Amelia’s Magazine | Sugar and spice: Make Lemonade opens vintage fashion pop-up shop

gabby-young

Emete Yarici by Jenny Lloyd

It’s impossible to miss the Make Lemonade pop-up shop as you walk up Chalton Street Market, help with big windows displaying the warm and cosy scene for everyone to see. Even standing across the street you can see Make Lemonade founder Emete Yarici pottering around, stomach accompanied by her interns Holly-ann Ladd and Bettina Krohn.


Make Lemonade pop-up shop

Step inside and you’ll find a myriad of treasure, starting with clothes from the Make Lemonade range of one-off vintage finds. As Emete talks me through the contributions from the various designers and artists around the shop it becomes clear this is very much a collaboration. ‘I have been working on getting a shop for over a year, but it’s been a mad rush at putting everything together as I only found out I was getting this shop last week,’ says Emete.


Illustration by Joana Faria

Holly-ann has been collecting vintage charms and made them into necklaces, explains Emete, while more accessories are on display from knitwear designer Louise Dungate. The walls are covered by charity shop finds, as well as prints from graphic designers Dan Sayle and Oschon Wespi-Tschopp. This comes from a tie-up with environmentally friendly printers Hato Press. ‘We will be doing a live screenprinting session here on Saturday, where people can choose a design and have it printed on a bag,’ says Emete.

On Wednesday 26th there will be a free styling evening, followed by a music night on the 28th. Norwegian pop and jazz singer Jenny Moe will provide entertainment, alongside the group The Youth. ‘People can bring their own drinks and there will be lots of cushions, so people can come and talk and chill out,’ says Emete. More details of this and other events, including a film screening yet to be confirmed, can be found on the Make Lemonade Facebook page.

Textile print designer Temitope Tijani has provided a special range of her colourful handmade bags and jewellery, while Supermarket Sarah has created a wall of items from the shop – these will go on sale from Supermarket Sarah’s website from 31st January. In addition to clothing, this includes a 1970s coffee set and a very clever apple-a-day calendar from Ken Kirton, who is also responsible for the Make Lemonade logo.


Temitope Tijani illustrated by Genie Espinosa

‘I wanted the shop to be a platform for many people to show their work, not just for our own stuff,’ says Emete, adding that most of the artists are friends, or friends of friends. Camden Council sponsors Make Lemonade’s rent for the pop-up shop, as part of a scheme to bring new business to Somers Town. This area between Euston and King’s Cross stations isn’t necessarily a retail destination, but the locals have been very welcoming, says Emete.

Make Lemonade will exist mainly on the internet for a while to come, but Emete doesn’t rule out a permanent shop down the line. But the next goal to get the brand into shops as permanent concessions, as well as continuing the collaboration with Asos and focusing on the blog. Along with Bettina, Emete will go to Paris this spring to scout for some higher-range vintage lines, but she wants to stay true to the initial idea of creating a reasonably priced vintage shop – something that isn’t that easy to find in London. ‘We want to make sure we stay close to our roots and remain a brand people want to be part of,’ says Emete, suddenly all shy when she has to be in front of the camera instead of behind the scenes.


Emete Yarici

Make Lemonade pop-up shop will be at 24 Chalton Street, London NW1 1JH until 1st February – after that find them on their website. For more information see our listing and the Make Lemonade Facebook page.

Categories ,ASOS, ,Bettina Krohn, ,Chalton Street Market, ,Dan Sayle, ,Emete Yarici, ,fashion, ,Genie Espinosa, ,Hato Press, ,Holly-ann Ladd, ,Jenny Lloyd, ,Jenny Moe, ,Joana Faria, ,Ken Kirton, ,london, ,Louise Dungate, ,Make Lemonade, ,Oschon Wespi-Tschopp, ,Pop-up Shop, ,Somers Town, ,Supermarket Sarah, ,Temitope Tijani, ,The Youth, ,vintage

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Amelia’s Magazine | Sugar and spice: Make Lemonade opens vintage fashion pop-up shop

gabby-young

Emete Yarici by Jenny Lloyd

It’s impossible to miss the Make Lemonade pop-up shop as you walk up Chalton Street Market, help with big windows displaying the warm and cosy scene for everyone to see. Even standing across the street you can see Make Lemonade founder Emete Yarici pottering around, stomach accompanied by her interns Holly-ann Ladd and Bettina Krohn.


Make Lemonade pop-up shop

Step inside and you’ll find a myriad of treasure, starting with clothes from the Make Lemonade range of one-off vintage finds. As Emete talks me through the contributions from the various designers and artists around the shop it becomes clear this is very much a collaboration. ‘I have been working on getting a shop for over a year, but it’s been a mad rush at putting everything together as I only found out I was getting this shop last week,’ says Emete.


Illustration by Joana Faria

Holly-ann has been collecting vintage charms and made them into necklaces, explains Emete, while more accessories are on display from knitwear designer Louise Dungate. The walls are covered by charity shop finds, as well as prints from graphic designers Dan Sayle and Oschon Wespi-Tschopp. This comes from a tie-up with environmentally friendly printers Hato Press. ‘We will be doing a live screenprinting session here on Saturday, where people can choose a design and have it printed on a bag,’ says Emete.

On Wednesday 26th there will be a free styling evening, followed by a music night on the 28th. Norwegian pop and jazz singer Jenny Moe will provide entertainment, alongside the group The Youth. ‘People can bring their own drinks and there will be lots of cushions, so people can come and talk and chill out,’ says Emete. More details of this and other events, including a film screening yet to be confirmed, can be found on the Make Lemonade Facebook page.

Textile print designer Temitope Tijani has provided a special range of her colourful handmade bags and jewellery, while Supermarket Sarah has created a wall of items from the shop – these will go on sale from Supermarket Sarah’s website from 31st January. In addition to clothing, this includes a 1970s coffee set and a very clever apple-a-day calendar from Ken Kirton, who is also responsible for the Make Lemonade logo.


Temitope Tijani illustrated by Genie Espinosa

‘I wanted the shop to be a platform for many people to show their work, not just for our own stuff,’ says Emete, adding that most of the artists are friends, or friends of friends. Camden Council sponsors Make Lemonade’s rent for the pop-up shop, as part of a scheme to bring new business to Somers Town. This area between Euston and King’s Cross stations isn’t necessarily a retail destination, but the locals have been very welcoming, says Emete.

Make Lemonade will exist mainly on the internet for a while to come, but Emete doesn’t rule out a permanent shop down the line. But the next goal to get the brand into shops as permanent concessions, as well as continuing the collaboration with Asos and focusing on the blog. Along with Bettina, Emete will go to Paris this spring to scout for some higher-range vintage lines, but she wants to stay true to the initial idea of creating a reasonably priced vintage shop – something that isn’t that easy to find in London. ‘We want to make sure we stay close to our roots and remain a brand people want to be part of,’ says Emete, suddenly all shy when she has to be in front of the camera instead of behind the scenes.


