Henry Holland – AmeliasMagazine

Amelia’s Magazine | Pre-London Fashion Week interview: fashion designer Flik Hall

Young designer Flik Hall may have only set up her eponymous label in 2009, order buy but she has already gained a following for her bold silhouettes and eye-popping prints. About to showcase her fourth collection at LFW, we caught up with Flik to hear all about working with Henry Holland, her fashion predictions for the new season, and why she thinks print design is having ‘a moment’.

You worked with Henry Holland and Giles Deacon – what did you learn from your time there, and do you think their design aesthetic has influenced yours?
I learnt very different things from each of them. Henry taught me how to structure a business and working there opened my eyes to all the other things that that go into making a successful career in fashion design. He showed me you have to focus on so many different angles and that you should not cultivate an exact path for yourself and instead be open to new ideas and projects.

Working at Giles I learnt a lot about formulating prints and attention to detail. I think because we used to experiment with so many materials or objects that one would not directly associate with fashion, it helped to broaden my fundamental associations of what we can draw from. I wouldn’t however say they’ve influenced my design aesthetic directly.

Illustration by LJG Art and Illustration

What inspired your latest collection?
I took inspiration from looking into the lives of Mexican families and the altars that they display in their homes. The altars would appear chaotic, but seemed very beautiful to me at the same time. Many are juxtapositions of items such as family memorabilia – they would be filled with dolls of all description in various outfits, some bigger and smaller than others. I was drawn to the interesting spaces shaped in-between the dolls in some of the altars, which was what led me to experiment with porcelain doll arms for my prints.

The hessian I used in the collection is a fabric that plays a great part in (the Mexican families) lives – used as table clothes, clothing and even as bags for collecting sweet corn.

How much do you think you’ve come on since your first collection?
I still have so much to learn, I’m still a novice in many respects – but sometimes that can work as an advantage. I feel as though with every season I manage to channel my ideas that little bit better; I’m also imbued with all that happened in the previous season, and that little bit more capable and confident.

Illustration by Christina Cerosio

Do you have any advice for aspiring designers – where to get started, and how to set up your own label?
Stay focused, work hard, be open-minded and get carried away.

How do you create a print – what is the process behind each one?
With the baby arm prints for my S/S 2011 collection, I found a box of old porcelain limbs at a flea market – I think they were previously used for set design. I arranged them in heaps of different variations on the floor on a white background and took photos. I then cut the images up, put them together like a puzzle, and ended up trying to form abstract shapes to replicate semantic signals, crosses, sound waves, and stained glass windows.

With the rise of designers like Erdem and Peter Pilotto, do you think print design is having a moment?
Yes, I totally think the relationship between print and fashion is very prominent at the moment. I especially think with the scope of so much new technology available, the way we understand print is challenged all the time. I digitally print on leather and until fairly recently only traditional methods were available. These kinds of changes mean there is a lot more to experiment with, and a greater variation in the style of work print designers are creating. I think that both Erdem and Peter Pilotto fuse their cut with colour and print really well, they both treat print so differently.

Illustration by Danni Bradford

What are your plans for the label?
To continue with the label, consistent with the ethos with which I started it. I’m expanding the size of my collection this season which is exciting because I normally have about three times more looks that don’t make the final collection. It’s nice because there are always two or three pieces I regret not including – there’s less scope for regret this time around!

Any New Year’s resolutions?
I want to learn something totally new. I still haven’t worked out what it is yet though. I would quite like to learn how to restore antique jewellery.

London Fashion Week is just around the corner – what are your fashion predictions for A/W 2011, or what would you like to see people wearing?
Firstly I would like to see people investing in well made designer pieces that they love, independent of them been ‘on trend’ or throw away fashion. I would like to see more people wearing turtle-necks, vintage undergarments and garments with more heavy duty embellishments.

Name the most inspiring place or person in London…
Victor Wynd’s little shop of horrors The Last Tuesday Society on Mare Street.

Any other new designers you think are ‘one’s to watch’?
I love Lily Heine’s MA collection; the building up of layers is beautiful like an intricate carving. I also really like Scott Arnold’s contrasting use of fabrics in his BA show. I think there will be interesting things to come from him.

How would you describe the archetypal ‘Flik Hall girl’, or is there anyone in particular you design for?
She has a lot of conviction and marches to her own drum.

