspired by my childhood.  I retraced the steps of my youth in search of things that were the most memorable.  Backpacks, comic books, and thoughtful pairing in sport attire.  As a menswear designer I strive to expand the concept of contemporary mens fashion through innovation. To challenge myself and explore new techniques, giving fruition to one of my key looks.”

To add to the buzz around Larose, Vogue Italia recently named as ‘fashion’s future’ in their menswear category.

Words Graham Gartside Bernier

CHRISTOPHER RAEBURN KICKS OFF THE FIRST OF THREE BRITISH MENSWEAR DESIGNER INSTALLATIONS WITH HIS LIFE SIZE OFF CUT ANIMALS MADE WITH THE EXACT FABRICS USED IN HIS A/W11 COLLECTION…

AGENT2 loves to champion new and emerging designers and Harvey Nichols can often be found at the forefront of emerging new talent as well as creating platforms to help develop and nurture exciting new brands.  From this month to November, Harvey Nichols is hosting a series of in-store installations, created and curated by three British designers that they are currently supporting.

Christopher Raeburn kicks of the initiative this month.  The British ethical designer fuses innovative fabric technology with garment re-appropriation and a passion for military heritage.  His AW11 collection is inspired by research into the original garments, their fabric technology and development.

NEWGEN sponsor Katie Eary is next to drop in-store in October.  The London-based designer needs no introduction – her aggressive but noble menswear is an unstoppable, inevitable hurricane ripping its own way through fashion.

Katie says; “I’m so excited about this project with Harvey Nichols.  I’ve been waiting to get my hands on a great space and Harvey Nichols id the perfect place for what I have in mind.  I think people will be thrilled and intrigued by my installation… Frankenstein’s Lab in central London!”

Finishing off the trio of designer installations in November is AGENT2 favourite, James Long.  Long has fast become one of the most sought after menswear talents in London.  With a huge fan base ranging from Alister Mackie: Creative Director of Another Man, Luke Day: Fashion Director of GQ Style, and Lanvin’s Lucas Ossendriver praising James as his ‘favourite young designer’, James has certainly made his mark as a designer to watch.

James says: “I wanted to recreate the unsettled attitude of my Autumn/Winter collection within an installation space at Harvey Nichols.  With the use of lighting I will try to form and area where my collection lives in a manic mayhem of colour and texture.”

Find out more details about Harvey Nichols Menswear Project here.

CELEBRITIES ALL OVER THE WORLD DRAPE THEMSELVES IN HIS DESIGNS BUT THE MAN BEHIND THE ICONIC ANDROGYNOUS FASHION BRAND UNCONDITIONAL, PHILIP STEPHENS, COULDN’T CARE LESS. 

I’ve always liked what I like to call ‘icing’. I think life is quite tough for us all. There are difficult realities that we all have to live with and then there is the ‘icing’- such as interior design, art and fashion- all those things that add a bit of colour. I’ve always had a really big interest in fashion and had a fashion PR company in the late nineties. Before that I had a go at designing and did my own collection with a friend who was a pattern-cutter. We sold to a couple of stores and I had to re-mortgage my flat but decided I wasn’t quite ready.

I started a store called Concrete eleven years ago which was a window into the work I had done in PR with other designers and it took off. We had a lot of celebrities and stylists coming in and then I did a line for the store, which was the start of Unconditional. To start with Unconditional was just two styles of knitwear for men. Factually David Beckham was the very first customer who bought Unconditional just because a box of my knitwear arrived in the store and he happened to come in to buy a pair of jeans with his stylist and ended up buying two of our cashmere sweaters.

Jude Law had his office next door, Natural Nylon which he used to have with Sadie Frost. He would come in and buy things and we used to have everybody come in. People like Gwen Stefani who would pick up Unconditional with other things we carried. I suppose really it was a case of being in the right place at the right time. A lot of stores and stylists would come to Concrete to look for trends and look at the labels we were stocking.

I think with menswear in particular when I started I saw a bit of a gap because there is a lot of really expensive designer clothing which can sometimes make you look like a Christmas tree or it’s too much of an investment or too much of a ‘look’. It was an organic process- I didn’t sit down one day and decide I was going to start a label.

When it cam to naming the brand I didn’t want to name it after myself and I love knitwear and think it’s quite cosy and you can cocoon in it and although it sounds corny  I suppose the concept of unconditional love kind of works with that- it’s a bit of unconditional love from me. Lots of people say they have been travelling in the brand and they were so cosy. I love the feeling of people being protected in it. Yes, it does sound really corny but that’s the core of what it’s about.

I love our customers- we have lots of celebrity customers but I like our ‘real’ customers- of course celebrities are ‘real too!  But we are not a brand that gives clothes to celebrities- that’s not what we are about at all. They buy it all on their own. We sell to shops all around the world and so I get feedback from who has bought things.

I think our customers are quite interesting. They tend to be cool but it’s not an age thing. I think our customers tend to be trend-led but only to a certain extent because they do their own things with the product. I like people to buy the clothes and make them their own. I hate people who think ‘This is the catwalk look so I’m going to wear it’ and it is something that puts me off doing shows sometimes because you do a catwalk show and put x with y and it suddenly becomes set in stone that that is us as a brand but it’s not like that at all- I want people to make it part of their own life.

I hate with a passion, cheap, disposable clothing but I think most of our customers don’t have masses of money- they might save for something and they will wear it out- literally. They might have had a piece for 3 or 4 seasons and then want the same style again.

The collection at the moment is quite big so there are lots of different facets to it. We have vests for £45, which is reasonable because we do use very nice fabrics. That is my bottom line- I will not economise there- it has to feel good and if it doesn’t feel good then there is no point.

I wanted to do luxury basics- pieces that you just really love- like the best hoodie but sometimes it’s quite difficult because you get caught up in this hamster-wheel of fashion where you are having to get new things out constantly. Although there are a lot of pieces that are signature pieces and are tweaked just a little bit.

Really sometimes a wheel is a circle and you can’t make it square- it has to be round and some things are perfect the first time and a design classic in essence.

It is difficult when there are other brands and stores, who shall remain nameless, who copy things and that’s a problem but luckily I think generally our quality is better and sometimes people want the original and that has happened with everyone. You can go and get a designer copy in any high-street store but everyone knows who it originated from.

I do think though that there are genuinely many things with Unconditional which are unique in themselves and to the brand.

The store in Manchester is going to evolve. With anything I do I don’t think I can settle on a finished product- I think you can do a skeleton and then re-think.

It’s like buying a new house and getting an interior designer- it can just look contrived. So you buy a few key pieces and then look at the light and maybe want to change the colour of the walls because the sunlight comes in differently in the afternoon. I think we’ll have to tweak but I like the theatre of shopping and I love the space, it’s a great, clean space- a blank canvas- and one of my biggest passions and influences is that whole Warhol Factory loft-theme and we did think about painting it silver but people would have thought ‘Oh my God you’re insane!’. I do love the industrial ceiling at the site though.

It’s not an Armani shop, that’s not what we are about. We straddle quite a lot of different places- we have some very high-end customers right to fashion students.

People pick up on the celebrity side more and more and I find that sad- I get no more of a thrill from it than other people buying my products. In fact, last night we went out and someone fell over in front of us and we got chatting and somehow Unconditional came out and she said ‘I love Unconditional! It’s iconic!’ She had bought one of our tops and then seen it copied in other stores. She said how honoured she was to meet me and that was really sweet.

There is talk of the label being ‘suited’ to London-fashion but sometimes people here are maybe more adventurous than London- it’s like music, fashion has elements of the same depending where you go. There is talk of opening a store in LA but I think with the internet and technology unfortunately more and more places are getting homogenous. Everything is everywhere and so everywhere is becoming the same a little bit. I think we should celebrate diversity a little bit more. The store here will be different to anything in London and different again to LA.

I think that within my collection my roots and my mindset is Northern- I can’t pinpoint it- I was hatched here- I am Mancunian and was absorbing things here for the first 17 years of my life. There is just something innately in me that is Mancunian.

People ask if I’m apprehensive about the launch but it’s no big deal. Well, I suppose it’s a relatively big deal. I dislike the term ‘flagship’- it’s just a store for local people- but it’s always a big deal putting things on and you have to react to what works and what doesn’t. Retail is tough but I think that if you have a good product at the right price and of good quality and those things all match there is an audience for it. If there isn’t I’ll have to start gardening and growing carrots! You’ve just got to try things haven’t you? If nobody tried anything nothing would happen.

UNCONDITIONAL Manchester is open now. Visit www.unconditional.uk.com for more information.

Words and images Lucy Zellerbach-Adams

FOLLOWING PARTNERSHIPS WITH THE LIKES OF RAF SIMONS, RICK OWENS, CHRISTOPHER SHANNON AND GASPARD YURKIEVICH, BAGMAKERS EASTPAK CONTINUE THEIR HIGH END COLLABORATIONS WITH THEIR LATEST COLLECTION BY KRIS VAN ASSCHE.  THE COLLECTION IS A HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL BLEND OF VAN ASSCHE’S UNIQUE BRAND OF SOPHISTICATION AND THE UNCONVENTIONAL SIMPLICITY OF EASTPAK’S OWN PHILOSOPHY AND WAS LAUNCHED DURING VAN ASSCHE’S FW11 SHOW IN PARIS IN JANUARY 2011.

The Belgian fashion designer brings his expertise in the field with a line of bags featuring backpacks and oversized shoulder bags in three combinations of materials and colours echoing the black/grey/natural colour pallet of Van Assche’s own FW11/12 collection. Indeed, the bags also reflect certain other recurring themes in the fashion designer’s own work such as suppleness and sobriety, internal structure and pure lines.

The EASTPAK KRISVANASSCHE collection will available in selected stores from July 2011. Each creation bears a metallic seal engraved with the two collaborating brand names.

Check out Eastpak’s recent collaboration with AGENT2 favourite, Rick Owens here and their Quinze and Milan sofa project here.

www.eastpak.com

WORDS SPREAD LIKE WILDFIRE AMONGST THE FASHION CONSCIOUS TWITTER CROWD AND IT WAS THERE THAT RUMOURS OF A VERSACE/H & M COLLABORATION FIRST SURFACED. AND, AS THE WHISPERS OF RYAN GIGG’S INFIDELITY WERE EVENTUALLY CONFIRMED, SO TO WERE THESE RUMOURS AS H & M TODAY CONFIRMED THE IMPENDING PAIRING.

“I am thrilled to be collaborating with H&M and to have the opportunity of reaching their wide audience. The collection will be quintessential Versace, perfect for H&M and Versace fans everywhere,” says Donatella Versace.

The Versace for H&M collection will take inspiration from the Italian fashion house’s heritage and include the brand’s signatures of prints, colour, leather and other exclusive materials at H&M prices – well a little marked up from usual H&M prices.

The womenswear collection will be dominated by dresses that fit right in with the spirit of the season, featuring studded leather and colourful prints, with accessories including high heels and costume jewellery while the men’s collection will focus on sharp tailoring, including the perfect tuxedo, as well as belts and jewellery.

For the first time in a designer collaboration at H&M the collection will consist of some homeware pieces, including cushions and a bedspread.

“Versace is one of the most important brands of recent times, and their collection for H&M will be glamorous and flamboyant – everything Versace stands for. Donatella Versace is sharing with us iconic designs from the archives. This is such a celebratory collaboration and is perfect for the party season,” says Margareta van den Bosch, creative advisor at H&M.

We suspect that Donatella has been going through the Versace archives for a few weeks now, with Lady Gaga being wearing several vintage Versace pieces as she tours Europe.

The first Versace for H&M collection will be the Autumn 2011 collection set to drop on November 17, 2011, while a pre-spring collection will drop in countries with H&M online sales on January 19th, 2012.

We can’t wait to see what Donatella has in store for us – we love the black sandals on the model above – and if previous collaborations with the likes of Lanvin, Karl Lagerfeld and Jimmy Choo are anything to go by, there will be lines around the block for this one.

www.hm.com

Words Graham Gartside -Bernier

THE ENFANT TERRIBLE OF THE FASHION WORLD, JEAN PAUL GAULTIER, IS  GOING ON TOUR. WELL, NOT THE MAN HIMSELF, BUT SOME OF HIS HIS MOST FANTASTIC PIECES ARE. THE MONTREAL MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS’ JEAN PAUL GAULTIER EXHIBITION OPENEND THIS WEEKEND BEFORE THE COLLECTION EMBARKS ON A WORLDWIDE TOUR.

Marking the 35th anniversary of the designer’s label, ‘The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk’ showcases 140 examples of the artist’s work including his old teddy bear decked out in a paper bosom to Madonna’s corsets and a parrot feather bolero.

No era of Gaultier’s goes unacknowledged: there are the quintessentially French-striped shirts, but there are also Mohawk and tartan-sporting mannequins, over-the-top eveningwear, and yes, that conical bra!

Interestingly, while we’re on the topic of Madge, Gaultier once revealed he proposed to Madonna three times because she was the only woman he could have sex with.

The exhibition includes about 140 ensembles, but also sketches, fashion photography, and excerpts from films, runway shows, performances and more, in six different sections: The Odyssey of Jean Paul Gaultier; The Boudoir; Skin Deep; Eurostar; Urban Jungle; and Metropolis.

“Beyond the technical virtuosity resulting from exceptional expertise in the various skills involved in haute couture, an unbridled imagination and ground‐breaking artistic collaborations, he offers an open‐minded vision of society, a crazy, sensitive, funny, sassy world in which everyone can assert his or her own identity, a world without discrimination, a unique ‘fusion couture,’” said Nathalie Bondil, the museum’s director and chief curator, in a statement. “Beneath Jean Paul Gaultier’s wit and irreverence lie a true generosity of spirit and a very powerful message for society. His humanist aesthetic touches me deeply.”

ONCE AGAIN IT WAS TIME FOR ONE OF THE MOST PRESTIGIOUS FASHION SCHOOLS TO HOST THEIR GRADUATE SHOW. WITH PRIZES UP FOR GRABS FOR THE BEST USE OF TRIMMINGS AND INNOVATIVE USE OF FABRICS, THE COLLECTIONS WERE COLOURFUL AND THICK WITH TEXTURES.

A few well known faces scattered the aisles including fashion entrepreneur Harold Tillman, Jo Wood and a scattering of writer and fashion illustrators.

Every collection down that came down the catwalk was like a fairy tale meets a South American tribal twist. Beads and bells dangled from fur and knitwear. Leather worked alongside silk and a clash of colours sped down the runway. Pockets were shaped and closed like old fashion purses with gold clasps, bags were used as hats and faces were masked with woven sacks. There was also an element of high end sportswear thrown in. There was so much to look at it was easy to miss the details that went into the collections.

Draping and layering was a standout theme. One of the best examples of this was Yingzhi Luo – Chi Chi’s use of African printed chiffon, layered with pleated and beaded Maypole dancing strips of fabric.

Menswear was well put together and many had a fresh approach to the norm and had obviously thought outside the box.  Jung Yeon Chae’s collection pleated mackintoshes and shorts gave an almost Scottish Kilt. The men looked sleek in greys, blacks and whites, with leggings underneath, not at all feminine.  Jaeho Choi’s ying and yang menswear tailoring with large oversized bags gave a refreshing modern element to the usual.

Sean McGirr did a more gothic look, with high platform shoes, oversized knits and heavy metal inspired baggy trousers and Nair Afonso Xavier produced a line of wearable 80’s inspired wearable bright gym wear with poncho style jackets and fitted shirts.

Barnett Lawson Best use of trimmings winner was deservedly Charlotte Barry. Her volcanic gold goddess dresses were every woman’s dream. Detailed coats added to the luxurious dresses.

Biddie Sawyer Silks Award Innovative use of Fabrics was Stine Riis. Shiny materials and matt were added to leather to give a shimmery effect. Deep greens and blues coupled with red blue and grey  furs made this collection the most ready to wear, and appealing to the power dressing female form.

Nova Chiu, winner of Collection of the Year, sent goose pimples down the audience with her jungle pearly queen collection. Bright primary coloured fur detailing, with baby blue beads and tie dyed skin tight fabrics looked beautiful and exotic amongst the woven South American weaved jackets and skirts. You could hear the bells jangling down the catwalk, transforming you to a different culture.

Check out our LCF Capsule #3  Exhibition article here.

Words Jennifer Butler  Images Alex Maguire / Chris Moore – catwalking.com

IT IS ALWAYS DIFFICULT AS A MENSWEAR DESIGNER TO PUSH THE BOUNDARIES AND OPEN NEW AVENUES, BUT BROOKLYN BASED RAUN LAROSE HAS SMARTENED UP TO TAKE ON THE COMPETITION. JENNIFER BUTLER OF AGENT2 MAGAZINE SPOKE TO THE LAROSE ABOUT HIS LOVE OF ARCHITECTURE AND WHAT MADE HIM GO INTO MENSWEAR.

There is a lot of black and white and symmetry in your collection.  How has being bought up in New York and living there influenced your designs?

Black and white will always be a timeless classic. For my collection, less is definitely more. Growing up in New York has definitely influenced my work and my perception on Fashion. My main reason for pursuing menswear was because I lost interest in what the market had to offer.

What other aspects have influenced your designs?

I have a huge love for architecture. I always try to incorporate architectural influences in my collections. The more I develop as a designer the more I see myself becoming obsessed with shapes and trying to figure out ways to create new silhouettes.

What made you get into designing clothes, in particular menswear?

I have always had a major love for fashion since I was a little boy. My mum was a seamstress. I used to observe her and how much time and effort she put into her work. I always knew I wanted to pursue a career in fashion, but it wasn’t until age 21 that I knew I wanted to pursue a career in menswear. My main reason for pursuing menswear was because I lost interest in what the market had to offer.

What kind of image are you trying to create with this collection? Who wears your clothes?

I am really not concerned with building an image for my collections. I design clothes for the individual who is seeking a change.

You use a lot of different textures and materials in your work. What made you choose to do this in your collection?

I always like to incorporate an element of unexpectedness in my designs. The inspiration behind my current collection came from a book I had read entitled “Time Traveller” by Dr Donald Mallet. I used a lot of high quality fabrics (boucle, wools, cotton poplins) as well as a few unexpected (Neoprene, Foam, Swarovski crystals, Organza). I’m all for showcasing people in a new way.

An element of your collection that sticks out to me is that many of your jumpers and under garments fall below the knee, with tight leggings underneath. Tell me about your decisions when designing?

Whenever I start the creative process for a collection I usually isolate myself for a few months and focus on what it is exactly that I want to convey. For fall I was inspired by Dr Mallets and I was fascinated by the author’s vision of creating a time machine that could visit both past and future. After reading the book I formed this character in my mind, the young man who is a risk taker and wants to lead his generation into the future that is before us. Although he sometimes looks to the past his mind is focused on the future and what it has in store.

