Amelia’s Magazine | London Fashion Week S/S 2012 Catwalk Review: Fashion Shenzhen Haiping Xie

Sam_Parr_Haiping Xie_Shenzhen Yellow
Haiping Xie for Fashion Shenzhen by Sam Parr.

Following the catwalk show from Deng Hao there was a brief interlude with a video from the Shenzhen Tourist Board and then I was delighted to see the collection of Haiping Xie in motion. An oriental version of La Vie en Rose played in the background as Xie’s models came out in metallic bronze make-up with their hair styled in blunt bowl cuts covered in printed bandanas.

Haiping Xie - Shenzhen Catwalk
Haiping Xie - Shenzhen Catwalk
Fashion_Shenzen_Haiping Xie_by Caragh_Jackson
Haiping Xie for Fashion Shenzhen by Caragh Jackson.

The atmospheric abstract prints were similar to the ones I had seen at the exhibition, buy information pills with an appealing grainy quality. They featured colourful iconography from Chinese mythology and butterflies that enticed us into an Oriental garden on a spring day. There were lots of textures in this collection; exaggerated tiers of ruffles on skirts, price sheer neon yellow underskirts, cheap feather-like shrugs, pure white and cyan tulle, taffeta and rosettes.

Haiping Xie - Shenzhen Catwalk
Haiping Xie - Shenzhen Catwalk
Fashion Shenzhen Haiping Xie by Claire Kearns
Haiping Xie for Fashion Shenzhe by Clarie Kearns.

Haiping Xie - Shenzhen Catwalk

Fashion-Shenzhen-by-Debbie-Ajia
Haiping Xie for Fashion Shenzhen by Debbie Ajia.

As with Deng Hao, traditional garments were juxtaposed with European style dress such as skater skirts, chain halter necks, swing dresses and an exaggerated Spanish flamenco style dress as the main finale. This was a bold, bright and bouncy show but I felt the Shenzhen heritage and mystique was slightly lost underneath the many prints and textures – I preferred the traditional dresses at the exhibition.

Haiping Xie - Shenzhen Catwalk
Haiping Xie - Shenzhen Catwalk
Haiping Xie - Shenzhen Catwalk
All photography by June Chanpoomidole.

Nevertheless it was very interesting to see how Deng Hao and Haiping Xie have created their own ways of uniting western and eastern cultures together.

Watch the full video of the catwalk show and see what you think. Don’t forget to check out my review of the Deng Hao show too.

Categories ,Awakening, ,Caragh Jackson, ,China, ,Chinese, ,Claire Kearns, ,Debbie Ajia, ,Deng Hao, ,Fashion Shenzhen, ,Gemma Travis, ,Haiping Xie, ,illustrators, ,June Chanpoomidole, ,La Vie en Rose, ,lfw, ,London Fashion Week, ,Natie Marie, ,Nicola Ellen, ,Pandemonia, ,Phoebe Kirk, ,Sam Parr, ,Shenzhen, ,Vauxhall Fashion Scout

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Amelia’s Magazine | Kirsty Ward: The London Fashion Week S/S 2012 Preview Interview

Kirsty Ward by Kassie Berry
Kirsty Ward S/S 2012 by Kassie Berry.

In the past few seasons I’ve been super impressed with the work of up and coming designer Kirsty Ward. She won’t be taking to the catwalk this season but I still thought I’d do a sneaky catch up interview with her to find out what she’s got in store for S/S 2012. Here goes…

Kirsty Ward by Claire Kearns
Kirsty Ward by Claire Kearns.

How did you come up with your signature look: sculptural boning of organza to create many layered shapes?
It’s something I have been obsessed with since my MA at Central Saint Martins and has evolved since then, check and there’s always a way each season that I want to push it. I probably won’t ever tire of it.

Kirsty Ward S/S 2012
When did your love of the 80s start?
I’m not sure when, and im not sure if its because I was born in 1982 but I like the possibility and forward thinking of the era, it’s when people started to break the mould more.

Kirsty Ward by Maria Papadimitriou aka Slowly The Eggs
Kirsty Ward S/S 2012 by Maria Papadimitriou aka Slowly The Eggs.