Find Flik Hall at Not Just a Label

Written by Lauren Smith on Monday February 14th, 2011 6:59 pm

Categories ,A/W 2011, ,Antique jewellery, ,digital, ,Erdem, ,fabric, ,fashion, ,Flik Hall, ,Giles Deacon, ,Henry Holland, ,interview, ,Lily Heine, ,London Fashion Week, ,Mare Street, ,mexico, ,Not Just a Label, ,Peter Pilotto, ,print, ,Scott Arnold, ,The Last Tuesday Society, ,Victor Wynd

Amelia’s Magazine | London Fashion Week S/S 2011 Catwalk Review: House of Holland

Lu Flux S/S 2011 collection was presented in the chapel of No. 1 Greek Street, visit web also known as the House of Saint Barnabas, a space supporting those affected by homelessness for over 160 years. It is an absolutely beautiful building, with an outside courtyard and lovely lounges. The non-for-profit private members club Quintessentially Soho uses the revenue generated by members to finance the House of Saint Barnabas’s support centre.

Illustrations by Alia Gargum

The presentation consisted of live painting, as the illustrator behind the stunning designs on the shorts suit drew the models, lots of cupcakes and fabulous shoes.

I absolutely love the dress the designer was wearing from last season’s collection:

The House of Holland Team! All illustrations by Lisa Stannard

House of Holland’s show this season was held at My Beautiful Fashion, information pills in the disused Old Sorting Office on New Oxford Street. There wasn’t too much hustle and bustle when I arrived and we moved swiftly in , look along with the huge clan of the HOH friends and family who were then greeted with champagne and showed to their seats in a block close to the front of the runway.

Then in came the HOH celebrity friends which included usual suspect Aggy Deyn, who ran in and over to her friends seconds before the lights dimmed to start the show. Nick Grimshaw, Lily Allen, Jamie Winstone and Pixie Geldoff were seated together in the front row. Other celebrities included Nicola Roberts and Amber Rose…

Anyway now I’ve got the celebrities out of the way, on with the show! The show opened with Donna Summer’s ‘Love to Love You Baby‘ when the first girl walked out with an ash blonde laid back 1970s hair do, metallic banana-leaf print blazer teamed with a pleated metallic leather mini skirt and chunky era wedges. I was shocked and pleasantly surprised by the first instalment of sexiness and sophistication.

As the next girls continued to strut down the runway there was a recurring theme with the banana leaves, which were in fact a woven jacquard. These fabrics came in green, purple and blue and were used as part of shirt dresses (another recurring theme) with lots of lengthy fringing, and on cropped pants, fitted cropped jackets and flares. I was really enjoying the styling, it was preppy and cool, yet was mixed with a lot more sophistication than Henry’s past collections.

Then these pieces began to change and along came jumpsuits with appliquéd stars all over followed by flowing knee length pleated chiffon skirts teamed with slouchy vests in a bold pinky/purple print. I liked this look a lot. This was Henry’s recognisable print of the season, which was a lot tamer than past slogans, crazy paislies and polka dots.

My favourite outfit was Henry’s cropped (banana leaf) print t-shirt, with rusty metallic print pleated leather skirt. It had the most amazing oversized backpack with tan leather trims. This wasn’t the only accessory in there; there was a lot of luxe towelling used on even more bags! Huge pom pom earrings, too – which I wouldn’t wear – but great fun for this catwalk show. There were also socks teamed with the huge metallic platforms with crazy fringing on them, I wonder if these will be sold amongst his hosiery range too?

Denim made a reappearance but this time it was decorated with metallic appliqued stars. I have to say that I did enjoy the non-star appliquéd pieces more. The aquamarine pleated chiffon dress and the floor length banana leaf print dress were far nicer.

Henry didn’t leave out the glitz – just when you thought you had summed up the themes of this collection, out walks another 1970s disco queen in a slinky super sparkly gold dress.

I felt that the collection had moved far away from slogan tees and tights and was a more sophisticated reflection of his inspirations. Maybe I am biased – I’m totally with his fun vibe and 1980s references, but I suppose as one of his target consumers that’s entirely the point.

I’m looking forward to future collections from Henry, but desperate to get my hands on that oversized backpack…!