What is next for you? How would you like to progress?

I’m preparing to debut my Summer/Spring 2012 collection in Amsterdam during International Fashion Week. As for progression I hope to start selling my collections as well as be granted more opportunities to showcase my work to the public.

Interview Jennifer Butler

C/Bruerberg

Camilla Bruerberg, the designer behind the label C/Bruerberg took her inspiration from evolution and traditional craft, focusing on a combination of digital print and Knit. She opened with a focus on sheer knitted pieces including horizontal banding and crochet.

The perceptible traditional craft focus came with the scarves made up of threaded, frayed wool in bright orange, green and mustard. Many of the knitted pieces included horizontal banding with sheer inserts. A deviation from knit and crochet came with an oversized structured, print t-shirt.

A.Hallucination

A.Hallucination’s traditional deep toned winter pallet was a collection based around a reworked classic; the suit. A modern twist was established with the introduction of exaggerated detailing: large and numerous pockets, belts and toggles.  The Macs, trenches and coats were often two tone blocks of materials such as browns and blues and maroon trousers kept in line with the winter pallet. Jumpers were finished with in-built snood necklines which would serve as a practical winter warmer.

A white bowtie teamed with a white shirt was a classic touch of tailoring for A.Hallucination.

Mr Lipop

Mr Lipop’s stand out concept was incorporating accessories into the clothes. Hoods were zipped onto rucksacks in deep shades of purple and black. Jumpers featured inbuilt gloves hanging from the sleeves, showcasing the label’s flare for ingenuity and practicality. The addition of black and white fur to the hoods gave pulled the collection into the cold mid-winter.

A stand out piece was a French resistance inspired leather trench coat, styled with a black beret and polo neck. A shimmering navy jacket, brown and suede tunic suit showcased the wearability of Mr Lipop’s pieces and the inclusion of an oversized shearling aviator jacket, made sure that the men weren’t to miss out on one of this season’s big trends.

Asger Juel Larsen

With a lace-up, corset style outfit, models costumed like pall-bearers and the prevalence of black and metal spike, there was evidently a gothic vibe going throughout the Asger Juel Larsen collection. A model styled to look like Marilyn Manson and the addition of a cruxifix to a top-hat continued this dark theme.  Larson also looked to America for inspiration sending American flag worn as a cape – in muted black, brown and navy – cowboy chaps, and leather briefs down the runway.

Words Almaz Ohene

NEXT MONTH THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART IN NEW YORK IS TO HOST ALEXANDER MCQUEEN: SAVAGE BEAUTY, CELEBRATING THE LATE DESIGNER’S EXTRAORDINARY CONTRIBUTION TO FASHION. THE LANDMARK EXHIBITION WILL CHART MCQUEEN’S 19-YEAR RISE FROM ENFANT TERRIBLE TO ONE OF THE LEADING DESIGNERS OF OUR TIME.

Curator Andrew Bolton, working in conjunction with Sam Gainsbury and Joseph Bennett, the production designers responsible for McQueen’s extravagant fashion shows, has organized the exhibition thematically, in keeping with recurring concepts inherent within the designer’s work. “His fashions were an outlet for his emotions”, Bolton explained, “an expression of the deepest, often darkest, aspects of his imagination. He was a true romantic in the Byronic sense of the word – he channeled the sublime.” Rooms, including ‘Romantic Gothic’ and ‘The Savage Mind’, will delve deep into McQueen’s characters, and his obsession with Romantic literary traditions.

The exhibition, which will be held in the second-floor Cantor galleries, will feature approximately 100 pieces designed by McQueen. Signature designs, including McQueen’s iconic bumster trouser, will be on display. Taken primarily from the McQueen archive in London, the exhibition will be supported by garments from the Givenchy archive and private collections. Pieces from longtime collaborators milliner Philip Treacy and jeweler Shaun Leane will also be on display.

The exhibition launch will coincide with the Met’s Costume Institute Gala Benefit, with Honorary Chairs François-Henri Pinault and Salma Hayek, a fitting nod to the theatricality that characterized the designer. Thomas P.Campbell, Director of the Museum commented, “Alexander McQueen’s iconic designs constitute the work of an artist whose medium of expression was fashion. This landmark exhibition continues the Museum’s tradition of celebrating designers who changed the course of history and culture by creating new possibilities.”

From 4 May – 31 July 2011

www.metmuseum.org

Words Graham Gartside Bernier

IN A WAREHOUSE SOMEWHERE IN HACKNEY, JENNY BUTLER WENT TO CHAT TO THE LATEST STUDENT OF CENTRAL SAINT MARTIN’S TO MAKE HER NAME AS AN UP AND COMING DESIGNER.  FLIK HALL SPOKE TO ME ABOUT HER LOVE OF PRINTS, SHARP SILHOUETTES AND THE OCCASIONAL DOLLS ARM.

From doing her foundation course in Fashion Print at Central Saint Martin’s this young designer interned with house of Holland and Giles. “Originally I wanted to be a fine artist. I enjoyed painting the body, making collages and putting textiles on mannequins. I realised at 17 or 18 that I wanted to pursue a career in fashion design”

Flik’s mother was a jewellery collector which gave her an early start at seeing how fashion changes over time. “The shape of the jewellery use to interest me and how it could be made into clothes. I like the idea that my clothes have texture, different tones and interesting shapes.”

The dolls arm necklace from her Spring/ Summer 2011 Mannequin Parade collection has been the talking point of Flik’s work. “I realise how lucky I am to live in London. You can wear whatever you want here and everyone here wants to experiment. In Paris the dolls limbs were seen as being a little odd. That wasn’t the case in London.”

Her idea stemmed from looking at alters in Mexico. “There was a jumble of toys on the Mexican alters and the colours were all very watered down. There were no dramatic tones and this interested me. Hessian was also a big part of their culture so I decided to incorporate this into my collection.”

Her new collection, which is still in its early days, is a lot darker then her previous collection. It still integrates a number of fabrics together to create an almost futuristic look. The shiny and matt contrast, silk and wool, and metallic leathers shows a designer who is very sure of her direction.

“I had been reading a lot of philosophy and I felt very dark. I asked myself ‘do we really have free will, and what would happen if we don’t?’ One of the dresses prints comes from me looking down at houses in London from a bird’s eye view. I wanted to look at who was in control, are there other driving forces, things that we can’t control that are already laid out for us?”

Her latest signing to Blow PR will mean we see a lot more of this young designer. Her next step will be London Fashion Week, but she has been given the luxury from her PR company to develop her line and experiment.

Words Jennifer Butler

Her AW11 ‘Spined’ collection appeared to be shown to press and buyers through a visual journey. By starting the show with darker pieces and concluding with nude, ivory and cream elements, a carefully chosen running order was evident and a pleasant viewing was had by all.

The show opened with a fast pace and an up-tempo beat to which Hardinge showed the darker end of collection. Dense black overcoats and structural pencil skirts were coupled with longer length sheer shirts and graphically printed imagery, helping to embody Georgia’s many layers of inspiration. The use of leather and the addition of appliqued ‘spines’ finished each look and helped to toughen up her beautifully constructed silhouettes.

The up tempo music was then slowly replaced with peaceful, operatic and calming tones helping to represent the neutral and concluding end of her colour palette. Structural jackets and heavy-duty wool capes were followed by knee length dresses, to which the addition of ‘spinal’ accents, were still evident.

Words Zara Sparkes

FASHION DESIGNER LOUISE AMSTRUP PRESENTED A REBELLIOUS AND ‘POLITICALLY INCORRECT’ COLLECTION, DRAWING ON AMERICAN YOUTH REVOLUTION THROUGH THE LAST CENTURY, AT MERCER STUDIOS IN COVENT GARDEN, LONDON.

Amstrup’s collection ‘Born bad’ gets her inspiration from the great female rebels of the world, such as the character of Mallory Knox in Natural Born Killers and the iconic actress and real-life radical Juliette Lewis, the power muse for the collection.

Patent leather is the main fabric and is used as a religious symbol to highlight the rebellious and unconformist connotations of the collection. The colour palette is mainly black and grey mixed with brighter shades such as lime green, which creates a serious but, at the same time, playful effect.

The key pieces were a patent leather dress with wool, a dirty plum merino dress made of silk and patent leather, a Kopenhagen fur shaved mink coat and oversized and elongated blazers.

The result is a striking collection which draws on the power of the female silhouette for a strong, confident and revolutionary woman who wants to express her rebelliousness and denunciate the conformist ways of the political system.

Louise Amstrup worked for Alexander McQueen before launching her own label in 2008. She won the On/Off Visionary Award in 2010.

Words Verónica Carpio Martín

‘KINGDOM OF SHADOWS’ WAS WELSH DESIGNER JAYNE PIERSON’S FOURTH SEASON AT LONDON FASHION WEEK, HAVING DEBUTED HER FIRST COLLECTION IN SEPTEMBER 2009. BLACK AND WHITE IMAGES PROJECTED ON THE LED DISPLAY AT THE FOOT OF THE ON/OFF CATWALK AS THE SHOW BEGAN AND A MODEL IN A BEAUTIFULLY TAILORED LEATHER JACKET STRODE INTO VIEW. LEATHER WAS A RECURRING THEME IN THIS COLLECTION;  MATTE AND PATENT, FROM DRESSES TO EVENING GLOVES.

Pierson cited her inspiration for the collection as 16th and 17th century anatomists, the frequently disturbing photography of Peter Joel Witkin, American artist Nan Goldin and the films of Kubrick and Cronenberg. As can be expected, this array of influences resulted in a seductive Victoriana look with more than a hint of the gothic and supernatural. Hair was piled high on the heads in a style not too dissimilar from Gary Oldman’s as Dracula in the 1992 film of the same name and pale skin was contrasted with black lips.

The majority of the collection was black on black. Interested was added through texture, including some incredible quilting detail leather items along with black velvet and flock print fabrics. The skin tight leather pencil skirt with fishtail detail was a stand out for me, along with the draping, metallic statement necklaces with offset the black perfectly. Although evidence of the historical influence was abundant, more modern details appeared in the towering black platform shows, statement jewellery  and the brooch adorned berets which were worn to one side of the head.

In the press release for the show, Pierson stated that she wanted to juxtapose restrained tailoring and freeform drape whilst flattering the female form. This was acheived in the mutton leg sleeves of high necked blouses tucked into rigid underbust corsets and in the dramatic, full length gathered skirts which exaggerated the hourglass shape and revealed some of the influences the designer has retained with her early work at Westwood and McQueen.

The collection was not without it’s flaws, however. An injection of colour came with the use of pale striped silk with, although skilfully draped, was unattractive and appeared cheap in contrast to the luxe leather pieces. At times Pierson strayed too far into the more sexual aspect of the look; skintight PVC and mesh crop tops with matching leggings looking tawdry rather than seductive but overall, the collection showed a real flair for drama and design.

Words Tamsin Worrad

The choice of soft satin helped to revitalise loosely tapered dresses, and comforting jersey fabrics created a contrast with more structured pieces. Beautiful feather accents added glamour. Waists were cinched in and patterns were kept to a minimum with just the simple addition of diamond stitching to some pieces. Removable organza and feather adornments were strapped to hips and satin covered buttons completed looks. Black velvet and leather helped to round off a complete collection of eveningwear and intricate beading combined with sheer fabric made the looks modestly sexy. The oversized shoulders and bright colour palette also had connotations of styles in the 80’s and was reminiscent of the power dressing era.

The feather detailing was replicated by the inclusion of chalky white flicks across each model’s eyelids. A few coloured streaks added to loose plaits mirrored Chandran’s vibrant colour palette and the combination of bright lips and pale skin created an eye grabbing contrast.

Words Zara Sparkes

FASHION DESIGNER ASHLEY ISHAM PRESENTED A BREATHTAKING A/W 2011/12 COLLECTION AT MERCER STUDIOS IN COVENT GARDEN.

Ashley’s collection ‘The Enchanted Forest’ is inspired by a fairy tale where in the moon-struck madness of the winter solstice, fairy creatures emerge from their slumber.

His collection started with models in emerald and deep sapphire floral dresses adorned with a crown of flowers reminiscent of an Imperial Court from a bygone oriental dynasty.

The catwalk continued with Greek-style evening gowns with a palette of pink, turquoise blue and forest green for women who want to feel feminine and powerful with a mysterious and provocative touch.

The final part offered a more futuristic approach with metallic grey dresses embellished with scale-like sequins, black beaded and winter woollen lace appliqué, creating a slick and dramatic look.

The result is an edgy and provocative collection, which is a darker extension of Isham’s earlier S/S 2011 floral theme ‘East of Eden’.

Celebrities such as Hofit Golan, Kimberly Walsh (both wearing Isham’s pieces), Paloma Faith and Camilla Rutherford attended the show.

Words Veronica Carpio Martin  Images Dan Harley

HELD IN THE STUNNING VESTIBULE AT THE FREEMASON’S HALL, THE MOMENT YOU WALKED THROUGH THE DOORS YOU WERE WELCOMED TO A COUPLE OF SCANTILY CLAD MEN ON WHITE PILLARS. WEARING NOTHING BUT A THIN LINEN CLOTH, THE BRIGHT LIGHTS LEFT NOTHING TO THE IMAGINATION. THANK GOODNESS THEN THAT AFTERWARDS YOU COULD GO AND TAKE PICTURES OF THESE MEN, THAT MY EVER A WALLFLOWER FRIEND KINDLY TOLD ME WERE CALLED SEBASTIAN AND BACH. ONCE THE AUDIENCE HAD FINISHED STARING AT THESE OILED UP ADONIS’S, WHICH SEEMED LIKE A LIFE TIME AS THE MODELS GOT READY, THE SHOW BEGAN.

One of the more unusual but refreshing catwalks I have been to, ‘Martyr’ used a plethora of multi-ethnic models and hijab covered faces. Frayed denim dresses and white splashed printed black dresses gave the show an edgy look. White toga inspired ethereal lace dresses swept along the room, winding in and out if the statuesque male plinths.

Thin printed yellow and beige see though printed tops matched with sequin detailed skirts and frayed strips of leather showed off a powerful and romantic look that Jacob Kimmie is famous for.

Red paint was sprayed over a few models and black cords of leather covered the faces of others. His work is driven by injustice and anger and this was very apparent in his collection.  The Masonic artwork in the hall and heavy art deco doors that divided the two separate audience seating spaces made you feel trapped and claustrophobic, just like the collection itself.

Jacob Kimmie AW11 full show from VAUXHALL FASHION SCOUT on Vimeo.

Words and images Jennifer Butler

With an upbeat track and sparse pillars and corridors in the background, one could be mistaken for thinking they had entered a nightmarish warehouse rave. The clothes were fresh and beautiful, bold asymmetrical prints and figure hugging silhouettes. The first model to grace the catwalk did so with a large circular head piece. With the light shining past her, you couldn’t help but feel an air of excitement to see the rest of the smouldering collection. Not only a collection for the ladies of any shape, but also one that would please the men.

The dress that got the collective nod of many in the audience was an ankle length purple printed skin tight dress. The print faded out as it went past the waistline, which would help draw attention away from the stomach and hips, a very clever effect to have on a dress and one that the entranced audience all smiled at.

There was also a scorching cut out leather mini dress which every woman needs to have in their wardrobe in some form.

Detailed wedges finished off the outfits with a sprinkling of feathers, rock chick spikes and gold chains.

Words and images Jennifer Butler

FOR AUTUMN/WINTER ’11, ALL FOUR DESIGNERS CHOSEN TO SHOW AT THE VAUXHALL’S FASHION SCOUT WOMEN’S ONES TO WATCH SHOW ALL SHARED SIMILAR THEMES OF CONCENTRATING ON THE CONSTRUCTION OF GARMENTS, THE PARODY OF MATERIALS, COLOUR AND THE CONTRAST BETWEEN FEMININITY AND MASCULINITY.

Kirsty Ward opened the show with an infusion of whites and creams contrasted with black and gold whilst oriental music was played. The collection consisted of soft sheer against bold pieces such as belts and black chunky heels. Each garment was completed with the jewellery designer’s statement necklaces and chains that were adorned with metallic embellishments, improvised as the model’s body armour. The look resembled the tribal trend. The architectural inspired collection saw billowing silhouettes teamed with cut out trousers, displaying a contrast between the soft aesthetic of femininity and the tough manner of masculinity. This was also emphasised in Ward’s final pieces; a delicate sheer dress worn with an open back felt coat. Overall, the collection was experimental yet powerful.

Secondly, Anja Mlakar’s designs nailed another key trend for fall ’11 by creating a collection abiding by a soft pastel colour palette that contrasted with black hemlines. The designer was clearly inspired by architecture and the future with her structural dresses with box shoulders and hourglass bottoms. Panelled tops and sliced cut out trousers also reflected her architectural thinking yet displayed her attention to detail and the exhibition of garment construction. The collection was somewhat minimalistic that paraded sophistication and elegance, yet Mlakar’s structural silhouettes empowered models that argued otherwise.

Tze Goh carried the minimalism trend through into A/W 11 with a collection of block colours in grey hues and royal blue. The designer has created a contemporary collection of dresses, jackets and trousers. It was refreshing to see the use of soft silhouettes that emphasised the focus on the construction of a garment opposed to its decoration. The collection heavily featured felt and mohair that gave the impression that dresses and jackets had been moulded to fit the models perfectly. It was this dramatic concept that brought originality and authenticity to the designer’s range and reflected Tze Goh’s innovative ability to manipulate classic materials with forward thinking design.

Finally, Sara Bro- Jorgensen demonstrated her textile background by creating a haunting collection decorated with beading, fringing and crochet. Yet again, the empowering trend of contrasting materials and colours was used, with models wearing thick heavy black and cream string knits over sheer black dresses and blue washed trousers, also playing with the juxtaposition idea of femininity in soft sheer fabrics against the masculinity of heavy materials. The collection was definitely daring and dark with models dominating the catwalk in black hoods and balaclavas enlightened with a punk rock music being played in the background. Her creativity was expressed through her ability to combine the traditional with the modern, playing with texture and innovative design. This was clearly stated in the collection’s most striking pieces where images of sketched suit toils were printed onto jersey tops and dresses that added a new dimension to the garment. Sara Bro- Jorgensen has certainly proven herself as a strong one to watch designer after presenting her A/W 11 collection at Fashion Scout.

Words Abigail Phillips

AT AGENT2, WE ARE WELL KNOWN FOR OUR INSATIABLE PASSION FOR FASHION BUT NOT AS WELL KNOWN IS OUR EQUALLY COMPULSIVE LOVE FOR INTERIORS AND GOOD DESIGN.

