Amisha Ghadiali

Amelia’s Magazine | Think Act Vote Interview Part Two

by


Photography by Dominic Clarke.

It’s the day before the general election and the concluding part of Amelia’s Magazine interview with Think Act Vote’s Amisha Ghadiali. Tomorrow you have a chance to vote. Use it.

Why do you think if “politics were a brand, visit this online no one would wear it!”?

This statement is about Westminster politics, capsule in many ways the system we have is out of date for the world we are living in now. I don’t see people wanting to “wear” it as it is. This is why I really support the work of campaigns like Vote for a Change that focus their around how we can make the system work better for us.

How can fashion be used to engage people in Politics?

I think that fashion plays a key role in how we express ourselves and we use it to communicate things about ourselves or messages that we care about. The campaign t-shirt has become iconic as a phenomenon. At the beginning of the campaign, we ran a competition to design the perfect campaign t-shirt, which was a great opportunity for up and coming illustrators to showcase their work. The winning design by Jesson Yip was selected by a judging panel that included Katharine Hamnett and Daisy de Villeneuve. The symbols represent each word, with different fonts to represent different people’s voices. The design was then printed onto Earth Positive Eco T-shirts and is now on sale.

Through working in the ethical fashion industry I see fashion as a key way to think about sustainability. We all wear clothes, and the fashion industry affects so many people across the world as well as the environment. I work closely with Ethical Fashion designers at EFF and am one myself with my jewellery label. As an ethical designer, you don’t just have to make sure that your collection looks and fits great, but you spend a huge amount of time researching new fabrics, new technologies and finding out who is telling the truth about their labour standards or production methods. You need to be pioneering and inquisitive as you think through your entire collection and its impact on the environment and people at every stage.

Ethical Fashion designers are always pushing boundaries and are extremely passionate about what they do. I wanted to include this talent in the campaign and asked leading ethical fashion designers to create a show piece or an easy DIY customisation using a Think Act Vote t-shirt and off cuts from their collections. The designers that took part included Ada Zanditon, Junky Styling, Traid Remade, Tara Starlet and Beautiful Soul. The pieces that they created in just a week are stunning.


Photography by Ben Gold

Think Act Vote discusses the negativity imbedded in modern politics – Were there any particular examples that spurred you into action?

There are loads of examples, just try and think when the last time you heard something positive about politicians or about changes in our communities. We are always focusing on people’s failings and the ‘fear’ out there. Just last week the country spent two days focusing on the story about Gordon Brown saying a woman was a bigot.

Is this negativity the reason, do you think, for the decline in the number of votes?

Not the only reason. Things have changed a lot over the last few decades. I think two features of the neo-liberal British political landscape are related: the rise of consumerism and the demise of traditional participation. I think that the way we express who we are is different now, not that many people are lifetime members of political parties. Political identity is no longer inherited.

As mentioned before I don’t think the political system reflects who we are, which makes us lose interest.

Have you been watching the Leader’s Debate?

I have seen bit of them, but not all the way through as have been doing talks and events most evenings in the past few weeks. I think it is great to have the leaders on TV, as it has really helped getting people talking about the election. I am not sure how much of their personalities and policies we are really seeing as the whole things does feel a little over polished. I think it would mean more if we had a vote on who was PM as well as on our local MP. I would also like to see some of the smaller parties be given this platform too.

Will you be voting this election?

Yes I will be voting, I think this is vital. I haven’t decided who for yet. I will decide on election day. I am deciding between three parties but then I went on Voter Power and saw that my voter power in my constituency is only 0.039. It is an ultra safe seat. So I am thinking about voting through Give Your Vote. It is a fantastic campaign about Global Democracy which allows you to give your vote to somebody in Afghanistan, Ghana or Bangladesh. It is an act of solidarity with those who do not have a say in the decisions that affect them.

Join Amisha tonight at: The Future I Choose with Live Music, Poetry, Fashion, Photography
The City and Arts Music Project, 70-74 City Road, London, EC1Y 2BJ
5.30pm til 9pm

Written by Sally Mumby-Croft on Wednesday May 5th, 2010 11:41 am

Categories ,Ada Zanditon, ,Amisha Ghadiali, ,Beautiful Soul, ,environment, ,Ethical Fashion, ,fashion, ,Gordon Brown, ,Junky Styling, ,Leaders’ Debate, ,politics, ,Think Act Vote, ,TraidRemade

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Amelia’s Magazine | Think Act Vote Interview Part Two

by


Photography by Dominic Clarke.

It’s the day before the general election and the concluding part of Amelia’s Magazine interview with Think Act Vote’s Amisha Ghadiali. Tomorrow you have a chance to vote. Use it.

Why do you think if “politics were a brand, visit this online no one would wear it!”?

This statement is about Westminster politics, capsule in many ways the system we have is out of date for the world we are living in now. I don’t see people wanting to “wear” it as it is. This is why I really support the work of campaigns like Vote for a Change that focus their around how we can make the system work better for us.

How can fashion be used to engage people in Politics?

I think that fashion plays a key role in how we express ourselves and we use it to communicate things about ourselves or messages that we care about. The campaign t-shirt has become iconic as a phenomenon. At the beginning of the campaign, we ran a competition to design the perfect campaign t-shirt, which was a great opportunity for up and coming illustrators to showcase their work. The winning design by Jesson Yip was selected by a judging panel that included Katharine Hamnett and Daisy de Villeneuve. The symbols represent each word, with different fonts to represent different people’s voices. The design was then printed onto Earth Positive Eco T-shirts and is now on sale.

Through working in the ethical fashion industry I see fashion as a key way to think about sustainability. We all wear clothes, and the fashion industry affects so many people across the world as well as the environment. I work closely with Ethical Fashion designers at EFF and am one myself with my jewellery label. As an ethical designer, you don’t just have to make sure that your collection looks and fits great, but you spend a huge amount of time researching new fabrics, new technologies and finding out who is telling the truth about their labour standards or production methods. You need to be pioneering and inquisitive as you think through your entire collection and its impact on the environment and people at every stage.

Ethical Fashion designers are always pushing boundaries and are extremely passionate about what they do. I wanted to include this talent in the campaign and asked leading ethical fashion designers to create a show piece or an easy DIY customisation using a Think Act Vote t-shirt and off cuts from their collections. The designers that took part included Ada Zanditon, Junky Styling, Traid Remade, Tara Starlet and Beautiful Soul. The pieces that they created in just a week are stunning.


Photography by Ben Gold

Think Act Vote discusses the negativity imbedded in modern politics – Were there any particular examples that spurred you into action?

There are loads of examples, just try and think when the last time you heard something positive about politicians or about changes in our communities. We are always focusing on people’s failings and the ‘fear’ out there. Just last week the country spent two days focusing on the story about Gordon Brown saying a woman was a bigot.

Is this negativity the reason, do you think, for the decline in the number of votes?

Not the only reason. Things have changed a lot over the last few decades. I think two features of the neo-liberal British political landscape are related: the rise of consumerism and the demise of traditional participation. I think that the way we express who we are is different now, not that many people are lifetime members of political parties. Political identity is no longer inherited.

As mentioned before I don’t think the political system reflects who we are, which makes us lose interest.

Have you been watching the Leader’s Debate?

I have seen bit of them, but not all the way through as have been doing talks and events most evenings in the past few weeks. I think it is great to have the leaders on TV, as it has really helped getting people talking about the election. I am not sure how much of their personalities and policies we are really seeing as the whole things does feel a little over polished. I think it would mean more if we had a vote on who was PM as well as on our local MP. I would also like to see some of the smaller parties be given this platform too.

Will you be voting this election?

Yes I will be voting, I think this is vital. I haven’t decided who for yet. I will decide on election day. I am deciding between three parties but then I went on Voter Power and saw that my voter power in my constituency is only 0.039. It is an ultra safe seat. So I am thinking about voting through Give Your Vote. It is a fantastic campaign about Global Democracy which allows you to give your vote to somebody in Afghanistan, Ghana or Bangladesh. It is an act of solidarity with those who do not have a say in the decisions that affect them.

Join Amisha tonight at: The Future I Choose with Live Music, Poetry, Fashion, Photography
The City and Arts Music Project, 70-74 City Road, London, EC1Y 2BJ
5.30pm til 9pm

Written by Sally Mumby-Croft on Wednesday May 5th, 2010 11:41 am

Categories ,Ada Zanditon, ,Amisha Ghadiali, ,Beautiful Soul, ,environment, ,Ethical Fashion, ,fashion, ,Gordon Brown, ,Junky Styling, ,Leaders’ Debate, ,politics, ,Think Act Vote, ,TraidRemade

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Amelia’s Magazine | Environmentally Conscious Style on a Budget- part one

by

12445-esthetica-rImage courtesy of Esthetica, approved sponsored by Monsoon

2009 was quite a year for ethical fashion. Dazed and Confused featured an in-depth interview with fashion icon Vivienne Westwood and leading environmentalist James Lovelock. Vogue devoted a sizable spread to green fashion, web and London Fashion Week kicked off with Esthetica, physician a showcase of 28 ethical designers. Ecofashion it would seem edged its way from the periphery into something approaching centre stage. Out were the unshapely, unflattering garments previously seen on only the most hardened of the eco-warriors. In were beautifully crafted clothes with a conscience as a growing number of designers and consumers tackled the prickly issue of clothing, style, and the environment. This momentum seems only likely to gain in strength judging by the numerous events and exhibitions planned for 2010.

Essentially what we are seeing is a growing realisation that while it is absolutely imperative that far more is said on the environmental and human consequences of fast fashion, there is no need to sacrifice a sense of style to take part in this dialogue. Like music and art, fashion is an extension of culture, a manifestation of the changing influences of the society within which it exists. There should be no shame in wanting to take part in this expressive medium, but nor should this interest be at the expense of our planet. However on making the decision to marry an interest in clothing and green issues you may find yourself stumped with where exactly to source reasonably priced stylish garments whose production has not impacted negatively both socially and environmentally. Herein lies something of a problem.

gabmillAlexa Chung in Oxfam Reworked campaign, photographed by Kai Z Feng

Ecofashion may now be occupying headlines, but hugely desirable as this clothing may be, cheap it is not. Dressing sustainably and stylishly can come with a considerable price tag. Of course there is a reason for this and the answer is to save and buy responsibly, but at the cost of most ethical lines and my current income I’d average 2 garments a year and shoes every other. The rise of fast fashion is undoubtedly one of the major scourges of our time, and while I can in no way condone its revolving door of trends, neither do I particularly want to spend my year interchanging two outfits. So until I get a wage that affords me a capsule wardrobe of organically grown, naturally dyed, fairly traded wonder garments, you’ll find me in Oxfam.

2482927517_c779706755Image courtesy of Oxfam Boutique

Rethinking the charity shop
The reinvention of the charity shop is long overdue and still a considerable way from anything you could call complete. Currently thanks to the efforts of fashion guru and creative director Jane Shepherdson, Oxfam would appear to be one of the few charities pulling its stores through a major image reworking and providing us with anything approaching a viable option to mainstream buying.

Shepherdson’s vision of the Oxfam Boutique has reinvented recycled fashion, turning on its head any idea you may have about ill-fitting dresses secured with safety pins. In doing so she has firmly established the charity shop as a major resource for the environmentally conscious style seeker on a budget, while bringing to our attention the main reasons behind why choosing to buy donated clothing is one of the easiest ways to reduce our environmental footprint which, where clothing is concerned, is big.

Stay tuned for part two this afternoon…

Written by Sisi King on Tuesday February 2nd, 2010 12:32 pm

Categories ,Dazed & Confused, ,esthetica, ,Ethical Fashion, ,James Lovelock, ,Jane Shepherdson, ,London Fashion Week, ,oxfam, ,Sisi King, ,Vivienne Westwood, ,vogue

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Amelia’s Magazine | Voting Reform: An interview with Amisha Ghadiali

by

Yes to Fairer Votes Vice-Chair Amisha Ghadiali wearing Ada Zanditon. Illustration by Sam Parr

On May 5th 2011, this the United Kingdom will be asked – in the first referendum since 1975 – to vote on the following question:

“At present, price the UK uses the ‘first past the post’ system to elect MPs to the House of Commons. Should the ‘alternative vote’ system be used instead?”

The referendum on the Alternative Vote is the first time in our lifetimes that the citizens of the UK have been able to have a say in how we elect MP’s to the House of Commons.

Currently, viagra 100mg this historical moment to discuss voting reform – amongst a broader analysis on the current state of Britain’s democracy – is being lost amidst (speculated) Coalition tensions and fear mongering on the cost of moving from FPTP to AV. Whilst to some, AV may be “a miserable little compromise” that fails to push voting reform far enough, by voting Yes! on the 5th May we, the citizens of the UK, can register our disquiet with the current system (FPTP) and enable the discussion on voting reform to stay at the forefront of the political agenda.

To find out more about what the Alternative Vote is compared to the current system of “First Past The Post” Amelia’s Magazine interviewed one of the Yes Campaign’s Vice-Chair’s: Jewellery Designer, Ethical Fashion Campaigner and Founder of Think Act Vote – Amisha Ghadiali.

Photography by Anna Gordon

What is a referendum?

A referendum is when we are asked to vote, not in an election, but on a single issue. Many of us would like to see more of these on a variety of issues. However they are not that common, the last UK-wide referendum was in 1975 asking the question “Do you think the UK should stay in the European Community (Common Market)?”

What is the Alternative Vote?

The Alternative Vote is a voting system, it means that instead of putting one X on our ballot paper, we rank our candidates in order of preference. You can rank all the candidates, or just one, it’s totally up to you. What this means is that if there are three candidates that you would be happy to represent you, you can communicate this. Or if your first choice is a smaller party, that under the current system would have little chance to getting in, you can vote for them, but also somebody from one of the main parties, without having to vote tactically.

 The person who wins the seats needs to have the majority of the vote, so what they do is count the votes. If nobody has 50% of the vote, they eliminate the candidate that comes last, and add their second preferences to the remaining candidates. This repeats until somebody has over 50% of the vote. It means that no votes are wasted.

What are the benefits to AV compared to FPTP?

The current system FPTP means that who ever gets the most votes wins. This sounds fair but what it means in reality is that 2 out of 3 MPs in our parliament have less then 50% of the vote. This means that most of us are represented by people most of us voted against.

The Alternative Vote will mean that MPs will have to be voted for by the majority in their constituency, and so will have to work harder to make sure that they are listening to all of their constituents and representing all of their views, rather then pandering to their core voter support which many of them do.

How are the ‘winners’ in FPTP Elections often opposed to by the majority of voters?

Because the candidate who gets the most votes wins, it doesn’t matter how much of the vote they got. For example some have as little as 32% of the vote in their constituency, meaning that over two thirds of their consistency didn’t vote for them.

Why are you voting Yes to AV?

I think that the Alternative Vote will make our democracy more honest, make all of our votes count, make our MPs have to work harder to gain wider support in their constituencies, make our MPs more accountable to us and make our experience of voting simpler. We will still have our one local MP, but will have more of a say on who that is.

The way that we vote is how we take part in our democracy, and so having more of a say in this part of the process is vital to making ours a fairer politics.

I believe that voting yes in this referendum is the most important vote that we have ever been asked to cast.


AV – A Historical Perspective

Why do you believe this is the most important vote we have ever been asked to cast?

