Ziad Ghanem‘s catwalk shows are always momentous: massively oversubscribed, a cat-fight to get into and an array of weird and wonderful creatures desperate to get a glimpse of what the ‘cult couturier’ has delivered this season.
So imagine my surprise when I arrived a mere fifteen minutes late to find that the show had already started. I darted up the Freemasons’ Hall‘s stairs and the vivacious models were already wowing the crowds. It was a struggle to take pictures between the illustrious millinery of Ziad‘s fans; the pictures that feature here aren’t amazing, particularly since you can’t actually see much of the clothes…
As always, it’s impossible to define this collection in terms of trends or style. It would perhaps be easier to talk about what didn’t appear – you won’t find any tailored trenches or wearable basics here. Instead, Ziad is notorious, infamous and celebrated for frocks that defy seasonality. His blend of couture is one of the rare displays of truly unique craftsmanship at fashion week.
To describe the music as eclectic would be a massive understatement. Munroe Bergdorf had put together a mammoth mixtape of hits across the decades, most of which I now can’t remember so I’ve made a note to make more notes next season. I do remember David Bowie‘s Fashion, George Michael‘s Too Funky and Duran Duran‘s Notorious, tracks synonymous with the catwalk but given a different feel in the majestic setting of the Freemasons’ Hall.
Effervescent models strode one after the other to rapturous applause and deafening whoops. This particular collection had been inspired by Andy Warhol‘s superstar transvestite Candy Darling, star of Flesh and muse of The Velvet Underground. Lavish make-up featured on every model, with Ziad‘s boys wearing as much as his girls. There were hints of the 1980s with Boy George-esque layering and vibrant African patterns.
Some dresses fitted so tightly that some models were forced to walk more slowly than others, while other pieces nipped at the waist but flourished at the hips. A completely diverse selection of fabrics were on offer – couture lace, organza, translucent contrasts and painted cottons. A terrifying model came out waving feathers… with her knockers out and doing a bird impression. Christ, this is hard work. Maybe just look at the pictures. Not that they do this collection any justice.
Monty Python‘s Always Look on the Bright Side of Life accompanied the finale, another unexpected twist as if we needed any more, but an uplifting statement and a glorious finish to this fashion week spectacle.
Written by Matt Bramford on Friday February 22nd, 2013 11:38 am
Ziad Ghanem‘s catwalk shows are always momentous: massively oversubscribed, a cat-fight to get into and an array of weird and wonderful creatures desperate to get a glimpse of what the ‘cult couturier’ has delivered this season.
So imagine my surprise when I arrived a mere fifteen minutes late to find that the show had already started. I darted up the Freemasons’ Hall‘s stairs and the vivacious models were already wowing the crowds. It was a struggle to take pictures between the illustrious millinery of Ziad‘s fans; the pictures that feature here aren’t amazing, particularly since you can’t actually see much of the clothes…
As always, it’s impossible to define this collection in terms of trends or style. It would perhaps be easier to talk about what didn’t appear – you won’t find any tailored trenches or wearable basics here. Instead, Ziad is notorious, infamous and celebrated for frocks that defy seasonality. His blend of couture is one of the rare displays of truly unique craftsmanship at fashion week.
To describe the music as eclectic would be a massive understatement. Munroe Bergdorf had put together a mammoth mixtape of hits across the decades, most of which I now can’t remember so I’ve made a note to make more notes next season. I do remember David Bowie‘s Fashion, George Michael‘s Too Funky and Duran Duran‘s Notorious, tracks synonymous with the catwalk but given a different feel in the majestic setting of the Freemasons’ Hall.
Effervescent models strode one after the other to rapturous applause and deafening whoops. This particular collection had been inspired by Andy Warhol‘s superstar transvestite Candy Darling, star of Flesh and muse of The Velvet Underground. Lavish make-up featured on every model, with Ziad‘s boys wearing as much as his girls. There were hints of the 1980s with Boy George-esque layering and vibrant African patterns.
Some dresses fitted so tightly that some models were forced to walk more slowly than others, while other pieces nipped at the waist but flourished at the hips. A completely diverse selection of fabrics were on offer – couture lace, organza, translucent contrasts and painted cottons. A terrifying model came out waving feathers… with her knockers out and doing a bird impression. Christ, this is hard work. Maybe just look at the pictures. Not that they do this collection any justice.
Monty Python‘s Always Look on the Bright Side of Life accompanied the finale, another unexpected twist as if we needed any more, but an uplifting statement and a glorious finish to this fashion week spectacle.
Written by Matt Bramford on Friday February 22nd, 2013 11:38 am
For this catwalk show I found myself sat one person apart from the infamous London Fashion Week performance artist Pandemonia. I’m not very good at spotting fashion celebrities (I can to my shame point out someone from Made in Chelsea, even if I cannot name them) but she does rather stand out from the crowd (literally, complete with blow up wig she’s immensely tall). I was playing it cool so I didn’t ask for a picture; as if it’s completely normal to sit next to a giant inflatable Barbie doll. An illusion I have now shattered by going on about it here. The four designers, along with another three contributing to a showcase Campari reception the next day, were over from the Ukraine, part of a growing trend for international designers to show their wares at London Fashion Week.
