Emma Yeo

Amelia’s Magazine | Corrie Nielsen: London Fashion Week S/S 2013 Catwalk Preview Interview

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Interview with Corrie Nielsen, Illustration by Rosa ad Carlotta Crepax, Illustrated Moodboard
Corrie Nielsen S/S 2012 preview by Rosa and Carlotta Crepax, Illustrated Moodboard.

Fashion designer Corrie Nielsen has been wowing us here at Amelia’s Magazine for a number of seasons so we were very excited to discover that for S/S 2013 she has worked in close partnership with Kew… here she describes how the collaboration came about and what we can expect from the new Kew inspired collection.

I am very excited about your upcoming S/S 2013 show, which was done in conjunction with Kew Gardens: how did this relationship come about?
I knew that I wanted to base the season on plants and flowers, so the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew was the natural first port of call. It is one of my favourite spaces in London. The whole studio went to Kew together and we took countless photos, which are plastered all over the studio walls. My PR, Courtney Blackman, ended up meeting Kew’s Chairman of the Board at an event and if you know her, she makes things happen. The rest is history. They were really excited that my collection would be all about Kew.

Corrie Nielsen Corrie thinking about plants on a bench under a tree at Kew
Corrie Nielsen Peony 038_Pae_dau_ - from KEW ARCHIVE
Your interest in history is well known, how did you take inspiration from the original documentation of Charles Darwin’s journeys, which are stored in the Kew libraries?
After the first studio trip to Kew, I took a secondary trip with my business partners and that’s when we got to explore the seed libraries, browse through Darwin’s original letters, etc. I’m fascinated by the concept of Darwin’s ‘The Origin of the Species’ – seeing his letters was an unbelievable honour. I’ve taken that concept and really explored it by researching actual blueprints of plants and flowers. The complexity is staggering and in tranfering the research into the clothes, I’ve really had to employ serious engineering to some of my more sculpted pieces .

Corrie Nielsen Swarovski Collective by Catherine Moody
Corrie Nielsen S/S 2013 preview illustration by Catherine Moody.

Can we expect to see any other influences from Kew – for example are there any particular seeds, flowers, trees or other plants that have inspired the new collection?
Tulips, peony roses and even the Victorian glass houses of Kew influence the range.

Corrie Nielsen Stairs in a glass house at Kew
Corrie Nielsen One of my favourite shapes at Kew
How do you process this information? eg do you take photos and then create mood boards?
Photos, photos, photos and I study individual specimens. My studio walls are one giant mood board. I also research a lot online for further development once I have the concept in mind.

Corrie mood board
Corrie Nielsen The Peacock
How often have you visited Kew in preparation for this season’s catwalk show? Any particularly fond memories that you can share with us…
I’ve gone a couple of times and had a very friendly experience with one of the garden’s peacocks. Being able to go into the seed libraries and seeing all the varied specimens that Kew works with was staggering.

corrie mood
What kinds of fabrics feature in the new collection and where were they sourced from?
I’m working with a lot of silk: metal-infused silks, gradient silks and cotton and lightweight wool. I source most of my fabrics from France.

Corrie Nielsen Team Corrie Nielsen at Kew
What else can we expect from the show in terms of styling and production?
Rebekah Roy will be styling the show and for a second season, Emma Yeo will be creating headpieces. She’s so talented. AOFM Pro’s Yin Lee is doing the makeup again – I love working with her. She really gets the brand. TONI&GUY are doing the hair and we are working exclusively with M&P Models, so every single model on the catwalk will be from M&P. And lastly, once again my collection will be named after a Medieval Latin word…

Corrie Nielsen by Zulekha Lakeca
Corrie Nielsen by Zulekha Lakeca.

Corrie Nielsen shows at the BFC space on Friday 14th September 2012. After London Fashion Week Corrie Nielsen will be exhibiting in Paris at Vendôme Luxury Tradeshow at Le Meurice Hotel, 75001.

Written by Amelia Gregory on Tuesday September 11th, 2012 9:31 am

Categories ,AOFM Pro, ,Catherine Moody, ,Charles Darwin, ,Corrie Nielsen, ,Courtney Blackman, ,Emma Yeo, ,Illustrated Moodboard, ,Kew, ,Le Meurice Hotel, ,M&P Models, ,Rebekah Roy, ,Rosa and Carlotta Crepax, ,Royal Botanic Gardens, ,The Origin of the Species, ,Vendôme Luxury Tradeshow, ,Yin Lee, ,Zulekha Lakeca

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Amelia’s Magazine | Craig Green, MAN: London Collections: Men A/W 2014 Catwalk Review

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Craig Green A/W 2014 by Avril Kelly

I’m a huge fan of Joyride, I go wild for The Look and there’s no denying that It Must Have Been Love is one of the greatest rock power ballads ever written, but my favourite Roxette song is, without a shadow of a doubt, Listen to Your Heart. I’m telling you. No question. So imagine the feeling of overwhelming pleasure that I experienced when Craig Green, last up on the Fashion East MAN roster, had chosen it to soundtrack his show.

I could barely focus my camera as those magical, haunting opening bars played. When Marie starts belting it out I almost lost it, but managed to get a grip in the name of fashion journalism. The song created a sombre mood and this collection seemed a bit sorrowful, too: gone were the conceptual fabric planks and box rucksacks that earned Green a Designs of the Year nomination; gone were last season’s psychedelic sculptures that gave his critics the middle finger.

No, this collection seemed like a progressive, grown-up step for Green. To suggest that he’d lost his way would be missing the point – utilitarian leather harnesses replaced the artistic sculptures but still toyed with the silhouette, and hand-painted prints that steer clear of anything over-digital continued the Craig Green story.

Models wearing head to toe black gowns that brushed along the floor cut almost cardinal-like figures. Not a single piece gave any indication as to what the models’ bodies looked like under their robes. Black cottons, leather and shimmery fabrics worked together effortlessly. The mesmerising print in varying tones of yellow, orange and blue created the illusion that similar garments were completely different to their monochrome counterparts.

While this might hint at a more commercial direction, whatever Craig produces will continue to inspire. I can’t wait to see what happens when he steps out solo next season.

Written by Matt Bramford on Friday January 17th, 2014 5:34 pm

Categories ,A/W 2014, ,Avril Kelly, ,AW14, ,catwalk, ,Craig Green, ,Fashion East, ,LCMAW2014, ,london, ,London Collections Men, ,Man, ,Matt Bramford, ,review, ,Roxette

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