Katrina Conquista – AmeliasMagazine

Amelia’s Magazine | The 3rd Annual Fashioning the Future Awards

Caryn Franklin hosting the ceremony, by Antonia Parker

The third annual Fashioning the Future Awards took place last Thursday, where guests from the world of fashion, business and sustainable living came together to celebrate international sustainable fashion talent. Supported by the United Nations, the awards promote students who produce fashion with conscience.

The setting for this glamorous occasion – the East Wintergarden, part of the Canary Wharf complex – seemed a little unusual in the wake of the current financial crisis, and it’s not the first destination I’d think of if I wanted to host a conscious do. But, I was to learn, that Canary Wharf are committed to environmental issues. The Canary Wharf Group is, in fact, one of the country’s top ‘green’ companies.

Two of the finalists’ work by Joana Faria

Inside the venue, a load of wooden cogs had been dotted around the room, on which frozen models posed for the duration of the evening. Large zoetropes descended from the ceiling, requiring manmade kinetic power to operate that involved guests turning winches in order for them to animate. Drinks flowed and there was no obvious stage or focal point, creating a strange but enjoyable atmosphere that allowed guests to freely mingle amongst the spools and lights.

All photography by Matt Bramford

Circular tubes also hung from the celing, a little lower than average height, in which guests could stand, head fully immersed inside, and listen to interviews with the shortlisted nominees while looking a little silly. It all made for good fun and took the sometimes stifling atmosphere of these kind of events quickly away.

The ceremony itself was delayed in the hope that the members of the celebrity judging panel who could make it (Erin O’Connor and Lucy Siegle had already pulled out for unspecified reasons) would eventually show up. It was repeatedly announced that Jo Wood and BFC chairman Harold Tillman were, together, stuck in traffic. Eventually the producers of the awards gave up and the show commenced, glamourously hosted by fashion protagonist Caryn Franklin. The lights dimmed and Caryn took her place in the centre of the room under one of the zoetropes. Guests were invited to sit, anywhere, or stand to view the ceremony.

Jo Wood and Harold Tillman stuck in traffic by Gareth A Hopkins

Five awards were presented across a diverse range of subjects, including design and innovation, under this year’s theme: Biodiversity.

One of the finalists’ work by Jaymie O Callaghan

Unique Balance
Sara Emilie Terp Hansen scooped the coveted prize for Unique Balance with her intriguing and aesthetically brilliant collection made from cork. The judges said Sara Emilie had ‘found an opportunity to utilise an unexpected material in a fashion context, allowing nature to dictate design.’ It was quite the striking collection and Sara, one of the only recipients to collect her award in person, looked heartwarmingly shocked to receive the award.

One of the finalists’ work by Justyna Sowa

Unique Materials and Processes
The second award, for Unique Materials and Processes, was due to be presented by the aforementioned Jo Wood. Guests still hoped she would leg it in last minute and snatch the mic, but still no joy. Massive props must go to Alex McIntosh from the Centre for Sustainable Fashion who took to the stage (metaphorically speaking as there wasn’t one, of course) and presented also absent Evelyn Lebis‘ wearable light collection with the award.

One of the finalists’ work by Katrina Conquista

Unique Enterprise
Australian Alice Payne scooped the Enterprise award for her conceptual approach to business. ‘Think Lifecycle’ is a sort of social media platform for big companies, allowing them to harness environmental sustainability across the entire business. No, I didn’t completely understand it either, but I did like her spider diagrams.

Unique Design
LCF graduate Lara Torres picked up the award for Unique Design. Professor Frances Corner OBE, head of the LCF, said ‘ironically the design category was the hardest to judge; it’s very hard not to fixate on the idea that the winning entry has to be a perfectly realised garment’. In fact, it wasn’t – Lara’s entry examined the role of the fashion designer in modern society and the relationship we have with the clothing we wear.

The Body Shop One to Watch Award
The final award, presented by Ann Massal, International Brand Director of The Body Shop, went to Ashley Brock, who had flown all the way from the USA for the occasion. Eek. It was a sort of all-encompassing award for the prize student who hadn’t been acknowledged in the other categories. Ashley’s collection showed how ‘seemingly obsolete garments can be re-purposed’.