The first designer up was Anna Kolomoets (above), with a kitsch collection featuring plenty of shiny, glossy and fluffy textures. I quite enjoyed the playfulness of it, especially the love heart fake fur mini skirt and the curved flaps on a dress that resembled giant petals. The music cut out suddenly during the catwalk and no attempt was made to carry on, so everyone sat in stunned silence before we skipped straight on to the next designer.
Yasya Minochkina started out on a much more utilitarian vibe, with sculpted checks in muted colours and peasant-ish flared ra-ra skirts. There was only a hint of colour in shiny shoes until the arrival of a bizarre electric blue and maroon velvet dress. With zip pockets. Really. I liked the final black dress, with a show stopping ankle flare that made great shapes as it flowed down the catwalk. Thankfully not actually show stopping this time.
Ooh look, there’s me on the right – and Pandemonia on the left.
With Iulila Paskal we were back on slightly more familiar territory, with the use of laser cut metallic leather of the kind that has been popular in recent seasons. I liked the combination of sharp tailoring and cut out designs in geometric and organic shapes. The models wore padded headbands in matching shimmery colours, giving them a bit of a Statue of Liberty look. This was matched with the slightly wispy bed-head hair that was the rule for the whole show.
Anna October was the real star of the show though, featured in the Fashion Scout exhibition and highlighted in various publications over the weekend. You can see why too: the full skirted dresses constructed from tinsel-y slimline chevron patterns were especially memorable, and the use of silver a genuine marriage of classic and futuristic references that worked. The combination of ‘tradition’ and ‘modern tailoring’ is an overstated fashion cliché, but I think some of these pieces walked that line elegantly. I wasn’t entirely sure about the oversized jumper of layered glitter, but I guess you can’t please everyone all of the time.
Written by Jenny Robins on Friday March 15th, 2013 4:26 pm
Sarah Arnett is a multi talented designer who just happened to train at the same university as me. She graduated the year above, and since then has had an extremely interesting and varied career – from contributing illustrations to Amelia’s Magazine to creating a beautiful fashion line that is exclusively stocked in Liberty – it seems she is capable of turning her hand to all aspects of design! Prepare to be very inspired….
You’ve had an eclectic career, training firstly in woven textiles for fashion on the same course as me at Brighton Uni, and then moving into illustration, interior design and back into the world of fashion. Can you tell us more about your journey across these disciplines?
I found it very difficult to decide what to do in the first place, all I knew was that I wanted to go to art college, I grew up with a family of designers and makers so being able to sew and paint seemed normal and I used to watch my father work in his studio, everyone was able to draw, paint… in fact my great uncle designed fabrics for Liberty. Things happen in your life like having children, and other things become important… it’s the same with my work, other things become more exciting and more important. I am totally inspired by the process and that drives me to try more things. It’s an exciting time for crossing over disciplines and I have always just thought of my self as a designer… It could be fashion, interiors… or illustration. I am so inspired by working on a range of projects; in the last couple of years year I have shown in a couple of exhibitions at Somerset House, worked on Modern Love, designed the new look of the uniform for the National Trust, as well as creating illustrations for The Sunday Times Style Magazine. I also design a small bridal collection that I sell through a vintage shop in Brighton… and there is a long list of other things that I want to do!
What is the highlight of working across disciplines?
No day is the same….
And what have been the difficult parts?
I love and hate fashion, sometimes I think it’s a frivolous waste of time and on the other hand can make someone feel beautiful and have a real impact on their life… I don’t think I am a fashionable person and have never felt very comfortable in my own skin, but I am and have always been fascinated by clothes. I find fashion a very big challenge. The stress of running your own business is hard work, as is that freelancer’s worry of where the next job will be coming from… and there is always self doubt. But I look at all of these as things that drive me on to try and do better.
Why did you name your clothing brand Modern Love?
Myself and my business partner Kim Hunt really liked the idea of a name that encompassed what we felt and admired about good design. The Love of beauty, vintage, heritage and the feminine and the Modern… a way of thinking, responsibility to the environment, ethical and local manufacturing, our vision, our way of working and maintaining a good work/life balance for ourselves (we did have our production meeting on the beach over looking a very calm sea today!) and a reference to David Bowie never hurt anyone! I
Print design from the current collection.
For S/S 2012 Modern Love is all about a mix of tropical and country garden prints – described as earthy African hues meet the soft English sky (love that description) Where did you find inspiration for the imagery?
I find that I am constantly working and re-working the same themes which are a mix of my African, big sunshine early influences and my love of the softer, rolling South Downs up-bringing. I can’t ever choose between them. If I admire or value or find something beautiful or fascinating I am drawn to design with it, I think it’s a very similar sensation to eating something or collecting things. It’s a different way of owning or tasting something. I draw it.
How do you reconcile living on the sometimes rainy south coast of Brighton with your fabulous African childhood? Are there ways to bring a bit of African sunshine back into your life?!
In a strange way having the coast and that big expanse of water and sky to look can be as dramatic and uplifting as the sunshine and dry African plains: I walk down to the sea every day I possibly can, it’s very important to me. Without it I would hate the winter even more than I do! My ideal situation would be six months here, six months there.
How easy is it to design shapes to suit your prints, or do you begin the other way around?
