Amelia’s Magazine | Spijkers en Spijkers: London Fashion Week A/W 2012 Catwalk Review

Spijkers en Spijkers A/W 2012 by Cristian Grossi
Spijkers en Spijkers A/W 2012 by Cristian Grossi

From the looks of the feminine and pretty invite (which was beautifully illustrated by Dutch artist Martine Johanna) I didn’t expect anything too shocking from this A/W 2012 collection by Spijkers en Spijkers.

Spijkers en Spijkers A/W 2012 by Claire Kearns

Spijkers en Spijkers A/W 2012 by Claire Kearns

The mood music as we sat down consisted of haunting, screeching quotes, so I suspected that we were in for something dark, haunting, and a little different. The quotes were from the original 1975 Grey Gardens documentary depicting the life of Big Edie and Little Edie, the aunt and first cousin of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis. It is a real-life tale of a mother and a daughter driven to an eccentric state of solitude, after falling from the grace of high-society New York when Edie’s father left them penniless. Little Edie, in the eyes of Spijkers en Spijkers, was a colourful ‘Bird of Paradise‘ and served as a muse for the collection.

Spijkers en Spijkers A/W 2012 by Amelia Gregory

Spijkers en Spijkers A/W 2012 by Amelia Gregory

Spijkers en Spijkers A/W 2012 by Amelia Gregory

All photography by Amelia Gregory

Spijkers en Spijkers A/W 2012 by Sam Mardon

Spijkers en Spijkers A/W 2012 by Sam Mardon

The music set the tone perfectly; the despair, drama, and frailty in the voices echoed the strong yet feminine use of colour and 1940′s silhouettes. Lyrics about houses being set on fire and Edie Bouvier Beale’s mother telling her what to do sent chills down my spine as I simultaneously warmed to the mixed-up styling by Karen Binns. It was well documented that these two women had to make do with what they had, forcing them to mix clothes up in new ways. ‘Never throw anything old away‘ the music boomed, echoing dresses paired with clashing tops or fluorescent jewellery.

Spijkers en Spijkers A/W 2012 by Amelia Gregory

Spijkers en Spijkers A/W 2012 by Amelia Gregory

Spijkers en Spijkers A/W 2012 by Amelia Gregory

spijkers en spijkers A/W 2012 by anna higgie

Spijkers en Spijkers A/W 2012 by Anna Higgie

There was some of Spijkers en Spijkers unmistakable graphic detailing in the accessories and makeup, too. Little birds adorned shoulders and dresses in the form of a print or a brooch, hair was finger-waved and set into strong curves, set off with sweet but modern-day plastic headbands. The make-up was fresh, reminding me of when you first start to try wearing makeup as a teenager, sticking to bold lines and bright colours and not really knowing how to do subtle looks just yet.

Spijkers en Spijkers A/W 2012 by Amelia Gregory

Spijkers en Spijkers A/W 2012 by Amelia Gregory

Spijkers en Spijkers A/W 2012 by Amelia Gregory

Silks, satins, wool and prints were in a gorgeously covetable range of vintage-looking colours. Lime green and yellows reminded me of old stained-glass windows, while the rich purples and oranges referenced faded but no less opulent interiors.

Spijkers en Spijkers A/W 2012 by Rebecca Hendin

Spijkers en Spijkers A/W 2012 by Rebecca Hendin

Something I’ve noticed this London Fashion Week is that while a lot of designers are referencing the dark and frightening for A/W 2012, they’re doing so in an unexpected way: making a conscious effort to hint at the macabre, court the morbid and inject collections with a touch of despair in beautiful and new ways. Even though the inspiration for this collection was part tragedy, the result was charming. The strong tailoring, warmer colours for winter and underlying tale of two women – all make you want to engage with this story.

Spijkers en Spijkers A/W 2012 by Yasmin Mason

Spijkers en Spijkers A/W 2012 by Yasmin Mason

The catwalk show itself was a little bit like the thrill you feel when watching a scary movie; dark and even a little disturbing, but you can’t look away, making it all the more appealing. Spijkers and Spijkers have found a way to make you want the collection even more, delivering a desirable collection for those who like clothes that tell a story, especially if it’s as lavishly haunting as this one.

Spijkers en Spijkers A/W 2012 by Amelia Gregory
Spijkers en Spijkers A/W 2012 by Cristian Grossi
Spijkers en Spijkers A/W 2012 by Cristian Grossi

Spijkers en Spijkers A/W 2012 by Amelia Gregory

Spijkers en Spijkers A/W 2012 by Zulekha lakeca

Spijkers en Spijkers A/W 2012 by Zulekha lakeca

Spijkers en Spijkers A/W 2012 by Zulek Halakeca

Categories ,Alia Gargum, ,Amelia Gregory, ,Anna Higgie, ,birds, ,Claire Kearns, ,Cristian Grossi, ,Edie Bouvier Beale, ,Fluorescent, ,Grey Gardens, ,London Fashion Week A/W 2012, ,new york, ,Rebecca Hendin, ,Sam Mardon, ,Silk, ,Spijkers en Spijkers, ,Vauxhall Fashion Scout, ,vintage, ,wool, ,Yasmin Mason, ,Zulek Halakeca

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Amelia’s Magazine | Two Magpies Find: Fragments Exhibition

Most bands have a shelf life, purchase especially the ones who are hyped. Although a review like “The first band in a decade to lay serious claim to the Stone Roses throne” (The Guardian) can put you in good stead when you’re starting out, it can also set you en route to Destination Doomsville, burdening you with a reputation you simply can’t live up to.

British indie rock band Delays have so far managed to fend themselves of this curse. They have gone from strength to strength following the release of their debut album ‘Faded Seaside Glamour’ in 2004 to critical acclaim. Six years on, the four-piece are set to release their forth album, ‘Star Tiger, Star Ariel’ produced by Duncan Lewis who worked on their first album.

In a tiny room in the basement of music venue Water Rats in King’s Cross – decorated with blue and white fairy lights, a few old shelves and an enormous abstract painting – I join spiritual front man Greg Gilbert (GG) and down-to-earth drummer Rowley (R) before they take the stage at their sold out London gig to talk about their latest album, town criers and livin’ it up at Glastonbury over lime-flavoured Doritos

How would you describe your new album in three words?
GG: Rustic, organic and psychedelic
R: I don’t like organic, it sounds a bit vegetably
GG: OK then; rustic, psychedelic and melancholic
R: Yeah, that sounds better – I second that emotion
GG: Or we could say “Our. Best. Album” – three words – succinct and to the point

What has inspired your latest album?
GG: Our last album had a lot of orchestral arrangements and there was a real urge between the four of us to strip the sound back and become a four-piece band again. With that in mind we started to go for long drives at night along the New Forest, making music to soundtrack the journey. We built the record from the ground up and it was just a case of being inspired by the environment opposed to any concerns about writing a single. We banned the words ‘single’ and ‘commercial’ from the studio.
R: We used to do it all the time; we would say: “I think this one’s a single”, which makes you approach making music differently. We spent a lot of time in Southampton, reacquainting ourselves with the city and each other again, which does come through on the record. The result is a much more personal and honest sound.

How have you found the audience’s response to the new material so far?
GG: We’ve found that people who wouldn’t have liked our previous stuff have been positive about the new album. They’re responding to the fact that it’s a more personal record – they’re getting from it more from us as individuals then a commodity. So far, the people who have heard our record think it’s the best one.
R: The new tracks are going down just as well as our old stuff. It’s a great feeling when the roar for a new song is as enthusiastic as for an old song, like ‘Long Time Coming’.

How do you think your sound has changed over the years?

GG: The first album sounds like a beach, the second album sounds like a club, the third album sounds like a festival and this album sounds like the forest, with the roots growing underneath the city at night making the buildings shake whilst you’re asleep. The first album is quite delicate because we recorded that before we toured so there was a certain amount of discovery. For the second album we worked with Graham Sutton who is genius producer; he brought a real club edge to the record which had a raw but beautiful precision about it.
R: We wrote the third album with the approach that it would be amazing at a festival; it’s big and bombastic and sounds like you’re playing it to 100,000 people rather then making a record for headphones.
GG: This album’s much more abstract; you can hear this on a beach in Scandinavia at two in the morning with mist flowing in the morning. We were trying to create a record which maintained a mood and an atmosphere which carries you into different surroundings. I think the best records take you to different worlds and that’s what we tried to emulate.
R: It’s not necessarily one genre of music. There’s a certain atmosphere which you can’t quite put your finger on, but it works for late night drives with aerial views over the city.

What’s your proudest achievement to date?
GG: To me it’s the fact that we’re about to release our fourth album and our songs are still playing on the radio. Very few bands get to make four albums so that makes me feel very proud. We’ve been around since 2004 and we’ve managed to sustain and grow our fan base in a way that has been pure because there is no hype now around what we do.

What’s the best gig you’ve ever played?
R: I’ve been going to Glastonbury for years so to play there was amazing. I was really ill on the day and I came so close to calling the others to say I couldn’t do it, but by the time it came to going on stage I’d never felt so healthy in all my life – Glastonbury has that effect, it wakes you up. There was another time when we played in Mexico City; we were headlining on one of the nights at a festival called ‘Manifest’ and we had no idea how big it was going to be. There were 6,000 people crammed into a wrestling/bullfighting arena all chanting ‘Delays, Delays!”. We were slightly in shock for the first couple of numbers.

Did you have any ridiculous demands on your rider in the early days that you don’t feel embarrassed about fessing up to now?
R: I don’t think our rider has changed much since the start; just the same stuff: vodka, beer, water bottles. In the beginning we did have one thing that we thought would be great to collect, which was to have a picture of the local mayor from every town where we played. The only one we got in the end was from Gloucester where they gave us a picture of the town crier which they also got signed – that was ace!

Now that you have played with your long-term idols the Manic Street Preachers, who would you most like to support?
GG: I always come back to Prince. I’m also pretty obsessed with Scott Walker at the moment – he’s the musician I most admire. I’m not sure how we’d go down with his audience but he’s awesome.
R: It’s still The (Rolling) Stones for me. Apparently we did get an offer to support them in Vienna about three years ago but we were already booked in for a festival in Wales on the same day.
GG: Keith Richards is pretty much top of the tree when it comes to rock and roll. Hopefully the opportunity will come up again…

The Delays release their fourth album ‘Star Tiger, Star Ariel on 21st June 2010 on Lookout Mountain Records, preceded by the debut track ‘Unsung’ on 14th June.


Most bands have a shelf life, web especially the ones who are hyped. Although a review like “The first band in a decade to lay serious claim to the Stone Roses throne” (The Guardian) can put you in good stead when you’re starting out, it can also set you en route to Destination Doomsville, burdening you with a reputation you simply can’t live up to.

British indie rock band Delays have so far managed to fend themselves of this curse. They have gone from strength to strength following the release of their debut album ‘Faded Seaside Glamour’ in 2004 to critical acclaim. Six years on, the four-piece are set to release their forth album, ‘Star Tiger, Star Ariel’ produced by Duncan Lewis who worked on their first album.

In a tiny room in the basement of music venue Water Rats in King’s Cross – decorated with blue and white fairy lights, a few old shelves and an enormous abstract painting – I join spiritual front man Greg Gilbert (GG) and down-to-earth drummer Rowley (R) before they take the stage at their sold out London gig to talk about their latest album, town criers and livin’ it up at Glastonbury over lime-flavoured Doritos

How would you describe your new album in three words?
GG: Rustic, organic and psychedelic
R: I don’t like organic, it sounds a bit vegetably
GG: OK then; rustic, psychedelic and melancholic
R: Yeah, that sounds better – I second that emotion
GG: Or we could say “Our. Best. Album” – three words – succinct and to the point

What has inspired your latest album?
GG: Our last album had a lot of orchestral arrangements and there was a real urge between the four of us to strip the sound back and become a four-piece band again. With that in mind we started to go for long drives at night along the New Forest, making music to soundtrack the journey. We built the record from the ground up and it was just a case of being inspired by the environment opposed to any concerns about writing a single. We banned the words ‘single’ and ‘commercial’ from the studio.
R: We used to do it all the time; we would say: “I think this one’s a single”, which makes you approach making music differently. We spent a lot of time in Southampton, reacquainting ourselves with the city and each other again, which does come through on the record. The result is a much more personal and honest sound.

How have you found the audience’s response to the new material so far?
GG: We’ve found that people who wouldn’t have liked our previous stuff have been positive about the new album. They’re responding to the fact that it’s a more personal record – they’re getting from it more from us as individuals then a commodity. So far, the people who have heard our record think it’s the best one.
R: The new tracks are going down just as well as our old stuff. It’s a great feeling when the roar for a new song is as enthusiastic as for an old song, like ‘Long Time Coming’.

How do you think your sound has changed over the years?

GG: The first album sounds like a beach, the second album sounds like a club, the third album sounds like a festival and this album sounds like the forest, with the roots growing underneath the city at night making the buildings shake whilst you’re asleep. The first album is quite delicate because we recorded that before we toured so there was a certain amount of discovery. For the second album we worked with Graham Sutton who is genius producer; he brought a real club edge to the record which had a raw but beautiful precision about it.
R: We wrote the third album with the approach that it would be amazing at a festival; it’s big and bombastic and sounds like you’re playing it to 100,000 people rather then making a record for headphones.
GG: This album’s much more abstract; you can hear this on a beach in Scandinavia at two in the morning with mist flowing in the morning. We were trying to create a record which maintained a mood and an atmosphere which carries you into different surroundings. I think the best records take you to different worlds and that’s what we tried to emulate.
R: It’s not necessarily one genre of music. There’s a certain atmosphere which you can’t quite put your finger on, but it works for late night drives with aerial views over the city.

What’s your proudest achievement to date?
GG: To me it’s the fact that we’re about to release our fourth album and our songs are still playing on the radio. Very few bands get to make four albums so that makes me feel very proud. We’ve been around since 2004 and we’ve managed to sustain and grow our fan base in a way that has been pure because there is no hype now around what we do.

What’s the best gig you’ve ever played?
R: I’ve been going to Glastonbury for years so to play there was amazing. I was really ill on the day and I came so close to calling the others to say I couldn’t do it, but by the time it came to going on stage I’d never felt so healthy in all my life – Glastonbury has that effect, it wakes you up. There was another time when we played in Mexico City; we were headlining on one of the nights at a festival called ‘Manifest’ and we had no idea how big it was going to be. There were 6,000 people crammed into a wrestling/bullfighting arena all chanting ‘Delays, Delays!”. We were slightly in shock for the first couple of numbers.

Did you have any ridiculous demands on your rider in the early days that you don’t feel embarrassed about fessing up to now?
R: I don’t think our rider has changed much since the start; just the same stuff: vodka, beer, water bottles. In the beginning we did have one thing that we thought would be great to collect, which was to have a picture of the local mayor from every town where we played. The only one we got in the end was from Gloucester where they gave us a picture of the town crier which they also got signed – that was ace!

Now that you have played with your long-term idols the Manic Street Preachers, who would you most like to support?
GG: I always come back to Prince. I’m also pretty obsessed with Scott Walker at the moment – he’s the musician I most admire. I’m not sure how we’d go down with his audience but he’s awesome.
R: It’s still The (Rolling) Stones for me. Apparently we did get an offer to support them in Vienna about three years ago but we were already booked in for a festival in Wales on the same day.
GG: Keith Richards is pretty much top of the tree when it comes to rock and roll. Hopefully the opportunity will come up again…

Delays release their fourth album ‘Star Tiger, Star Ariel on 21st June 2010 on Lookout Mountain Records, preceded by the debut track ‘Unsung’ on 14th June.


Most bands have a shelf life, healing especially the ones who are hyped. Although a review like: “The first band in a decade to lay serious claim to the Stone Roses throne” (The Guardian) can put you in good stead while you’re starting out, drugs it can also set you en route Destination Doomsville, burdening you with a reputation you simply can’t live up to.

British indie rock band Delays have so far managed to fend themselves of this curse. They have gone from strength to strength following the release of their debut album ‘Faded Seaside Glamour’ in 2004 to critical acclaim. Six years on, the four-piece are set to release their forth album, ‘Star Tiger, Star Ariel’ produced by Duncan Lewis who worked on their first album.

In a tiny room in the basement of music venue Water Rats in King’s Cross – decorated with blue and white fairy lights, a few old shelves and an enormous abstract painting – I join spiritual front man Greg Gilbert (GG) and down-to-earth drummer Rowley (R) before they take the stage at their sold out London gig to talk about their latest album, town criers and livin’ it up at Glastonbury over lime-flavoured Doritos

How would you describe your new album in three words?
GG: Rustic, organic and psychedelic
R: I don’t like organic, it sounds a bit vegetably
GG: OK then; rustic, psychedelic and melancholic
R: Yeah, that sounds better – I second that emotion
GG: Or we could say “Our. Best. Album” – three words – succinct and to the point

What has inspired your latest album?
GG: Our last album had a lot of orchestral arrangements and there was a real urge between the four of us to strip the sound back and become a four-piece band again. With that in mind we started to go for long drives at night along the New Forest, making music to soundtrack the journey. We built the record from the ground up and it was just a case of being inspired by the environment opposed to any concerns about writing a single. We banned the words ‘single’ and ‘commercial’ from the studio.
R: We used to do it all the time; we would say: “I think this one’s a single”, which makes you approach making music differently. We spent a lot of time in Southampton, reacquainting ourselves with the city and each other again, which does come through on the record. The result is a much more personal and honest sound.