Erin O’ Connor realxing in the shower and Jo Wood stuck in traffic by Antonia Parker

And so the awards were wrapped up with a brief catwalk show where models stood up from their spools, sashayed around the room and then formed an imposing group under the centre spotlight. Still no sign of Jo Wood or Harold Tillman. It was a marvellous ceremony – genuinely unique – and a celebration of wearable sustainable fashion. I did wonder if it was entirely appropriate that these two were sitting in a car somewhere when they were supposed to be part of an environmentally-aware event (why they didn’t just get out of their bloody cars and get on the bloody tube is beyond me) but infact it didn’t matter; it made the evening entirely about the fashion, the winners, and the real message.

Written by Matt Bramford on Wednesday November 16th, 2011 10:07 am

Categories ,Alex McIntosh, ,Alice Payne, ,Ann Massal, ,Antonia Parker, ,BFC, ,Biodiversity, ,Canary Wharf, ,Caryn Franklin, ,Centre for Sustainable Fashion, ,Ceremony, ,East Wintergarden, ,Enterprise, ,environmental, ,Erin O’ Connor, ,ethical, ,Evelyn Lebis, ,fashion, ,Fashion the Future Awards, ,Frances Corner OBE, ,Gareth A Hopkins, ,green, ,Harold Tillman, ,Jaymie O’Callaghan, ,Jo Wood, ,Joana Faria, ,Justyna Sowa, ,Katrina Conquista, ,Lara Torres, ,LCF, ,London College of Fashion, ,Lucy Siegle, ,Matt Bramford, ,Sara Emilie Terp Hansen, ,The Body Shop, ,unique, ,united nations, ,Womenswear, ,Zoetropes

Amelia’s Magazine | Lush Christmas Gifts: 2011 Product Review

lush-christmas-products-by-katrina-conquista
Lush Christmas products by Katrina Conquista.

Lush prides itself on in-house inventions such as the solid shampoo bar and the shower jelly – and Lush inventors like to have particular fun at Christmas. They provide products that make great gift baskets for women or even stocking stuffers. Here’s a round up of the most exciting new products coming out of Lush land in time for a bit of festive bath time fun:

LUSH Cosmetics by Barb Royal
LUSH Chilli Tingle lip tint by Barb Royal. Inspired by a trip to Mexico, this lip balm is guaranteed to give you hot lips in cold weather.

Lip Scrub by Estelle Morris. Perfect for potential under-the-mistletoe snogging action.

Lush Golden Wonder
The Golden Wonder bath ballistic bears no relation to the well known crisp brand but instead looks like a miniature golden gift, and it’s even better in the water – as the bomb dissolves it sends out a shower of golden stars and the water turns blue. All this is accompanied by the sweet scents of sweet orange, cognac and lime. Bring on the party season!

LUSH-Christmas---Amelia's-Magazine---Janneke-de-Jong
LUSH Christmas by Janneke de Jong.

Northern Lights soap Lush
The Northern Lights soap is reminiscent of the phenomenon in the sky, infused with the scents of a Nordic forest and shimmering in transparent stripes.

Magic Wand by Estelle Morris. Lay back, relax, and dabble your wand in the bath to produce the perfect amount of bubbles.

Lush buche de noel
The Buche de Noel is a ‘cleansing roll’ that looks suspiciously like a giant slab of sushi, fitting then that it includes a nourishing sheet of Nori seaweed as it’s wrap.

LUSH Bath by Barb Royal
LUSH Cinders Bath Bomb by Barb Royal. This Christmassy mix features popping candy for extra crackle when it hits the water.

The Jilted Elf shower jelly was inspired by a cocktail recipe from New York. It’s a zesty blend of grapefruit, vodka and ginger that should provide an uplifting start to the day.

glogg_lush
I’ve always been partial to a bit of traditional Glogg, the traditional mulled drink of Scandinavian countries. Put the familiar ingredients of orange, lemon, red wine, brandy, cinnamon and clove together and you’ve got another very special shower gel.

