Amelia’s Magazine | Corinne Day 1965 – 2010


ADZ, capsule drug illustrated by Jess Stokes

Whilst eco-couture has always been ahead of the times in terms of sustainability, click it’s often been left behind in the style stakes, unable to compete with mainstream, high fashion. Gradually though, a new breed of designer has emerged who is equally concerned with creating a cutting edge aesthetic as they are utilising sustainable and organic materials.

At the forefront of this movement is Ada Zanditon, whose designs experiment with shape and texture in a way that is unsurprising once you learn that she originally interned with Alexander McQueen and Gareth Pugh. After establishing her own eco-luxury womenswear line in March 2008, Ada has gone on to raise awareness of everything from eco fashion to politics through the likes of the Think Act Vote campaign. Ada took the time to answer a few questions for us about the inspiration behind her new range ADZ, and the future of eco fashion. ? 


ADZ S/S 2011

You’ve really established yourself as a pioneer of eco-fashion, giving the movement a younger, sexier image than it had in the past. How did you go about this?  
I think that I had two very strong passions that I was determined to make work together – fashion and sustainability. I enjoy the innovative aspect that comes into every part of the process, my main how-to part of it I think comes from a basic viewpoint that anything is possible. It’s equally possible to make a beautiful fashionable dress from an ecological material as it is from one that is not. It’s equally possible to create fashion that considers its full life span and even decay as it is to create something that does not. It’s a question of awareness, choice and aesthetics. 

Tell us about your new collection, ADZ?  
ADZ by Ada Zanditon is the bridging line to my main collection, it’s contemporary, resort urban wear that combines strikingly unique prints with casual yet sophisticated pieces that are focussed around bold geometric detailing in fluid soft fabrics such as tencel, silk jersey and chiffon. The SS 2011 debut collection of ADZ is titled Nebulayan. My inspiration came from creating illustrations of satellite images of the Himalayas mountain range which I then layered with Hubble telescope imagery of deep space nebulae. We now have achieved the technology to see the Earth from space and also to see deep into outer space. I like the idea of contrasting these perspectives with each other. 


ADZ, illustrated by Aniela Murphy

How do you cope with the volume of work and your nerves in the build up to London Fashion Week? Any trade secrets?
I am always aware that I am so fortunate to be in the position to be running my own label, I don’t really want to complain. Everyday always has its challenges, but I try to see that as opportunity. I think gratitude is vastly underrated these days…. don’t you? 

Absolutely! Amelia’s magazine have always been a big fan of your illustrations, any plans to design your own prints based on your work?
Actually, all my prints are based on my illustration work and photography and as well as that I use watercolour then layer all these elements together. ? 


ADZ, illustrated by Natsuki Otani

Musician Viktoria Modesta is your muse; how did you end up working together? You’ll be contributing to her showcase next month; what will that involve?
Soon after we first met we found we had a good creative rapport. I think Viktoria has incredible elegance and style with a real sense of grace. As for the showcase – I don’t want to give to much away but it will be a great evening. 

How do you think the public can be convinced of the importance of sustainability? Do you think there is more designers, magazine editors and celebrities could be doing to highlight its significance?
I only think the planet can truly convince people of the importance of sustainability. I’m sure most people living on the coast of Bangladesh are highly convinced that we need to live in a more sustainable way as they are effected daily by climate change. However, I think that people can encourage and inspire, and have a really good try at convincing. What worries me, though, is that catastrophic events only really shake people into action. I think everyone in every walk of life can do more, no matter what you do.

To see the entire ADZ S/S 2011 collection, visit Ada’s website.
To read more about Think Act Vote, see our interview with Amisha Ghadiali here.

Corrine Day pictured in 1996

The fashion world is in mourning over the loss of another of its brightest stars. Corinne Day, decease the fashion photographer known for shooting Kate Moss at the beginning of her career, information pills has died aged 45.

Her documentary-style photography shook up the fashion world in the nineties, mind at a time when the industry was looking for an antidote to the gloss and glamour of the eighties.  

Born in Ickenham, west London, Day she was raised by her grandmother (her mother, she said, ran a brothel, and her father was not in the picture), and after failing school, worked as a courier. A chance meeting with a photographer led to a short-lived modeling career – Corinne knew she was no cover girl – but through it she met her lifetime partner Mark Szaszy, who taught her how to use a camera.  

It was behind the lens that Corinne shone, and whilst modeling in Milan, she started snapping ‘what she knew’ – her friends – teenage models, hanging around cramped, dingy flats, dressed in charity shop finds.  