How have you found the audience’s response to the new material so far?
GG: We’ve found that people who wouldn’t have liked our previous stuff have been positive about the new album. They’re responding to the fact that it’s a more personal record – they’re getting from it more from us as individuals then a commodity. So far, the people who have heard our record think it’s the best one.
R: The new tracks are going down just as well as our old stuff. It’s a great feeling when the roar for a new song is as enthusiastic as for an old song, like ‘Long Time Coming’.

How do you think your sound has changed over the years?

GG: The first album sounds like a beach, the second album sounds like a club, the third album sounds like a festival and this album sounds like the forest, with the roots growing underneath the city at night making the buildings shake whilst you’re asleep. The first album is quite delicate because we recorded that before we toured so there was a certain amount of discovery. For the second album we worked with Graham Sutton who is genius producer; he brought a real club edge to the record which had a raw but beautiful precision about it.
R: We wrote the third album with the approach that it would be amazing at a festival; it’s big and bombastic and sounds like you’re playing it to 100,000 people rather then making a record for headphones.
GG: This album’s much more abstract; you can hear this on a beach in Scandinavia at two in the morning with mist flowing in the morning. We were trying to create a record which maintained a mood and an atmosphere which carries you into different surroundings. I think the best records take you to different worlds and that’s what we tried to emulate.
R: It’s not necessarily one genre of music. There’s a certain atmosphere which you can’t quite put your finger on, but it works for late night drives with aerial views over the city.

What’s your proudest achievement to date?
GG: To me it’s the fact that we’re about to release our fourth album and our songs are still playing on the radio. Very few bands get to make four albums so that makes me feel very proud. We’ve been around since 2004 and we’ve managed to sustain and grow our fan base in a way that has been pure because there is no hype now around what we do.

What’s the best gig you’ve ever played?
R: I’ve been going to Glastonbury for years so to play there was amazing. I was really ill on the day and I came so close to calling the others to say I couldn’t do it, but by the time it came to going on stage I’d never felt so healthy in all my life – Glastonbury has that effect, it wakes you up. There was another time when we played in Mexico City; we were headlining on one of the nights at a festival called ‘Manifest’ and we had no idea how big it was going to be. There were 6,000 people crammed into a wrestling/bullfighting arena all chanting ‘Delays, Delays!”. We were slightly in shock for the first couple of numbers.

Did you have any ridiculous demands on your rider in the early days that you don’t feel embarrassed about fessing up to now?
R: I don’t think our rider has changed much since the start; just the same stuff: vodka, beer, water bottles. In the beginning we did have one thing that we thought would be great to collect, which was to have a picture of the local mayor from every town where we played. The only one we got in the end was from Gloucester where they gave us a picture of the town crier which they also got signed – that was ace!

Now that you have played with your long-term idols the Manic Street Preachers, who would you most like to support?
GG: I always come back to Prince. I’m also pretty obsessed with Scott Walker at the moment – he’s the musician I most admire. I’m not sure how we’d go down with his audience but he’s awesome.
R: It’s still The (Rolling) Stones for me. Apparently we did get an offer to support them in Vienna about three years ago but we were already booked in for a festival in Wales on the same day.
GG: Keith Richards is pretty much top of the tree when it comes to rock and roll. Hopefully the opportunity will come up again…

Delays release their fourth album ‘Star Tiger, Star Ariel on 21st June 2010 on Lookout Mountain Records, preceded by the debut track ‘Unsung’ on 14th June.


Most bands have a shelf life, medical especially the ones who are hyped. Although a review like: “The first band in a decade to lay serious claim to the Stone Roses throne” (The Guardian) can put you in good stead while you’re starting out, cialis 40mg it can also set you en route Destination Doomsville, sildenafil burdening you with a reputation you simply can’t live up to.

British indie rock band Delays have so far managed to fend themselves of this curse. They have gone from strength to strength following the release of their debut album ‘Faded Seaside Glamour’ in 2004 to critical acclaim. Six years on, the four-piece are set to release their forth album, ‘Star Tiger, Star Ariel’ produced by Duncan Lewis who worked on their first album.

In a tiny room in the basement of music venue Water Rats in King’s Cross – decorated with blue and white fairy lights, a few old shelves and an enormous abstract painting – I join spiritual front man Greg Gilbert (GG) and down-to-earth drummer Rowley (R) before they take the stage at their sold out London gig to talk about their latest album, town criers and livin’ it up at Glastonbury over lime-flavoured Doritos

How would you describe your new album in three words?
GG: Rustic, organic and psychedelic
R: I don’t like organic, it sounds a bit vegetably
GG: OK then; rustic, psychedelic and melancholic
R: Yeah, that sounds better – I second that emotion
GG: Or we could say “Our. Best. Album” – three words – succinct and to the point

What has inspired your latest album?
GG: Our last album had a lot of orchestral arrangements and there was a real urge between the four of us to strip the sound back and become a four-piece band again. With that in mind we started to go for long drives at night along the New Forest, making music to soundtrack the journey. We built the record from the ground up and it was just a case of being inspired by the environment opposed to any concerns about writing a single. We banned the words ‘single’ and ‘commercial’ from the studio.
R: We used to do it all the time; we would say: “I think this one’s a single”, which makes you approach making music differently. We spent a lot of time in Southampton, reacquainting ourselves with the city and each other again, which does come through on the record. The result is a much more personal and honest sound.

How have you found the audience’s response to the new material so far?
GG: We’ve found that people who wouldn’t have liked our previous stuff have been positive about the new album. They’re responding to the fact that it’s a more personal record – they’re getting from it more from us as individuals then a commodity. So far, the people who have heard our record think it’s the best one.
R: The new tracks are going down just as well as our old stuff. It’s a great feeling when the roar for a new song is as enthusiastic as for an old song, like ‘Long Time Coming’.

How do you think your sound has changed over the years?

GG: The first album sounds like a beach, the second album sounds like a club, the third album sounds like a festival and this album sounds like the forest, with the roots growing underneath the city at night making the buildings shake whilst you’re asleep. The first album is quite delicate because we recorded that before we toured so there was a certain amount of discovery. For the second album we worked with Graham Sutton who is genius producer; he brought a real club edge to the record which had a raw but beautiful precision about it.
R: We wrote the third album with the approach that it would be amazing at a festival; it’s big and bombastic and sounds like you’re playing it to 100,000 people rather then making a record for headphones.
GG: This album’s much more abstract; you can hear this on a beach in Scandinavia at two in the morning with mist flowing in the morning. We were trying to create a record which maintained a mood and an atmosphere which carries you into different surroundings. I think the best records take you to different worlds and that’s what we tried to emulate.
R: It’s not necessarily one genre of music. There’s a certain atmosphere which you can’t quite put your finger on, but it works for late night drives with aerial views over the city.

What’s your proudest achievement to date?
GG: To me it’s the fact that we’re about to release our fourth album and our songs are still playing on the radio. Very few bands get to make four albums so that makes me feel very proud. We’ve been around since 2004 and we’ve managed to sustain and grow our fan base in a way that has been pure because there is no hype now around what we do.

What’s the best gig you’ve ever played?
R: I’ve been going to Glastonbury for years so to play there was amazing. I was really ill on the day and I came so close to calling the others to say I couldn’t do it, but by the time it came to going on stage I’d never felt so healthy in all my life – Glastonbury has that effect, it wakes you up. There was another time when we played in Mexico City; we were headlining on one of the nights at a festival called ‘Manifest’ and we had no idea how big it was going to be. There were 6,000 people crammed into a wrestling/bullfighting arena all chanting ‘Delays, Delays!”. We were slightly in shock for the first couple of numbers.

Did you have any ridiculous demands on your rider in the early days that you don’t feel embarrassed about fessing up to now?
R: I don’t think our rider has changed much since the start; just the same stuff: vodka, beer, water bottles. In the beginning we did have one thing that we thought would be great to collect, which was to have a picture of the local mayor from every town where we played. The only one we got in the end was from Gloucester where they gave us a picture of the town crier which they also got signed – that was ace!

Now that you have played with your long-term idols the Manic Street Preachers, who would you most like to support?
GG: I always come back to Prince. I’m also pretty obsessed with Scott Walker at the moment – he’s the musician I most admire. I’m not sure how we’d go down with his audience but he’s awesome.
R: It’s still The (Rolling) Stones for me. Apparently we did get an offer to support them in Vienna about three years ago but we were already booked in for a festival in Wales on the same day.
GG: Keith Richards is pretty much top of the tree when it comes to rock and roll. Hopefully the opportunity will come up again…

Delays release their fourth album ‘Star Tiger, Star Ariel on 21st June 2010 on Lookout Mountain Records, preceded by the debut track ‘Unsung’ on 14th June.


Most bands have a shelf life, doctor especially the ones who are hyped. Although a review like: “The first band in a decade to lay serious claim to the Stone Roses throne” (The Guardian) can put you in good stead while you’re starting out, it can also set you en route Destination Doomsville, burdening you with a reputation you simply can’t live up to.

British indie rock band Delays have so far managed to fend themselves of this curse. They have gone from strength to strength following the release of their debut album ‘Faded Seaside Glamour’ in 2004 to critical acclaim. Six years on, the four-piece are set to release their forth album, ‘Star Tiger, Star Ariel’ produced by Duncan Lewis who worked on their first album.

In a tiny room in the basement of music venue Water Rats in King’s Cross – decorated with blue and white fairy lights, a few old shelves and an enormous abstract painting – I join spiritual front man Greg Gilbert (GG) and down-to-earth drummer Rowley (R) before they take the stage at their sold out London gig to talk about their latest album, town criers and livin’ it up at Glastonbury over lime-flavoured Doritos

How would you describe your new album in three words?
GG: Rustic, organic and psychedelic
R: I don’t like organic, it sounds a bit vegetably
GG: OK then; rustic, psychedelic and melancholic
R: Yeah, that sounds better – I second that emotion
GG: Or we could say “Our. Best. Album” – three words – succinct and to the point

What has inspired your latest album?
GG: Our last album had a lot of orchestral arrangements and there was a real urge between the four of us to strip the sound back and become a four-piece band again. With that in mind we started to go for long drives at night along the New Forest, making music to soundtrack the journey. We built the record from the ground up and it was just a case of being inspired by the environment opposed to any concerns about writing a single. We banned the words ‘single’ and ‘commercial’ from the studio.
R: We used to do it all the time; we would say: “I think this one’s a single”, which makes you approach making music differently. We spent a lot of time in Southampton, reacquainting ourselves with the city and each other again, which does come through on the record. The result is a much more personal and honest sound.

How have you found the audience’s response to the new material so far?
GG: We’ve found that people who wouldn’t have liked our previous stuff have been positive about the new album. They’re responding to the fact that it’s a more personal record – they’re getting from it more from us as individuals then a commodity. So far, the people who have heard our record think it’s the best one.
R: The new tracks are going down just as well as our old stuff. It’s a great feeling when the roar for a new song is as enthusiastic as for an old song, like ‘Long Time Coming’.

How do you think your sound has changed over the years?

GG: The first album sounds like a beach, the second album sounds like a club, the third album sounds like a festival and this album sounds like the forest, with the roots growing underneath the city at night making the buildings shake whilst you’re asleep. The first album is quite delicate because we recorded that before we toured so there was a certain amount of discovery. For the second album we worked with Graham Sutton who is genius producer; he brought a real club edge to the record which had a raw but beautiful precision about it.
R: We wrote the third album with the approach that it would be amazing at a festival; it’s big and bombastic and sounds like you’re playing it to 100,000 people rather then making a record for headphones.
GG: This album’s much more abstract; you can hear this on a beach in Scandinavia at two in the morning with mist flowing in the morning. We were trying to create a record which maintained a mood and an atmosphere which carries you into different surroundings. I think the best records take you to different worlds and that’s what we tried to emulate.
R: It’s not necessarily one genre of music. There’s a certain atmosphere which you can’t quite put your finger on, but it works for late night drives with aerial views over the city.

What’s your proudest achievement to date?
GG: To me it’s the fact that we’re about to release our fourth album and our songs are still playing on the radio. Very few bands get to make four albums so that makes me feel very proud. We’ve been around since 2004 and we’ve managed to sustain and grow our fan base in a way that has been pure because there is no hype now around what we do.

What’s the best gig you’ve ever played?
R: I’ve been going to Glastonbury for years so to play there was amazing. I was really ill on the day and I came so close to calling the others to say I couldn’t do it, but by the time it came to going on stage I’d never felt so healthy in all my life – Glastonbury has that effect, it wakes you up. There was another time when we played in Mexico City; we were headlining on one of the nights at a festival called ‘Manifest’ and we had no idea how big it was going to be. There were 6,000 people crammed into a wrestling/bullfighting arena all chanting ‘Delays, Delays!”. We were slightly in shock for the first couple of numbers.

Did you have any ridiculous demands on your rider in the early days that you don’t feel embarrassed about fessing up to now?
R: I don’t think our rider has changed much since the start; just the same stuff: vodka, beer, water bottles. In the beginning we did have one thing that we thought would be great to collect, which was to have a picture of the local mayor from every town where we played. The only one we got in the end was from Gloucester where they gave us a picture of the town crier which they also got signed – that was ace!

Now that you have played with your long-term idols the Manic Street Preachers, who would you most like to support?
GG: I always come back to Prince. I’m also pretty obsessed with Scott Walker at the moment – he’s the musician I most admire. I’m not sure how we’d go down with his audience but he’s awesome.
R: It’s still The (Rolling) Stones for me. Apparently we did get an offer to support them in Vienna about three years ago but we were already booked in for a festival in Wales on the same day.
GG: Keith Richards is pretty much top of the tree when it comes to rock and roll. Hopefully the opportunity will come up again…

Delays release their fourth album ‘Star Tiger, Star Ariel on 21st June 2010 on Lookout Mountain Records, preceded by the debut track ‘Unsung’ on 14th June.


Most bands have a shelf life, sildenafil especially the ones who are hyped. Although a review like: “The first band in a decade to lay serious claim to the Stone Roses throne” (The Guardian) can put you in good stead while you’re starting out, this site it can also set you en route Destination Doomsville, burdening you with a reputation you simply can’t live up to.

British indie rock band Delays have so far managed to fend themselves of this curse. They have gone from strength to strength following the release of their debut album ‘Faded Seaside Glamour’ in 2004 to critical acclaim. Six years on, the four-piece are set to release their forth album, ‘Star Tiger, Star Ariel’ produced by Duncan Lewis who worked on their first album.

In a tiny room in the basement of music venue Water Rats in King’s Cross – decorated with blue and white fairy lights, a few old shelves and an enormous abstract painting – I join spiritual front man Greg Gilbert (GG) and down-to-earth drummer Rowley (R) before they take the stage at their sold out London gig to talk about their latest album, town criers and livin’ it up at Glastonbury over lime-flavoured Doritos

How would you describe your new album in three words?
GG: Rustic, organic and psychedelic
R: I don’t like organic, it sounds a bit vegetably
GG: OK then; rustic, psychedelic and melancholic
R: Yeah, that sounds better – I second that emotion
GG: Or we could say “Our. Best. Album” – three words – succinct and to the point

What has inspired your latest album?
GG: Our last album had a lot of orchestral arrangements and there was a real urge between the four of us to strip the sound back and become a four-piece band again. With that in mind we started to go for long drives at night along the New Forest, making music to soundtrack the journey. We built the record from the ground up and it was just a case of being inspired by the environment opposed to any concerns about writing a single. We banned the words ‘single’ and ‘commercial’ from the studio.
R: We used to do it all the time; we would say: “I think this one’s a single”, which makes you approach making music differently. We spent a lot of time in Southampton, reacquainting ourselves with the city and each other again, which does come through on the record. The result is a much more personal and honest sound.

How have you found the audience’s response to the new material so far?
GG: We’ve found that people who wouldn’t have liked our previous stuff have been positive about the new album. They’re responding to the fact that it’s a more personal record – they’re getting from it more from us as individuals then a commodity. So far, the people who have heard our record think it’s the best one.
R: The new tracks are going down just as well as our old stuff. It’s a great feeling when the roar for a new song is as enthusiastic as for an old song, like ‘Long Time Coming’.

How do you think your sound has changed over the years?

GG: The first album sounds like a beach, the second album sounds like a club, the third album sounds like a festival and this album sounds like the forest, with the roots growing underneath the city at night making the buildings shake whilst you’re asleep. The first album is quite delicate because we recorded that before we toured so there was a certain amount of discovery. For the second album we worked with Graham Sutton who is genius producer; he brought a real club edge to the record which had a raw but beautiful precision about it.
R: We wrote the third album with the approach that it would be amazing at a festival; it’s big and bombastic and sounds like you’re playing it to 100,000 people rather then making a record for headphones.
GG: This album’s much more abstract; you can hear this on a beach in Scandinavia at two in the morning with mist flowing in the morning. We were trying to create a record which maintained a mood and an atmosphere which carries you into different surroundings. I think the best records take you to different worlds and that’s what we tried to emulate.
R: It’s not necessarily one genre of music. There’s a certain atmosphere which you can’t quite put your finger on, but it works for late night drives with aerial views over the city.

