Amelia’s Magazine | London Fashion Week A/W 2011: Illustrator Gareth does Menswear Day!

Jayne Pierson A/W 2011 by Ellie Sutton
Jayne Pierson A/W 2011 by Ellie Sutton.

For Jayne Pierson I raced into town alone – yet another early morning show for which we only had one ticket, treat enticingly printed on pearly lilac-y grey paper. This despite a very nice mention of our support in the accompanying press release – thankyou! We did in fact catch up with Jayne just prior to her show, and you can read the interview here. The pearly lilac invite and goodie bag were not, however, an indicator of a colourful show but rather the favoured shade of lipstick. Kingdom of Shadows began on a black note and carried on in the same vein, broken up only by a curious grey and beige striped taffeta that is something of a Pierson signature but would not have looked out of place on curtains or a sofa in a certain type of house.

Jayne Pierson Kingdom of Shadows by Kerri-Ann Hulme
Jayne Pierson’s Kingdom of Shadows by Kerri-Ann Hulme.

Jayne Pierson formerly worked in the music business and this show felt deeply imbued with the remnants of an 80s rock sensibility. A gothic Victorian kind of rock, with swaggering shoulders and bunched bustle skirts. The models sported messy up dos, pallid faces with lilac lips and pin sharp shapely heels. Black tailored jackets featured inset patent fabric shoulders and cuffs, leather minidresses cowl-necked atop rubberised leggings. The sudden introduction of striped silk was balanced with patent detailing on collar, waist and cuffs – a jaunty pillbox hat set askance. Devore lacy velvet also made an appearance, not to mention a terribly racy see through crop top and leggings. I particularly liked the large but lightly draped silver jewellery by Fiona Paxton, who fuses Indian artisanship with a British punk sensibility and Bauhaus design. A corseted jumpsuit that hit the catwalk in a tipsy fashion was less desirable: the poor dresser must have got a shafting but I blame the model’s lack of boobs. What’s the point of a shaped bodice if there’s nothing to put in them?

Jayne took her bow on the catwalk accompanied by her celebrity model – which no one knew. I had to check in with the PR to find out who she was but I can’t for the life of me remember – apparently a Welsh singer of some description.

If I’m honest I’m not entirely sure what to make of this collection – there were some nice ideas – especially the strong shoulders and nipped in waists that recalled my fondest decade, the 80s – but it didn’t exactly blow me away. And yet again there was all that pesky black, which will never ever be my favourite fashion colour. But I did really love the jewellery – I’d love myself a bit of that I would.
Jayne Pierson A/W 2011 by Ellie Sutton
Jayne Pierson A/W 2011 by Ellie Sutton.

For Jayne Pierson I raced into town alone – yet another early morning show for which we only had one ticket, cialis 40mg enticingly printed on pearly lilac-y grey paper. This despite a very nice mention of our support in the accompanying press release – thankyou! We did in fact catch up with Jayne just prior to her show, viagra order and you can read the interview here. The pearly lilac invite and goodie bag were not, however, an indicator of a colourful show but rather the favoured shade of lipstick. Kingdom of Shadows began on a black note and carried on in the same vein, broken up only by a curious grey and beige striped taffeta that is something of a Pierson signature but would not have looked out of place on curtains or a sofa in a certain type of house.

Jayne Pierson Kingdom of Shadows by Kerri-Ann Hulme
Jayne Pierson’s Kingdom of Shadows by Kerri-Ann Hulme.

Jayne Pierson formerly worked in the music business and this show felt deeply imbued with the remnants of an 80s rock sensibility. A gothic Victorian kind of rock, with swaggering shoulders and bunched bustle skirts. The models sported messy up dos, pallid faces with lilac lips and pin sharp shapely heels. Black tailored jackets featured inset patent fabric shoulders and cuffs, leather minidresses cowl-necked atop rubberised leggings. The sudden introduction of striped silk was balanced with patent detailing on collar, waist and cuffs – a jaunty pillbox hat set askance. Devore lacy velvet also made an appearance, not to mention a terribly racy see through crop top and leggings. I particularly liked the large but lightly draped silver jewellery by Fiona Paxton, who fuses Indian artisanship with a British punk sensibility and Bauhaus design. A corseted jumpsuit that hit the catwalk in a tipsy fashion was less desirable: the poor dresser must have got a shafting but I blame the model’s lack of boobs. What’s the point of a shaped bodice if there’s nothing to put in them?

Jayne took her bow on the catwalk accompanied by her celebrity model – which no one knew. I had to check in with the PR to find out who she was but I can’t for the life of me remember – apparently a Welsh singer of some description.

If I’m honest I’m not entirely sure what to make of this collection – there were some nice ideas – especially the strong shoulders and nipped in waists that recalled my fondest decade, the 80s – but it didn’t exactly blow me away. And yet again there was all that pesky black, which will never ever be my favourite fashion colour. But I did really love the jewellery – I’d love myself a bit of that I would.
Jayne Pierson A/W 2011 by Ellie Sutton
Jayne Pierson A/W 2011 by Ellie Sutton.

For Jayne Pierson I raced into town alone – yet another early morning show for which we only had one ticket, clinic enticingly printed on pearly lilac-y grey paper. This despite a very nice mention of our support in the accompanying press release – thankyou! We did in fact catch up with Jayne just prior to her show, buy more about and you can read the interview here. The pearly lilac invite and goodie bag were not, however, an indicator of a colourful show but rather the favoured shade of lipstick. Kingdom of Shadows began on a black note and carried on in the same vein, broken up only by a curious grey and beige striped taffeta that is something of a Pierson signature but would not have looked out of place on curtains or a sofa in a certain type of house.

Jayne Pierson Kingdom of Shadows by Kerri-Ann Hulme
Jayne Pierson’s Kingdom of Shadows by Kerri-Ann Hulme.

Jayne Pierson formerly worked in the music business and this show felt deeply imbued with the remnants of an 80s rock sensibility. A gothic Victorian kind of rock, with swaggering shoulders and bunched bustle skirts. The models sported messy up dos, pallid faces with lilac lips and pin sharp shapely heels. Black tailored jackets featured inset patent fabric shoulders and cuffs, leather minidresses cowl-necked atop rubberised leggings. The sudden introduction of striped silk was balanced with patent detailing on collar, waist and cuffs – a jaunty pillbox hat set askance. Devore lacy velvet also made an appearance, not to mention a terribly racy see through crop top and leggings. I particularly liked the large but lightly draped silver jewellery by Fiona Paxton, who fuses Indian artisanship with a British punk sensibility and Bauhaus design. A corseted jumpsuit that hit the catwalk in a tipsy fashion was less desirable: the poor dresser must have got a shafting but I blame the model’s lack of boobs. What’s the point of a shaped bodice if there’s nothing to put in them?

Jayne took her bow on the catwalk accompanied by her celebrity model – which no one knew. I had to check in with the PR to find out who she was but I can’t for the life of me remember – apparently a Welsh singer of some description.

If I’m honest I’m not entirely sure what to make of this collection – there were some nice ideas – especially the strong shoulders and nipped in waists that recalled my fondest decade, the 80s – but it didn’t exactly blow me away. And yet again there was all that pesky black, which will never ever be my favourite fashion colour. But I did really love the jewellery – I’d love myself a bit of that I would.
Jayne Pierson A/W 2011 by Ellie Sutton
Jayne Pierson A/W 2011 by Ellie Sutton.

For Jayne Pierson I raced into town alone – yet another early morning show for which we only had one ticket, remedy enticingly printed on pearly lilac paper. This despite a very nice mention of our support in the accompanying press release – thankyou whoever thought to mention us, clinic it’s appreciated! We did in fact catch up with Jayne just prior to her show, and you can read the interview here. The lilac invite and goodie bag were not, however, an indicator of a colourful show but rather the favoured shade of lipstick. Kingdom of Shadows began on a black note and carried on in the same vein, broken up only by a curious grey and beige striped taffeta that is something of a Pierson signature but would not have looked out of place on curtains or a sofa in a certain type of house.

Jayne Pierson Kingdom of Shadows by Kerri-Ann Hulme
Jayne Pierson’s Kingdom of Shadows by Kerri-Ann Hulme.

Jayne Pierson formerly worked in the music business and this show felt deeply imbued with the remnants of an 80s rock sensibility. A gothic Victorian kind of rock, with swaggering shoulders and bunched bustle skirts. The models sported messy up dos, pallid faces with lilac lips and pin sharp shapely heels. Black tailored jackets featured inset patent fabric shoulders and cuffs, leather minidresses cowl-necked atop rubberised leggings. The sudden introduction of striped silk was balanced with patent detailing on collar, waist and cuffs – a jaunty pillbox hat set askance. Devore lacy velvet also made an appearance, not to mention a terribly racy see through crop top and leggings. I particularly liked the large but lightly draped silver jewellery by Fiona Paxton, who fuses Indian artisanship with a British punk sensibility and Bauhaus design. A corseted jumpsuit that hit the catwalk in a tipsy fashion was less desirable: the poor dresser must have got a shafting but I blame the model’s lack of boobs. What’s the point of a shaped bodice if there’s nothing to put in them?

Jayne took her bow on the catwalk accompanied by her celebrity model – which no one knew. I had to check in with the PR to find out who she was but I can’t for the life of me remember – apparently a Welsh singer of some description.

If I’m honest I’m not entirely sure what to make of this collection… there were some nice ideas; especially the strong shoulders and nipped in waists that recalled my fondest decade, the 80s. But it didn’t exactly blow me away, and yet again there was all that pesky black, which will never ever be my favourite fashion colour. And I loved the jewellery – I’d love myself a bit of that I would.
Jayne Pierson A/W 2011 by Ellie Sutton
Jayne Pierson A/W 2011 by Ellie Sutton.