Lil Lush Pud by Estelle Morris. Another festive bath bomb with a big personality – scented with marzipan, lemon peel powder, clove powder, aloe vera extract and rose.

I’ve always admired the ethos of Lush, putting planetary care at the top of the agenda – both in terms of the way they create products (ingredients are always carefully sourced and solids are favoured because they use less preservatives and packaging) and also for the support they give grassroots environmental activists. In fact, I even did a talk to introduce Lush employees to Climate Rush a few years ago (you might be able to spot me in the video above). Why not give a bit of Lush this Christmas? It’s the perfect way to indulge someone whilst adding a bit back too.

LUSH Fresh Handmade Cosmetics by Barb Royal.

Lush Candy Cane soap.

Lush gingerbread_house
Lush Gingerbread House. It looks good enough to eat but this one is for the water only. With essence of ginger, blackcurrant and lemon.

Written by Amelia Gregory on Thursday December 8th, 2011 11:38 am

Categories ,Barb Royal, ,Bath Ballistics, ,Buche de Noel, ,Candy Cane, ,Chilli Tingle, ,Christmas, ,Cinders Bath Bomb, ,Cleansing Roll, ,Climate Rush, ,Estelle Morris, ,Gingerbread House, ,Glogg, ,Golden Wonder, ,Janneke de Jong, ,Jilted Elf, ,Katrina Conquista, ,Lil Lush Pud, ,Lip Scrub, ,lush, ,Magic Wand, ,Northern Lights, ,review, ,Shower Jelly, ,Soap

Amelia’s Magazine | Lush Christmas Gifts: 2011 Product Review

lush-christmas-products-by-katrina-conquista
Lush Christmas products by Katrina Conquista.

LUSH Cosmetics by Barb Royal
LUSH Chilli Tingle lip tint by Barb Royal. Inspired by a trip to Mexico, this lip balm is guaranteed to give you hot lips in cold weather.

Lip Scrub by Estelle Morris. Perfect for potential under-the-mistletoe snogging action.

LUSH-Christmas---Amelia's-Magazine---Janneke-de-Jong
LUSH Christmas by Janneke de Jong.

Northern Lights soap Lush
The Northern Lights soap is reminiscent of the phenomenon in the sky, infused with the scents of a Nordic forest and shimmering in transparent stripes.

Magic Wand by Estelle Morris. Lay back, relax, and dabble your wand in the bath to produce the perfect amount of bubbles.

LUSH Bath by Barb Royal
LUSH Cinders Bath Bomb by Barb Royal. This Christmassy mix features popping candy for extra crackle when it hits the water.

The Jilted Elf shower jelly was inspired by a cocktail recipe from New York. It’s a zesty blend of grapefruit, vodka and ginger that should provide an uplifting start to the day.

Lil Lush Pud by Estelle Morris. Another festive bath bomb with a big personality – scented with marzipan, lemon peel powder, clove powder, aloe vera extract and rose.

LUSH Fresh Handmade Cosmetics by Barb Royal.

Lush Candy Cane soap.

Lush gingerbread_house
Lush Gingerbread House. It looks good enough to eat but this one is for the water only. With essence of ginger, blackcurrant and lemon.

Written by Amelia Gregory on Thursday December 8th, 2011 11:38 am

Amelia’s Magazine | Dance Review: 2FacedDance presents In The Dust at The Place, London

2FacedDance by Katrina Conquista.

It’s only in the past few years that I have acquired an interest in contemporary dance, a fact I put down to my boyfriend’s refined cultural tastes. So when The Place invited me to the latest instalment of 2FacedDance I jumped at the chance.

2FacedDance tom dale
The evening comprised of three very different dance pieces by different choreographers, performed by the same troupe of dancers, who must surely have been absolutely exhausted by the end. The first piece by Tom Dale – named Subterrania utilised the whole company and was by far my favourite piece. Against a backdrop of music by dubstep pioneer Shackleton the men (for they were all men) by turns shuffled and leapt across the stage like latter day urchins – in faded dandy jackets and dress shirts. The choreography effectively combined elements of many dance styles, including break dancing and capoeira, with the dancers climbing on top of each other, dismantling into formations and recombining for a grand finale dance off. I could watch this dance over and over again.

