Amelia’s Magazine | An interview with fashion designer Ramil Makinano


Ramil Makinano‘s Graduate Collection illustrated by Milly Jackson

I first saw the weird and wonderful work of Ramil Makinano at the Toni&Guy Hair Show during London Fashion Week last month. The show, which I very much enjoyed, was all about hair as you can imagine; the clothes were selected to compliment the hairstyles and were pretty basic. That is, except for the final pieces. Vibrant colours and odd shapes flooded the runway, and as a result of my review, Ramil got in touch to introduce himself. I couldn’t wait to find out more about this unique designer.

I met Ramil on a chilly Monday evening at Bar Music Hall in Shoreditch. It had been hard to pin him down, and I was about to find out why. Born and raised in the Philippines, Ramil moved to London fifteen years ago on a nursing scholarship with the NHS, despite being thoroughly passionate about fashion from an early age. ‘It was a good way to move away,’ Ramil told me as we took a seat with our beers. ‘I was interviewed in Manilla, and was one of the first few people to be brought over by the NHS.’ Ramil’s passion for nursing and inevitable need to fund his collections still see him working at St Thomas’ Hospital at weekends.


Ramil Makinano‘s Graduate Collection illustrated by Maria del Carmen Smith

After 8 years working as a nurse after qualifying in London, Ramil decided to return to his desire to become a fashion designer and had naturally heard of the world’s most famous fashion school – Central Saint Martins. By this time Ramil had obtained British citizenship and secured a place on the foundation course, professing to the degree specialising in print.

It was whilst studying at Saint Martins on a sandwich course that Ramil undertook placements with some of fashion’s greatest talent, experiences that he remembers very fondly. Internships at Matthew Williamson, Elisa Palomino and Diane Von Furstenberg allowed Ramil to fully explore his penchant for print. As I rub my hands together hoping for some juice on these fashion figures, I’m only slightly disappointed when Ramil has nothing but great things to say about the designers. He tells me a story about Von Furstenberg calling all the interns to the rooftop apartment of her 14th Street studios for lunch. ‘We were just sitting there, having lunch, on the roof, with Diane Von Furstenberg. It was INCREDIBLE!’ he exclaims. He attributes his successes whilst studying to course lecturer Natalie Gibson. ‘I owe her so much,’ he tells me, ‘she’s an incredible woman.’


Ramil Makinano‘s Graduate Collection illustrated by Estelle Morris

We move on to talk about Ramil’s breathtaking final collection that I saw at the Toni&Guyshow and that he presented during the CSM presentations in the summer. He digs out his portfolio and comes across a little nervous when talking me through it. ‘I feel like it’s a job interview!’ says Ramil. I feel like Diane Von Furstenberg for a mere moment, and I’m not complaining. Ramil’s inspiration for his collection came from two disparate sources – Medieval armour and Margaret Thatcher. Well, not that disparate when you consider satirical cartoons of the Iron Lady in Medieval garb, I suppose.


Pages from Ramil Makinano’s sketchbooks

His obsession with colour, texture and the aesthetic properties of materials is all over this collection. It’s fascinating to see where a designer started with their research and where they finished; where the collection has come from. Ramil leafs through page after page of design inspiration; vibrant patterns, sketches of Thatcher, photocopies of Medieval source material, grabs from movies like 2001: A Space Odyssey and Star Wars. His journey began at the Tower of London, and it is the armoury he saw there, with its bold silhouettes and sense of purpose that inspired Ramil so much. Throw in a powerful woman like Thatcher and you’ve got a seriously ambitious collection on your hands. ‘I didn’t want it to be serious, though,’ Ramil informs me. ‘I wanted to keep it playful; to be fun.’ Even the hardest-nosed critics would have trouble not finding any fun in this set of outfits.

Shapes in the collection are visibly inspired by the curves and sculpture of armoury, constructed from neoprene using techniques Ramil created himself. These are presented in a variety of bold colours, and the ensembles feature playful, almost childlike, prints of rockets and spaceships. It wasn’t a easy task by any means. ‘I had to make at least 8 toilles per garment,’ Ramil explains. ‘I am always seeking perfection.’ We discuss the surge in digital printing. ‘I do like digital prints, but I prefer traditional methods. I spent hours in the studio matching colours, testing colours – I like the interaction between fabrics and dyes that you don’t get with digital methods. I spent my whole student life in the print room, but I have no regrets. It’s not glamorous either, it’s dirty work!’


Ramil Makinano‘s Graduate Collection illustrated by Milly Jackson

So who does he admire? ‘Matthew [Williamson] and Diane [Von Furstenberg] especially – people who are successful in fashion but have their feet firmly on the ground.’ He also likes labels that continue to employ traditional methods – only Eley Kishimoto and Zandra Rhodes, he believes. What else does he get up to? It’s a pretty packed week, researching Monday to Friday and nursing at the weekends. ‘I love London galleries!’ he tells me, ‘because there’s so much to see. The Design Museum, the V&A, the National Gallery – they are all so wonderful.’ He try to persuade me to get a National Trust membership, one of his favoured possessions.


Pages from Ramil Makinano’s sketchbooks

He tells me he’s a ‘child of the MTV era’ and finds much inspiration in the graphics of music videos. It was an MTV show, House of Style, and Style with Elsa Klensch, that are amongst his earliest fashion memories. He tells me ‘I used to fight with my brother all the time because Elsa Klensch‘s show was on at the same time as American Basketball!’