I have taken part in two general elections where I know that my vote didn’t make any difference to the result. Although voting in both general and local elections is an important part of our citizenship, this is us voting on the future of our democracy. It’s the first referendum that I have ever taken part in. It’s not about party politics and politicians but about how we take part in politics and have our views represented. What could be more important than that? After all they do work for us.

What is your role within the Yes campaign?

I am a Vice-Chair of the campaign. When I thought about it over Christmas, I realised how passionately I felt about this referendum, and contacted the campaign asking if I could help. They invited me to be a Vice-Chair along with other supporters including Eddie Izzard, Martin Bell and Greg Dyke. It means that we campaign and speak out about the issues to the media and at events, and as I have discovered in the pub too!

Yes to AV illustration by Mike Harman

 What are your thoughts on how both the Yes to AV and No to AV campaigns have been run?

To be honest, I have found the whole debate in the media really depressing. The focal point often is about how it is going to affect the politicians, but this is not about them, it’s about us and our experience voting. It’s about our future, not about the present.

Of course, I am a supporter of the Yes Campaign, but feel that I would have been deeply disappointed in the No Campaign tactics even if I supported FPTP. Their campaign messages are built on actual lies, and I can’t believe that people are spending millions of pounds spreading lies, rather then on creating an honest open debate about the two systems. There has been so much ‘mud slinging’ which I find shocking, because I thought our politics was better than that.

Their three arguments are that it is expensive, it will give extremist parties (ie the BNP) more power and that it is too complicated for us to understand. None of these things are actually true. They have said it will cost £250 million which is the cost of the referendum whatever the result and the cost of counting machines that we are not getting. They have said that it will encourage the BNP, when the BNP are supporting a No vote, as they know the current system works better for them. And the idea that it is too complicated is frankly insulting. We can all count to three!

The Yes campaign has had to respond to a lot of the allegations that have been made, using time when we would have preferred to talk about relevant issues. I am really enjoying the energy of the Yes campaign, it has brought together a group of passionate, committed people from a variety of backgrounds. The local groups that have been running phone banks and doing local actions are really energetic and inspiring. 

Photography by Anna Gordon

 Why do you think the Conservatives, headed by David Cameron are campaigning against AV, though Cameron himself won the party leadership through AV?

It’s baffling isn’t it. I find it shocking that he is saying that AV is a bad system when it gave him his job. If the Conservative Party leadership deserves AV, then so should we. It is a system that is used a lot in Westminster, not just for leadership contests but also other votes such as how MPs join select committees. I think it is because this change breaks down the tribalism of the Conservatives vs Labour Party, which has served the conservative party well. I thought Cameron was more progressive, but seeing him campaign on this, my personal view is that Cameron doesn’t actually want us to have more say, he is happy with the system as it is, as it works for him.

Will AV tackle the culture of tactical voting and ‘safe seats’? Thus uprooting the current system of members of parliament being parachuted intp safe constituencies?

Yes it will. There is a website called Voter Power, where you can find out what your vote is worth with AV compared to FPTP. From their analysis AV will reduce the number of very safe seats by 60, and increase the number of very marginal seats by 44. So this will make a big difference.

Safe seats are definitely a problem in our current system, as is the fact that political parties openly target the marginal seats only. In the last election the votes of only 1.6% of the electorate in 111 of these marginal seats decided the result. This is something that we have to change.

There will be no need for tactical voting. You can vote with your real preferences, and don’t have to think about voting ‘against’ people.

Why do you think the number of people who vote at each General Election is falling? What needs to change within our political system that will encourage people to use their vote?

I think that there are many reasons why voting turnout is falling, a lack of trust in politicians, declining numbers of political party membership, the number of safe seats held by MPs, feeling that votes don’t count, as just a few. I think that people need to feel more connected to politics, and feel that their voice is really heard through voting. I think the Alternative Vote will help solve these issues. It will not solve all the ills of politics in this country, but it is a small change we can and should make for the better.

Photography by Anna Gordon

In the media there have been mutterings on both the reduction of the number of MP’s and the redrawing of constituency boundaries, what effect will this decision have on politics and what is it relation to the referendum on the alternative vote?

So it has nothing to do with the referendum. This happened earlier in the year, it was part of the same bill that the referendum was on when it went through parliament, and was not something that we had a say on. This has happened, and will take effect at the next general election. There are going to be 50 less MPs which means that some of the current boundaries will be re-drawn and made bigger. The idea is that it keeps the cost of politics down.  It has been quite controversial as they are dividing some traditional boundaries and local areas. At the same time Cameron has appointed 117 new peers in the House of Lords since last May, which is actually putting the cost of politics up despite cutting the number of MPs.

Any website or article recommendations for those interested in finding out more about the referendum?

Electoral Reform
 
Yes to Fairer Votes

Elegance Rebellion

If you get the X Factor you’ll get AV – Johann Hari

You can join the campaign on Facebook and Twitter too!

Written by Silent City on Wednesday April 27th, 2011 1:45 pm

Categories ,5th May 2011, ,Amisha Ghadiali, ,Anna Gordon, ,Conservatives, ,David Cameron, ,Ed Milliband, ,FPTP, ,General Election, ,House of Commons, ,Labour, ,Liberal Democrats, ,May 5th, ,Mike Harman, ,MP, ,Nick Clegg, ,No to AV, ,Referendum, ,Sam Parr, ,Think Act Vote, ,Yes to AV, ,Yes to Fairer Votes

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Amelia’s Magazine | Voting Reform: An interview with Amisha Ghadiali

by

Yes to Fairer Votes Vice-Chair Amisha Ghadiali wearing Ada Zanditon. Illustration by Sam Parr

On May 5th 2011, this the United Kingdom will be asked – in the first referendum since 1975 – to vote on the following question:

“At present, price the UK uses the ‘first past the post’ system to elect MPs to the House of Commons. Should the ‘alternative vote’ system be used instead?”

The referendum on the Alternative Vote is the first time in our lifetimes that the citizens of the UK have been able to have a say in how we elect MP’s to the House of Commons.

Currently, viagra 100mg this historical moment to discuss voting reform – amongst a broader analysis on the current state of Britain’s democracy – is being lost amidst (speculated) Coalition tensions and fear mongering on the cost of moving from FPTP to AV. Whilst to some, AV may be “a miserable little compromise” that fails to push voting reform far enough, by voting Yes! on the 5th May we, the citizens of the UK, can register our disquiet with the current system (FPTP) and enable the discussion on voting reform to stay at the forefront of the political agenda.

To find out more about what the Alternative Vote is compared to the current system of “First Past The Post” Amelia’s Magazine interviewed one of the Yes Campaign’s Vice-Chair’s: Jewellery Designer, Ethical Fashion Campaigner and Founder of Think Act Vote – Amisha Ghadiali.

Photography by Anna Gordon

What is a referendum?

A referendum is when we are asked to vote, not in an election, but on a single issue. Many of us would like to see more of these on a variety of issues. However they are not that common, the last UK-wide referendum was in 1975 asking the question “Do you think the UK should stay in the European Community (Common Market)?”

What is the Alternative Vote?

The Alternative Vote is a voting system, it means that instead of putting one X on our ballot paper, we rank our candidates in order of preference. You can rank all the candidates, or just one, it’s totally up to you. What this means is that if there are three candidates that you would be happy to represent you, you can communicate this. Or if your first choice is a smaller party, that under the current system would have little chance to getting in, you can vote for them, but also somebody from one of the main parties, without having to vote tactically.

 The person who wins the seats needs to have the majority of the vote, so what they do is count the votes. If nobody has 50% of the vote, they eliminate the candidate that comes last, and add their second preferences to the remaining candidates. This repeats until somebody has over 50% of the vote. It means that no votes are wasted.

What are the benefits to AV compared to FPTP?

The current system FPTP means that who ever gets the most votes wins. This sounds fair but what it means in reality is that 2 out of 3 MPs in our parliament have less then 50% of the vote. This means that most of us are represented by people most of us voted against.

The Alternative Vote will mean that MPs will have to be voted for by the majority in their constituency, and so will have to work harder to make sure that they are listening to all of their constituents and representing all of their views, rather then pandering to their core voter support which many of them do.

How are the ‘winners’ in FPTP Elections often opposed to by the majority of voters?

Because the candidate who gets the most votes wins, it doesn’t matter how much of the vote they got. For example some have as little as 32% of the vote in their constituency, meaning that over two thirds of their consistency didn’t vote for them.

Why are you voting Yes to AV?

I think that the Alternative Vote will make our democracy more honest, make all of our votes count, make our MPs have to work harder to gain wider support in their constituencies, make our MPs more accountable to us and make our experience of voting simpler. We will still have our one local MP, but will have more of a say on who that is.

The way that we vote is how we take part in our democracy, and so having more of a say in this part of the process is vital to making ours a fairer politics.

I believe that voting yes in this referendum is the most important vote that we have ever been asked to cast.


AV – A Historical Perspective

Why do you believe this is the most important vote we have ever been asked to cast?

I have taken part in two general elections where I know that my vote didn’t make any difference to the result. Although voting in both general and local elections is an important part of our citizenship, this is us voting on the future of our democracy. It’s the first referendum that I have ever taken part in. It’s not about party politics and politicians but about how we take part in politics and have our views represented. What could be more important than that? After all they do work for us.

What is your role within the Yes campaign?

I am a Vice-Chair of the campaign. When I thought about it over Christmas, I realised how passionately I felt about this referendum, and contacted the campaign asking if I could help. They invited me to be a Vice-Chair along with other supporters including Eddie Izzard, Martin Bell and Greg Dyke. It means that we campaign and speak out about the issues to the media and at events, and as I have discovered in the pub too!

Yes to AV illustration by Mike Harman

 What are your thoughts on how both the Yes to AV and No to AV campaigns have been run?

To be honest, I have found the whole debate in the media really depressing. The focal point often is about how it is going to affect the politicians, but this is not about them, it’s about us and our experience voting. It’s about our future, not about the present.

Of course, I am a supporter of the Yes Campaign, but feel that I would have been deeply disappointed in the No Campaign tactics even if I supported FPTP. Their campaign messages are built on actual lies, and I can’t believe that people are spending millions of pounds spreading lies, rather then on creating an honest open debate about the two systems. There has been so much ‘mud slinging’ which I find shocking, because I thought our politics was better than that.

Their three arguments are that it is expensive, it will give extremist parties (ie the BNP) more power and that it is too complicated for us to understand. None of these things are actually true. They have said it will cost £250 million which is the cost of the referendum whatever the result and the cost of counting machines that we are not getting. They have said that it will encourage the BNP, when the BNP are supporting a No vote, as they know the current system works better for them. And the idea that it is too complicated is frankly insulting. We can all count to three!

The Yes campaign has had to respond to a lot of the allegations that have been made, using time when we would have preferred to talk about relevant issues. I am really enjoying the energy of the Yes campaign, it has brought together a group of passionate, committed people from a variety of backgrounds. The local groups that have been running phone banks and doing local actions are really energetic and inspiring. 

Photography by Anna Gordon

 Why do you think the Conservatives, headed by David Cameron are campaigning against AV, though Cameron himself won the party leadership through AV?

It’s baffling isn’t it. I find it shocking that he is saying that AV is a bad system when it gave him his job. If the Conservative Party leadership deserves AV, then so should we. It is a system that is used a lot in Westminster, not just for leadership contests but also other votes such as how MPs join select committees. I think it is because this change breaks down the tribalism of the Conservatives vs Labour Party, which has served the conservative party well. I thought Cameron was more progressive, but seeing him campaign on this, my personal view is that Cameron doesn’t actually want us to have more say, he is happy with the system as it is, as it works for him.

Will AV tackle the culture of tactical voting and ‘safe seats’? Thus uprooting the current system of members of parliament being parachuted intp safe constituencies?

Yes it will. There is a website called Voter Power, where you can find out what your vote is worth with AV compared to FPTP. From their analysis AV will reduce the number of very safe seats by 60, and increase the number of very marginal seats by 44. So this will make a big difference.

Safe seats are definitely a problem in our current system, as is the fact that political parties openly target the marginal seats only. In the last election the votes of only 1.6% of the electorate in 111 of these marginal seats decided the result. This is something that we have to change.

There will be no need for tactical voting. You can vote with your real preferences, and don’t have to think about voting ‘against’ people.

Why do you think the number of people who vote at each General Election is falling? What needs to change within our political system that will encourage people to use their vote?

I think that there are many reasons why voting turnout is falling, a lack of trust in politicians, declining numbers of political party membership, the number of safe seats held by MPs, feeling that votes don’t count, as just a few. I think that people need to feel more connected to politics, and feel that their voice is really heard through voting. I think the Alternative Vote will help solve these issues. It will not solve all the ills of politics in this country, but it is a small change we can and should make for the better.

Photography by Anna Gordon

In the media there have been mutterings on both the reduction of the number of MP’s and the redrawing of constituency boundaries, what effect will this decision have on politics and what is it relation to the referendum on the alternative vote?

So it has nothing to do with the referendum. This happened earlier in the year, it was part of the same bill that the referendum was on when it went through parliament, and was not something that we had a say on. This has happened, and will take effect at the next general election. There are going to be 50 less MPs which means that some of the current boundaries will be re-drawn and made bigger. The idea is that it keeps the cost of politics down.  It has been quite controversial as they are dividing some traditional boundaries and local areas. At the same time Cameron has appointed 117 new peers in the House of Lords since last May, which is actually putting the cost of politics up despite cutting the number of MPs.

Any website or article recommendations for those interested in finding out more about the referendum?

Electoral Reform
 
Yes to Fairer Votes

Elegance Rebellion

If you get the X Factor you’ll get AV – Johann Hari

You can join the campaign on Facebook and Twitter too!

Written by Silent City on Wednesday April 27th, 2011 1:45 pm

Categories ,5th May 2011, ,Amisha Ghadiali, ,Anna Gordon, ,Conservatives, ,David Cameron, ,Ed Milliband, ,FPTP, ,General Election, ,House of Commons, ,Labour, ,Liberal Democrats, ,May 5th, ,Mike Harman, ,MP, ,Nick Clegg, ,No to AV, ,Referendum, ,Sam Parr, ,Think Act Vote, ,Yes to AV, ,Yes to Fairer Votes

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Amelia’s Magazine | The Papered Parlour: Fashion in the Age of Austerity

by

Designers Remix by Charlotte Eskildsen. Illustration by Faye West
Designers Remix by Charlotte Eskildsen. Illustration by Faye West.

Designers Remix is a somewhat ridiculous name for the signature brand from Danish designer Charlotte Eskildsen. The press release states that she took as her point of reference the Palais Royal de Paris, visit this site seek where architecture by the minimalist Daniel Buren exists alongside traditional buildings and opulent decor. This point was exemplified in the presentation in the Portico Rooms as Somerset House, which featured minimalist clothing worn by models stood against a plain white ground, versus beehived models in curvaceous boned ruffles who posed against painted backgrounds that alluded to the traditional Palais.

Designers Remix A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryDesigners Remix by Charlotte Eskildsen. Illustration by Katherine Tromans
Designers Remix by Charlotte Eskildsen. Illustration by Katherine Tromans.

Having only just read the press release it now all suddenly becomes clear. At the show it just came across as two very different collections. Of course, the one which the photographers loved most is not hard to guess. Two models cuddled up against an orange and grey photo-real scene was by far the best presentation idea I’ve seen in some time, and ensured some great images for press – photographers thrusting each other out of the way to get the best faux lesbian picture. Sadly the minimalist crew were not nearly as inspiring… and I felt sorry for the under loved models in their poker straight hair and clean black tailoring.