Emete Yarici

Make Lemonade pop-up shop will be at 24 Chalton Street, London NW1 1JH until 1st February – after that find them on their website. For more information see our listing and the Make Lemonade Facebook page.

Categories ,ASOS, ,Bettina Krohn, ,Chalton Street Market, ,Dan Sayle, ,Emete Yarici, ,fashion, ,Genie Espinosa, ,Hato Press, ,Holly-ann Ladd, ,Jenny Lloyd, ,Jenny Moe, ,Joana Faria, ,Ken Kirton, ,london, ,Louise Dungate, ,Make Lemonade, ,Oschon Wespi-Tschopp, ,Pop-up Shop, ,Somers Town, ,Supermarket Sarah, ,Temitope Tijani, ,The Youth, ,vintage

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Amelia’s Magazine | London Fashion Week S/S 2012 Menswear Day Catwalk Review: Ones to Watch Trine Lindegaard

Trine Lindegaard S/S 2012 by Gareth A Hopkins
Trine Lindegaard S/S 2012 by Gareth A Hopkins.

Ones to Watch menswear once again took place during a very busy menswear Wednesday afternoon. There was as ever an eager crowd in attendance, page bar a few smart suited buyers sitting across from each other in the front row, who smirked at each other across the catwalk for most of the proceedings.

Trine Lindegaard S/S 2012 by Dennis Brix
Trine Lindegaard S/S 2012 by Dennis Brix.

Ones to Watch men Trine Lindegaard SS 2012 review-Photo by Amelia Gregory
Ones to Watch men Trine Lindegaard SS 2012 review-Photo by Amelia Gregory
Ones to Watch men Trine Lindegaard SS 2012 review-Photo by Amelia Gregory
Ones to Watch men Trine Lindegaard SS 2012 review-Photo by Amelia Gregory
Ones to Watch men Trine Lindegaard SS 2012 review-Photo by Amelia Gregory
Ones to Watch men Trine Lindegaard SS 2012 review-Photo by Amelia Gregory

Trine Lindegaard S/S 2012 by HoBoJoBo
Trine Lindegaard S/S 2012 by HoBoJoBo.

First out was a colourful display from Danish born designer Trine Lindegaard. She received an MA in menswear from the RCA in 2010 and began selling on ASOS marketplace in early 2011 but this was Trine Lindegaard‘s first full collection with mentoring from Fashion Scout. It featured a playful range of garments in a scrumptious colour range of fruity maroon, lime yellow and navy. Heads were adorned in flapping material caps that seemed to emulate a cartoon like bowl haircut, and garments sported plenty of texture with appliqued crosses, layered fringing and subtle ribbon stripes. Whilst certainly at the more adventurous end of the menswear spectrum this collection should appeal to avante garde types who are happy to experiment with curious but appealing colour combinations. Garments included shirts, polo necks, baggy pants, relaxed shorts and boxy shouldered overcoats. Definitely One to Watch.

Ones to Watch men Trine Lindegaard SS 2012 review-Photo by Amelia Gregory
Ones to Watch men Trine Lindegaard SS 2012 review-Photo by Amelia GregoryOnes to Watch men Trine Lindegaard SS 2012 review-Photo by Amelia Gregory
Ones to Watch men Trine Lindegaard SS 2012 review-Photo by Amelia Gregory
Ones to Watch men Trine Lindegaard SS 2012 review-Photo by Amelia Gregory
Ones to Watch men Trine Lindegaard SS 2012 review-Photo by Amelia Gregory
Ones to Watch men Trine Lindegaard SS 2012 review-Photo by Amelia Gregory
All photography by Amelia Gregory.

Trine Lindegaard S/S 2012 by Gareth A Hopkins
Trine Lindegaard S/S 2012 by Gareth A Hopkins.

LFW_SS12_OnestoWatchMen_TrineLindegaard_MattBramford
LFW_SS12_OnestoWatchMen_TrineLindegaard_MattBramford
LFW_SS12_OnestoWatchMen_TrineLindegaard_MattBramford
LFW_SS12_OnestoWatchMen_TrineLindegaard_MattBramford
LFW_SS12_OnestoWatchMen_TrineLindegaard_MattBramford
All photography by Matt Bramford.

Categories ,ASOS, ,Casual, ,Danish, ,Dennis Brix, ,Fashion Scout, ,Freemasons’ Hall, ,Gareth A Hopkins, ,HoBoJoBo, ,Marketplace, ,Matt Bramford, ,menswear, ,Ones To Watch, ,rca, ,Royal College of Art, ,Trine Lindegaard

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Amelia’s Magazine | My adventures at Practicum: British Fashion, put together by the British Council in Moscow

Moscow Practicum: British Fashion 2011
The Moscow Practicum: British Fashion crew in Red Square. All photography by Amelia Gregory. (unless I am in the pic that is)

Just over a week ago I travelled to Moscow with the British Council to talk to a group of young fashion designers from across Europe as part of a educational program called Practicum: British Fashion. I travelled from the UK with Toby Meadows, pilule who offers advice to fashion designers with the Centre for Fashion Enterprise, sales and with Janine Passley, approved an expert in buying and sustainability practices for EI8HT who consults for ASOS.

Moscow Practicum: British Fashion 2011
Moscow Practicum: British Fashion 2011
With Toby Meadows, Janine Passley and Michael Salac.

It was the first time that I have flown in nearly three years. R/H the label travelled from Finland by train to reduce their carbon footprint, but unfortunately it was just that little bit too far for me to do the same…

Moscow Practicum: British Fashion 2011 with Janine Passley and Clare Lopeman
With Janine Passley and Clare Lopeman

It’s the second time I’ve been to Moscow: the first time having been in 2007 when I went there to discover up and coming creatives for issue 8 of Amelia’s Magazine. It takes under 5 hours to fly there, which seems remarkably close for a culture that is so very different from our own.

Moscow Practicum: British Fashion 2011 with Evgenia Gerasimova
Practicum: British Fashion 2011 was put together by Evgenia Gerasimova, seen here introducing the programme.

Moscow Practicum: British Fashion 2011 Kristian Steinberg
Kristian Steinberg gives us his pitch.

Moscow Practicum: British Fashion 2011 Toby Meadows
Toby Meadows in front of a giant plastic bag sculpture in the Garage Centre for Contemporary Culture.

Michael Salac of Blow PR joined us the next day, as did Clare Lopeman, a fashion designer and head of fashion at the British Higher School of Art and Design. Practicum: British Fashion took place in a wonderful old industrial complex known as the Garage Centre for Contemporary Culture, a huge hall that was built in 1926 as a bus garage and that now houses exhibitions, a cafe, lecture halls and a fantastic bookshop.

Moscow The Garage Centre of Contemporary Culture
Moscow’s The Garage Centre for Contemporary Culture.

Moscow Practicum: British Fashion 2011 Toby Meadows
We ate a lot of canapes!