So what’s next for Ramil? He’s currently researching his next collection – A/W 2012 – which promises to be ‘something completely different.’ It will most likely be print-based, but that’s all Ramil can tell me at this stage. One thing he is certain on is that he’s staying put here in London, and currently applying to various fashion bodies in the hope of a debut solo show during fashion week next September. I look forward to seeing his name on the schedule.

Photographs courtesy of Ramil Makinano

Categories ,2001 A Space Odyssey, ,A/W 2012, ,American Basketball, ,Armour, ,Armoury, ,Bar Music Hall, ,catwalk, ,Central Saint Martins, ,CSM, ,Design Museum, ,Diane Von Furstenberg, ,Eley Kishimoto, ,Elisa Palomino, ,Elsa Klensch, ,Estelle Morris, ,fashion, ,House of Style, ,interview, ,Iron Lady, ,London Fashion Week, ,margaret thatcher, ,Maria del Carmen Smith, ,Matt Bramford, ,Matthew Williamson, ,medieval, ,Milly Jackson, ,MTV, ,Natalie Gibson, ,National gallery, ,National Trust, ,NHS, ,print, ,Ramil Makinano, ,shoreditch, ,Star Wars, ,textiles, ,Toni&Guy, ,Tower of London, ,va, ,Womenswear, ,Zandra Rhodes

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Amelia’s Magazine | Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2011 – From The Dark Hills Preview

From The Dark Hills

With a hugely entertaining cast, decease an emotional finale, help an increasingly relevant message in light of recent unrest under the Conservative government and a ground-breaking fresh writing talent, From The Dark Hills is a definite ‘must-see’ of this summer’s Fringe.

Dean Poulter, 21 year old drama student at Queen Mary University of London, astonished crowds at the Queen Mary Theatre Company‘s New Writers festival in March when he emerged with his work From The Dark Hills.

From the Dark Hills by Stephanie Kubo
The cast of From The Dark Hills by Stephanie Kubo

Combining a contemporary interpretation of the commedia dell’arte form (an age-old Italian genre, defined by stereotypes masked in make-up using humorous theatrics) with a pressing plot and underlying message, it’s a production that has had spectators both laughing and crying. Along with characters self-narrating as they go and each of the five cast members playing a minimum of five characters that range from spirited young bucks to little old widows, it all sounds pretty exhausting, right? I thought so too. But once you begin watching this highly talented cast bring it to life, you won’t want Ashington’s tale of strife and spirit to end.

From The Dark Hills - by Joseph Turvey
Leif Halverson as Jack Dunn by Joseph Turvey

The play is set in Ashington in 1984 and follows the lives of this northern mining town’s working class, during their struggles against industrial strikes and social unrest under the notorious reign of Margaret Thatcher.

It all seems highly appropriate with the recent riots and disorder we’ve experienced across the UK. Dean commented – “I think that if you want to reflect on Thatcher’s politics and leadership in the eighties, you would do well to consider the current political state of our country,” he said. “That is why our play is completely relevant right now.”

Dean described how The Corn Exchange theatre company based in Dublin were the main inspiration for the unique styles of writing and acting. “The works of Michael West, who writes a lot for the Corn Exchange, inspired the text and his works helped me shape a lot of the sentences, the self-narration of characters and the structure of the piece as a whole,” he stated.

Rosa Postlethwaite as Helen Douglas by Gemma Sheldrake
Rosa Postlethwaite as Helen Douglas by Gemma Sheldrake

Henry Bishop, Leif Halverson, Hannah Murphy, Rosa Postlethwaite and Tamsin Vincent make up the remarkable cast that will take to the stage at theSpace @ Venue 45 for six nights over the next two weeks.

“The play was so well received when it was first performed,” said Dean, “It’s playful, funny and entertaining but above all it has an important message. So many little communities and towns are struggling today and we are doing our bit to give them a voice.”

Leif Halverson and Rosa Postlethwaite - From The Dark Hills
Tamsin Vincent - From The Dark Hills
Hannah Murphy in From The Dark Hills
All photography by Pawel Blanda

From The Dark Hills demonstrates fast-moving clever comedy at every twist and turn, whilst the characters still snap you back into their tragic reality. It conveys the surprising power of community spirit in Ashington’s response to the effects of the last Conservative government, a plot that sharply aligns with the so-called ‘best and worst’ that we have seen in this, our country, in recent days, and finishes on a thought-provoking message that you will certainly walk away with, after the curtain drops. A definite ?????.

Queen Mary Theatre Company are putting on 4 productions in total within the next fortnight at Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

You can view the full listing for From The Dark Hills here and book tickets here.

Follow From The Dark Hills on Facebook and Twitter.

Categories ,Conservatives, ,Dean Poulter, ,Dublin Corn Exchange, ,Edinburgh Fringe, ,edinburgh fringe festival, ,From The Dark Hills, ,Gemma Sheldrake, ,Hannah Murphy, ,Henry Bishop, ,Joseph Turvey, ,Leif Halverson, ,margaret thatcher, ,Pawel Blanda, ,Riots, ,Rosa Postlethwaite, ,Stephanie Kubo, ,Tamsin Vincent, ,Tragedy

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