DESIGNER ABIGAIL AHERN IS CURRENTLY TICKING ALL OF OUR ‘GOOD TASTE’ BOXES WITH HER UNIQUE PALETTE OF MOODY GREYS AND BRIGHT FLASHES OF COLOUR COMBINED WITH AN ABILITY TO TRANSFORM DULL, EVERY DAY FINDS INTO SHOW-STOPPINGLY CHIC ITEMS THAT WOULD LIVEN UP ANY ROOM.

Her book, A Girl’s Guide to Decorating is gracing our coffee table and fills the reader with inspired ideas of how to add touches of glamour to their homes while keeping a modern yet whimsical look.

I got the chance to speak with Abigail, one of design’s edgiest gurus to talk design advice, fashion and inspiration.

What are on the top shelves of your inspiration library right now?

Oodles of books!  Arty books including Marilyn Minter, The Bauhaus & Matisse and interior tomes including The Selby, Dark Nostalgia and A Perfectly Kept House Is The Sign Of A Misspent Life. Oh and back issues, tons of them of different interior mag’s from all over the world.

Fill in the gap, “When I am in my studio I feel…”

When in my studio I feel a squishy contentment.  A bit like the feeling you get after that first sip of wine in the evening.

How do you keep yourself organised? Time management is often one of the biggest obstacles for creative minds. Do you have an agenda book and do you make to-do lists?

Rubbish at time management! I flit from one project to the next and there are often times at the end the day that I have the feeling I have dabbled in everything and accomplished nothing.  I keep to-do lists on my computer, on endless scraps of paper, which I neatly stack up on my desk but that is about as far as it goes.

What’s your favourite part of what you do?

Designing is by far my favourite thing; to design a collection that is getting snapped up all over the world is the hugest buzz and I have become addicted.  I wake up in the middle of the night with an idea. I try and run it past my husband who is none to pleased about the unearthly hour my brain seems to work but I love it.

What is the best advice you have ever received, and what is the one piece of advice you would offer to a young designer?

The best advice: follow your heart and believe in yourself. Living in America taught me to have a much more positive outlook on life and as cheesy as it sounds, a belief that I can create my own destiny and follow my dreams.

The best piece of advice for a young designer would be to travel, to absorb and be influenced and inspired by different cultures and countries.  As a designer your work, your vision continually evolves but in order for it to do so you need to travel.

Do you ever have creative blocks?  How do you combat them when you do?

I do get creative blocks but nothing that a potter around the garden or a run in the park won’t sort out. I just need to free my mind by doing something utterly different.

Your style is now very recognisable.  When working with clients do you influence them or do you bend to their will?

I am incredibly fortunate in that clients that hire me to work with them love my style so there is very little argy bargy. It is a fine line though because as a designer you need to be versatile but at the same time you need to stick to your guns.

The fundamentally important thing is to give your client what they are looking for and at times that could mean changing the current way you think but that’s what makes the job so interesting.  Having said that, if a client came to me wanting a Pawson-esque house then no way Jose!! Assess each project as it comes in and if you don’t think it’s the right one for you its way better not to start than to be popping Prozac and drinking whisky in order to get through the project! Believe me I have been there.

What are they key bits of your signature style that could translate into any home?

Colour, colour and more colour! It’s one of the most transformative things you can do to a space and I overdose on it. If you paint your walls dark and then use some high voltage contrasting ‘brights’ for accessories, flowers and so forth you will turn any room from ordinary to extraordinary and its super easy to do.

Your own boutique is hailed as one of the coolest interior stores around.  Where do you shop for inspiration?

I travel all the time so there are quite a few stores where I shop for inspiration: Merci in Paris, Rosanna Orlandi in Milan and ABC in New York. No matter where I am I always search out the flea markets as they are often at times are the most inspiring.

Are there any designers that you admire or look to for inspiration?

Kelly Wearstler, Jonathan Adler and Ilse Crawford as well as the Turkish designers Autoban are all a constant inspiration.

We love your faux flower collection, get very giddy about your brightly sprayed pieces of furniture and have just fallen in love with your new lighting pieces here at AGENT2. I have picked out the perfect spot for a bulldog lamp already!  I get the impression that if there is not the right accessory for Abigail Ahern that you just make one it yourself.  Can the keen design enthusiast adopt the same principals and what advice would you give them to keep things look more chic than shabby?

A lack of desirable merchandise has indeed influenced me in producing my very own range.

I spend vast amounts of time travelling and seeking out new products and when I just can’t find what I am looking for I produce it myself. Also, I am a huge fan of glamorous interiors that have a certain rock ‘n’ roll vibe.

Spray-painting anything from flea market found tables and chairs and mirrors in the glossiest of hues is a fabulous way of adding glamour.

It’s all about thinking out of the box, blending the odd unusual piece with unexpected finishes be that with colour or texture.

As you probably noticed, we love fashion here at AGENT2.  Are there any fashion designers that influence what you do?

I do love fashion although being so timed starved I have so little time these days so I stick to what I love; Missoni, Stella McCartney, Giles Deacon and vintage.   In Islington where my store is located we have a fabulous selection of vintage clothes stores.

Music plays a big part in our creative process, what would be on your ipod playlist that is inspiring you at the moment?

I am a bit of a creature of habit in the mornings. Radio 4 and NPR from the USA, in the afternoons something like Angus & Julia Stone or Stacey Kent and in the evening Jazz.

What’s next for Abigail?

Next, I am in the process of designing more products, which we are hoping to launch in New York in the summer and Paris in the autumn, as well as designing a 1950s travelling wagon for the most fabulous circus on earth.

www.atelierabigailahern.com

Interview Graham Gartside-Bernier

AT THE TENDER AGE OF 24, MICHAEL KAMPE IS MAKING A SPLASH IN THE FASHION WORLD. HIS EXPLOSIONS OF LARGE PRINTS, TREATED DENIM AND 3D STRUCTURES HAVE IMPRESSED THE LIKES OF DIESEL. JENNIFER BUTLER SPOKE TO THE YOUNG GERMAN DESIGNER ABOUT MAKING AVANT-GARDE WEARABLE AND PUSHING THE BOUNDARY OF MENSWEAR.

What made you want to become a designer? In particular why did you choose menswear?

In my youth I wanted to become a cook, but since I sketched my first designs by the age of 18, I was fascinated. I then taught myself tailoring without any books or teachers and only by ‘reading’ clothes. When I felt that my 2D ideas could become alive in 3D, I knew at that moment that this was what I wanted to do.

I make most of the clothes I wear myself because the feedback you get from a person you might not even know is the best you can get. To focus then later on Menswear came very naturally.

I am designing for Women as well, but Menswear always inspires me because of its rules and clearness of construction.

Functionality, urban wear and uniforms together with a cool, masculine image of a man inspire my work. Especially in Avant-garde, you rarely encounter good menswear. The type of man I am designing for should never appear ‘goofy’ even though some of my designs are not ‘wearable’.

Who are your clothes designed for?

My philosophy is to show new directions in Urban and denim wear far from mass market production, focussed on an individual, single piece.

To achieve this, I developed a unique production technique, ranging from deconstructing classical pattern to mixing different materials, all-over digital printing and a modern art influenced patchwork construction of garments.

To offer a unique product, the pieces are completely hand-made with individual treatment. This means that my clothes are directed towards customers who are more collectors than consumers.

Do you feel living in Berlin has influenced you designing?

Berlin has always been my biggest inspiration. When I find the time I am doing trips around the city, walking from galleries to Museums and Libraries and visiting small concerts in cosy basement clubs, which are a great influence.

Why did you choose to use large bold prints and 3D?

The contrast between the movement in the prints and the clean constructed lines of the 3D elements is very interesting to me. Also, the opportunity I had was to work them in a massive way all over the body, the sleeves, back, hood, even inside the jackets. I enjoy reconstructing classic silhouettes.

Why did you choose to use denim?

It`s a fabric that gives you so much opportunities to work with. You can be rough with it like with a very heavy one for work wear or sensible with a thin one for girls.

Jeans are something many run from screaming because has become so normal, but for me, reinterpreting the normal in an avant-gardistic way is the real challenge.

Your menswear is quite fresh and edgy; do you think your youthful approach helped you get the Diesel Prize?

Yes, because my intention in creating the latest collection was much more about showing my new directions than wearable pieces, especially in menswear.

It is important for me that if you would reduce the showy elements in some pieces, for example reducing the foam in the parka, sticks around the coat; blocks off the jacket, they become interesting wearable garments. Otherwise they would be costumes and this is not what I want to create. The reference to wearable pieces has to be obvious, but not too easy to identify.

You are quite a young designer. What has been the highlight of your career so far?

Being trained in Antwerp was very intense and the International appreciation for my work is a wonderful reward.

What plans do you have for the future?

I want to keep on working in a team for a brand and gain experience for my own label there as well. Besides I will keep on working on my own label ‘MICHAEL KAMPE’.

Words Jennifer Butler

JERSEY HAS A REPUTATION FOR BEING JUST A COMFORTABLE FABRIC FOR DAYWEAR AND HOLIDAYS. UK DESIGNER DUO NANCY DEE IS CHANGING ALL THAT WITH HER FIGURE-HUGGING, 50S-INSPIRED PIECES.

Sister Tamsin and Seraphina launched Nancy Dee in 2008. Environment-aware and silhouette-flattering, their retro-inspire creations reinvent the easy-to-wear jersey dress. Jennifer Butler caught up with Tamsin to talk Dracula, ethical clothing and the introduction of trousers in the collection.

How did your upbringing help you develop a passion for fashion?

When we were really young, we used to make clothes for our dolls using scraps of old fabric and our Mum’s sewing machine – it was far more interesting styling our dolls than actually playing with them! We were both obsessed by Bram Stoker’s Dracula and I recreated the red dress Winona Ryder wears in the film for the dolls. Seraphina also used the film for her dissertation examining the symbolic use of costume in film.

At secondary school, I started making my own clothes because no one on the high street at that time made clothes long enough for girls over 6 foot! Seraphina, being young enough not to recognise my fashion disasters, was apparently inspired by the crazy things I used to make, and more embarrassingly, wear.

How have your travels influenced the clothes you make?

For me, it was more about using social and trade policies to improve the welfare in developing countries, building upon what I had learned from my second degree. Seeing at firsthand the extreme poverty and hand-to-mouth existence in many parts of Asia forced me to look at how our industries directly impacted upon others, and also how they can be used to lift people out of poverty, for example, as the fairtrade movement is aiming to do.

What made you decide to go into ethical fashion?

It was less of a decision to go “ethical” and more about just wanting to do it “right”. Seraphina wanted to turn her designs into a business, and I joined forces with her to launch Nancy Dee in 2008. We were adamant right from the start that if we were to bring another clothing label into this world, it had to have minimal negative impact, socially and environmentally. It does make everything that much harder and expensive, but it was a moral decision for us, we just wanted to do things properly. We’ve still got some way to go in improving our environmental footprint, but we are working on it.

What is next for the Nancy Dee line and where would you like to see it go in the future?

We are introducing separates for the first time for spring/summer 2011. We’ve had an amazing response from boutiques looking to buy our jersey trousers. We will expand our range of fabrics to include modal, linen and silk.

We’re concerned by the air miles used to transport clothes from Asia to Europe, so we are looking into moving part of our production back here to a lovely little factory in the Midlands. It will always have to be a compromise, because production is cheaper in India and allows us to sell ethical clothes at the prices we do, but we want to bring some of it back to the areas here in the UK that used to have a thriving clothing manufacture industry before it became so easy to get everything made in China.

Tell us about where your clothing comes from?

The pieces are currently manufactured in India, by a family-run factory with SA 8000:2001 certification from Social Accountability, as well as certification from Fairtrade Labelling Organisation (FLO). Although the FLO status relates only to 100% cotton products, it is a very good benchmark for us, as it is the same workers that sew our clothes as make the FLO certified pieces.

The fabric comes from India, and we use a range of sustainable jerseys, from organic cotton to modal to soya bean. The autumn/winter 2010 collection was all made from a super soft blend of bamboo, organic cotton and elastane for stretch.

Why did you decide to use Jersey?

Seraphina prefers to design in jersey. At the time we launched, no one else was specialising in jersey. It is still quite hard to find retro prints like ours on jersey fabrics. Also, jersey has a great versatility about it – people think it’s really casual, but we’re trying to prove that it can also be worn in the office, at a party or on holiday.

Who wears your clothing?

Our customer age range is really wide – some of the pieces appeal to younger women because they are short or a bit clingy, but we’ve had feedback from Equa in London that they’ve had women of 50-plus in buying our pieces!

Seraphina designs with two hats on and tries to create something for everyone. A lot of women are scared of jersey and think it’s always clingy or tight, but her designs try to introduce clever pleating here and there to flatter the figure, sleeves to hide arm-worries or clever positioning of sash bow ties to distract from tummies.

It appeals to quite a wide range of women because they are such easy styles to wear, and you can really make them your own with jewellery or accessories.

www.nancydee.co.uk

Words Jennifer Butler

INSPIRED BY SOUTH AMERICAN COLOURS, FASHION GRADUATE STEPHANIE GOYNES IS REDEFINING OUR VISION OF KNITWEAR. JENNIFER BUTLER MET WITH THE DESIGNER WITH JACQUARD ON HER MIND.

Stephanie Goynes has just finished a degree at the London School of Fashion but she has already made a statement with her eye popping knits. Her Aztec styles and rainbow colours are a far cry from grandma’s fleecy number and bring the classic cardi into the 21^st century.

A whole outfit made from knitwear is a daring statement, but the South American-inspired colours and textures help make every garment look different and fresh.

“I used Native American Basketry, with the idea of converting traditional weaving techniques into knitwear. The vibrant patterns formed in the weaving process inspired the Jacquard designs, and the surface texture of baskets themselves some of the other pieces. I wanted to transform the historical basketry of Native America into knitwear -challenging weave to combine with knit,” explained the Goynes.

So why choose to do knitwear? It is not the sexiest of materials and maybe not one that you would see filling a whole collection on the catwalk?

“I fell into knitwear finding it was a fantastic way of satisfying my mathematical and technical approach to a creative trait. I love to pick colour and texture in yarn form then develop my fabric from there. I’ve always been textile orientated and knitwear allows that to play a major role in designing.”

Her love of knitwear is more than apparent, having done work experience with knitwear specialist Sibling of London and Eley Kishimoto.

At the moment there are no plans to develop her own brand but to have a bit of time after the great wealth of knowledge she was taught at LSF.

“In the future I hope to do some freelance work or settle into a company with a creative team I feel at home with, my own stuff will be taking a back seat for now. I’ve received some really flattering feedback, been in contact with a few companies and had a couple of interviews but I’ll wait and see!” said Goynes.

Sadly her last collection was only one offs, but she has done some special commissions and at AGENT2, we are tempted to add ourselves to the list to get a cardigan for the cold winter months ahead.

Words Jennifer Butler

OZWALD BOATENG, THE SAVILE ROW HIGH PROFILE TAILOR, WAS BORN IN LONDON IN 1968 TO GHANAIAN PARENTS. HE WAS INSPIRED BY THE IMMACULATE SUITS HIS FATHER WORE AND RECEIVED HIS FIRST SUIT AT THE AGE OF FIVE – A DOUBLE-BREASTED IN PURPLE MOHAIR – AND HAS NOT LOOKED BACK SINCE. HE STARTED MAKING WAVES IN MENSWEAR IN THE EARLY NINETIES, GOING ON TO STAGE HIS FIRST CATWALK PRESENTATION IN PARIS IN 1994.

He is famous for bringing a new showmanship back to tailoring by using a vivid palette of colour and made it more acceptable for it to be worn in combination with a sharply cut suit. The Savile Row was, before the likes of Boateng, an institution of very traditional tailoring in very classic grey whites. But Boateng took the bright hues identified with his African heritage and introduced the bold colours that have come to be his signature.

Having praised the fact that there is now a dedicated menswear a London Fashion Week, Boateng officially brought the week to an end with a show at the Odeon in Leicester Square featuring 100 models on the catwalk who then walked en masse to Savile Row. The epic scale of this show was to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Ozwald Boateng label which featured his latest collections for both the S/S 11 and A/W 11 seasons.

Monochrome short suits with socks pulled up, followed by twenty or more ensembles which were also based on this palette, in wool with silk blends, mohair mixes, lightweight cashmere, mercerized wool and cotton, the first few looks had the audience transfixed.

Most prominent were set-in and high-notch lapels and within his extensive shirting range is the distinctive chisel tip collar. Not only did Boateng exhibit black tie looks, he also sent an explosion of colours – apple greens, emerald, turquoise, periwinkle, yellows – onto his catwalk.

Bold linings in twill and tweed texture were sported and unique detailing such as quilting panelling, were also offered. An expansion of product lines saw pieces such as luggage, footwear, knitwear, jersey shirts, socks, gloves, scarves and belts which added that extra something to the looks.

Ozwald Boateng has also made many successful forays into the world of film. The 2009 documentary for BBC Four ‘Why Style Matters’ unpicks and re-stitches his own personal relationship with style. But, most significantly is Boateng’s recent launch of his autobiographical film entitled A Man’s Story, charting his rise (albeit with the occasional fall) over the past 12 years.

Boateng locates places in his life-long journey through fashion where he added a new thought or influence to his look. He talks about style with family, friends, colleagues and journalists and travels to Milan to meet one of his heroes, the master of modern menswear, Giorgio Armani.

The film also touches upon how growing up in a changing Britain had a huge impact on the man who broke the race barrier of British tailoring. Little did the exquisitely stylish 23 year old, who opened a store on Portobello Road know that he would go on to become such a part of the fabric of British society; in 2006 he was awarded an OBE for services to the clothing industry.

‘A Man’s Story’ will be released in the UK in 2011

Words Almaz Ohene  Images Stephan Gregoire

WITH THE USE OF FUR STILL A CONTENTIOUS ISSUE IN FASHION, IT TAKES A BRAVE LADY TO CREATE AN ENTIRE COLLECTION FROM ANIMALS. STEP FORWARD MERVE TUNA, THE TURKISH-BORN, BOUNDARY-PUSHING DESIGNER WITH A DIFFERENCE.

Incorporating taxidermy into outfits is not for the faint of heart, and Tuna’s MA collection at the London College of Fashion show earlier this year certainly raised more than just a few eyebrows. Feathers, fur, beaks, paws and entire carcasses were in abundance- draped around shoulders, tied around waists and fashioned into entire items of clothing and accessories. This included the now-infamous bag crafted from the head of a boar, complete with jutting snout. The fashion industry was divided. Was this a morally dubious attempt to shock, or the future of innovative fashion?