The collection starts out with shapes and a woman in mind first. Then I feel like I have to think about that woman, what she would wear and start to fit the prints around it. It’s always a bit of a narrative, there has to be a reason for the print to be there. Quite often we will find an image of a woman for each season and then we will always question whether she will wear each design. Kim and I design the shapes together so we talk and talk and draw and have to justify why it has to be there. Once we have the bones of the collection together I go into my own world for a few weeks getting the new prints together. I like to engineer the print to the pattern pieces of the garment.
Why did you decide to print the fabrics in Como, Italy?
There is a fantastic tradition of textiles in Como. I first went there when I did a work placement in Switzerland. We were very near to Como and visited it often. If you have to choose a location for a factory visit, I can’t imagine anything more beautiful! The printers I work with have printed in a traditional way for a couple of generations and then moved over to digital twenty years ago when it was first being experimented with. The laying down of pigment, whether via digital or by screen print, is only part of the process. They are very skilled in the handling and finishing of the fabrics which makes them feel beautiful and gives them a longevity. The digital process is much cleaner than traditional screen printing and uses far less water and energy. I like the tradition and the finesse of the final production. What they lack in delivering on time they make up in the detail and quality!
Who are the craftspeople who make the collection for you? Can you introduce us to them!
Brighton is so full of talented machinists and pattern cutters, it’s a very sociable place and over the years I have met lots of people I can call on to help me. I have used the same machinists for the last ten years. They work form home and small studios as well as working for me they are working for lots of top designers; a good machinist is worth her weight in gold! There used to be a lot of small garment factories in the area and it’s a shame they have all disappeared. There is a new initiative called The Fashion Trust based in Sussex which is trying to pull all the local resources together which will be great for designer just starting up.
Modern Love is stocked exclusively in Liberty – a dream for most clothing brands. How did you get the label into this most prestigious of shops?
Well, Liberty made it very easy, even with beautiful photographs and constant emailing it’s very difficult to get the attention of the buyers unless you see them face to face at a show. We lined up with everyone else at their Best Of British Open Call and were the only womens wear brand to have got through last year. It was a great experience because at least you knew you had a few minutes of complete attention to show your collection in the flesh. I think it has been a great success and we feel very proud to have our collection there, especially since it was our first goal when starting Modern Love.
Who cares if womenswear is wearable? As a gent, recipegeneric I certainly don’t. Hair stylist to the stars, more aboutbuy more about Charlie Le Mindu opened the On|Off shows yesterday – winning zero points for wearability, viagra buy but a whopping 10 out of 10 for wow factor.
Charlie has been styling hair for shoots and shows for ages now, but his first catwalk show, as part of Blow Presents, was only last year. In the six months between then and now, he’s had time to polish his wares, and this time we had an even deeper delve into his psyche…
Illustration by Maryanne Oliver
With the sound of church bells welcoming a funeral cortege, the first model appeared with a giant, jewel-encrusted cross atop her sleek black wig. Wearing a most provocative outfit made of lace, Le Mindu’s pieces lie somewhere between your wildest dreams and your darkest nightmares.
As the pounding music kicked in, with screams of ‘CHARLIE” peppered in the track, the stream of models slowly sauntered down the catwalk, expressionless and lost in their own thoughts. The outfits became racier – with one model, wearing a huge hair-trimmed construction, having little but a thick pony tail to hide her modesty.
While Charlie’s SS 2010 show was all about the blonde, AW 2010 was definitely all about black. Black, black black. Black lace, black hair, black shoes and black knickers. Any use of colour would have ruined the drama of fashion’s favourite colour.
The most prominent theme was undoubtedly death, with crucifixes, ashen skin and hair/head pieces influenced by the mantilla. Whilst some might find Le Mindu’s creations a little on the silly side, the craftsmanship, attention to detail and range of techniques he employs are outstanding. He’s comparable to the few designers who really push the boundaries, and, like dearly beloved McQueen, he toys with raw and emotive subjects. And when it’s not hair, it’s stoles with cuddly-toy heads or bird feathers.
Amongst a hell of a lot of designers who’ve taken to playing it safe in these turbulent financial times, thank GOD for Charlie Le Mindu.
Who cares if womenswear is wearable? As a gent, shop I certainly don’t. Hair stylist to the stars, price Charlie Le Mindu opened the On|Off shows yesterday – winning zero points for wearability, but a whopping 10 out of 10 for wow factor.
Charlie has been styling hair for shoots and shows for ages now, but his first catwalk show, as part of Blow Presents, was only last year. In the six months between then and now, he’s had time to polish his wares, and this time we had an even deeper delve into his psyche…
Illustration by Maryanne Oliver
With the sound of church bells welcoming a funeral cortege, the first model appeared with a giant, jewel-encrusted cross atop her sleek black wig. Wearing a most provocative outfit made of lace, Le Mindu’s pieces lie somewhere between your wildest dreams and your darkest nightmares.
As the pounding music kicked in, with screams of ‘CHARLIE” peppered in the track, the stream of models slowly sauntered down the catwalk, expressionless and lost in their own thoughts. The outfits became racier – with one model, wearing a huge hair-trimmed construction, having little but a thick pony tail to hide her modesty.
While Charlie’s SS 2010 show was all about the blonde, AW 2010 was definitely all about black. Black, black black. Black lace, black hair, black shoes and black knickers. Any use of colour would have ruined the drama of fashion’s favourite colour.