You can’t bear stud earrings: do you ever feel the physical effects from your love of such big jewellery? Do you take a break from them when you are working or would we find you hunched over a sewing machine with 3 inch earrings dangling dangerously close to the mechanisms?
Haha when I’m working I will generally be jewelleryless – I like wearing teenage boy clothes, with nothing dangling inbetween pattern cutting and sewing. I’m sure there have been some jewellery related accidents as I’m quite clumsy but I cannot think of any specific incidents.

Why do you think that jewellery is so important these days and what can good jewellery offer to an outfit?
Jewellery is great as it can totally make a boring outfit look cool and it’s also not sizeist, so bigger people can wear it too, as not everyone is built for high fashion garments.

Kirsty Ward SS 2012 inspiration girl
You find lots of jewellery components in hardware shops. Do you have any favourite haunts? eg. Have you ever discovered a treasure trove of ancient hardware bits and if so where was this eureka moment?
I tend to favour the great British institutes such as B&Q, theres this online floristry supplier that I love called Micheal dark and my dad is a carpenter so he has lots of fun stuff in his van/tool box. I also like alot of trade only places filled with guys in high vis vests etc wondering what the hell I’m doing in there buying x40 plumbing parts!

Kirsty Ward by Debbie Ajia
Kirsty Ward S/S 2012 by Debbie Ajia.

Are you still collaborating with David Longshaw and if so what can we except from him this season, any insider tips?
Of course he’s my boyfriend, he can’t get rid of me! Well there’s lots of prints (of course) of his beautiful illustrations mixed with some fucked up florals (fucked up in a good way).

Kirsty Ward SS 2012 blue
Why did you decide to forgo a catwalk show this season and instead present the collection on a static stand with a film? What can you tell us about the film?
To be honest as a young designer a catwalk show is far too expensive for me at the moment. I thought it would be far more sensible to meet with buyers and press in an environment where I can talk them through my collection, this way they can see all the details and craftsmanship.
The film will be one word – FUN!

Kirsty Ward SS 2012 inspiration
Last season you’d been watching a lot of Star Wars and that seemed to sneak into some of the dress shapes. Have you been watching some influential movies this season and if so what?
I’ve been watching quite a few shit sci-fi movies – generally the crapper they are the more I will like it, I especially like bad acting and awful special effects. I don’t think it has rubbed off too much in the collection, but we will see in the final lookbook photos!

Kirsty Ward SS 2012 inspiration
This season you’ve been inspired by a “mundane mix of officewear, stationary, menswear detailing and suspended layering.” How can stationary influence clothing?!
It’s more about the stationary being used in the jewellery, its taken over from the hardware of past seasons. 

What new fabrics have you used for the upcoming S/S 2012 season?
Well there’s always a sheer, then there’s a mix of luxurious vs sporty with sand washed silks, neoprene, cotton drills and striped shirting.

Kirsty Ward by Samantha Eynon
Kirsty Ward by Samantha Eynon.

Is music important to you and if so what will you be listening to in the run up to Fashion Week? Any favourites on the decks?
Definitely – I hate working in silence, it puts me on edge. At the moment in the studio were playing: Metronomy, Hot Chip, The Knife, Peaches, Lykke Li, Little Dragon, Yelle.

I’m sure you have loads to do, but what will an average day be like in the final run up to LFW? What will you do to rest and relax?
To be honest my life at the moment revolves around ss12, so if I’m not working on it I’m thinking about it, but as we touched on before I so like to watch the odd shit sci-fi movie.

Kirsty Ward inspiration
No more nipples for S/S 2012: you’ve collaborated with designer Josefine Wing of Mint Siren for an underwear collection this season. What has been the best bit about this project?
It’s good to have another persons knowledge and skills to work with as I didn’t have a clue about the technical side of underwear.

Who is the ideal woman to wear your clothes? Do you think you would ever branch out into menswear?
There’s not a specific example, just someone who likes to have fun with their clothing/jewellery and someone that appreciates the hidden details. I wouldn’t say no to menswear – I often do made to measure pieces for male friends, but who knows about an actual collection!