Designers Remix A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryDesigners Remix A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryDesigners Remix A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory
Designers Remix A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.

Designers Remix by Charlotte Eskildsen. Illustration by Faye West
Designers Remix by Charlotte Eskildsen. Illustration by Faye West.

Designers Remix is a somewhat ridiculous name for the signature brand from Danish designer Charlotte Eskildsen. The press release states that she took as her point of reference the Palais Royal de Paris, salve where architecture by the minimalist Daniel Buren exists alongside traditional buildings and opulent decor. This point was exemplified in the presentation in the Portico Rooms as Somerset House, buy which featured minimalist clothing worn by models stood against a plain white ground, viagra buy versus beehived models in curvaceous boned ruffles who posed against painted backgrounds that alluded to the traditional Palais.

Designers Remix A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryDesigners Remix by Charlotte Eskildsen. Illustration by Katherine Tromans
Designers Remix by Charlotte Eskildsen. Illustration by Katherine Tromans.

Having only just read the press release it now all suddenly becomes clear. At the show it just came across as two very different collections. Of course, the one which the photographers loved most is not hard to guess. Two models cuddled up against an orange and grey photo-real scene was by far the best presentation idea I’ve seen in some time, and ensured some great images for press – photographers thrusting each other out of the way to get the best faux lesbian picture. Sadly the minimalist crew were not nearly as inspiring… and I felt sorry for the under loved models in their poker straight hair and clean black tailoring.

Designers Remix A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryDesigners Remix A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryDesigners Remix A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory
Designers Remix A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.

You can see more work from Faye West and Katherine Troman in Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration.
 

Fashion in the Age of Austerity, order organised by the Papered Parlour, combined so many exciting elements that I don’t quite know where to begin. It was in the most wonderful building, amongst some rare, antique toys in glass cabinets. Fashion designer and V&A Trustee Betty Jackson was there looking radiant in red lipstick, there was a brilliant panel debate, live music, shopping and craft workshops. 

 
Learning to upcycle jewellery with Tatty Devine 

I was most excited by the panel debate with the Guardian’s Ethical Living columnist Lucy Siegle, Think Act Vote founder Amisha Ghadiali, Labour Behind the Labels Hannah Higginson and the managing director of the Ethical Fashion Forum Tamsin Lejeune; four women that I happen to find pretty inispiring. The debate did not disappoint; we raced around lots of interestting, controversial and pressing issues like slow fashion, how to navigate the moral maze and where/if craft comes into things. 

 

One of the key messages I took from the event was that if you want to shop ethically you can’t be afraid of complexity. Lucy Siegle explained that it isn’t as simple as goodies and baddies in ethical fashion. If you scratch the surface of the ethical issues of clothing supply, you’d be forgiven for getting a little…muddled. There’s organic, local, hand made, made from natural fibres, made in the UK, Fairtrade, tree protecting, wildlife saving or fabrics that use only organic dyes. No garment can tick all of those boxes and no ‘ethical label’ is ever fully, 100% “ethical”. They simply don’t exist. What you choose all depends on your values and the way that you choose to navigate around it all. And as Tamsin Lejeune said, you can’t do everything. 

Ultimately, I believe you can avoid most ethical conundrums by simply buying fewer clothes. But this isn’t always realistic. I was reminded however that we can, be a bit more thoughtful about where things come from and what they’re made of. 

 
The Panel. Illustration by Sam Parr 

Someone asked about changes at a government level, but the panel agreed that there simply isn’t any political appetite for tax breaks or measures that might encourage more ethical practices, which I found pretty depressing. They went on to say that the only way the industry was ever going to change was via direct citizen action, via things like writing letters to company head offices (action pack here). The panel said it’s pointless asking shop assistants about ethical practices because they generally won’t know. Although I think there is a place for this I secretly breathed a sigh of relief; I once stuttered through a rehearsed speech to a cashier in New Look only to be boo’d by the queue behind me and met with blank, skeptical faces from the staff….hmm. 

 
A  workshop in action: students learning to make a wallet out of a Tetra Pak with the Otesha Project 

There was a wearisome discussion about semantics and the need for a new word for ‘ethical’ and ‘sustainable’ which to be honest I found rather frustrating. I don’t think the name matters, I’d much rather peoples energies were spent on putting pressure on the suppliers and informing people. After some all round praise for sewing and making clothes as a way to recycle, appreciate garment making and challenge the way we think about fashion, the talk was done and I was back upstairs. 

 
Hannah Peel illustration by Elizabeth Goodspeed 

My friend and I wondered around the market stalls, wine glass in hand, whilst being entertained by some brilliant bands, including The Piney Gir Country Roadshow and Hannah Peel & Laura Groves. I particularly liked the folky, mellow sound of  Hannah Peel, who wore a bright green maxi dress, and who had some attendees standing in silence as they listened to her.


Tatty Devine illustration by Sanna Dyker 

There were 20 specially selected ethical fashion stalls to browse, which I regretted not bringing any cash for. Here’s a quick run through of my favourites. 

I loved the intricate illustrations on the goods at the Zosienka and Rosie stall. 

 

This is the Create Place’s stall. The craft workshops they offer enable them to prove heavily subsidised courses for their local community via an inspiring initiative from St Margaret’s House. 

 

Fine Cell were there too, a brilliant volunteer led organization that teaches prison inmates how to embroider and supplies them with the materials they need. The inmates are paid for their work, which is sold all over the UK.

I was glad to be introduced to the Offset Warehouse, a social enterprise and the first UK online retailer to sell a wide range of ethical fabrics, a haberdashery, garments and resources for crafts people. Their prices are also extremely reasonable. So if, like me, you like making clothes or interiors products, this is a good resource for ethical fabric.

This is the jewelry of A Alicia. She is part of the handmade wedding collective who are hosting an event this week between the 15th-20th March at the Craft Central Showcase Space in East London.

 

I also went along to Think Act Vote Founder Amisha Ghadiali’s talk, which was good but it felt a little disorganised: loud music began to play half way through. (Note to Papered Parlour: Great event but I think the Make Believe area was too close to the stage!) Fellow contributor Katie Antoniou was also there presenting Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration and answering questions.   

The combination of the panel discussion with the music, wine, stalls and workshops was a winner. And what really set it apart from the run-of-the-mill craft fairs was the focus on ethics and sustainability. There wasn’t one daggy, hippy-ish stand, just good design that happens to be ethical, with inspiring debate and discission. I was a happy bunny. There is another event coming up which, on the basis of the last one, I strongly recommend that you come along too. It’s called It’s Your Write! and it’s on Thursday 7th April 2011. Expect to find a celebration of the self published.

Written by Hannah Bullivant on Monday March 14th, 2011 8:29 pm

Categories ,A Alicia, ,Affordable Fashion, ,Amisha Ghadiali, ,Betty Jackson, ,Elizabeth Goodspeed, ,Ethical Fashion, ,Ethical Fashion Forum, ,fairtrade, ,Fine Cell, ,Hannah Bullivant, ,Hannah Higginson, ,Hannah Peel, ,Labour behind the Label, ,Lucy Siegle, ,organic, ,Sam Parr, ,Sanna Dyker, ,Tamsin Lejeune, ,Tatty Devine, ,The Create Place, ,The Offset Warehouse, ,The Otesha Project, ,The Papered Parlour, ,The Piney Gir Country Roadshow, ,The V&A Museum of Childhood, ,Think Act Vote, ,Zosienka and Rosie

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Amelia’s Magazine | The Papered Parlour: Fashion in the Age of Austerity

by

Designers Remix by Charlotte Eskildsen. Illustration by Faye West
Designers Remix by Charlotte Eskildsen. Illustration by Faye West.

Designers Remix is a somewhat ridiculous name for the signature brand from Danish designer Charlotte Eskildsen. The press release states that she took as her point of reference the Palais Royal de Paris, visit this site seek where architecture by the minimalist Daniel Buren exists alongside traditional buildings and opulent decor. This point was exemplified in the presentation in the Portico Rooms as Somerset House, which featured minimalist clothing worn by models stood against a plain white ground, versus beehived models in curvaceous boned ruffles who posed against painted backgrounds that alluded to the traditional Palais.

Designers Remix A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryDesigners Remix by Charlotte Eskildsen. Illustration by Katherine Tromans
Designers Remix by Charlotte Eskildsen. Illustration by Katherine Tromans.

Having only just read the press release it now all suddenly becomes clear. At the show it just came across as two very different collections. Of course, the one which the photographers loved most is not hard to guess. Two models cuddled up against an orange and grey photo-real scene was by far the best presentation idea I’ve seen in some time, and ensured some great images for press – photographers thrusting each other out of the way to get the best faux lesbian picture. Sadly the minimalist crew were not nearly as inspiring… and I felt sorry for the under loved models in their poker straight hair and clean black tailoring.

Designers Remix A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryDesigners Remix A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryDesigners Remix A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory
Designers Remix A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.

Designers Remix by Charlotte Eskildsen. Illustration by Faye West
Designers Remix by Charlotte Eskildsen. Illustration by Faye West.

Designers Remix is a somewhat ridiculous name for the signature brand from Danish designer Charlotte Eskildsen. The press release states that she took as her point of reference the Palais Royal de Paris, salve where architecture by the minimalist Daniel Buren exists alongside traditional buildings and opulent decor. This point was exemplified in the presentation in the Portico Rooms as Somerset House, buy which featured minimalist clothing worn by models stood against a plain white ground, viagra buy versus beehived models in curvaceous boned ruffles who posed against painted backgrounds that alluded to the traditional Palais.

Designers Remix A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryDesigners Remix by Charlotte Eskildsen. Illustration by Katherine Tromans
Designers Remix by Charlotte Eskildsen. Illustration by Katherine Tromans.

Having only just read the press release it now all suddenly becomes clear. At the show it just came across as two very different collections. Of course, the one which the photographers loved most is not hard to guess. Two models cuddled up against an orange and grey photo-real scene was by far the best presentation idea I’ve seen in some time, and ensured some great images for press – photographers thrusting each other out of the way to get the best faux lesbian picture. Sadly the minimalist crew were not nearly as inspiring… and I felt sorry for the under loved models in their poker straight hair and clean black tailoring.

Designers Remix A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryDesigners Remix A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryDesigners Remix A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory
Designers Remix A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.

You can see more work from Faye West and Katherine Troman in Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration.
 

Fashion in the Age of Austerity, order organised by the Papered Parlour, combined so many exciting elements that I don’t quite know where to begin. It was in the most wonderful building, amongst some rare, antique toys in glass cabinets. Fashion designer and V&A Trustee Betty Jackson was there looking radiant in red lipstick, there was a brilliant panel debate, live music, shopping and craft workshops. 

 
Learning to upcycle jewellery with Tatty Devine 

I was most excited by the panel debate with the Guardian’s Ethical Living columnist Lucy Siegle, Think Act Vote founder Amisha Ghadiali, Labour Behind the Labels Hannah Higginson and the managing director of the Ethical Fashion Forum Tamsin Lejeune; four women that I happen to find pretty inispiring. The debate did not disappoint; we raced around lots of interestting, controversial and pressing issues like slow fashion, how to navigate the moral maze and where/if craft comes into things. 

 

One of the key messages I took from the event was that if you want to shop ethically you can’t be afraid of complexity. Lucy Siegle explained that it isn’t as simple as goodies and baddies in ethical fashion. If you scratch the surface of the ethical issues of clothing supply, you’d be forgiven for getting a little…muddled. There’s organic, local, hand made, made from natural fibres, made in the UK, Fairtrade, tree protecting, wildlife saving or fabrics that use only organic dyes. No garment can tick all of those boxes and no ‘ethical label’ is ever fully, 100% “ethical”. They simply don’t exist. What you choose all depends on your values and the way that you choose to navigate around it all. And as Tamsin Lejeune said, you can’t do everything. 

Ultimately, I believe you can avoid most ethical conundrums by simply buying fewer clothes. But this isn’t always realistic. I was reminded however that we can, be a bit more thoughtful about where things come from and what they’re made of. 

 
The Panel. Illustration by Sam Parr 

Someone asked about changes at a government level, but the panel agreed that there simply isn’t any political appetite for tax breaks or measures that might encourage more ethical practices, which I found pretty depressing. They went on to say that the only way the industry was ever going to change was via direct citizen action, via things like writing letters to company head offices (action pack here). The panel said it’s pointless asking shop assistants about ethical practices because they generally won’t know. Although I think there is a place for this I secretly breathed a sigh of relief; I once stuttered through a rehearsed speech to a cashier in New Look only to be boo’d by the queue behind me and met with blank, skeptical faces from the staff….hmm. 

 
A  workshop in action: students learning to make a wallet out of a Tetra Pak with the Otesha Project 

There was a wearisome discussion about semantics and the need for a new word for ‘ethical’ and ‘sustainable’ which to be honest I found rather frustrating. I don’t think the name matters, I’d much rather peoples energies were spent on putting pressure on the suppliers and informing people. After some all round praise for sewing and making clothes as a way to recycle, appreciate garment making and challenge the way we think about fashion, the talk was done and I was back upstairs. 

 
Hannah Peel illustration by Elizabeth Goodspeed 

My friend and I wondered around the market stalls, wine glass in hand, whilst being entertained by some brilliant bands, including The Piney Gir Country Roadshow and Hannah Peel & Laura Groves. I particularly liked the folky, mellow sound of  Hannah Peel, who wore a bright green maxi dress, and who had some attendees standing in silence as they listened to her.


Tatty Devine illustration by Sanna Dyker 

There were 20 specially selected ethical fashion stalls to browse, which I regretted not bringing any cash for. Here’s a quick run through of my favourites. 

I loved the intricate illustrations on the goods at the Zosienka and Rosie stall. 

 

This is the Create Place’s stall. The craft workshops they offer enable them to prove heavily subsidised courses for their local community via an inspiring initiative from St Margaret’s House. 

 

Fine Cell were there too, a brilliant volunteer led organization that teaches prison inmates how to embroider and supplies them with the materials they need. The inmates are paid for their work, which is sold all over the UK.

I was glad to be introduced to the Offset Warehouse, a social enterprise and the first UK online retailer to sell a wide range of ethical fabrics, a haberdashery, garments and resources for crafts people. Their prices are also extremely reasonable. So if, like me, you like making clothes or interiors products, this is a good resource for ethical fabric.

This is the jewelry of A Alicia. She is part of the handmade wedding collective who are hosting an event this week between the 15th-20th March at the Craft Central Showcase Space in East London.

 

I also went along to Think Act Vote Founder Amisha Ghadiali’s talk, which was good but it felt a little disorganised: loud music began to play half way through. (Note to Papered Parlour: Great event but I think the Make Believe area was too close to the stage!) Fellow contributor Katie Antoniou was also there presenting Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration and answering questions.   

The combination of the panel discussion with the music, wine, stalls and workshops was a winner. And what really set it apart from the run-of-the-mill craft fairs was the focus on ethics and sustainability. There wasn’t one daggy, hippy-ish stand, just good design that happens to be ethical, with inspiring debate and discission. I was a happy bunny. There is another event coming up which, on the basis of the last one, I strongly recommend that you come along too. It’s called It’s Your Write! and it’s on Thursday 7th April 2011. Expect to find a celebration of the self published.