This was before the age of street style or fashion bloggers, where anyone with a camera and a passport could jet set around the world, snapping chic from the sidewalks. Her subversive shots caught the eye of Phil Bicker, then art director of The Face, who commissioned a shoot that was to become the stuff of fashion legend.  

The story of Corinne and Kate is well-documented. Day saw promise in a polaroid of the wannabe model, just 16. The ‘3rd Summer of Love’ in July 1990, saw Kate frolicking on a beach in Camber Sands, dressed in a mismatch of high-end designer and cheap market finds. The shoot caused a sensation. The two became firm friends, sharing a flat for three years – this closeness was something Corinne shared with many of her subjects, enabling her to capture them at their most natural.  

Shoots for Vogue followed – (Day was the first to shoot Kate for one of her countless Vogue covers) with Corinne teaming up the stylist Melanie Ward to create the now infamous ‘waif’ look. Her ‘Underexposed’ sequence saw Kate Moss languishing in a bedsit festooned with fairy lights, skinny in saggy tights, creating outrage in the national press for encouraging anorexia and heroin use.  

But nothing could stop Day’s rise to stardom. Her stark, fearlessly honest photographs welcomed in a new mood suited to a country recovering from a recession.  
After a decade of supermodels with their Amazonian bodies and diva demands, Day’s idea of perfection was imperfection. She hated retouching photographs, and favoured quirky models with only traces of makeup, exposed to natural light. Her shots of street kids in second-hand clothes summed up the anti-glamour aesthetic of Generation X. It was an answer to Seattle’s grunge movement – but uniquely British, and effortlessly cool.   

Influenced by the work of documentary artists like Nan Goldin, she sought to capture people’s “most intimate moments”, when “we’re not having such a good time”. This extended to her own life, when she was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 1996, and asked her partner to photograph her battling with the illness. The result was published as ‘Diary’ in 2001.  

After recovering from her first bout of illness, Corinne continued to shoot for fashion magazines, as well as documenting her own friends and family. Her work was commissioned by the National Portrait Gallery, exhibited everywhere from the V&A to the Saatchi, and even the subject of a BBC Four documentary.  

Corinne will always be known as the girl who kick-started heroin chic, but her legacy will be something greater. Writing in The Telegraph, stylist Belinda White commented how, growing up as a working class girl, she “had no business” looking at Vogue and “couldn’t relate” to the stories on the magazine pages. The Kate Moss shoot made her “stop in her tracks” and realize that for the first time, normal girls ‘like her’ could be a part of this world.  

Corinne Day’s photographs democratized fashion, and made it ‘real’ and relevant to a girl on the street. Only under her guise could Kate Moss, a short, flat-chested girl from Croydon, rise up the echelons of the fashion world.  

All images © Corinne Day

Categories ,3rd Summer of Love, ,Amazonian, ,Britain, ,Camber Sands, ,corinne day, ,Croydon, ,fashion, ,Generation X, ,grunge, ,Ickenham, ,Kate Moss, ,london, ,Mark Szaszy, ,Melanie Ward, ,Milan, ,Nan Goldin, ,national portrait gallery, ,Obituary, ,Phil Bicker, ,photography, ,Saatchi Gallery, ,seattle, ,The Face, ,Underexposed, ,va, ,vogue

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Amelia’s Magazine | Christmas Gift Ideas 2012: Cushions!

ooh deer pictor_cushion http://www.williambranton.com
Pictor cushion in super soft faux suede by William Branton for Ohh Deer.

Over the next few weeks I’ll be blogging all my best suggestions for a range of gifts, from homeware to jewellery to fine art prints to kids’ clothes… and to start off my round up I bring you my pick of cushions…

As a surface to display design in the home cushions are hard to beat, which is why you will find so many illustrators and textile designers currently churning them out. And they’re a great way to cheaply dress up your living room – so why not splash out on one, or two, for your loved ones. And then you’ll get to enjoy them too. Perfect!

ben the illustrator greenland multicoloured cushion
Ben the Illustrator believes that ‘good places make people feel good‘, whether you’re on the coast watching birds, or on the couch watching TV. His artwork is inspired by nature and his new homeware range is printed and hand-made in the UK, aided by his wife Fiona and manufactured ‘using unlimited volumes of colour and love‘. I love this Greenland design, inspired by Arctic dwellings.

kate marsden park hill cushion
The iconic Park Hill housing estate in Sheffield inspired this large square cushion by Kate Marsden, which is digitally printed on the front with black felt on the reverse.