Where can people get their hands on a piece of Kirsty Ward?
My pieces can be found in China, Japan, Amsterdam, and Italy but In the UK my pieces can be found at Young British Designers, Bengt Fashion and I will be selling select and limited edition pieces on my website (www.kirsty-ward.com)

If you’ve only just discovered Kirsty Ward why not check in with our other blogs about this talented designer (with loads of illustrations):

Kirsty Ward S/S 2011
Kirsty Ward Ones to Watch A/W 2011 Preview
Kirsty Ward Ones to Watch A/W 2011
and another blog about Ones to Watch A/W 2011

You can find Kirsty Ward at the static stands during London Fashion Week.

Categories ,1980s, ,B&Q, ,Bengt Fashion, ,Central Saint Martins, ,Claire Kearns, ,David Longshaw, ,Debbie Ajia, ,Earrings, ,Film. Mint Siren, ,Hardware, ,Hot Chip, ,interview, ,jewellery, ,Josefine Wing, ,Kassie Berry, ,Kirsty Ward, ,Little Dragon, ,London Fashion Week, ,Lykke Li, ,ma, ,Maria Papadimitriou, ,metronomy, ,Peaches, ,preview, ,S/S 2012, ,Samantha Eynon, ,Sci-Fi, ,Slowly the Eggs, ,Star Wars, ,Stationary, ,Structural, ,The Knife, ,Yelle, ,young british designers

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Amelia’s Magazine | Emesha: The London Fashion Week S/S 2012 Preview Interview

Emesha-SS12-by-Lisa-Stannard
Emesha S/S 2012 by Lisa Stannard.

I feel very privileged to be able to announce an exclusive bit of London Fashion Week news that has happened in part because of my latest book: Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration. Drumroll please…………

I am thrilled to tell the world that the wonderful ethical designer Emesha has collaborated with the equally fab illustrator, nurse print designer and longterm Amelia’s Magazine contributor Lisa Stannard on her latest S/S 2012 collection. Now that LFW is upon us I can hereby reveal the low down on this inspiring pairing.

Emesha by Gareth A Hopkins
Emesha S/S 2012 by Gareth A Hopkins.

I’m very excited that your latest collection for Emesha features a collaboration with Lisa Stannard, who illustrated your label for Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration. How did that all come about? 
Lisa Stannard illustrated my work which was featured in Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration and that is how I’ve become familiar with her work. I was immediately drawn to her handwriting and we started following each other’s work. When I decided to include prints in my new collection I asked her if she’d collaborate with me and she said yes!

Why did you decide to include print design in this collection?
In my second year at University I took an elective in printing and designed a print collection in my final year, so it has always been close to my heart. I would have liked to include printing in previous collections as well, but it is a time consuming process and I’ve always been really busy with garment development and pattern cutting. With the help of Lisa this season, this dream has finally come alive.

Emesha SS 2012 broken paint
What were the inspirations for your print designs and how did you research them?
I’ve always been interested in contrasting themes throughout my collections. For this season I really wanted to create something that referenced the past, but was also modern, examined the digital and analogue design techniques. I also wanted to do a non-figurative print that has a transition in it. When researching I’ve looked into very different things, such as pixels, decaying trees and surface walls.

Emesha by Debbie Ajia.
Emesha S/S 2012 by Debbie Ajia.

What has been the best part of the process of your collaboration?
I believe we worked really well together as we were able to discuss everything and Lisa was really open minded to try different techniques. Lisa first painted by hand, which then she scanned in and reworked digitally. Finally we ended up combining two different prints which made a really nice contrast. Throughout the process, we were both pushing each other and for me the best part was the creation of a collection which we are both really proud of.

Emesha ss 2012 floral-moodboard-2
What inspired the colour palette this season?
In the Spring/Summer 2012 collection there is so much going on, so I really wanted to keep the colour palette very simple. The two main colours are black and white and transitions, combined with mainly green which comes through from the print designs. I also asses a dash of pink to compliment our second colour-way.

Why are you so intrigued in creating androgynous looks?
I find it very sexy when a woman wears boyish outfits, I think it gives it a more interesting and eyecatching look. I think it’s also a personal preference as girly garments don’t suit me, however, I always add feminine elements (pleating and silks) to each collection to counterbalance the masculinity of the looks.