Tuna herself seems unconcerned by the furore surrounding her use of animals. “I didn’t worry about anyone else’s opinion on the subject, I trusted mine well enough,” she says.  As well she might. Tuna has long had an interest in taxidermy and in preparation for her collection, took a short course in taxidermy to better understand the processes required to create her pieces. The result was that her collection was made almost entirely by herself.

“It covered skinning to tanning, and stuffing a mammal. I also got to learn a little about bird taxidermy. It was more about learning to be able to hack the traditional process as I needed to.  I had some spare skins from this taxidermist which also defined the main content of my designs.  Then I worked with another taxidermist to supply the animals for the rest of the collection, and also to stuff the spare boar skin I had. That was the only time I had professional help. Apart from that, I enjoyed experimenting on my own with very little mentoring.”

The collection explores the boundaries between what is human and what is animal. So where does Tuna see this boundary? “We get to think and we get to make choices differently to animals.  I think the fantasies or instincts of humans tend to be seen as animalistic. But I see these as more human.”

Another influence is David Lynch’s films, but Tuna is quick to play down their importance in her collection. “I researched and analysed his films to see how he reflects fantasies and nightmares, since my collection was about the border in between these. I made a time line of his movies which was a kind of line drawn by the doctor in ‘Back to the Future’- just more complicated- and I reflected it on the flow of my collection, like it had a plot. I was attracted to his films before but didn’t actually enjoy them very much. I don’t think they are for fun anyway, so it was more of a technical admiration.”

Tuna’s efforts have attracted considerable international attention. She exhibited at Istanbul Design Week from 2004 to 2007 and at the Copenhagen Fashion Fair. Her taxidermy designs were also selected for the Neo-Couture exhibition, and in 2009 Tuna was awarded a scholarship from English Eccentrics on the basis of her designs, which have generated intrigue and outrage in equal measure.

The burning question is, of course, why Tuna decided to use real fur in her collection. For the most part, faux fur has replaced the use of real fur on the high street. Animal rights groups such as PETA and other activist groups sought to raise awareness of the ethical issues surrounding the production of fur garments in the 90s and the stigma attached to real fur has remained, albeit to a lesser degree. Of the five ‘supers’- Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Christy Turlington, Claudia Schiffer and Elle Macpherson- who famously decreed that they would “rather go naked than wear fur”, only Turlington has remained true to her word. The vast majority of objections to real fur stem from those concerned by the often appalling conditions animals forced to endure, and the manner in which they are killed.

Tuna’s specimens were already dead, in most cases roadkill, and she supplied nearly all of the animals used in the collection herself. The rest came from the taxidermist. For Tuna, using faux fur never entered the equation. “I personally don’t like faux fur,” she admits. “Not only because of the way it feels, but also because of the necessity of imitating something. I get more excited when the textures get to speak for themselves, rather than just being faux.  However I don’t believe in the need to wear fur either, although I am thrilled by the material itself.

“I prefer people who like fur, and wear fur, knowing what it really is. They didn’t feel disturbed by my vision.  Also people who are against fur, and who wouldn’t want to wear imitations either- they also got why I did what I did. I find it unrealistic to talk about the politics of the subject beyond this, as it feels like I’m speaking for others.”

Speaking of politics, this seems an appropriate time to bring up Lady Gaga’s offal attire. What did she make of Gaga’s headline-grabbing meat dress at the VMAs? “Similar things were done before in art which excited me quite a lot. On the other hand, I never got excited about what Lady Gaga wore. Seeing her wearing a meat dress just reminded me of the fact that fashion has the power to suck in everything, including ‘anti-fashion’. It becomes just another ‘dress’  for the sake of provocation.”

Given the emphasis on construction in her designs, it perhaps comes as no surprise that Tuna is actually a graduate of Industrial Product Design. Tuna completed her degree at Istanbul Technical University before moving to London to take up her MA at London College of Fashion. “I had an interest in fashion when I was quite young.  However I wanted to learn all that I am capable of, so I studied science in high school and product design in university. These have had effects on my design approach,” she says.

“The reason why I studied product design was because I wanted to have wider knowledge about materials and production methods before focusing on fashion. It was quite technical there, in that maths was more important than drawing skills, for instance. I learned a lot about design methods and I was taught that design is about solving problems. It had a great impact on me, although now I like asking questions more.” What kind of questions? “The questions I ask are mostly self-and body-related, so I’ve ended up doing mostly fashion-related designs now.”

Product design’s loss is undoubtedly the fashion industry’s gain. Fashion needs designers who are keen to experiment, and Merve Tuna is someone who isn’t afraid to rewrite the rule book.

www.mervetuna.com

Words Kay Weston  Main image Michiel Meewis

AS FAR AS SUCCESSFUL COMEBACK STORIES GO, PEARL LOWE’S MUST BE SOMEWHERE NEAR THE TOP OF THE LIST. FEW CELEBRITIES HAVE MANAGED TO BOUNCE BACK FROM CONTROVERSY WITH THE SAME STEELY RESILIENCE AS PEARL, AND FEWER STILL HAVE MANAGED TO TURN THINGS AROUND SO SPECTACULARLY TO ESTABLISH THEMSELVES FIRMLY AS A STYLE ICON AND BUSINESSWOMAN. YET THIS STORY IS ONE WITH A HAPPY ENDING. IN FACT, IT’S NOT EVEN AN ENDING- IT’S MERELY THE BEGINNING OF MANY EXCITING THINGS IN STORE FOR PEARL.

Anyone who shops on the high street will be sure to have seen the Peacocks’ window displays, which currently boast a selection of particularly eye-catching, ethereal dresses. What may not be so obvious, or at least not until closer inspection of the label, is that these creations have been designed by Pearl herself. While fashion designer may be a surprising career move for Pearl, who rose to fame as the frontwoman of indie bands Powder and Lodger during the Britpop explosion of the 90s, it’s not as unexpected as you may think. And unlike many celebrity-high street collaborations, this line has real credibility. But if anyone should know a thing or two about the importance of proving yourself, it’s Pearl.

Pearl's latest collection for Peacocks

She has managed to weather storm after storm, including lurid newspaper revelations and unpleasant speculation about her private life, but it’s easy to see how upping sticks from London and moving to Somerset with her husband, Supergrass drummer Danny Goffey,  has made her much happier. “When Danny and I lived in London, we nearly split up,” she admits. “Our relationship would not have survived, had we stayed there. When we left we started rebuilding our life together. Leaving London was the turning point for me. I started to create, which is something I could never do there. There were too many distractions.”

For those familiar with Pearl’s history- and if you’ve ever read a tabloid, chances are you will be- it’s not difficult to work out what kind of ‘distractions’ she is talking about. Most came from the use of narcotics, and their use was rife amongst Pearl’s Primrose Hill social circle back in the 90s. Pearl is remarkably open about her experiences with drugs, and it’s easy to see that the woman whose drug habit once earned her the nickname ‘Dyson’- owing to her ability to hoover up copious amounts of drugs- is well and truly back on track.

“I hate drugs, I think they mess up people’s lives. I just wish they were never invented. The world would be a much more beautiful place without them,” she says. The one consolation has been her friends. Whilst her autobiography tells of acquaintances who were quick to drop her once she turned her back on drugs, her ‘real’ friends have been her rock. “They were, and are, incredibly supportive. It was so easy to walk away from the friends that were still using. I felt as though I had been let out of jail.”

Though there have been a couple of minor relapses along the way, you can’t help but admire Pearl’s determination to come through the other side. The tabloids may have splashed on the story that Pearl was spending up to £250 a night on drugs at the height of her habit, but Pearl cleared her debts ,headed to rehab and has been helping others in the same position ever since, as an ambassador for homeless charity Crisis and as an anti-drugs spokesperson. “When I first got clean, I thought it was my duty to help people through my struggles. Part of me is proud to have done that, but there is a part of me that wishes it wouldn’t be mentioned all the time.” Why? “It isn’t who I am anymore.” So what does she wish that people knew about her, instead? “That I’m a great tennis player!”

If there is one thing that Pearl has had to endure that other drug addicts have not, it is constant public humiliation. Few have been subject to the kind of media scrutiny that she has faced. The birthday party she threw for her son Alfie at Soho House in 2002 resulted in a backlash after Jude Law and Sadie Frost’s daughter was rushed to hospital for allegedly swallowing an Ecstasy tablet found on the floor, and intrusion into her private life reached a peak in 2005 when a tabloid ran a story suggesting that she and Danny had been indulging in wife-swapping. Then came the media furore following the discovery that the father of her daughter Daisy was not her first husband, as she had thought, but Gavin Rossdale, the frontman of the band Bush and husband of Gwen Stefani. A lesser woman may have broken down at such continuous media crucifixions. But not Pearl. Her main concern is for her children and the effects the press reports will have on them: “It’s so annoying that they can read everything now, but Danny and I are open with them, so they know. Alfie, our 13 year old, thinks we’re boring old farts, so I guess it gives us a bit of an edge.”

Daisy Lowe

What has been keeping Pearl in the headlines more recently is the success of her clothing range for budget high-street retailer Peacocks. Her current collection consists of gorgeous, vintage-inspired tea dresses modelled by daughter Daisy, which have become an instant high-street hit. She admits that she’d never heard of Peacocks before she was asked to design for the store. “They called my agent and asked if I was interested. I hadn’t actually heard of them before, but I went to Cardiff and met them, and we all got on really well. It was only supposed to be a one-off collection, but it sold so well, they asked me to design for three more years.” Does she worry about whether people will take her seriously as a designer? “No not at all, it’s what comes naturally to me. I think people can see through the fakes. I love designing clothes and interiors.”

It’s not the first time Pearl has turned designer. Back in 2001 she began her own interiors range, featuring lace cushions and curtains, which was followed by a collection of handmade dresses for exclusive London store Liberty’s. She is also working on a new book on fashion, which will be worlds apart from her autobiography. “It’s a book about vintage fashion. I want it to be a vintage bible so it’ll include lots of different things, but I’ve neglected it a bit recently as I’ve been so busy with designing four collections (for Peacocks).”

A film version of her biography All That Glitters is also in the pipeline, “but it’s being held up by lawyers, I just want it to hurry up and get made.” She also reveals she’s not ruling out a return to music. “Danny is writing a solo album and I’ve sung on a few tracks, so I am being pulled back there.” But, she maintains, fashion is where her heart lies, and she lists Chanel, Anna Sui, Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen and John Galliano as her favourite designers.

This passion seems to run in the family. While Pearl admits to having had a strong interest in fashion from the age of four, Daisy is also a highly successful model who is rarely out of the headlines, albeit for all the right reasons. Is Pearl concerned that Daisy will go down the same route she did? “I don’t think Daisy will go where I went as she saw what happened to me. She learnt from my mistakes.” Then there are Daisy’s contemporaries, such as Peaches Geldof, who became embroiled in a drugs scandal earlier in the year. Does she worry about the drugs culture which seems to be so prevalent amongst young people today? “I can’t comment on Peaches as I don’t know her that well, but when I have met her she seems pretty strong, so I am sure she will be alright.”

This seems like an apt time to ask what the most important lessons are that she’s learned over the years. The response is poignant and sincere. “To love yourself. Not in an egotistical way, just in a loving way. I always had such a low opinion of myself, so I never got anywhere. You have to really like who you are to succeed in life.”

Words Kay Weston

FRENCH COMPANY KAHENA IS PUTTING SPATS BACK ON THE FASHION MAP. ITS DESIGNS, MIXING TRADITIONAL CRAFTSMANSHIP WITH DARING FABRICS, ARE LOCALLY PRODUCED IN FRANCE. FOUNDER AND DESIGNER NATALIE DE ANGELIS ATTENDED THE TRADE SHOW PURE LONDON THIS SUMMER TO INTRODUCE HER PRODUCTS TO THE UK MARKET.

Usually associated with 19th century dandies, soldiers and Michael Jackson music videos, spats are making a fashion comeback thanks to the small and artisan French company Kahena.

Founder Natalie de Angelis, a French stylist from Brittany, decided to start a spats-making company after seeing a John Galliano show in the 1990s where models wore flirty dresses and fake fur spats.

“I had never though of wearing spats with skirts, I’d always worn them over trousers. All of a sudden, thousand of creative possibilities opened up.”

Finding the idea was easy. Learning how to make the spats was more difficult. “We found images of spats in old publications but had no ideas what the technical process involved was. Discovering it, mostly by trial and error, took many years.” De Angelis eventually figured it out and launched Kahena seven years ago.

The company is still small, and has only just started to expand outside the French borders. Each item is handmade in Saint-Nazaire, a seaside city in Brittany, by people directly employed by Kahena.

“It was very important for me to only produce in France. It saves time and I am happy to preserve French skills and jobs,” explains De Angelis.

The company name, inspired by a 7^th century legendary Berber warrior queen, represents this militant ethics. De Angelis chose it because of its association with female power, feminism and because spats are a traditional part of military uniforms.

The design and the name might be anchored in history, but the Kahena creations are decisively modern. Gone are the monochromatic models, the white spats with black buttons. Instead, De Angelis favours materials such as the historical French fabrics Toile de Jouy and Jacquard des Flandres, Glen plaid and Tartan. For the more daring models, she uses oil clothes printed with bright grass or navy polka dots. Tulle ribbons and side studs have replaced the original buttoning.

De Angelis didn’t stop there. She also modified and modernised the shape of the spats. They still mould the calf but can be a lot longer, or shorter than the original models. Depending on the desired effect, they can be thigh-high boots or just protect the ankle from spatter.

For autumn/winter 2010, Kahena has created a tribute to Michael Jackson and is introducing a line of black-waxed linen and Japanese suede spats. They are available at their online shop.

www.kahena.net

Words Lucie Goulet

I AM A BIG FAN OF JEFF GARNER, THE US DESIGNER OF THE ECO-FRIENDLY AND SUSTAINABLE MENSWEAR AND WOMENSWEAR LABEL PROPHETIK. HIS AMERICAN CIVIL WAR AUTUMN/ WINTER 2010 COLLECTION WAS LOVELY. I FOUND THE WAY HE DRESSED MEN PARTICULARLY REFRESHING, LIKE SOMETHING OUT OF A SWASHBUCKLING MOVIE: CAPTAIN JACK SPARROW COULD QUAKE IN HIS BOOTS.

For spring/summer 2011, Garner took on a more Old World inspiration: Botticelli’s Venus. The female models had shiny, ghostly faces. They looked ethereal in fairytale, floor length gowns trimmed with beaded leather ropes and delicate lace. The dresses looked like white horses crashing over pebbles on the beach.  The collection’s heightened romanticism shone through floaty, effortless dresses and long hemmed bloomers for males. The collection tells of times past, when men would turn up on white horses to save their princess. A cute baby blue playsuit with an orange trim hood was one of the highlights of the show, proving that Garner doesn’t just make beautiful garments but also fashion forward, ready-to-wear outfits.

The palette featured ivory, indigo, lavender, raspberries and coppers, all made with natural plant and earth-based dyes. The catwalk at the Vauxhall Fashion Scout was carpeted with real green grass and orange trees, adding to the theme of a Midnight Garden. The grass had a felt backing so that the models wouldn’t sink their ethical Nina Dolcetti heels into it.

Garner brought along a Bluegrass band, called The Hogslops from his home town in Tennessee, which allowed the audience to take part in the show. He ended the show with a  celebratory jig of his own.

Words and images Jennifer Butler

The evening started with floor shows and live photoshoots of models wearing corsets designed by burlesque corsetiere Velda Lauder and Voller corsets.

Arabian belly dancer Nyx Lenoir opened the catwalk with an exotic and sensual dance, followed by a fire-eating spectacle that shocked the audience.

After the performance, Ukrainian designer Nataliya Dilenko, presented her new 9-piece collection. Diaphanous long-knee dresses in navy blue, pink and red, high-waisted trousers exquisitely tailored and smart black jackets with a vaporous detail at the back were on display.

“I wanted to create something unbelievable, with a lot of movement, something invisible, like a cloud” said Nataliya of her collection aimed at women who want to achieve a very romantic, dreamy and feminine look.

Nataliya fell in love with fashion whilst modelling and studying engineering. “I love dressing up and creating unusual designs so that’s why I decided to become a fashion designer”.

After completing her degree at Central Saint Martins, Nataliya worked alongside Alexander McQueen and Hussein Chalayan in 2006-7 for Paris Fashion Week. She presented her first collection at Budapest, Bahrain and Dubai Fashion Weeks in 2008.

The night continued with a performance from violinist Eloise Prouse, followed by Christoforos Kotentos ‘ 24-piece collection “Lumiere Kaleidoscopique”. The Greek designer dazzled the public with a sexy reinvention of the little black dress, a silver dress with puffed sleeves, a one-shoulder white dress and a vaporous long red dress.

“All the shapes and colours a kaleidoscope creates and the reflection of the light coming from mosaic glasses that I have seen in Morocco, Tunisia and Turkey were the inspiration for my collection,” said Christoforos.

Models in huge platforms showed long and short square shoulder dresses with a futuristic feeling and exquisitely designed to emphasize shape and structure: a collection made for women who want to feel provocative, powerful and sexy. Geometrical prints were seen in some of the dresses while in others shiny light blue, grey, red, black or silver were the predominant colours.

Christoforos shot to fame in 1997, when he designed a dress made of 6 500 Swarovski crystals. Celebrities have been wearing his dresses and he has become a household name in Greece, appearing in Greek Next Top Model as one of the judges.

His collection will also be showcased at Athens Fashion Week.

The last performance of the night was by R&B popstar Haynzy.

Tina Lobondi closed the catwalk with a 10-piece collection inspired by Grace Kelly and the elegance of the 1950s. The collection, which celebrated old glamour, sophistication and femininity, centered around colourful dresses with an extremely low v-shaped neckline.

“My main priority is to create good quality and original designs that women want to wear, designs that make women feel and look good,” commented Tina.

After studying Fashion Design Realisation in Paris and doing internships for several designers, Tina moved to London and created her own label. “It’s very difficult to be original so I try not to look at other people’s collections in order not to be influenced by other designers”.

She showcased her collection for the first time at the Princess Diana Award at Movida last year. Her next projects are a TV show and the charity fashion show “Sacred Childhoods” at Vanilla restaurant.

The evening continued with an after-party where the catwalk became the dance floor and cocktails and champagnes started flowing.

Richard Austin Rees PR & Fashion Management in partnership and association with the Button Club organised the evening, held at the Belgravia mansion “Il Bottaccio”, a very opulent and elegant venue frequently used to host events, press launches and photo shoots.