Together we made up a hopefully non scary panel of “experts” who listened to short pitches from the designers, who came from Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Poland, Finland, Denmark, Estonia and Latvia. We then offered our opinions and advice on how to improve their businesses – in my case this invariably meant encouraging sustainable practice and prompting them to improve their online presence. The next day it was our turn to lecture on our expert subjects, in my case, How to produce good promotional material that will attract editorial coverage in magazines, and how to promote your brand successfully on social media. Just some of my favourite subjects!

Moscow Practicum: British Fashion 2011 Michael Salac
Practicum: British Fashion lecture with Michael Salac

Moscow British Council Hede Kerstin Luik
Hede Kerstin Luik from the British Council in Estonia

I like teaching and lecturing so I thoroughly enjoyed the experience, and it was lovely that so many people came up to me afterwards to tell me how inspired they were. I took loads of postcards with me and they all got taken which I take as a good sign!

Moscow British Council-after my talk

But what was undoubtedly the most brilliant part of the whole experience was the opportunity to meet lots of wonderfully talented people who are doing really interesting things in their own countries. Sitting at my computer all day every day I sometimes forget that I am very much a people person at heart, and I enjoy hanging out with other people. As is often the case at these kind of events some of the most important networking was done outside of official hours, when we were chatting at the hotel bar or exploring the extremely expensive rooftop bar at the Radisson Hotel which is housed in one of Moscow’s famous Seven Sisters – laughing as we all squished into the tiny lift to zoom up to the 29th floor, and then coming straight back down again when we discovered how expensive it was.

Moscow Practicum: British Fashion Red Square
Moscow Practicum: British Fashion Red Square

Moscow Practicum: British Fashion Red Square
Moscow Practicum: British Fashion Red Square Soulland
Moscow Practicum: British Fashion Red Square Soulland
Moscow Practicum: British Fashion Radisson Hotel
Moscow Practicum: British Fashion Radisson Hotel
Moscow Practicum: British Fashion Radisson Hotel
The incredibly fancy Radisson toilets…

We also got the opportunity to attend one of the many Russian Fashion Weeks, Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Russia, for which the British Council had flown over Lulu Kennedy of Fashion East to showcase three of her star designers: Marios Schwab, Louise Gray and James Long.

Moscow British Council-russian fashion week
Moscow British Council-russian fashion week
At Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Russia, sponsored by, ahem, Tupperware.

Moscow BC 2011-partying after fashion week
Partying after fashion week shenanigans.

I’ll be writing up that experience in a separate blog post. In the meantime here are a bunch of pictures from my time in Moscow… fun times indeed. As a result it looks as though I will be attending Fashion Philosophy Fashion Week Poland in Lodz in early May 2011. Thankyou so much Evgenia Gerasimova and the British Council!

Moscow Red SQUARE soldiers
Soldiers in Red Square.

Moscow Dior advertising
Giant Dior advertising.

Moscow BCmy legs
My legs in the lift.

Moscow BC 2011-Michael and Emilia of R/H
Michael of Blow and Emilia of R/H

Moscow BC 2011-Lovely knitwear in Solyanka
Lovely knitwear in the shop at the Solyanka nightclub.

Moscow BC 2011-Red Square
Red Square

Moscow BC 2011-Russian Dolls
Lots of Russian dolls

Moscow BC 2011-Toby Meadows on the Metro
Toby Meadows on the Metro

Moscow BC 2011-Michael Salac and Janine Passley
Michael Salac and Janine Passley on the Metro

Moscow BC 2011-Metro

Moscow British Council-Amelia Gregory with cocktail
Enjoying an EXTREMELY expensive Cherry Pepper cocktail – like a meal in one!

Categories ,1926, ,ASOS, ,Blow PR, ,British Council, ,British Higher School of Art and Design, ,Carbon footprint, ,Centre for Contemporary Culture, ,Centre for Fashion Enterprise, ,Clare Lopeman, ,D.EFECT, ,Denmark, ,EI8HT, ,Estonia, ,Evgenia Gerasimova, ,fashion, ,Fashion East, ,Fashion Philosophy Fashion Week, ,finland, ,Fortytwo, ,garage, ,James Long, ,Janine Passley, ,Kristian Steinberg, ,Latvia, ,Lisa Shahno, ,Lodz, ,Louise Gray, ,Lulu Kennedy, ,Mareunrol’s, ,Marios Schwab, ,Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Russia, ,Michael Salac, ,Michaela Mazalanova, ,Moscow, ,Nadya Nurieva, ,Networking, ,poland, ,Practicum: British Fashion, ,R/H, ,R/H the label, ,Radisson, ,Red Square, ,Russia!, ,Seven Sisters, ,Slovakia, ,Slovenia, ,Social Networking, ,Soulland, ,sustainability, ,Toby Meadows, ,Tupperware

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Amelia’s Magazine | Olivia Rubin collaborates with OPI to create her own shatter nail lacquer set

OPI shatter nail polish collaboration with Olivia Rubin by Novemto Komo
OPI shatter nail polish collaboration with Olivia Rubin by Novemto Komo.

I do like a press day where you can get your hair and nails done, price so despite my lack of time I decided to swing by South Molton Street yesterday to visit Olivia Rubin, who was greeting all visitors personally – what a nice touch. No high falutin’ designer here, plus she was very good about my review of her A/W 2011 catwalk show, which mainly banged on about the high celebrity quotient.

Olivia Rubin at her A/W 2011 press day
Olivia Rubin at her A/W 2011 press day.

Usually there is a massive queue for free grooming but I chanced upon a lull having missed, by mere minutes, a whirlwind visit from The Only Way Is Essex pop group Lola. Damn. They were the ones who distracted me at her A/W 2011 catwalk show. Actually, maybe it’s a good thing I missed them.

Olivia Rubin by Liam Mcmahon
Olivia Rubin by Liam Mcmahon.

Olivia Rubin Cute as a Cupcakes. Of course.
Olivia Rubin bespoke cupcakes by Cute as a Cupcakes. Always the cupcakes… but I have to admit these really were a stunning compliment to her new collection.

Anyway, I decided to grab the opportunity to try out the new OPI shatter collection produced in collaboration with Olivia Rubin and for sale in exclusive colour combinations at ASOS and other stores soon. It’s a great idea because Olivia is known for her bold use of animal prints and this looks a bit like a leopard print from afar.

Olivia Rubin by Liam Mcmahon
Olivia Rubin by Liam Mcmahon.

Olivia Rubin shatter nail polish collaboration with OPI
Olivia Rubin shatter nail polish collaboration with OPI. Nice bright colours as always.

Did you know that OPI takes its name from the dental company whence the first nail products sprang from? Back in the early 1980s George Schaeffer took over a dental supply business called Odontorium Products Inc, and quickly realised the potential for transferring the technology behind acrylic dentures into the crafting of false nails. Not very sexy eh? But that’s the way it rolls in the beauty industry. Happily, OPI do not test on animals.

Olivia Rubin OPI shatter polish
Olivia Rubin’s elegant nails.

Olivia Rubin OPI shatter polish
Hmmmm, my not very elegant hands.