Emesha ss 2012 wall
Have you used any intriguing new eco-fabrics this season and if so what are they and where did they come from?
I always use natural fibres as they biodegrade at the end of their life cycle. This time around I mainly focussed on using silks. For printing you need special fabrics which were provided by the printers. All other fabrics were sourced in the UK.

How do you source production in Hungary Is it easy to find a skilled workforce and how do you manage them from the UK?
It is getting more and more difficult to source skilled workforce there. Once thriving, the country’s apparel industry has now undergone a major change due to cheap clothes flooding the market. I believe this is a big problem throughout Europe and I hope that more and more customers will look for quality clothes in favour of fast fashion.

What next for Emesha?
As I collaborated with quite a few people this season, I have a new project launching soon to introduce everyone and their work. I cannot say any more about it at the moment, but you’ll be the first to know when it is up and running!

Emesha will be showing as part of Estethica at London Fashion Week. I can’t wait to see what she has cooked up with Amelia’s Magazine contributor Lisa Stannard! More news about the collaboration can be found on Emesha’s website.

Categories ,ACOFI, ,Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration, ,androgynous, ,Debbie Ajia, ,Eco fashion, ,Emesha, ,estethica, ,ethical, ,Fast Fashion, ,Gareth A Hopkins, ,Hungary, ,Lisa Stannard, ,print

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Amelia’s Magazine | Emilia Bariamova Interview

Tuesday February 10th

In Oxford? Get to the Jam Factory for the latest group show from Collective Era. “Chaos in Continuum” is a combination of old and new from this collective known for their bright, link store intense and hyper-surreal work, clinic incorporating elements of contemporary fine art, buy information pills urban art and surrealism within their collaborative paintings.

Chaosoxford.jpg

Wednesday February 11th

Lisson Gallery is worth a visit for two reasons at the moment. Lisson Presents, brings together the work of both new and already represented artists; fans of Bergman might like the piece from Igor & Svetlana Kopystiansky, who use footage from Persona centering on Liv Ullmann’s gaze. There is also a new work from Gerard Byrne, photographer and film maker for whom this will be the first solo show in the UK for two years, including a dramatized script of interviews conducted with prisoners of war awaiting the Nuremberg trails.

gerardbyrne_lisson.jpg

Thursday February 12th

Index will the first exhibition in a British institution from leading American artist Sean Snyder, running at the ICA until April 19th. His work is often conflict based, with images that document the Cold War, the Iraq War, and Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, throughout which Snyder explores the subjective nature of propaganda, the ethics of reportage, the staging and manipulation of images, and the changing role of photojournalists in the era of consumer digital imaging.

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Friday February 13th

Whilst rifling through fabrics for a penguin suit in Soho, I found myself standing in line besides Caroline McCambridge, a striking array of materials piled on her arms. I couldn’t help asking what it was all for, to which she explained that she was an artist in the process putting together an installation for an upcoming show. A little google here and there and I have found Dubbing Light, a new exhibition at Kingsgate Gallery starting on Thursday. With improvisation at the centre of both their works, McCambridge and Aya Fukami will produce a two-part evolving exhibition starting life in colour and moving towards monochromatic pieces in the second week. I’m intrigued to see what she’ll do with all that fabric, and I promised I’d wear my penguin suit.

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Caroline McCambridge – Plastic Space 2005


Sunday February 15th

There’s an all day event at Limoncello Gallery this Sunday, though I couldn’t quite tell you what it will involve. The so-called “Vanity Affairs” are annual occasions at Limoncello from Giorgio Sadotti. It’s all about grassroots art work in London and is very vaguely described. If you like surprises, then do go along.

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Why haven’t we included fiction? Well exactly. So when we received some short stories from Sharlene Teo we thought it would be great opportunity to bring together writers and illustrators, page making ourselves the literary equivalent of matchmaker dot com. In time for heartbreak day we have a sorry tale of a girl and her cats, page ten of them. Something more light-hearted about Amelia Earhart to come.
Words: Sharlene Teo
Illustration: Anna Wadham

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The day you left, ten cats appeared on my doorstep out of nowhere and would not budge. They sat by my muddy shoes regarding me dolefully, as if offering some sort of respite, some sort of mockery, some sort of consolation. I had no choice but to let them into my cramped one-bedroom flat for tea. The living room was the bedroom was the dining room. We sat around a shoe-rack, which I’d turned into a makeshift table, these ten cats and I. I tried to make conversation. But being cats and not humans, they were honest. They didn’t say anything.
 