All illustrations by Lisa Stannard

Written by Lisa Stannard on Tuesday September 21st, 2010 5:31 pm

Categories ,1970s, ,Agyness Deyn, ,Alexa Chung, ,Amber Rose, ,Banana Leaf, ,disco, ,Donna Summer, ,Glamour, ,Grimmers, ,Henry Holland, ,House of Holland, ,Jaime Winstone, ,lily allen, ,Lisa Stannard, ,London Fashion Week, ,My Beautiful Fashion, ,S/S 2011

Amelia’s Magazine | An interview with Kelly Goss, aka Rock ‘n’ Needle

Illustration by Pieter de Groot

When did you found Rock ‘n’ Needle and why?
It was in 2008. I started designing and making clothes alongside studying at The Fashion Retail Academy. Although I was studying fashion retailing I still had a passion for making clothes. I wanted to design under a name and came up with Rock ‘n’ Needle. I started organising photoshoots in London through Model Mayhem and received a great response. This inspired me to develop the clothing into a brand. I took part in a fashion show in Mayfair which led to exhibiting at FaCshion exhibition. I really enjoyed taking part in these events and decided to set up the brand full time once I’d finished my course.  

What insires you, then?
I love tattoos, although I don’t have any! Tattoo designs work really well with embroidery and there’s so much inspiration from different styles. I am also inspired by music- I’m a huge rock fan, my favourite band being Motley Crue. I love musicians who have an extravagant and iconic image. I also enjoy seeing what’s happening on the streets. To me this is the biggest inspiration – to see what people are wearing now. 

Photograph by Marta F. Andrés

How do you create these tattoo-tastic designs?
I machine embroider all the designs. It starts with a drawing and develops on the computer until it is ready to be embroidered. There is a lot of sampling involved with the imagery. I use pretty basic fabrics for the clothing, using mainly cotton; the fabric needs to be suitable for embroidery. With the bows I can experiment a bit more, adding PVC, denim and all kinds of colours!  

Does your label consider the environment?
Yes. Any material left over I try and create into the bows and brooches. I hate fabric waste, although it isn’t always easy to incorporate it into something new. I am currently in the process of re-designing the bags, for events such as Clothes Show Live. I’m also designing Rock ‘n’ Needle tote bags which will be available to buy online soon. They will have the embroidered designs on and will use environmentally-friendly cotton.  

Photograph by Ryan Bater

Which other designers or creatives do you admire?
My biggest admiration has been for Vivienne Westwood. I was absolutely delighted that Rock ‘n’ Needle’s first stockist was Ad Hoc on the Kings Road, near her iconic shop. The last couple of years I have been inspired by Henry Holland, who has exploded into the fashion industry – it’s really inspiring considering he started with slogan t-shirts and now has concessions Debenhams. To me, these designers have broken so many boundaries and to have such an incredible influence on people’s wardrobes.  

What has been your proudest moment so far?
Last year I was delighted to win ‘VQ Young Learner of the Year’ for Wales: with over 500 entries it was a tough competition! I was nominated by Swansea College and the event took place at The Senedd in Cardiff with the Welsh Assembly Government. Most recently I was in the top 100 of future fashion retail leaders with Drapers Magazine. I entered the competition online and won a place at their Next Generation Academy in London, which was a one day event with industry experts. I felt honoured to be part of it.  

What did you get out of your time at the Next Generation Academy?
It was an invaluable day which covered a variety of topics including e-commerce, new technologies and self promotion. Henry Holland gave an interview which was a great insight for me as a designer. I met some lovely people from Success Appointments, and witnessed inspirational talks from Drapers ‘30 under 30′ feature. There was a lot of networking opportunities which was really useful as you don’t meet people as influential as this every day!

Illustration by Pieter de Groot

How do you see your collections developing in the future?
I will soon be introducing new-style tops comprising of short sleeved t-shirts and vests. I have also designed a couple of cropped tees for Summer. Next month Rock ‘n’ Needle tote bags will be available to buy, and this Winter I am launching Rock ‘n’ Needle hoodies which will carry the signature embroidered motifs. In the future I’d love to create Rock ‘n’ Needle jeans and lingerie, and maybe even menswear!   