Words Verónica Carpio Martín

PIERRE GARROUDI IS THE GO-TO LABEL FOR INTRICATE, ORIGAMI DRESSES WITH A WOW FACTOR. HIS LOVE OF STRONG BLOCK COLOURS IS BANG ON TREND FOR SPRING/SUMMER 2011.

Iranian-French designer Pierre Garroudi operates from a gallery space nestled under a railway archway in London Bridge. There he designs his clothes, hosts events and showcases other artists’ work in addition to many of his own canvases. This inclusive and open approach to fashion is essential to Garroudi’s work.

“It’s not that fashion is completely different to art, or interior designer, they’re all related to each other in terms of pushing boundaries. They all have an effect on each other,” Garroudi begins.

Garroudi has been almost perpetually on the move since leaving Iran over 30 years ago, living, and studying in various cities including, Paris, Shanghai, Miami, New York. He won a place at the Fashion Institute of Technology, New York but didn’t get along with their methods.

“My grades were bad. I got an ’F’ in sewing, an ‘F’ in drawing and I never graduated,” Garroudi continues.

At this early stage in his career, he was already honing his ethos which is all about disrupting the codes by which clothes make their appeal, by rethinking the glamorous signals sent out by their external appearance and by redefining their relationship with the body.

“The first collections that I did in London were based on recycled materials. The clothes were either vintage or a mixture of both old and new donated pieces, re-designed and then transformed into something totally different. But I thought that if I was going to keep recycling fabrics, I wasn’t going to become the next Chanel or anything. So I took the black silks and utilised draping techniques.”

In 2005, he made the transition to using block colours. He’s used hues of orange, red, pink, white, with this latest spring/summer 2011 collection being turquoise.

“My favourite colour is actually black. I used it in 2008 but we found that black isn’t very photogenic. When it comes to photography and videography, black doesn’t allow the intricate details of the clothing to be shown in enough detail.

“After this collection, I’m going to experiment with two hues: darker ones for the autumn/winter collections and paler ones for spring/summer.”

Although, laughing, he assures me that this progression isn’t set in stone: “I might change my mind tomorrow.”

All of Garroudi’s more recent collections feature intricate and pioneering fabric-folding work, creating a fabulous origami effect.

“Nobody does this in the industry. It’s quite unique. Origami is done with paper, but I’m doing it with fabric; it’ completely new territory. All of this folding means that my pieces are 3D, you know some clothes, like the print that you’re wearing are completely 2D.”

Taking me across to his sewing machines he indicates how a smooth piece of silk can be manipulated to create elaborate patterns and textures. He briefly takes me through the sewing, reversing and ironing steps that he’s using to create the next collection, in taupe grey this time.

“It takes between four to six weeks for one person to finish each piece in the collection. This time I have 28 pieces,” he sees the look of wonder on my face and assures me that he has many interns to help him.

“Each piece is made from the finest silk. Unfortunately there are only 27 colours available in  London so I source all of my fabric, the chiffon, the satin, the organza, from New York where there are over 120 colours to choose from,” said Garroudi

He is currently in talks with Haute Couture houses in Paris about his line so I asked him whether he had a name for his avant-garde techniques. With more laughter he replied, “No, but I will, of course, put a celebrity’s name on it.”

www.pierregarroudi.com

Words Almaz Ohene

WHY WOULD AN ESTABLISHED AUSSIE LABEL TRY TO LAUNCH IN LONDON IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WORSE RECESSION IN 20 YEARS? AMY FALLON DISCOVERS HOW LEONA TURNED HER LABEL INTO ONE OF THE MOST STYLISH AND SUCCESSFUL BOUTIQUES IN WESTFIELD.

Launching a foreign label in London, one of the globe’s four traditional fashion capitals and home to scores of already popular high street and high-end names is hard enough. Starting during a recession is tougher – even for the Oscar de la Renta of Australian fashion, as Leona Edmiston has been described.

“We just had to hit the ground running,” says Edmiston, whose first UK boutique opened in the Shepherd’s Bush Westfield complex in late October 2008.

“It wasn’t the easiest time to open a store but that kind of experience forces you to be at your absolute best.”

At the time of the launch, Britain was experiencing its worst recession since 1991. Retailers were facing their worst trading conditions in two decades.

Nearly two years on, the designer says she “won’t rule out opening another boutique or two in London” after the success of the first boutique. There are also plans to make Asia and New York ports of call for Leona lovers.

The label is known for its “feminine without too much fuss” approach and includes heels, handbags, hosiery, sunglasses, scarves, umbrellas and a girl’s range. Its Westfield store recently sold out of its PINS. The famous sheer stockings are already a staple wardrobe item for many women Down Under.

Meanwhile, the Blanche dress from the autumn/winter 2010 collection – think of a long v-neck maxi with rouging and the biggest batwing sleeves you’ve ever seen  – flew off the racks within a week of arriving but should be landing in store again soon.

The autumn/winter collection also includes playful knee-length v-neck dresses with tie-waists in block colours and maxi dresses with bold patterns that are a tad Erderm

“All of our customers love the fact that they can wear a Leona frock and not spot anyone else in it!” points out Edmiston.

“We do keep a limit on how many dresses we do in one style to ensure that exclusivity remains.”

Famous fans of her designs include Aussie expats, supermodel Elle Macpherson and writer Kathy Lette who “loves the label and is always so generous with praise”.

But it’s not just the homesick from Down Under in the UK who have been sporting the line.

“(ITV Presenter) Kate Garraway wore one of our frocks to a red carpet event when she was about 6 months pregnant and looked absolutely radiant,” says Edmiston, who in the 80s dressed the likes of Tom Cruise, Helena Christensen and Michael Hutchence under her Morrissey Edmiston range.

“London is such a transient city and there’s people of every nationality walking into the store all the time.

“However we certainly have a growing number of core customers who are Brits, as well as Aussies of course.”

The designer hails from Sydney, the world’s seventh most fashionable city –four places behind London.

Edmiston says it’s not hard to be stylish in the British capital because of the “eclecticism”.

“In many ways I actually think it’s easy to be stylish in London because you can really get into fashion here without anyone thinking you’re too pretentious or trying too hard,” she says.

“You can be daring and no one bats an eye. You might get a look in the street, but it’s one of acknowledgment or admiration even… it may be grudgingly given, but it’s there!”

And while there may have been a lot of fuss in the press about Marc Jacobs doing a plus-size range, Edmiston has been long offering her creations in size 8 up to 20.

“One of the slimmest customers I ever had refuses to wear a dress without any  sort of slimming device underneath,” she says.

“Many people would think she’s crazy, but that’s just how she feels about herself.

“From what I’ve found, plus size women vary in the way they feel about their bodies as well, just like the way that that very petite customer did.”

www.leonacollection.com

Words Amy Fallon

TALA RAASSI, THE WOMAN BEHIND THE MISS UNIVERSE BIKINIS, STARTED OFF HER FASHION CAREER DRESSING UP HER BARBIES IN IRAN.

When she was little, Tala Raassi used to make clothes for her Barbies. But there was always one problem.

“I always felt like they needed more fabric,” recalls Tala of growing up in Iran, where strict Islamic laws mean ‘indecent clothing’ is illegal. Barbies are banned as they’re said to depict women in a bad light, so Tala used to collect them when she travelled abroad.

“I dressed like any teenager would, except we had to completely cover up in public,” she says.

“However, I kept getting in trouble at school for the type of shoes I wore or the backpacks I carried.”

But even under one of the world’s most brutal regimes, Tala and her other friends still oozed sophistication. Sunglasses and scarves from trendy boutiques in the capital Tehran were must-have accessories.

“Girls in Iran are very creative with the little fashion freedom they have,” Tala says.

“I always felt that the streets of Tehran looked like a fashion show.

“Iranian women actually wear so much make-up because their face is one of the only things shown in public.

“They can also be very creative with their chadors (the traditional long black robe covering the body from head to toe), especially the younger women.”

However, the more fashion-conscious Tala became, the more she earned the wrath of her parents.

She went on thinking she would become a lawyer – “There were only certain occupations suitable for a woman” – but one night in 1998 altered her path.

Arriving at a friend’s birthday party wearing the compulsory uniform, a scarf covering her hair, a black coat, and trousers underneath her skirt, once inside she threw her outfit aside, revealing a black t-shirt and miniskirt.

It wasn’t long into the celebrations that the religious police came knocking on the door, informing Tala and her 30 friends that they had broken the law for not being dressed properly. (They had also committed the crimes of listening to music not approved by the government and having a party with members of the opposite sex). It would later turn out that a friend, who had not been invited to join in the festivities, had reported them.

A police chase around the neighbourhood ensued, before the group was handcuffed and taken to the local prison.

After five days of sleeping on the floor in a squalid jail they were taken to the courtroom and sentenced to be lashed.

The women received 40 strikes, while the men were forced to endure 50 each. Tala’s family waited outside the room of the prison during her punishment, which lasted ten minutes.

“I do still think of what happened to us,” is all she will say when broached on the subject today.

“I think about the woman that go through similar things all the time.”

“I am who I am today because of what happened and I am putting it to good use.”

Despite throwing herself into her studies following her persecution, Tala was still struggling emotionally months later. After graduation, she decided a change of scenery would be good, so she went to Dubai to stay with friends.

Although Islamic dress code is not compulsory there, Tala saw sophisticated women who wanted to wear the traditional abaya, “expressing themselves beautifully”.

“They looked so much more powerful than the women who were forced by law to wear something they didn’t want to,” she recalls.

“Next to them, you would also see other women from the same region in other beautiful dresses and clothes.

“I realized then that I wanted to design clothing that would make women feel free, empowered, and beautiful.”

But upon her move to the US, her birth country, to pursue her new ambition, she ironically found the ‘flip flops, shorts and t-shirt style’ she constantly saw uninspiring.

“To me, women in the States don’t express their fashion sense and freedom as much as they could,” she says.

But getting her clothes stocked in boutiques across the US (Los Angeles, Miami and San Diego) as well as Dubai wasn’t easy. She had to master pattern making and learn how to run a business. However the biggest hurdle was learning English.

She began traveling to find inspiration and it was a Sao Paolo Fashion Week trip that inspired her to design swimsuits for women of different shapes, to make “all kinds of women feel sexy”

Her Dar Be Dar collection, consisting of triangle and strapless bikinis along with one-piece costumes, launched a year ago.

The title means ‘Door to door in Persian’ and is slang for someone who is all over the place to reflect her globetrotting lifestyle.

When her representative approached the Miss Universe officials about sponsorship earlier this year, they had already read her story in the local press and thought it would fit well with the contest’s aim to “empower young women”.

It was a race against time, but in two months she made 400 bikinis. More then 90 girls in the Miss Universe pageant sported her designs on stage at Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay Centre.

“I respect the women entering these pageants,” Tala says.

“They work hard for it. I think very highly of people that follow their dreams and do not take their freedom for granted.”

She is now working hard on her next project, her Lipstick Revolution t-shirt collection, inspired by Iran’s revolutionary movement. It will be released in spring/summer 2011, with all the profits donated to her charity. She hasn’t ruled out trying to have her swimsuits stocked in Iran.

“Fashion is not everything, there is so much to this world,” she says.

“But I believe fashion is something simple that helps people express their individuality and makes them feel good about themselves.

“When I got persecuted for wearing a mini-skirt, I started thinking of it as freedom. I realised fashion served a purpose for me – it made me feel free.”

To find out more see www.darbedar.net

Words Amy Fallon

THIS WINTER, HIGH-END JEWELER TATEOSSIAN WILL COLLABORATE WITH THE TERRENCE HIGGINS TRUST AND CENTRAL SAINT MARTINS FOR TWO VERY DIFFERENT EXCLUSIVE AND LIMITED EDITION LINES.

They’re usually relegated to the junk drawer, never to be worn again once the designated awareness day of the (insert charity name here) is over.

But now luxury jewellery house Tateossian, are collaborating with HIV charity Terrence Higgins Trust (THT) to produce an exclusive limited edition bracelet to mark World AIDS Day that they hope will be worn beyond December 1.

The Italian leather and sterling silver unisex bracelet with a THT red enamel link is the brainchild of Tateossian CEO and jewellery designer Robert Tateossian, a THT supporter for many years, and the brand’s head of public relations Adrienne Cline.

“THT is an organization close to all our hearts at Tateossian. I like the idea of items that people will actually use and wear and take away and keep forever,” she said.

If the line is successful, Tateossian is hoping to collaborate with THT every season.

The bracelets will be sold exclusively in their four London stores and online in the lead-up to World AIDS Day, with 30 per cent of the proceeds going to THT.

“I’d definitely like to see more brands doing things like this,” Adrienne said.

It’s a busy time for Tateossian. They are also working also with Central Saint Martins (CSM) on a new ladies and men’s capsule collection designed by the college’s recent graduates.

Six students have been selected for this. Three will design the ladies range and three the men’s range.

Mentoring them is jewellery designer and CSM alumni Hannah Martin. They will be judged by Robert Tateossian, David Furnish, Vogue jewellery editor Carol Woolton, GQ editor Dylan
Jones, The Sunday Times columnist AA Gill, Christie’s Advisory Board Chairman Pedro Girao and Tateossian’s Creative Director, Ariel Thompson.

The chosen designers will be announced on September 9, with the overall winner named on November 24. The successful pieces will be available exclusively in Tateossian stores from December.

“It’s a really interesting and really diverse way of finding new talent that aren’t already working in the industry,” said Adrienne.

“We could have done it with a few other colleges, but CSM was definitely top of my wish list.”

She said that she expected some really inspiring pieces, with some “really interesting plays on the fact that it’s our 20th anniversary.”

“There will be some very masculine pieces, some very innovative pieces, comprising of metals and stone,” she said.

“You can see some statement ladies pieces coming through. We’ve very excited.”

As with clothes, Adrienne said that more people wanted to own something different and post-recession customers were also buying “less rubbish”.

Topshop and Freedom were “for what they are too expensive”.

“It’s so high fashion and it’s so over the top that it’s not reciprocal,” Adrienne said.

“I think when you do something that’s got a bit of an edge, people know there just aren’t millions of, it’s kind of much more exciting and people are much more inclined to spend more.

“The aim with these students is to get them to design something absolutely fantastic and unique and different but to also think about who is going to be their customer – who’s going to wear that, how is it going to sit on someone’s neck, is it going to irritate them.”

“Is it something they can wear at the time or something they can wear now and again that’s for an evening dress, that is really special and really different?”

Tateossian has also recently launched this season’s ladies rare stone collection.

When the brand was established in 1990 it was only for men. But due to demand from clients all over the world, a ladies’ collection was launched eight years ago. However, the men’s collection is still so vast that they do 150 new additions each season to their cufflink range.

Their products now sell in Russia, China and South America, among other places, with famous fans including everyone from models Sophie Dahl and Eva Herzigova (both recently snapped wearing a white Scoubi Dou leather bracelet by the label), to former pop star Sinitta and The Emir of Kuwait.

tateossian.com

Words Amy Fallon

INSPIRED BY THEIR LATE GRANDMOTHER LILY BLANCHE’S ASSORTMENT OF EXOTIC JEWELS BROUGHT BACK FROM HER DAYS LIVING IN RAJ-ERA INDIA, SCOTTISH SISTERS GILLIAN CRAWFORD AND LYNDSEY BOWDITCH, HAVE LAUNCHED A NEW JEWELLERY COLLECTION NAMED AFTER HER.

For many people, working with a family member would be the making of a nightmare but for Edinburgh-based sisters Gillian Crawford and Lyndsey Bowditch, it is proving a winning partnership.

“We used to fight as kids, but have a very symbiotic relationship now”, explains Gillian. In their relatively short career as jewellery designers — Gillian used to work in media, but launched her first jewellery and gifts collection Tartan Twist with Lyndsey in 2008 — they have already been shortlisted for Jewellery Designer of the Year 2010 at The Scottish Fashion Awards.

The pair are hoping their new range, Lily Blanche Edinburgh, launched at this month’s International Jewellery Show in London, will continue their string of success. Described by Gillian as “glamorous and romantic, with the aesthetic of Audrey Hepburn”, the most distinctive pieces—including the Eternal Pearls — have a strong vintage feel, tieing in to the Hepburn hair seen on girls at Prada’s autumn/winter 2010 show and the nostalgic mood of this season’s make-up.

“The collection is based around our grandmother Lily Blanche, born at the turn of the 20^th century,” explains Gillian. “She was a kind of everywoman: she travelled, had children, lived through the war and was bombed out of her house, and could still knock up a wedding dress from bits and pieces and look stunning.”

Gillian says that as children, she and Lyndsey enjoyed visiting Lily, who was tucked away in a croft in the Outer Hebrides, and sifting through all of her treasures. “She lived in India when she was younger and before that her husband was stationed in China so she had a lot of exotic pieces. We’ve taken vintage designs inspired by her jewel box and given them a modern twist. We have tried to bring something light-hearted and fun.” Embodying this playfulness is the Peapod Necklace.

Made with a mix of sterling silver, British-sourced freshwater pearls, and Italian Murano glass, pieces in the collection will retail from £40 to £200 and Gillian hopes they will give the likes of Dower & Hall a run for their money. “What makes this collection stand out is the element of surprise; so many of the things open up, like the Memory Keeper Sphere.”

lilyblanche.com

Words Hannah Davies

SWEDEN HAS PRODUCED SOME GREAT THINGS; IKEA, ABBA, MEATBALLS AND DALA HORSES. WHAT IT HASN’T BEEN SO RENOWNED FOR, HOWEVER, IS IT’S FASHION DESIGNERS. BUT WITH JOSEFIN STRID, THAT’S ABOUT TO CHANGE.

Strid caused something of a stir when she decided include skirts in one of her collections- for men, that is. And there’s more to come. “The real skirts won’t be revealed until in February. The collection that I showed during (the most recent) Stockholm Fashion Week is a feminine, flowery collection of menswear. The reactions vary a lot, but I think it’s exciting. I have this one at my PR agency now and I can barely wait until the spring when I’ll see it in magazines. I want people to react, to feel something. Not only wanting to just wear the black t-shirt with their favourite jeans.”

A designer of both mens- and womenswear, Strid says it’s not always a conscious decision to design for men or for women. “It depends on my source of inspiration. When I was inspired by flowers, I didn’t even think about womenswear, it would have been too obvious, that’s already done so many times. Sometimes I find it easier with menswear, since I don’t relate to how it is to wear it myself. I find myself a bit more innovative with menswear sometimes.  But I am very interested in the border between masculine and feminine and I like to explore that, working with menswear and womenswear in the same collection and style everything for everyone, without it being unisex.”