Written by Hannah Bullivant on Monday March 14th, 2011 8:29 pm

Categories ,A Alicia, ,Affordable Fashion, ,Amisha Ghadiali, ,Betty Jackson, ,Elizabeth Goodspeed, ,Ethical Fashion, ,Ethical Fashion Forum, ,fairtrade, ,Fine Cell, ,Hannah Bullivant, ,Hannah Higginson, ,Hannah Peel, ,Labour behind the Label, ,Lucy Siegle, ,organic, ,Sam Parr, ,Sanna Dyker, ,Tamsin Lejeune, ,Tatty Devine, ,The Create Place, ,The Offset Warehouse, ,The Otesha Project, ,The Papered Parlour, ,The Piney Gir Country Roadshow, ,The V&A Museum of Childhood, ,Think Act Vote, ,Zosienka and Rosie

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Amelia’s Magazine | Think Act Vote presents The Future We Choose Pop Up Radical Think Tank and Book Launch Party

by

Think Act Vote The Future We Choose Book Launch stack of books

On the 25th of July I had the pleasure of attending – unfortunately only a part of – the launch event organised by Think Act Vote (?!X) at The Arch Gallery for their new book titled The Future We Choose. This book project was initiated by Think Act Vote (?!X) in order to create a new conversation around democracy and how we create the future we choose. Revolving around ‘The Futures Interview’, The Future We Choose brings together over 200 forward thinking voices from the general public mixed in with those more well known, from fashion designers to historians, campaigners to presenters, all of whom share their vision of the world they want to live in with their ideas of how to create it.

Think Act Vote The Future We Choose Book Launch Amy at the book stand

Think Act Vote (?!X) is run by a powerhouse of volunteers, interns (such as Amy Haworth Johns pictured above) and a vibrant community of collaborators and supporters. The Future We Choose has been brought to life through the work of all those contributors, while the design of the book was devised also collaboratively by a team made up of Joana Casaca Lemos, Ella Britton, Matthieu Becker and Amisha Ghadiali.

Think Act Vote The Future We Choose Book Launch Amelia Gregory Quote

In the book one can find hugely inspiring quotes by the numerous contributors who completed ‘The Futures Interview’, categorised into Thinks, Acts and Votes. Here is one by Amelia’s Magazine editor Amelia Gregory.

Think Act Vote The Future We Choose Book Launch illustrations spread 1

Think Act Vote The Future We Choose Book Launch illustrations spread 2

Since early 2010, when Think Act Vote (?!X) started compiling responses from ‘The Futures Interview’ participants, it invited 50 different artists to bring words from the interviews to life and selected 52 final illustrations. A large number of these images have been created by illustrators who regularly contribute to Amelia’s Magazine too! Some of them are Abby Wright, Abi Daker, Ailish Sullivan, Antonia Makes, Alison Day, Amber Cassidy, Bryone Crane, Claire Kearns, Celine Elliott, Erica Sharp, Faye West, Gemma Sheldrake, Gilly Rochester, Harriet Gray, Jo Cheung, June Chanpoomidole, Jenny Robins, Katie Harnett, Laura Frame, Yelena Bryksenkova, Luke Waller, Michelle Urvall Nyrén, Nanae Kawahara, Natalia Nazimek, Natalie Hughes, Sam Parr, Vicky Ink aka Vicky Fallon and Slowly The Eggs aka moi… A lot of the illustrations appear in the book, as seen above, but Think Act Vote (?!X) is also sharing them online, one every week of 2012, this way gradually creating an illustrated Futures Calendar! You can also see all the illustrations together in this online gallery.

Think Act Vote The Future We Choose Book Launch spread from book

Think Act Vote The Future We Choose Book Launch bit from Futures Interview

You can take part in ‘The Futures Interview’ here.

Think Act Vote The Future We Choose Book Launch Peter Gregson

The Future We Choose book launch at The Arch Gallery was split into an afternoon pop up radical think tank, featuring a selection of contributors including Lucie Barat, Ed Gillespie, Annegret Affolderback, Emily Wilkie, Melissa Sterry, Chris Arnold and Olivia Sprinkel each speaking for five minutes on an idea they shared in the book. When I arrived Peter Gregson, pictured above, was giving a talk on ‘Defending Your Tastes’.

Think Act Vote The Future We Choose Book Launch Paul Hilder

Paul Hilder on ‘Making Things Right’.

Think Act Vote The Future We Choose Book Launch Amisha Ghadiali

Amisha Ghadiali on her Rules to Dress By.

Think Act Vote The Future We Choose Book Launch Alan Wolfson

Performance Poetry by Alan Wolfson.

Think Act Vote The Future We Choose Book Launch Michael Norton

Michael Norton on 365 Ways To Change The World. This hugely inspiring man also talked about another splendid book he has written titled Click 2 Change, in which you can find ways to change the world from the comfort of your seat.

Think Act Vote The Future We Choose Book Launch Jessi Baker

Jessi Baker on ‘Data and Visualisation’.

Think Act Vote The Future We Choose Book Launch Christina Rebel

Christina Rebel on ‘Empathy’.

Think Act Vote The Future We Choose Book Launch Spencer Maybe Pearce

Music from Spencer Maybe Pearce.

Think Act Vote The Future We Choose Book Launch happy audience

Think Act Vote The Future We Choose Book Launch Zoe and Amisha in the audience

Think Act Vote The Future We Choose Book Launch Interviews workshop 1

Think Act Vote The Future We Choose Book Launch Interviews workshop 2

The talks were followed by a ‘A Futures Interviews Workshop’, during which we sat in groups to talk about Thinks, Acts and Votes.

Think Act Vote The Future We Choose Book Launch Zoe Robinson

The lovely Zoe Robinson of Think Style and The Good Wardrobe among the attendees.

Think Act Vote The Future We Choose Book Launch Amisha signing a book

From 6.30pm there was a party featuring a collective book reading, words from Sam Roddick and live music from cellist Peter Gregson, folk noir band Delirium Tremens and electro pop songstress Sharliza Jelita.

The book is now on sale through Think Act Vote’s etsy store, where you can purchase the limited edition that has been printed in the UK on recycled paper. You can request to have your copy signed and personalised too. The Hardback and e-book editions will be available in Autumn. If you would like to request an e-version review copy, please e-mail info@thinkactvote.org

You can also read Part One and part Two of an interview Sally Mumby-Croft did a while ago for Amelia’s Magazine with Think Act Vote’s founder Amisha Ghadiali.

All photography by Maria Papadimitriou

Written by Maria Papadimitriou on Friday August 10th, 2012 8:45 am

Categories ,Abby Wright, ,Abi Daker, ,ACOFI, ,Ailish Sullivan, ,Alan Wolfson, ,Alison Day, ,Amber Cassidy, ,Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration, ,Amisha Ghadiali, ,Annegret Affolderback, ,Antonia Makes, ,book launch, ,Bryone Crane, ,Celine Elliott, ,Chris Arnold, ,Christina Rebel, ,Claire Kearns, ,Delirium Tremens, ,Ed Gillespie, ,Ella Britton, ,Emily Wilkie, ,Erica Sharp, ,Faye West, ,Futures Interview, ,Gemma Sheldrake, ,Gilly Rochester, ,Harriet Gray, ,illustration, ,Jenny Robins, ,Jessi Baker, ,Jo Cheung, ,Joana Casaca Lemos, ,Jonathan Bartley, ,June Chanpoomidole, ,Katie Harnett, ,Laura Frame, ,Lucie Barat, ,Lucy Gilliam, ,Luke Waller, ,Maria Papadimitriou, ,Matthieu Becker, ,Melissa Sterry, ,Michael Norton, ,Michelle Urvall Nyrén, ,Nanae Kawahara, ,Natalia Nazimek, ,Olivia Sprinkel, ,Patrick Hussy, ,Paul Hilder, ,Peter Gregson, ,Sally Mumby-Croft, ,Sam Parr, ,Sam Roddick, ,Sharliza Jelita, ,Slowly the Eggs, ,Spencer Maybe Pearce, ,The Arch Gallery, ,The Future We Choose, ,Think Act Vote, ,Vicky Fallon, ,Vicky Ink, ,Yelena Bryksenkova, ,Zoë Robinson

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Amelia’s Magazine | Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration launch party illustrations: meet Antonia Parker

by

ACOFI Lily Vanilli cake by Andrea Peterson
ACOFI Lily Vanilli cake by Andrea Peterson.

Over the past few days a steady trickle of fabulous illustrations from the ACOFI launch night party have been flooding into my inbox… and I’ve been wondering how best to put them all together. In the absence of a better plan I have decided to plow through them alphabetically… So without further ado I present to you the wonderful artwork of Andrea Peterson, information pills who is responsible for the cover art of ACOFI. She travelled all the way from Arizona to be with us on the launch day and I think that everyone was absolutely awed by her ability to create beautiful images from just a few dabs of watercolour, diagnosis live, erectile in front of a huge crowd.

Here’s her images: the lovely Alexandra Haddow who so kindly provided us with Pukka teas and helped out all afternoon. She is rather fittingly illustrated with tea cup in hand. You can read her write up of the event on LDNfashion online.

Alexandra Haddow of Pukka Teas by Andrea Peterson
Alexandra Haddow of Pukka Teas by Andrea Peterson.

Then there’s Lupe Castro: fashion stylist and freelance writer. I love her colourful outfit.

Lupe Castro by Andrea Peterson
Lupe Castro by Andrea Peterson.

Francesca from Forward PR looks so demurely wonderful holding her copy of ACOFI, which she did so well in selling on the night. I loved her energy, so positive. What a lovely girl.

Francesca of Forward PR by Andrea Peterson.
Francesca of Forward PR by Andrea Peterson.

You’ve already seen this image of Jessica Bumpus from Vogue but why not show it again? I think it’s absolutely beautiful… and I love the way that Andrea has made her a Vogue cover star. Bring back illustrated covers indeed! So elegant and glamourous.

Jessica Bumpus of Vogue by Andrea Peterson
Jessica Bumpus of Vogue by Andrea Peterson.

Here’s Nyla of Ethical Heaven – she writes a blog about sustainable style and beauty.

Nyla of Ethical Heaven by Andrea Peterson
Nyla of Ethical Heaven by Andrea Peterson.

And lastly here again is a reprise of The Pipettes: who unsurprisingly inspired more than a few illustrators to get their pens and paint brushes out.

The Pipettes by Andrea Peterson
The Pipettes by Andrea Peterson.

Thankyou Andrea so much for coming to visit us in the UK and showcasing your incredible talent live! I look forward to working with you for many moons to come.
ACOFI Lily Vanilli cake by Andrea Peterson
ACOFI Lily Vanilli cake by Andrea Peterson.

Over the past few days a steady trickle of fabulous illustrations from the ACOFI launch night party have been flooding into my inbox… and I’ve been wondering how best to put them all together. In the absence of a better plan I have decided to plow through them alphabetically… So without further ado I present to you the wonderful artwork of Andrea Peterson, cialis 40mg who is responsible for the cover art of ACOFI. She travelled all the way from Arizona to be with us on the launch day and I think that everyone was absolutely awed by her ability to create beautiful images from just a few dabs of watercolour, sale live, in front of a huge crowd.

Here’s her images: the lovely Alexandra Haddow who so kindly provided us with Pukka teas and helped out all afternoon. She is rather fittingly illustrated with tea cup in hand. You can read her write up of the event on LDNfashion online.

Alexandra Haddow of Pukka Teas by Andrea Peterson
Alexandra Haddow of Pukka Teas by Andrea Peterson.

Then there’s Lupe Castro: fashion stylist and freelance writer. I love her colourful outfit.

Lupe Castro by Andrea Peterson
Lupe Castro by Andrea Peterson.

Francesca from Forward PR looks so demurely wonderful holding her copy of ACOFI, which she did so well in selling on the night. I loved her energy, so positive. What a lovely girl.

Francesca of Forward PR by Andrea Peterson.
Francesca of Forward PR by Andrea Peterson.

You’ve already seen this image of Jessica Bumpus from Vogue but why not show it again? I think it’s absolutely beautiful… and I love the way that Andrea has made her a Vogue cover star. Bring back illustrated covers indeed! So elegant and glamourous.

Jessica Bumpus of Vogue by Andrea Peterson
Jessica Bumpus of Vogue by Andrea Peterson.

Here’s Nyla of Ethical Heaven – she writes a blog about sustainable style and beauty.

Nyla of Ethical Heaven by Andrea Peterson
Nyla of Ethical Heaven by Andrea Peterson.

And lastly here again is a reprise of The Pipettes: who unsurprisingly inspired more than a few illustrators to get their pens and paint brushes out.

The Pipettes by Andrea Peterson
The Pipettes by Andrea Peterson.

Thankyou Andrea so much for coming to visit us in the UK and showcasing your incredible talent live! I look forward to working with you for many moons to come.
ACOFI Lily Vanilli cake by Andrea Peterson
ACOFI Lily Vanilli cake by Andrea Peterson.

Over the past few days a steady trickle of fabulous illustrations from the ACOFI launch night party have been flooding into my inbox… and I’ve been wondering how best to put them all together. In the absence of a better plan I have decided to plow through them alphabetically… So without further ado I present to you the wonderful artwork of Andrea Peterson, side effects who is responsible for the cover art of ACOFI. She travelled all the way from Arizona to be with us on the launch day and I think that everyone was absolutely awed by her ability to create beautiful images from just a few dabs of watercolour, medications live, in front of a huge crowd.

Here’s her images: the lovely Alexandra Haddow who so kindly provided us with Pukka teas and helped out all afternoon. She is rather fittingly illustrated with tea cup in hand. You can read her write up of the event on LDNfashion online.

Alexandra Haddow of Pukka Teas by Andrea Peterson
Alexandra Haddow of Pukka Teas by Andrea Peterson.

Then there’s Lupe Castro: fashion stylist and freelance writer. I love her colourful outfit.

Lupe Castro by Andrea Peterson
Lupe Castro by Andrea Peterson.

Francesca from Forward PR looks so demurely wonderful holding her copy of ACOFI, which she did so well in selling on the night. I loved her energy, so positive. What a lovely girl.

Francesca of Forward PR by Andrea Peterson.
Francesca of Forward PR by Andrea Peterson.

You’ve already seen this image of Jessica Bumpus from Vogue but why not show it again? I think it’s absolutely beautiful… and I love the way that Andrea has made her a Vogue cover star. Bring back illustrated covers indeed! So elegant and glamourous.

Jessica Bumpus of Vogue by Andrea Peterson
Jessica Bumpus of Vogue by Andrea Peterson.

Here’s Nyla of Ethical Heaven – she writes a blog about sustainable style and beauty.

Nyla of Ethical Heaven by Andrea Peterson
Nyla of Ethical Heaven by Andrea Peterson.

And lastly here again is a reprise of The Pipettes: who unsurprisingly inspired more than a few illustrators to get their pens and paint brushes out.

The Pipettes by Andrea Peterson
The Pipettes by Andrea Peterson.

Thankyou Andrea so much for coming to visit us in the UK and showcasing your incredible talent live! I look forward to working with you for many moons to come.
ACOFI Lily Vanilli cake by Andrea Peterson
ACOFI Lily Vanilli cake by Andrea Peterson.