What’s your proudest achievement to date?
GG: To me it’s the fact that we’re about to release our fourth album and our songs are still playing on the radio. Very few bands get to make four albums so that makes me feel very proud. We’ve been around since 2004 and we’ve managed to sustain and grow our fan base in a way that has been pure because there is no hype now around what we do.

What’s the best gig you’ve ever played?
R: I’ve been going to Glastonbury for years so to play there was amazing. I was really ill on the day and I came so close to calling the others to say I couldn’t do it, but by the time it came to going on stage I’d never felt so healthy in all my life – Glastonbury has that effect, it wakes you up. There was another time when we played in Mexico City; we were headlining on one of the nights at a festival called ‘Manifest’ and we had no idea how big it was going to be. There were 6,000 people crammed into a wrestling/bullfighting arena all chanting ‘Delays, Delays!”. We were slightly in shock for the first couple of numbers.

Did you have any ridiculous demands on your rider in the early days that you don’t feel embarrassed about fessing up to now?
R: I don’t think our rider has changed much since the start; just the same stuff: vodka, beer, water bottles. In the beginning we did have one thing that we thought would be great to collect, which was to have a picture of the local mayor from every town where we played. The only one we got in the end was from Gloucester where they gave us a picture of the town crier which they also got signed – that was ace!

Now that you have played with your long-term idols the Manic Street Preachers, who would you most like to support?
GG: I always come back to Prince. I’m also pretty obsessed with Scott Walker at the moment – he’s the musician I most admire. I’m not sure how we’d go down with his audience but he’s awesome.
R: It’s still The (Rolling) Stones for me. Apparently we did get an offer to support them in Vienna about three years ago but we were already booked in for a festival in Wales on the same day.
GG: Keith Richards is pretty much top of the tree when it comes to rock and roll. Hopefully the opportunity will come up again…

Delays release their fourth album ‘Star Tiger, Star Ariel on 21st June 2010 on Lookout Mountain Records, preceded by the debut track ‘Unsung’ on 14th June.


Most bands have a shelf life, link especially the ones who are hyped. Although a review like: “The first band in a decade to lay serious claim to the Stone Roses throne” (The Guardian) can put you in good stead while you’re starting out, it can also set you en route Destination Doomsville, burdening you with a reputation you simply can’t live up to.

British indie rock band Delays have so far managed to beat the curse. They have gone from strength to strength following the release of their debut album ‘Faded Seaside Glamour’ in 2004. Six years on, the four-piece are set to release their forth album, ‘Star Tiger, Star Ariel’ produced by Duncan Lewis who worked on their first album.

In a tiny room in the basement of music venue Water Rats in King’s Cross – decorated with blue and white fairy lights, a few old shelves and an enormous abstract painting – I join spiritual front man Greg Gilbert (GG) and down-to-earth drummer Rowley (R) before they take the stage at their sold out London gig to talk about their latest album, town criers and livin’ it up at Glastonbury over lime-flavoured Doritos

How would you describe your new album in three words?
GG: Rustic, organic and psychedelic
R: I don’t like organic, it sounds a bit vegetably
GG: OK then; rustic, psychedelic and melancholic
R: Yeah, that sounds better – I second that emotion
GG: Or we could say “Our. Best. Album” – three words – succinct and to the point

What has inspired your latest album?
GG: Our last album had a lot of orchestral arrangements and there was a real urge between the four of us to strip the sound back and become a four-piece band again. With that in mind we started to go for long drives at night along the New Forest, making music to soundtrack the journey. We built the record from the ground up and it was just a case of being inspired by the environment opposed to any concerns about writing a single. We banned the words ‘single’ and ‘commercial’ from the studio.
R: We used to do it all the time; we would say: “I think this one’s a single”, which makes you approach making music differently. We spent a lot of time in Southampton, reacquainting ourselves with the city and each other again, which does come through on the record. The result is a much more personal and honest sound.

How have you found the audience’s response to your new material so far?
GG: We’ve found that people who wouldn’t have liked our previous stuff have been positive about the new album. They’re responding to the fact that it’s a more personal record – they’re getting from it more from us as individuals then a commodity. So far, the people who have heard our record think it’s the best one.
R: The new tracks are going down just as well as our old stuff. It’s a great feeling when the roar for a new song is as enthusiastic as for an old song, like ‘Long Time Coming’.

How do you think your sound has changed over the years?

GG: The first album sounds like a beach, the second album sounds like a club, the third album sounds like a festival and this album sounds like the forest, with the roots growing underneath the city at night making the buildings shake whilst you’re asleep. The first album is quite delicate because we recorded that before we toured so there was a certain amount of discovery. For the second album we worked with Graham Sutton who is genius producer; he brought a real club edge to the record which had a raw but beautiful precision about it.
R: We wrote the third album with the approach that it would be amazing at a festival; it’s big and bombastic and sounds like you’re playing it to 100,000 people rather then making a record for headphones.
GG: This album’s much more abstract; you can hear this on a beach in Scandinavia at two in the morning with mist flowing in the morning. We were trying to create a record which maintained a mood and an atmosphere which carries you into different surroundings. I think the best records take you to different worlds and that’s what we tried to emulate.
R: It’s not necessarily one genre of music. There’s a certain atmosphere which you can’t quite put your finger on, but it works for late night drives with aerial views over the city.

What’s your proudest achievement to date?
GG: To me it’s the fact that we’re about to release our fourth album and our songs are still playing on the radio. Very few bands get to make four albums so that makes me feel very proud. We’ve been around since 2004 and we’ve managed to sustain and grow our fan base in a way that has been pure because there is no hype now around what we do.

What’s the best gig you’ve ever played?
R: I’ve been going to Glastonbury for years so to play there was amazing. I was really ill on the day and I came so close to calling the others to say I couldn’t do it, but by the time it came to going on stage I’d never felt so healthy in all my life – Glastonbury has that effect, it wakes you up. There was another time when we played in Mexico City; we were headlining on one of the nights at a festival called ‘Manifest’ and we had no idea how big it was going to be. There were 6,000 people crammed into a wrestling/bullfighting arena all chanting ‘Delays, Delays!”. We were slightly in shock for the first couple of numbers.

Did you have any ridiculous demands on your rider in the early days that you don’t feel embarrassed about fessing up to now?
R: I don’t think our rider has changed much since the start; just the same stuff: vodka, beer, water bottles. In the beginning we did have one thing that we thought would be great to collect, which was to have a picture of the local mayor from every town where we played. The only one we got in the end was from Gloucester where they gave us a picture of the town crier which they also got signed – that was ace!

Now that you have played with your long-term idols the Manic Street Preachers, who would you most like to support?
GG: I always come back to Prince. I’m also pretty obsessed with Scott Walker at the moment – he’s the musician I most admire. I’m not sure how we’d go down with his audience but he’s awesome.
R: It’s still The (Rolling) Stones for me. Apparently we did get an offer to support them in Vienna about three years ago but we were already booked in for a festival in Wales on the same day.
GG: Keith Richards is pretty much top of the tree when it comes to rock and roll. Hopefully the opportunity will come up again…

Delays release their fourth album ‘Star Tiger, Star Ariel on 21st June 2010 on Lookout Mountain Records, preceded by the debut track ‘Unsung’ on 14th June.


Sweden is a small country but it has produced some big exports. Whether it’s infectious pop, ailment affordable furniture or fashionable, well-priced clothes (take a stab at guessing the brands!), the Swedes know what it takes to satisfy their consumers. Now if we extend these categories to ‘hip young musicians’, you’ll find that they have their bases covered here too.

We first featured Lykke Li back in February 2008 when she was just an emerging artist, relatively fresh to the gig circuit. Since then, she has well and truly established a name for herself amongst the underground and commercial elite of the music scene, building up a set of credentials to leave most of her peers looking on with green-eyed envy.

She released her debut album ‘Youth Novels‘ to critical acclaim in 2008 and has since performed with The Roots and hip hop legend Q-Tip, collaborated with Kayne West and MIA, and currently features on a track called ‘Miss It So Much’ on Roysopp’s latest album. As if that weren’t enough, she also penned the track ‘Possibility’ for the second installment of lovey-dovey vampire Twilight saga ‘New Moon’, gaining herself a healthy teen following in the process.

On the award front, Lykke’s musical talent and fashion sense have not gone unnoticed; she has received nominations for “Best Video” and “Best Female Artist” at the Swedish Grammy Awards and was voted “Best Dressed Woman” at the Swedish Elle Magazine Awards in 2009. Is there an end to this list of fabulousness?? (And she’s only 24!)

Dressed in an oversized black tassled jacket, a short black mini-skirt, bulky black boots and lashings of thick black eye make-up (and with few words), on meeting Lykke, I couldn’t help but feel that she exuded the demeanor of a slightly irked teenager.

I caught up with the Swedish starlet briefly, prior to her set at the Volvo Subject 60 launch party in London last week, for a rather intriguing interview in a drafty stairwell to talk about her international background, performing in front of big crowds and desert island necessities…

So how are you feeling about your set tonight?
Yeah, I’m looking forward to it. I’m going to do some new songs tonight which I haven’t done before. The sets are also going to be more acoustic so it will be different and quite interesting.

You’ve had a very international upbringing – have you found that this has influenced your music?

I don’t know because I’ve never known any different. I don’t know how I would write music if I only lived in one place. I feel that my music comes more from within – not so much from the outside.

Who are your biggest musical influences to date?
There are just so many. I don’t really listen to a lot of new music. I get really inspired by weird chanting, like Voodoo music. I recently found these field recordings from the 1920s which I’ve been listening to a lot.

What bands currently excite you?
I really enjoy Beach House – the singer has a great voice and their songs are very well written. I am also listening to The Big Pink and a lot too who have an interesting sound. Of course, there’s always Leonard Cohen.

How have you found the transition of playing in big venues compared to small venues?
It’s been fine although I still enjoy playing small venues the most because there’s more of an intimacy you share with your audience.

How do you find playing in front of a UK audience in comparison to a Swedish audience?
It’s kind of crazy because I almost never play in Sweden; it’s so rare. I guess every audience is different but I find that in big cities, people tend to be slightly more reserved – there’s more of an effort that people make to be cool.

What has been your most memorable gig to date?
Last summer there was a festival on an island just outside Holland so we had to take the smallest boat to get there, but it was during severe storms and the water was really rough. Everyone on the boat thought that we were going to die. And then there was the coming back part when we were super drunk in the middle of the night. It was crazy but we had a great time.

Who would you most like to work with?
Leonard Cohen as always.

What’s the best piece of advice you can offer someone starting out?
It’s hard to maintain yourself in this industry. I think the main thing I would say is to be honest and always stay true to yourself. It’s clichéd but it’s true.

What are you most looking forward to this summer?
I’m looking forward to going for a swim in the lakes in Sweden when it’s finished. It’s going to be a long summer for me as I’ll going to be in the studio for most of it. It’s exciting but I can’t sleep anymore because I’m thinking so much – my brain is working all the time.

What three items would you bring with you if you on a desert island?
A hot man, a Swiss army knife and some erotic novels by Anaïs Nin.

I always look forward to the Northumbria University BA fashion degree show for two reasons. One, shop because it’s always effing good – the innovation, pills technique and creativity on display is second to pretty much nobody at Graduate Fashion Week. Secondly, viagra dosage I studied at the university, so this review might seem like a big fat plate of bias – I assure you, though, that it isn’t.

Nestled on the front row in between Style Savage Steve and the ever wonderful Hilary Alexander (who bopped, sketched and scribbled her way through the show) I was a little concerned that my big lens (said the actress to the bishop) might block the view of either of these fashion journalists. Neither said anything though, so I think I got away with it.

Opening the show with an explosion of glam-rock-meets-Elvis-meets-Lady-Gaga, Naomi New presented a very polished micro-collection featuring exaggerated shoulders of leather, spikes and studs, and horse-hair tails. Models strutted back and forth with real sex appeal and the quality of Naomi’s craftsmanship looked, from what I could see, incredible.

The key theme in this year’s show was digital prints, and it’s a testament to the late, great Alexander McQueen’s legacy that this is such a mainstay on graduate catwalks. Faye Chamberlain’s was the most striking of collections, owing to its wild neon prints reminiscent of MIA’s Kala album cover, and blingy embellishment. Short, short dresses with spikey hips challenged the traditional constraints of the female form.

Further print patrons included the work of Sophie Dee and Ludmila Maida. Sophie Dee presented a feminine, playful collection of vibrant prints, micro shorts and bubble skirts, accessorised with childlike objects such as candy floss and helium balloons, harping back to the glory days of the seaside. Ludmila Maida’s collection was a slightly more mature one, with elegant maxi dresses in neon, gathered into sections to create flattering asymmetrical shapes.

Gemma Williamson also hopped on the print train, with her slightly eery collection making use of religious iconography.


Illustration by Gemma Williamson from her graduate work

Menswear was, as always, well represented; one of the few menswear graduates to win the prestigious Gold Award in recent years was a Northumbria student. Sara Wilson set the standard with a mixture of soft tailoring and Japanese influence – loose fitting blazers were teamed with skinny trousers and shorts, while snood-like pieces of material attempted to cover the face, giving each outfit a martial-art feel.

Louise Dickinson’s inspired outfits seemed to draw influence from historical Britain and tradition in general. An oversized Barbour-style jacket here and a triangular-shaped cape printed with a vintage map there made for a intriguing and genuinely unique collection.

But it was Caroline Rowland’s eccentric tailoring that captured my imagination the most. A bit Sebastian Flyte, a bit Dries Van Noten, it was the perfect mix of traditional tailoring and quirky design flair. Ill-fitting gingham shirts (I presume on purpose) were teamed with tucked-in waistcoats and patterned bow ties, while cropped blazers looked great with high-waisted tailored trousers. You can never go wrong with a sock suspender either.

And now for a quick round of some of my favourite womesnwear collections. It’ll have to be a whistle-stop tour because I have 3 other shows to write up and I’m having my hair cut in an hour.

One of my absolute faves was Julie Perry, who combined body-concious all-in-ones with Meccano-style leather creations. These outfits had real sex appeal – not one for the supermarket but definitely for the fierce fashionista who isn’t afraid to show off. Julie’s pieces were architectural in shape and hinted at a little bit of kink.


Illustration by Julie Perry from her graduate work

Holly Farrar’s super sleek collection toyed with masculine tailoring and models had structured shoulders with outfits tapering downwards. Defined v-necklines gave the outfits an overall geometric look and were very sophisticated indeed.


Illustration by Holly Farrar from her graduate work

These gemoetric-slash-linear-slash-structured themes ran through many a collection, executed most effectively by Stephanie Price. Her futuristic collection married materials with aesthetic appeal with flattering shapes – mesh covered body-concious shift dresses had a dazzling effect, as did this dynamic jacket…


Illustrations by Stephanie Price, from her graduate work

Closing the show was Victoria Kirby, who had clearly been selected for her fresh innovation and coutourier-like craftsmanship. Elegant floor sweepers made from silk and velour had the appearance of two dresses in one, cut and merged down the middle. Exaggerating the shoulders and synching in at the waist created beautiful feminine shapes that flattered.


Illustration by Victoria Kirby, from her graduate work

All photography by Matt Bramford

Photograph by Vanya Sacha

Prior to the General Election, about it Amelia’s Magazine interviewed Amisha Ghadiali about her new project Think Act Vote. As the dust settles on the birth of the coalition, this site Amelia’s Magazine caught up with Amisha to find out about the Think Act Vote Poetry competition, how to be involved with the The Future I Choose Anthology (deadline the end of September, what are you waiting for?) and to find out where Think Act Vote will be for the remaining days of summer. (Hint! 13th – 15th August finds Think Act Vote at Vintage at Goodwood, for more details read the interview!)

How did Think Act Vote spend the election night?

The night before we had our amazing Think Act Vote party at The City and Arts Music Project, where we revealed the winner of our poetry competition, with live music from the Delirium Tremens and did a Think Act Vote Photobooth.

On election day, I cast my vote and then had to pack and head to the airport. My brother was graduating from film school at NYU Tisch Asia on the Friday in Singapore so I had to choose between watching the results live or being at the graduation.

I really wanted to go to the election party at the Hub Kings Cross hosted by NEF and Future Gov, and also the Billbored party. They looked really fun. There was no live coverage on the plane!

Showpiece by Beautiful Soul for Think Act Vote: Photograph by Dominic Clarke

What was your desired General Election outcome?

I can’t say I had one that was possible. I was hoping there would be a more inspirational leader in the race. But under the circumstances, I was hoping for a coalition.

Why were you hoping “under the circumstances’ for a coalition?

I don’t know; there wasn’t an ideal choice there for me. I just want a progressive government. I think the real issue is our system. We need parliamentary reform, this should have happened before this election, but hopefully it has shown Westminster that the current system doesn’t work.

I would like to see a system that allows more independent candidates to get into parliament. There is an argument that this will allow too many people from the far right to get into power, but actually we proved in this election that good old fashioned campaigning can keep the far right at bay.

I think it would be exciting for our country if we had more independents, as I think there are a lot of interesting individuals out there that would be interested in standing for parliament but don’t want to join a particular party.

Campaigns Group at Time for Tea. Photograph by Vanya Sacha

As the hung parliament reality dawned, whilst you were in America. Were you able to follow the developments in the Lib-Lab and Lib-Con talks?