The most prominent theme was undoubtedly death, with crucifixes, ashen skin and hair/head pieces influenced by the mantilla. Whilst some might find Le Mindu’s creations a little on the silly side, the craftsmanship, attention to detail and range of techniques he employs are outstanding. He’s comparable to the few designers who really push the boundaries, and, like dearly beloved McQueen, he toys with raw and emotive subjects. And when it’s not hair, it’s stoles with cuddly-toy heads or bird feathers.
Amongst a hell of a lot of designers who’ve taken to playing it safe in these turbulent financial times, thank GOD for Charlie Le Mindu.
What was it like collaborating with Pavel Rudanovsky on the conceptual ‘UnFashion Show’ series?
‘UnFashion’ was a great platform to test out ideas of what can be presented under the umbrella of a ‘fashion show’. We integrated contemporary dance and ballet, here alongside experimental live music and three dimensional interactive sets, here into a fashion show with a narrative. It helped me work out the balance between the need for spectacle in a show and the need to exhibit a garment design in manner where it can be clearly understood.
Imagery throughout depicting Orschel-Read SS10, buy photographed by Paul Morgan
Did you always know that you wanted to design couture for men or is this something you realised upon studying at Central Saint Martins?
I launched my ready-to-wear label at London Fashion Week in September 2009. I showed it alongside the bespoke collection. I knew I wanted to design for men long before I studied at Central Saint Martins, but it was while I was there that I pursued the concept of couture for men. We are at an exciting time in menswear where couture for men is once again relevant; it is no longer solely for kings and emperors, it is for you and I.
How did you break into the fashion industry, and do you have any advice for our readers on things they can do to stand out in the industry?
Starting up a label is a very large gamble especially in the current economic climate. It is important to understand that the financial and time commitments will far exceed what you initially estimate! I strongly suggest that if starting your own label is something you aim to do, that you seek a few internships with new generation labels. It is in these situations where you can understand all the processes that you will need to undertake yourself when starting your own brand.
You’ve recently had a couple of designs worn by Lady Gaga, who showed that your designs can be worn and adapted into a woman’s wardrobe. Are you happy for women to wear your clothing, and what was it like working with Lady Gaga?
I see no divide between man and woman. We have differences but far more similarities. Therefore of course I was pleased that Lady Gaga chose to wear my menswear.
Is there any one man that you would love to see wearing your designs, who you feel sums up your ethos as a designer?
I would have loved to have dressed the late Henry Cyril Paget, 5th Marquis of Anglesey. Known to his friends as ‘Toppy’, he looked like an Aubrey Beardsley illustration. Beyond eccentric, he had his car modified to spray perfume from its exhaust, walked with a poodle bedecked with pink bows under his arm and hired an entire theatre company with whom he performed almost nightly to entertain his servants and the locals of Bangor. What I admire lies beneath his seemingly frivolous bejewelled exterior. He was a true social agitator and living artwork. He forced people to reconsider preconceived notions of what was acceptable in a male. He could not simply be categorised as a mere eccentric and therefore socially tolerable within a walled-off heterotopia. He was an avant-garde, who like Marchesa Luisa Casati, Quentin Crisp and David Bowie, irreversibly reshaped the opinions of the panoptic mainstream.
What is your inspiration for FW10, and what can we expect from your upcoming LFW fashion show/presentation?
The foundations of this collection come from the ceiling mural of Stockholm’s Storkyrkan cathedral and the subtle beauty of female birds, with William Morris inspired prints. This season I am focusing on balancing tailoring with a classic sportswear feel, in earthy tweeds, digitally printed leathers, knit and fine tailoring wools. As always it is designed and produced in-house in London.
How do you unwind after the stresses of LFW?
Last season I took a break and enjoyed some quiet time at home. Mistake! I hated the anticlimax. So this year I will seek distraction and go on holiday.
What has been your career’s biggest highlight to date?Every time I produce a bespoke garment that supersedes the client’s expectations I experience the greatest contentment and reward available within my career choice.
Is there anything in particular that you are looking forward to accomplishing this decade?
I look forward to being part of a grand revolution within menswear that has already begun. My show on the 24th of February with Vauxhall Fashion Scout is my next explorative submission towards this.
Written by Rachael Oku on Sunday February 21st, 2010 8:51 am
All Images: Katherine Tulloh, nursewebsite courtesy of the artist and Transition Gallery
For a new exhibition of film and drawings at East London’s Transition Gallery, salesKatherine Tulloh explores the possibility of a hidden system of codes within Alchemist drawings and the dream diaries created by Swedish Natural Scientist, Swedenborg. In the aftermath of a crisis of spirituality, Swedenborg began researching -with academic rigour- the possibility of an “‘ultra-terrestrial’ London, a secondary city in which spirits inhabited their past lives.
Amelia’s Magazine spoke to Katherine about her interest in writers who utilise London as a character within their own stories and her visualisation of writing through the moving and static image.
Your exhibition at Transition Gallery explores the dream diaries of the Swedish Naturalist Swedenborg. How did you discover the dream journals?
I went into the Swedenborg Society bookshop out of curiosity, I like that part of town (Bloomsbury). It is also near to where Poe lived in London and The Conway Hall. I loved the imagery in the dream diary and the struggle between reason and imagination.