Do you have any other projects on the go?
Currently I am concentrating on developing the Rock ‘n’ Needle product range to expand from t-shirts and sweaters. I would love to collaborate with a fellow designer or musician/artist. I am extremely interested in the environment and animal welfare and I’d like to develop my work with these considerations. In the early stages of Rock ‘n’ Needle I have had to be fully focused on the brand, but I’m excited about broadening my scope in the future.

Photograph by Ryan Bater

 What do you do in your spare time?!
I don’t have much spare time at the moment as I’m exhibiting at Clothes Show Live London in June! There’s so much to prepare and I am launching new products which will be available to buy at the show, and then online on my website afterwards. When I do have spare time I love music and could quite happily spend hours on YouTube! I enjoy going to gigs, reading, going out for coffee and browsing in shops. Most recently I have been reading blogs – and I love Audrey Kitching’s. Her style is awesome and I always feel motivated to create when I have been reading her work! 

I have to ask – would you ever get a tattoo?
Not in the near future, I love them but I couldn’t imagine picking a design and being happy with it for the rest of my life! I really like Fearne Cottons’ tattoos and I once worked with Ann French, who has some pretty cool ones, which can be seen in some of the Rock ‘n’ Needle pictures. I think you have to be quite a decisive person to have one and when it comes to what I wear or look like I am very indecisive.
 

Written by Matt Bramford on Thursday April 29th, 2010 12:43 pm

Categories ,30 under 30, ,Ad Hoc, ,Ann French, ,Bags, ,Bows, ,Brooches, ,Clothes Show Live, ,Drapers, ,embroidery, ,Fearne Cotton, ,Henry Holland, ,Kelly Goss, ,Kings Road, ,london, ,Next Generation Academy, ,PVC, ,Rock ‘n’ Needle, ,Success Appointments, ,Swansea College, ,Tattoos, ,Vivienne Westwood, ,VQ Young Learner of the Year

Amelia’s Magazine | The Photobooth Phenomenon… an interview with Alex Kokott of Photoautomat

Illustration by Avril Kelly http://cargocollective.com/avrilkelly/

‘Does my neck look fat in this?’ ‘My other scarf is an alpaca.’ ‘Under this scarf is a lovebite from Santa.’ Have a look at the #warmupcamden hashtag on Twitter and watch the tweets stream in. The best will be turned into scarves, pilule which will be handed out to the homeless and other cold inhabitants of Camden this Christmas.

Once a suggestion has been accepted, this the eager Twitter Knitter volunteers will tweet back, and the contributor can watch their phrase being made into a scarf in a live web feed.

Illustration by Antonia Parker http://antoniamakes.blogspot.com/

Twitter Knitter combines knitting, an old craft that has proved its worth through the ages, with the relatively new invention that is Twitter. Ventures such as Twitter Knitter is proving that Twitter can have a purpose other than telling your friends what you had for dinner, boding well for it being more than a fad. The interactive nature of Twitter means we will probably see new and unexpected uses pop up, but the network is already starting to prove it can be valuable for gathering support for a cause, as Amelia Gregory described in her article about the UKuncut demonstrations.

As volunteers from the London School of Fashion continue knitting at breakneck speed, the team will accept suggestions for six more days. The initiative, a brainchild of creative agency Saint@RKCR/Y&R, has proved incredibly popular after kicking off earlier this month. The scarves will be distributed across Camden on 20th and 21st December. ‘Keep warm and carry on.’

Illustration by Avril Kelly http://cargocollective.com/avrilkelly/

Contribute to Twitter Knitter by submitting a suggestion on the website, or send a tweet to #warmupcamden.

Illustration by Avril Kelly

‘Does my neck look fat in this?’ ‘My other scarf is an alpaca.’ ‘Under this scarf is a lovebite from Santa.’ Have a look at the #warmupcamden hashtag on Twitter and watch the tweets stream in. The best will be turned into scarves, more about which will be handed out to the homeless and other cold inhabitants of Camden this Christmas.

Once a suggestion has been accepted, diagnosis the eager TwitterKnitter volunteers will tweet back, price and the contributor can watch their phrase being made into a scarf in a live web feed.

Illustration by Antonia Parker

TwitterKnitter combines knitting, an old craft that has proved its worth through the ages, with the relatively new invention that is Twitter. Ventures such as TwitterKnitter is proving that Twitter can have a purpose other than telling your friends what you had for dinner, boding well for it being more than a fad. The interactive nature of Twitter means we will probably see new and unexpected uses pop up, but the network is already starting to prove it can be valuable for gathering support for a cause, as Amelia Gregory described in her article about the UKuncut demonstrations.