Strid has always favoured taking an unconventional approach to fashion. In the past she often opted for creating smaller-scale ‘projects’ in fashion,  rather than putting together entire collections . “I used to do that (the projects) more, but I do still do them. I always do a collection for each season now, you have to do that, and you have to be on time to be a part of the whole press thing with magazines and stylists. But I still do projects and freelance things when I feel like it. I want to be able to decide myself what to do and I want to enjoy my work. I like to collaborate if it tempts me.” Recently, such collaborations have included styling for MODS Magazine, a music film, a dress for Swerea, and tentative plans for a small capsule collection, which will be for sale in December.

Strid also produces custom designs outside of her collections. “It’s good for the economy to do freelance projects. But I only do them if I’ll enjoy it. It’s another challenge to work for someone, to give them what they want and not only what I want. I think it’s a good way to understand other people, to be able to collaborate and not be selfish. When I work for myself I often have a much longer process before I see the end result, much more experimentation, toiling and so on. I always want to know so much and explore the subject I work with, to learn something new. I could do that when freelancing, but I don’t think anyone would like to pay me to read several books, stroll in the nature and whatever else I start my process with,” she smiles.

The start of the process is inevitably drawing inspiration for designs. For her 2008 collection, this included Tim Burton’s films, and inspiration is something which always shows through in Strid’s imaginative collections. “Films are often inspiring, the AW11 collection is inspired by The Piano Teacher. Films and travelling are the most inspiring things for me, and sometimes music.” It’s clear that travel is key to Strid’s collections. “I travel a lot and what I see at my trips often make me want to create something. Nature is fascinating, and I like the break you get when you’re surrounded by nature. Last summer I strolled around a lot in the parks of London and in Kew Gardens. I simply watched the flowers and then I based a whole collection on that. This summer I was in the US, visiting national parks like Yellowstone, Zion and Grand Canyon. It was nice to hike, wear comfortable clothes and just be with my family there. The whole experience influenced me and maybe I’ll do something with all the photos I took.”

Shoulders are always a focal point in Strid’s collections. So why the fascination with an area which, excepting AW 09 and the 80s, so often gets overlooked? “I used to work with big shoulders, like the 80’s siloutte, but I’ve toned it down now. I think it’s based on my foundation as a tailor. I think it’s very important how the sleeve is attached to the garment, how much bearing it has and how it works with the body. You can do both subtle and extreme things with shoulders that make a big difference.”

Strid grew up in a small town called Ulricehamn, spending her summers swimming in the lakes and winters snowboarding. As a child she spent her time playing sports and musical instruments, but this soon gave way to needlework when she bought her first sewing machine aged 15, and “since that day I’ve been kind of addicted.”  This coincided with the development of her own personal style. “When I was 14, I got more money so I could buy my own clothes every month. I started to buy second-hand and styled myself in a very extraordinary way every day.” Though she was studying music at secondary school, all of her spare time was consumed by sewing. This hobby was to provide the foundation for her career as her designer.

“I wasn’t like the other kids at the age of 15-19,” she admits. “I was very serious- I had my first fashion show when I was 15 and after that I had one each season, as the real designers did. I really studied all of the designers and their collections at style.com. I stitched in the afternoons and sometimes during the nights as well.”

Her dedication to fashion soon paid off. As soon as she had enough clothes to form a collection, she put on a fashion show at school, roping in friends to model her designs and contacting the local press to cover the event.  Strid then started to sell her clothes directly to the luxury boutique in her town. By the time she was 19, she had gone on to study sewing and patternmaking at university in Borås and was also selling her pieces in a store there, as well as in the store in her hometown.

Despite the remarkable achievement of having her own business before she had even left university, Strid decided to put her own label on hold at the end of 2006 in order to concentrate on building her portfolio. In spite of her promise as a fashion designer, Strid found herself rejected from both the Swedish School of Textiles and Central Saint Martins in London. In 2007, Strid moved out of her parents’ home and to Borås to spend a year learning men’s tailoring. Strid sees it as a turning point: “It was something different, and it felt like home. I liked to do the hand stitching, to be accurate, to let things take their time. I did lots of creative projects that year- an outfit for the superwoman who’ll save the world, two outfits in steel and leather for a steel company, and of course men’s suits.”

The following year, Strid reapplied for the SSOT and Central Saint Martins. “I did the application for Swedish School of Textiles again, working from 8.30am until 2am every day for three months, to make totally sure I had a good portfolio. I wasn’t accepted at St Martins, but I did the test for SSOT and was accepted. I was happy with that and forgot about London for a while.”

Strid resurrected her business in 2008, after a fashion fair in Gothenburg introduced her to a PR agency and helped her to develop a sales channel. This coincided with the start of her fashion design course at SSOT. Strid juggled studying with running her own brand, putting together an entire collection for her own label whilst studying. Fortunately, it was a success. Stylists based in Stockholm were frequently calling in her pieces for shoots, and Strid’s brand began to grow. Yet just as her career began to take off, she decided to take a break once again; this time to focus on her BA after realising that the pressures of running her own label alongside full-time study were too great. But before long people began to wonder where Strid and her designs were, and as a result came her ‘big boom’; orders started rolling in once again, as did scholarship offers. Finally, Strid got a studio and began to work on projects for UGG and Swerea.

It’s been intense, as the designer herself admits. “This summer I worked full time for around 100 hours per week. I had an intern and a tailor working with me and we finished both the SS and AW ’11 collections, did the photoshoots and shot a film.”

“Sometimes I make a pair of tights in one hour, and sometimes I make couture-like pieces that take 100-150 hours each,” she continues. “Sometimes things just need time. And I like to have ongoing projects. I have one huge dress in the AW11 collection that took me about 130 hours to make, and you can really see it. Then I have one cocktail dress that’s braided, and one crocheted dress from two earlier collections that took the same time, but you wouldn’t guess it.”

But all the hard work has certainly paid off, especially given the reception to Strid’s showing of her collection at Stockholm Fashion Week. “It was great and a good opportunity to be seen. And I had a great day with all my male models, they were so very nice and the atmosphere was very relaxed. But next time I want to have a big ‘boom’ show, a whole concept for everyone and I don’t want a single person walking away without thinking and feeling something. It’s important to inspire people and make them reflect over what they see.”

Strid admits that Sweden’s fashion industry has a long way to go before it can compare to the likes of London or Paris. “Maybe in the future, but not right now. Lots of brands leave Stockholm Fashion Week to show in London and Copenhagen. That’s a pity, since it could be so good (if they stayed). But I think it would be hard for Stockholm to ever become that big. Sweden is a small country and the brands there are quite commercial. If everyone would dare to overstate ten times more than they do now, they could come a bit closer.”

josefinstrid.livejournal.com

josefinstrid.com

Words Kay Weston Images Henrik Bengtsson/Imaginara

YOU MAY NOT HAVE HEARD OF BRYCE AIME, BUT YOU SOON WILL. THE DESIGNER BEHIND RIHANNA’S SPIKY-SHOULDERED ‘HARD’ GET-UP CHATS TO AGENT2’S AMY FALLON ABOUT THE LADY HERSELF, AND WHY GREEN TEA AND FASHION ARE ‘THE SAME’…

Bryce Aime tells me to throw out the Starbucks hot chocolate I’ve been drinking on the tube before we walk into Le Pain Quotidien at Notting Hill Gate.“I’ll get you another one,” he insists.

It’s not just grey today in London, it’s bucketing down. I’m also ten minutes late. Aime only lives around the corner so there are no dramas. But I get the impression that even if he lived on the other side of town, he wouldn’t have made a big fuss. As far as rising designers and accessibility go, he’s pretty laid back, doing his own calls and emails. In fact it was Aime who insisted on having a face-to-face interview. Then again the 2005 Central Saint Martins (CSM) graduate is known to serve customers himself at his shop on Walton Street in Chelsea.

“I’m sure there are some designers who do this, who push the passion to that point of actually coming down to the shop from time to time,” he says, shrugging his shoulders as his green tea arrives.“It’s important for you to see this in your own eyes because when you design, when you create a product, you are hoping it will sell.

“You have to understand that process, so when you design something you have to almost imagine the clothes hanging on the shop floor and how to they look, how are they perceived.

“Then at some point you start to realise that you should be doing this instead of that and this is how you get better in especially in terms of sales.”

Ah yes, sales. When the store first opened in November last year, things were “to be perfectly frank, a bit difficult at the beginning” Aime admits.

“It wasn’t a great time and it was hard as a newcomer,” he says.“But we had this opportunity, this great space, so we kind of jumped into it. After February things started to really pick up and we had some great sales over the summer.”

Of course Aime, 31, who hails from the 17th district of Paris, is in good company. But having your boutique in the same vicinity as Jean Paul Gaultier, Jasper Conran and Joseph also means competition.

“It’s an interesting mix but I must say also say as it’s an upper-class area, it’s (the fashion) very neat. It’s very clean, it’s very elegant,” says Aime of the West London set. “They are classic in the way they dress up. They’re never going to be very eccentric, very individual. It’s only about YSL and Chanel.

“But for other designers such as me – and there’s more than me, there’s a hundred of us – it’s a little bit difficult for us to reach our people basically.”

By “our people” he is referring to east London, where the locals are a “little bit more trendy but have less money”. Aime has just moved his office there. To Old Street, to be more precise.

Despite being so hands-on in some areas he describes his working quarters as resembling an “architect’s office”.

“I have very few rolls of fabric. We are not a factory!” insists the designer, who says he eventually wants to be stocked in the world’s leading department stores, but will first spend a few seasons perfecting his product and cementing its identity in the market.

Aime’s clothes are made in the Loiret in north-central France, where Balenciaga is also produced (an inspiration of Aime’s, along with fellow Francophone Thierry Mugler).

He is currently working on his LFW collection, Asiarama. The inspirations were his Japanese assistant Takashi, the Beijing opera – “it’s amazing” – and the Japanese theatre play Kabuki.

“I really like this region, China, Japan, Thailand,” says Aime, whose trader wife Xiaohui has been based in Beijing but is back in Britain permanently soon. “I think you either hate it or love it.I wanted to do something like this two or three seasons ago but I wasn’t ready as I needed to understand a few things culturally.

“For me it’s important to understand the people. They kind of inspired me to do something, so I had to make a trip there.”

His A/W 10 collection, Egyptology, also appeared to have been based around a particular culture. Models sported structured body con dresses from the range, with big sweatbands around their head transforming them into “mummies”.

Aime has however actually never been to Egypt, will “probably never go there”, and says he wouldn’t base an entire collection around one civilization.

“Generally speaking, it’s not about culture all the time. It just happened like that,” he reveals.“When you start being too rich, especially culturally speaking, you have to be careful because we’re in England, we’re in Europe. We have our own interpretations of things and clichés.

“And frankly I don’t think we’re prepared to associate clothes of everyday wear with something that’s quite strong, culturally speaking.

“You can have one or two pieces here or there, but to do a full collection like that… I cannot risk myself too much.”

His next offering – currently “20 per cent there” – will be “a complete different thing”, he promises.“The title is done, the colour is done, the silhouette we need to define better because it’s just sketched here and there,” is all Aime will say.

As usual it has been created with only has one female in mind: his “fictional woman”.

“It’s more the way she talks, she way she walks, the way she behaves, what she says,” describes Aime, who will only show in Paris again next season.

“I can’t imagine really it depends on your mood. But she’s quite strong generally speaking. She’s not girly. There’s a thin line between masculinity and femininity. I think that she’s like that.”

I must look a bit bewildered, because he elaborates, “We don’t want 100 per cent woman. She doesn’t wear the clothes to be somebody else. The clothes are wearing her. It’s a personality… We don’t transform her every season we just carry on.”

Speaking of the clothes wearing his “fictional woman”, what does he think of stars such as Rihanna wearing his own creations? In her video clip for 2009 single Hard, the singer donned a low cut, lethal-looking “couture-military” creation with spiked sleeves, as she brandished an apparent machine gun.

“I think it’s important. Everyone in the industry will tell you this and the one who says otherwise is a liar. We need, anybody needs, a little bit of an endorsement and nowhere more than fashion because fashion is relying on an image,” Aime says.

“Unfortunately – I hate to say this – the first thing you see is the image. And if you like the image you’re pretty convinced. Anything goes from there. If that person is well perceived or it’s a big A-lister wearing your stuff it’s a tremendous bonus. But it’s a big spectrum and the celebrity thing is only one part…”

For someone now dressing the rich and famous, Aime says it’s actually “really an accident” that he ended up in fashion. He never drew when he was young and was “absolutely rubbish at school”, only caring about philosophy, literature and history.

“I never dressed my dolls. I never wore makeup or played with my Mum’s stuff,” he recalls.“I used to build cities made of cardboard, toilet paper. I used to like to use my hands.”

It was the desire to learn English that brought him to Britain in the summer of 1998 when he was 19. The decision didn’t go down too well with his parents, both doctors. “But I think I had to go away,” Aime says. “I needed some reality checks. I wasn’t a bad kid but I was in my own world.”

After waiting tables and even hitting the decks in some “really shit places that don’t even exist today”, he concluded- while working a double shift in a restaurant- that he had no direction and needed a return to study.

Law and science were not for him. So he applied to do evening classes in fine arts at CSM. Aime was unaware then of the esteemed reputation that the college had.

He decided to stick with fashion, beginning portfolio classes to prepare himself for interviews. “I stuck with fashion and overnight I went from very little…” Aime trails off.

Despite the rag trade being a hard business, he says that it is at least forgiving. And never dull. “The reward is this: you’re allowed to make some mistakes. Every season your try your luck and you try and be consistent also to your work and your beliefs. You’ve got to be prepared to take criticism because as I said it’s all about images and it’s very subjective,” he explains.

“Not everybody likes green tea. Fashion is the same. I quite like that and I like the competition, for most. “There is a competition but it’s not really an in-your-face competition. It’s more about the tension, the adrenaline, the stress inside and out of your studio, the deadline.

“And then it comes again – but in a different manner, in different people, in a different season. It’s a cycle. You can’t get bored.”

And bored is the very last thing you could be when Bryce Aime is around.

bryce-danice-aime.com

Words Amy Fallon Images Andres Reynaga Hair and make-up Justin Williams

LUCY ROYLE, A MANCHESTER-BASED, LEEDS-EDUCATED BRITISH DESIGNER SHOWED HER GRADUATE COLLECTION DURING GRADUATE FASHION WEEK LAST JUNE. INSPIRED BY THE MEDICAL TEXTBOOK GRAY’S ANATOMY, ANATOMICAL DRAWINGS AND SKELETAL AND MUSCULAR STRUCTURES, HER FIRST SHOW WAS REPRESENTATIVE OF HER BACKGROUND. LYDIA MILLIGAN MET WITH THE DESIGNER TO DISCUSS SPINE AND STYLE.

Your final collection, inspired by the medical world, was beautiful. Where did the idea spanned from?

My dad is a doctor and my mum is a nurse so growing up, I was surrounded by a lot of medical books.  For my final collection, I though it would be really nice to do something that was part of my identity.

Your designs mirror the look of the body very well, especially the spine while looking very contemporary and individual.

Yes, the spine did feature quite primarily.  It just kind of happened.  You just mess about with ideas; one day I had a sample and just literally pinned it to the mannequin.  Then, of course, once you start putting bits together you end up with an idea.  People do comment on how much the draw cords mirror the spinal cord itself.

I noticed a written print design, where did this come from?

These are my dad’s revision notes when he was a student.  Like the textbook, they have always been around the house.  My dad’s handwriting is immaculate, beautiful.  These notes were on anorexia and bulimia and I thought I would use them to add another dimension to my concept.

All your collections appear quite different, yet with a similar darkness to them.  What inspired them?

The idea was to get a variety.   In one collection, I focused on Ancient Greece and Sophia Kokosalaki.  Greek mythology was a fascination of mine for years so I really wanted to look into it.  My Rick Owens-inspired collection was a university-imposed challenge to associate with the designer and to design to their style.  As he is a dark designer, this collection probably ended up the darkest.  These are designers I really like anyway and I always look at their work.

You design primarily for sportswear; do you intend to continue that way?

Yes definitely, I did my work placement with Reebok which was great inspiration.  I never had an interest in it, then while working at Reebok I realised how versatile it was.  I think sportswear is the way we dress now and what consumers look for.  We were talking at uni about how none of us really wear jeans anymore and you wonder if even jeans will fade; we all wear jeggings now!

Why did you go in to fashion?

To be honest, I sort of fell into it.  I didn’t know what I wanted to do at university and by default, as I was doing an English Literature A level I applied to do English; as I filled in the application I just knew it wasn’t for me.  I got rejected from every University I applied to.  I took a year out to do an Art foundation course; it gave me time to think about where I wanted to study.  I ended up following the fashion route.  I drifted in to it, but fate told me that it was right.

You’re going on to do an MA at London College of Fashion, how did you end up there?

Our external examiner came to visit us back in January to have an informal chat.  He came up to me and tapped me on the shoulder.  He said, “If you want a place in a MA, you have one!”  When this offer came along I thought, ‘I can’t turn it down.’

Where do you see yourself in five years?

After the MA I definitely would like to be working for a high-end luxury designer because I have never had experience in that field before.  Ultimately, I want my own business. I think working for a more exclusive designer, you would have more engagement with how the company works as a whole and how they work overseas.  In five years, I would like to be based in London and working for a designer.

lucyroyle.co.uk

Words Lydia Milligan

THE BLISTERING SUMMER ISN’T THE ONLY THING BRINGING A HEAT WAVE TO LONDON. SUSTAINABLE AFRICAN WOMENSWEAR BRAND AKABI SHOWCASED ITS GOOD-NATURED, PRETTY PRINTED COLLECTION IN JULY, JUST MONTHS AFTER LAUNCHING THE LABEL. INSPIRED BY THE STRENGTHS AND ATTITUDES OF THE CONTEMPORARY FEMALE ‘URBANITE’, THE ‘LOVE FROM AFRICA’ COLLECTION IS A FUSION OF THE BRIGHT COLOURS AND THE ENERGY OF THE AFRICAN CONTINENT. GET IT WHILE YOU CAN AS THIS ETHICAL BRAND ONLY PRODUCES ONE COLLECTION A YEAR.

Akabi means love in Greek. J’Quita, Akabi founder and designer , picked the name because “The foundation of what we do here at Akabi is love.”J’Quita’s passion for social responsibility, international development, sustainability, as well as her love for Africa led her to set up Akabi. She brings ethical intelligence and knowledge to the style of females worldwide and so she birthed the tagline ‘female style intelligence’. Her triple aim is to “promote Africa / empower women / love Earth.”The line has a casual side and incorporates feminine shapes and prints to make the garments fresh for an evening out in the peak of the British summertime. Sculpted skin-tight trousers compliment edgy harem pants. Akabi’s eco friendly collection promotes Africa as a continent with a great future. It raises awareness of the possibilities of trading with Africa and supports existing sustainable businesses presently in Kenya and Ghana by incorporating their work in the Akabi collections.