Previously your illustrations and films have explored the literary landscapes of Poe and Baudelaire – what drew you towards visualising their writings?
They are both writers who utilise the city as a character within their own mythology. They blur the line between the now and another world. There is an atmosphere of insubstantial things, essences and emanations, of beauty as a manifestation of a perpetual beyond. Of smoke, fogs, shimmering obfuscations and of a moon setting sail over the city. Through their absent, distant world, I can better see my own city, with its scuffed, graffiti-layered surfaces—another forest of symbols, veilings and half-read signs, a world of unstable meanings, porous images which flow into each other.
Your exhibitions contain both the static and moving image, how would you describe your relationship to these methods of representation?
The drawn images both in the show and the film are an attempt to crystallise a particular idea or thought. The moving three dimensional fimed sections are more about conjuring up a state of mind or world
What possibilities of expression or narrative does film offer over the static image or vice versa?
I can be more open ended with film. When I’m making the images for my film, I create sets and project light and images into them and take hundreds of pictures, so I often end up with something very different from what I began with, film allows me to juxtapose and arrange images and have more than one thing going on at the same time by appealing to both the eyes and the ears. It also overlays images so someone’s impression of the film is a group of visual memories
The sets of the film resemble Victorian Children’s Theatre, possibly a stage for shadow puppets, is this a design inspired by research or relationship to the themes within the films?
I think my Poe film was more theatrical because his writing is very stagey and melodramatic
Have you seen Jan Svankmaker’s Alice? It has a similar enigmatic mood as created by your short films.
Yes, I have seen it and I very much like it so I’ll take that as a compliment.
What do you find interesting about Alchemic Drawings or the relationship between Science and Faith?
I like the use of Heiroglyphic language in Alchemy, the linking of the rational and the irrational and the idea that the smallest thing is linked to the greatest, the idea that the whole universe is a code where everything is both itself and something else.
Watercolours are frequently used within your drawings, what attracts you to the medium?
They’re very bright – I use radiant watercolour inks. also I like their irreversableness
Hermetickal is at Transition Gallery until 21st November.
Opening Times: Friday to Sunday 12-6pm.
It’s always a treat at Fashion Week to find that the show you are about to see, side effects starting in the next few minutes, and is at a totally different venue to the one you had in your head and are currently standing at. I found myself in this marvellous situation as Tim Soar‘s show approached. God knows why I thought it was at Somerset House and not at the Freemason’s Hall. Menswear day brought these kind of surprises all day – with many designers scaling down their presence. I had seen Tim’s show a year ago in the BFC tent, so how dare they move its location?!
I need not have worried as I legged it up Drury Lane, for, true to form, the show was running late and hadn’t even been seated when I showed up. I was right at the back of the queue, though – AGAIN – so decided to perch by the photographer’s pit in the hope of getting a better shot than I would have positioned on one of the back rows.
This show saw Soar draw inspiration from the 1970s, and in particular David Bowie’s character ‘Mr Newton’ in Nicholas Roeg’s epic ‘The Man Who Fell To Earth.’ This inspiration was, in true Tim Soar style, handled with delicacy and acted only as a descrete reference here and there. Trousers flared off, but not in a grotesque fancy dress sense, and lapels were elongated, but not in a Stayin’ Alive, Stayin’ Alive, Hah Hah Hah Hah sense. The bulk of the collection relied on Soar’s showmanship as a really great tailor with a unique vision.
Making the best use of luxe fabrics like mohair, satin, wool crepe and linen, models wore strict suits with a piecemeal utilitarian aesthetic. The use of Tyvek, the waxy crushed industrial material usually reserved for workers boiler suits, also adds to this technical flavour.
Blazers were banded with cummerbund-like straps in contrasting colours – where jackets were dark, the bands were of gold silk, and where jackets were sand, the bands were black. Denim made an appearance, also creating horizontal lines across structured tailoring.
Alongside this semi-formal attire, there were the usual design quirks that Tim Soar is quickly faming himself for. His appreciation of the aesthetic properties of materials and quality of texture was also on display, with crushed materials and bursts of vibrant colour (he is, after all, also a graphic designer).
It’s hard to imagine how a Tyvek jailer-style striped suit will work alongside an exemplary tailored blazer, but somehow Tim Soar’s collections always convey a stylish coherence.
This season also brought more womenswear, which is basically menswear with allowances for hips, busts and bums. It’s a testament to Tim Soar’s generally cool attitude, though, that his aesthetic works wonders on both women and men.
All photography by Matt Bramford
Written by Matt Bramford on Tuesday September 28th, 2010 5:41 pm
An exhibition late last year – Interior Politics – and the launch of a new website introduced me to Amy’s exploration into the minuite obsqure moments that life has to offer. More recently Amy has been experimenting with film, and has kindly taken the time to answer questions for Amelia’s Magazines.
Amy! When and why did you first pick up a stills camera?
Because using the film camera involved waiting on unrealiable people! And I instantly loved it. I was supposed to do something more bookish at uni, but the minute I found a camera I was smitten. I had been obsessed with fashion since I could toddle into my grandma’s/mum’s wardrobes; suddenly I had found a way that I could make imagery without having any drawing ability!