It was strange. I wasn’t watching the TV news, so was seeing it all from the internet. I would have liked to experience it here and to have taken in the atmosphere.

From far away it seemed like utter madness, in any project, you plan for different circumstances. So I did find it strange that the Lib Dems hadn’t already decided what they wanted to do if this situation occurred.

What did you think to the press coverage during the General Election Aftermath (I found the ‘squatting’ headlines referring to Gordon Brown particularly unhelpful)?

Again from a distance, it did seem like a country in chaos. That nobody had a clue what to do. But yes I agree referring the Prime Minister as squatting is never going to be helpful!

Photograph by Deepti V. Patel

What were your initial thoughts on the Con-Lib Government?

Surprise, that the Lib Dems had chosen for the country to have a Tory Prime Minister. I would have thought that this would be the last thing they would ever want to happen. But I thought it was interesting that things would have to be passed through such differing views.

As the reality of the cuts loom, have your opinions changed towards the effectiveness of the Coalition Relationship?

I think it is a bit confusing, I don’t feel like Nick Clegg and the Lib Dems have shone through in any way. It does feel more like a Conservative government. I know that we are going through a hard time at the moment with the national deficit and the recession, but they have made some cuts to things that could be really important. For example totally cutting the Sustainable Development Commission and The UK Film Council.

Photograph by Vanya Sacha

Earlier this summer, you attended a Compass Conference – could you describe to Amelia’s Magazine readers the nature of these political events?

There are various political conferences that take place, I have been involved with Compass for the past four years. I used to be on the Compass youth management committee.

Compass was set up by Neal Lawson and is an umbrella organisation for progressive politics, bringing together politicians of all parties, pressure groups, trade unions, think tanks, NGOs, academics, activists, campaigners and individuals. They hold an annual conference every summer to discuss ideas.

There is an opening address in the main hall which this year had Caroline Lucas MP on the panel, and a closing address which had Pam Giddy, POWER 2010, Jon Cruddas MP & Chuka Umunna MP. There was also a Labour Leaders Debate which was quite interesting to see live.

The rest of the day is filled with smaller seminars, covering over 30 topics including Climate Change“>Climate Change, Parliamentary Reform, Tax Justice, The NHS, Feminist Issues and Poverty.

It is an opportunity to think through alternatives to the ways problems are currently being tackled, have open discussions, ask questions and be inspired.

Photograph by Maciej Groman

What are Think Act Vote’s recommendations for making your vote count everday?

It is just about thinking about what is important to you, and finding ways to take action and get your voice heard. Whether that is through supporting campaigns, or thinking twice about what you spend your money on.

If you haven’t yet, a good place to start is by contributing to our book. Ask yourself the question – What is The Future You Choose?
You might just give yourself the answer of what to do next..

You can read some examples and contribute online.

What are Think Act Vote plans for the rest of the summer?

More, more, more. We have been doing Think Act Vote Photobooths, and running around music festivals taking photos and getting people to take part. So we are going to carry this on until the end of September.

Ethical Fashion Green Sunday. Photograph by LUDOVIC DES COGNETS.

Where can you find out about the Photobooth events?

We do these events often, keep your eyes on our facebook page and the events page on the Think Act Vote website. Apart from the festivals, we are planning various other venues around London over the next seven weeks.

We are trying to find interesting venues, like the Union Street Orchard for example.

The release date for the The Future I Choose anthology has been delayed, what were the reasons behind this decision?

We had such a great response and more than enough content to publish the book straight after the election, but thought it made sense to get more people to take part over the summer.

Also we didn’t want to send out the message that you only get a choice in The Future You Choose in the run up to an election, because the whole point of our campaign is that you get that choice every day.


Playsuit by Tara Starlet for Think Act Vote: photograph by Dominic Clarke

Have you been working with new fashion designers since Amelia’s Magazine interviewed you? I see the blog mentions: Nancy Dee and Miksani?

We have been sharing on our site the full stories of the Think Act Vote Refashioned pieces, and in some cases instructions on how to make them.

The designers that took part were Ciel, Ada Zandition, Nancy Dee, Miksani, Junky Styling, TRAIDremade, Beautiful Soul and Tara Starlet. Other designers really wanted to take part but couldn’t at the time as they were out of the country, we might get them to do a little something.

The MA students on the Fashion & The Environment project at London College of Fashion are working on something for us now, which we can’t wait to see!

Photograph by Deepti V. Patel

What does the Think Act Vote campaign mean after the election?

Although inspired by the election, the campaign was never about voting in the election. It is about understanding that everyday we all express the future we choose by how we spend our time, money and energy. It’s about inspiring ourselves and others to live a life that reflects what we actually want from our future when we stop to think about it.

The ‘Vote’ is ours, it is about taking that word away from politicians as something we give to them every four years. About us not being afraid to use political language in our every day lives in a positive way.

I know that having Vote in the campaign name has put many people off it, and even a lot of my friends have thought it was about voting in elections until I explained that.

But I think it is important to be aware that everything we do is political and that every day we make choices that shape our world.

Photograph by Deepti V.Patel

Olivia Sprinkel, Winner of the poetry competition was announced on the night of the Think Act Vote Party, How was this decision made?

The poetry competition was judged by John Bird and Shane Solanki. The shortlist was read out at the party and went down really well.

Even though the competition is over, everyone is still welcome to answer our question – What’s The Future You Choose with a poem. It might end up in our book!

What’s next for Think Act Vote?

We are really excited about Vintage at Goodwood this weekend! We are doing Think Act Vote Refashioned workshops in the sustainability area where you can make your very own Think Act Vote Refashioned Dress. We will also be doing photoshoots, meet us outside our tent after our workshops.

I am also doing a talk in the talk tent on ethical fashion and creative activism.

This weekend (13th – 14th August 2010) finds Think Act Vote participating in Vintage at Goodwood’s, Sustainable Design Workshops. Find the the Think Act Vote team at 11-1 and 3-6 on Friday and between 1-4 adn 4-7 on Saturday and Sunday.
NB: sadly we can’t attend to report on this workshop: read more about why here.

From the Think Act Vote Team:

“It is an invitation for you to take part in Think Act Vote Refashioned. You can make your very own Think Act Vote one off piece and then have it photographed to be in our book, as well as a post online about how you went about your customisation.

You will be in very capable hands as the workshops will be led by Laura Metcalf and Alison Lewis who met on set of a channel 4 television pilot, they have been working together most recently on alterations and repairing vintage clothes at Clerkenwell Vintage Fair in London.”

Amisha Ghadiali will be interviewed by Leonora Oppenheim about Ethical Fashion and Creative Activism at 5pm on Saturday in the Talk Tent. This is an event not to be missed!

What’s the Future You Choose?


Illustrations by Jenny Robins

If you are visiting Windsor this Summer, pharmacy and I really think you should because it’s got everything: Nando’s, drug Wagamama, drugs a Castle – no really, it’s really pretty. Pretend you are posh, or a tourist. If you are posh, pretend to be a tourist, and vice versa. A nice day trip away from the city; a nice daytrip towards the city, but not quite too the city. If you live West.

Anyway, if you are visiting Windsor this Summer, be sure to stop in to the Mill House café and look at the really lovely Fragments exhibition put together by the superstar curatorial team Two Magpies Find. It’s on the left as you walk away from the Castle down Peascod Street, opposite Ben & Jerry’s. The show is up till the end of August.

Ok, this exhibition in question does include a lot of my work, so this is a bit self serving (insider’s perspective, Amelia said) but I don’t want to talk about that too much (although I will mention that the WHOWHATWHEREWHENHOW owl series is available as a limited edition postcard set – I’m only human). I wrote a big thing about me and why I paint birds for their local Beat magazine off the back of Fragments, so please feel free to go read that. I like birds, you like birds, we like birds, I paint birds, fly bird fly, etc.

But seriously, it’s all about the birds, kids. Edward Bawden used to say that the secret to selling paintings was to put cats in them wherever possible. Plenty of art lovers still love cats, that’s still a cliché. But in the last few years, particularly, it seems drawing birds is a strong contender. Just look at the fabulous Jo Cheung and Abi Daker’s birdtastic background for this very website. Birds are so beautiful and varied, they burst with life. There’s a special contained freedom to them that must appeal to the creative soul.


Ali and Anna of Two Magpies Find

“I’m obsessed with birds too!” Ali of TwoMagpiesFind told me soon after we first met. It’s not surprising since she is a Magpie herself, wearing a golden bird-table necklace, echoing the lovely birdhouse illustration advertising their next exhibition theme “Home” (email entries here.) The pair met at the Firestation – a local arts centre where Anna works and Ali volunteers – and plan to expand their gallery work both locally and in other areas. Projects like this are so important, where independent venues work together with creatives to organise events that benefit locals and artists alike. Artists often live a magpie existence, ever courting serendipity. We need to support each other and keep on collaborating and getting involved with small projects. It can make the world of difference.

As well as my varied bird paintings, the show brings together Magpie finds illustrator and publisher Dan Prescott of Lazy Gramaphone, who’s intricate designs are both striking and absorbing, beautifully presented as perfect quality Giclée prints, and painter Zita Saffrette, whose landscapes are so full of light and air you’d think they were backlit. In addition the Magpies have displayed some of their own work –beautifully printed photographs exploring stark white juxtapositions on natural scenes (my favourite is of a wedding dress draped across a field), intricate nature paintings and a really striking screen print of two toy horses blown up to poster size.

The café itself is a stunning space, much bigger and brighter on the inside than you would know from the street. It used to be a Puccino’s and still retains the SHUT HAPPENS door signs (I love them). Multicoloured teapots and vases circle the top of the room, making the whole space seem almost that real-estate oxymoron – cosy yet spacious.

May these birds keep flying high into blue skies, and may all arty birds (of a feather) the land over keep on painting those feathered friends.

Categories ,Abi Daker, ,art, ,Beat Magazine, ,Ben and Jerry’s, ,birds, ,Dan Prescott, ,Edward Bawden, ,Firestation, ,Fragments, ,Home, ,illustration, ,Jenny Robins, ,Jo Cheung, ,Landscapes, ,Lazy Gramaphone, ,Magpies, ,Mill House Café, ,Nandos, ,Two Magpies Find, ,Wagamama, ,WhoWhatWhereWhenNow, ,Windsor, ,Windsor Castle, ,Zita Saffrette

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Amelia’s Magazine | Two Magpies Find: Fragments Exhibition


Illustrations by Jenny Robins

If you are visiting Windsor this Summer, and I really think you should because it’s got everything: Nando’s, Wagamama, a Castle – no really, it’s really pretty. Pretend you are posh, or a tourist. If you are posh, pretend to be a tourist, and vice versa. A nice day trip away from the city; a nice daytrip towards the city, but not quite too the city. If you live West.

Anyway, if you are visiting Windsor this Summer, be sure to stop in to the Mill House café and look at the really lovely Fragments exhibition put together by the superstar curatorial team Two Magpies Find. It’s on the left as you walk away from the Castle down Peascod Street, opposite Ben & Jerry’s. The show is up till the end of August.

Ok, this exhibition in question does include a lot of my work, so this is a bit self serving (insider’s perspective, Amelia said) but I don’t want to talk about that too much (although I will mention that the WHOWHATWHEREWHENHOW owl series is available as a limited edition postcard set – I’m only human). I wrote a big thing about me and why I paint birds for their local Beat magazine off the back of Fragments, so please feel free to go read that. I like birds, you like birds, we like birds, I paint birds, fly bird fly, etc.

But seriously, it’s all about the birds, kids. Edward Bawden used to say that the secret to selling paintings was to put cats in them wherever possible. Plenty of art lovers still love cats, that’s still a cliché. But in the last few years, particularly, it seems drawing birds is a strong contender. Just look at the fabulous Jo Cheung and Abi Daker’s birdtastic background for this very website. Birds are so beautiful and varied, they burst with life. There’s a special contained freedom to them that must appeal to the creative soul.


Ali and Anna of Two Magpies Find

“I’m obsessed with birds too!” Ali of TwoMagpiesFind told me soon after we first met. It’s not surprising since she is a Magpie herself, wearing a golden bird-table necklace, echoing the lovely birdhouse illustration advertising their next exhibition theme “Home” (email entries here.) The pair met at the Firestation – a local arts centre where Anna works and Ali volunteers – and plan to expand their gallery work both locally and in other areas. Projects like this are so important, where independent venues work together with creatives to organise events that benefit locals and artists alike. Artists often live a magpie existence, ever courting serendipity. We need to support each other and keep on collaborating and getting involved with small projects. It can make the world of difference.

As well as my varied bird paintings, the show brings together Magpie finds illustrator and publisher Dan Prescott of Lazy Gramaphone, who’s intricate designs are both striking and absorbing, beautifully presented as perfect quality Giclée prints, and painter Zita Saffrette, whose landscapes are so full of light and air you’d think they were backlit. In addition the Magpies have displayed some of their own work –beautifully printed photographs exploring stark white juxtapositions on natural scenes (my favourite is of a wedding dress draped across a field), intricate nature paintings and a really striking screen print of two toy horses blown up to poster size.

The café itself is a stunning space, much bigger and brighter on the inside than you would know from the street. It used to be a Puccino’s and still retains the SHUT HAPPENS door signs (I love them). Multicoloured teapots and vases circle the top of the room, making the whole space seem almost that real-estate oxymoron – cosy yet spacious.

May these birds keep flying high into blue skies, and may all arty birds (of a feather) the land over keep on painting those feathered friends.



Categories ,Abi Daker, ,art, ,Beat Magazine, ,Ben and Jerry’s, ,birds, ,Dan Prescott, ,Edward Bawden, ,Firestation, ,Fragments, ,Home, ,illustration, ,Jenny Robins, ,Jo Cheung, ,Landscapes, ,Lazy Gramaphone, ,Magpies, ,Mill House Café, ,Nandos, ,Two Magpies Find, ,Wagamama, ,WhoWhatWhereWhenNow, ,Windsor, ,Windsor Castle, ,Zita Saffrette

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Amelia’s Magazine | London Fashion Week A/W 2011 Catwalk Review: Ziad Ghanem (by Amelia)

This spring, sales the V&A presents a unique exhibition dedicated the Grand Master Japanese couturier, stuff Yohji Yamamoto. The exhibition will celebrate his life and work, and is the first of its kind in the UK. 30 years after Yamamoto debuted in Paris, the V&A has brought together rare examples of his visionary designs.

Here’s an exclusive interview with the exhibition’s curator, Ligaya Salazar. You can also read some of Salazar’s thoughts below, too.
On process
With this project I started roughly two and a half years ago to work on the idea and the concept behind the exhibition, its also a very particular project because you are working with a living designer who you are doing a single retrospective with, working with their team very closely, so in terms of curating, there is much more of a dialogue there than you would probably normally have with a slightly more thematic show.

The focus was more on to find a concept that would work for him, as a designer, because Yohji Yamamoto is very special in the deign world in terms of the way he approaches designing, so the way you want to show his work should be quite different as well….I spent more time looking at ways of displaying his work, ways of showing his work…

On garment selection
I had the incredible honour to be able to go into both his Paris and his Tokyo archives, the Tokyo archives no curator had ever been to, I had all of his archive to look at and to choose from, which made the editing process incredibly hard…it is something you spend a long time doing, talking to Yohji’s team, talking to the designer, making sure you have covered the iconic parts of his career, but also chosen pieces that are most emblematic of the themes that you want to bring out…I stated with an object list that was about six hundred pieces, and that was already a selection of the pieces I saw in the archive and then I had to bring it down to ninety, it was a long and quite arduous process.

On themes
Because it is an installation based exhibition, there isn’t a prescriptive story to tell, or a chronology, it was much more about how people would encounter the garments, for the first time what we are doing is to show everything on open display, on the same height as the viewer, so you are meeting your other, rather than looking up and behind glass, it’s a very different experience of the clothes.

Yohi Yamamoto is at the V&A and at The Wapping Project until 10th July 2011. Look out for a full review coming soon!

Marnie for Ziad Ghanem A/W 2011 by Tigz Rice
Marnie Scarlet for Ziad Ghanem A/W 2011 by Tigz Rice.

Ziad Ghanem‘s Never End, sick Never End, Never End was one of those hotly tipped shows that all my contributors were desperate to go to, so I was promised performance catwalking at its best. What I hadn’t expected was to land a prime seat right opposite Boy George, looking remarkably svelte next to Daniel Lismore.

Boy George and Daniel Lismore. Photography by Amelia Gregory
Boy George and Daniel Lismore. Photography by Amelia Gregory.

I remember the allure of Karma Chameleon, back when a dodgy video was sufficient accompaniment for pop songs of such genius. Colour by Numbers was actually the VERY FIRST album that I owned, given to me by my aunt on good old cassette tape.

YouTube Preview Image

But then, ah, the show!!! This collection was inspired by a horror video game called Silent Hill and the work of Romantic painter John Henry Fuseli, and it explored themes of gothic romance. The press release states that the same garment viewed in a dark, gothic context by one viewer will be interpreted as romantic and liberating by the next.

Ziad Ghanem A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryZiad Ghanem A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryZiad Ghanem A/W 2011 by Jessica Holt
Ziad Ghanem A/W 2011 by Jessica Holt.