Over the past few days a steady trickle of fabulous illustrations from the ACOFI launch night party have been flooding into my inbox… and I’ve been wondering how best to put them all together. In the absence of a better plan I have decided to plow through them alphabetically… So without further ado I present to you the wonderful artwork of Andrea Peterson, what is ed also known as Artist Andrea, online who is responsible for the cover art of ACOFI. She travelled all the way from Arizona to be with us on the launch day and I think that everyone was absolutely awed by her ability to create beautiful images from just a few dabs of watercolour, discount live, in front of a huge crowd.

Here’s her images: the lovely Alexandra Haddow who so kindly provided us with Pukka teas and helped out all afternoon. She is rather fittingly illustrated with tea cup in hand. You can read her write up of the event on LDNfashion online.

You’ve already seen this image of Jessica Bumpus from Vogue but why not show it again? I think it’s absolutely beautiful… and I love the way that Andrea has made her a Vogue cover star. Bring back illustrated covers indeed! So elegant and glamourous. You can read Jessica’s wonderful blog about the event on the Vogue Green Style Blog here. Thankyou so much Jessica!

Jessica Bumpus of Vogue by Andrea Peterson
Jessica Bumpus of Vogue by Andrea Peterson.

Alexandra Haddow of Pukka Teas by Andrea Peterson
Alexandra Haddow of Pukka Teas by Andrea Peterson.

Then there’s Lupe Castro: fashion stylist and freelance writer. I love her colourful outfit.

Lupe Castro by Andrea Peterson
Lupe Castro by Andrea Peterson.

Francesca from Forward PR looks so demurely wonderful holding her copy of ACOFI, which she did so well in selling on the night. I loved her energy, so positive. What a lovely girl.

Francesca of Forward PR by Andrea Peterson.
Francesca of Forward PR by Andrea Peterson.

Here’s Nyla of Ethical Heaven – she writes a blog about sustainable style and beauty, and you can read her fab write up of the launch party here.

Nyla of Ethical Heaven by Andrea Peterson
Nyla of Ethical Heaven by Andrea Peterson.

And lastly here again is a reprise of The Pipettes: who unsurprisingly inspired more than a few illustrators to get their pens and paint brushes out. Ani Saunders is herself a very talented illustrator, and you can see her blog about the book (with her own unique rendition of Andrea’s cover) here.

The Pipettes by Andrea Peterson
The Pipettes by Andrea Peterson.

Thankyou Andrea so much for coming to visit us in the UK and showcasing your incredible talent live! I look forward to working with you for many moons to come. You can follow Andrea on twitter on @ArtistAndrea
ACOFI Lily Vanilli cake by Andrea Peterson
ACOFI Lily Vanilli cake by Andrea Peterson.

Over the past few days a steady trickle of fabulous illustrations from the ACOFI launch night party have been flooding into my inbox… and I’ve been wondering how best to put them all together. In the absence of a better plan I have decided to plow through them alphabetically… So without further ado I present to you the wonderful artwork of Andrea Peterson, viagra also known as Artist Andrea, who is responsible for the cover art of ACOFI. She travelled all the way from Arizona to be with us on the launch day and I think that everyone was absolutely awed by her ability to create beautiful images from just a few dabs of watercolour, live, in front of a huge crowd.

Here’s her images: the lovely Alexandra Haddow who so kindly provided us with Pukka teas and helped out all afternoon. She is rather fittingly illustrated with tea cup in hand. You can read her write up of the event on LDNfashion online.

You’ve already seen this image of Jessica Bumpus from Vogue but why not show it again? I think it’s absolutely beautiful… and I love the way that Andrea has made her a Vogue cover star. Bring back illustrated covers indeed! So elegant and glamourous. You can read Jessica’s wonderful blog about the event on the Vogue Green Style Blog here. Thankyou so much Jessica!

Jessica Bumpus of Vogue by Andrea Peterson
Jessica Bumpus of Vogue by Andrea Peterson.

Alexandra Haddow of Pukka Teas by Andrea Peterson
Alexandra Haddow of Pukka Teas by Andrea Peterson.

Then there’s Lupe Castro: fashion stylist and freelance writer. I love her colourful outfit.

Lupe Castro by Andrea Peterson
Lupe Castro by Andrea Peterson.

Francesca from Forward PR looks so demurely wonderful holding her copy of ACOFI, which she did so well in selling on the night. I loved her energy, so positive. What a lovely girl.

Francesca of Forward PR by Andrea Peterson.
Francesca of Forward PR by Andrea Peterson.

Here’s Nyla of Ethical Heaven – she writes a blog about sustainable style and beauty, and you can read her fab write up of the launch party here.

Nyla of Ethical Heaven by Andrea Peterson
Nyla of Ethical Heaven by Andrea Peterson.

And lastly here again is a reprise of The Pipettes: who unsurprisingly inspired more than a few illustrators to get their pens and paint brushes out. Ani Saunders is herself a very talented illustrator, and you can see her blog about the book (with her own unique rendition of Andrea’s cover) here.

The Pipettes by Andrea Peterson
The Pipettes by Andrea Peterson.

Thankyou Andrea so much for coming to visit us in the UK and showcasing your incredible talent live! I look forward to working with you for many moons to come. You can follow Andrea on twitter on @ArtistAndrea
ACOFI Lily Vanilli cake by Andrea Peterson
ACOFI Lily Vanilli cake by Andrea Peterson.

Over the past few days a steady trickle of fabulous illustrations from the ACOFI launch night party have been flooding into my inbox… and I’ve been wondering how best to put them all together. In the absence of a better plan I have decided to plow through them alphabetically… So without further ado I present to you the wonderful artwork of Andrea Peterson, store also known as Artist Andrea, order who is responsible for the cover art of ACOFI. She travelled all the way from Arizona to be with us on the launch day and I think that everyone was absolutely awed by her ability to create beautiful images from just a few dabs of watercolour, buy more about live, in front of a huge crowd. Here’s her images:

You’ve already seen this image of Jessica Bumpus from Vogue but why not show it again? I think it’s absolutely beautiful… and I love the way that Andrea has made her a Vogue cover star. Bring back illustrated covers indeed! So elegant and glamourous. You can read Jessica’s wonderful blog about the event on the Vogue Green Style Blog here. Thankyou so much Jessica!

Jessica Bumpus of Vogue by Andrea Peterson
Jessica Bumpus of Vogue by Andrea Peterson.

The lovely Alexandra Haddow who so kindly provided us with Pukka teas and helped out all afternoon. She is rather fittingly illustrated with tea cup in hand. You can read her write up of the event on LDNfashion online.

Alexandra Haddow of Pukka Teas by Andrea Peterson
Alexandra Haddow of Pukka Teas by Andrea Peterson.

Then there’s Lupe Castro: fashion stylist and freelance writer. I love her colourful outfit.

Lupe Castro by Andrea Peterson
Lupe Castro by Andrea Peterson.

Francesca from Forward PR looks so demurely wonderful holding her copy of ACOFI, which she did so well in selling on the night. I loved her energy, so positive. What a lovely girl.

Francesca of Forward PR by Andrea Peterson.
Francesca of Forward PR by Andrea Peterson.

Here’s Nyla of Ethical Heaven – she writes a blog about sustainable style and beauty, and you can read her fab write up of the launch party here.

Nyla of Ethical Heaven by Andrea Peterson
Nyla of Ethical Heaven by Andrea Peterson.

And lastly here again is a reprise of The Pipettes: who unsurprisingly inspired more than a few illustrators to get their pens and paint brushes out. Ani Saunders is herself a very talented illustrator, and you can see her blog about the book (with her own unique rendition of Andrea’s cover) here.

The Pipettes by Andrea Peterson
The Pipettes by Andrea Peterson.

Thankyou Andrea so much for coming to visit us in the UK and showcasing your incredible talent live! I look forward to working with you for many moons to come. You can follow Andrea on twitter on @ArtistAndrea
ACOFI Lily Vanilli cake by Andrea Peterson
ACOFI Lily Vanilli cake by Andrea Peterson.

Over the past few days a steady trickle of fabulous illustrations from the ACOFI launch night party have been flooding into my inbox… and I’ve been wondering how best to put them all together. In the absence of a better plan I have decided to plow through them alphabetically… So without further ado I present to you the wonderful artwork of Andrea Peterson, healing also known as Artist Andrea, who is responsible for the cover art of ACOFI. She travelled all the way from Arizona to be with us on the launch day and I think that everyone was absolutely awed by her ability to create beautiful images from just a few dabs of watercolour, live, in front of a huge crowd. Here’s her images:

You’ve already seen this image of Jessica Bumpus from Vogue but why not show it again? I think it’s absolutely beautiful… and I love the way that Andrea has made her a Vogue cover star. Bring back illustrated covers indeed! So elegant and glamourous. You can read Jessica’s wonderful blog about the event on the Vogue Green Style Blog here. Thankyou so much Jessica!

Jessica Bumpus of Vogue by Andrea Peterson
Jessica Bumpus of Vogue by Andrea Peterson.

The lovely Alexandra Haddow who so kindly provided us with Pukka teas and helped out all afternoon. She is rather fittingly illustrated with tea cup in hand. You can read her write up of the event on LDNfashion online.

Alexandra Haddow of Pukka Teas by Andrea Peterson
Alexandra Haddow of Pukka Teas by Andrea Peterson.

Then there’s Lupe Castro: fashion stylist and freelance writer. I love her colourful vintage Pucci outfit.

Lupe Castro by Andrea Peterson
Lupe Castro by Andrea Peterson.

Francesca from Forward PR looks so demurely wonderful holding her copy of ACOFI, which she did so well in selling on the night. I loved her energy, so positive. What a lovely girl.

Francesca of Forward PR by Andrea Peterson.
Francesca of Forward PR by Andrea Peterson.

Here’s Nyla of Ethical Heaven – she writes a blog about sustainable style and beauty, and you can read her fab write up of the launch party here.

Nyla of Ethical Heaven by Andrea Peterson
Nyla of Ethical Heaven by Andrea Peterson.

And lastly here again is a reprise of The Pipettes: who unsurprisingly inspired more than a few illustrators to get their pens and paint brushes out. Ani Saunders is herself a very talented illustrator, and you can see her blog about the book (with her own unique rendition of Andrea’s cover) here.

The Pipettes by Andrea Peterson
The Pipettes by Andrea Peterson.

Thankyou Andrea so much for coming to visit us in the UK and showcasing your incredible talent live! I look forward to working with you for many moons to come. You can follow Andrea on twitter on @ArtistAndrea
ACOFI Lily Vanilli cake by Andrea Peterson
ACOFI Lily Vanilli cake by Andrea Peterson.

Over the past few days a steady trickle of fabulous illustrations from the ACOFI launch night party have been flooding into my inbox… and I’ve been wondering how best to put them all together. In the absence of a better plan I have decided to plow through them alphabetically… So without further ado I present to you the wonderful artwork of Andrea Peterson, buy information pills also known as Artist Andrea, generic who is responsible for the cover art of ACOFI. She travelled all the way from Arizona to be with us on the launch day and I think that everyone was absolutely awed by her ability to create beautiful images from just a few dabs of watercolour, live, in front of a huge crowd. Here’s her images:

You’ve already seen this image of Jessica Bumpus from Vogue but why not show it again? I think it’s absolutely beautiful… and I love the way that Andrea has made her a Vogue cover star. Bring back illustrated covers indeed! So elegant and glamourous. You can read Jessica’s wonderful blog about the event on the Vogue Green Style Blog here. Thankyou so much Jessica!

Jessica Bumpus of Vogue by Andrea Peterson
Jessica Bumpus of Vogue by Andrea Peterson.

The lovely Alexandra Haddow who so kindly provided us with Pukka teas and helped out all afternoon. She is rather fittingly illustrated with tea cup in hand. You can read her write up of the event on LDNfashion online.

Alexandra Haddow of Pukka Teas by Andrea Peterson
Alexandra Haddow of Pukka Teas by Andrea Peterson.

Then there’s Lupe Castro: fashion stylist and freelance writer. I love her colourful vintage Pucci outfit.

Lupe Castro by Andrea Peterson
Lupe Castro by Andrea Peterson.

Francesca from Forward PR looks so demurely wonderful holding her copy of ACOFI, which she did so well in selling on the night. I loved her energy, so positive. What a lovely girl.

Francesca of Forward PR by Andrea Peterson.
Francesca of Forward PR by Andrea Peterson.

Here’s Nyla of Ethical Heaven – she writes a blog about sustainable style and beauty, and you can read her fab write up of the launch party here.

Nyla of Ethical Heaven by Andrea Peterson
Nyla of Ethical Heaven by Andrea Peterson.

And lastly here again is a reprise of The Pipettes: who unsurprisingly inspired more than a few illustrators to get their pens and paint brushes out. Ani Saunders is herself a very talented illustrator, and you can see her blog about the book (with her own unique rendition of Andrea’s cover) here.

The Pipettes by Andrea Peterson
The Pipettes by Andrea Peterson.

Thankyou Andrea so much for coming to visit us in the UK and showcasing your incredible talent live! I look forward to working with you for many moons to come. You can follow Andrea on twitter on @ArtistAndrea
ACOFI Lily Vanilli cake by Andrea Peterson
ACOFI Lily Vanilli cake by Andrea Peterson.

Over the past few days a steady trickle of fabulous illustrations from the ACOFI launch night party (read my review here) have been flooding into my inbox… and I’ve been wondering how best to put them all together. In the absence of a better plan I have decided to plow through them alphabetically… So without further ado I present to you the wonderful artwork of Andrea Peterson, sales also known as Artist Andrea, who is responsible for the cover art of ACOFI. She travelled all the way from Arizona to be with us on the launch day and I think that everyone was absolutely awed by her ability to create beautiful images from just a few dabs of watercolour, live, in front of a huge crowd. Here’s her images:

You’ve already seen this image of Jessica Bumpus from Vogue but why not show it again? I think it’s absolutely beautiful… and I love the way that Andrea has made her a Vogue cover star. Bring back illustrated covers indeed! So elegant and glamourous. You can read Jessica’s wonderful blog about the event on the Vogue Green Style Blog here. Thankyou so much Jessica!

Jessica Bumpus of Vogue by Andrea Peterson
Jessica Bumpus of Vogue by Andrea Peterson.

The lovely Alexandra Haddow who so kindly provided us with Pukka teas and helped out all afternoon. She is rather fittingly illustrated with tea cup in hand. You can read her write up of the event on LDNfashion online.

Alexandra Haddow of Pukka Teas by Andrea Peterson
Alexandra Haddow of Pukka Teas by Andrea Peterson.

Then there’s Lupe Castro: fashion stylist and freelance writer. I love her colourful vintage Pucci outfit.

Lupe Castro by Andrea Peterson
Lupe Castro by Andrea Peterson.

Francesca from Forward PR looks so demurely wonderful holding her copy of ACOFI, which she did so well in selling on the night. I loved her energy, so positive. What a lovely girl.

Francesca of Forward PR by Andrea Peterson.
Francesca of Forward PR by Andrea Peterson.

Here’s Nyla of Ethical Heaven – she writes a blog about sustainable style and beauty, and you can read her fab write up of the launch party here.

Nyla of Ethical Heaven by Andrea Peterson
Nyla of Ethical Heaven by Andrea Peterson.