We had tea and weak cookies until the sun folded itself on to dark strips on the wall. The shadows made me think of hand puppets. I knew, then, as an hour segued into the next that you had well and truly left me, and, by extension, I had well and truly left you. Oh, I wasn’t going anywhere. But there it was, I could almost see it silhouetted in cat’s ears, the outline of patient paws- this growing, gnawing, intractable distance. Thin as blocked light, but strong as a planet.
 
I knew you would leave but I knew it gradually, the way we learn language. The language of absence is filled in punctuation-first; the commas, the ellipses, the loping brackets. A full stop the first time we could regard each other seriously, and I wasn’t myself, I was a separate entity, unremarkable and noncommittal, could have been anyone else.
 
The cats stayed in my house but politely shitted on the potted plants. I only had three potted plants, on the balcony outside, but how they thrived. They grew and arched until they were full, strong trees, all-but blocking out the light. My flat became a greenhouse, a forest, and a haven for the cats that bred like rabbits and judged me with their casual grace and indolent flawlessness.
 
You went out to dinner, just across the street. Peering through the branches I could see you putting your coat on a chair, pulling a chair out for a girl. You were having dinner with two girls, maybe friends, maybe one day, one of them or one by one, a lover. There was nothing dramatic, for today- just three people, sitting down to dinner. Drawing out the menus, inaudibly deciding between chicken or lamb, a soup or a salad.

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Me, I petted the seventh cat that had been born three days ago, a slip of a thing. I held it in my palm like a Palm Pilot and I had my dinner. Cat nip, because that was all we had around here, as we gathered around the 8 o clock soap opera. The grandmother cat, the first to have appeared after you left (the sound of your shoes dispersing like marbles) was especially fond of a certain actor. She purred appreciatively when he appeared. I found it very random because he was a supporting actor; in fact, he was the postman having an affair with the bitter matriarch. I thought about affairs and I couldn’t imagine having another- perhaps hyperbolically, perhaps realistically. I mean, maybe I could spend my whole life in this cream-walled apartment with my multiplying cats, the scarce sunlight, and little consolation. Perhaps I’d always sit here on my grandmother’s knitted quilt, hankering after a cure or else a stupid ideal.
 
Across the road, three strangers had dinner. None of them knew me. This is falsely true or truly false. Maybe one day in a space age somewhere they will invent a button you can press to so casually turn truth into fiction, or history into excess; spare paper you can fold and cut off. The thing is, I’m no wiser than a wheezing cat, a frivolous kitten. I know nothing; I’m so immature. My heart does not mend. It merely transfers from hurt to hurt and from love to great love. I need this to subsist upon, because my days are getting thick with hairballs and silence.
 
Yet if you set back the clock to the minute you’d just gone, I wouldn’t know what to do. I’ve tried to pickle that moment, but it is obstinately inedible. I suppose I would just stand there, in my mind racing after you, stumbling on my words and shoes, trying to unpick what I’ve stitched over forever.
 
It’s like a ball of yarn, rolling inexorably out of touch. I have dreams of leaving, but I’m right here when I wake up.
 
I say Sweden, viagra dosage you say…Ikea? ABBA? Ulrika Johnsson? Great fashion design might not be one of the first things that pops into your head – but this will change once you visit the Swedish Fashion: Exploring a New Identity exhibition, here which is on at the Fashion and Textile Museum.

The work of 13 of the countries most exciting and talented designers is showcased against a stark silver and white (some might say Ikea-esque) interior backdrop, this web giving all the pieces room to shine.

The new identity mentioned in the title is that of challenging the notion that Sweden is just a land of bubbly blondes. And these designers certainly do that.

The most established of the designers on show are Ann-Sofie Back and Sandra Backlund, who set the bar high with their designs but their compatriots don’t dissappoint, also showing strong, individual pieces.

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An example of Ann-Sofie Back’s simple yet elegant designs that are on show.

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Amazing sculptured knitwear from Sandra Backlund, redefining the idea that knitwear should be restricted to scarves and cardigans.