The show opened with a stunning piece of performance, as a red-headed model appeared in gothic Tim Burton-esque make up, black skirts tumbling as she grew before our eyes into a 12 foot monster burlesque bride waving great green feathered fans. Thereafter followed a series of printed, billowing capes and tightly corseted dresses, all accessorised with veils, reddened eyes, cracked cheeks and Joker smiles. Apparently Ziad asked each model to choose their own favourite horror film make up for the show.

Ziad Ghanem A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryZiad Ghanem A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryZiad Ghanem A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryZiad Ghanem A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryZiad Ghanem A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryZiad Ghanem A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryZiad Ghanem A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryZiad Ghanem A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryZiad Ghanem A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryZiad Ghanem A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryZiad Ghanem A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryZiad Ghanem A/W 2011 by Jamie McGregor
Ziad Ghanem A/W 2011 by Jamie McGregor.

Androgynous models wore chiffon and beaded dresses, a spooky ghost couple trailed rumpled netting behind as they faced the photographers together. Amidst the drama cleverly made outfits showcased traditional haute couture skills using bias cut vintage silk chiffons and duchess satin that flowed around the body.

Ziad Ghanem A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryZiad Ghanem A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryZiad Ghanem A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryZiad Ghanem A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryZiad Ghanem A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryZiad Ghanem A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryZiad Ghanem A/W 2011 by The Lovely Wars
Ziad Ghanem A/W 2011 by The Lovely Wars.

A white faced creature smeared its face with black paint and make up took a turn towards our feathered friends: blue winged eyes echoing the giant bird prints on winged dresses. Out stepped a ballet dancer on pointe, edging down the catwalk in frilled lilac, her skull face shrouded in grey. As she retreated backwards a series of busty ladies swept down the catwalk in eminently wearable multi coloured chiffon dresses: amongst them walked transvestites, burlesque artists and a giant lady in grey. I particularly adored the bustle backed electric fuchsia number that emphasised every womanly curve.

Ziad Ghanem A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryZiad Ghanem A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryZiad Ghanem A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryZiad Ghanem A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryZiad Ghanem A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryZiad Ghanem A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryZiad Ghanem A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryZiad Ghanem A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryZiad Ghanem A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryZiad Ghanem A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryZiad Ghanem A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryZiad Ghanem A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryZiad Ghanem A/W 2011 by The Lovely Wars
Ziad Ghanem A/W 2011 by The Lovely Wars.

Taking the art of the catwalk to fantastical heights, Ziad Ghanem proved that his shows really are worth the hype, with or without the added bonus of an 80s pop idol in a fabulous yellow fedora. You can read more about his unique selection of models here.

Ziad Ghanem A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryZiad Ghanem A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryZiad Ghanem A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryZiad Ghanem A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryZiad Ghanem A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory
Ziad Ghanem A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.

You can also read Florence Massey’s review of the Ziad Ghanem show here.

Categories ,ballet, ,birds, ,boy george, ,Burlesque, ,Chiffon, ,Colour by Numbers, ,couture, ,Daniel Lismore, ,Fashion Scout, ,Florence Massey, ,gothic, ,Helen Crawford, ,Horror, ,Jamie McGregor, ,Jessica Holt, ,John Henry Fuseli, ,Karma Chameleon, ,Marnie Scarlet, ,Never End, ,Romantic, ,Silent Hill, ,The Lovely Wars, ,Tigz Rice, ,tim burton, ,Transvestite, ,Ziad Ghanem

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Amelia’s Magazine | London Fashion Week A/W 2011 Exhibition Review

Caitlin Rose by Hayley Akins
Illustration by Hayley Akins.

Such had been the anticipation surrounding Caitlin Rose’s return to the UK, medical search especially after the release of her acclaimed debut album, pilule Own Side Now, nurse that her shows in the capital soon sold out. Being the smallest of those venues, but organised by such thoughtful fellows, Brixton’s Windmill quickly arranged a special early evening show to cater for any disappointed punters. Needless to say, the tickets flew for that one as well.

CAITLINROSE_BY DONYATODD
Illustration by Donya Todd

I’d been caught out too many times by being lastminute.com when buying tickets in the past, so I’d got in sharpish and, as a result, I drew the straw for the late show. I arrived quite early (well, 9.00pm) and caught the support band, Treetop Flyers, limbering up for their second performance of the evening. A London based band, and purveyors of the finest Americana, tonight they were playing a more stripped back acoustic set. I’d never caught them before, but I liked what I heard. They set the mood nicely for the evening, even throwing in a Townes Van Zandt cover.

caitlin rose-stephanie thieullent
Illustration by Stephanie Thieullent

By the time Caitlin Rose took to the stage, the Windmill was pretty rammed. I’d seen her live a couple of times before (and all but once at the Windmill), though this was the first time with a full band (apparently they couldn’t afford to fly out the drummer from the US on the last tour). After having obviously enjoyed a few refreshments between sets, Rose cheerfully exclaimed “two of us haven’t slept!”, as the band launched into New York.

caitlin rose by mary ferfyri
Illustration by Mary Ferfiry

Own Side Now has seen Caitlin Rose expand on the fairly traditional country sound of her debut release, the Dead Flowers EP (as hinted at in an interview with Amelia’s Magazine last summer). The intimacy of the Windmill really lent itself to her songs (and especially that voice!), as we sampled such bittersweet treats as For The Rabbits and Learning To Ride.

YouTube Preview Image

There was a particularly affecting rendition of Own Side, which brought a lump to the throat of even this old cynic. Answer In One Of These Bottles (from Dead Flowers) sparked a raucous sing-along, before everyone rocked out to Shanghai Cigarettes.

YouTube Preview Image

Caitlin Rose by Ashley Fauguel
Illustration by Ashley Fauguel

Rose switched from acoustic guitar to electric and back again, there was plenty of banter, and there were all the hallmarks for a special night in place. After a couple more UK dates before a return to the US, and then a trip to the Antipodes, we’re not likely to see Ms Rose on these shores again before some festival appearances in the summer – given her current ascendency, one wonders whether we’ll ever see her play in such a venue as the Windmill again.

Caitlin Rose by Maria Papadimitriou aka Slowly The Eggs
Illustration by Maria Papadimitriou aka Slowly the Eggs

Caitlin Rose by Hayley Akins
Illustration by Hayley Akins.

Such had been the anticipation surrounding Caitlin Rose’s return to the UK, doctor especially after the release of her acclaimed debut album, patient Own Side Now, that her shows in the capital soon sold out. Being the smallest of those venues, but organised by such thoughtful fellows, Brixton’s Windmill quickly arranged a special early evening show to cater for any disappointed punters. Needless to say, the tickets flew for that one as well.

CAITLINROSE_BY DONYATODD
Illustration by Donya Todd

I’d been caught out too many times by being lastminute.com when buying tickets in the past, so I’d got in sharpish and, as a result, I drew the straw for the late show. I arrived quite early (well, 9.00pm) and caught the support band, Treetop Flyers, limbering up for their second performance of the evening. A London based band, and purveyors of the finest Americana, tonight they were playing a more stripped back acoustic set. I’d never caught them before, but I liked what I heard. They set the mood nicely for the evening, even throwing in a Townes Van Zandt cover.

caitlin rose-stephanie thieullent
Illustration by Stephanie Thieullent

By the time Caitlin Rose took to the stage, the Windmill was pretty rammed. I’d seen her live a couple of times before (and all but once at the Windmill), though this was the first time with a full band (apparently they couldn’t afford to fly out the drummer from the US on the last tour). After having obviously enjoyed a few refreshments between sets, Rose cheerfully exclaimed “two of us haven’t slept!”, as the band launched into New York.

caitlin rose by mary ferfyri
Illustration by Mary Ferfiry

Own Side Now has seen Caitlin Rose expand on the fairly traditional country sound of her debut release, the Dead Flowers EP (as hinted at in an interview with Amelia’s Magazine last summer). The intimacy of the Windmill really lent itself to her songs (and especially that voice!), as we sampled such bittersweet treats as For The Rabbits and Learning To Ride.

YouTube Preview Image

There was a particularly affecting rendition of Own Side, which brought a lump to the throat of even this old cynic. Answer In One Of These Bottles (from Dead Flowers) sparked a raucous sing-along, before everyone rocked out to Shanghai Cigarettes.

YouTube Preview Image

Caitlin Rose by Ashley Fauguel
Illustration by Ashley Fauguel

Rose switched from acoustic guitar to electric and back again, there was plenty of banter, and there were all the hallmarks for a special night in place. After a couple more UK dates before a return to the US, and then a trip to the Antipodes, we’re not likely to see Ms Rose on these shores again before some festival appearances in the summer – given her current ascendency, one wonders whether we’ll ever see her play in such a venue as the Windmill again.

Caitlin Rose by Maria Papadimitriou aka Slowly The Eggs
Illustration by Maria Papadimitriou aka Slowly the Eggs

title - lfw aw11 - jenny robins
Most illustrations by Jenny Robins.

I got photographed on my way in to Somerset House (in my jumble sale sheepskin coat belonging to my sister and waistcoat from H&M Kids circa 1999) – expect to see me in Vogue. Not really. The reason I wore the waistcoat was to hide the fact that the little charity shop top I had on underneath with the Peter Pan collar was missing several buttons up the back which continued to pop off as I rushed around London.

sketchbook -Jordan Azkill - Felicity Brown - lfw aw11 - jenny robins
Jordan Askill and Felicity Brown in Jenny Robins’ sketchbook.

After sketching away at the Charlotte Eskildsen exhibition (leather gloves, nurse exciting shapes, erectile draw string leg warmers, see the write up by Jemma Crow which includes my sketches here) and drawing like a mad thing from a sideways view at Jasper Conran’s catwalk show (see my write up and illustrations here) I went for a wander through the New Gen, BFC/Elle talent launch pad and Vauxhall Fashion Scout galleries to take in some static displays and meet some nice publicists and designers. Please see here for your viewing pleasure my sketchbook pages from the day and some additional pictures and commentary.

sketchbook - Holly Fulton - Christopher Raeburn - lfw aw11 - jenny robins
Holly Fulton & Christopher Raeburn in Jenny Robins’ sketchbook.

It’s a funny thing to visit these exhibitions on the Saturday (as I did) because half the stuff on show at New Gen is Spring/Summer as the new things are off being catwalked – as it were – or are secret till they have been, and the designers don’t really want you to write about their Spring/Summer stuff yet so sometimes they talk it down. This didn’t stop me from falling in love with the hand perforated yellow leather cocktail dress and skirt by Holly Fulton which were some of the first things I saw. I’ve had a look at her new collection and it isn’t quite as joyful as these two pieces for me but still typically beautiful with her geometric patterns and increasingly incorporating more sinuous art nouveauesque prints too.

Jordan Askill Ceramic Bird Necklace by Madi
Jordan Askill Ceramic Bird Necklace by Madi.

The next thing to really catch my eye was the stunning sculptural jewellery work of Jordan Askill. Anything with a lot of birds in, or let’s face it, just one bird, is a joy for me and Askill’s white resin and nylon swallows *en masse* was perfection itself.

Jordan Askill by Jenny Robins
Jordan Askill by Jenny Robins.

Opposite was Yang Du’s stall with her fabulously kitsch and chic cashmere dolly dresses and capes. These I love, but Yang Du‘s additional arrangement of knitted toy scarves and finger puppet gloves confused me quite a lot. It’s not that I don’t like them, I just don’t see what about them is different from the crafty equivalent you could pick up in a village jumble for probably a fiver, or from a hobbyist on etsy for a bit more, but they are retailing at Selfridges for hundreds of pounds. This is the paradox of lo-fi high fashion.

sketchbook - Yang Du - Mary Katrantzou - Fannie Schiavoni - Piers Atkinson - lfw aw11 - jenny robins
Yang Du, Mary Katrantzou, Fannie Schiavoni & Piers Atkinson in Jenny Robins’ sketchbook.

I didn’t see any of Mary Katrantzou’s amazing collection as it was out on show, but the pieces on show from S/S 2011 still caught my eye: high colour interior prints and tasselled house lamp skirts – I highly recommend taking a look at the review of her A/W 2011 collection here.

Piers Atkinson - lfw aw11 - jenny robins
Piers Atkinson by Jenny Robins.

In the riverside lobby downstairs where the cake is, a display of various hats under the title headonism (get it) was sure to catch my attention with Piers Atkinson’s awesome giant cherry headband – he has a wide array of other more and less absurd head accessories including a beanie with giant mickey mouse ear style pompoms, a glittery and 24 carrot gold aubergine head band and various exuberant ostrich feathered creations. Read a longer review of this here.

sketchbook - Lublu Kira Plastina - George Angelopoulos - Yunus & Eliza - Les Nereides - lfw aw11 - jenny robins
Lublu Kira Plastina, George Angelopoulos, Yunus & Eliza & Les Nereides in Jenny Robins’ sketchbook.

At the BFC/Elle Talent Launchpad exhibition space the first thing to pique my curiosity were the jewel like gold plated enamel face crucifixes made by Yunus & Eliza – I say crucifixes, but looking at the website it seems maybe they are not meant to be Christian symbols at all – the ambiguity probably plays to their favour though. While Eliza was wonderfully eloquent about some of their other pieces – which are based on child genius and bird heads (yay, birds) – she didn’t say a lot about what seems to be their signature idea. Good for them I say, spiritual ambiguity should be shiny and beautiful. I was also very impressed by the description the pair gave of their collaborative working – the metamorphosis of their ideas mirroring the themes they play with. I don’t play very well with others so I’m always impressed by successful collaboration. I was also struck by Lublu Kira Plastinina’s novelty oversize zips, as well as her classic mac with giant fur sleeves (boo fur), I drew this to scale (above) to demonstrate the size of the zips.

les nereides - n2 aw11 - lfw
Les Nereides, image courtesy of N2

I then spent a good amount of time looking at the beautiful and quirky N2 jewellery collection by Les Nereides and chatting to the lovely Rose and Melissa about fashion week snobbery. The work is gorgeous, a cheaper, kitscher spin off from the intricate work of the main label (although still retailing from £30 – cheaper is high end cheaper of course) featuring designer collaborations, fairytales, French patisserie and large characterful animal necklaces. N2 recently opened their own spin off special store in Monmouth Street. I love it all though similarly to with Yang Du I feel the same conflict brought on by the posh/cute dynamic – I’m just not born to be bothered by quality as much as some, if it’s going to look cheerful and basic, why gold plate it?

sketchbook - Teatum Jones - N2 llama - lfw aw11 - jenny robins
Teatum Jones and N2 llama in Jenny Robins’ sketchbook.

Upstairs I was struck by Teatum Jones’ amazing printed silk Eva Moore Shirt Dress – super delicate and all lilacs and pinks against the utilitarian shapes of the shirt design. Catherine Teatum (who was wearing an amazing silver leather jacket), shared with me how the piece is inspired by two women who worked on the front line during World War I – there was no female uniform for their position so they wore oversized men’s uniform and the floral looking pattern reflects their mud and blood soaked attire. You would not guess this from looking at the dress. But there is that sense of strength and melancholy in the collection – which also includes high waist trench trousers and a heavy caped trench coat cut short as well as more delicate items – that chimes well at the moment. Let us be stoic and feminine, and pull together. I drew the two designers above with their iconic dress. Read more about Teatum Jones in our emerging talent preview.

Nuerotica - lfw aw11 - jenny robins
Nuerotica by Jenny Robins.

My next love affair was with Neurotica’s A/W 2011 Bright Eyes collection based on Watership Down. Even though the animated film did give me nightmares, especially that bit with the gas in the tunnels, you’ve got to love the foresty, rabbity vibe on show here. I want almost everything in this collection, from the chunky quilted collars to the amazing strapless jumpsuit – all sporting some kind of atmospheric winter branch print. A little bit gothic in sentiment, but so clean and feminine in the shapes. Yeah I super love it actually. Their S/S 2011 stuff is pretty brilliant too. Look out for it.

sketchbook - Little Glass Clementine - Neurotica - ethical - lfw aw11 - jenny robins
Little Glass Clementine & Neurotica in Jenny Robins’ sketchbook.

Then I strayed into Estethica and met Little Glass Clementine (as featured in ACOFI!) who puts together all sorts of oddments and icons in her maximalist jewellery, not so much of a collection because each piece is a one off, but there are emerging themes. I especially enjoyed the stop-watch elements and the pieces of blue and white tiles incorporated into some of the necklaces.

Pachacuti - lfw aw11 - jenny robins
Pachacuti by Jenny Robins.

I was also impressed by Pachacuti’s array of colourful ethical panama hats made by women’s collectives in Ecuador. Apparently they were doing it before it was all trendy.

sketchbook - Ginta - Anthony Peto - lfw aw11 - jenny robins
Ginta & Anthony Peto in Jenny Robins’ sketchbook.

Tatty Devine - lfw aw11 - jenny robins
Tatty Devine by Jenny Robins.

I also enjoyed a sneak peek at Tatty Devine’s forthcoming new collections, which feature pieces inspired by owls, ivy, foxes, sycamore seeds and chunky oldschool brogues. All very fun, with the organic subtlety of some of these new designs blending softly with their Perspex shapes – perfect in the new matt frosted Perspex used for some of these. I like the foxes and ivy especially, mature yet whimsical showing that Tatty Devine is growing from strength to strength. Also featured were an upcoming footwear collaboration with the Old Curiosity Shop – adding Perspex moustaches to their shoes.