For Jayne Pierson I raced into town alone – yet another early morning show for which we only had one ticket, side effects enticingly printed on pearly lilac paper. This despite a very nice mention of our support in the accompanying press release – thankyou whoever thought to mention us, dosage it’s appreciated! We did in fact catch up with Jayne just prior to her show, visit and you can read the interview here. The lilac invite and goodie bag were not, however, an indicator of a colourful show but rather the favoured shade of lipstick. Kingdom of Shadows began on a black note and carried on in the same vein, broken up only by a curious grey and beige striped taffeta that is something of a Pierson signature but would not have looked out of place on curtains or a sofa in a certain type of house.

Jayne Pierson Kingdom of Shadows by Kerri-Ann Hulme
Jayne Pierson’s Kingdom of Shadows by Kerri-Ann Hulme.

Jayne Pierson formerly worked in the music business and this show felt deeply imbued with the remnants of an 80s rock sensibility. A gothic Victorian kind of rock, with swaggering shoulders and bunched bustle skirts. The models sported messy up dos, pallid faces with lilac lips and pin sharp shapely heels. Black tailored jackets featured inset patent fabric shoulders and cuffs, leather minidresses cowl-necked atop rubberised leggings. The sudden introduction of striped silk was balanced with patent detailing on collar, waist and cuffs – a jaunty pillbox hat set askance. Devore lacy velvet also made an appearance, not to mention a terribly racy see through crop top and leggings. I particularly liked the large but lightly draped silver jewellery by Fiona Paxton, who fuses Indian artisanship with a British punk sensibility and Bauhaus design. A corseted jumpsuit that hit the catwalk in a tipsy fashion was less desirable: the poor dresser must have got a shafting but I blame the model’s lack of boobs. What’s the point of a shaped bodice if there’s nothing to put in them?

Jayne took her bow on the catwalk accompanied by her celebrity model – which no one knew. I had to check in with the PR to find out who she was but I can’t for the life of me remember – apparently a Welsh singer of some description.

If I’m honest I’m not entirely sure what to make of this collection… there were some nice ideas; especially the strong shoulders and nipped in waists that recalled my fondest decade, the 80s. But it didn’t exactly blow me away, and yet again there was all that pesky black, which will never ever be my favourite fashion colour. Here’s hoping that the next season might see the reintroduction of colour again. Go on Jayne!
Olivia Rubin A/W 2011 by Jane Young
Olivia Rubin A/W 2011 by Jane Young.

Every now and again London Fashion Week throws out a curveball and you end up in the most random of places with the most ridiculous collection of people, physician wondering what the hell is going on. The Olivia Rubin show was just such an occasion.

I was very early to this show – a confluence of circumstances that left me standing at the front of a line outside the Jalouse nightclub in central London until I was completely numb with cold. From my prime vantage point I was able to ogle as the paps pounced on a series of D-Z list celebrities. I recognised Konnie Huq and footballer’s wife Danielle Lloyd but after that it was anyone’s guess. In my mind it’s never a good idea for the guests to overshadow a fashion show, dosage and especially not if I haven’t got a clue who they are.

Olivia Rubin A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryOlivia Rubin A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryOlivia Rubin A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory
Olivia Rubin A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.

Once the celebs had been swept into the hallowed basement of Jalouse I too was invited in. I picked up a drink and swiftly headed towards the sunken seating area, viagra approved ignoring the protestations of the press girl to wait and see if there was space later on. As if! We’ve run an extensive interview with Olivia Rubin on this website and I didn’t much feel like standing around on my own anymore, so I plonked myself down next to a friendly looking bunch of people on a curved sofa. I soon discovered that the lad next to me was on work experience at a fashion magazine and somewhat in thrall to his first fashion week. Herein is revealed the ridiculousness of seating arrangements at fashion shows – at the end of the day they are completely arbitrary. Depending on who you know and whether you’re bolshy enough you can sit wherever you want, be you intern or editor.

Olivia Rubin by Karolina Burdon
Olivia Rubin by Karolina Burdon.

As guests slowly filled the club celebrities stepped up on to the catwalk at my head height to pose for the paps. First Danielle, swishing her hair this way and that like a prime racehorse. Then, to my delight, Laura Goodger and friends from The Only Way is Essex. Don’t worry, I had to look up her full name. I did watch a few episodes, but I’m not THAT SAD. By this point I was gobsmacked by the stunning level of celeb-dom in attendance. I later discovered that another fashion PR had been approached for tickets by the *cast* of The Only Way is Essex, but had rapidly turned them down as way too tacky. I must say, I don’t really understand the logic. Rather than making me think, way-hey, this must mean Olivia Rubin is really cool… it makes me utterly distracted… anthropologically fascinated by these strange creatures.

Olivia Rubin A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryOlivia Rubin A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryOlivia Rubin A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory
Olivia Rubin A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.

The result? I spent the entire catwalk show trying to capture Lauren pouting and preening, rather than concentrating on the clothes – which in any case were hard to see against the glare of flashbulbs. Famous model Olivia Inge certainly enjoyed herself too; gunning at friends in the audience as she pranced down the catwalk.

Olivia Rubin A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryOlivia Rubin A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryOlivia Rubin A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryOlivia Rubin A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryOlivia Rubin A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryOlivia Rubin A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryOlivia Rubin A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory
Olivia Rubin A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.

In a way it’s a shame that there was so much flimshaw surrounding this show because Olivia Rubin makes very cute clothes that feature colourful, fun prints and simple 80s styling. This collection encompassed giant splodgy animal prints, flowery brick designs and lacey goodness. To my mind not at all Essex.

As soon as the show was done the music leapt up to dancing volume, and yet more Essex girls headed to the toilets to touch up wondrously over-wrought hair and make-up that must surely have taken all day to perfect. I could happily have stayed next to the basins all night with my camera, but Matt and I instead drank free cocktails and put the world to rights.

You can read Matt Bramford’s fabby review here. Read our interview with Olivia Rubin here.

Olivia Rubin A/W 2011 by Jane Young
Olivia Rubin A/W 2011 by Jane Young.

Every now and again London Fashion Week throws out a curveball and you end up in the most random of places with the most ridiculous collection of people, viagra sale wondering what the hell is going on. The Olivia Rubin show was just such an occasion.

I was very early to this show – a confluence of circumstances that left me standing at the front of a line outside the Jalouse nightclub in central London until I was completely numb with cold. From my prime vantage point I was able to ogle as the paps pounced on a series of D-Z list celebrities. I recognised Konnie Huq and footballer’s wife Danielle Lloyd but after that it was anyone’s guess. In my mind it’s never a good idea for the guests to overshadow a fashion show, seek and especially not if I haven’t got a clue who they are.

Olivia Rubin A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryOlivia Rubin A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryOlivia Rubin A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory
Olivia Rubin A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.

Once the celebs had been swept into the hallowed basement of Jalouse I too was invited in. I picked up a drink and swiftly headed towards the sunken seating area, ignoring the protestations of the press girl to wait and see if there was space later on. As if! We’ve run an extensive interview with Olivia Rubin on this website and I didn’t much feel like standing around on my own anymore, so I plonked myself down next to a friendly looking bunch of people on a curved sofa. I soon discovered that the lad next to me was on work experience at a fashion magazine and somewhat in thrall to his first fashion week. Herein is revealed the ridiculousness of seating arrangements at fashion shows – at the end of the day they are completely arbitrary. Depending on who you know and whether you’re bolshy enough you can sit wherever you want, be you intern or editor.

Olivia Rubin by Karolina Burdon
Olivia Rubin by Karolina Burdon.

As guests slowly filled the club celebrities stepped up on to the catwalk at my head height to pose for the paps. First Danielle, swishing her hair this way and that like a prime racehorse. Then, to my delight, Laura Goodger and friends from The Only Way is Essex. Don’t worry, I had to look up her full name. I did watch a few episodes, but I’m not THAT SAD. By this point I was gobsmacked by the stunning level of celeb-dom in attendance. I later discovered that another fashion PR had been approached for tickets by the *cast* of The Only Way is Essex, but had rapidly turned them down as way too tacky. I must say, I don’t really understand the logic. Rather than making me think, way-hey, this must mean Olivia Rubin is really cool… it made me utterly distracted… anthropologically fascinated by these strange creatures.

Olivia Rubin A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryOlivia Rubin A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryOlivia Rubin A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory
Olivia Rubin A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.

The result? I spent the entire catwalk show trying to capture Lauren pouting and preening, rather than concentrating on the clothes – which in any case were hard to see against the glare of flashbulbs. Famous model Olivia Inge certainly enjoyed herself too; gurning at friends in the audience as she pranced down the catwalk.

Olivia Rubin A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryOlivia Rubin A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryOlivia Rubin A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryOlivia Rubin A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryOlivia Rubin A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryOlivia Rubin A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryOlivia Rubin A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory
Olivia Rubin A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.

In a way it’s a shame that there was so much flimshaw surrounding this show because Olivia Rubin makes very cute clothes that feature colourful, fun prints and simple 80s styling. This collection encompassed giant splodgy animal prints, flowery brick designs and lacey goodness. To my mind not at all Essex.

As soon as the show was done the music leapt up to dancing volume, and yet more Essex girls headed to the toilets to touch up wondrously over-wrought hair and make-up that must surely have taken all day to perfect. I could happily have stayed next to the basins all night with my camera, but Matt and I instead drank free cocktails and put the world to rights.

You can read Matt Bramford’s fabby review here. Read our interview with Olivia Rubin here.


J.W. Anderson (not Gareth) photographed by Matt Bramford

It’s 8:45 on a cold wet Wednesday and I’m stalking the entrance to Somerset House, order waiting for Matt Bramford to come and meet me for my first ever day of London Fashion Week, check which I’ve come to with a view to doing some live fashion illustration. I’m feeling surprisingly calm, considering how out of my depth I’m expecting to find myself. I put my serenity down to sleep deprivation, busying myself with not looking too out of place. At the point where the security guards are starting to wonder what I’m hanging around for, Matt texts me and I amble off, as coolly as I can, to meet him at the doors into the main ‘Tent’.