Since then they’ve built a huge nail brand, famed for its brightly coloured nail polishes with fun names. OPI technicians have been helping out backstage at various fashion shows during LFW, and they take care of famous pop personalities such as Katy Perry and Alexandra Burke, who have their very own nail technicians on hand at all times, except, that is, when they are sorting out my stubby sausage hands. My nails were done by Alexandra Burke‘s *actual* nail technician, get in. She won the X Factor a few years back in case you were wondering.

Olivia Rubin OPI shatter polish
Here’s a pic of my paws: the effect is really most captivating. I can’t stop looking at them!

The shatter nail polish is apparently all the rage, though in my backward way I had never heard of it and sat there transfixed as Alexandra’s right hand man painted the second coat onto my nails and it mysteriously cracked in front of my eyes: the chemicals reacting to the first coat below. After that he used a very cunning product called Drip Dry Lacquer Drying Drops, which drops on top to dry nails almost instantly. Clever, these dentist types. The shatter nail lacquer comes in black and silver to create fun effects on top of other colours.

Olivia Rubin-Rush Hair Salon Isobel
Lovely hair stylist from the Rush Hair Salon.

After that I decided to get my hair blow-dried by a lovely girl called Isobel from Rush Hair salon: love that vintage dress she’s wearing. I do wish that I could make my frizzy hair look so sleek and glossy myself, but I have to admit that it’s way more relaxing to get someone else to do it for me!

Olivia Rubin-A/W 2011
Olivia Rubin-A/W 2011
Olivia Rubin-A/W 2011
Olivia Rubin-A/W 2011

It was really nice to see the new Olivia Rubin collection up close, to feel the satin silks and admire the screen prints which she does herself. I particularly liked the fine gauge knit jumpers featuring Olivia’s signature brick and speech bubble ‘prints’ and she’s also done some lovely shoes in collaboration with Dune.

Olivia Rubin-A/W 2011

Keep an eye on this one because she’s a savvy business lady, and for sweet idiosyncratic dresses and tops she’s right on track: Olivia Rubin is now stocked in 50 stores across the UK and globally.

YouTube Preview Image
Do the shatter polish y’all.

Olivia will be finishing off the next collection over Easter, and her OPI collaboration should be available soon. I look forward to trying out Overexposed in South Beach, which joins Suzi Loves Cowboys and Wing It! from LFW goody bags. Now I’ve just got to find time to paint my nails more often myself.

Categories ,A/W 2011, ,Acrylic, ,Alexandra Burke, ,ASOS, ,Beauty, ,Blow Dry, ,Celebrity, ,cupcakes, ,Cute as a Cupcake, ,Drip Dry Lacquer Drying Drops, ,Dune, ,Easter, ,George Schaeffer, ,Katy Perry, ,knitwear, ,lfw, ,Liam McMahon, ,Lola, ,Nail Lacquer, ,Nail Polish, ,Nails, ,Novemto Komo, ,Odontorium Products Inc, ,Olivia Rubin, ,OPI, ,Overexposed in South Beach, ,prints, ,RUSH Hair, ,Shatter Nail Lacquer, ,Shatter Nail Polish, ,South Molton Street, ,Suzi Loves Cowboys, ,The Only Way is Essex, ,TOWIE, ,Wing It!

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Amelia’s Magazine | Plastic Seconds creates a wall for Supermarket Sarah

Plastic_Seconds_wall
It’s no secret that I am a big fan of Maria Papadimitriou‘s work. Not only does she produce many wonderful collaged illustrations for Amelia’s Magazine but she also creates the most brilliant recycled jewellery under the Plastic Seconds moniker. It’s not only bold and clever but also fully sustainable, adiposity so I am really happy that people are starting to take notice. Right now she has a wall with Supermarket Sarah, ask where you can buy some beautiful bespoke pieces. I urge you to check it out.

Plastic Seconds Clownish HeadpiecePlastic Seconds Pearls and Bottlenecks Necklace

How did you decide what to make for Supermarket Sarah?
It is absolutely great that Supermarket Sarah often feature one-off items with a lot of personality, which one would perhaps wear to be different or keep as a special fashion object – a few of the gorgeous items they sell come from prop styling and photo shoots. So I wanted most of the Plastic Seconds items for the Supermarket Sarah website to be both unique and larger or more extreme in a fashion sense.

Plastic Seconds British Lids PendantPlastic Seconds Pen Lids Necklace

Can you describe what some of the Plastic Seconds pieces are made from and how you source the materials?
I use a lot of lids – from plastic bottles, glass jars, and other containers. I also love to use one-off finds like the cloakroom tags or the large jigsaw puzzle pieces and other bits from objects that we usually throw away, but their shape and colour is so lovely and fun, especially when used in an unexpected context – examples of this are the pen lids and the sushi soy sauce containers. I have slowly been collecting materials for a few years now from the recycling boxes of the flats I have been living in – and still do. At the moment one of my other main sources is my part-time job where they let me have a Plastic Seconds collection box in the kitchen and where colleagues bring me bags of their collected finds quite regularly – also it is a public space with a lot of visitors and I often do table rounds collecting bottle neck rings from abandoned bottles. Another source is my family in Greece who keep all sorts of bits they can’t recycle in my old desk drawers for me – and I do love sushi…

Plastic Seconds Sushi NecklacePlastic Seconds Plug Necklace

What piece was the most fun to make and why?
They were all quite fun, but as I said above I really enjoyed making the bigger pieces for Supermarket Sarah – like the headpieces – because I really admire people who have a strong sense of personal style or are playful with dressing up and secretly constantly hope people wore colourful big things on all occasions! Also I find it very satisfying that simple, geometric, striking pieces can be made from readily available forms. Other items that were really fun were the ones which were created by combining two different lids by snapping them into each other without using other means to keep them together – I can spend quite a lot of time trying different combinations to see which ones will fit perfectly! And finally pieces that are very satisfying to make are the ones like the big multicharm necklace made out of a thick found chain, discarded key rings collected over some time and ring pulls from soy milk cartons, because every single element – even the clasp –  is a found object and so they are very special.

Plastic Seconds Juggling Balls NecklacePlastic Seconds Make Up Brush Pendant

What next?
I would like to make some even bigger, more complex pieces and perhaps find a way to source materials in a more organised way and a way that might have a wider positive impact. In terms of little things coming up, next week I am taking part in the filming of a new pilot show called Green Screen that introduces environmental thinking in a different light at the National Film and Television School, I am hopefully opening within June my ASOS marketplace boutique in the ethical boutiques section – next to 123 and Goodone! – and in July 29-31st I will be in the Upcycled Market section, curated by the Eco Design Fair, which is part of the Vintage Weekend at the Southbank Centre!

Plastic Seconds Large Lids Headpiece

Maria caught me marvelling at one of her recycled lid pendants at my ACOFI Book Tour evening at Tatty Devine a few weeks ago and has kindly offered to make me a pendant out of my old lids, so I’m busy collecting the most exciting ones. Turning *rubbish* into desirable jewellery, it doesn’t get much better than this!