Illustration by Avril Kelly

Contribute to TwitterKnitter by submitting a suggestion on the website, or send a tweet to #warmupcamden.

Illustration by Avril Kelly

‘Does my neck look fat in this?’ ‘My other scarf is an alpaca.’ ‘Under this scarf is a lovebite from Santa.’ Have a look at the #warmupcamden hashtag on Twitter and watch the tweets stream in. The best will be turned into scarves, pharm which will be handed out to the homeless and other cold inhabitants of Camden this Christmas.

Once a suggestion has been accepted, cheapest the eager TwitterKnitter volunteers will tweet back, there and the contributor can watch their phrase being made into a scarf in a live web feed.

Illustration by Antonia Parker

TwitterKnitter combines knitting, an old craft that has proved its worth through the ages, with the relatively new invention that is Twitter. Ventures such as TwitterKnitter is proving that Twitter can have a purpose other than telling your friends what you had for dinner, boding well for it being more than a fad. We will probably see new and unexpected uses pop up, but the network is already starting to prove it can be valuable for gathering support for a cause, as Amelia Gregory described in her article about the UKuncut demonstrations.

As volunteers from the London School of Fashion continue knitting at breakneck speed, the team will accept suggestions for six more days. The initiative, a brainchild of creative agency Saint@RKCR/Y&R, has proved very popular after kicking off earlier this month, according to the agency. The scarves will be distributed across Camden on 20th and 21st December. ‘Keep warm and carry on.’

Illustration by Avril Kelly

Contribute to TwitterKnitter by submitting a suggestion on the website, or send a tweet to #warmupcamden.

Illustration by Avril Kelly

‘Does my neck look fat in this?’ ‘My other scarf is an alpaca.’ ‘Under this scarf is a lovebite from Santa.’ Have a look at the #warmupcamden hashtag on Twitter and watch the tweets stream in. The best will be turned into scarves, cheap which will be handed out to the homeless and other cold inhabitants of Camden this Christmas.

Once a suggestion has been accepted, prostate the eager TwitterKnitter volunteers will tweet back, and the contributor can watch their phrase being made into a scarf in a live web feed.

Illustration by Antonia Parker

TwitterKnitter combines knitting, an old craft that has proved its worth through the ages, with the relatively new invention that is Twitter. Ventures such as TwitterKnitter is proving that Twitter can have a purpose other than telling your friends what you had for dinner, boding well for it being more than a fad. We will probably see new and unexpected uses pop up, but the network is already starting to prove it can be valuable for gathering support for a cause, as Amelia Gregory described in her article about the UKuncut demonstrations.

As volunteers from the London School of Fashion continue knitting at breakneck speed, the team will accept suggestions for six more days. The initiative, a brainchild of creative agency Saint@RKCR/Y&R, has proved very popular after kicking off earlier this month, according to the agency. The scarves will be distributed across Camden on 20th and 21st December. ‘Keep warm and carry on.’

Illustration by Avril Kelly

Contribute to TwitterKnitter by submitting a suggestion on the website, or send a tweet to #warmupcamden.

Illustration by Abigail Wright

I have always been fascinated with analogue photo booths. I have vivid memories as a child – the excitement and anticipation, visit this pulling ridiculous faces, here never really knowing what you’ll get until the old machines clunk and churn out your photographs. So, more about on a recent trip to Berlin, I was desperate to get back involved, like so many others, with the analogue phenomenon.

A short while after my return, I discovered that the Photoautomat project that exists in Berlin had transferred to London – one of those brightly coloured, glorious booths had been on my own doorstep and I didn’t even realise. A bit of internet research, a blog and a Twitter account later, I met Alex – Photoautomat’s London representative. He’s on a mission to bring back the beauty and art of the old-fashioned photo booth. Me, Amelia and fashion writers Sally and Jemma paid Alex a visit on a crisp Saturday morning to get involved, and have a chat with the man himself…

How did the Photoautomat project start, and where did the booths come from?
Well, it really started about 5 years ago in Germany, where my friends bought one of the booths because they were fascinated with the old analogue machines and the photos they produce. Soon it took over Berlin and the rest of the country. I got interested in the booth when I was over visiting and followed my friends around to look after the booths. We all have our memories from when we were young and fooling around in those booths at the Mall, but seeing them again in Berlin really ignited my passion for them again.