As I arrive, Matt hands me my Press Pass and I feel like he’s given me a Willy Wonky Golden Ticket which provides access to a new and magical world. I flash it on the way into the Press Room where Matt picks up his stuff, hands me the ridiculously over-sized invitation to J.W. Anderson and we’re out again, straight into the queue for the show. The bouncer in charge of the queue takes a look at our invites and sends us to opposite sides of the room. I experiment with making myself look natural in my surroundings, the queue that Matt’s in gets allowed through, and once that’s cleared, my queue starts shuffling forward.


J.W. Anderson, photographed by Matt Bramford

I’m allowed past some rope barriers into the main room, and am… well, not unimpressed, rather just not as overwhelmed as I’d prepared myself for. The room’s long and poorly lit, its sides lined with rows of wooden benches, and a polythene-covered runway running up the middle – I don’t know what I was expecting, but this is a lot plainer than I’d thought it was going to be. I make my way over to the row of benches dictated by my ticket, and then busy myself with getting my video-camera, pad and pens ready. As the room settles down I realise that in an almost-full room, I’ve got an entire bench to myself, and am not sure whether to feel lucky or to take offence. 


All illustrations by Gareth A Hopkins

The room hushes as the polythene sheet is pulled away by some burly stagehands and then before I’m really ready for it the lights are on full-blast and there’s a man marching down the catwalk. I pop the lid off my pen, put the nib to the page and the model’s already been and gone. I wait for the next few guys to come and go, then pick my target and start frantically sketching. By the time he’s tucked away backstage I’ve managed to capture the top corner of his sleeve and that’s it. I write in my sketchbook “Shit, I can’t draw this fast” and get out my video camera, with a view to capturing the outfits and then working from the videos – the trouble is the lights are so bright that all I get on the viewing screen is a bright white shape moving at speed, like the aliens from Cocoon are parading for a crowd assembled in a gymnasium. 


J.W. Anderson, photographed by Matt Bramford

I realise that I’m not going to achieve very much through either drawing or filming, and so instead take the opportunity to enjoy the show, and concentrate on the clothes as much as I can. The clothes are sharply tailored, often military-style, but made out of combinations of textures and textiles – a jumper with furry arms and Barbour-style body for instance. There are also some skirts in there, which I think look pretty cool. The only thing I’m not keen on is the use of paisley, which of all patterns in the world is probably my least favourite. And then ‘Wave Of Mutilation’ by Pixies is playing over the PA and all the models are walking in a line to applause from the audience – in joining in, I manage to drop both my camera and my pad, and spend this final section of the show flicking my attention between applauding, watching the clothes and trying to find my dropped possessions. 

After it’s all over I re-locate Matt, who asks if I got much done, and I explain about my inability to draw as fast as I needed to. He reassures me by saying that next up is Sibling, who are holding a presentation, and that I’ll have much more time to get some decent drawing done. With some time to kill, we wait outside in the thankfully quite mild weather. Nick Bain comes and joins us after a while and tells us about Charlie Le Mindu’s show from earlier in the week and I feel a little disappointed that none of the models from JW Anderson’s show were covered in pig’s blood.

As 10:30am rolls around, we make our way up to the Sibling presentation. I don’t know what to expect from Sibling – I’d researched them in preparation and in all honesty wasn’t that fussed about them. Their mix of high fashion and self-aware bloke-ishness didn’t really do anything from me, but I kept an open mind. I know Nick loved the clothes on show, but I still can’t get behind it – I find their use of the ‘Kiss Pandas’ a bit boorish, and this combined with a inbuilt distrust of knitted ski masks and people dressed as pandas puts me on edge. That’s not to say I hate it, though – there’s a furry headwear/scarf combination that I wish I could get away with wearing, and I really like some of the jumpers. I manage to get some sketching of two of the outfits done, but find myself being more and more in the way of people with cameras and notebooks and pens tapping against their lips, and sidle out of the room after Matt and Nick. 
 


Sibling, photographed by Matt Bramford

Once outside I make the most of my half-day from work, and go back to my office for a few hours, to return for some more catwalk shows in the afternoon…

Look out for the rest of Gareth’s account tomorrow!

See Gareth’s illustrations in Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration

Categories ,A/W 2011, ,Barbour, ,Charlie le Mindu, ,Cocoon, ,fashion, ,illustration, ,J.W. Anderson, ,Kiss, ,London Fashion Week, ,Matt Bramford, ,Menswear Day, ,Nick Bain, ,Pandas, ,Portico Rooms, ,press, ,Sibling, ,Somerset House, ,the pixies, ,Wave of Mutliation, ,Willy Wonka

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natasha muhl 1

Australian artist Natasha Muhl’s cleanly executed but quietly sinister images caught my eye as soon as they dropped into my inbox. With a slightly folky edge, find probably because of the mainly animal subject matter, shop who become supernatural characters, like the king bird in his crown, coughing up gemstones instead of food for chicks.

Amelia’s Magazine spoke to Natasha about her process, her views of her images and what the future holds for her and her curious cast of fauna.

natasha muhl 2

Tell me a little about the stories behind your images. They seem quite narrative – I can imagine the world surrounding these quirky characters.

I know there’s a story in there somewhere, but I’m not sure what it is yet. These little characters like to pop up in my sketch book doing various tasks in their world. Sometimes they’re there all the time and other times they just disappear.
natasha muhl 3

How do you create your work? Tell me a bit about the process you go through from original idea to finished product. Do you work organically and spontaneously or does it involve a lot of research?

This series was fairly spontaneous, they popped out of my fingers in a matter of days. I drew the horses one afternoon, and the rest just followed freely. My full coloured illustrations generally have a longer process. There’s a lot of research into composition. That gets followed by a few colour roughs before I spend a few hours colouring the work neatly.

Do you work in a solitary way or do you enjoy collaborating? Are you secretive about your work or do you invite commentary from an early stage?

I love to collaborate, but the opportunity seems to rarely come by. At the moment I’m working on some little bits and pieces with another illustrator friend where I do the traditional work and he follows up digitally. I guess I’m sort of secretive, but not on purpose. My graduating year just had an exhibition where I showed a few pieces, and half of the year didn’t even know I liked to draw. I’m always open to criticism though.

natasha muhl 4
What kind of objects, people or things do you love to draw? What is it about certain things that really grabs you?

I love to draw animals and ugly women. I’ve always loved animals and started drawing when I started horse riding. The ugly women are slightly more difficult to explain. I think primarily because it’s entertaining to draw all their saggy bits and put things where people traditionally wouldn’t want them. Sometimes I give them beautiful faces and ugly bodies, or vice versa, I always enjoy that juxtaposition. My more recent obsessions include little birds and jewels.

natasha muhl 5
Where do you hope to go next with your work? Any dream collaborations/venues/media?

It’s always an ideal world where I’d be able to illustrate for a living, but I’m not getting my hopes up. At the moment I’m just interested in personal improvement and maybe doing some shows.

Shelter house of cards thumbShelter House of Cards

Homelessness charity Shelter has recently been running a poster campaign showing houses built of cards, pill as a measure to remind us how quickly people’s lives can fall apart and homes be lost when things go wrong. To support the campaign, cialis 40mg Shelter has also commissioned 53 playing cards from artists, which will be exhibited at the Haunch of Venison gallery in London, starting tomorrow, September 25th.

All works will be auctioned off on Monday to benefit Shelter, including the winner of a public competition to design the 8 of clubs, below. There are also cards by Amelia’s Magazine artists and Damien Hirst.

eight-clubs

Shelter House of Cards

Homelessness charity Shelter has recently been running a poster campaign showing houses built of cards, no rx as a measure to remind us how quickly people’s lives can fall apart and homes be lost when things go wrong. To support the campaign, Shelter has also commissioned 53 playing cards from artists, which will be exhibited at the Haunch of Venison gallery in London, starting tomorrow, September 25th.

All works will be auctioned off on Monday to benefit Shelter, including the winner of a public competition to design the 8 of clubs, below. There are also cards by Amelia’s Magazine artists and Damien Hirst.

eight-clubs
Shelter House of Cards

Homelessness charity Shelter has recently been running a poster campaign showing houses built of cards, rx as a measure to remind us how quickly people’s lives can fall apart and homes be lost when things go wrong. To support the campaign, Shelter has also commissioned 53 playing cards from artists, which will be exhibited at the Haunch of Venison gallery in London, starting tomorrow.

eight-clubs
Shelter House of Cards

Homelessness charity Shelter has recently been running a poster campaign showing houses built of cards, buy information pills as a measure to remind us how quickly people’s lives can fall apart and homes be lost when things go wrong. To support the campaign, Shelter has also commissioned 53 playing cards from artists, which will be exhibited at the Haunch of Venison gallery in London, starting tomorrow.

eight-clubs
loudalton5

Lou Dalton presented her collection in the Portico Rooms of Somerset House, malady a rather opulent setting reached by a romantic, purchase winding staircase. This idyllic space couldn’t have suited the Dalton’s collection better, viagra unless it had been adorned in seafaring regalia.

This isn’t to say that Lou’s vision for Spring/Summer 2010 is a direct pastiche of maritime outfits. Instead, more subtle referencing was present.

The stripe – the seaside staple – was there in a number of outfits, but it had been re-worked for a more mature look, despite the models having a mean age of 14 (I surmise). I particularly loved the way it had be knitted into these two pieces…

2_1

loudalton7

Basics were simple, with white vests featuring graphic patterns and loose fitting tailoring, such as blazer-waistcoats or knee-length shorts.

loudalton6

loud

As the collection progressed, it was clear that Dalton’s phantasm was less straight-forward sea. New-romantic elements and the channelling of pirates evoked memories a more decadent, classical period in history, when travelling by sea was the only way to travel. Wide brimmed hats and neat safari jackets, which were exquisitely tailored, fall into this category.