Ginta Siceva Masks by Madi
Ginta Siceva Masks by Madi.

Ginta - lfw aw11 - jenny robins
Ginta by Jenny Robins

Ginta’s lovely lazer cut intricate accessories layer leather flowers, and were almost as stunning as the designer herself.

Ginta - aw11 - lfw
Image courtesy of Ginta

sketchbook - Vauxhall Fashion Scout - Erika Trotzig - Una Burke - lfw aw11 - jenny robins
Erika Trotzig & Una Burke in Jenny Robins’ sketchbook.

As extensively covered elsewhere on Amelia’s Magazine, I also found myself struck by Una Burke’s prosthetics inspired pieces and wet plate photography at Vauxhall Fashion Scout. High concept bondage, beautifully put together – all by hand because apparently the riveter has not been made that can rivet so many layers of leather, so more art than fashion really. Exploring how people with prosthetics (like disfigurements) find they often lose their identity when all people see is their unusual limbs, the work is successful I think – you certainly would notice a Una Burke outfit more than the person inside it.

In the small amount of time left before I headed into the Vauxhall Fashion Scout exhibition, where I drew two stunning dresses and the designers who created them:

sketchbook - Nicole Murray - Edward Finney - lfw aw11 - jenny robins
Nicole Murray & Edward Finney in Jenny Robins’ sketchbook.

Edward Finney’s work here is amazingly fluid yet sculptural, the silhouette is so long and sumptuous, and I love the matter of fact shapes of the bodice. Classy yet daring. All that stuff.

Nicole Murray’s dress by comparison is an absolute delight of softness and intricacy. The classic long gown underneath the gorgeous lace shift covers the wearer almost completely, yet seems very naked and unearthly. She was also beautiful.

Nicole Murray - lfw aw11 - dress
Nicole Murray. Photo courtesy of h.prlondon

Of the three shows I enjoyed the vibe at Freemasons Hall the most… it may have been the venue but it just felt far more relaxed and refined. The toilets were also very nice.

sketchbook - Fashion Mode crowd - lfw aw11 - jenny robins
The Fashion Mode crowd in Jenny Robins’ sketchbook.

Categories ,A/W 2011, ,Anthony Peto, ,BFC/ELLE Talent Launch Pad, ,birds, ,Edward Finney, ,Elle Talent Launch Pad, ,Erika Trotzig, ,estethica, ,Ethical Fashion, ,Fannie Schiavoni, ,fashion, ,Fashion Mode, ,Felicity Brown, ,Freemasons, ,George Angelopoulos, ,Ginta, ,hats, ,Holly Fulton, ,illustration, ,Jenny Robins, ,jewellery, ,Jordan Askill, ,Les Nereides, ,Lublu Kira, ,Madi, ,Madi Illustrates, ,N2, ,Neuroticam Little Glass Clementine, ,New Gen, ,Nicole Murray, ,Pachacuti, ,piers atkinson, ,Sketches, ,Tatty Devine, ,Teatum Jones, ,Úna Burke, ,Vauxhall Fashion Scout, ,Yang Du, ,Yunus & Eliza

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Amelia’s Magazine | London Fashion Week A/W 2011 Exhibition Review

title - lfw aw11 - jenny robins
Most illustrations by Jenny Robins.

I got photographed on my way in to Somerset House (in my jumble sale sheepskin coat belonging to my sister and waistcoat from H&M Kids circa 1999) – expect to see me in Vogue. Not really. The reason I wore the waistcoat was to hide the fact that the little charity shop top I had on underneath with the Peter Pan collar was missing several buttons up the back which continued to pop off as I rushed around London.

sketchbook -Jordan Azkill - Felicity Brown - lfw aw11 - jenny robins
Jordan Askill and Felicity Brown in Jenny Robins’ sketchbook.

After sketching away at the Charlotte Eskildsen exhibition (leather gloves, exciting shapes, draw string leg warmers, see the write up by Jemma Crow which includes my sketches here) and drawing like a mad thing from a sideways view at Jasper Conran’s catwalk show (see my write up and illustrations here) I went for a wander through the New Gen, BFC/Elle talent launch pad and Vauxhall Fashion Scout galleries to take in some static displays and meet some nice publicists and designers. Please see here for your viewing pleasure my sketchbook pages from the day and some additional pictures and commentary.

sketchbook - Holly Fulton - Christopher Raeburn - lfw aw11 - jenny robins
Holly Fulton & Christopher Raeburn in Jenny Robins’ sketchbook.

It’s a funny thing to visit these exhibitions on the Saturday (as I did) because half the stuff on show at New Gen is Spring/Summer as the new things are off being catwalked – as it were – or are secret till they have been, and the designers don’t really want you to write about their Spring/Summer stuff yet so sometimes they talk it down. This didn’t stop me from falling in love with the hand perforated yellow leather cocktail dress and skirt by Holly Fulton which were some of the first things I saw. I’ve had a look at her new collection and it isn’t quite as joyful as these two pieces for me but still typically beautiful with her geometric patterns and increasingly incorporating more sinuous art nouveauesque prints too.

Jordan Askill Ceramic Bird Necklace by Madi
Jordan Askill Ceramic Bird Necklace by Madi.

The next thing to really catch my eye was the stunning sculptural jewellery work of Jordan Askill. Anything with a lot of birds in, or let’s face it, just one bird, is a joy for me and Askill’s white resin and nylon swallows *en masse* was perfection itself.

Jordan Askill by Jenny Robins
Jordan Askill by Jenny Robins.

Opposite was Yang Du’s stall with her fabulously kitsch and chic cashmere dolly dresses and capes. These I love, but Yang Du’s additional arrangement of knitted toy scarves and finger puppet gloves confused me quite a lot. It’s not that I don’t like them, I just don’t see what about them is different from the crafty equivalent you could pick up in a village jumble for probably a fiver, or from a hobbyist on etsy for a bit more, but they are retailing at Selfridges for hundreds of pounds. This is the paradox of lo-fi high fashion.

sketchbook - Yang Du - Mary Katrantzou - Fannie Schiavoni - Piers Atkinson - lfw aw11 - jenny robins
Yang Du, Mary Katrantzou, Fannie Schiavoni & Piers Atkinson in Jenny Robins’ sketchbook.

I didn’t see any of Mary Katrantzou’s amazing collection as it was out on show, but the pieces on show from S/S 2011 still caught my eye: high colour interior prints and tasselled house lamp skirts – I highly recommend taking a look at the review of her A/W 2011 collection here.

Piers Atkinson - lfw aw11 - jenny robins
Piers Atkinson by Jenny Robins.

In the riverside lobby downstairs where the cake is, a display of various hats under the title headonism (get it) was sure to catch my attention with Piers Atkinson’s awesome giant cherry headband – he has a wide array of other more and less absurd head accessories including a beanie with giant mickey mouse ear style pompoms, a glittery and 24 carrot gold aubergine head band and various exuberant ostrich feathered creations. Read a longer review of this here.

sketchbook - Lublu Kira Plastina - George Angelopoulos - Yunus & Eliza - Les Nereides - lfw aw11 - jenny robins
Lublu Kira Plastina, George Angelopoulos, Yunus & Eliza & Les Nereides in Jenny Robins’ sketchbook.

At the BFC/Elle Talent Launchpad exhibition space the first thing to pique my curiosity were the jewel like gold plated enamel face crucifixes made by Yunus & Eliza – I say crucifixes, but looking at the website it seems maybe they are not meant to be Christian symbols at all – the ambiguity probably plays to their favour though. While Eliza was wonderfully eloquent about some of their other pieces – which are based on child genius and bird heads (yay, birds) – she didn’t say a lot about what seems to be their signature idea. Good for them I say, spiritual ambiguity should be shiny and beautiful. I was also very impressed by the description the pair gave of their collaborative working – the metamorphosis of their ideas mirroring the themes they play with. I don’t play very well with others so I’m always impressed by successful collaboration. I was also struck by Lublu Kira Plastinina’s novelty oversize zips, as well as her classic mac with giant fur sleeves (boo fur), I drew this to scale (above) to demonstrate the size of the zips.

les nereides - n2 aw11 - lfw
Les Nereides, image courtesy of N2

I then spent a good amount of time looking at the beautiful and quirky N2 jewellery collection by Les Nereides and chatting to the lovely Rose and Melissa about fashion week snobbery. The work is gorgeous, a cheaper, kitscher spin off from the intricate work of the main label (although still retailing from £30 – cheaper is high end cheaper of course) featuring designer collaborations, fairytales, French patisserie and large characterful animal necklaces. N2 recently opened their own spin off special store in Monmouth Street. I love it all though similarly to with Yang Du I feel the same conflict brought on by the posh/cute dynamic – I’m just not born to be bothered by quality as much as some, if it’s going to look cheerful and basic, why gold plate it?

sketchbook - Teatum Jones - N2 llama - lfw aw11 - jenny robins
Teatum Jones and N2 llama in Jenny Robins’ sketchbook.

Upstairs I was struck by Teatum Jones’ amazing printed silk Eva Moore Shirt Dress – super delicate and all lilacs and pinks against the utilitarian shapes of the shirt design. Catherine Teatum (who was wearing an amazing silver leather jacket), shared with me how the piece is inspired by two women who worked on the front line during World War I – there was no female uniform for their position so they wore oversized men’s uniform and the floral looking pattern reflects their mud and blood soaked attire. You would not guess this from looking at the dress. But there is that sense of strength and melancholy in the collection – which also includes high waist trench trousers and a heavy caped trench coat cut short as well as more delicate items – that chimes well at the moment. Let us be stoic and feminine, and pull together. I drew the two designers above with their iconic dress. Read more about Teatum Jones in our emerging talent preview.

Nuerotica - lfw aw11 - jenny robins
Nuerotica by Jenny Robins.

My next love affair was with Neurotica’s A/W 2011 Bright Eyes collection based on Watership Down. Even though the animated film did give me nightmares, especially that bit with the gas in the tunnels, you’ve got to love the foresty, rabbity vibe on show here. I want almost everything in this collection, from the chunky quilted collars to the amazing strapless jumpsuit – all sporting some kind of atmospheric winter branch print. A little bit gothic in sentiment, but so clean and feminine in the shapes. Yeah I super love it actually. Their S/S 2011 stuff is pretty brilliant too. Look out for it.

sketchbook - Little Glass Clementine - Neurotica - ethical - lfw aw11 - jenny robins
Little Glass Clementine & Neurotica in Jenny Robins’ sketchbook.

Then I strayed into Estethica and met Little Glass Clementine (as featured in ACOFI!) who puts together all sorts of oddments and icons in her maximalist jewellery, not so much of a collection because each piece is a one off, but there are emerging themes. I especially enjoyed the stop-watch elements and the pieces of blue and white tiles incorporated into some of the necklaces.

Pachacuti - lfw aw11 - jenny robins
Pachacuti by Jenny Robins.

I was also impressed by Pachacuti’s array of colourful ethical panama hats made by women’s collectives in Ecuador. Apparently they were doing it before it was all trendy.

sketchbook - Ginta - Anthony Peto - lfw aw11 - jenny robins
Ginta & Anthony Peto in Jenny Robins’ sketchbook.

Tatty Devine - lfw aw11 - jenny robins
Tatty Devine by Jenny Robins.

I also enjoyed a sneak peek at Tatty Devine’s forthcoming new collections, which feature pieces inspired by owls, ivy, foxes, sycamore seeds and chunky oldschool brogues. All very fun, with the organic subtlety of some of these new designs blending softly with their Perspex shapes – perfect in the new matt frosted Perspex used for some of these. I like the foxes and ivy especially, mature yet whimsical showing that Tatty Devine is growing from strength to strength. Also featured were an upcoming footwear collaboration with the Old Curiosity Shop – adding Perspex moustaches to their shoes.

Ginta Siceva Masks by Madi
Ginta Siceva Masks by Madi.

Ginta - lfw aw11 - jenny robins
Ginta by Jenny Robins

Ginta’s lovely lazer cut intricate accessories layer leather flowers, and were almost as stunning as the designer herself.

Ginta - aw11 - lfw
Image courtesy of Ginta

sketchbook - Vauxhall Fashion Scout - Erika Trotzig - Una Burke - lfw aw11 - jenny robins
Erika Trotzig & Una Burke in Jenny Robins’ sketchbook.

As extensively covered elsewhere on Amelia’s Magazine, I also found myself struck by Una Burke’s prosthetics inspired pieces and wet plate photography at Vauxhall Fashion Scout. High concept bondage, beautifully put together – all by hand because apparently the riveter has not been made that can rivet so many layers of leather, so more art than fashion really. Exploring how people with prosthetics (like disfigurements) find they often lose their identity when all people see is their unusual limbs, the work is successful I think – you certainly would notice a Una Burke outfit more than the person inside it.

In the small amount of time left before I headed into the Vauxhall Fashion Scout exhibition, where I drew two stunning dresses and the designers who created them:

sketchbook - Nicole Murray - Edward Finney - lfw aw11 - jenny robins
Nicole Murray & Edward Finney in Jenny Robins’ sketchbook.

Edward Finney’s work here is amazingly fluid yet sculptural, the silhouette is so long and sumptuous, and I love the matter of fact shapes of the bodice. Classy yet daring. All that stuff.

Nicole Murray’s dress by comparison is an absolute delight of softness and intricacy. The classic long gown underneath the gorgeous lace shift covers the wearer almost completely, yet seems very naked and unearthly. She was also beautiful.

Nicole Murray - lfw aw11 - dress
Nicole Murray. Photo courtesy of h.prlondon

Of the three shows I enjoyed the vibe at Freemasons Hall the most… it may have been the venue but it just felt far more relaxed and refined. The toilets were also very nice.

sketchbook - Fashion Mode crowd - lfw aw11 - jenny robins
The Fashion Mode crowd in Jenny Robins’ sketchbook.

Categories ,A/W 2011, ,Anthony Peto, ,BFC/ELLE Talent Launch Pad, ,birds, ,Edward Finney, ,Elle Talent Launch Pad, ,Erika Trotzig, ,estethica, ,Ethical Fashion, ,Fannie Schiavoni, ,fashion, ,Fashion Mode, ,Felicity Brown, ,Freemasons, ,George Angelopoulos, ,Ginta, ,hats, ,Holly Fulton, ,illustration, ,Jenny Robins, ,jewellery, ,Jordan Askill, ,Les Nereides, ,Lublu Kira, ,Madi, ,Madi Illustrates, ,N2, ,Neuroticam Little Glass Clementine, ,New Gen, ,Nicole Murray, ,Pachacuti, ,piers atkinson, ,Sketches, ,Tatty Devine, ,Teatum Jones, ,Úna Burke, ,Vauxhall Fashion Scout, ,Yang Du, ,Yunus & Eliza

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Amelia’s Magazine | London Fashion Week A/W 2011, Presentation: Orla Kiely (by Helen)


Illustration by Joana Faria

If I ever meet Jean Pierre Braganza in person, physician price I might give him a little squeeze. His A/W 2011 show on Friday leaps right into my top 5 – and I’m writing this at the end of a very long and pretty stressful Day 3.

One of my favourite things during fashion week is getting to see interesting buildings that I never knew existed and wouldn’t normally take the slightest interest in. Braganza’s show was to take place at the ‘Show Space’ – part of one of those centuries-old hotels with Baroque interiors and branded soaps. Me and Amelia skipped the queue and sneaked inside to find the most beautiful chandeliers and lots of OTT dressed punters. The actual room in which the show was to take place was equally as decadent, save for the make-shift catwalk that looked like it could topple at any second – and the tiny gap down the side of said catwalk through which we all had to squeeze. ‘I predict a bottle neck’ I thought as we entered, and my premonition came true on the way out.


Illustrations by Krister Selin

A little wait ensued while it was ensured that every inch of carpet had somebody to occupy it, so I took a few snaps of the room and got a bit excited about the juxtaposition of this past interior and Braganza’s future aesthetic.

On with the show with bangin’ beats and gorgeous models wearing more gorgeous clothes. Masculine tailoring appeared first, dynamically cut and decorated with a transfixing splatter pattern in tonal greys. This pattern was set to become a theme, appearing in both menswear and womenswear. After only a few pieces I instantly thought that Braganza’s collections are always meticulous and polished – rich, full fabrics are combined with unique cuts and expert craftsmanship – the entire collection was technically faultless.

Models appeared one after the other, pausing a third of the way down the catwalk so we could all get a good look. I like this set up – much better for pictures (and I’ve really struggled with pictures this season – bloody A/W and it’s sea of dark colours).


Illustrations by Krister Selin

Branganza took the collection forward concentrating on luxe materials that have high aesthetic value: rich and heavy knits, leather and mohair; add a science-fiction influence and you’ve got a real fashion forward collection.

Geometric cuts featured patches of contrasting materials. Nautical stripes in monochrome contrasted with the smoothness of jersey; gents wore Cuban heels with their military tailoring with contrasting sleeves. Braganza has an incredible ability to combine leather architectural pieces with beautifully elegant silk frocks – sounds hideous on paper but as a collection it was completely coherent.


Illustration by Joana Faria

I usually can’t get it up for a predominantly black collection, but with Jean Pierre Braganza’s vision of the future I most certainly can. Bursts of lipstick red shook things up a bit: a gent’s suit with a synched back and skinny trousers that finished with points; embellished onto a mind-blowing shift dress; on short skirts. But it will be Braganza’s black that I remember this collection for: leather sleeves for gents and cutaway dresses in leather with a hint of bondage that oozed sex appeal for the ladies. Eyes peeled folks, this is what the future looks like.