What do you know about the history of the booths?
The photo booth was invented 1925 by a Russian immigrant in New York. He opened his Photomaton Studio on Broadway. For just 25 cents, everybody could get their photograph taken. That was quite a revolution back then as photography was just for the rich and famous; because of the booths, it became accessible to everybody.
From then on they were used as props in movies such as Band Wagon with Fred Astaire, by artists like Andy Warhol and people from all backgrounds for fun or memories and obviously passport photos.

Where are the booths located now?
Our booths are all over Germany. Most of them are in Berlin, but also in Hamburg, Dresden and Cologne. We launched a booth a while ago in Vienna. Then there is my booth here in London. There are also booths in Paris and Italy.

How did this one end up in Cargo?
I thought it would be much easier to get a good location for a photo booth in London, but it turned out to be more difficult than I thought – policies and regulations mean a seemingly straightforward thing as installing a photo booth quite a task. I approached Cargo and they gave me the space in their beer garden straight away; they just liked the idea and it was done.

Photoautomat Cargo. Photograph by Matt Bramford

Why do you think the booths are so popular?
Well, people always like old things: vintage, analogue. The rebirth of Polaroid showed there is still a demand for analogue photography.There is something precious about a photo booth strip. It’s one moment, one photo and it can’t be replicated. No negative, no back up, just like real life. The photos also have a better quality than digital ones. There are apps out there on smart-phones to imitate the effect and I understand that most people don’t want to go through the hassle of having a analogue camera. This is where the photo booths come in. For a few quid, you can take your photo booth strip with your friends and keep that moment forever.

How do you think the qualities of these booths compare to the modern booths we see in train stations/etc?
I guess I answered that question above, but there really is no comparison. The digital ones lack quality and depth and the spontaneity you have in the analogue booth.

Are there any other London locations planned? Or elsewhere in Europe?
I am looking for more locations in London. I would love to get some booths on the Southbank.

Has the booth been used for anything other than people taking pictures with their mates?
I had a photo shoot last year with Mixmag in the booth. It was a fashion special with hats. There were also a few artists who used the booth for their projects. Fionna Banner used the booth for her work twice.

Photoautomat Berlin. Photograph by Matt Bramford

Have you seen/heard any funny experiences concerning the photo booth that you can share?
I had a guy calling me once – he was totally out of it. He took some photos with his girlfriend and they didn’t came out. She got naked and they were concerned that they might get into the wrong hands. I wasn’t in town at that time and couldn’t do anything about it, but he insisted for me to come around. I finally managed to calm him down and sort everything out.

Photos from our Twitter friends: @vickeh, @mattbramf (me!), @c_rl, @deeandrews, @lizzlizz, @chaiwalla, @sallymumbycroft

What are you favourite images that the booth has created?
That would have to be all the photos form the exhibition/project we had during Photomonth last year. They reflect what the whole photo booth thing is all about.

Who would be your ideal customer – who would you most like to see use the booth?
Everybody is ideal. Everybody is welcome, as long as they respect our work and leave the booth as they found it for the next to come! Most likely they are probably analogue enthusiasts, students and Cargo guests. I have families, a couple from Lisbon, artists form Nottingham and even Henry Holland taking their photo in the booth!

A Photoautomat booth in Berlin, photographed by Lizz Lunney

What does the Photoautomat project hope to achieve, long term?
Hopefully we’re here for years to come and give people from all backgrounds the opportunity to have their little moment. It’s really all up to the people who use our booths and what they make of it. That is the beauty about it – and always will be.

See more pictures from the booths on the Photoautomat Facebook and Flickr pages.