Imogen-Heath-Dahlia-Cushion
Imogen Heath combines traditional artistry with digital technology to create print designs such as this bright Dahlia design.

shake the dust cheetah cushion
Shake the Dust is a new ethical design brand which sources, commissions and sells hand-made, luxury homeware and accessories: traditional skills are reinterpreted through modern eyes. This gorgeous Cheetah design was made in the Kingdom of Swaziland by Baobab Batik.

constructive studio faces_cushion
Craig Yamey of Constructive Studio created this beautiful calligraphic face print from his studio in Cockpit Arts, Holborn. Read more about the Constructive Studio collection here.

Donna Wilson oak tree cushion
No blog on cushions would be complete without mention of the all conquering Donna Wilson – I particularly like this shaped woollen oak tree. Something a bit different for the sofa!

Darkroom cushion Camille Walala
A little bit 80s, a little bit tribal,what’s not to love about Camille Walala‘s brilliant double sided cushion which was inspired by the wall paintings of South Africa’s Ndebele tribe? Part of the T-R-I-B-A-L-A-L-A collaboration with Darkroom.

howkapow white bear paul farrell cushion
I adore this White Bear/Black Bear two-sided cushion by Bristol-based illustrator, Paul Farrell, available from the great Howkapow design website run by husband and wife design team Cat and Rog.

ooh deer big_chill_jack teagle cushion
On Culture Label I found this characterful cushion designed by the inimitable Jack Teagle for Ohh Deer, who work with a host of illustrators to create lovely things.

Soma Ben Javens drum major mini cushion
Is it a cushion? Is it a plush toy? I’m going with the former for the purposes of this fab creation by Ben Javens on Soma Gallery. Each Drum Major cushion is carefully screen-printed in the UK using eco-friendly water-based inks, then stuffed and sewn by hand by Beast in Show in Oxford.

poppy and red ditsy flower cushion
A search of Society6 brought me to this lovely ditsy design by Irish design duo Poppy & Red.

Lu Flux Alphabet A cushion
For patchwork lovers: check out these fab alphabet cushions by ethical designer Lu Flux. They are all made from vintage fabrics sourced in Britain and no two are the same.

Urban-Cross-Stitch-Floral-Skull-BUST
For those of you who prefer to create your own: I’ve already bought one of these as a present – an amazing floral skull cushion by Urban Cross Stitch. Meet them in person at the Bust Craftacular.

lorna syson Bullfinch cushion
Finally, for a festive feel that will work all year around, how about these plump and handsome bullfinch adorned cushions by Lorna Syson, discovered last weekend at the Cockpit Arts open studios.

Look out for my next gift blog, coming soon.

Categories ,Baobab Batik, ,Beast in Show, ,Ben Javens, ,Ben the Illustrator, ,Black Bear, ,Bust Craftacular, ,Camille Walala, ,Cockpit Arts, ,Constructive Studio, ,Craig Yamey, ,Culture Label, ,Cushion, ,cushions, ,Dahlia, ,Darkroom, ,Donna Wilson, ,Drum Major, ,eco, ,ethical, ,Greenland, ,Holborn, ,Homewares, ,Howkapow, ,illustrator, ,Imogen Heath, ,Interior Design, ,Interiors, ,Jack Teagle, ,Kate Marsden, ,Lorna Syson, ,Lu Flux, ,Ndebele, ,Ohh Deer, ,Ooh Deer, ,Park Hill, ,pattern, ,Paul Farrell, ,Shake the Dust, ,Skull, ,Society6, ,Soma Gallery, ,T-R-I-B-A-L-A-L-A, ,Urban Cross Stitch, ,White Bear, ,William Branton

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Amelia’s Magazine | Christmas Gift Ideas 2012: Best Design Gifts For Men

Bianca Green in love with iphone cover
In Love With iphone cover by Bianca Green.

Most men love a bit of gadget based frippery, and there is an almost endless choice of iphone decor out there. Amidst the huge amount of guff on Society6 (it’s surprising how few things work when just plonked on, say, a hoodie), there are some gems, shown here for your delection…

fimbis iphone cover geometric glow
This neon abstract Geometric Glow is by Fimbis.

Ewan Arnolda vintage camera iphone case
The fake vintage camera is a perennially good look – particularly fun if you are into self portraits as the cover design will register in the mirror! By Ewan Arnold.

kate hasted iphone cover japanese flower
I think the most unusual has to be this iphone cover by textile designer Kate Hasted, inspired by Japanese flowers.

GlyphicBlack_Phone Pop vinyl iphone backs
For iphone 5 users why not take a look at these new vinyl backs with bold optical designs by Phone Pop?