I always wanted to make films…. Photography offered a way of making images that wasn’t reliant on other people. I’m still a total megalomaniac though! Very often it’s literally just me and a camera.
Showstudio have been attempting to develop the moving fashion photograph since the inception of their website, I love both the static and the moving – What are your favourite fashion videos?
What made you decide to set up your blog? What do you think the advantages are of a blog vs a website?
Originally it was to give me some online presence as my old website was out of date and my new one was being built…then I just really got into it. I like that the blog can have more laidback images, where I have less of a professional front to put up. But I love how clean and tidy the site is.
Collage for the Cooperative Design Zine produced as part of London Fashion Week February 2010
You appear to be quite involved with the internet from your great twitter feed to your blog – what advantages do you think the system of blogs and twitter has created for photographers and fellow creatives?
Well, I guess it opens up little internet wormholes you wouldn’t have known about before…although I can follow a link and find myself, 2 hours later, marvelling at how many photographers there are doing the same sort of thing.
It’s a good platform for self promotion, though it does blur the line between business and pleasure a little uncomfortably at times
Do you streetcast your models?
I often see people on the street that I’m too nervous to ask! But sometimes I overcome my nerves long enough to street cast. I think I have a few characteristics I like, though its hard to nail them in words. A certain bad-temperedness maybe.
Your photograph reflects both fine art and fashion photographic interests – could you tell Amelia’s readers more about the photographs recently exhibited? (I’m thinking of the Familiarity breeds contempt and Modern Miniture series)
Familiarity Breeds Contempt is an extension of my long term project tentatively titled The Housewife – it’s hopefully the start of a longer project exploring sexuality, fantasy and what goes on behind closed doors. Which is also what Modern Miniatures was about in a way – only without the overt sexuality. I have a interest in the domestic, with other people’s domestic/private space, putting myself in them, and also, if I’m honest, with the risk involved in contacting strange men on the internet, asking them to get naked, and them taking pictures of me standing on them etc…
With fashion how do you make the decision between colour or black and white? Does it Matter?
I’m always trying to make things b/w, without sounding mental/pretentious/partially sighted, I see better in b/w. sometimes there’s someone else’s prerogative to take into account, like a client etc. black and white can sometimes make things instantly nostalgic and a bit too soft or romantic. Depends on the situation, but there are few where b/w doesn’t rock in my opinion!
Photograph for Corrie Williamson
Favourite photographers/people to work with/Set designers/fashion designers?
What is it like being a london based photographer?
Fun! Busy. Forces you to work a lot to make ends meet, which can wear you down. Over saturated. Very youth orientated
What accompanies you in the studio?
My crappy selection of music! I always download the weirdest selection of stuff. Some proper howlers on there, but sometimes you have to listen to the Outhere Brothers. Also the lovely Anna Leader and Bella Fenning with whom I share my space.
What do you hope your photographs convey?
Tough…. I find it quite hard to look back, to edit etc, but having to do my website forced me to do that, and there is a certain strength in the characters I hope. I know some of the shots are quite moody, or gentle, but I don’t like it when models look too winsome or fashion-fierce or posed. Hopefully somewhere between the two, though I do seem to shout things like ‘you’re at a bus stop!’ or ‘You’re a sexy eel!’
How do your shoots come together?
Mostly ideas from films, dreams, or pacing the streets of London which is my fave thing to do. Or maybe a drunken overenthusiastic chat with friends
What are your plans for the future?
Hmm….more pics. More films, maybe a move to proper films with dialogue and a plot!
Born in Peterborough but escaped to London after a 3 year stint studying in the wild terrain of Wales. Currently, medications I’m the Buying Assistant for Jewellery and Accessories at Liberty. I like mint tea, vintage playsuits, F. Scott Fitzgerald novels, and hunting for treasure in charity shops. One day I plan to write my memoirs in Barcelona, but until then I will continue to build up a collection of vintage clothing, worthy of a wing in the V&A.
It’s the evening of Thursday 8th December, stomach a rainy night, and I’m peering through the windows of the Lesley Craze gallery with anticipation. The windows are currently decorated with a glittering Christmas tree, jewels nestled in its branches, but it’s those it holds inside I am interested in. I have visited the gallery quite a few times in the last year, originally drawn in by the work of a personal favourite, Wendy Ramshaw. Earlier in the week, I had received an invitation for a special Christmas late night opening, and as always, intrigued to see what they have in, I’ve come along for a look, and a welcoming glass of wine.
I’m always surprised when I mention the gallery in conversation, to find out that many people are unaware of it’s presence. I credit the gallery with being well curated, well presented and the staff as always smiling and helpful. The glass cabinets are always gleaming with wares, and as I wander down to the lower room, my attention is grabbed by a huge cabinet that contains the work of John Moore.
Moore, now based in Brighton, is without a doubt, the embodiment of the label ‘jewellery artist’. With a degree in 3D design, his work is wearable art. The gallery was showing work from two of his collections, but it was the 5 pairs of earrings that enchanted me. These are part of his ‘Elytra‘ collection – an eyecatching range of brightly coloured anodised aluminium designs.