Illustration by Joana Faria

If I ever meet Jean Pierre Braganza in person, stuff I might give him a little squeeze. His A/W 2011 show on Friday leaps right into my top 5 – and I’m writing this at the end of a very long and pretty stressful Day 3.

One of my favourite things during fashion week is getting to see interesting buildings that I never knew existed and wouldn’t normally take the slightest interest in. Braganza’s show was to take place at the ‘Show Space’ – part of one of those centuries-old hotels with Baroque interiors and branded soaps. Me and Amelia skipped the queue and sneaked inside to find the most beautiful chandeliers and lots of OTT dressed punters. The actual room in which the show was to take place was equally as decadent, prescription save for the make-shift catwalk that looked like it could topple at any second – and the tiny gap down the side of said catwalk through which we all had to squeeze. ‘I predict a bottle neck’ I thought as we entered, and my premonition came true on the way out.


Illustrations by Krister Selin

A little wait ensued while it was ensured that every inch of carpet had somebody to occupy it, so I took a few snaps of the room and got a bit excited about the juxtaposition of this past interior and Braganza’s future aesthetic.

On with the show with bangin’ beats and gorgeous models wearing more gorgeous clothes. Masculine tailoring appeared first, dynamically cut and decorated with a transfixing splatter pattern in tonal greys. This pattern was set to become a theme, appearing in both menswear and womenswear. After only a few pieces I instantly thought that Braganza’s collections are always meticulous and polished – rich, full fabrics are combined with unique cuts and expert craftsmanship – the entire collection was technically faultless.

Models appeared one after the other, pausing a third of the way down the catwalk so we could all get a good look. I like this set up – much better for pictures (and I’ve really struggled with pictures this season – bloody A/W and it’s sea of dark colours).


Illustrations by Krister Selin

Branganza took the collection forward concentrating on luxe materials that have high aesthetic value: rich and heavy knits, leather and mohair; add a science-fiction influence and you’ve got a real fashion forward collection.

Geometric cuts featured patches of contrasting materials. Nautical stripes in monochrome contrasted with the smoothness of jersey; gents wore Cuban heels with their military tailoring with contrasting sleeves. Braganza has an incredible ability to combine leather architectural pieces with beautifully elegant silk frocks – sounds hideous on paper but as a collection it was completely coherent.


Illustration by Joana Faria

I usually can’t get it up for a predominantly black collection, but with Jean Pierre Braganza’s vision of the future I most certainly can. Bursts of lipstick red shook things up a bit: a gent’s suit with a synched back and skinny trousers that finished with points; embellished onto a mind-blowing shift dress; on short skirts. But it will be Braganza’s black that I remember this collection for: leather sleeves for gents and cutaway dresses in leather with a hint of bondage that oozed sex appeal for the ladies. Eyes peeled folks, this is what the future looks like.

All photography by Matt Bramford

See more of Joana Faria and Krister Selin’s illustrations in Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration.

Illustration by Joana Faria

If I ever meet Jean Pierre Braganza in person, decease I might give him a little squeeze. His A/W 2011 show on Friday leaps right into my top 5 – and I’m writing this at the end of a very long and pretty stressful Day 3.

One of my favourite things during fashion week is getting to see interesting buildings that I never knew existed and wouldn’t normally take the slightest interest in. Braganza’s show was to take place at the ‘Show Space’ – part of one of those centuries-old hotels with Baroque interiors and branded soaps. Me and Amelia skipped the queue and sneaked inside to find the most beautiful chandeliers and lots of OTT dressed punters. The actual room in which the show was to take place was equally as decadent, save for the make-shift catwalk that looked like it could topple at any second – and the tiny gap down the side of said catwalk through which we all had to squeeze. ‘I predict a bottle neck’ I thought as we entered, and my premonition came true on the way out.


Illustrations by Krister Selin

A little wait ensued while it was ensured that every inch of carpet had somebody to occupy it, so I took a few snaps of the room and got a bit excited about the juxtaposition of this past interior and Braganza’s future aesthetic.

On with the show with bangin’ beats and gorgeous models wearing more gorgeous clothes. Masculine tailoring appeared first, dynamically cut and decorated with a transfixing splatter pattern in tonal greys. This pattern was set to become a theme, appearing in both menswear and womenswear. After only a few pieces I instantly thought that Braganza’s collections are always meticulous and polished – rich, full fabrics are combined with unique cuts and expert craftsmanship – the entire collection was technically faultless.

Models appeared one after the other, pausing a third of the way down the catwalk so we could all get a good look. I like this set up – much better for pictures (and I’ve really struggled with pictures this season – bloody A/W and it’s sea of dark colours).


Illustrations by Krister Selin

Branganza took the collection forward concentrating on luxe materials that have high aesthetic value: rich and heavy knits, leather and mohair; add a science-fiction influence and you’ve got a real fashion forward collection.

Geometric cuts featured patches of contrasting materials. Nautical stripes in monochrome contrasted with the smoothness of jersey; gents wore Cuban heels with their military tailoring with contrasting sleeves. Braganza has an incredible ability to combine leather architectural pieces with beautifully elegant silk frocks – sounds hideous on paper but as a collection it was completely coherent.


Illustration by Joana Faria

I usually can’t get it up for a predominantly black collection, but with Jean Pierre Braganza’s vision of the future I most certainly can. Bursts of lipstick red shook things up a bit: a gent’s suit with a synched back and skinny trousers that finished with points; embellished onto a mind-blowing shift dress; on short skirts. But it will be Braganza’s black that I remember this collection for: leather sleeves for gents and cutaway dresses in leather with a hint of bondage that oozed sex appeal for the ladies. Eyes peeled folks, this is what the future looks like.

All photography by Matt Bramford

See more of Joana Faria and Krister Selin’s illustrations in Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration.

Illustration by Joana Faria

If I ever meet Jean Pierre Braganza in person, viagra I might give him a little squeeze. His A/W 2011 show on Friday leaps right into my top 5 – and I’m writing this at the end of a very long and pretty stressful Day 3.

One of my favourite things during fashion week is getting to see interesting buildings that I never knew existed and wouldn’t normally take the slightest interest in. Braganza’s show was to take place at the ‘Show Space‘ – part of one of those centuries-old hotels with Baroque interiors and branded soaps. Me and Amelia skipped the queue and sneaked inside to find the most beautiful chandeliers and lots of OTT dressed punters. The actual room in which the show was to take place was equally as decadent, save for the make-shift catwalk that looked like it could topple at any second – and the tiny gap down the side of said catwalk through which we all had to squeeze. ‘I predict a bottle neck’ I thought as we entered, and my premonition came true on the way out.


Illustrations by Krister Selin

A little wait ensued while it was ensured that every inch of carpet had somebody to occupy it, so I took a few snaps of the room and got a bit excited about the juxtaposition of this past interior and Braganza’s future aesthetic.

On with the show with bangin’ beats and gorgeous models wearing more gorgeous clothes. Masculine tailoring appeared first, dynamically cut and decorated with a transfixing splatter pattern in tonal greys. This pattern was set to become a theme, appearing in both menswear and womenswear. After only a few pieces I instantly thought that Braganza’s collections are always meticulous and polished – rich, full fabrics are combined with unique cuts and expert craftsmanship – the entire collection was technically faultless.

Models appeared one after the other, pausing a third of the way down the catwalk so we could all get a good look. I like this set up – much better for pictures (and I’ve really struggled with pictures this season – bloody A/W and it’s sea of dark colours).


Illustrations by Krister Selin

Branganza took the collection forward concentrating on luxe materials that have high aesthetic value: rich and heavy knits, leather and mohair; add a science-fiction influence and you’ve got a real fashion forward collection.

Geometric cuts featured patches of contrasting materials. Nautical stripes in monochrome contrasted with the smoothness of jersey; gents wore Cuban heels with their military tailoring with contrasting sleeves. Braganza has an incredible ability to combine leather architectural pieces with beautifully elegant silk frocks – sounds hideous on paper but as a collection it was completely coherent.


Illustration by Joana Faria

I usually can’t get it up for a predominantly black collection, but with Jean Pierre Braganza’s vision of the future I most certainly can. Bursts of lipstick red shook things up a bit: a gent’s suit with a synched back and skinny trousers that finished with points; embellished onto a mind-blowing shift dress; on short skirts. But it will be Braganza’s black that I remember this collection for: leather sleeves for gents and cutaway dresses in leather with a hint of bondage that oozed sex appeal for the ladies. Eyes peeled folks, this is what the future looks like.

All photography by Matt Bramford

See more of Joana Faria and Krister Selin’s illustrations in Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration.
ORLA_KYELI_by_Joana_Faria_2

Orla Kiely LFW A/W Collection, order illustration by Joana Faria

Initially I got stuck in the lift with a delivery man, information pills and then a very tanned lady. Apparently you are not supposed to use the lift at London Fashion Week. I don’t normally use the lift (thighs), sick but to be honest, I was unsure as to how to get to the Portico Rooms, where Orla Kiely was showing her short films, and there was an arrow towards the lift. Anyway, tanned lady assisted me in getting in and consequently missed her lift and was forced to take the stairs. She was lovely. I entered the little room to find three sheds, twig trees, pretty stools, lots of stuffed birds (real?) and strange bird/nature music, wafting.

Orla_Kiely_by_Matilde_Sazio

Orla Kiely LFW A/W 2011, illusration by Matilde Sazio

I wish I could say that I wafted around the room, and I tried to put be exhibition faced, but I had to move around people, twigs in my hair and face and then birds – just there. *SQUAWK* Perhaps now would be the time to say I am scared of birds.

orla_kiely_by_avril_kelly

Orla Kiely LFW A/W 2011, illustration by Avril Kelly

A dyed, dark haired boy with a strong side parting came up to me, straight backed and carrying a tray of champagne. Luckily for him the tray had little grooves so the stems came out the bottom to avoid spillage. Sadly for me, I couldn’t see how to access le bubbly. “How do I… ah, thanks”. I clutched my champagne at its stem. Although I saw most people holding their glasses around the fatter bit. I was told this was wrong to do by a man at a ‘ra’ party when I was 15. I also thought this was wrong/bad etiquette/heats liquid with hand warmth? But it does look better, holding champs at the fatter bit…rearrange hand. I smiled at a lady who had a few people round her and was smiling in my direction. She saw me though, and it vanished. Denied! I later heard her say she was the Editor of a Homes magazine and she got her photo taken amongst the twig trees. My time at BBC Homes and Antiques, as an intern, came rushing back to me.

Orla_Kiely_Bag_by_Matilde_Sazio

Orla Kiely LFW A/W 2011, illusration by Matilde Sazio

I meandered about. LOVED the girls in Orla Kiely outfits, plastered to the walls. Although Orla Kiely heavily reminds me of women in Clifton (affluent part of Bristol), and Bath, sauntering about, I think her designs look excellent on younger women. With 60s influences, and pretty detailing, they’re perfect and easy to wear creations, that are FAR from some of preconceived ideas. Most of the aforementioned women only ever really wear the bags, to be fair. And to see the full outfits, with the pretty shoes, natural colours and high hemlines, I was in lust with Orla! Less the birds.

ORLA_KYELI_by_Joana_Faria_1

Orla Kiely LFW A/W Collection, illustration by Joana Faria

I had a little chat with the champagne boy, as I had no chance of speaking to Ms Editor, she wouldn’t appreciate one of my own designed business cards (they’re amazing). He said the films had been on rotation since 7am, which is fiiiine, but the soundtrack (i.e. birds), was a tad repetitive. We discussed our day. He asked if I was in ‘the business’. I replied: “Mmmm, writer.” I felt bad for not asking him if he was in the business, but as I sat on an Orla bench, decided that he was a poet who had escaped Burnley.

Orla_kiely_2_by_avril_kelly

Orla Kiely LFW A/W 2011, illustration by Avril Kelly

I saw that the films were being shown in the sheds. I considered leaning on the side of the shed, as no one seemed to be sitting inside them. But instead decided to sit inside, on a stool, in the shed. It felt like one of those watch places you find on walks. Then: ARG!! A MASSIVE stuffed OWL was looking straight at me. Out the shed.

ORLA_KYELI_by_Joana_Faria_3

Orla Kiely LFW A/W Collection, illustration by Joana Faria

The video was purposefully flickery and sweet, with the models in greens and creams, wandering about their vintage filled houses. I won’t lie; I wanted the house/clothes dearly. They looked so contented, slightly robotic, but perfect.

Orla_Kiely_A-W_2011LFW_A-W_2011-Orla_Kiely-4LFW_A-W_2011-Orla_Kiely-2LFW_A-W_2011-Orla_Kiely-3LFW_A-W_2011-Orla_KielyLFW_A-W_2011-Orla_Kiely-1
Orla Kiely LFW A/W 2011, photography by Amelia Gregory

It seems that lighter, floatier fabrics took hold for Orla Kiely’s S/S 2011 collection, as Orla said: For ready-to-wear, there is silk organza mesh partywear; sheer fabrics have played a large part in the collection. Some prints also have abstract references to apples and pears. Within bags and accessories, I have designed leather backpacks and my debut sunglasses range.” But, heavier fabrics have returned for A/W, with beautiful, thick coats, short, wool dresses and A Line skirts, knitted skirt suits and 70s influenced belted loose jersey dresses and bell sleeves. All worn with black socks and ankle strapped shoes. Thick knit long cardigans or 60s trenches also feature, whilst the make up is subtle, allowing the deep teals, greens and light browns to take the focus. And of course promoting the simple, pretty, easy to wear, natural style of Orla Kiely.

I was transfixed by the video for a little while – the music was quite liable to do this – and then, although tempted to sit and drink more champagne on a pretty stool, I wandered off out the correct door.

Joana Faria’s Illustrations can also be found in Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration, available here.

Categories ,60s, ,70s, ,Avril Kelly, ,BBC Homes and Antiques, ,Benches, ,birds, ,Champagne, ,Helen Martin, ,Irish, ,Joanna Faria, ,lfw, ,LFW A/W 2011, ,LFW Presentation, ,lift, ,Matilde Sazio, ,Orla Kiely, ,Portico Rooms, ,Presentation, ,Pretty, ,Sheds, ,Stools, ,twigs, ,video

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Amelia’s Magazine | London Fashion Week A/W 2011, Presentation: Orla Kiely (by Helen)

ORLA_KYELI_by_Joana_Faria_2

Orla Kiely LFW A/W Collection, illustration by Joana Faria

Initially I got stuck in the lift with a delivery man, and then a very tanned lady. Apparently you are not supposed to use the lift at London Fashion Week. I don’t normally use the lift (thighs), but to be honest, I was unsure as to how to get to the Portico Rooms, where Orla Kiely was showing her short films, and there was an arrow towards the lift. Anyway, tanned lady assisted me in getting in and consequently missed her lift and was forced to take the stairs. She was lovely. I entered the little room to find three sheds, twig trees, pretty stools, lots of stuffed birds (real?) and strange bird/nature music, wafting.

Orla_Kiely_by_Matilde_Sazio

Orla Kiely LFW A/W 2011, illusration by Matilde Sazio

I wish I could say that I wafted around the room, and I tried to put be exhibition faced, but I had to move around people, twigs in my hair and face and then birds – just there. *SQUAWK* Perhaps now would be the time to say I am scared of birds.

orla_kiely_by_avril_kelly

Orla Kiely LFW A/W 2011, illustration by Avril Kelly

A dyed, dark haired boy with a strong side parting came up to me, straight backed and carrying a tray of champagne. Luckily for him the tray had little grooves so the stems came out the bottom to avoid spillage. Sadly for me, I couldn’t see how to access le bubbly. “How do I… ah, thanks”. I clutched my champagne at its stem. Although I saw most people holding their glasses around the fatter bit. I was told this was wrong to do by a man at a ‘ra’ party when I was 15. I also thought this was wrong/bad etiquette/heats liquid with hand warmth? But it does look better, holding champs at the fatter bit…rearrange hand. I smiled at a lady who had a few people round her and was smiling in my direction. She saw me though, and it vanished. Denied! I later heard her say she was the Editor of a Homes magazine and she got her photo taken amongst the twig trees. My time at BBC Homes and Antiques, as an intern, came rushing back to me.

Orla_Kiely_Bag_by_Matilde_Sazio

Orla Kiely LFW A/W 2011, illusration by Matilde Sazio

I meandered about. LOVED the girls in Orla Kiely outfits, plastered to the walls. Although Orla Kiely heavily reminds me of women in Clifton (affluent part of Bristol), and Bath, sauntering about, I think her designs look excellent on younger women. With 60s influences, and pretty detailing, they’re perfect and easy to wear creations, that are FAR from some of preconceived ideas. Most of the aforementioned women only ever really wear the bags, to be fair. And to see the full outfits, with the pretty shoes, natural colours and high hemlines, I was in lust with Orla! Less the birds.