6_1

There was also a hint of femininity to the collection, juxtaposed with more masculine pieces. Tailored chambray shirts were teamed with gold corsages and neck ties, for example.

loudalton5

Fantastic accessories on display – oversized bags featuring graphic prints by Ricardo Fumanal and embellished with more metallic corsages. Sunglasses were provided by Linda Farrow, need I say more?

loudalton2

Overall a very wearable collection where different pieces can be fused together to create different looks. Some of which I hope to try pretty soon…

loudalton4

Photography by Matt Bramford

Categories ,London Fashion Week, ,Lou Dalton, ,Menswear Day, ,Portico Rooms, ,Somerset House, ,Sunglasses

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Amelia’s Magazine | LFW 09 – Sykes/LP.BG S/S 2010

lpbg

It’s great to see fashion that is a visual spectacle, decease a full-blown piece of theatre unfolding before you, ask along the catwalk. Examples of this that Amelia’s Magazine have seen at LFW this year have been, the Lady Gaga for men look at Studio 805, the fluoro Flintstones ensembles at Jeremy Scott and the celebration of countercouture at Ziad Ghanem. I’m talking pure unadulterated fantasy, style reserved for video shoots or for attention on the red carpet.

Sykes

Whilst being transported to a parallel universe where ridiculous clothes are the norm, one forgets the other function of fashion – to be worn! What happened to beautiful designs, made for functionality or to be purely easy on the eye? Holed up away from the catwalk courtyard Sykes and LPBG present an altogether more wearable collection.

Sykes 2

Two tone silk tops and dresses in a neutral and monochrome colour palette adorn the models of all ages. The Cubist art movement is referenced in the asymmetric patches of muted and bright tones. Some models perched upon podiums to present the collection whilst others walked around and chatted to the press. By the looks of it, the suede leather jacket and skirt suit could quite possibly be a strong trend next Spring. I shall also be fashioning the coral lipstick look too.

All photographs by Elizabeth Johnson

Categories ,London Fashion Week, ,LP.BG., ,Portico Rooms, ,Presentations, ,Somerset House, ,Sykes

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Amelia’s Magazine | LFW 09 – KRYSTOF STROZYNA – Desert Creatures

Aquaponics. ‘Aqua what?’ would be a reasonable response but you may well be hearing this word a lot more. One short answer is ‘promise’: the promise of cultivating delicious, approved organic fish and vegetables with minimal space and effort; the promise of helping humanity take the next great step in agriculture (forwards this time) in which we use our technology to make the most of nature’s intelligence rather than to ride roughshod over it; the promise of future fish’n’chips.

Aqua3

That’s a lot to live up to, search yet we need some big answers to the big questions we face: how do we feed ourselves as we approach 7 billion and likely scarcity of oil and gas? How do we save our precious topsoil and leave some fish in the sea? Where will the water come from?
Could aquaponics grow into one of these big answers?
Fish have been cultivated in captivity for millennia but this ‘aquaculture’ has often struggled with the sludgey problem of poop: fish defecate in their water which needs changed before it kills them – that can mean a LOT of water.
And since the early twentieth century vegetables have been grown in a liquid solution rather than in soil, and while this ‘hydroponics’ can be wonderfully productive it can suffer from high disease vulnerability.
In a lovely example of the much sought ‘win-win’ you can combine these two into aquaponics to cancel out their respective flaws: by growing fish in a tank and cycling their water through plant-filled grow beds you create ideal growing conditions for the plants, which then clean and oxygenate the water ready for its return to the fish.
The result, according to the aquaponics evangelists, is an incredibly productive system. Joel Malcolm, founder of Backyard Aquaponics, reports a six month crop of “50kg of fish and hundreds of kilograms of vegetables” in an 8m by 4m space in his backyard. To put this yield in perspective the U.S corn industry, pushing nature to the limits with fossil energy subsidies (fertilizer) manages around 1kg per square meter.  Joel Malcolm is reporting roughly 3kg of fish and 6kg plus of vegetables.
In fact beyond solving the waste issues, growing fish and vegetables together may be more productive for both than growing them separately.  Aquaponics practitioners report lower incidences of disease in their fish and higher growth rates in their plants than would be expected in separate aquaculture and hydroponics systems.  More research is needed, but these early reports suggest a symbiotic relationship with great promise.
So why have you not heard of aquaponics before? Perhaps it’s potential has languished unexplored for the same reason as many other smart green solutions: cheap oil has made us lazy and foolish. The chorus of voices from climate scientists to oil geologists grows loader by the day: we need to wise up, fast.

Grow bed tables copy

I hadn’t heard the term until March when I arrived at the Maya Mountain Research Farm to study permaculture – a design system for sustainable living – full of the big questions and desperate for some answers. Permaculture is about applying ecological principles to human life, so that we can meet our needs without killing ourselves, and although aquaponics wasn’t on the syllabus it perfectly embodies this. 
One night MMRF’s director, Christopher Nesbitt, sat the group down in front of a laptop to watch ‘the aquaponics DVD’, a charming home production from Joel Malcolm. Chris’s enthusiasm was palpable. This was ‘really cool’ he assured us, and through the shaky handycam walk arounds and strangely ‘oscar moment’ piano music, it became clear that it was. There was something to this.

Aquaponics design copy

The amateur roots of the system seem fascinating. There is some history of academic research in the field and a few businesses, but it appears that the driving force is now a global community of ‘hobbyists’. A few pioneers, notably Joel Malcolm in Australia (producer of the DVD), have experimented on a shoestring and shared their successes and failures with others around the world.   Aquaponics is growing up from the grassroots.

Drilling to attach cross beams copy

That’s how Chris became hooked: “When I discovered the website I was up until sunrise” he told me. “What Joel Malcolm has achieved is fantastic”. So Chris has been researching and preparing for a demonstration system at his agroforestry farm and teaching center. 
I decided to return for my fourth visit to help to design and build it.
The elements of an aquaponics system are pretty simple: fish tank; fish; grow beds; gravel; plants; water; water pump; piping; roof. The final, crucial, component brings itself: the bacteria that convert fish poop into plant food in the water (ammonia to nitrites, nitrites to nitrates). Ongoing inputs are fish-food, top-up water and electricity for the pump.
Crucially we are building a system – every part affects every other. We have to think systematically, in the true sense of the word, balancing the sizes of grow beds to fish tanks to available energy from the solar pump, etc.  Systems thinking will be even more important once it is up and running, tweaking the elements until the ecology ‘snaps’ into place.

AQUA1

In the model we have chosen the water gravity-feeds from an overflow in the fish tank, down through the grow-beds, and then drains into a sump tank, from where it is pumped back at intervals to the fish tank, causing the process to start again. Instead of pumping constantly the system will cycle on and off – an important energy-saver as we will be relying on solar PV for the pump. 
I arrived in late August to find ground prepared by James and Herminio, long time MMRF employees and the real construction experts. It is impressive what these two achieve in a day. The roofing, to protect the system from tropical downpours, went up quickly, a solid wooden frame bolted to concrete.  With a history of hurricanes and no shortage of wood, triangulation is the name of the game at MMRF and the buildings have a solid, chunky elegance. 
With the frame completed we spent a day in the blistering sun painting it in burnt oil (courtesy of the local car mechanic) to help ward off hungry termites, blackening like derrick workers in a big strike. 
Now we await delivery of our custom made tanks. We had ordered them in Spanish Lookout, a Menonite town four hours drive north – Iowa with palm trees as Chris describes it.  It is Belize’s hub for agricultural supply and we were confident we could find what we needed. Having looked at premolded plastic feeding troughs it was as cheap – and far more satisfying – to order bespoke tanks from Mr Penner, of Penner Metalworks Ltd. They will be sexy, shiney and crafted by hand.
So we are getting there. Three weeks into the project we are almost roofed and ready to wire and plumb. This will be the really fun part, piping the tanks together and installing the solar system. Watch this space to see how we get on.
Aquaponics. ‘Aqua what?’ would be a reasonable response but you may well be hearing this word a lot more. One short answer is ‘promise’: the promise of cultivating delicious, thumb organic fish and vegetables with minimal space and effort; the promise of helping humanity take the next great step in agriculture (forwards this time) in which we use our technology to make the most of nature’s intelligence rather than to ride roughshod over it; the promise of future fish’n’chips.

Aqua3

That’s a lot to live up to, yet we need some big answers to the big questions we face: how do we feed ourselves as we approach 7 billion and likely scarcity of oil and gas? How do we save our precious topsoil and leave some fish in the sea? Where will the water come from?
Could aquaponics grow into one of these big answers?
Fish have been cultivated in captivity for millennia but this ‘aquaculture’ has often struggled with the sludgey problem of poop: fish defecate in their water which needs changed before it kills them – that can mean a LOT of water.
And since the early twentieth century vegetables have been grown in a liquid solution rather than in soil, and while this ‘hydroponics’ can be wonderfully productive it can suffer from high disease vulnerability.
In a lovely example of the much sought ‘win-win’ you can combine these two into aquaponics to cancel out their respective flaws: by growing fish in a tank and cycling their water through plant-filled grow beds you create ideal growing conditions for the plants, which then clean and oxygenate the water ready for its return to the fish.
The result, according to the aquaponics evangelists, is an incredibly productive system. Joel Malcolm, founder of Backyard Aquaponics, reports a six month crop of “50kg of fish and hundreds of kilograms of vegetables” in an 8m by 4m space in his backyard. To put this yield in perspective the U.S corn industry, pushing nature to the limits with fossil energy subsidies (fertilizer) manages around 1kg per square meter.  Joel Malcolm is reporting roughly 3kg of fish and 6kg plus of vegetables.
In fact beyond solving the waste issues, growing fish and vegetables together may be more productive for both than growing them separately.  Aquaponics practitioners report lower incidences of disease in their fish and higher growth rates in their plants than would be expected in separate aquaculture and hydroponics systems.  More research is needed, but these early reports suggest a symbiotic relationship with great promise.
So why have you not heard of aquaponics before? Perhaps it’s potential has languished unexplored for the same reason as many other smart green solutions: cheap oil has made us lazy and foolish. The chorus of voices from climate scientists to oil geologists grows loader by the day: we need to wise up, fast.