Moore worked on this collection whilst in his final year at university, and is inspired by nature and natural forms. I found some great images of birds feathers on his website; the vibrant colours of the exotic plumes now reflected in his Elytra collection. Apparently the shape was initally inspired by a beetles wing, an influence that you can also identify in the gleaming colour of the treated aluminium. His statement earrings are wondrous. They also hide a secret feature. They can be reversed by passing the top hoop through the opposite end of the drop, to invert the metal petals, or feathers. Combined with their emphasis on colour, they fit perfectly into the S/S 2012 trend for large, statement earrings.
I spotted a familiar collection of work that I had seen at New Designers earlier this year, a bangle set from Sheffield Hallam graduate Tom Wilson, who works under the brand name Thomas David. His designs are dark and moody – blackened copper bangles, which have been made to look like corrugated card – industrial and hard wearing. I also really like the intricate patterns in the bangle collection made from stainless steel and birch plywood. Inspired by now retro spirograph kits, they remind me of when I was a child and plastering pieces of paper with concentric circles. Tom’s designs are a converse combination, tough and uniform, but detailed and delicate.
British designer Simone Brewster’sEbony Revolution rings are the perfect example of her influences from African woodwork and geometric forms. She graduated from the RCA, and I first came across her work when she designed a copper necklace for the store DARKROOM, as part of a charity event in June this year called Love from Darkroom. The rings are made from materials such as ebony, tulipwood, copper, bronze and leather. I also like her large necklaces, which are like Art Deco murals.
On one of my previous visits to the gallery, I was wowed by Maud Traon’s rings for obvious reasons. Her designs conjure up thoughts of My Little Pony on a strong acid trip. The rings demand attention – pops of neon colours, sprayed with glitter, and sometimes mixed with star shapes, or kitsch toy objects. Maud likes to explore the relationship between the idea of value and wearability.
The rings are made from combinations of materials such as clay and copper. I’m not exactly sure just how wearable these are for most, bulky, and often extended height, but they certainly will please those who like their jewellery to be noticed, and would be a great addition to any collection.
The work of Western Australian born and trained jeweller Dorothy Erickson is always a pleasure to see. She is known for her ‘kinetic’ jewellery, or body pieces as they are alternatively called. She makes jewellery for the body that includes the wearer as part of the principal design – the jewellery reacts to the wearer’s every move.
I really love the articulated metal choker and bracelet, which reminds me of jewels to be found in collections at the British Museum, or vintage YSL pieces. Chunky, bold and well crafted – I’d wear this necklace and feel empowered. The gold clasp, paired with the silver metal, makes it even more special, a combination that I’m not always a fan of, but works so well here.
One of Erickson’s main inspirations is the unique flora of her native Australia, which has helped to produce the beautiful designs of her precious stone rings. She is also influenced by the work of Viennese painter Gustav Klimt. Big solid rocks hold a firm place in these rings, but they are elegant and refined.
Last but certainly not least, Wendy Ramshaw’s selection of works continues to wow me. Wendy is one of Britain’s best known jewellers, and looked up to by many other well-known designers such as Dorothy Erickson. She was born in Sunderland, studied illustration and fabric design in Newcastle, and then undertook postgraduate studied at Central Saint Martins.
Wendy’s signature designs are her divine ring sets, made up from abstract designs in precious metals and finished with gemstones. The stands they are frequently displayed on have also become ornamental designs in their own right.
Her designs are heavily influenced by geometry, and as a fan of this, I always find myself lusting after her geometric gold drop earrings. Made with gemstones such as amethyst, pink tourmaline, blue topaz, and fire opal, they are a gorgeous combination of colour. A design that I had not seen before, the Lucciole necklace, a blown glass ball run through with gold thread was fantastic.
So from one champion of contemporary jewellery, back to another, I urge you all to take a visit to the Lesley Craze Gallery, and enjoy the great selection of work from British, and global, designers.
Written by Miranda Williams on Friday December 16th, 2011 12:00 pm
On Monday evening as the sun set and the lights from the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) blared onto the street, ask over a hundred protesters gathered to call for an end to government subsidies on biofuels.
Joining the demo were a range of musicians that kept up spirits and entertained with witty biofuel songs, as well as several speakers highlighting the issue.
John Stewart,Fight The Flights, spoke about the aviation industry plans to incorporate biofuels. Companies like BA complain about the increasing tax on fuel consumption using the inequality agenda as an argument. But when considering how agrofuels are largely made by exploiting poor countries while the rich benefit, their argument is quickly invalidated.
The police set up a pen as per usual, making sure the left hand side pavement wasn’t blocked which would obviously have a huge detrimental effect. Instead they crammed us all inside the narrow fences; health and safety you know, can’t have a protest stopping people from having to cross the road to the other pavement to get passed. Anyway we all managed to listen and rally in any little space we could find and as darkness fell continued to put pressure on the energy department in the 100-watt bulb luminous lit rooms above.
‘Catwalk designer’ and ‘ethically friendly’ are two terms that usually do not go hand-in-hand. As awful as it sounds, malady doing your bit for the environment or the community rarely scores you fashion brownies points. Using fur and starved models, stuff however, search often conversely puts you somewhere near the top of the leader board.
However, there are fashion designers, and successful ones at that, who care about the greater good. Design couple Clements Ribeiro are two such people, working on projects that aim to give something back through upcycling.