The organic cotton pieces are sprinkled with batik print work from Ghana. J’Quita also uses war parachutes, creating jackets and outerwear with a military feel. The production is innovative whilst keeping traditional crafts alive and bringing it to new markets.

Akabi supports women from disadvantaged backgrounds, encouraging them to develop skills, such as sewing, to empower them so that they can set up their own businesses. J’Quita is passionate about pushing the eco friendly aspect of the brand, “Our intention is to be a sustainable, desirable and ethically made in Africa fashion and lifestyle brand. It’s our social responsibility to take action where possible and to reduce the environmental impact as much as we can and in all we do.”Environmentally friendly or water-based inks for printing are used on the cotton jersey styles to help reduce the impact on the environment. Many items are made in Bamboo as well as Hemp/Organic cotton twills. The organic cotton is ‘Made in Africa’ and 100% Organic Cotton & Social Standards Certified.

Akabi will donate 10% of sales to the Seed of Hope charity. The organisation works with orphaned, destitute and disadvantaged teenage girls in Kenya, and helping them to have brighter future.

Words Jennifer Butler

HELEN TURTON HAS JUST LAUNCHED THE DOLL HOUSE, AN INDEPENDENT JEWELLERY COMPANY. EVERY PIECE IS INDIVIDUALLY DESIGNED, SOURCED AND HANDMADE USING DOLLHOUSE MINIATURES, CREATING A UNIQUE, KITSCH LOOK. ALMAZ OHENE MET HER TO CHAT ABOUT HER INSPIRATION, HER BUSINESS PLANS AND WHY SHE DIDN’T GIVE ALMAZ A PIECE FOR HER BIRTHDAY; SEE, ALMAZ AND HELEN GO WAY BACK…

We meet at a Sheffield bar. Helen orders pink fruit beer for both of us while I admire her outfit. She’s wearing… well, she places her hands in front of her on top of the bar, so that I can see her jewellery. On three of her fingers, she’s sporting dinner plate rings. Eggs, chips and beans on one hand, and a Full-English Breakfast on the other. About her neck is a rocking horse necklace. Clipped in her hair is a large, pink gingham bow, which, on closer inspection, forms the cloth of a tiny champagne picnic. This woman loves fashion – that much is obvious from her high-waisted tailored hot pants paired with floral print tights. Naturally, I ask her is why she chose to go into jewellery and not clothes.

“I started out modifying my own clothes, getting fridge magnets and gluing them onto shoes and generally trying to modify my own wardrobe.

“I like things to be unique. I’ve always had a passion for jewellery. The Doll House stemmed from having gone down to a little shop which sold miniatures for dollhouses when I was at college. I saw a little telephone and though that it would look amazing if I turned it into a ring. The whole thing just blossomed from there.”

I ask her where she sources all of the fantastic dolls house miniatures.

“I go into dollhouse emporiums, look around and decide which bits will look amazing if I turn them into jewellery. Sometimes, I come up with an idea and hunt down a piece, often through scouring free-ads pages or going to car-boot sales. I also find new and vintage material on eBay.”

As well as the themed collection ‘In The Kitschen’ and ‘The Music Box’, Helen creates individual pieces such as the Grandfather Clock Brooch, the Telephone Fascinator, the Rocking Horse Necklace and Teacup Earrings.

It was time for the inevitable question about her inspiration.

“There was no designer or person who I saw and then said, ‘Oh, right so I need to look like that.’ The people that inspire me are different. They include designers like Vivienne Westwood and like TigerMilk, who are some of my own friends. They spur me on and let me know that it’s cool to keep things different from everything else out there.”

She’s collaborated with photographer Holly Booth on a couple of promotional shoots  which have a very distinctive style.

“We wanted to make the model look like a living doll. I had some crazy make up done by Lucy Engelfield, an amazing make-up artist. Holly and I worked on getting the right angles and the right lighting to make her look just like a Porcelain doll.”

Helen talks animatedly about the second ‘location’ shoot. She mentions a few different people who were part of that project; I wonder what it was like to work with a team.

“For the second shoot, I worked with Lotte Manson and Kirsty Mann, the TigerMilk girls, brainstorming ideas for backdrops. We had an idea for an Alice in Wonderland theme that eventually developed into something involving mirror and chandeliers in the woods.

“Having a crew made it more fun. Holly did some really good work, working out the best camera angles and the best lighting; angling the mirrors so the end product looked really beautiful.”

Helen’s jewellery is currently on sale at Syd and Mallory’s in Sheffield. I wonder how she sees her business developing from there?

“I got involved with Syd and Mallory’s quite recently. That was my first progression to taking the whole thing seriously, rather than just wearing my own jewellery. When I have more time I’m going to expand it, buy the materials in bulk and try to get more pieces finished. I really like little boutique shops but I’d like to branch out to other cities too.”

When pushed on the issue of her particular ethos she replies:

“I really like having clothes and jewellery that look different to what other people are wearing. My main idea is getting something kitsch and unique to everybody that wants to wear the jewellery. No piece of jewellery is exactly the same as any other piece; so when you buy a piece it’ll be completely different from anything that anybody else has.”

dollhousejewellery.co.uk

Words Almaz Ohene

THE WORLD CUP MAY BE OVER, BUT AFRICA IS HAVING A LONG-LASTING IMPACT ON FASHION.

Tribal Romance, the spring/summer 2010 offering from label Zed Eye is a new take on the ethnic trend, a courtship between tribal prints and chiffons, satin, cotton and floral patterns.

“The combinations, although unusual and unexpected, manage to work together as they woo each other and indeed the audience into believing they should be together,” says the creator of the line, Nigerian-born designer Ngozi Pere-Okorotie, 27.

“I always play around with differences in fabrics, colours, textures and patterns.

“I have always wanted to integrate African prints to my collection but needed to do it without compromising on my style of design.

“This summer provided the perfect opportunity with the celebration surrounding World cup in South Africa.

“My favourite stand out piece is the three quarter sleeve floral print summer jacket. I love it so much and it has been the best buy with the Tribal Romance spring/summer 2010 and also a hit with celebrities like Kelis, Shengei (The Noisettes), journalist Caryn Franklin, celebrity hairdresser Tara Smith, also designer Henry Holland loves it too.”

The London College of Fashion graduate, whose biggest inspiration is Vivienne Westwood, is from the Igbo tribe in Nigeria but now based in Earls Court, London.

Although she actually studied to be an accountant, Ngozi’s mother ran a fashion academy and she was always surrounded by clothes. One life-changing moment that stands out to her is learning how to use a measuring tape when she was six-years-old.

“This aroused my interest enough for me to practice designing outfits for my dolls,” she recalls.

“The rest, as they say, is history.”

Despite being African, and feeling strongly that the industry has a “long way to go” when it comes to embracing black designers and models, Ngozi doesn’t want to be typecast as an African designer.

“I am a designer of African heritage,” she says.

“I am more than happy to cater to both Africans and non Africans alike.

She does still however hope to be part of next year’s South Africa Fashion Week.

“It appears that the fashion industry is booming in Nigeria,” she says.

“There is a huge market as the Africans are known for their exhibitionist behaviour even through clothing.

“This would make for interesting prospective designers as I am sure this will be reflected accordingly in their designs.”

The Zed Eye label will soon be stocked in boutiques and online boutiques, but in the meantime you can check out www.myasho.com or from my website www.zedeye.com

Words Amy Fallon

METAL ROOSTER AND LADY GAGA INSPIRE DIANE GEVORGIAN WOMENSWEAR AND FOOTWEAR COLLECTION. HER ONE-OF-A-KIND CLOTHES GATHERED RAVE REVIEW AFTER HER UNTOLD CATWALK. AMY FALLON MET THE YOUNG DESIGNER READY TO REVOLUTIONISE BRITISH FASHION.

The eight metal roosters discovered by up-and-coming designer Diane Gevorgian at a Sunday car boot sale were always going to be sacrificed for her spring summer 2010 collection.

A day after finding them, the 23-year-old University of East London 2010 graduate took them to a metal worker and had them “chopped to pieces”.

Holding the ‘remains’ of the ‘dead’ animals in her hands, the designer began taking inspiration from their different shapes for her latest womenswear and women’s footwear collection. The pieces were reshaped to fit different parts of the human body as detailing and decorations on the garments and footwear, which then inspired the designing and making of the entire collection, very aptly titled If Looks Could Kill.

The range, which features a show-stopping metal jacket with wings, has been described by the blog Fashion Foie Gras as a collection that would “certainly intimidate every individual around them”. Gevorgian has also been compared to a young Lee Alexander McQueen.

“It all made sense, killing the roosters and having heavy decorations on the garments which are so heavy and unique that in a way would intimidate people,” describes Gevorgian, who today is wearing silver flip flops with metal flower decorations.

“At the end of the day they are not just clothes they are works of art.

“All the pieces are unique, they all are very creative and different, however the leather jacket with the metal wings is so unique and original that stands out from everything. It just grabs so much attention.

“My clothes are certainly so innovative that they stand out in very many different ways, they could also be intimidating.”

The collection also includes a striking pair of knee-high boots with immaculate gold detailing.

“My six-year old niece once looked at my half leather half metal boots and said, ‘this is like Lady Gaga!’” says Gevorgian, who would love the singer to model her designs in her videos.

Besides inspiration from Gaga for her clothes, Gevorgian looks to her Armenian background.

“ You can always see the Middle Eastern historical and cultural styles in my designs, which is what makes them unique and different.

“For inspiration I always look at the Middle Eastern cultures and history.

“A lot of it I recognise from things that my grandparents kept from their great grandparents. Those images are always in my head, the old dresses accessories and curtains my grandmother kept in her wardrobe.”

Gevorgian’s aunt also owns a shop in Moscow and the pair are currently in Russia, working on Gevorgian’s second line. It will be targeted at the high street, particularly middle aged working women. It’s available in stores from October.

Her website – www.gevorgian.co.uk – is coming soon.

Words Amy Fallon

AFTER STUDYING ARCHITECTURE AND PSYCHOLOGY AT LONDON UNIVERSITIES, SUDANESE-BORN DESIGNER OMER ASIM THANKFULLY DECIDED TO SWITCH TO FASHION. HIS ACADEMIC BACKGROUND AND EXPERIENCE WITH THE UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM AND ITS PROPAGANDA FEED HIS INNOVATIVE FORAYS INTO THE FASHION WORLD. BEFORE LAUNCHING HIS OWN LABEL JUST OVER A YEAR AGO AND BEING A STAR EXHIBITOR AT LONDON FASHION WEEK’S ON|OFF, ASIM LEARNT THE TRADE AT VIVIENNE WESTWOOD AND AS PART OF THE COSTUME TEAM FOR THE HARRY POTTER SAGA.

After studying architecture as an undergrad, you were going to do a post-graduate degree in psychology before switching to fashion design. What made you change your career paths?

I realised the body is a good compromise for my interests; it is both physic and psyche. Fashion therefore makes sense. I wouldn’t say it was a transition from everything I’ve done, it’s more of a resolution.

You often use unconventional shapes and cuts to striking effect. Does your architectural background inspire you to create such sculptural, avant-garde designs?

I wouldn’t say so! In fact, I don’t think ‘Architecture’ when I’m making my collections at all. Birds, for instance (and I always refer to that example), build the most fascinating structures instinctually.

What moves you most in life, either to enthuse or upset you?

Pointless discussions and absolute cults get to me.

You have pledged to become more involved in sustainable, ethical, fair trade practices. In which ways do you feel that fashion really does matter?

As long as people wear clothes, fashion will matter. I reckon it would even matter in a nudist society, walking around naked is quite a decision!

You worked as an apprentice under Vivienne Westwood. How did it feel to help create the wedding dress in the 2008 Sex and The City film?

That dress was all Westwood’s! I was just an intern at the time. Seeing the impact of it was interesting!

Your ON|OFF collection was inspired by the 1994 Pulitzer Prize winning photograph ‘Vulture Stalking Baby’ by Kevin Carter. Do you feel that the photograph still represents today’s Sudan?

You can never represent everything with one photograph. Every thesis has an anti-thesis. However, two month after I presented that collection, the UNICEF spoke of famine in South Sudan triggered by tribal conflicts and low rainfall. I don’t have anything to say about the elections, or politics for that matter, there are enough cooks on that broth.

You have been accused of pulling publicity stunts by using carcasses as key parts of your pieces. Can you explain the conceptualisation behind the use of dead chickens in your designs?

It wasn’t a publicity stunt. When you first start out, your take on fashion is a bit romantic and you want to do something that is meaningful for you. I saw a photo of the feathered chicken in my friend’s portfolio; he is a photographer – Sipke Visser. I thought the ghastliness of the feathered chicken would make a great emblem for the collection, to inject a realistic perspective of death into something common and somewhat ‘ridiculous’, as well as evoke emotions similar to the ones aroused by Carter’s photograph. Aside from the resin feathered chicken, we also placed the chicken into an uncanny print of what appeared to be flowers.

You are on your way to becoming an international name, so what are your plans for taking the world by storm?

That is very kind of you but I know I have a looooong way to go. I hope I can build a steady body of work to stick around long enough and then, as you put it, ‘take the world by storm’. For my next collection, I will carry on with my narrative on humanity. The first collection was about life nearing death, the second was about life before it begins as we know it – life in the womb. In this collection life is delivered and it’s a girl – the earliest record of human ancestry, which was nick-named ‘Lucy’s Baby’. There will be references to pre-historic fabric and drapes.

Words Almaz Ohene

HE WAS A DEFINING DESIGNER OF THE ‘80s, IMAGINING ICONIC GARMENTS AND ACCESSORIES RANGING FROM THE TABI SHOES TO DECONSTRUCTED TAILORING. THIS SUMMER, LONDON FASHION-HUB SOMERSET HOUSE IS DEDICATING AN EXHIBITION TO THE WORK OF MARTIN MARGIELA. THE ANTWERP-EDUCATED DESIGNER GREW UNDER THE WING OF JEAN-PAUL GAULTIER BEFORE CREATING HIS FIRST LABEL IN 1988, MAISON MARTIN MARGIELA. BELOVED OF FASHION DESIGNERS AND CUSTOMERS ALIKE FOR THE OTHERNESS OF HIS DESIGNS, HE MADE HEADLINES LAST DECEMBER WHEN HIS LABEL, NOW OWNED BY DIESEL, CONFIRMED HE HAD LEFT THE COMPANY.

The exhibition, curated for the 20^th anniversary of the Margiela brand, has previously been shown in Antwerp and Munich. “It takes a chronological approach but it really unpicks the themes and concepts of what the Maison is all about”, says Somerset House curator Claire Catterall.

The Embankment gallery was cleansed with a monochromatic palette and clinical white walls, creating an asylum-like backdrop to the row of power-dressing tailored jackets displayed. Architectural-scale models of previous exhibitions show the visitor how the London curators adapted the artifacts to fit the unique spatial characteristics of the Gallery space.

An assortment of catwalk invitations made from plates, chocolate, wishbones, CD’s and cutout numbers and letters scattered in a display case greets the visitor. The minute you step into the silver-spotted and glitter-covered room, you feel that the clothes are as much about the visual language as they are about the garments themselves.

On the ground floor, the multilayered-exhibition parades Margiela’s spring/summer 2009 20^th Birthday Show on a large screen. The pounding music generates the sense of power that these iconic clothes portray. Walking up a spiral staircase to the Mezzanine Gallery, you start recognising shapes of clothes that you wear everyday. The Maison uses every fabric and medium available  to make its creations exciting and visually splendid. Some of the clothes, such as the disco-ball top from the spring/summer 2008 Artisanal Collection, are unwearable and fantastical. However, if you look closely, you can see how they have translated down into the high street. Margiela’s habit of covering garments with paints, for instance, has filtered down to mainstream chains such as Zara and River Island.

The “Incognito” section of the exhibition pays homage to Margiela’s emphatic decision to withdraw from public view. Legend has it that no one knows what he looks like. In extracts of his collections played on old Orion TV sets, the models are made anonymous by having their faces covered by what Sarah Mower described as “stocking scarves and cascades of hair », as if to protect their identity. They are pushed along the catwalk like dummies in a shop window.

Displayed on the Mezzanine Gallery, the spring/summer 1996 “Trompe L’oeil” collection almost makes you feel like you were looking at pictures of clothes, rather than the garment itself. Each item of clothing is printed with the picture of a different garment in black and white, sepia or brown. According to the exhibition catalogue, a cardigan is printed “with photographic print of a safari jacket”, a v-neck dress “with sequined retro evening dress”. A camera in the corner of the room flickers through retro images and flowers and projects them on a dress sculpted from a duvet.

Elsewhere, a bustier dress is the focal point of the dark “XXXL” a side room. It is oversized and would not look out of place on Alice in Wonderland when she nibbles “the eat me” treat and shrinks to the floor.

Elsewhere again, a visual installation shows Maison clients trying on their Margiela clothes. The sofas around the centre of the room provide a comfortable place to spend an hour or two looking at the visual displays that circle the edges of the walls.

This exhibition really makes Margiela’s fashion come to life. This is by far one of the best fashion shows London has hosted so far. It is more than a bunch of clothes on hangers. All the garments are brought to life by all the little added details. You could spend hours going over each piece over and over again, you would still find things that you had missed the first time around. The whole experience is mystifying and gives you a real understanding of how this fashion house creates such wonderful clothing.

Maison Martin Margiela ‘20’ The Exhibition

At Somerset House
Strand
London
WC2R 1LA

Daily 10.00-18.00, until 20.00 Thursdays
Embankment Galleries, South Wing
£6, conc £5, under 12s free

Words Jennifer Butler

LIVERPOOL JOHN MOORES STUDENTS LEONI NEWCOME, KATHARINE GOETZEE AND ELLY ARIF ENTERTAINED GRADUATE FASHION WEEK VISITORS WITH THEIR UNUSUAL GARMENTS FEATURING CLOWNS AND PETER PAN DETAILING. AMY FALLON MET WITH THE THREE GRADUATES TO DISCUSS THE INSPIRATION BEHIND THEIR END-OF-UNI COLLECTION.

Coulrophobia, the abnormal or exaggerated fear of clowns, could be on the rise, with one circus in Newent, Gloucestershire offering counseling for those who suffer from the illness.