Written by Matt Bramford on Tuesday December 14th, 2010 6:43 pm

Categories ,Abigail Wright, ,Alex Kokott, ,Amelia Gregory, ,Analogue, ,Andy Warhol, ,berlin, ,Black & white, ,Broadway, ,cargo, ,film, ,Fiona Banner, ,Fred Astaire, ,Germany, ,Henry Holland, ,Jemma Crow, ,london, ,Matt Bramford, ,MixMag, ,new york, ,Photoautomat, ,Photobooth, ,Photomonth, ,Polaroid, ,Sally Mumby-Croft, ,shoreditch, ,twitter, ,vintage

Amelia’s Magazine | An interview with cake designer and alternative baker Lily Vanilli, a.k.a. Lily Jones

Photography courtesy of Michael Clements

I first heard of Lily Vanilli last year when I read an article in The Observer Magazine about the candidates who made the shortlist for Courvoisier The Future 500 (2009). The graphic designer-turned-bespoke cake designer was listed in the top five and cited as one of the rising stars to watch for her innovative approach to cake baking.

Turning the cupcake business on its head, try Lily’s delicious cakes are the antithesis of the conventional, story cutesy cupcake with their unusual and macabre themes. Her fabulous creations are essentially mini edible sculptures (e.g marzipan beetles, decease morbid meringue bones, etc), an aesthetic delight, which are all crafted by hand in Lily’s kitchen in East London. This, combined with unusual ingredients such as bacon and avocado and a killer melt-in-the mouth sponge recipe, makes for a thrilling culinary experience. Speaking as a dessert fiend and as someone who has sampled Lily’s gourmet cakes, I have never been happier to move over to the dark side of cake!

Lily’s imaginative style to cake baking and kooky creations have earned her somewhat of a cult status within the industry and her decadent cupcakes, which are tailored specifically for each occasion, have featured at parties for Elton John, Henry Holland, Sadie Frost, Hello Kitty, Downing Street, Saatchi Gallery, Levi’s and The Sunday Times. Not bad for someone who only started baking as a hobby.

Photography courtesy of Cico Books

Last month saw the launch of Lily’s first ever book, ‘A Zombie Ate My Cupcake’, in which she shares her secret recipes for the first time ever. Guaranteed to be unlike any cake baking book you already own, ‘A Zombie Ate My Cupcake!’ is a graphic horror novel/cookbook comic featuring 25 gory recipes ranging from Sweeney Todd’s Surprise, a chocolate cupcake which looks like a pie with a severed bloodied finger poking out of it, to Bleeding Hearts, which, well, looks like squashed bleeding hearts with arteries and veins attached ‘n’ all.

Featuring other sweet treats aptly named ‘Eerie Eyeballs’, ‘Shattered Glass’ and ‘Marzipan Beetles’, the book is a visual feast, fusing the worlds of art and cuisine. With quirky detailed comic illustrations provided by up-and-coming illustrator Paul Parker, ‘A Zombie Ate My Cupcake!’ is a must for any cupcake enthusiast who is ready to take on the challenge of some slightly more sinister baking.

To celebrate the launch of Lily’s new book and her cupcake range at Harrods, Amelia’s Magazine caught up with the alternative cake designer and baker to talk about experimental food movements, taking on the cupcake world and crowd surfing with Nick Griffin’s head…

Photography courtesy of Cico Books

Your background is as a graphic designer – do you think the skills you picked up during your training have helped you in your cake baking career at all?
I was a self-taught designer and I’m a self-taught baker so I never had any training for either! I definitely think there are transferable skills though and it’s valuable to learn how to apply yourself and your creativity to different things; design skills are always useful these days.

What excites you most about being in the cake baking industry?
I think it is a really exciting time for food in the UK; take a look at the Experimental Food Society of which I am a member. There are lots of young and creative people pushing boundaries in food. I think this is just the beginning and it’s going to get really fun.

What sparked off the idea of going against the conventional cutesy cupcake?
It was a backlash. I was accidentally thrust into the world of the ‘cupcake’ which was never my intention as a baker, and I found it saturated with style-over-substance, overly sweet cakes, iced in glitter and sprinkles and sold at inflated prices. I wanted to bring it back to quality and play with preconceptions of appearance, for example, baking things that were ugly to look at but using quality ingredients.

Photography courtesy of Cico Books

How did you come up with the ideas for the different recipes in your book?
It didn’t take much! I love horror and the macabre and I always had a fascination with things like insects and dark stories like Sweeney Todd. I just played around for a few hours and that was it.