A year after their collaboration with Karen Nicol in 2008, an embroidery star who stitches for the likes of Chanel and Marc Jacobs, the team have created the obscurely titled project 3. The inspiration behind the projects was the recycling of ‘rubbish’ materials to make them into something beautiful; surely a key goal and undeniably rewarding challenge for any fashion designer.
The Karen Nicol collection , proved extremely popular on release with its range of delicately embroidered antique cashmere cardigans made from one-of-a-kind lost-and-found fabrics. Garnished with a dash of flower motif and beading, the designs were snapped up by net-a-porter, Dover Street Market and Barneys USA.
From projects 1 to 3, the capsule collections celebrate Clements Ribeiro’s innate eye for design and their unique ability to source materials. Trawling Brick Lane better than Kate Moss, the pair know what they are looking for and how to adapt the found materials into their designs. Handcrafting unique pieces for each collection, there is an undeniable element of fondness and care in their upcycling of individually cherished items.
Inspired by Marcel Duchamp’s “objets trouveés”, each piece of found fabric is transformed into works of art. Duchamp’s theory of modern art rested on the claim that artists project meaning onto the found object giving it validity as an art object. Clements Ribeiro’s collection however, is artistic in its own right without the imposition of meaning. If any meaning were to be enforced, it would presumably be to encourage the reusing of the past to secure a healthier sustainable future.
A fashion compost heap if you like. On the other slightly less in-depth, artistic-spieled hand, the designers green concerns are apparent, through their use of good old fashioned recycling.
The second project capsule favoured the use of antique lace and luxury Italian knits, the pair had a lot to live up to with number 3. An ambitious project, with slim fit, v-neck dresses constructed half and half from brocade skirts and sequin busts. Each dress features the same simple shape but in a rich variety of fabrics and colours. Aptly termed ‘collage dresses’ these works of art combine radically different skirts and tops to produce a dress, which as the project code name suggests are “Half & Half”.
These limited pieces are available from Matches and Couture Lab in the not too distant future. If you are to invest in a single piece this season, try Clements Ribeiro’s project 3 and show your support for innovative ethical fashion.
Written by Becky Cope on Wednesday October 14th, 2009 2:53 pm
MMC Studio Design featured yet more draped grey jersey, for sale this time accessorised with red foreheads and high ponytails. The show opened, more about for some inexplicable reason, more about with lines of *normal* people straddling the catwalk in rows, faces smeared in black.
I liked the soundtrack, which veered from David Bowie’s Suffragette City, through to punk and grimecore. There was a caplet, splashes of lime green, interesting styling in the form of puffed out bags carried under arms and a vile shaggy matted gilet over nappy pants.
The final model warranted a gold headband (possibly famous? later spotted on the front row, forehead still golden) At the end the models and real people dodged and weaved along the catwalk. My notes say Less is More.
MMC Studio Design A/W 2011. All photography by Amelia Gregory.
Written by Amelia Gregory on Friday May 27th, 2011 10:42 pm
Can it really be a week since the Olympics ended? Here’s my final blog post inspired by the visual drama of the ceremonies that opened and closed London 2012.
I watched the Opening Ceremony from a small cottage in Wales, where we marvelled at Danny Boyle‘s very British spectacle and wondered what on earth other nations would think about the pastoral scenes, the ironic exploding industrial landscape, the skydiving Queen, the swing dancing NHS nurses, the children’s choirs, the awesome Dizzee Rascal, the brilliant volunteer disco dancers and, erm, Emeli Sandé (can anyone explain the fuss?) It was a fantastically oddball celebration of real everyday Britain, a two fingers up at the hugely expensive perfection of the Beijing Olympics.
London 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony Industrial Revolution by Helen Beeston.
After two weeks of mind boggling physical feats it was a shame that the Closing Ceremony did not wow in quite the same way – instead it resembled a badly put together festival, including as it did mainstream bores such as Elbow, Muse, Kaiser Cheifs and Liam Gallagher (singing out of tune!) two appearances too many from the apparent reigning queen of British pop Emeli Sandé, Jessie J in a series of crystal encrusted flesh bodysuits and no shows from the legendarily (and shy) Kate Bush and David Bowie. Don’t even get me started on the truck bed catwalks – as one commentator pointed out, clothes horses suddenly look very untalented set against the athletic prowess of Olympic medalists. And Victoria Beckham mentioned in the same breath as Burberry and Alexander McQueen? The price paid for a reunited Spice Girls, perhaps? Mind you, call it a guilty pleasure but that was one performance I did enjoy.
Olympics Closing Ceremony Newspaper Cars by Olivia Cook.
London 2012 Olympics Closing Ceremony The Spice Girls by Helen Beeston.
And so now onto the Paralympics. Last night I watched the brilliant BBC drama The Best of Men, which follows it’s creation in the 1940s at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, where the remarkable refugee Dr. Guttmann took a radical new approach to the rehabilitation of soldiers with spine injuries. It’s still available to view for a few more days and I highly recommend you do catch it before the Paralympics start. I for one am really looking forward to the ‘Lympics round two.
Don’t forget to check in with our previous illustrated Olympics blog posts here and here. And find out more about the true cost of the Games here, outlined in a series of thought provoking illustrated blogposts by designer and theoretician Jody Boehnert.
Written by Amelia Gregory on Monday August 20th, 2012 5:08 pm