And lastly here again is a reprise of The Pipettes: who unsurprisingly inspired more than a few illustrators to get their pens and paint brushes out. Ani Saunders is herself a very talented illustrator, and you can see her blog about the book (with her own unique rendition of Andrea’s cover) here.

The Pipettes by Andrea Peterson
The Pipettes by Andrea Peterson.

Thankyou Andrea so much for coming to visit us in the UK and showcasing your incredible talent live! I look forward to working with you for many moons to come. You can follow Andrea on twitter on @ArtistAndrea and don’t forget you can buy Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration here, with a special 10% if you use the discount code ACOFI LAUNCH up until the 28th February 2011. Here’s Andrea talking about her work on youtube, accompanied by chihuahua Frida.

YouTube Preview Image

ACOFI Lily Vanilli cake by Andrea Peterson
ACOFI Lily Vanilli cake by Andrea Peterson.

Over the past few days a steady trickle of fabulous illustrations from the ACOFI launch night party (read my review here) have been flooding into my inbox… and I’ve been wondering how best to put them all together. In the absence of a better plan I have decided to plow through them alphabetically… So without further ado I present to you the wonderful artwork of Andrea Peterson, what is ed also known as Artist Andrea, sildenafil who is responsible for the cover art of ACOFI. She travelled all the way from Arizona to be with us on the launch day and I think that everyone was absolutely awed by her ability to create beautiful images from just a few dabs of watercolour, live, in front of a huge crowd. Here’s her images:

You’ve already seen this image of Jessica Bumpus from Vogue but why not show it again? I think it’s absolutely beautiful… and I love the way that Andrea has made her a Vogue cover star. Bring back illustrated covers indeed! So elegant and glamourous. You can read Jessica’s wonderful blog about the event on the Vogue Green Style Blog here. Thankyou so much Jessica!

Jessica Bumpus of Vogue by Andrea Peterson
Jessica Bumpus of Vogue by Andrea Peterson.

The lovely Alexandra Haddow who so kindly provided us with Pukka teas and helped out all afternoon. She is rather fittingly illustrated with tea cup in hand. You can read her write up of the event on LDNfashion online.

Alexandra Haddow of Pukka Teas by Andrea Peterson
Alexandra Haddow of Pukka Teas by Andrea Peterson.

Then there’s Lupe Castro: fashion stylist and freelance writer. I love her colourful vintage Pucci outfit.

Lupe Castro by Andrea Peterson
Lupe Castro by Andrea Peterson.

Francesca from Forward PR looks so demurely wonderful holding her copy of ACOFI, which she did so well in selling on the night. I loved her energy, so positive. What a lovely girl.

Francesca of Forward PR by Andrea Peterson.
Francesca of Forward PR by Andrea Peterson.

Here’s Nyla of Ethical Heaven – she writes a blog about sustainable style and beauty, and you can read her fab write up of the launch party here.

Nyla of Ethical Heaven by Andrea Peterson
Nyla of Ethical Heaven by Andrea Peterson.

And lastly here again is a reprise of The Pipettes: who unsurprisingly inspired more than a few illustrators to get their pens and paint brushes out. Ani Saunders is herself a very talented illustrator, and you can see her blog about the book (with her own unique rendition of Andrea’s cover) here.

The Pipettes by Andrea Peterson
The Pipettes by Andrea Peterson.

Thankyou Andrea so much for coming to visit us in the UK and showcasing your incredible talent live! I look forward to working with you for many moons to come. You can follow Andrea on twitter on @ArtistAndrea and don’t forget you can buy Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration here, with a special 10% if you use the discount code ACOFI LAUNCH up until the 28th February 2011. Here’s Andrea talking about her work on youtube, accompanied by chihuahua Frida.

YouTube Preview Image

ACOFI Lily Vanilli cake by Andrea Peterson
ACOFI Lily Vanilli cake by Andrea Peterson.

Over the past few days a steady trickle of fabulous illustrations from the ACOFI launch night party (read my review here) have been flooding into my inbox… and I’ve been wondering how best to put them all together. In the absence of a better plan I have decided to plow through them alphabetically… So without further ado I present to you the wonderful artwork of Andrea Peterson, approved also known as Artist Andrea, who is responsible for the cover art of ACOFI. She travelled all the way from Arizona to be with us on the launch day and I think that everyone was absolutely awed by her ability to create beautiful images from just a few dabs of watercolour, live, in front of a huge crowd.

You’ve already seen this image of Jessica Bumpus from Vogue but why not show it again? I think it’s absolutely beautiful… and I love the way that Andrea has made her a Vogue cover star. Bring back illustrated covers indeed! So elegant and glamourous. You can read Jessica’s wonderful blog about the event on the Vogue Green Style Blog here. Thankyou so much Jessica!

Jessica Bumpus of Vogue by Andrea Peterson
Jessica Bumpus of Vogue by Andrea Peterson.

The lovely Alexandra Haddow very kindly provided us with Pukka teas and helped out all afternoon. She is rather fittingly illustrated with tea cup in hand, and she also managed to do a lovely write up of the event on LDNfashion online.

Alexandra Haddow of Pukka Teas by Andrea Peterson
Alexandra Haddow of Pukka Teas by Andrea Peterson.

Then there’s Lupe Castro: fashion stylist and freelance writer. I love her colourful vintage Pucci outfit.

Lupe Castro by Andrea Peterson
Lupe Castro by Andrea Peterson.

Francesca from Forward PR looks so demurely wonderful holding her copy of ACOFI, which she did so well in selling on the night. I loved her energy, so positive. What a lovely girl.

Francesca of Forward PR by Andrea Peterson.
Francesca of Forward PR by Andrea Peterson.

Here’s Nyla of Ethical Heaven – she writes a blog about sustainable style and beauty, and you can read her fab write up of the launch party here.

Nyla of Ethical Heaven by Andrea Peterson
Nyla of Ethical Heaven by Andrea Peterson.

And lastly here again is a reprise of The Pipettes: who unsurprisingly inspired more than a few illustrators to get their pens and paint brushes out. Ani Saunders is herself a very talented illustrator, and she has her own blog called The Lovely Wars, where she has written about the book, complete with her own unique rendition of Andrea’s cover. Take a gander here.

The Pipettes by Andrea Peterson
The Pipettes by Andrea Peterson.

Thankyou Andrea so much for coming to visit us in the UK and showcasing your incredible talent live! I look forward to working with you for many moons to come. You can follow Andrea on twitter on @ArtistAndrea and don’t forget you can buy Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration here, with a special 10% if you use the discount code ACOFI LAUNCH up until the 28th February 2011. Lastly, here’s my interview with Andrea on youtube, accompanied by rescue chihuahua Frida (I had to heavily edit out all the bits where I was cooing over the chihuahua).

YouTube Preview Image

ACOFI Lily Vanilli cake by Andrea Peterson
ACOFI Lily Vanilli cake by Andrea Peterson.

Over the past few days a steady trickle of fabulous illustrations from the ACOFI launch night party (read my review here) have been flooding into my inbox… and I’ve been wondering how best to put them all together. In the absence of a better plan I have decided to plow through them alphabetically… So without further ado I present to you the wonderful artwork of Andrea Peterson, visit also known as Artist Andrea, who is responsible for the cover art of ACOFI. She travelled all the way from Arizona to be with us on the launch day and I think that everyone was absolutely awed by her ability to create beautiful images from just a few dabs of watercolour, live, in front of a huge crowd.

You’ve already seen this image of Jessica Bumpus from Vogue but why not show it again? I think it’s absolutely beautiful… and I love the way that Andrea has made her a Vogue cover star. Bring back illustrated covers indeed! So elegant and glamourous. You can read Jessica’s wonderful blog about the event on the Vogue Green Style Blog here. Thankyou so much Jessica!

Jessica Bumpus of Vogue by Andrea Peterson
Jessica Bumpus of Vogue by Andrea Peterson.

The lovely Alexandra Haddow very kindly provided us with Pukka teas and helped out all afternoon: she is rather fittingly illustrated with tea cup in hand. She also managed to do a lovely write up of the event on LDNfashion online, and we hope she will be joining our little fashion team soon as well.

Alexandra Haddow of Pukka Teas by Andrea Peterson
Alexandra Haddow of Pukka Teas by Andrea Peterson.

Then there’s Lupe Castro: fashion stylist and freelance writer. I love her colourful vintage Pucci outfit.

Lupe Castro by Andrea Peterson
Lupe Castro by Andrea Peterson.

Francesca from Forward PR looks so demurely wonderful holding her copy of ACOFI, which she did so well in selling on the night. I loved her energy, so positive. What a lovely girl.

Francesca of Forward PR by Andrea Peterson.
Francesca of Forward PR by Andrea Peterson.

Here’s Nyla of Ethical Heaven – she writes a blog about sustainable style and beauty, and you can read her fab write up of the launch party here.

Nyla of Ethical Heaven by Andrea Peterson
Nyla of Ethical Heaven by Andrea Peterson.

And lastly here again is a reprise of The Pipettes: who unsurprisingly inspired more than a few illustrators to get their pens and paint brushes out. Ani Saunders is herself a very talented illustrator, and she has her own blog called The Lovely Wars, where she has written about the book, complete with her own unique rendition of Andrea’s cover. Take a gander here.

The Pipettes by Andrea Peterson
The Pipettes by Andrea Peterson.

Thankyou Andrea so much for coming to visit us in the UK and showcasing your incredible talent live! I look forward to working with you for many moons to come. You can follow Andrea on twitter on @ArtistAndrea and don’t forget you can buy Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration here, with a special 10% if you use the discount code ACOFI LAUNCH up until the 28th February 2011. Lastly, here’s my interview with Andrea on youtube, accompanied by rescue chihuahua Frida (I had to heavily edit out all the bits where I was cooing over the chihuahua). Enjoy!

YouTube Preview Image

ACOFI Lily Vanilli cake by Andrea Peterson
ACOFI Lily Vanilli cake by Andrea Peterson.

Over the past few days a steady trickle of fabulous illustrations from the ACOFI launch night party (read my review here) have been flooding into my inbox… and I’ve been wondering how best to put them all together. In the absence of a better plan I have decided to plow through them alphabetically… So without further ado I present to you the wonderful artwork of Andrea Peterson, buy also known as Artist Andrea, sick who is responsible for the cover art of ACOFI. She travelled all the way from Arizona to be with us on the launch day and I think that everyone was absolutely awed by her ability to create beautiful images from just a few dabs of watercolour, no rx live, in front of a huge crowd.

You’ve already seen this image of Jessica Bumpus from Vogue but why not show it again? I think it’s absolutely beautiful… and I love the way that Andrea has made her a Vogue cover star. Bring back illustrated covers indeed! So elegant and glamourous. You can read Jessica’s wonderful blog about the event on the Vogue Green Style Blog here. Thankyou so much Jessica!

Jessica Bumpus of Vogue by Andrea Peterson
Jessica Bumpus of Vogue by Andrea Peterson.

The lovely Alexandra Haddow very kindly provided us with Pukka teas and helped out all afternoon: she is rather fittingly illustrated with tea cup in hand. She also managed to do a lovely write up of the event on LDNfashion online, and we hope she will be joining our little fashion team soon as well.

Alexandra Haddow of Pukka Teas by Andrea Peterson
Alexandra Haddow of Pukka Teas by Andrea Peterson.

Then there’s Lupe Castro: fashion stylist and freelance writer. I love her colourful vintage Pucci outfit.

Lupe Castro by Andrea Peterson
Lupe Castro by Andrea Peterson.

Francesca from Forward PR looks so demurely wonderful holding her copy of ACOFI, which she did so well in selling on the night. I loved her energy, so positive. What a lovely girl.

Francesca of Forward PR by Andrea Peterson.
Francesca of Forward PR by Andrea Peterson.

Here’s Nyla of Ethical Heaven – she writes a blog about sustainable style and beauty, and you can read her fab write up of the launch party here.

Nyla of Ethical Heaven by Andrea Peterson
Nyla of Ethical Heaven by Andrea Peterson.

And lastly here again is a reprise of The Pipettes: who unsurprisingly inspired more than a few illustrators to get their pens and paint brushes out. Ani Saunders is herself a very talented illustrator, and she has her own blog called The Lovely Wars, where she has written about the book, complete with her own unique rendition of Andrea’s cover. Take a gander here.

The Pipettes by Andrea Peterson
The Pipettes by Andrea Peterson.

Thankyou Andrea so much for coming to visit us in the UK and showcasing your incredible talent live! I look forward to working with you for many moons to come. You can follow Andrea on twitter on @ArtistAndrea and don’t forget you can buy Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration here, with a special 10% if you use the discount code ACOFI LAUNCH up until the 28th February 2011. Lastly, here’s my interview with Andrea on youtube, accompanied by rescue chihuahua Frida (I had to heavily edit out all the bits where I was cooing over the chihuahua). Enjoy!

YouTube Preview Image

ACOFI Lily Vanilli cake by Andrea Peterson
ACOFI Lily Vanilli cake by Andrea Peterson.

Over the past few days a steady trickle of fabulous illustrations from the ACOFI launch night party (read my review here) have been flooding into my inbox… and I’ve been wondering how best to put them all together. In the absence of a better plan I have decided to plow through them alphabetically… So without further ado I present to you the wonderful artwork of Andrea Peterson, buy also known as Artist Andrea, clinic who is responsible for the cover art of ACOFI. She travelled all the way from Arizona to be with us on the launch day and I think that everyone was absolutely awed by her ability to create beautiful images from just a few dabs of watercolour, sickness live, in front of a huge crowd.

You’ve already seen this image of Jessica Bumpus from Vogue but why not show it again? I think it’s absolutely beautiful… and I love the way that Andrea has made her a Vogue cover star. Bring back illustrated covers indeed! So elegant and glamourous. You can read Jessica’s wonderful blog about the event on the Vogue Green Style Blog here. Thankyou so much Jessica!

Jessica Bumpus of Vogue by Andrea Peterson
Jessica Bumpus of Vogue by Andrea Peterson.

The lovely Alexandra Haddow very kindly provided us with Pukka teas and helped out all afternoon: she is rather fittingly illustrated with tea cup in hand. She also managed to do a lovely write up of the event on LDNfashion online, and we hope she will be joining our little fashion team soon as well.

Alexandra Haddow of Pukka Teas by Andrea Peterson
Alexandra Haddow of Pukka Teas by Andrea Peterson.

Then there’s Lupe Castro: fashion stylist and freelance writer. I love her colourful vintage Pucci outfit.

Lupe Castro by Andrea Peterson
Lupe Castro by Andrea Peterson.

Francesca from Forward PR looks so demurely wonderful holding her copy of ACOFI, which she did so well in selling on the night. I loved her energy, so positive. What a lovely girl.

Francesca of Forward PR by Andrea Peterson.
Francesca of Forward PR by Andrea Peterson.

Here’s Nyla of Ethical Heaven – she writes a blog about sustainable style and beauty, and you can read her fab write up of the launch party here.

Nyla of Ethical Heaven by Andrea Peterson
Nyla of Ethical Heaven by Andrea Peterson.

And lastly here again is a reprise of The Pipettes: who unsurprisingly inspired more than a few illustrators to get their pens and paint brushes out. Ani Saunders is herself a very talented illustrator, and she has her own blog called The Lovely Wars, where she has written about the book, complete with her own unique rendition of Andrea’s cover. Take a gander here.

The Pipettes by Andrea Peterson
The Pipettes by Andrea Peterson.