Grow bed tables copy

I hadn’t heard the term until March when I arrived at the Maya Mountain Research Farm to study permaculture – a design system for sustainable living – full of the big questions and desperate for some answers. Permaculture is about applying ecological principles to human life, so that we can meet our needs without killing ourselves, and although aquaponics wasn’t on the syllabus it perfectly embodies this. 
One night MMRF’s director, Christopher Nesbitt, sat the group down in front of a laptop to watch ‘the aquaponics DVD’, a charming home production from Joel Malcolm. Chris’s enthusiasm was palpable. This was ‘really cool’ he assured us, and through the shaky handycam walk arounds and strangely ‘oscar moment’ piano music, it became clear that it was. There was something to this.

Aquaponics design copy

The amateur roots of the system seem fascinating. There is some history of academic research in the field and a few businesses, but it appears that the driving force is now a global community of ‘hobbyists’. A few pioneers, notably Joel Malcolm in Australia (producer of the DVD), have experimented on a shoestring and shared their successes and failures with others around the world.   Aquaponics is growing up from the grassroots.

Drilling to attach cross beams copy

That’s how Chris became hooked: “When I discovered the website I was up until sunrise” he told me. “What Joel Malcolm has achieved is fantastic”. So Chris has been researching and preparing for a demonstration system at his agroforestry farm and teaching center. 
I decided to return for my fourth visit to help to design and build it.
The elements of an aquaponics system are pretty simple: fish tank; fish; grow beds; gravel; plants; water; water pump; piping; roof. The final, crucial, component brings itself: the bacteria that convert fish poop into plant food in the water (ammonia to nitrites, nitrites to nitrates). Ongoing inputs are fish-food, top-up water and electricity for the pump.
Crucially we are building a system – every part affects every other. We have to think systematically, in the true sense of the word, balancing the sizes of grow beds to fish tanks to available energy from the solar pump, etc.  Systems thinking will be even more important once it is up and running, tweaking the elements until the ecology ‘snaps’ into place.

AQUA1

In the model we have chosen the water gravity-feeds from an overflow in the fish tank, down through the grow-beds, and then drains into a sump tank, from where it is pumped back at intervals to the fish tank, causing the process to start again. Instead of pumping constantly the system will cycle on and off – an important energy-saver as we will be relying on solar PV for the pump. 
I arrived in late August to find ground prepared by James and Herminio, long time MMRF employees and the real construction experts. It is impressive what these two achieve in a day. The roofing, to protect the system from tropical downpours, went up quickly, a solid wooden frame bolted to concrete.  With a history of hurricanes and no shortage of wood, triangulation is the name of the game at MMRF and the buildings have a solid, chunky elegance. 
With the frame completed we spent a day in the blistering sun painting it in burnt oil (courtesy of the local car mechanic) to help ward off hungry termites, blackening like derrick workers in a big strike. 
Now we await delivery of our custom made tanks. We had ordered them in Spanish Lookout, a Menonite town four hours drive north – Iowa with palm trees as Chris describes it.  It is Belize’s hub for agricultural supply and we were confident we could find what we needed. Having looked at premolded plastic feeding troughs it was as cheap – and far more satisfying – to order bespoke tanks from Mr Penner, of Penner Metalworks Ltd. They will be sexy, shiney and crafted by hand.
So we are getting there. Three weeks into the project we are almost roofed and ready to wire and plumb. This will be the really fun part, piping the tanks together and installing the solar system. Watch this space to see how we get on.
Aquaponics. ‘Aqua what?’ would be a reasonable response but you may well be hearing this word a lot more. One short answer is ‘promise’: the promise of cultivating delicious, advice organic fish and vegetables with minimal space and effort; the promise of helping humanity take the next great step in agriculture (forwards this time) in which we use our technology to make the most of nature’s intelligence rather than to ride roughshod over it; the promise of future fish’n’chips.

Aqua3

That’s a lot to live up to, nurse yet we need some big answers to the big questions we face: how do we feed ourselves as we approach 7 billion and likely scarcity of oil and gas? How do we save our precious topsoil and leave some fish in the sea? Where will the water come from?
Could aquaponics grow into one of these big answers?
Fish have been cultivated in captivity for millennia but this ‘aquaculture’ has often struggled with the sludgey problem of poop: fish defecate in their water which needs changed before it kills them – that can mean a LOT of water.
And since the early twentieth century vegetables have been grown in a liquid solution rather than in soil, purchase and while this ‘hydroponics’ can be wonderfully productive it can suffer from high disease vulnerability.
In a lovely example of the much sought ‘win-win’ you can combine these two into aquaponics to cancel out their respective flaws: by growing fish in a tank and cycling their water through plant-filled grow beds you create ideal growing conditions for the plants, which then clean and oxygenate the water ready for its return to the fish.
The result, according to the aquaponics evangelists, is an incredibly productive system. Joel Malcolm, founder of Backyard Aquaponics, reports a six month crop of “50kg of fish and hundreds of kilograms of vegetables” in an 8m by 4m space in his backyard. To put this yield in perspective the U.S corn industry, pushing nature to the limits with fossil energy subsidies (fertilizer) manages around 1kg per square meter.  Joel Malcolm is reporting roughly 3kg of fish and 6kg plus of vegetables.
In fact beyond solving the waste issues, growing fish and vegetables together may be more productive for both than growing them separately.  Aquaponics practitioners report lower incidences of disease in their fish and higher growth rates in their plants than would be expected in separate aquaculture and hydroponics systems.  More research is needed, but these early reports suggest a symbiotic relationship with great promise.
So why have you not heard of aquaponics before? Perhaps it’s potential has languished unexplored for the same reason as many other smart green solutions: cheap oil has made us lazy and foolish. The chorus of voices from climate scientists to oil geologists grows loader by the day: we need to wise up, fast.

Grow bed tables copy

I hadn’t heard the term until March when I arrived at the Maya Mountain Research Farm to study permaculture – a design system for sustainable living – full of the big questions and desperate for some answers. Permaculture is about applying ecological principles to human life, so that we can meet our needs without killing ourselves, and although aquaponics wasn’t on the syllabus it perfectly embodies this. 
One night MMRF’s director, Christopher Nesbitt, sat the group down in front of a laptop to watch ‘the aquaponics DVD’, a charming home production from Joel Malcolm. Chris’s enthusiasm was palpable. This was ‘really cool’ he assured us, and through the shaky handycam walk arounds and strangely ‘oscar moment’ piano music, it became clear that it was. There was something to this.

Aquaponics design copy

The amateur roots of the system seem fascinating. There is some history of academic research in the field and a few businesses, but it appears that the driving force is now a global community of ‘hobbyists’. A few pioneers, notably Joel Malcolm in Australia (producer of the DVD), have experimented on a shoestring and shared their successes and failures with others around the world.   Aquaponics is growing up from the grassroots.

Drilling to attach cross beams copy

That’s how Chris became hooked: “When I discovered the website I was up until sunrise” he told me. “What Joel Malcolm has achieved is fantastic”. So Chris has been researching and preparing for a demonstration system at his agroforestry farm and teaching center. 
I decided to return for my fourth visit to help to design and build it.
The elements of an aquaponics system are pretty simple: fish tank; fish; grow beds; gravel; plants; water; water pump; piping; roof. The final, crucial, component brings itself: the bacteria that convert fish poop into plant food in the water (ammonia to nitrites, nitrites to nitrates). Ongoing inputs are fish-food, top-up water and electricity for the pump.
Crucially we are building a system – every part affects every other. We have to think systematically, in the true sense of the word, balancing the sizes of grow beds to fish tanks to available energy from the solar pump, etc.  Systems thinking will be even more important once it is up and running, tweaking the elements until the ecology ‘snaps’ into place.

AQUA1

In the model we have chosen the water gravity-feeds from an overflow in the fish tank, down through the grow-beds, and then drains into a sump tank, from where it is pumped back at intervals to the fish tank, causing the process to start again. Instead of pumping constantly the system will cycle on and off – an important energy-saver as we will be relying on solar PV for the pump. 
I arrived in late August to find ground prepared by James and Herminio, long time MMRF employees and the real construction experts. It is impressive what these two achieve in a day. The roofing, to protect the system from tropical downpours, went up quickly, a solid wooden frame bolted to concrete.  With a history of hurricanes and no shortage of wood, triangulation is the name of the game at MMRF and the buildings have a solid, chunky elegance. 
With the frame completed we spent a day in the blistering sun painting it in burnt oil (courtesy of the local car mechanic) to help ward off hungry termites, blackening like derrick workers in a big strike. 
Now we await delivery of our custom made tanks. We had ordered them in Spanish Lookout, a Menonite town four hours drive north – Iowa with palm trees as Chris describes it.  It is Belize’s hub for agricultural supply and we were confident we could find what we needed. Having looked at premolded plastic feeding troughs it was as cheap – and far more satisfying – to order bespoke tanks from Mr Penner, of Penner Metalworks Ltd. They will be sexy, shiney and crafted by hand.
So we are getting there. Three weeks into the project we are almost roofed and ready to wire and plumb. This will be the really fun part, piping the tanks together and installing the solar system. Watch this space to see how we get on.
Aquaponics. ‘Aqua what?’ would be a reasonable response but you may well be hearing this word a lot more. One short answer is ‘promise’: the promise of cultivating delicious, order organic fish and vegetables with minimal space and effort; the promise of helping humanity take the next great step in agriculture (forwards this time) in which we use our technology to make the most of nature’s intelligence rather than to ride roughshod over it; the promise of future fish’n’chips.