Burfitt.jpg
Lovisa Burfitt’s creations have a highly theatrical, dramatic edge. She cites punk, goth and rock music and styles as a major influence.

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Due to the accessible way the clothes are displayed, you can easily see all aspects of the outfit, such as the interesting back on this Martin Bergstrom piece.

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The unusually titled Fifth Avenue Shoe Repair, otherwise known as husband and wife Lee Cotter and Astrid Olsson. Their exaggerated and unusual shapes call to mind such greats as Viktor and Rolf, which is good company to be in.

While walking around the exhibits, a large screen plays clips of the designers, showing them at work and creating the pieces, adding depth to the clothes that you see before you.

There is also a display of Swedish jewellery designers at this interesting and informative exhibition.

Swedish Fashion: Exploring a New Identity
Fashion and Textile Museum
6th February – 17th May 2009
Tickets: £5 / £3 Students and concessions / under 12′s free
At only 22, viagra 60mg recent London College of Fashion MA graduate Emilia Bariamova joins a wave of conceptual knitwear designers offering a highly skilled, artistically hand knitted collection that is rooted in deep and meaningful inspiration.

Emilia has taken the intimate and intense exposure of fighting with ones’ own confused state of mind and related it to the metaphorical process of knitting; creating comfort and protection through a tangled web of yarn that embodies a visual expression of a personal ‘breathing space’.

Hey Emilia, where do you hail from?

Originally from Moscow, Russia

Where did you study before the London College of Fashion (LCF)?
Moscow State Academy of Fine Chemical Technology. I did a degree in Chemistry for a year to please my parents but realised it wasn’t really my passion.

So you came to England to study fashion?

Yes, I studied a fashion foundation course, and got a BA Hons in Surface Textiles for Fashion and then MA Fashion, all at LCF. Also, I undertook work placements with Alexander McQueen and Russian designer Chapurin and others.

What was it like to study at LCF?

Intense.

Emilia-B-1.jpg

Your collection pays tribute to tradition and craft through knitting. Is this something you feel strongly about and if so why?
I do, actually. Living in the environment where most things are disposable and everything changes so fast, I find that people lose the appreciation of craftsmanship and perhaps, even quality.

Your collection uses colour to depict an emotional journey. Do you feel colour is an important metaphor for emotion and feelings?

I am very interested in psychology and always take my inspiration from various experiences and matters. I believe each colour carries a huge subliminal impact. Therefore, when starting a collection, I choose a colour palette. Personally, I love observing the shades of nail varnishes on people and whether they fit with the rest of the look; in their silence they speak volumes.

Emilia-B-2.jpg


Do you have a favourite colour that you feel represents you?

I like them all. But if you ask me which colour do I relate myself to at the moment, I’d say deep purple.

Knitwear designers such as Sandra Backlund and Simone Shailes are gaining a lot of media attention at the moment. Do you think there is a gap in the market for more directional knitwear?
Possibilities in knitwear are endless. And, it’s great that there are emerging young talents that challenge the perception and purpose of knitwear. Raising awareness and creating trends for conceptual knitwear, which border-lines between art and fashion, definitely forms a solid gap in the market.

Emilia-B-3.jpg


Which designers would you say most influence your work/ or do you aspire to?

I aspire to Ann Demeulemeester, Nicholas Ghesquiere, Stella McCartney, Coco Chanel and Sandra Backlund.

Can you describe your personal style?

Androgynous, eclectic and experimental.

What is your biggest personal achievement?
Perhaps, looking from prospective, I’d say moving from Moscow to London at the age of 16 on my own, not knowing anyone in UK.

What are you hopes and plans for the future?
I hope one day my dreams will come true, I plan on working hard to achieve it. (just kidding!).
I’ve got lots of plans, which are not necessarily related to fashion. Apart from launching my own luxury label in few years time, I would like to build a shelter for women in Russia and open my own chocolate factory.

Sitting comfortably next to the likes of Swedish knitting queen Sandra Backlund and recent Central Saint Martins graduate Simone Shailes, Emilia’s dreams of opening her own chocolate factory may have to be put on hold as we believe this is one insightful designer to keep your eye on.

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