But Liverpool John Moores student Leoni Newcome decided the best way to tackle her phobia was by emblazoning bright images of the objects of her fear on her Graduate Fashion Week pieces.

A bright mustard over-the-knee dress, complete with hood, featuring a full-length clown’s body, teamed with black nautical stripe leggings, is one standout item from her collection.

“My best friend Derrin has an agonizing fear of them, and had to be hypnotized to help overcome this,” explains Newcome, 21.

“This was very inspiring and fascinating for me.”

However, while her designs may cheer some of us up, it may not be the right treatment for coulorphobics.

“The feedback as been quite positive, people usually say it makes then laugh or smile – but it also scares the life out of them,” admits Leoni.

“I love any kind of reaction.”

Fellow graduate Katharine Goetzee also used fun and quirky ways of addressing androgyny in her collection.

Gender Play brings together pinstripe shirts, big bows and glasses.

“Ultimately, male fashion tends to be simple and unadventurous as it adheres to the logic that men’s dress, especially the suit, represents their economic and political power,” Goetzee, 21, says.

“Women’s fashion tends to be more glamorous and adventurous in comparison, as historically they have not directly held any social or political status.

“However, as the economic workforce has changed and women have developed social and political power, there has been a rise in androgynous dress for women.”

The male desire to remain like Peter Pan, perpetually mischievous and youthful, was the inspiration for Elly Arif’s collection.

“To die will be an awfully big adventure,” the 22-year-old quotes from JM Barrie’s story of eternal boyhood.

“It’s (my range) ultimately about immortality and escapism, the everyday man trapped in normality and routine escaping to ‘Never Land’, the childhood dream.”

“I think this idea of staying young has become quite dominant in society, predominantly the focus is on our changing appearance however, and trying to stay looking young and youthful.”

It’s something the upcoming designer worries about himself, particularly in the rag trade.

“I do worry about getting old sometimes,” Arif confesses.

“I think now that I have finished university and will no longer be in education the realisation of getting a job in the real world is quite scary.

“But at the same time I am quite excited for this next step in my life.”

AGENT2 was able to visit GFW thanks to Liverpool One.

Words Amy Fallon

ETHICAL FASHION ENTREPRENEUR NICOLA WOODS GAVE UP A SUCCESSFUL CAREER IN INSURANCE TO FOLLOW HER DREAM OF BECOMING A DESIGNER. HER BEAUTIFUL SOUL BRAND, SHOWN AT LONDON FASHION WEEK’S ESTETHICA, HAS BEEN WORN BY LILY COLE AND GABBY YOUNG.

Nicola Woods has just moved her ethical womenswear label, Beautiful Soul, to a studio off Portobello Road. Her shelves are filled with copies of Vogues, « great for inspiration », and the backbone of her company: original Japanese kimonos.

Woods’ interest in kimonos came during the trip to Japan that kick-started her fashion career. For 11 years, she worked as an insurance broker. One morning, whilst sitting under a cherry blossom tree in Tokyo, she realised she needed to pursue her dream of becoming a fashion designer.

Woods enrolled at the London College of Fashion, class of 2008. A pattern-cutting student, she struggled with drawing, instead directly draping her clothes on dummies. During her last year of college, while researching Vivienne Westwood, she discovered that the Dame created most of her collections directly on small-scale dummies. Woods’ graduate collection, Smallprint, was entirely done on such dummies before being produced for the catwalk. It paid tribute to Japan with coats and dresses with highly detailed, exaggerated collars and silhouettes.

In the following seasons, Woods refined the concept. She now takes the kimonos apart to give them a new life. Working with kimonos can be limiting because of the width of each panel of fabric. Since each kimono is unique, each Beautiful Soul garment is a one-off piece. For lining, Woods uses vintage saris and peace silk. She also creates coats in British wool sourced from Izzy Lane.

Woods’ clothes will stand the test of time. For fastening, she favour ties made with kimono chutes, meaning that even if the customer puts on weight, she’ll still be able to wear her outfit in 20 years time. Multi functionality plays a key role and pieces can be worn in a multitude of ways.

For summer 2010, Woods was inspired by Puccini’s Madam Butterfly. The Miss Butterfly collection includes jackets which can be turned into skirts and light, short coats in vibrant colours. The winter 2010 collection, No. 3 is a tribute to Japanese fashion legend Yohji Yamamoto. Heavy coats and dresses will be available in a palette of red, black and white.

Thanks to her new studio, Woods has just launched a bespoke service, Beautiful Soul Bespoke. Customers can visit by appointment and be involved in every step of the garment making, including choosing the vintage kimono personally.

Beautiful Soul’s e-store, Ascension, Junky Styling and the Victoria & Albert museum currently stock the brand. Beautiful Soul has proved popular with V&A visitors, who like seeing historical kimonos in the Asia galleries before buying Woods’ garments in the gift shop. She is looking into new stockists, mostly high-end boutiques and department stores.

For her summer 11 collection, Woods plans to launch a menswear range made of navy blazers. Womenswear will include shades of purple, a recurrent colour in Beautiful Soul clothing, and some vibrant orange.

beautiful-soul.co.uk

Words Lucie Goulet

LAST WEEK SAW THE START OF THE FINAL YEAR SHOWS FROM THE CREATIVE POWERHOUSE THAT IS THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF ART. THE SCHOOL OF FASHION’S 33 POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS PRESENTED THEIR CREATIONS ON THE CATWALK AT THE HOTLY ANTICIPATED SHOW FASHION, BURSTING AT THE SEAMS WITH INDUSTRY FIGURES AND BUYERS JOSTLING FOR A PRIME VIEW FROM WHICH THEIR STYLE HUNGRY EYES COULD DEVOUR EACH COLLECTION, EAGER TO DEIGN A HANDFUL OF DESIGNERS WITH THE ‘NEXT BIG THING’ MONIKER.

There was plenty of talent to choose from. Exquisite embellishment, masterful fabric manipulation and unique concepts characterised this years offerings, which seemed to have been approached from a more commercial savvy angle than in previous years. Far from stifling creativity, this newfound focus on wearability actually heightened the appeal, as reflected by faces in the front row, tensed in concentration as each outfit was assessed, not just on a scale of fashion editorial success or profit margins, but in how-will-that-work in-my-wardrobe mode.

The womenswear collections took direction from a plethora of subjects as diverse as Baroque furniture, music by Bela Bartok, surreal photography, punk and bohemia. Highlights included Poppy Cartwright’s modernist, ice white patent leather mini dresses and sleek suits, laced and adorned with laser cut appliqué detail, Yuli Yuferev’s exquisite fish bone corseting and the elegantly executed, spliced drapery of Caroline Pambakian, already garnering attention as a recipient of the River Island design forum bursary. The ultra clean lines of Victoria Stone’s leathers felt totally relevant, as did the streetwise body con dresses of Cecilie Bahnsen’s collection, teamed irreverently with Fez hats and Yoko sunglasses; millinery also got a nod on the runway in the form of Zara Gorman’s jet black, futuristic head gear. A respite from the monochromatic palette came in the form of Morten Underbjerg Olesen’s flamboyant fur, glitz and ruffling, which came in every colour of the rainbow.

Hip hop, skinheads, Spanish Matadors and J.G. Ballard’s novel Crash composed just some of the inspirations that combined to achieve the enthralling range of menswear on offer. Astrid Anderson’s luxe sportswear was pure rapper’s delight – hot pink velveteen puffa jackets replete with fur trimmed hoods, bejewelled track pants and enough bling to make P.Diddy’s pulse race. The fusion of bold hues and extreme embellishment in Trine Jensen’s collection was brave, with jumpers bedecked with masses of metal hoops and the occasional bum bag or Glengarry hat thrown into the mix, while Alan Humphrey Bennett’s oversized PVC rucksacks, hold alls and voluminous raincoats in acid brights proved attention grabbing. On a more subdued note, Robert Huth presented a great line in understated, deconstructed neutrals while Le Lin Tiffany Tang added a touch of sparkle to traditional tailoring by weaving metal yarn into razor sharp suits.

The MA accessories students presented their wares at the gallery-style static show. Specialising in footwear was Sophia Grace Webster (who already has the title of designer for Browns and Georgina Goodman under her belt) showcasing her vibrant digitally printed satins and Perspex heels inspired by African butterfly wings. Kathleen Connors otherworldly shoe and boot formations, fashioned from PVC and silicone were intriguing, as were Damion Le Cappelain’s starkly industrial, square-toed men’s shoes. Arm candy was supplied by Christianna Ibikunle whose overtly masculine, black leather satchels added a stamp of macho to man bags and sat in stark contrast to Chloe Shinnie’s artisan basket styles, woven into organic shapes. Utterly inspirational, Show Fashion provides the springboard, and sponsorship, to ensure their designers are set for stellar careers to rival those of esteemed ex-alumni such as Christopher Bailey, Erdem, Ossie Clark, Philip Treacy and Holly Fulton; something tells us they’re more than ready.

Words Emma Harding  Images RCA

MILKO BOYAROV ISN’T A NAME FASHIONISTAS ARE FAMILIAR WITH, NOR DOES IT TRIP OFF THE TONGUE. HOWEVER, THAT MAY BE ABOUT TO CHANGE. THE BULGARIAN DESIGNER’S FABULOUS AND AT TIMES WACKY COLLECTIONS ARE GARNERING A GREAT DEAL OF INTEREST FROM THOSE IN THE KNOW. BOYAROV IS CURRENTLY STUDYING JEWELLERY AT THE SCHOOL OF FASHION, IED MILAN. MELANIE JOHNSON CAUGHT UP WITH HIM TO DISCUSS FOLKLORE, FRACTALS AND RECYCLED FASHION!

What attracted you to jewellery over other art/fashion careers?

I believe that a jewellery piece is simultaneously 50% art and 50% fashion. I love that I can work on one project that combines the two.

If you could describe your jewellery in three words, what would they be ?

Attractive, fashionable and strange.

Where did the inspiration for your latest collection come from?

It often comes down to reinventing geometric shapes. For example, my silver ‘collar’ was inspired by the circle. By combining numerous circles of different sizes, I have created a fractal-like figure.

Using the same concept, I created a necklace made of rectangle fractal elements. Each rectangle is different and yet they all look the same, just like people are individuals and different but in fact on a basic level we share a great deal of similarities.

Tell us about this unusual black all-in-one piece?

I tried to make a combination of necklace, diadem and earrings in one piece. I drew my inspiration from a traditional Bulgarian headdress, but the piece still looks contemporary.

Your cylinder red cuffs are more simplistic than a lot of your work. What was the inspiration behind them?

The inspiration comes from cylinders, which are usually boring. I tried to put a fresh spin on them by adding colour. Red achieves a very avant-garde look.

More generally, who or what is your main creative inspiration?

My main sources of inspiration are fractals, circles, squares, folklore, fashion, theatre and music.

Do your Bulgarian roots influence your work?

It serves as a foundation for my art. However, I doubt that my Bulgarian roots are easily recognisable in most of my pieces, even though two of my creations intentionally represent Bulgaria. The country has undergone cultural development for more than 1300 years. Its cultural wealth dates back to its early days. The national folklore, and especially the national costumes, are an endless source of inspiration. It is important to know your own culture and its roots.

Which jewellers/artists do you admire/ aspire to emulate?

For jewellery, Maiko Takeda, a Japanese designer inspired by numbers, logic and space, and Dimitar Delchev, another Bulgarian créateur. In fashion it’s got to be Alexander McQueen, Rowan Mersh, Gareth Pugh and Hussein Chalayan. I also love the Lanvin brand. Art-wise, I really enjoy the work of Egon Shile and Auguste.

Which is your favorite project and why?

Without a doubt, “Today’s Issue-Recycling”, a shredded paper collection with a strong ecological subtext. Creating it was a real challenge, which is probably why it is my favourite. Most people think that it is impossible to make an attractive jewellery piece from old newspapers!

Where do you hope to go from here, both creatively and with your career?

First of all, I have to graduate. Next year, I will go on an Erasmus exchange to the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Belgium. After that, I hope to study at Central Saint Martins for a master’s degree. Following my graduation, I’d like to work for a company whose work I admire, like Givenchy or Alexander McQueen.

www.behance.net/milkoboyarov

Words Melanie Johnson

LONDON-BASED MENSWEAR AND WOMENSWEAR LABEL LU FLUX’S SPRING/SUMMER 10 COLLECTION, THE ECO LIFE OF RILEY, IS NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE AT THE SUPERSWEET SHOP.

The idiosyncratic website Supersweet.org, has handpicked Lu Flux to join the ranks of artistic gold on their unconventional corner of cyberspace. The Eco Life of Riley stands alongside collections by concept designers Noble Youth and Third Drawer Down. The Supersweet Shop features the extraordinary, the strange and the ambiguous, the fabulous, the ugly and the downright weird.

So what’s all the fuss about?

The Eco Life of Riley consists of mesmerising patchwork florals and cutesy, playful quirks created from salvaged, vintage and organic materials. The handcrafted pieces reek of old-school British eccentricity and exude undertones of unperturbed child-like nostalgia.

Bang on trend, Lu Flux’s creations are the epitome of trailer-trash. Reminiscent of hillbilly nonchalance and hippy cast-offs, the pieces will have you daisy-picking and meadow-hopping before you know it. Patchwork, also featured in Roberto Cavalli’s spring/summer 10 collection, adds a texture-rich dimension to Lu Flux’s clothes. The designer’s ability to knit and sew discarded vintage fabric into one-off contemporary pieces will have you truly captivated.

Every stitch oozes Lu Flux’s passion for pre-lived fabrics.

“I’ve always been excited by textiles, that’s why I got into fashion” says Lu Flux.

“It all started when I volunteered at Shelter. I used to sort through all the donated clothes. Now, when I’m looking in the charity shops I take the clothes that are bobbled, ripped or simply aren’t selling.”

Lu Flux’s collections are sustainable fashion at its best and the perfect antithesis to today’s culture of disposable fashion. The Edinburgh Art graduate showed at London Fashion Week’s Estethica exhibition. The Guardian featured the label in its Earth Day Fashion Pick.

“The aim is to make something new out of something old so as to consume less and reduce waste, ” says Lu Flux.

The Eco Life of Riley strikes idyllic harmony between fashion and eco-motives. Caught up in the recent surge towards green practices, eco-fashion has become a buzz word of late with designers clamouring to stamp their creative flair on the movement. Fairly new on the scene, Lu Flux carries a sincerity that gets to the very heart of compassionate fashion. Her collections provide a cruelty-free and eco-friendly fix to fashionistas with a conscience – these are the kind of clothes that will have the fashion pack envious and the eco posse respectful.

All Lu Flux’s collections are characterised by her love of fabrics, off-the-wall eccentricities and eco-tendencies but The Eco Life of Riley will send that extra flutter down your spine. The designs are more wearable and the textures more luxurious.

Words Camilla Duncan

AFTER TWO SEASONS SHOWING DURING FASHION EAST, SCOTTISH WOMENSWEAR AND JEWELLERY DESIGNER HOLLY FULTON IS NOW FLYING SOLO. SHE’S HAD A ROLLERCOASTER YEAR SO FAR, WINNING YOUNG DESIGNER OF THE YEAR AT THE SCOTTISH FASHION AWARDS AND SCOOPING THE ELLE STYLE AWARD FOR NEW DESIGNER.  AFTER A STINT AT LANVIN, A MASTER FROM THE ROYAL COLLAGE OF ART AND A COLLABORATION WITH SWAROVSKI, HOLLY’S RECENT DESIGNS NEEDED TO BE YET ANOTHER STEP UP AND SHE’S MANAGED IT. AGENT2’S NATALIE DAVIES ASKS HOLLY FULTON HOW SHE HAS FOUND HER RAPID ROCKET TO SUCCESS SO FAR.

You’ve come on leaps and bounds in the last few years after winning the Scottish Designer of the Year award and your coveted Fashion East runway shows. How do you feel looking back on everything?

Bloody lucky! And privileged to have met the people who have worked with and helped me along the way.

Who or what have been your main inspirations?

I have always tried to go with my own feeling of what I would want to wear at that time. I suppose I am quite selfish when designing. Big inspirations are art deco; Pop Art,  particularly the work of Eduardo Paolozzi; outsider art like Henry Darger for its surreal, intense qualities; aboriginal art; Jakob Bengel and Jean Despres jewellery. I am a shocking hoarder and collect many things including 60s clocks, Swedish glass, books of any sort and objects shaped like hands – all these things provide a constant source of inspiration.

What was it like working at Lanvin?

I learnt a lot about myself and what I am capable of as a person and a designer. Designing across womenswear and accessories gave me an insight into my own design style and how it had a place in the fashion system.

Do you prefer designing  jewellery or clothes?

Both! The two are inextricably linked for me. I find it impossible to sit down and design a collection without considering all aspects. My ethos is very much rooted in the creation of a total look, partly because I love a top to toe aesthetic and also because it offers several different access points to buy into and makes it more accessible. You might not be able to afford the crystal dress but you can get the earrings. I want people to be able to wear my collections.

What was it like working with Swarovski for your crystallised range last year?

Wonderful. I have a very strong relationship with Swarovski. They never tell me anything is impossible and have supported my career throughout. The establishment of good, enjoyable working practices and relationships is key to what I do and believe in. Everyone in the process should enjoy the experience.

Why did you incorporate NYC skylines into your designs last year?

I love strong, graphic lines. The NYC skyline, with its deco references, is a testimony to this. Also I desperately wanted to go back to NYC as it had been several years since my last trip. The collection includes graphics reflecting my desire.

Which are your favourite pieces from this season?

I always enjoy working on the crystal pieces. I am particularly fond of the snakeskin dress with perspex and crystal neckline detail. The pure volt of colour you get from it excites me.

What is the inspiration behind the autumn/winter 2010 collection?

It is based on a pissed off woman left waiting Gare Du Nord in Paris for her lover. She is not too pleased but he is too hot for her to give up, so she waits. She wants to look like she’s made a bit of an effort but not too much. The cognacs she’s had to stave off the cold had made her a bit blasée, kind of glam but not too much. A sort of contemporary Doctor Zhivago with a twist of cinema du look from the ‘80s.

What can be expected for spring/summer 2011?

More repeat print, new textures, garments that are a true synthesis of texture, surface and form. The collection will include several new directions and offer a complete wardrobe for contemporary surface freaks.

As a former “up and coming” designer who do you think are ones to watch out for this year?

I’m always enjoying the mad shoe styles of Atlanta Weller, who has collaborated with House of Holland, and the lux, bonkers knits of Craig Lawrence. As for forthcoming talents, watch out for Timothy James Andrews!  Knitting never looked so good.

hollyfulton.com

Words Natalie Davies