Aqua3

That’s a lot to live up to, tadalafil yet we need some big answers to the big questions we face: how do we feed ourselves as we approach 7 billion and likely scarcity of oil and gas? How do we save our precious topsoil and leave some fish in the sea? Where will the water come from?
Could aquaponics grow into one of these big answers?
Fish have been cultivated in captivity for millennia but this ‘aquaculture’ has often struggled with the sludgey problem of poop: fish defecate in their water which needs changed before it kills them – that can mean a LOT of water.
And since the early twentieth century vegetables have been grown in a liquid solution rather than in soil, and while this ‘hydroponics’ can be wonderfully productive it can suffer from high disease vulnerability.
In a lovely example of the much sought ‘win-win’ you can combine these two into aquaponics to cancel out their respective flaws: by growing fish in a tank and cycling their water through plant-filled grow beds you create ideal growing conditions for the plants, which then clean and oxygenate the water ready for its return to the fish.
The result, according to the aquaponics evangelists, is an incredibly productive system. Joel Malcolm, founder of Backyard Aquaponics, reports a six month crop of “50kg of fish and hundreds of kilograms of vegetables” in an 8m by 4m space in his backyard. To put this yield in perspective the U.S corn industry, pushing nature to the limits with fossil energy subsidies (fertilizer) manages around 1kg per square meter.  Joel Malcolm is reporting roughly 3kg of fish and 6kg plus of vegetables.
In fact beyond solving the waste issues, growing fish and vegetables together may be more productive for both than growing them separately.  Aquaponics practitioners report lower incidences of disease in their fish and higher growth rates in their plants than would be expected in separate aquaculture and hydroponics systems.  More research is needed, but these early reports suggest a symbiotic relationship with great promise.
So why have you not heard of aquaponics before? Perhaps it’s potential has languished unexplored for the same reason as many other smart green solutions: cheap oil has made us lazy and foolish. The chorus of voices from climate scientists to oil geologists grows loader by the day: we need to wise up, fast.

Grow bed tables copy

I hadn’t heard the term until March when I arrived at the Maya Mountain Research Farm to study permaculture – a design system for sustainable living – full of the big questions and desperate for some answers. Permaculture is about applying ecological principles to human life, so that we can meet our needs without killing ourselves, and although aquaponics wasn’t on the syllabus it perfectly embodies this. 
One night MMRF’s director, Christopher Nesbitt, sat the group down in front of a laptop to watch ‘the aquaponics DVD’, a charming home production from Joel Malcolm. Chris’s enthusiasm was palpable. This was ‘really cool’ he assured us, and through the shaky handycam walk arounds and strangely ‘oscar moment’ piano music, it became clear that it was. There was something to this.

Aquaponics design copy

The amateur roots of the system seem fascinating. There is some history of academic research in the field and a few businesses, but it appears that the driving force is now a global community of ‘hobbyists’. A few pioneers, notably Joel Malcolm in Australia (producer of the DVD), have experimented on a shoestring and shared their successes and failures with others around the world.   Aquaponics is growing up from the grassroots.

Drilling to attach cross beams copy

That’s how Chris became hooked: “When I discovered the website I was up until sunrise” he told me. “What Joel Malcolm has achieved is fantastic”. So Chris has been researching and preparing for a demonstration system at his agroforestry farm and teaching center. 
I decided to return for my fourth visit to help to design and build it.
The elements of an aquaponics system are pretty simple: fish tank; fish; grow beds; gravel; plants; water; water pump; piping; roof. The final, crucial, component brings itself: the bacteria that convert fish poop into plant food in the water (ammonia to nitrites, nitrites to nitrates). Ongoing inputs are fish-food, top-up water and electricity for the pump.
Crucially we are building a system – every part affects every other. We have to think systematically, in the true sense of the word, balancing the sizes of grow beds to fish tanks to available energy from the solar pump, etc.  Systems thinking will be even more important once it is up and running, tweaking the elements until the ecology ‘snaps’ into place.

AQUA1

In the model we have chosen the water gravity-feeds from an overflow in the fish tank, down through the grow-beds, and then drains into a sump tank, from where it is pumped back at intervals to the fish tank, causing the process to start again. Instead of pumping constantly the system will cycle on and off – an important energy-saver as we will be relying on solar PV for the pump. 
I arrived in late August to find ground prepared by James and Herminio, long time MMRF employees and the real construction experts. It is impressive what these two achieve in a day. The roofing, to protect the system from tropical downpours, went up quickly, a solid wooden frame bolted to concrete.  With a history of hurricanes and no shortage of wood, triangulation is the name of the game at MMRF and the buildings have a solid, chunky elegance. 
With the frame completed we spent a day in the blistering sun painting it in burnt oil (courtesy of the local car mechanic) to help ward off hungry termites, blackening like derrick workers in a big strike. 
Now we await delivery of our custom made tanks. We had ordered them in Spanish Lookout, a Menonite town four hours drive north – Iowa with palm trees as Chris describes it.  It is Belize’s hub for agricultural supply and we were confident we could find what we needed. Having looked at premolded plastic feeding troughs it was as cheap – and far more satisfying – to order bespoke tanks from Mr Penner, of Penner Metalworks Ltd. They will be sexy, shiney and crafted by hand.
So we are getting there. Three weeks into the project we are almost roofed and ready to wire and plumb. This will be the really fun part, piping the tanks together and installing the solar system. Watch this space to see how we get on.
Christopher-Raeburn

The Parachute provides stability whilst free-falling in mid air, approved in the work of CHRISTOPHER RAEBURN however, clinic it is not stability that inspires his designs. Conscious of the unpredictable, and even volatile, current conditions of our climate, the garments have been made through the appropriation of old military parachutes. With the Earths sources and materials becoming increasingly scarce, his contemporary designs reform our past’s waste into functional and elegant macs, ponchos and parkas.

christopherraeburnParachutes B of B small

Following this thread of transformation, the delicate aesthetic of RAEBURN’s garments is quite a world away from the brutality of the materials original military function. The almost transparent qualities of the garments possess a fragility and odd resemblance to the visuals of a jellyfish.

christopherraeburb

Bending the lines of the silhouette with the fabrics play on light, the figure becomes fluid and elusive, deceitfully fragile looking when in reality, cleverly protected from day-to-day urban living.

chris-raeburn-jacket1

Sustainable clothing’ can’t be just another buzzword that will come and go with the fashions; it is a reaction to a concern and has occurred due to designers having the initiative to take responsibility for the things they produce. Our environment will constantly be changing, and only through sensitive and innovative design will our industries continue.

ChristopherRaeburn

By unearthing the fragments of our past RAEBURN manages to tailor a present equipped for flux and adventure. Adapting a device that functions as a precaution to a dangerous collision, between the impact of man falling hard down to earth, isn’t only a revealing metaphor for the reality shock of industry resource exploitation, it simultaneously demonstrates the ability to successfully (and stylishly) do something about it. These clothes are a sign of combat, ruthless self-critique and action.

Christopher-Raeburn

The Parachute provides stability whilst free-falling in mid air, more about in the work of CHRISTOPHER RAEBURN however, sickness it is not stability that inspires his designs. Conscious of the unpredictable, and even volatile, current conditions of our climate, the garments have been made through the appropriation of old military parachutes. With the Earths sources and materials becoming increasingly scarce, his contemporary designs reform our past’s waste into functional and elegant macs, ponchos and parkas.

christopherraeburnParachutes B of B small

Following this thread of transformation, the delicate aesthetic of RAEBURN’s garments is quite a world away from the brutality of the materials original military function. The almost transparent qualities of the garments possess a fragility and odd resemblance to the visuals of a jellyfish.

christopherraeburb

Bending the lines of the silhouette with the fabrics play on light, the figure becomes fluid and elusive, deceitfully fragile looking when in reality, cleverly protected from day-to-day urban living.

chris-raeburn-jacket1

Sustainable clothing’ can’t be just another buzzword that will come and go with the fashions; it is a reaction to a concern and has occurred due to designers having the initiative to take responsibility for the things they produce. Our environment will constantly be changing, and only through sensitive and innovative design will our industries continue.

ChristopherRaeburn

By unearthing the fragments of our past RAEBURN manages to tailor a present equipped for flux and adventure. Adapting a device that functions as a precaution to a dangerous collision, between the impact of man falling hard down to earth, isn’t only a revealing metaphor for the reality shock of industry resource exploitation, it simultaneously demonstrates the ability to successfully (and stylishly) do something about it. These clothes are a sign of combat, ruthless self-critique and action.

Christopher-Raeburn

The Parachute provides stability whilst free-falling in mid air, stuff in the work of CHRISTOPHER RAEBURN however, it is not stability that inspires his designs. Conscious of the unpredictable, and even volatile, current conditions of our climate, the garments have been made through the appropriation of old military parachutes. With the Earths sources and materials becoming increasingly scarce, his contemporary designs reform our past’s waste into functional and elegant macs, ponchos and parkas.

christopherraeburnParachutes B of B small

Following this thread of transformation, the delicate aesthetic of RAEBURN’s garments is quite a world away from the brutality of the materials original military function. The almost transparent qualities of the garments possess a fragility and odd resemblance to the visuals of a jellyfish.

christopherraeburb

Bending the lines of the silhouette with the fabrics play on light, the figure becomes fluid and elusive, deceitfully fragile looking when in reality, cleverly protected from day-to-day urban living.

chris-raeburn-jacket1

Sustainable clothing’ can’t be just another buzzword that will come and go with the fashions; it is a reaction to a concern and has occurred due to designers having the initiative to take responsibility for the things they produce. Our environment will constantly be changing, and only through sensitive and innovative design will our industries continue.