Categories ,123, ,ASOS, ,Eco Design Fair, ,Ecodesign Fair, ,goodone, ,jewellery, ,Maria Papadimitriou, ,National Film and Television School, ,Plastic Seconds, ,recycled, ,Slowly the Eggs, ,Southbank centre, ,Upcycled

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Amelia’s Magazine | London Fashion Week A/W 2011 Presentation Review: Maria Francesca Pepe (by Amelia)

Osman A/W 2011 by Ellie Sutton
Osman A/W 2011 by Ellie Sutton.

Osman. Not a name that I’m overly familiar with, healing stomach although we have frequently written about designer Osman Yousefzada. He’s trained the likes of the super talented Henrietta Ludgate and when he showed as part of Fashion in Motion at the V&A we were there to admire his work.

Osman. Photography by Tim Adey
Osman. Photography by Tim Adey.

Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011 by Holly Monger
Osman A/W 2011 by Holly Monger.

So it was that with enthusiasm I went to my first Osman show, pilule settling on the front row to much amusement as another contributor befriended the head buyer of Browns. Next along some buyers threw a hissy fit when asked to move in favour of Liberty, at which they threatened to leave the show and what’s worse, cancel their Osman orders. I do find these insights into the actual trade part of LFW most intriguing – buyers are massively important at the shows where large orders from key retailers really matter… namely the shows in the BFC tent. And it’s the Liberty and Browns of this world which are Gods, something which lesser shop buyers may discover the embarrassing way. Needless to say I kept my head down and stuck to admiring the ink splodge catwalk, protected the entire length by guards.

Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.
How much do I love this dress?!

Osman A/W 2011 by Ellie Sutton
Osman A/W 2011 by Ellie Sutton.

The Afghan designer is fabled for his clean, regal lines and this was much in evidence as the show opened with a stunning white and royal blue dress that mirrored the catwalk design, which in turn was inspired by a series of lightbox installations by the artist Catherine Yass. Satu Fox wrote in 2009 of Osman’s refusal to follow current trends and this still felt very true in a beautifully elegant show where pared down tailoring was absolutely the order of the day.

Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011 by Holly Monger
Osman A/W 2011 by Holly Monger.

Wide legged trousers, A-line maxi-dresses, a caped dress underscored with a splash of orange, beautiful marled grey boucle wool fabrics… and an intriguing gold apron outfit which opened at the back. I could imagine almost every outfit being worn and admired… there was no filler here. The show ended with a return to the royal blue splotch theme, this time across the breast area of a searing fuchsia maxi-dress. This was an extremely confident collection that explained to me precisely why Osman has the buyers salivating. Absolutely gorgeous. If only he hadn’t ruined it with that one piece of what I presume was fur… entirely unnecessary.

Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.
Fur? Or an interesting use of alpaca wool? We’re not sure, and nor is anyone else… I really do hope the latter.

Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.
Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.

You can read Naomi Law’s equally admiring review here.
Osman A/W 2011 by Ellie Sutton
Osman A/W 2011 by Ellie Sutton.

Osman. Not a name that I’m overly familiar with, viagra 100mg although we have frequently written about designer Osman Yousefzada. He’s trained the likes of the super talented Henrietta Ludgate and when he showed as part of Fashion in Motion at the V&A we were there to admire his work.

Osman. Photography by Tim Adey
Osman. Photography by Tim Adey.

Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011 by Holly Monger
Osman A/W 2011 by Holly Monger.

So it was that with enthusiasm I went to my first Osman show, settling on the front row to much amusement as another contributor befriended the head buyer of Browns. Next along some buyers threw a hissy fit when asked to move in favour of Liberty, at which they threatened to leave the show and what’s worse, cancel their Osman orders. I do find these insights into the actual trade part of LFW most intriguing – buyers are massively important at the shows where large orders from key retailers really matter… namely the shows in the BFC tent. And it’s the Liberty and Browns of this world which are Gods, something which lesser shop buyers may discover the embarrassing way. Needless to say I kept my head down and stuck to admiring the ink splodge catwalk, protected the entire length by guards.

Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.
How much do I love this dress?!

Osman A/W 2011 by Ellie Sutton
Osman A/W 2011 by Ellie Sutton.

The Afghan designer is fabled for his clean, regal lines and this was much in evidence as the show opened with a stunning white and royal blue dress that mirrored the catwalk design, which in turn was inspired by a series of lightbox installations by the artist Catherine Yass. Satu Fox wrote in 2009 of Osman’s refusal to follow current trends and this still felt very true in a beautifully elegant show where pared down tailoring was absolutely the order of the day.

Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011 by Holly Monger
Osman A/W 2011 by Holly Monger.

Wide legged trousers, A-line maxi-dresses, a caped dress underscored with a splash of orange, beautiful marled grey boucle wool fabrics… and an intriguing gold apron outfit which opened at the back. I could imagine almost every outfit being worn and admired… there was no filler here. The show ended with a return to the royal blue splotch theme, this time across the breast area of a searing fuchsia maxi-dress. This was an extremely confident collection that explained to me precisely why Osman has the buyers salivating. Absolutely gorgeous. If only he hadn’t ruined it with that one piece of what I presume was fur… entirely unnecessary.

Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.
Fur? Or an interesting use of alpaca wool? We’re not sure, and nor is anyone else… I really do hope the latter.

Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.
Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.

You can read Naomi Law’s equally admiring review here.
Osman A/W 2011 by Ellie Sutton
Osman A/W 2011 by Ellie Sutton.

Osman. Not a name that I’m overly familiar with, dosage although we have frequently written about designer Osman Yousefzada. He’s trained the likes of the super talented Henrietta Ludgate and when he showed as part of Fashion in Motion at the V&A we were there to admire his work.

Osman. Photography by Tim Adey
Osman. Photography by Tim Adey.

Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011 by Holly Monger
Osman A/W 2011 by Holly Monger.

So it was that with enthusiasm I went to my first Osman show, ask settling on the front row to much amusement as another contributor befriended the head buyer of Browns. Next along some buyers threw a hissy fit when asked to move in favour of Liberty, at which they threatened to leave the show and what’s worse, cancel their Osman orders. I do find these insights into the actual trade part of LFW most intriguing – buyers are massively important at the shows where large orders from key retailers really matter… namely the shows in the BFC tent. And it’s the Liberty and Browns of this world which are Gods, something which lesser shop buyers may discover the embarrassing way. Needless to say I kept my head down and stuck to admiring the ink splodge catwalk, protected the entire length by guards.

Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.
How much do I love this dress?!

Osman A/W 2011 by Ellie Sutton
Osman A/W 2011 by Ellie Sutton.

The Afghan designer is fabled for his clean, regal lines and this was much in evidence as the show opened with a stunning white and royal blue dress that mirrored the catwalk design, which in turn was inspired by a series of lightbox installations by the artist Catherine Yass. Satu Fox wrote in 2009 of Osman’s refusal to follow current trends and this still felt very true in a beautifully elegant show where pared down tailoring was absolutely the order of the day.

Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011 by Holly Monger
Osman A/W 2011 by Holly Monger.

Wide legged trousers, A-line maxi-dresses, a caped dress underscored with a splash of orange, beautiful marled grey boucle wool fabrics… and an intriguing gold apron outfit which opened at the back. I could imagine almost every outfit being worn and admired… there was no filler here. The show ended with a return to the royal blue splotch theme, this time across the breast area of a searing fuchsia maxi-dress. This was an extremely confident collection that explained to me precisely why Osman has the buyers salivating. Absolutely gorgeous. If only he hadn’t ruined it with that one piece of what I presume was fur… entirely unnecessary.

Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.
Fur? Or an interesting use of alpaca wool? We’re not sure, and nor is anyone else… I really do hope the latter.

Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.
Osman A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.

You can read Naomi Law’s equally admiring review here.
Maria Francesca Pepe by Karla Pérez Manrique
Maria Francesca Pepe by Karla Pérez Manrique.

At the entrance there stood a horned model, visit web arms crossed and lycra-ed legs askance. Face masked. Model or mannequin? It wasn’t immediately obvious. In a season of slick presentations the one given by Maria Francesca Pepe – a true Amazonian beauty herself – really stood out for its professionalism. But it made me uncomfortable.

Maria Francesca Pepe, <a target=visit LFW A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.” title=”Maria Francesca Pepe, price LFW A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.” width=”480″ height=”615″ class=”aligncenter size-full wp-image-37268″ />Maria Francesca Pepe, LFW A/W 2011
Maria Francesca Pepe at LFW A/W 2011. Isn’t she pretty? Photography by Amelia Gregory.

Red lighting shifted, pulsating over models that looked younger than legal. Young and nervous. One was laid prostrate on a plinth across the entrance to the next room, two more further back, and then in the far room what I can only describe as a child sat perched in front of a series of mannequins, none of which I could see in the gloaming. This girl had the face of an imp, a feeling encouraged by her amazing resin and carbon steel curved and studded hat – a bastardised version of something a gnome might wear. Beneath her flowing robes I suddenly realised why she was so uncomfortable. The bum and back of her tights were also encrusted with spikes. Is this a good idea? Should I be calling out the NSPCC?

Maria Francesca Pepe, LFW A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Maria Francesca Pepe, LFW A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryMaria Francesca Pepe by Karla Pérez Manrique
Maria Francesca Pepe by Karla Pérez Manrique.

But what of the jewellery and accessories on display? I must confess that it took me awhile to look in at the details, such was the overwhelming effect of towering horned creatures. I had a brief opportunity to ask Maria who she would most like to wear her showpiece headpieces, which are heavily encrusted with hexagonal Swarovski crystals in the style of Medieval helmets. The answer was of course Lady Gaga. But the real point of all this girly S&M drama? Why of course: it was to sell a diffusion line. MFP accessories are available online at ASOS.

Maria Francesca Pepe A-W 2011-ringsMaria Francesca Pepe, LFW A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Maria Francesca Pepe by Karla Pérez Manrique
Maria Francesca Pepe by Karla Pérez Manrique.

Each child model sported expertly manicured hands, dangling ‘amulets’ dripping from her tiny fingers. The Fortuna collection features everyday jewellery made in workhorse metals such as brass and accessorised with crystals and pearls. And always those ever present studs.

Maria Francesca Pepe is also available at Wolf & Badger. You can read Helen Martin’s review here.

Categories ,ASOS, ,Fashion Scout, ,Freemasons’ Hall, ,Geiko Louve, ,Helen Martin, ,Karla Pérez Manrique, ,Lady Gaga, ,Maria Francesca Pepe, ,medieval, ,MFP, ,Swarovski, ,Trace Publicity, ,Wolf & Badger

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Amelia’s Magazine | London Fashion Week A/W 2011 Presentation Review: Maria Francesca Pepe (by Amelia)

Maria Francesca Pepe by Karla Pérez Manrique
Maria Francesca Pepe by Karla Pérez Manrique.

At the entrance there stood a horned model, arms crossed and lycra-ed legs askance. Face masked. Model or mannequin? It wasn’t immediately obvious. In a season of slick presentations the one given by Maria Francesca Pepe – a true Amazonian beauty herself – really stood out for its professionalism. But it made me uncomfortable.

Maria Francesca Pepe, LFW A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Maria Francesca Pepe, LFW A/W 2011
Maria Francesca Pepe at LFW A/W 2011. Isn’t she pretty? Photography by Amelia Gregory.

Red lighting shifted, pulsating over models that looked younger than legal. Young and nervous. One was laid prostrate on a plinth across the entrance to the next room, two more further back, and then in the far room what I can only describe as a child sat perched in front of a series of mannequins, none of which I could see in the gloaming. This girl had the face of an imp, a feeling encouraged by her amazing resin and carbon steel curved and studded hat – a bastardised version of something a gnome might wear. Beneath her flowing robes I suddenly realised why she was so uncomfortable. The bum and back of her tights were also encrusted with spikes. Is this a good idea? Should I be calling out the NSPCC?

Maria Francesca Pepe, LFW A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Maria Francesca Pepe, LFW A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryMaria Francesca Pepe by Karla Pérez Manrique
Maria Francesca Pepe by Karla Pérez Manrique.

But what of the jewellery and accessories on display? I must confess that it took me awhile to look in at the details, such was the overwhelming effect of towering horned creatures. I had a brief opportunity to ask Maria who she would most like to wear her showpiece headpieces, which are heavily encrusted with hexagonal Swarovski crystals in the style of Medieval helmets. The answer was of course Lady Gaga. But the real point of all this girly S&M drama? Why of course: it was to sell a diffusion line. MFP accessories are available online at ASOS.

Maria Francesca Pepe A-W 2011-ringsMaria Francesca Pepe, LFW A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Maria Francesca Pepe by Karla Pérez Manrique
Maria Francesca Pepe by Karla Pérez Manrique.

Each child model sported expertly manicured hands, dangling ‘amulets’ dripping from her tiny fingers. The Fortuna collection features everyday jewellery made in workhorse metals such as brass and accessorised with crystals and pearls. And always those ever present studs.

Maria Francesca Pepe is also available at Wolf & Badger. You can read Helen Martin’s review here.