Next up was a piece that may or may not have been sponsored by the Olympics… Freddie Opuku-Addaie‘s Politicking Oath was a humorous piece that saw the three dancers by turns goading, competing against and helping each other as they explored the psyche of professional sport. It featured the clever use of sports related moves and included the use of some strange props, including an alarm clock and a pig’s head mask.

In-The-Dust-2-faced-dance-1
The In the Dust of the title was the final piece, by Tamsin Fitzgerald. I hadn’t really thought about it beforehand, but yes, there was a lot of dust involved. Sitting in the front row I struggled to keep a clear throat, so god knows how the dancers managed, as they bounced up and down in great clouds of what I presume was chalk dust. The emotion of loss was writ large in the evocative moves of the dancers.

Many of the dancers with 2FacedDance have trained extensively in different forms of dance, as well as touring with pop stars on the commercial backing dancer circuit, and their expertise certainly shows. But throughout the performances it was by one dancer in particular that I remained transfixed – the tiny powerhouse that is Hugh Stanier. With ginger dreads flying, he embodied his dance moves in a way that was totally hypnotic.

Written by Amelia Gregory on Saturday November 12th, 2011 2:33 pm

Categories ,2FacedDance, ,Break dancing, ,Capoeira, ,Contemporary Dance, ,dance, ,Freddie Opuku-Addaie, ,Hugh Stanier, ,In the Dust, ,Katrina Conquista, ,london, ,Olympics, ,Politicking Oath, ,review, ,Shackleton, ,Subterrania, ,Tamsin Fitzgerald, ,The Place, ,Tom Dale

Amelia’s Magazine | Fashion on Film: L’Amour Fou

Yves Saint Laurent by Krister Selin

The relationship between a fashion designer and his business manager-cum-lover isn’t a new concept to cinema. Anybody who has seen Valentino: The Last Emperor will have already witnessed the trials and tribulations when two men – one a rare, creative genius, the other a businessman, have to work together on a daily basis for fifty consecutive years.

Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Berge by Karolina Burdon

L’Amour Fou is a little different, however. For starters, where The Last Emperor was a celebration of Valentino‘s illustrious career, L’Amour Fou doubles as a celebration of Yves Saint Laurent‘s life. This film is more of a romantic tribute to the designer through the eyes of his partner, Pierre Berge.

Yves Saint Laurent A/W 1965 – the ‘Mondrian‘ dress – by Cruz

From the opening credits, I was hooked. An homage to Yves‘ ‘Love‘ cards that he designed and produced for staff (many on display at the Majorelle Gardens, Marrakech), flashes of colour and geometric shapes flood the screen. I saw the film at the ICA, and its diminutive cinema with old fashion red velour seats and dusty projector make the experience even more apt.

Yves Saint Laurent at his final show by Mitika Chohan

When the title sequence has rolled, we see Yves at a press conference declaring his resignation, juxtaposed with Berge‘s touching eulogy at Saint Laurent‘s funeral. We’re only about 6 minutes into the film here, and already I’m in pieces.

Yves Saint Laurent at Dior by Cruz

The film features archival footage of Yves Saint Laurent, from his days at Dior through to his greatest collections during the 1970s and 1980s, pieced together by Pierre‘s narration. The film skips between Yves Saint Laurent the fashion designer, Yves Saint Laurent the art collector, and Yves Saint Laurent the tempestuous lover. The film culminates with the dramatic, poignant and record-breaking art auction of 2009 in which Yves and Pierre‘s entire art collection was auctioned for AIDS charities.

Yves Saint Laurent Wedding Dress S/S 1999 by Janneke de Jong

The film explores the early relationship between the pair – they met at Christian Dior‘s funeral and it was pretty much love at first sight. You can tell by how Pierre talks about Yves that this was not an easy relationship. Yves‘ crippling depression, substance abuse, morbid insecurities and changeable state of mind have taken their toll on ol’ Berge. But through all this, a glint in his eyes remains, as his relates countless stories about one of the world’s greatest, creative men.