ChristopherRaeburn

By unearthing the fragments of our past RAEBURN manages to tailor a present equipped for flux and adventure. Adapting a device that functions as a precaution to a dangerous collision, between the impact of man falling hard down to earth, isn’t only a revealing metaphor for the reality shock of industry resource exploitation, it simultaneously demonstrates the ability to successfully (and stylishly) do something about it. These clothes are a sign of combat, ruthless self-critique and action.

christopherraeburnParachutes B of B small

The Parachute provides stability whilst free-falling in mid air, visit this in the work of CHRISTOPHER RAEBURN however, order it is not stability that inspires his designs. Conscious of the unpredictable, check and even volatile, current conditions of our climate, the garments have been made through the appropriation of old military parachutes. With the Earths sources and materials becoming increasingly scarce, his contemporary designs reform our past’s waste into functional and elegant macs, ponchos and parkas.

Christopher-Raeburn

Following this thread of transformation, the delicate aesthetic of RAEBURN’s garments is quite a world away from the brutality of the materials original military function. The almost transparent qualities of the garments possess a fragility and odd resemblance to the visuals of a jellyfish.

christopherraeburb

Bending the lines of the silhouette with the fabrics play on light, the figure becomes fluid and elusive, deceitfully fragile looking when in reality, cleverly protected from day-to-day urban living.

chris-raeburn-jacket1

Sustainable clothing’ can’t be just another buzzword that will come and go with the fashions; it is a reaction to a concern and has occurred due to designers having the initiative to take responsibility for the things they produce. Our environment will constantly be changing, and only through sensitive and innovative design will our industries continue.

ChristopherRaeburn

By unearthing the fragments of our past RAEBURN manages to tailor a present equipped for flux and adventure. Adapting a device that functions as a precaution to a dangerous collision, between the impact of man falling hard down to earth, isn’t only a revealing metaphor for the reality shock of industry resource exploitation, it simultaneously demonstrates the ability to successfully (and stylishly) do something about it. These clothes are a sign of combat, ruthless self-critique and action.

There are examples of design so sufficient in its function that one finds it difficult to think around (or out) of it. If I look about my house and try to wonder how the objects that fill it came to be there, order I come to realise that if these things were to suddenly fall apart, approved I wouldn’t know how to put them back together. What could replace an object as anonymous and indiscreet as an iron? Why bother spending the time thinking about an alternative, buy more about when the original already exists and de-creases your blouse to perfection? I’m somewhat put at edge by my own passivity.

 

Good design could be argued to be those objects that become timeless, seamlessly slipping into your life, untouchable to the new ideas of those who propose to alter them. Though as I look at the objects exhibited in the 2009 Design Festival, it isn’t the objects I already depend on, or feel I can’t live without that excites me, it is those that disrupt and ask me to re-think how I live.
The two exhibitions that really addressed these concerns, in fun and imaginative ways, were the KithKin collective and a group of RCA graduates from the ‘Design Interactions’ course. KithKin presented a number of young designers showcasing diverse possibilities in design. Such as, the attempt to propose a reality were objects can speak (Amina Nazari) and jewellery made out of the hair and ashes of deceased loved ones, to facilitate alternative methods of mourning (Anna Schwamborn).

Yan Lu’s ‘Poor Little Fish’, plays with the consumer’s emotions by entangling the ethical implications of water waste, with the additional potential of the distress of a parched fish. Depending on the duration you take getting a glass of purified water, at the same time a different pipe gradually draws out water from the fishes bowl, confronting the consumer with the necessity to consider the amount of water they could potentially waste. –Don’t worry; the fishes’ tank is designed to fill up immediately when it gets too low, so no unnecessary accidents!

The designs by the RCA graduates in the exhibition, ‘Disruptive Thinking’, seek to embed alternate living modes in line with those that are already accepted. Vanessa Harden’s ‘The Subversive Gardener’, subtly re-modifies ordinary work attire into an outfit that conceals gadgets assisting guerrilla gardening. Being a busy business wo/man, who doesn’t have the time to cart gardening tools around the city, no longer provides an excuse not to get those plants back into the urban landscape. Harden’s renovated city bags come with a contraption that discreetly makes a small hole in the grass and uses a conveyor belt to smoothly pot in a plant. All you have to do is put your bag down on the ground, push a button disguised as a handle fastener, and wait a few seconds whilst you take a break to chat on your mobile.
krystof4

No-one would fault you for claiming the ability to predict a few of the key strokes that appeared in Polish designer’s Krystof Strozyna‘s new collection.

krystof3

The now familiar lacquered (and occasionally sewn-in) jewellery were accompanied by the eponymous mini ‘n moulded dress contagion -along with exposed zips – that afflicted this season’s catwalks.

Razor-sharp origami folds distorted the digitally printed silks to create totally new compositions, no rx most beautifully applied in minimal slivers on long sleeved and occasionally floor skimming dresses.

krystof5

The devoutly geometric and symmetrical collection of digitally printed hot desert hues hovered atop their black backgrounds like a velvet painting.
While some pieces possessed the intensity of a fiery oil field, troche most of the tightly tailored pieces shimmered in the tonal pinks of a desert animal’s underbelly.

krystof1

The slippery chemise dresses were expertly cut as was a multi-paneled jacket with its strong shoulders and drapey viscose tights (the perfect year round friend!).

krystof

Krystof Strozyna’s SS 2010 collection was worlds apart from SS 2009, which was all organic, frayed wovens and stiff organzas. And it was far change from the Tron-inspired white on black lines and muted grey palette of his last collection with its roominess and laser cut separates.

The makeup was right in step with a distinct Daryl-Hannah-in-Blade-Runner combo of slick-backed hair and rascal eyes. Seashells, bits of bone?, Whatever the lacquered wood cuffs and navel grazing necklaces were inspired by they were an elegant compliment to the sharp lightness of the slippery clothes.

KSlfw09

krystof6

Inarguably elegant, the collection managed to mix futuristic femme with archeological ornamental. Bravo!

krystof2

Categories ,Krystof Strozyna, ,London Fashion Week, ,Portico Rooms, ,September 2009, ,Somerset House

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Amelia’s Magazine | Fred Butler: London Fashion Week A/W 2012 Presentation Review

Fred Butler AW 2012 by Mitika Chohan

Fred Butler AW 2012 by Mitika Chohan

I love Fred Butler. She has been one of my favourite accessories and props designers for a few years now and apart from what she makes I also adore the fascinating and playful way in which she dresses as well as the way she expresses herself in interviews, which reveals a really quite special person indeed. I had seen her props pop up here and there in magazines, like in Amelia’s Magazine Issue 7 for which she made a Noah’s Ark shaped paper hat – in fact Amelia Gregory was one of the first to commission props from Fred. But I think a story I saw in i-D’s The Agyness Deyn Issue from May 2008, titled ‘Attitude’, featuring an inflatable rockets bra by Fred among other striking props, was what made me an official fan.

Fred Butler AW 2012 Charli XCX photo by Maria Papadimitriou

While queueing to see Fred’s live presentation of her A/W 2012 collection at The Portico Rooms in Somerset House on the 20th of February I was extra happy because – apart from the obvious reason – my young friend and budding stylist Isabella Sumner of Secret Danger Sister was texting me from backstage. Isabella became Kim Howells’ assistant for this London Fashion Week season after I forwarded to her a post by Kim I saw on Facebook asking for help! Kim has styled numerous Fred Butler presentations, films and lookbooks. Fred’s presentation took the form of a mini catwalk show which repeated itself over and over to a different audience each time. And there was quite a crowd to get through. During the four times in and out from the Portico Rooms – I saw the show twice – there were queues extending all the way to and down the stairs leading to the ground level of Somerset House. In those queues I spotted an array of some of the coolest, cutting edge creatives around, like Piers Atkinson, Bishi, Alùn Davies and Diane Pernet and filmmaker Konstantinos Menelaou from ASVOF, to name a few, all of whom of course love Fred’s original work.

Fred Butler AW 2012 photo by Maria Papadimitriou 9

Fred Butler AW 2012 photo by Maria Papadimitriou

Refreshingly the show opened with pop singer Charli XCX singing her catchy song ‘I’ll Never Know’ live with a band. Fred Butler, who’s twitter feed is full of #thismorningimlisteningto and other music related tweets, has a special relationship with music. She often DJs, she has made props for musicians such as Patrick Wolf, Nicki Minaj, Beth Ditto, La Roux AND Lady Gaga and, according to her, looking at the way musicians were dressed on album covers when she was little has been very inspiring. So it seems entirely natural that this season Fred, enabled by Red Bull Catwalk Studio, collaborated with Charlie XCX on a bespoke soundtrack for the collection. In general I think that the way Fred uses different art forms to enhance and show her work works incredibly well – for example she has made beautiful fashion films of her previous collections with talented young directors such as Zaiba Jabbar and Elisha Smith-Leverock.

Fred Butler AW 2012 by Nicola Ellen

Fred Butler AW 2012 by Nicola Ellen

Fred Butler AW 2012 photo by Maria Papadimitriou

Fred Butler 2012 by Catherine Meadows

Fred Butler 2012 by Catherine Meadows

Fred Butler AW 2012 photo by Maria Papadimitriou

Another notable and interesting thing about Fred Butler’s collections is the way she titles them using combined, long and sometimes made up words and phrases that seem to describe an other worldly thing or process in exactly the same intricate and imaginative way her pieces are made. The title of this collection was Tank Top-Ranking, Tong-Tied and Twisted. Her S/S 2012 collection was called Sonic Sinuate Supertemporal Sequestador and a 2011 collection went under the name of Incandescent Meta-morph-incessant.