Thankyou Andrea so much for coming to visit us in the UK and showcasing your incredible talent live! I look forward to working with you for many moons to come. You can follow Andrea on twitter on @ArtistAndrea and don’t forget you can buy Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration here, with a special 10% if you use the discount code ACOFI LAUNCH up until the 28th February 2011. Lastly, here’s my interview with Andrea on youtube, accompanied by rescue chihuahua Frida (I had to heavily edit out all the bits where I was cooing over the chihuahua). Enjoy!

YouTube Preview Image

ACOFI Lily Vanilli cake by Andrea Peterson
ACOFI Lily Vanilli cake by Andrea Peterson.

Over the past few days a steady trickle of fabulous illustrations from the ACOFI launch night party (read my review here) have been flooding into my inbox… and I’ve been wondering how best to put them all together. In the absence of a better plan I have decided to plow through them alphabetically… So without further ado I present to you the wonderful artwork of Andrea Peterson, pilule also known as Artist Andrea, who is responsible for the cover art of ACOFI. She travelled all the way from Arizona to be with us on the launch day and I think that everyone was absolutely awed by her ability to create beautiful images from just a few dabs of watercolour, live, in front of a huge crowd.

You’ve already seen this image of Jessica Bumpus from Vogue but why not show it again? I think it’s absolutely beautiful… and I love the way that Andrea has made her a Vogue cover star. Bring back illustrated covers indeed! So elegant and glamourous. You can read Jessica’s wonderful blog about the event on the Vogue Green Style Blog here. Thankyou so much Jessica!

Jessica Bumpus of Vogue by Andrea Peterson
Jessica Bumpus of Vogue by Andrea Peterson.

The lovely Alexandra Haddow very kindly provided us with Pukka teas and helped out all afternoon: she is rather fittingly illustrated with tea cup in hand. She also managed to do a lovely write up of the event on LDNfashion online, and we hope she will be joining our little fashion team soon as well.

Alexandra Haddow of Pukka Teas by Andrea Peterson
Alexandra Haddow of Pukka Teas by Andrea Peterson.

Then there’s Lupe Castro: fashion stylist and freelance writer. I love her colourful vintage Pucci outfit.

Lupe Castro by Andrea Peterson
Lupe Castro by Andrea Peterson.

Francesca from Forward PR looks so demurely wonderful holding her copy of ACOFI, which she did so well in selling on the night. I loved her energy, so positive. What a lovely girl.

Francesca of Forward PR by Andrea Peterson.
Francesca of Forward PR by Andrea Peterson.

Here’s Nyla of Ethical Heaven – she writes a blog about sustainable style and beauty, and you can read her fab write up of the launch party here.

Nyla of Ethical Heaven by Andrea Peterson
Nyla of Ethical Heaven by Andrea Peterson.

And lastly here again is a reprise of The Pipettes: who unsurprisingly inspired more than a few illustrators to get their pens and paint brushes out. Ani Saunders is herself a very talented illustrator, and she has her own blog called The Lovely Wars, where she has written about the book, complete with her own unique rendition of Andrea’s cover. Take a gander here.

The Pipettes by Andrea Peterson
The Pipettes by Andrea Peterson.

Thankyou Andrea so much for coming to visit us in the UK and showcasing your incredible talent live! I look forward to working with you for many moons to come. You can follow Andrea on twitter on @ArtistAndrea and don’t forget you can buy Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration here, with a special 10% if you use the discount code ACOFI LAUNCH up until the 28th February 2011. Lastly, here’s my interview with Andrea on youtube, accompanied by rescue chihuahua Frida (I had to heavily edit out all the bits where I was cooing over the chihuahua). Enjoy!

YouTube Preview Image

Laurel Harple of i-D by Antonia Parker
Laurel Harple of i-D by Antonia Parker.

Antonia Parker is just delightful. She’s also exceptionally talented and prolific, information pills using bold colours and pattern to achieve wonderfully glossy idiosyncratic images. Ay, generic this is a girl after my own heart.

Laurel Harple (above) was one of the first arrivals at my launch party – I first encountered her when I spoke at Sketchbook Magazine‘s pop up shop last year, approved and she’s now helping out at i-D. We went upstairs to do a video interview on her iphone (aren’t they such clever little beasties?) and you can view the result online at i-D now. I love her Antonia’s orange illustration, which also features at the front of the i-D video interview. Woop woop. She was a really good interviewer and I think I come across okay, even if I do look utterly knackered (I was). Next time I insist on more flattering lighting…

Rebekah Roy by Antonia Parker
Rebekah Roy by Antonia Parker.

Rebekah Roy is a Canadian stylist who is also represented by Forward PR and she’s a really magical lady. This season she will once again be styling the Prophetik show at London Fashion Week (Prophetik features in ACOFI) and I can’t wait to see what she does. You can read last season’s review here.

Claire and Yasmin of Ballad Of by Antonia Parker
Claire and Yasmin of Ballad Of by Antonia Parker.

Ballad Of is a beautiful print and online magazine that supports many of the same illustrators that Amelia’s Magazine features. It was a delight to meet Claire and Yasmin at the launch party. They’ve put together a lovely blog and a little video of the party which shows just how much fun was had during the evening in the Scout Hut at 123 Bethnal Green Road.

Heather Stanton of Dr.Hauschka by Antonia Parker
Heather Stanton of Dr.Hauschka by Antonia Parker.

Heather Stanton is the stunning PR lady for Dr.Hauschka, who were so incredibly helpful in making sure I had a fabulous collection of delectable facial treats in the goodie bags and did my make up on the day so that I looked glowing and healthy despite minimal sleep. I cannot thank Heather enough for being so wonderfully supportive.

Amisha Ghadiali by Antonia Parker
Amisha Ghadiali by Antonia Parker.

I’ve been talking to Amisha Ghadiali for sometime now – she wears many different hats (and a particularly fetching specimen to my launch party) – she also designs jewellery and writes for Ecouterre as well as her own blog Elegance Rebellion, and you can read her write up here.

Becky of The Style Saint by Antonia Parker
Becky of The Style Saint by Antonia Parker.

Becky Patrickson is responsible for The Style Saint: saving this planet, looking damn sexy while we do it. That’s what I like to hear! Here’s her blog about the book launch.

Laura of Forward PR by Antonia Parker
Laura of Forward PR by Antonia Parker.

Laura is Courtney’s right hand woman at Forward PR and was responsible for the amazing action behind the bar throughout most of the night. Love loved her stripy top and braces, not to mention her dance moves…

Ronke Adeyemi by Antonia Parker
Ronke Adeyemi by Antonia Parker.

Ronke Adeyemi runs The Musings of Ondo Lady which is a fabulous blog – she also interviewed me on the night. Unfortunately I think it’s a wee bit noisy but you just might be able to make out what I’m saying against the din in the packed Bunker Cafe!

ACOFI launch Jan Antonia Parker
Antonia at the launch party.

You can follow Antonia Parker on twitter on @AntoniaMakes and don’t forget you can buy Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration here, with a special 10% if you use the discount code ACOFI LAUNCH up until the 28th February 2011. Here’s Antonia in conversation in my youtube interview – she’s since become an even more flaming redhead – see above. I really loved her up do – an illustrator’s dream herself.

YouTube Preview Image

Written by Amelia Gregory on Thursday February 3rd, 2011 1:45 pm

Categories ,123 Bethnal Green Road, ,Amisha Ghadiali, ,Antonia Harrowing, ,Antonia Makes, ,Antonia Parker, ,Becky Patrickson, ,Dr.Hauschka, ,Ecouterre, ,Forward PR, ,Heather Stanton, ,i-D, ,i-D Online, ,Laura, ,Laurel Harple, ,Prophetik, ,Rebekah Roy, ,Ronke Adeyemi, ,Scout Hut, ,Sketchbook Magazine, ,stylist, ,The Musings of Ondo Lady, ,The Style Saint

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Amelia’s Magazine | Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration launch party illustrations: meet Jenny Robins

by


Illustration by Aysim Genc

Did you know that we’re all buying a third more clothing than we did a decade ago? Yep, mind you read that right. A third more in only 10 years. And are you also aware that today’s average household contributes 26 items of wearable clothing to landfill every year? Tallied up, pilule that’s well over 600,000 garments in the UK alone. Can you visualise that waste? It’s A LOT.

The appropriately-named Trash Fashion exhibition is a relatively small presentation with a big message. Be honest, you can’t remember the last time that ‘textiles’ sprang to mind when thinking of world waste and pollution. Something along the lines of ‘oil’ or ‘water’ or ‘plastic bottles’ would be up there; never the words ‘clothes’, ‘dyes’, ‘fabric’. And yet, it’s a big deal. For example, a huge 17-20% of worldwide industrial water pollution is down to textile dye. The truth is that the concept of waste produced by the textiles industry is dangerously underestimated. Fact.


Illustration by Ankolie

Okay, so I didn’t predict a fashion-related exhibition at the Science Museum either. And, in its allotted space, Trash Fashion did rather stick out like a sore-thumb. One also is required to walk through the entire ground floor to actually reach the exhibition, which features steam trains, outer-space and other extravaganzas along with a large population of noisy children. As it was a Saturday, immersed in engines and spaceships, I’m guessing either über-nerdy kids or über-nerdy parents. However, I just used the word ‘über’ twice in one sentence so I’m clearly the nerd here.

Moving on, I learnt shed loads about ‘designing out waste’ in the fashion industry by wandering through. For one, I learnt that an initiative, led by Central Saint Martins, is being developed. An idea that started with a small mat of cellulose being immersed in green tea in order for it to grow into usable fabric. Fabric that is literally living and breathing. It turns out rather like leather and, having a feel of the fabric myself, couldn’t believe that it came from some bacteria bathed in green tea. Weird. Anyway, it turns out that, at this early stage, the so-called ‘Bio Couture’ is way too heavy and gooey to wear and would practically disintegrate in the rain. Nevertheless, it’s a damn-good start – the product is natural, non-toxic and compostable and scientists are working on developing the idea further all the time.


Illustration by Stephanie Melodia

Another part of the exhibition that I found enthralling was a project hosted by the London College of Fashion called ‘Knit to Fit’. It puts forward the concept of ‘Mass Customisation’, something that I could definitely see materialising in the near future. It starts with an individual having a 3D Body Scan done by a special computer that reads all, and even the very intricate, measurements of the body. This information, along with personalised details such as colour and pattern, is then transmitted to a fairly new machine in the textiles world that, before one’s very eyes, produces an entirely seamless 3D garment. No off-cuts. No waste. Considering that fashion designers are known to leave a whole 15% of the fabric they work with on the cutting-room floor, these are absolutely imperative pieces of technology in the movement towards sustainable and efficient textiles of the future. The idea is that, in the not-too-distant future, the average shopper will be able to stroll into a clothing store and have a custom-made garment made there and then that is unique to us and, most importantly, will leave absolutely no waste.


Illustration by Caroline Coates

Without a doubt, the most immediately imposing feature of the exhibition was a large, flamboyant dress, made out of 1000 pieces of folded scraps of the London Metro newspaper. It stood tall at the entrance and its grandeur seduced a small crowd to gather around and take photographs.
In my opinion, however, it just isn’t enough to rip up a few copies of the London Metro, origami fold them into numerous pieces and make a dress – not to wear, but to make a statement. Not to dismiss the skill that goes into constructing such a fiddly garment, or the fact that it DOES make a pretty huge statement. It relates waste and fashion to one another, which is crucial, through something impressive and, ironically, quite beautiful. But it’s been done. I’ve seen countless garments like these, designed for that shock-factor yet completely un-wearable. It’s time to stop representing the problem and to instead turn to the solution – to science. And this, bar the newspaper dress, is where ‘Trash Fashion’ came up trumps.

So, despite being a little late-in-the-day with this one, might not be worth trekking all the way to South Kensington to see this exhibition alone. If you do, time it in with a trip to the National History Museum or the V&A, both right next door. After all, it’s free entry. You’ll just have to hurdle past the children screaming at steam engines and Apollo 10 and I honestly don’t think you’ll regret it.

Trash Fashion: designing out waste is supported by SITA Trust as part of the No More Waste project and is free to visit at the Science Museum in London.

As part of the exhibition, there is an interactive competition whereby members of the public can submit photos of their ‘refashioned’ old garments, before and after, and could land their new design a spot in the exhibition. To upload pictures of your customised clothes go to www.flickr.com/groups/trashfashion


Illustration by Aysim Genc

Did you know that we’re all buying a third more clothing than we did a decade ago? Yep, buy you read that right. A third more in only 10 years. And are you also aware that today’s average household contributes 26 items of wearable clothing to landfill every year? Tallied up, patient that’s well over 600, buy 000 garments in the UK alone. Can you visualise that waste? It’s A LOT.

The appropriately-named Trash Fashion exhibition is a relatively small presentation with a big message. Be honest, you can’t remember the last time that ‘textiles’ sprang to mind when thinking of world waste and pollution. Something along the lines of ‘oil’ or ‘water’ or ‘plastic bottles’ would be up there; never the words ‘clothes’, ‘dyes’, ‘fabric’. And yet, it’s a big deal. For example, a huge 17-20% of worldwide industrial water pollution is down to textile dye. The truth is that the concept of waste produced by the textiles industry is dangerously underestimated. Fact.


Illustration by Ankolie

Okay, so I didn’t predict a fashion-related exhibition at the Science Museum either. And, in its allotted space, Trash Fashion did rather stick out like a sore-thumb. One also is required to walk through the entire ground floor to actually reach the exhibition, which features steam trains, outer-space and other extravaganzas along with a large population of noisy children. As it was a Saturday, immersed in engines and spaceships, I’m guessing either über-nerdy kids or über-nerdy parents. However, I just used the word ‘über’ twice in one sentence so I’m clearly the nerd here.


All photographs courtesy of Lois Waller/Bunnipunch

Moving on, I learnt shed loads about ‘designing out waste’ in the fashion industry by wandering through. For one, I learnt that an initiative, led by Central Saint Martins, is being developed. An idea that started with a small mat of cellulose being immersed in green tea in order for it to grow into usable fabric. Fabric that is literally living and breathing. It turns out rather like leather and, having a feel of the fabric myself, couldn’t believe that it came from some bacteria bathed in green tea. Weird. Anyway, it turns out that, at this early stage, the so-called ‘Bio Couture’ is way too heavy and gooey to wear and would practically disintegrate in the rain. Nevertheless, it’s a damn-good start – the product is natural, non-toxic and compostable and scientists are working on developing the idea further all the time.


Illustration by Stephanie Melodia

Another part of the exhibition that I found enthralling was a project hosted by the London College of Fashion called ‘Knit to Fit’. It puts forward the concept of ‘Mass Customisation’, something that I could definitely see materialising in the near future. It starts with an individual having a 3D Body Scan done by a special computer that reads all, and even the very intricate, measurements of the body. This information, along with personalised details such as colour and pattern, is then transmitted to a fairly new machine in the textiles world that, before one’s very eyes, produces an entirely seamless 3D garment. No off-cuts. No waste. Considering that fashion designers are known to leave a whole 15% of the fabric they work with on the cutting-room floor, these are absolutely imperative pieces of technology in the movement towards sustainable and efficient textiles of the future. The idea is that, in the not-too-distant future, the average shopper will be able to stroll into a clothing store and have a custom-made garment made there and then that is unique to us and, most importantly, will leave absolutely no waste.