ORLA_KYELI_by_Joana_Faria_1

Orla Kiely LFW A/W Collection, illustration by Joana Faria

I had a little chat with the champagne boy, as I had no chance of speaking to Ms Editor, she wouldn’t appreciate one of my own designed business cards (they’re amazing). He said the films had been on rotation since 7am, which is fiiiine, but the soundtrack (i.e. birds), was a tad repetitive. We discussed our day. He asked if I was in ‘the business’. I replied: “Mmmm, writer.” I felt bad for not asking him if he was in the business, but as I sat on an Orla bench, decided that he was a poet who had escaped Burnley.

Orla_kiely_2_by_avril_kelly

Orla Kiely LFW A/W 2011, illustration by Avril Kelly

I saw that the films were being shown in the sheds. I considered leaning on the side of the shed, as no one seemed to be sitting inside them. But instead decided to sit inside, on a stool, in the shed. It felt like one of those watch places you find on walks. Then: ARG!! A MASSIVE stuffed OWL was looking straight at me. Out the shed.

ORLA_KYELI_by_Joana_Faria_3

Orla Kiely LFW A/W Collection, illustration by Joana Faria

The video was purposefully flickery and sweet, with the models in greens and creams, wandering about their vintage filled houses. I won’t lie; I wanted the house/clothes dearly. They looked so contented, slightly robotic, but perfect.

Orla_Kiely_A-W_2011LFW_A-W_2011-Orla_Kiely-4LFW_A-W_2011-Orla_Kiely-2LFW_A-W_2011-Orla_Kiely-3LFW_A-W_2011-Orla_KielyLFW_A-W_2011-Orla_Kiely-1
Orla Kiely LFW A/W 2011, photography by Amelia Gregory

It seems that lighter, floatier fabrics took hold for Orla Kiely’s S/S 2011 collection, as Orla said: For ready-to-wear, there is silk organza mesh partywear; sheer fabrics have played a large part in the collection. Some prints also have abstract references to apples and pears. Within bags and accessories, I have designed leather backpacks and my debut sunglasses range.” But, heavier fabrics have returned for A/W, with beautiful, thick coats, short, wool dresses and A Line skirts, knitted skirt suits and 70s influenced belted loose jersey dresses and bell sleeves. All worn with black socks and ankle strapped shoes. Thick knit long cardigans or 60s trenches also feature, whilst the make up is subtle, allowing the deep teals, greens and light browns to take the focus. And of course promoting the simple, pretty, easy to wear, natural style of Orla Kiely.

I was transfixed by the video for a little while – the music was quite liable to do this – and then, although tempted to sit and drink more champagne on a pretty stool, I wandered off out the correct door.

Joana Faria’s Illustrations can also be found in Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration, available here.



Categories ,60s, ,70s, ,Avril Kelly, ,BBC Homes and Antiques, ,Benches, ,birds, ,Champagne, ,Helen Martin, ,Irish, ,Joanna Faria, ,lfw, ,LFW A/W 2011, ,LFW Presentation, ,lift, ,Matilde Sazio, ,Orla Kiely, ,Portico Rooms, ,Presentation, ,Pretty, ,Sheds, ,Stools, ,twigs, ,video

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Amelia’s Magazine | London Fashion Week A/W 2011 Catwalk Review: À La Disposition

 

Fashion in the Age of Austerity, ampoule pill orgsanised 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 jewellry 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 disapoint; we raced around lots of interestting, contraversial 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 cant be afraid of complexity. Lucy Siegle exlained that it isn’t as simple as ‘baddies’ and ‘goodies’ 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, Fairly traded, tree protecting, wildlife saving or garments using 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….hm. 

 

A  workshop in action: students learning to make a wallet out of a tetrapack 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. 

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.
 

 

Hannah Peel illustration by Elizabeth Goodspeed 

  

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 favourite’s. 

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 with loud music beginning 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!’, it’s on the 7th April, and it will be a celebration of the self published.
 

Fashion in the Age of Austerity, orgsanised 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 jewellry 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 disapoint; we raced around lots of interestting, contraversial 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 cant be afraid of complexity. Lucy Siegle exlained that it isn’t as simple as ‘baddies’ and ‘goodies’ 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, Fairly traded, tree protecting, wildlife saving or garments using 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….hm. 

 

A  workshop in action: students learning to make a wallet out of a tetrapack 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. 

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.
 

 

Hannah Peel illustration by Elizabeth Goodspeed 

  

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 favourite’s. 

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 with loud music beginning 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!’, it’s on the 7th April, and it will be a celebration of the self published.
 

Fashion in the Age of Austerity, look orgsanised 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, pilule 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 jewellry 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 disapoint; we raced around lots of interestting, contraversial 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 cant be afraid of complexity. Lucy Siegle exlained that it isn’t as simple as ‘baddies’ and ‘goodies’ 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, Fairly traded, tree protecting, wildlife saving or garments using 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….hm. 

 

A  workshop in action: students learning to make a wallet out of a tetrapack 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. 

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.
 

 

Hannah Peel illustration by Elizabeth Goodspeed 

  

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 favourite’s. 

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 with loud music beginning 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!’, it’s on the 7th April, and it will be a celebration of the self published.
 

Fashion in the Age of Austerity, cialis 40mg orgsanised 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, salve 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 the 7th April 2011. Expect to find a celebration of the self published.
 

Fashion in the Age of Austerity, online orgsanised 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, mind 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….hm. 

 

A  workshop in action: students learning to make a wallet out of a tetrapack 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. 

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.
 

 

Hannah Peel illustration by Elizabeth Goodspeed 

  

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 favourite’s. 

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 with loud music beginning 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!’, it’s on the 7th April, and it will be a celebration of the self published.
 

Fashion in the Age of Austerity, viagra 60mg orgsanised 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, buy more about amongst some rare, link 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.
 

Fashion in the Age of Austerity, advice organised by the Papered Parlour, pilule  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.
A La Disposition A/W 2011 by Zarina Liew
A La Disposition A/W 2011 by Zarina Liew.

Biggest surprise of London Fashion Week? À La Disposition, medicine about which I knew nothing prior to their show at Fashion Scout. It’s really nice to go to a show and feel like you’ve discovered something exciting – it’s one of the reasons I enjoy LFW so much, capsule and especially going to the smaller shows. After all, discovering new talent is something I’ve always loved doing in Amelia’s Magazine.

A La Disposition A/W 2011 by Zoe Georgiou of Soul Water
A La Disposition A/W 2011 by Zoe Georgiou of Soul Water.

A La Disposition A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryA La Disposition A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryA La Disposition A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryA La Disposition A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory
A La Disposition A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.

An American husband and wife team, Lynda Cohen Kinne and Daniel Kinne of À La Disposition describe themselves as the fusion of form and function and for The Utopian Aviary collection they looked at the social structures, mimicry and mating displays of birds. This translated into an incredibly modern silhouette based on structures of times past: tight capes, over-developed coat tails that looked like wings and gigantic neck ruffles reminiscent of the medieval era. This was a super confident collection which showcased some superb pattern cutting skills.

A La Disposition A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryA La Disposition A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryA La Disposition A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryA La Disposition A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryA La Disposition A/W 2011 by Emma Lucy Watson
A La Disposition A/W 2011 by Emma Lucy Watson.

The Utopian Aviary opened with a stunning faux fur concoction: skirt layered more like the wings of a beetle than a bird, cape bunched around the shoulders in striped tones of greys. Black, deep green, jades and autumnal reds dominated the ensuing outfits, created in luxe fabrics: silk, taffeta and chiffon.

A La Disposition A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryA La Disposition A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryA La Disposition A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryA La Disposition A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryA La Disposition A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryA La Disposition A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryA La Disposition A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryA La Disposition A/W 2011 by Zoe Georgiou of Soul WaterA La Disposition A/W 2011 by Zoe Georgiou of Soul Water
A La Disposition A/W 2011 by Zoe Georgiou of Soul Water.

A digitalised moire print featured on dress and blouse. Red buttons provided a contrasting punch to forest green velvet and waists were high and thighs puffed out, topped with exaggerated wing-collared pinstripe shirts and accessorised with fake wool leggings. Shoulder details called to mind the layered shapes of petals on a cross fronted jacket. A shot of deepest honey yellow was a searing burst of winter sunshine.

A La Disposition A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryA La Disposition A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryA La Disposition A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryA La Disposition A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryA La Disposition A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryA La Disposition A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryA La Disposition A/W 2011 by Zarina LiewA La Disposition A/W 2011 by Zarina Liew
A La Disposition A/W 2011 by Zarina Liew.

Models had teased up-dos that emulated the chaotic structure of birds’ nests, red alienesque contacts and eyes deeply rimmed with black. The overall effect was nigh on futuristic.

A La Disposition A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryA La Disposition A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryA La Disposition A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryA La Disposition A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryA La Disposition A/W 2011 by Sophie Pickup
A La Disposition A/W 2011 by Sophie Pickup.

Gigantic breast ruffles appeared on coats and looped down the chest in marled knitwear, extending outwards and upwards until, peacock like, a model appeared bearing a stunning ruffled contraption that rose like a cantilevered architecture from the back of her neck in delicious deep copper metallic silk. Behind, the ruffles cascaded like an echo down the back of her skirt. What a revelation!

A La Disposition A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryA La Disposition A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryA La Disposition A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryA La Disposition A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryA La Disposition A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryA La Disposition A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryA La Disposition A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryA La Disposition A/W 2011 by Sam ParrA La Disposition A/W 2011 by Sam Parr
A La Disposition A/W 2011 by Sam Parr.

Also of mention was the bulging goodie bags on the front row which contained two bottles of the new À La Disposition perfume {{intangible}}. These are composed of similar base ingredients with alternating top notes so that they can be worn alone or together. Created by boutique perfume maker Carvansons I’ve yet to be convinced of their wonder, but the press release is indeed as *intangible* as it was for the The Utopian Aviary show.

A La Disposition A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory
A La Disposition A/W 2011 by Sam Parr
A La Disposition A/W 2011 by Sam Parr.

Addendum: I always write my first draft about a show before I read the accompanying press release because I don’t want it to influence my initial perceptions – like good artwork I feel that a collection should stand alone without any kind of explanation. Which leads me to my final word for À La Disposition: keep it simple. There’s no need for overwrought descriptions, especially when the quality of showmanship itself does the talking.

You can see more work by Zarina Liew in Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration.

Categories ,À La Disposition, ,ACOFI, ,Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration, ,American, ,birds, ,Carvansons, ,Daniel Kinne, ,Emma Lucy Watson, ,Fashion Scout, ,lfw, ,London Fashion Week, ,Lynda Cohen Kinne, ,medieval, ,Peacock, ,Perfume, ,Ruffles, ,Sam Parr, ,Sophie Pickup, ,Soul Water, ,The Utopian Aviary, ,Zarina Liew, ,Zoe Georgiou, ,{{intangible}}

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Amelia’s Magazine | London Fashion Week A/W 2011 Catwalk Review: Ziad Ghanem (by Amelia)

This spring, sales the V&A presents a unique exhibition dedicated the Grand Master Japanese couturier, stuff Yohji Yamamoto. The exhibition will celebrate his life and work, and is the first of its kind in the UK. 30 years after Yamamoto debuted in Paris, the V&A has brought together rare examples of his visionary designs.

Here’s an exclusive interview with the exhibition’s curator, Ligaya Salazar. You can also read some of Salazar’s thoughts below, too.
On process
With this project I started roughly two and a half years ago to work on the idea and the concept behind the exhibition, its also a very particular project because you are working with a living designer who you are doing a single retrospective with, working with their team very closely, so in terms of curating, there is much more of a dialogue there than you would probably normally have with a slightly more thematic show.

The focus was more on to find a concept that would work for him, as a designer, because Yohji Yamamoto is very special in the deign world in terms of the way he approaches designing, so the way you want to show his work should be quite different as well….I spent more time looking at ways of displaying his work, ways of showing his work…

On garment selection
I had the incredible honour to be able to go into both his Paris and his Tokyo archives, the Tokyo archives no curator had ever been to, I had all of his archive to look at and to choose from, which made the editing process incredibly hard…it is something you spend a long time doing, talking to Yohji’s team, talking to the designer, making sure you have covered the iconic parts of his career, but also chosen pieces that are most emblematic of the themes that you want to bring out…I stated with an object list that was about six hundred pieces, and that was already a selection of the pieces I saw in the archive and then I had to bring it down to ninety, it was a long and quite arduous process.

On themes
Because it is an installation based exhibition, there isn’t a prescriptive story to tell, or a chronology, it was much more about how people would encounter the garments, for the first time what we are doing is to show everything on open display, on the same height as the viewer, so you are meeting your other, rather than looking up and behind glass, it’s a very different experience of the clothes.

Yohi Yamamoto is at the V&A and at The Wapping Project until 10th July 2011. Look out for a full review coming soon!

Marnie for Ziad Ghanem A/W 2011 by Tigz Rice
Marnie Scarlet for Ziad Ghanem A/W 2011 by Tigz Rice.

Ziad Ghanem‘s Never End, sick Never End, Never End was one of those hotly tipped shows that all my contributors were desperate to go to, so I was promised performance catwalking at its best. What I hadn’t expected was to land a prime seat right opposite Boy George, looking remarkably svelte next to Daniel Lismore.

Boy George and Daniel Lismore. Photography by Amelia Gregory
Boy George and Daniel Lismore. Photography by Amelia Gregory.

I remember the allure of Karma Chameleon, back when a dodgy video was sufficient accompaniment for pop songs of such genius. Colour by Numbers was actually the VERY FIRST album that I owned, given to me by my aunt on good old cassette tape.

YouTube Preview Image

But then, ah, the show!!! This collection was inspired by a horror video game called Silent Hill and the work of Romantic painter John Henry Fuseli, and it explored themes of gothic romance. The press release states that the same garment viewed in a dark, gothic context by one viewer will be interpreted as romantic and liberating by the next.

Ziad Ghanem A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryZiad Ghanem A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryZiad Ghanem A/W 2011 by Jessica Holt
Ziad Ghanem A/W 2011 by Jessica Holt.

The show opened with a stunning piece of performance, as a red-headed model appeared in gothic Tim Burton-esque make up, black skirts tumbling as she grew before our eyes into a 12 foot monster burlesque bride waving great green feathered fans. Thereafter followed a series of printed, billowing capes and tightly corseted dresses, all accessorised with veils, reddened eyes, cracked cheeks and Joker smiles. Apparently Ziad asked each model to choose their own favourite horror film make up for the show.

Ziad Ghanem A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryZiad Ghanem A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryZiad Ghanem A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryZiad Ghanem A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryZiad Ghanem A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryZiad Ghanem A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryZiad Ghanem A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryZiad Ghanem A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryZiad Ghanem A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryZiad Ghanem A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryZiad Ghanem A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryZiad Ghanem A/W 2011 by Jamie McGregor
Ziad Ghanem A/W 2011 by Jamie McGregor.

Androgynous models wore chiffon and beaded dresses, a spooky ghost couple trailed rumpled netting behind as they faced the photographers together. Amidst the drama cleverly made outfits showcased traditional haute couture skills using bias cut vintage silk chiffons and duchess satin that flowed around the body.

Ziad Ghanem A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryZiad Ghanem A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryZiad Ghanem A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryZiad Ghanem A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryZiad Ghanem A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryZiad Ghanem A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryZiad Ghanem A/W 2011 by The Lovely Wars
Ziad Ghanem A/W 2011 by The Lovely Wars.

A white faced creature smeared its face with black paint and make up took a turn towards our feathered friends: blue winged eyes echoing the giant bird prints on winged dresses. Out stepped a ballet dancer on pointe, edging down the catwalk in frilled lilac, her skull face shrouded in grey. As she retreated backwards a series of busty ladies swept down the catwalk in eminently wearable multi coloured chiffon dresses: amongst them walked transvestites, burlesque artists and a giant lady in grey. I particularly adored the bustle backed electric fuchsia number that emphasised every womanly curve.

Ziad Ghanem A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryZiad Ghanem A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryZiad Ghanem A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryZiad Ghanem A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryZiad Ghanem A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryZiad Ghanem A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryZiad Ghanem A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryZiad Ghanem A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryZiad Ghanem A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryZiad Ghanem A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryZiad Ghanem A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryZiad Ghanem A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryZiad Ghanem A/W 2011 by The Lovely Wars
Ziad Ghanem A/W 2011 by The Lovely Wars.

Taking the art of the catwalk to fantastical heights, Ziad Ghanem proved that his shows really are worth the hype, with or without the added bonus of an 80s pop idol in a fabulous yellow fedora. You can read more about his unique selection of models here.

Ziad Ghanem A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryZiad Ghanem A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryZiad Ghanem A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryZiad Ghanem A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryZiad Ghanem A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory
Ziad Ghanem A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.

You can also read Florence Massey’s review of the Ziad Ghanem show here.

Categories ,ballet, ,birds, ,boy george, ,Burlesque, ,Chiffon, ,Colour by Numbers, ,couture, ,Daniel Lismore, ,Fashion Scout, ,Florence Massey, ,gothic, ,Helen Crawford, ,Horror, ,Jamie McGregor, ,Jessica Holt, ,John Henry Fuseli, ,Karma Chameleon, ,Marnie Scarlet, ,Never End, ,Romantic, ,Silent Hill, ,The Lovely Wars, ,Tigz Rice, ,tim burton, ,Transvestite, ,Ziad Ghanem

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