Glove & Hate Oven Gloves, Stuart Gardiner
If the man you are buying for loves cooking why not surprise him with these fab Glove and Hate oven gloves? They come complete with hairy wrists and chunky gold bracelet: by Stuart Gardiner at Howkapow?

WOODEN KUKSA CUP - CLASSIC DESIGN brokedown palace
And those who like camping: what about this Kuksa outdoor wooden cup of traditional Sami design, available on new website The Brokedown Palace. A great place to find the perfect present for those who love the great outdoors.

derek shop notebooks
Does your man love nice stationery? I adore these illustrated notebooks (including one by contributor Lorna Scobie) from Dereks Shop.

soma gallery bike parts notebook
Or if your man is a bike lover, how about this Bike Parts notebook, by Luke James for Noodoll, available on Soma Gallery.

2013 wall planner calendar
This fab 2013 Wall Planner is from Present and Correct, the most fantastic website for all graphic design and stationery buffs.

office in a christmas cracker present correct
They also do an ‘Office in a Christmas Cracker‘ which is beautifully put together.

retro pop calendar present correct
And to sit on the table, a vintage rolling plastic calendar.

craig yamey hans_downe plush
Does he like collectibles? If so how about this fantastic plush toy by Craig Yamey for Constructive Studio? Hans Downe is part of the limited edition Yam Kids range: strange creatures all.

printstagram calendar
On a more personalised tangent – if you’ve got the time and you’re a social media nut nut like myself, why not make an instagram calendar with printstagram? If you don’t have time to edit you can just stream the photos off your phone and bung them all in!

seven gauge studios lambswool scarf
Moving on to clothing: I adore this lambswool scarf by Seven Gauge Studios on Two Red Trees.

Stonemen mens briefs rob yelling horses
Or if you prefer something with a bit more humour – how about these brilliant boxer shorts with wild horses stampeding all over them? By Rob Yelling for Stonemen.

Derek Shop M.hulot SKINNY-RHODESIA-BELT-AVOCADO-2
This beautiful handmade Skinny Rhodesia leather belt is by M.Hulot and it is available on Dereks Shop.

Niza Huang PETROLEUM cufflinks
For jewellery I am particularly taken by Niza Huang‘s petroleum cufflinks – inspired by the preciousness of ‘black gold‘.

Lars Beller Fjetland wood penguin
As far as beautiful objects go, I love these re-turned wooden birds created from scrap wood by Finnish designer Lars-Beller Fjetland on The Lollipop Shoppe.

lovi-birch-ply-moominmamma
Maybe he remembers the Moomins? Then this birch ply family by Lovi on Hus and Hem is just the ticket.

Garudio Studiage flat pet pug
Does your man hanker after a pet? If he’s as dotty for pugs as mine then he’ll love this festive specimen bearing Christmas antlers by Garudio Studiage.

reindeer head by armstrong ward
Or he might prefer this ace felted reindeer head by Armstrong Ward on Not on the High Street.

mozaa game
Finally – if he’s into games how about Mozaa, a colourful combination of puzzle and mosaic, bound to be loved by all design fiends.

dice for change
And in 2013 maybe he’ll fancy playing with his Dice for Change: featuring beautifully designed pictograms to inspire daily random acts of kindness.

More to come :)

Categories ,2012, ,2013 Wall Planner, ,Armstrong Ward, ,Belt, ,Bianca Green, ,Bike Parts, ,calendar, ,Christmas, ,Constructive Studio, ,Craig Yamey, ,Dice for Change, ,Ewan Arnold, ,Fimbis, ,Flat pets, ,Garudio Studiage, ,Geometric Glow, ,Glove and Hate oven gloves, ,Hans Downe, ,Howkapow. Love Hate, ,Hus and Hem, ,instagram, ,iphone 5, ,iphone covers, ,Journal, ,Kate Hasted, ,Kuksa, ,Lars-Beller Fjetland, ,Lorna Scobie, ,Lovi, ,Luke James, ,M.Hulot, ,Mens’ gifts, ,Moomins, ,Mozaa, ,Niza Huang, ,Noodoll, ,Not On The High Street, ,Notebooks, ,Office in a Christmas Cracker, ,Oven Gloves, ,Petroleum Cufflinks, ,Phone Pop!, ,Plush, ,Present and Correct, ,printstagram, ,Pug, ,Pumpkin Sputnik, ,Rob Yelling, ,Seven Gauge Studios, ,Society6, ,Soma Gallery, ,stationery, ,Stonemen, ,Stuart Gardiner, ,The Brokedown Palace, ,The Lollipop Shoppe, ,toy, ,Two Red Trees, ,Yam Kids

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