Yves Saint Laurent for Zizi Jeanmaire by Joana Faria

Amidst the drama of the relationship, fashion fans won’t be disappointed. The film features never-before-seen photographs of Yves at Dior, adjusting hemlines and admiring his creations on models. There’s film footage of his most celebrated collections, from bridal wear to Russian-inspired collections in the mid-seventies. We see Zizi Jeanmaire dancing in one of Yves’ most spectacular creations made of feathers.

Opium advert (1977) by Katrina Conquista

Wondrous footage of the original Opium ad is one of the film’s many highlights – and Berge describes how controversial this was; not so much the advert but the name (the controversial adverts would follow, with Sophie Dahl naked and spread eagle for Opium and the first ever fully naked man in a print advertisement for M7). The irony, as Berge describes, was that Yves selected a name with a narcotic reference, when it would be alcohol and drugs that would almost destroy their relationship. Berge talks about this at length, and how Yves would only ever be happy moments after a show; Berge would have to wait another six months to witness that same level of happiness.

Opium advert (2000) featuring a naked Sophie Dahl by Katrina Conquista

But it is the couple’s love of art that dominates this film. After Yves‘ death, Berge decided to sell the collection that they had tirelessly put together over twenty years. Why? Because, after Yves‘ death, ‘the collection had lost the greater part of its significance.’ There are less sombre anecdotes in the film: ‘When Yves designed the Mondrian dress, we never dreamt that one day we would own one,’ Berge says with a smile.

Yves Saint Laurent A/W 1965 – the ‘Mondrian‘ dress – by Mitika Chohan

And so at the end of the film, during the auction, we see Pierre sitting backstage clapping his hands and marvelling at the record-breaking sales prices. Finally, he’s the last to leave the auction and we see him walking down the stairs of the Grand Palais. It’s a poignant ending to a pretty poignant film, and there’s something a bit sinister about it that I couldn’t really put my finger on – the endless shots of empty rooms? Christies‘ employees, the ‘undertakers of art’, boxing up paintings? Berge‘s willingness to openly discuss every facet of Yves’ personality, at the risk of seeming a little bitter? I’m not sure. But I loved it, nonetheless. It’s a sombre tribute, but a colourful one.

Written by Matt Bramford on Monday November 21st, 2011 6:47 pm

Categories ,AIDS, ,art, ,Christian Dior, ,Cruz, ,Dior, ,fashion, ,film, ,france, ,ica, ,illustration, ,Janneke de Jong, ,Joana Faria, ,Karolina Burdon, ,Katrina Conquista, ,Krister Selin, ,L’Amour Fou, ,M7, ,Majorelle Gardens, ,Marrakech, ,Mondrian, ,Opium, ,paris, ,Pierre Berge, ,Pierre Thoretton, ,review, ,Russia!, ,The Last Emperor, ,Valentino, ,Yves Saint Laurent, ,Zizi Jeanmaire

Amelia’s Magazine | Fashion on Film: L’Amour Fou

Yves Saint Laurent by Krister Selin

Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Berge by Karolina Burdon

Yves Saint Laurent A/W 1965 – the ‘Mondrian‘ dress – by Cruz

Yves Saint Laurent at his final show by Mitika Chohan

Yves Saint Laurent at Dior by Cruz

Yves Saint Laurent Wedding Dress S/S 1999 by Janneke de Jong

Yves Saint Laurent for Zizi Jeanmaire by Joana Faria

Opium advert (1977) by Katrina Conquista

Opium advert (2000) featuring a naked Sophie Dahl by Katrina Conquista

Yves Saint Laurent A/W 1965 – the ‘Mondrian‘ dress – by Mitika Chohan

Written by Matt Bramford on Monday November 21st, 2011 6:47 pm

Amelia’s Magazine | The 3rd Annual Fashioning the Future Awards

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