On average, how long does it take you to perfect a recipe including the design?
Most of my recipes are works-in-progress that I have been developing for years. It starts with a flavour or an idea about a perfect cake – texture, smell, flavour, etc – and then I develop it from there. None of my recipes are ever finished. I’m always tweaking and improving things, or adding a new twist. I have one cake, it was the first one I developed, which I have been working on for years – it always gets better. It’s a very wintry cake so I’ll be making it again soon. I can’t wait!

How did you end up working with Paul Parker on the illustrations in your book?
I originally got in touch with an artist I really admire called Richard ‘French’ Sayer. He makes these very beautiful dark and twisted black and white drawings, we had a few meetings about the project and he loved the idea, but once we got started it turned out it wasn’t a perfect fit for the book so he recommended Paul and straight away he completely nailed it. Paul’s work is much more colourful and the comic book/graphic horror novel style was exactly what I wanted. Everything I described to him he produced perfectly. He’s really young and just getting started but I think he’s going to do great things!

Photography courtesy of Cico Books

Have you had any cake baking disasters?
I once made a sculpture of Nick Griffin’s head for an event called ‘ The British Internationalists Party’. I spent about eight hours on it but it died (due to structural issues). We used it anyway and it crowd surfed at a gig, completely deformed by then. People were biting chunks out of it on the sweaty dance floor and marzipan ears were flying around – it was all pretty crazy! The worst part of it was that I had to look at images of Nick Griffin for a full day.

What’s the best cupcake you’ve ever had?
Definitely the best cupcake I’ve ever had is my vanilla with passionfruit, coconut & toasted almond. It really is just the perfect cake – so light and fluffy with a slight chewy texture at the top and beautiful vanilla flavours with gentle creamy buttercream and the sharpness and flavour of the passionfruit balances any sweetness. I made it the perfect cupcake for me, so I definitely say that’s the best one I’ve had…

Who do you most admire in the cake baking industry and why?
There are some really talented cake sculptors, such as Michelle Wibowo and Louise from Love to Cake, but the really exciting people for me in food are people like Bompas & Parr who bring art and science into food creation and push boundaries with everything they do.

What’s next for Lily Vanilli?
I’m launching at Harrods at the moment! This is a huge step for me as they are my first supplier. We will keep it seasonal and creative with new flavours each month. This month sees a special ‘Bonfire night’ cupcake. It’s a warm, wintery spiced cake, with a light lemon frosting and a popping candy chocolate disk with caremelised biscuit. It explodes in your mouth and tastes delicious! I think it’s a real sign of progress for foods in the UK that one of the worlds most visited and prestigious food halls would take a chance on an artisan baker from East London… I’m very excited!

Lily’s new book ‘A Zombie Ate My Cupcake!’ is published by Cico Books and can be purchased here.

Written by Kat Phan on Monday November 8th, 2010 12:52 am

Categories ,A Zombie Ate My Cupcake, ,Bompas & Parr, ,Downing Street, ,Elton John, ,Experimental Food Society, ,Harrods, ,Hello Kitty, ,Henry Holland, ,Kat Phan, ,Levi’s, ,Lily Jones, ,Lily Vanilli, ,Michelle Wibowo, ,Nick Griffin, ,Paul Parker, ,Richard ‘French’ Sayer, ,Saatchi Gallery, ,Sadie Frost, ,Sweeney Todd, ,The Courvoisier Future 500, ,The Observer Magazine, ,The Sunday Times

Amelia’s Magazine | An interview with cake designer and alternative baker Lily Vanilli, a.k.a. Lily Jones

Photography courtesy of Michael Clements

Turning the cupcake business on its head, Lily’s delicious cakes are the antithesis of the conventional, cutesy cupcake with their unusual and macabre themes. Her fabulous creations are essentially mini edible sculptures (e.g marzipan beetles, morbid meringue bones, etc), an aesthetic delight, which are all crafted by hand in Lily’s kitchen in East London. This, combined with unusual ingredients such as bacon and avocado and a killer melt-in-the mouth sponge recipe, makes for a thrilling culinary experience. Speaking as a dessert fiend and as someone who has sampled Lily’s gourmet cakes, I have never been happier to move over to the dark side of cake!

Photography courtesy of Cico Books

Lily’s new book ‘A Zombie Ate My Cupcake!’ is published by Cico Books and can be purchased here.

Written by Kat Phan on Monday November 8th, 2010 12:52 am

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