Illustration by Caroline Coates

Without a doubt, the most immediately imposing feature of the exhibition was a large, flamboyant dress, made out of 1000 pieces of folded scraps of the London Metro newspaper. It stood tall at the entrance and its grandeur seduced a small crowd to gather around and take photographs.
In my opinion, however, it just isn’t enough to rip up a few copies of the London Metro, origami fold them into numerous pieces and make a dress – not to wear, but to make a statement. Not to dismiss the skill that goes into constructing such a fiddly garment, or the fact that it DOES make a pretty huge statement. It relates waste and fashion to one another, which is crucial, through something impressive and, ironically, quite beautiful. But it’s been done. I’ve seen countless garments like these, designed for that shock-factor yet completely un-wearable. It’s time to stop representing the problem and to instead turn to the solution – to science. And this, bar the newspaper dress, is where ‘Trash Fashion’ came up trumps.

So, despite being a little late-in-the-day with this one, might not be worth trekking all the way to South Kensington to see this exhibition alone. If you do, time it in with a trip to the National History Museum or the V&A, both right next door. After all, it’s free entry. You’ll just have to hurdle past the children screaming at steam engines and Apollo 10 and I honestly don’t think you’ll regret it.

Trash Fashion: designing out waste is supported by SITA Trust as part of the No More Waste project and is free to visit at the Science Museum in London.

As part of the exhibition, there is an interactive competition whereby members of the public can submit photos of their ‘refashioned’ old garments, before and after, and could land their new design a spot in the exhibition. To upload pictures of your customised clothes go to www.flickr.com/groups/trashfashion


Illustration by Aysim Genc

Did you know that we’re all buying a third more clothing than we did a decade ago? Yep, information pills you read that right. A third more in only 10 years. And are you also aware that today’s average household contributes 26 items of wearable clothing to landfill every year? Tallied up, that’s well over 600,000 garments in the UK alone. Can you visualise that waste? It’s A LOT.

The appropriately-named Trash Fashion exhibition is a relatively small presentation with a big message. Be honest, you can’t remember the last time that ‘textiles’ sprang to mind when thinking of world waste and pollution. Something along the lines of ‘oil’ or ‘water’ or ‘plastic bottles’ would be up there; never the words ‘clothes’, ‘dyes’, ‘fabric’. And yet, it’s a big deal. For example, a huge 17-20% of worldwide industrial water pollution is down to textile dye. The truth is that the concept of waste produced by the textiles industry is dangerously underestimated. Fact.


Illustration by Ankolie

Okay, so I didn’t predict a fashion-related exhibition at the Science Museum either. And, in its allotted space, Trash Fashion did rather stick out like a sore-thumb. One also is required to walk through the entire ground floor to actually reach the exhibition, which features steam trains, outer-space and other extravaganzas along with a large population of noisy children. As it was a Saturday, immersed in engines and spaceships, I’m guessing either über-nerdy kids or über-nerdy parents. However, I just used the word ‘über’ twice in one sentence so I’m clearly the nerd here.


All photographs courtesy of Lois Waller/Bunnipunch

Moving on, I learnt shed loads about ‘designing out waste’ in the fashion industry by wandering through. For one, I learnt that an initiative, led by Central Saint Martins, is being developed. An idea that started with a small mat of cellulose being immersed in green tea in order for it to grow into usable fabric. Fabric that is literally living and breathing. It turns out rather like leather and, having a feel of the fabric myself, couldn’t believe that it came from some bacteria bathed in green tea. Weird. Anyway, it turns out that, at this early stage, the so-called ‘Bio Couture’ is way too heavy and gooey to wear and would practically disintegrate in the rain. Nevertheless, it’s a damn-good start – the product is natural, non-toxic and compostable and scientists are working on developing the idea further all the time.


Illustration by Stephanie Melodia

Another part of the exhibition that I found enthralling was a project hosted by the London College of Fashion called ‘Knit to Fit’. It puts forward the concept of ‘Mass Customisation’, something that I could definitely see materialising in the near future. It starts with an individual having a 3D Body Scan done by a special computer that reads all, and even the very intricate, measurements of the body. This information, along with personalised details such as colour and pattern, is then transmitted to a fairly new machine in the textiles world that, before one’s very eyes, produces an entirely seamless 3D garment. No off-cuts. No waste. Considering that fashion designers are known to leave a whole 15% of the fabric they work with on the cutting-room floor, these are absolutely imperative pieces of technology in the movement towards sustainable and efficient textiles of the future. The idea is that, in the not-too-distant future, the average shopper will be able to stroll into a clothing store and have a custom-made garment made there and then that is unique to us and, most importantly, will leave absolutely no waste.


Illustration by Caroline Coates

Without a doubt, the most immediately imposing feature of the exhibition was a large, flamboyant dress, made out of 1000 pieces of folded scraps of the London Metro newspaper. It stood tall at the entrance and its grandeur seduced a small crowd to gather around and take photographs.
In my opinion, however, it just isn’t enough to rip up a few copies of the London Metro, origami fold them into numerous pieces and make a dress – not to wear, but to make a statement. Not to dismiss the skill that goes into constructing such a fiddly garment, or the fact that it DOES make a pretty huge statement. It relates waste and fashion to one another, which is crucial, through something impressive and, ironically, quite beautiful. But it’s been done. I’ve seen countless garments like these, designed for that shock-factor yet completely un-wearable. It’s time to stop representing the problem and to instead turn to the solution – to science. And this, bar the newspaper dress, is where ‘Trash Fashion’ came up trumps.

So, despite being a little late-in-the-day with this one, might not be worth trekking all the way to South Kensington to see this exhibition alone. If you do, time it in with a trip to the National History Museum or the V&A, both right next door. After all, it’s free entry. You’ll just have to hurdle past the children screaming at steam engines and Apollo 10 and I honestly don’t think you’ll regret it.

Trash Fashion: designing out waste is supported by SITA Trust as part of the No More Waste project and is free to visit at the Science Museum in London.

As part of the exhibition, there is an interactive competition whereby members of the public can submit photos of their ‘refashioned’ old garments, before and after, and could land their new design a spot in the exhibition. To upload pictures of your customised clothes go to www.flickr.com/groups/trashfashion

Eliza Newman by Jenny Lloyd
Eliza Newman by Jenny Lloyd

Eyjafjallajokull. How did you say that it your head? The impressive word refers to the glacier on top of the volcanic mountain (remember the ash cloud?) in Iceland. Understanding the perils of uninformed pronunciation, click Icelandic native Eliza Newman, health wrote a little song on how to actually pronounce the word. It featured on the Al Jazeera News channel and has since become one of Al Jazeera’s most popular news pieces ever.

Ta daa:

Eyjafjallajökull – Eliza Newman performed on Al Jazeera News
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Eliza Newman | Myspace Music Videos

But there is far more to Eliza (Geirsdóttir) Newman than chuckling at our pronunciation shortcomings. She plays violin, ukelele and piano, and is also a trained opera singer. Her song; ‘Ukelele Song for You’ was one of the most popular in Iceland in 2009. The tune is about ‘attracting trouble’, ‘broken promises’ and forgiveness. With ukelele strumming and high pitched notes, it’s lighthearted in its sound, contrasting with the seriousness of the topic. This is refreshing and conjures up thoughts for me, of Blue Valentine, and the heartbreak within the love and jovial moments. The uke can be (in a touching folky way) deep! It’s a pleasure to listen to:

Previously Eliza was the lead singer of girl group, Bellatrix and the rock band, Skandinavia. Through Bellatrix, Eliza and Co. released four albums on Björk’s Bad Taste label, signing to Fierce Panda for their fourth album release. They also headlined the Carling Stage at the Reading Festival and co-headlined a tour with Coldplay. These days Eliza is a solo artist and promotes Icelandic female artists by being part of the Trubatrix movement, which encourages gigs and album releases around Iceland.

Eliza-Newman-by-Mina-Bach

Illustration by Mina Bach

Eliza’s second album, Pie In The Sky, is out on April 4, on Lavaland Records . Watch out for my review. For now here’s a little interview with Eliza:

Could you describe your music? Its beyond words, like touching heaven with your inner ear! Or just a kind of quirky pop style sweet on top but dark underneath muhahaha!….

Do you write your own music? Yes I write all my stuff and have always done , that’s the only way to go.

What is your inspiration?
Cats.

How do you feel about having one of the most popular songs in Iceland, ‘Ukulele Song For You’?
It feels great , very unexpected and a pleasant surprise. Icelandic people have good taste in music!

You play many instruments and are a trained opera singer, when did you start playing music and singing? 
I started playing the violin at seven and studied that until I was 15 then I started a band and didn’t feel like practising violin any more. I started singing the day I started my first band. Never sung a note before then! Later I went on to study opera and I learned the piano, guitar and ukulele on the way.

Eliza Newman 1 Chloe Cook
Illustration by Chloe Cook

What’s you favourite instrument, musical style?
My favourite musical instrument is the harpsichord and the hurdy-gurdy, I really would like to get my hands on those two instruments to play! My favourite musical style is kind of pop rock indie opera classical hip hop and easy listening : )

Could you tell us about your former band, Bellatrix?
Bellatrix was my first band, we were an all girl band and started quite young, got signed and released five albums both in Iceland on Björk‘s Bad Taste Label and later with Fierce Panda in the UK. The music developed from a punk rock sound to electro pop and we did loads of cool stuff like tour the world, headline Reading and do a tour with Coldplay. Fun and games!

Eliza Newman by Avril kelly
Illustration by Avril Kelly

What were the highlights of being in the band?
Headlining the Carling stage at Reading and Leeds Festival and travelling the world.

What about Skandinavia?
Skandinavia was my venture into heavy rock! Loads of fun. I was studying opera at the time in London and wanted to do some epic rock music inspired by opera. We recorded an album and did a UK tour and it satisfied my longing to do a heavy rock album, so that box is ticked now!

How does being a solo artist differ from being in a band?
It’s very different because as a solo artist you have to take all the responsibility which is both good and bad. You have no one to blame but yourself haha! You get more freedom to do your own thing as a solo artist but in a band you get more feedback and have to compromise sometimes, both things have their advantages. Having said that, I am very much a band person and enjoy working with others, so I would not rule out joining another band at some point.

Eliza Newman 2 Chloe Cook
Illustration by Chloe Cook

And how is your own music different?
My music is more relaxed then the band stuff I did, I have calmed down quite a bit!

How is the new album in comparison to your last album, Empire Fall (Series 8 Records)?
The new album is more hopeful and has a lighter tone to it with ukuleles, synths and various fun instruments mixing it up. Empire fall was more minimalist and had a darker undertone.

eliz 2

Where do you want to go now in your career?
I would like to go to Japan and play, also keep writing and finding new interesting ways of expressing myself through music, yeah and learn the hurdy-gurdy!

END. Thank you so much Eliza. Helen x

ACOFI - jenny robins - Amelia's compendium - laura snoad - design week - tatty devine
Laura Snoad of Design Week sporting her Tatty Devine necklace. She wrote a great write up of the party here: check it out.

Oh dear. My brilliant plans to get all ACOFI launch party blogs online by the end of last week were laid waste by a pre-booked four day trip to Cornwall. Which was just lovely in case you were wondering: so good to feel the wind in my hair on a coastal path again.

Amelia Gregory in Cornwall

Jenny Robins is the illustrator who has worked closest with Amelia’s Magazine to do live illustrations from the catwalk in the past. For this reason she was a natural choice to bring along for the tea party… and she did not disappoint, viagra dosage holding court over by the window all afternoon long and churning out an amazing amount of stunning live artwork right in front of our guests. In fact she did so many I’m going to have to run through them as quickly as possible or I’ll never get onto my next illustrator. All I’ve got to say, story is Jenny, you rock my world.

ACOFI - jenny robins - Amelia's compendium - alex cox - amelia gregory
Here I am, being interviewed, I am not sure who by!

ACOFI - jenny robins - Amelia's compendium - alex cox - don't panic
Here’s Alex Cox of Don’t Panic.

ACOFI - jenny robins - Amelia's compendium - amisha ghadiali - take a moment
Amisha Ghadiali once again. Read her lovely write up on Elegance Rebellion here.

ACOFI - jenny robins - Amelia's compendium - amy - tantrum magazine
Amy from Tantrum Magazine – here’s her write up.

ACOFI - jenny robins - Amelia's compendium - bette davis - oh comely
Bette Davis from Oh Comely – here’s her lovely blog.

ACOFI - jenny robins - Amelia's compendium - bettina krohn - make lemonade
Bettina Krohn from Make Lemonade – I wonder, am I the Mad Hatter that she references in her write up?

ACOFI - jenny robins - Amelia's compendium - carrie - wish wish wish copy
The super stylish Carrie of Wish Wish Wish. The launch inspired her to have a go at fashion illustration herself.

ACOFI - jenny robins - Amelia's compendium - danielle drown - poppy cleopatra
Danielle who runs a blog called Poppy Cleopatra. Read her write up here.

ACOFI - jenny robins - Amelia's compendium - ellen grace jones - the real runway
Ellen Grace Jones of The Real Runway which is a great sartorial fashion blog, and she has also contributed to Amelia’s Magazine.

ACOFI - jenny robins - Amelia's compendium - micheal - anastasia and duck
Michael Ford of Anastasia Duck. Read his blog here.

ACOFI - jenny robins - Amelia's compendium - michelle Urvall Nyren - probably naomi
Fellow illustrator Michelle Urvall Nyren at work.

ACOFI - jenny robins - Amelia's compendium - sabrina - the science of style
Sabrina of The Science of Style.

ACOFI - jenny robins - Amelia's compendium - tamara cincik
A heavily pregnant Tamara Cincik. Read her blog here.

ACOFI - jenny robins - Amelia's compendium - tatty devine - rosie and harriet
Rosie and Harriet of Tatty Devine.

ACOFI - jenny robins - Amelia's compendium - tigz rice
Tigz Rice – photographer and social media maven. Here’s her blog.

ACOFI - jenny robins - Amelia's compendium - tom and crystal - spoonfed
Tom and Crystal from Spoonfed.

ACOFI - jenny robins - Amelia's compendium -david alphonso - noisy writing
David Alphonso of Noisy Writing.

ACOFI launch Jan 11-Jenny Robins
Jenny Robins at work.

You can follow Jenny Robins on twitter on @jennyrobins and don’t forget you can buy Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration here, with a special 10% if you use the discount code ACOFI LAUNCH up until the 28th February 2011. Here’s Jenny talking to me via the power of Skype in her youtube interview:

YouTube Preview Image

Written by Amelia Gregory on Wednesday February 9th, 2011 2:36 pm

Categories ,ACOFI, ,Alex Cox, ,Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration, ,Amisha Ghadiali, ,Amy, ,Anastasia Duck, ,Bette Davis, ,Bettina Krohn, ,Carrie, ,Cornwall, ,David Alphonso, ,Design Week, ,Don’t Panic, ,Ellen Grace Jones, ,Jenny Robins, ,Laura Snoad, ,Make Lemonade, ,Michael Ford, ,Michelle Urvall Nyrén, ,Noisy Writing, ,Oh Comely, ,Rosie and Harriet, ,Sabrina, ,Spoonfed, ,Tamara Cincik, ,Tantrum Magazine, ,Tatty Devine, ,The Real Runway, ,The Science of Style, ,Tigz Rice, ,Wish Wish Wish

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