Categories ,ASOS, ,Fashion Scout, ,Freemasons’ Hall, ,Geiko Louve, ,Helen Martin, ,Karla Pérez Manrique, ,Lady Gaga, ,Maria Francesca Pepe, ,medieval, ,MFP, ,Swarovski, ,Trace Publicity, ,Wolf & Badger

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Amelia’s Magazine | London Fashion Week A/W 2011 Preview: Ada Zanditon on Sustainability

Oscars – Georgia Coote thumb
Oscars - Georgia Coote
Illustration by Georgia Coote

So Colin and Helena have already won their BAFTA awards. Now all eyes are on them for the Oscars. Particularly Colin Firth, approved who has been vigorously doing the rounds as it were, cialis 40mg on chat shows such as Ellen. I believe in the aforementioned show, abortion Colin was given some Oscar worthy tuxedo pants. Personally I think Colin should have got an Oscar for A Single Man, one of my favourite films…in the world ever. This article is a small run down of 13 films nominated in the Oscars. Lucky 13…

Abby_Wright_Oscars_Natalie_Portman
Natalie Portman Illustration by Abby Wright

Black Swan revolves around Nataliie Portman’s character winning the lead to Swan Lake, leading to madness and obsession. Driven by perfection, she loses grip of reality entirely as you are taken on a heady journey. I accept it is a genre piece, thus obvious and over the top for a reason, but controversially I didn’t love it. Natalie Portman has been nominated for Best Actress, among five other nominations for the film.

Inception is a fantasy thriller with Leo at the forefront. Christopher Nolan produced some incedible scenes for our eyes to devour and the twists and turns were a thrill to behold. It has eight nominations, including Leonardo DiCaprio for Best Actor.

Helena Bonham Carter by Matilde Sazio
Helena Bonham Carter Illustration by Matilde Sazio

The King’s Speech had people applauding in the cinemas. Everyone has gone mad for this film. And what with Will and Kate getting hitched this year, the Royal family are enjoying a thrust of positive publicity. Colin Firth’s character is a George VI and Helena Bonham Carter, his wife, the Queen Mother have both been nominated for their performances. The film has been nominated for 12 in total.

Colin Firth by Karina Yarv
Colin Firth Illustration by Karina Yarv

Rabbit Hole is about a couple’s life is affected after their young son dies in an accident. Nicole Kidman has been nominated for Best Actress for her role.

The Social Network
David Fincher’s account on the origins of Facebook…

The Kids Are All Right is the story of a lesbian couple whose sperm donor returns into their lives, has four nominations and stars Annette Bening and Julianne Moore.

Toy Story 3 was a sad film in many ways, because it reflected time’s passing and the end of childhood. But Toy Story (1) brings back wonderful memories and has been overplayed to death without inducing even the remotest hatred. Same with Toy Story 2. Toy Story 3 was held in high hopes and it delivered. The film has five nominations, including Best Picture.

Gemma Milly-True Grit
True Grit Illustration by Gemma Milly

True Grit
Joel and Ethan Coen make quite scary, but brilliant films. This remake of the 1969 John Wayne western has received ten nominations in total, these include Jeff Bridges for Best Actor and Hailee Steinfeld for Best Supporting Actress.

Alice In Wonderland sees Alice return to the world of magic and chattering objects, as a 19 year old. She learns of her destiny and meets her old chums. The film, which stars Johnny Depp, has been nominated for three Oscars.

Exit Through the Gift Shop saw Bristol’s Banksy nominated for Best Documenary Feature. The story is about an eccentric French amateur film maker and shop owner trying to befriend Banksy.

127 Hours
Ewww. But also amazing story of overcoming the odds, directed by Danny Boyle. This is a real life story about a climber forced to take extreme action to survive. You all know what I’m talking about I’m sure. James Franco has been nominated for his role as the protagonist and indeed, only character in the film. The film has also been nominated for Best Picture.

Michelle Williams by Russty Brazil
Michelle Williams Illustration by Russty Brazil

Blue Valentine is a stunning and devastating film about falling out of love. Michelle Williams has become numb to her life and husband, whilst Ryan Gosling flails around, trying to save the marriage. Making it all worse. The flashbacks to their falling in love are touching, and the soundtrack by Grizzly Bear made me cry. Michelle Williams has been nominated for Best Actress.

Winter’s Bone
An independent film, Debra Granik’s tale is about a young woman living in a rural community, trying to find her missing father. The film has been nominated for three awards.

Now bring on the pizazz and dresses, quaff, quaff!
Ada Zanditon A/W 2011 Preview by Rebecca Strickson
Ada Zanditon A/W 2011 Preview by Rebecca Strickson.

For Ada process is everything. “I don’t want to sit at a desk using Illustrator to design clothes that will be made many miles away. I love the hands on process of choosing the fabrics and creating the clothes.” But she does want to conquer the luxury goods market. “I want to make clothes that are desirable and exciting but also ecological.” The luxury goods market is one that is saturated with leathers and furs, ed but Ada will only use leather by products that have been vegetable tanned. “It’s very hard to find good enough quality fake leather and the biggest crime is waste, approved so it is better that skin is used. Things are getting better but we still have a long way to go.” She describes a trip to the Wastesavers deep in Huddersfield as part of an initiative with Jane Shepherdson and Oxfam. There was such a huge amount of waste that it boggled her mind. She dreads to think how much more goes into landfill every day.

Ada Zanditon comission by The Lovely Wars
Ada Zanditon (commission) by The Lovely Wars.

We ponder the ethics of sustainably produced fur where the animals are treated well, but she’s not really interested in fur from a aesthetic point of view, and worries too much about the air miles and poor conditions of most farmed animals.

Ada Zanditon SS 2011 by The Lovely Wars
Ada Zanditon S/S 2011 by The Lovely Wars.

Ada tries to fly as little as possible – preferring instead to find inspiration in the English countryside when she goes on holiday. “My favourite way to travel is by Eurostar!” She is not interested in the idea of being against things, and would rather look at the relevant alternatives and ways in which to do things with purpose.

Ada Zanditon by Avril Kelly
Ada Zanditon by Avril Kelly.

She is analytical in her approach to sustainable practise. “A lot of the environmental debate comes from an emotional place,” she says. “I used to be both veggie and vegan but now I just try to buy local, organic and free range… I find that meat answers my needs as an adult who needs a lot of energy.” But then her decision to stop eating meat was never based on the killing of animals in itself – she ponders the irony of vegetarians who wear non organic cotton – the pesticides from which have no doubt adversely affected local wildlife.

Ada Zanditon S/S 2011 by Dee Andrews
Ada Zanditon S/S 2011 by Dee Andrews.

She thinks that there is a lot of fluffy thinking in western culture and much prefers to take a scientific perspective. “It takes emotion out of the equation. Emotion is good when it comes to fashion, but sustainable design needs a common sense approach to see ideas with clarity.” With her analytical mind she looks for ways to reduce environmental impacts and ensure positive outcomes within resource management and production.

Ada Zanditon by Dee Andrews
Ada Zanditon by Dee Andrews.

Even though she is a designer of high fashion she concedes that how to make affordable sustainable clothing is one of the biggest problems that needs tackling. “I have my own part in the wheel, but it would be false for me to design differently than what comes naturally.” Despite the possibility of an adverse “trickle-down effect” whereby her high fashion designs could easily be copied at a cheaper price level without using sustainable materials Ada is hopeful that her values of using sustainable materials and local production will inspire others if she can communicate them strongly and excitingly enough. I am inclined to agree.

Ada Zanditon by Maria del Carmen Smith
Ada Zanditon by Maria del Carmen Smith.

Ada occasionally lectures students, and is about to embark on a project in fashion and sustainability at La Cambre in Brussels. “To teach fashion you have to put a lot in. I love giving one off lectures and working on specific projects but I don’t have time for more.” One of the things she finds most inspiring in ethical fashion is that there are more people who are now coming to ethical fashion from a fashion perspective. “In the past ethical fashion companies were set up by environmentalists, but nowadays designers who come from a fashion background are able to bring a distinct handwriting to their designs.” She classifies herself amongst this new wave of designers, alongside names such as Beautiful Soul, Christopher Raeburn, Goodone, The North Circular and Henrietta Ludgate (all of whom feature in my new book). “We feel supportive of each other and it’s really good to see a relevant aesthetic growing and gaining momentum.”

Ada Zanditon A/W 2010 Pre-Collection by Sarah Matthews
Ada Zanditon A/W 2010 Pre-Collection by Sarah Matthews.

Most recently Ada has been commissioned for a couple of exciting fair-trade projects: a collective collaboration with ASOS, for which she designed a scarf to coincide with the launch of Fairtrade Fortnight and a project in conjunction with Vogue Magazine to celebrate the release of fair-trade gold. “They rang on Thursday wanting a substantial geometric piece that spoke of luxury: the perfect project for me. And by Saturday it was sorted!” Ada rightly feels that it is really important to show that fine jewellery can be made sustainably and with awareness for the impact of manufacture on human lives.

Ada Zanditon A/W 2010 Pre-Collection by Sarah Matthews
Ada Zanditon A/W 2010 Pre-Collection by Sarah Matthews.

Her business partner is entrepreneur Philip Levine, who is good at networking and looking out for opportunities. “There is so much pressure on young brands to build a successful business at the same time as being creative,” she says, “but people spread themselves too thinly and can’t always see the best choices in business. Many fashion brands come and go but I want longevity.” She loves evolving illustrations into prints and hopes to expand her prints onto a wide range of products in the future.

At just 28 years old it looks as though Ada Zanditon is already building a brand to remember, and most importantly of all, it is a fashion brand that has ethics at the very heart of it. I look forward to her LFW presentation this Friday with much anticipation. Read our taster of what to expect right here.

Ada Zanditon features in my new book: Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration.

Categories ,ACOFI, ,Ada Zanditon, ,Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration, ,Ani Saunders, ,ASOS, ,Avril Kelly, ,Beautiful Soul, ,Brussels, ,Christopher Raeburn, ,Dee Andrews, ,Eurostar, ,Fairtrade Fortnight, ,Fur, ,goodone, ,Henrietta Ludgate, ,Jane Shepherdson, ,jewellery, ,La Cambre, ,leather, ,Maria del Carmen Smith, ,oxfam, ,Philip Levine, ,Rebecca Strickson, ,Sarah Matthews, ,Stylist Magazine, ,sustainability, ,The Lovely Wars, ,The North Circular, ,vegan, ,vegetarian, ,vogue, ,Wastesavers

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Amelia’s Magazine | London Fashion Week A/W 2010 Catwalk Review: Belle Sauvage

Belle Sauvage. All photography by Amelia Gregory.
Belle Sauvage. All photography by Amelia Gregory unless otherwise stated.

It’s always good, approved I find, to get talking to the various freaks I photograph at fashion week. So there I was, taking an artfully staged pose of a boy channelling a New Romantic Michael Jackson (I’m sure there’s nothing like a death to bring on the best types of homage) when we got into a little conversation. “Are you a blogger?” he asked. “Why yes, I suppose I am, I said,” giving him my card. “Ohhhhh,” he went. “I know you – you’ve taught me. You came down to Epsom and gave us a lecture recently.”

Looking HAWT at fashion week gets you places...
Looking HAWT at fashion week gets you places…

I congratulated him on actually making an effort to get out to the fashion shows and he bemoaned his classmates, many of whom obviously weren’t inclined to blag it into the shows or maybe just didn’t possess his particular kind of panache. He told me had tickets for Mark Fast. Really? “Nightmare,” he said like a seasoned pro, gesticulating to the crush outside the venue before being whisked straight to the front of the queue by his mates. You see kids, if you dress up and make an effort to look FABULOUS, you get automatic access to all the best bits of fashion week. Mark Fast eh? I was refused tickets for that show dear readers. “Sorry we are oversubscribed so cannot accommodate you,” was the abrupt response from one Charlotte Delahunty (who she?) Unless, it appears, you are an ambitious student of mine. In which case you will be accommodated. I talked to Mark at his stand over at Somerset House and in person he proved to be very lovely, but it is the press bitches that control the gates to the shows and it pays to know these people. And they know it. Unfortunately I’m not very good at sucking arse. Sorry, I mean, being polite and charming (unless I genuinely like you). Story of my life really – but that doesn’t mean that I wouldn’t recommend making that little bit extra bit of effort to get along in fashion if that’s where your future lies. The future lies with the ambitious. Go out there, make friends and always, always dress fabulous.

Belle Sauvage runway. Photography by Tim Adey.
Belle Sauvage runway. Photography by Tim Adey.

Belle Sauvage. Photography by Amelia Gregory.
Belle Sauvage by Maryanne Oliver
Belle Sauvage by Maryanne Oliver.

Belle Sauvage.
Belle Sauvage by Maryanne Oliver
Belle Sauvage by Maryanne Oliver.

Belle Sauvage
Check out those armoured shoes. Won’t get into any trouble in those, no siree.

Belle Sauvage high hair and close plaits by Maryanne Oliver
Belle Sauvage high hair and close plaits by Maryanne Oliver.

Belle Sauvage

But back to the shows. Belle Sauvage is the baby of designers Virginia Ferreira and Christian Neuman. They’ve only just starting showing at London Fashion Week and there was a good crowd piled into Victoria House to see what they’d cooked up for their new collection. They have already made a bit of a name for their strong digital prints, and on this score they did not disappoint. Fritz Lang Metropolis inspired kaleidoscopic shapes were splattered across leggings and short shift dressings. A large face stared ominously back from oversized slouchy knitwear. Huge protected shoes, spiked and plated shapes emphasised the ever-present armoured theme, as did the severe back-combed mohawks and high swept eyeliner – making the models appear alien-esque, cold and untouchable as they strode down the runway to an industrial sound track. Belle Sauvage class themselves as a “boutique” brand and retail at a reasonable price on websites such as ASOS. It’s not easy to marry catwalk edginess with commerciality – especially at this price point – but Belle Sauvage seem to be making admirable headway. Other brands would do well to watch and learn.

Belle Sauvage. Photography by Tim Adey.
Belle Sauvage ALIENS. Photography by Tim Adey.

Categories ,ASOS, ,Belle Sauvage, ,Blagging, ,boutique, ,Christian Neuman, ,Digital Prints, ,epsom, ,Fritz Lang, ,Leggings, ,Mark Fast, ,Maryanne Oliver, ,Michael Jackson, ,New Romantic, ,UCCA, ,Victoria House, ,Virginia Ferreira

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