Fred Butler AW 2012 photo by Maria Papadimitriou

Fred Butler AW 2012 photo by Maria Papadimitriou

Fred Butler AW 2012 photo by Maria Papadimitriou

Fred Butler AW 2012 photo by Maria Papadimitriou

Fred Butler AW 2012 LFW  by Deborah Moon

Fred Butler AW 2012 LFW by Deborah Moon

Fred Butler AW 2012 photo by Maria Papadimitriou

Following her S/S 2012 collection which featured more round shapes, frills and quite a bit of fabric, I was personally happy that in this collection Fred returned to origami folding techniques and body props with more clear cut, geometric shapes. This time I thought that the four colour goddesses that stepped out looked impeccable from head to toe. Each model had a monochrome base formed by beautiful knitted undergarments – a collaboration with EDE who specialise in English produced hand knits – and a matching colour wig. Placed on top of that base were a quilted, high collar gilet, origami obi belts, a marshmallow hued harness with twisted tubes, more belts and headbands out of twisted strings and more origami inspired, sculptural body pieces. The outfits were completed by colour matching shoes designed in collaboration with Rosy Nicholas. According to the press release there was a sushi related theme under all of this, especially in relation to the colour palette used. Usually I am very intrigued by the designers’ influences and references – and I have fun making up quite a few of my own when looking at collections – but Fred Butler’s work is for me so striking and fulfilling visually that my mind feels too drunk with pure aesthetic pleasure to care for any explanation in other terms.

Fred Butler AW 2012 photo by Maria Papadimitriou

Fred Butler AW 2012 photo by Maria Papadimitriou

All photography by Maria Papadimitriou

Categories ,A Shaded View on Fashion, ,accessories, ,accessories designer, ,Agyness Deyn, ,Alun Davies, ,Amelia’s Magazine, ,ASVOF, ,Beth Ditto, ,Bishi, ,Catherine Meadows, ,Charli XCX, ,Collaborations, ,Deborah Moon, ,Diane Pernet, ,EDE, ,Elisha Smith-Leverock, ,Ella Dror PR, ,Fashion Film, ,Fred Butler, ,i-D, ,Isabella Sumner, ,japanese, ,Kim Howells, ,Kimonos, ,Knits, ,Knotted, ,Konstantinos Menelaou, ,La Roux, ,Lady Gaga, ,London Fashion Week, ,Maria Papadimitriou, ,Mitika Chohan, ,monochrome, ,music, ,Nail Art, ,Nicki Minaj, ,Nicola Haigh, ,Noah’s Ark, ,Obi Belts, ,origami, ,pastels, ,Patrick Wolf, ,piers atkinson, ,Portico Rooms, ,Props, ,Quilting, ,rainbow, ,Red Bull Catwalk Studio, ,Red Bull Music Academy, ,Secret Danger Sister, ,Somerset House, ,Sushi, ,Twisted, ,Zaiba Jabbar

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Amelia’s Magazine | Jena.Theo: London Fashion Week A/W 2013 Catwalk Review

Jena Theo AW13 LFW by Charlotte Edey
Jena Theo A/W 2013 by Charlotte Edey

The Smiley faces dripping with acid plastered across the walls and Aphex Twin’s Window Licker as soundtrack set the tone for a trippy Jena.Theo show in the Portico Rooms at Somerset House.

Jena Theo A/W 13
Each model stepped out with matching tangelo lips and patent platform booties to stand together, sullenly cool and untouchable like the mean girls at school; which meant that of course I immediately wanted to be their best friend.

Jena Theo AW13 by Sarah Bogott
Jena Theo A/W 2013 by Sarah Bogott

The Jena.Theo colour palette was brave, with acidic pops of fuchsia, green, yellow and orange juxtaposed against black and gold. The textures provided another contrast; stiff denim and leather merging with soft silk and suede. The silhouette of this collection was voluminous; with tops worn several sizes too big and skirts dramatically flared or bubbled in various lengths.

Jena Theo A/W13

Favourites were the suede fuchsia drop-shoulder sweater paired with silky harem trousers and the over-sized fold over t-shirt dress in colourful graphic print with a giant orange smiley face sprayed across the front, worn with a bad-ass choker.

Jena Theo by Angelica Moreno
Jena Theo A/W 2013 by Angelica Moreno

There was reference to Hunter S. Thompson’s book Hell’s Angels, with this quote as the show inspiration: “The girls stood in a group, wearing bright lipstick and the black, wary expressions of half bright souls turned mean and nervous from too much bitter wisdom in too few years.” You would not funk with these girls, but my goodness did I want their clothes.

Jena Theo A/W13
All photography by Alex Kessler

Categories ,90s, ,Angelica Moreno, ,Aphex Twin, ,Charlotte Edey, ,çv, ,Hell’s Angels, ,Hunter S. Thompson, ,Jena.theo, ,London Fashion Week, ,Portico Rooms, ,rave, ,Sarah Bogott, ,Smiley faces, ,Somerset House, ,Window Licker

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Amelia’s Magazine | Bloody Gray: London Fashion Week A/W 2013 Presentation Review

Bloody Gray AW2013 by Gareth A Hopkins - Tom Van Der Borght
Tom Van Der Borght by Gareth A Hopkins

There was an epic queue for the Bloody Gray presentation in the Portico Rooms, presumably due to overenthusiastic distribution of the very attractive invites by Yasmina Hamaidia, I did the old go away and come back trick. Like they told me to. And walked in with no queue at all 20 minutes later. As can become the case when things claim to be ground breaking, there was a thin line between interesting and juvenile that, to my mind, some of the designers on show at Bloody Gray landed the wrong side of. Some of that ground has been broken many times before. But then far be it from me to discourage people from trying to be interesting of course, and interesting it definitely was.

bloody gray - lfw aw13 - Martina Spetlova 2

First to catch my eye in the main space were the creepy powder-wigged moving statues of Jayne Pierson‘s live art and digital display. They had white tights on over their shoes. And they looked as if they were going to crawl out of a Regency dolls house in the night and strangle me. Excellent.

bloody gray - lfw aw13 - JAYNE PIERSON 3

bloody gray - lfw aw13 - JAYNE PIERSON
Jayne Pierson‘s slow moving models.

jane bowler - lfw aw 2013 - amelias magazine

Jane Bowler, a fan of sustainable fashion and user of innovative inexpensive plastics, combined tessellating coloured squares in both her exciting dresses and shoes.

Sylwia-Szyszka- lfw aw 2013 - amelias magazine - Jane Bowler 1Sylwia-Szyszka- lfw aw 2013 - amelias magazine - Jane Bowler 2

Jane Bowler by Sylwia Szyszka

bloody gray - lfw aw13 - Tom Van Der Borght

I liked Tom Van Der Borght‘s theatrical setup with strip lights (obviously to make his models difficult to photograph); his garishly painted figures strike an entertaining line between tribal intimidation and colourful clownish clubland cuteness. The outfits themselves artfully combined obfuscating shapes, colour splatters and horses. It was an unusual, colourful and highly bizarre.

Sylwia-Szyszka - lfw aw 2013 - Tom Van der Borght
Tom Van Der Borght by Sylwia Szyszka

bloody gray - lfw aw13 - bas koster 2
bloody gray - lfw aw13 - bas koster
Bas Kosters

Dutch designer (among other things) Bas Kosters had filled his The Rebellious Shadow room with zombified fashion warriors, a horse headed man and such insightful slogans as YES NO and WHY. Why indeed Bas, definitely in the interesting/juvenile territory… but then what should we expect from the man who’s known for his leggings and dresses printed with photographs of penises.

Sylwia-Szyszka - lfw aw 2013 - bas kosters
Bas Kosters by Sylwia Szyszka

bloody gray - lfw aw13 - barbara alan
I’m pretty sure this is Barbara Alan, presumably explaining to someone why she has chosen to display her collection on pink posti-it notes. Her literature that came in the goody bag has one of my favourite phrases of ridiculous fashion waffle I’ve ever read: ‘Breaking from tradition by using innovation to give everything a uniqueness and an individuality.’ My GCSE art students couldn’t do better.

Categories ,A/W 2013, ,Barbara Alan, ,Bas Kosters, ,Bloody Gray, ,Gareth A Hopkins, ,Jane Bowler, ,Jayne Pierson, ,London Fashion Week, ,Portico Rooms, ,review, ,Sylwia Szyszka, ,The Rebellious Shadow, ,Tom Van Der Borght, ,yasmina hamaidia

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Amelia’s Magazine | Blow Presents… An Indian Fashion Show

Amelia GregoryWhen Amelia is not managing Amelia’s Magazine she takes huge quantities of photos. You can see more of her photography on the Amelia Gregory website (which is seriously out of date, purchase you’ve been warned!) and her photos often appear in the articles she writes. She used to make a living shooting portraits and fashion stories for the likes of The Guardian, ES Magazine, Sleaze Nation, Time Out and 125 Magazine and is only too happy to accept commissions! Get in touch with Amelia and let her know what you’d like her to shoot.

Amelia is available and loves to teach. Why not ask her to lecture at your college? She has taught extensively in many top universities and has several popular lectures ready to go, including:

  • How to Set Up a Magazine
  • How to Put Together and Pitch Fashion Shoots
  • How to Break Into the World of Editorial Illustration
  • How to Work with Effectively With Art Direction
  • How to Get Your Ideas Into the World With Effective Social Networking
  • How Illustration Can Imagine a Better World

She is also available for seminars, conferences and as a consultant on all things creative. Email Amelia Gregory for more information.

Amelia spends a lot of time organising, networking, designing, managing print production, calling celidhs and taking photos for Climate Camp because she believes what they are doing is one of the most important things in the world.

Amelia also calls celidhs (barndances if you prefer) with her band Green Kite Midnight which was formed through friendships made at Climate Camp. Green Kite Midnight are available to play sweet celidh music wherever the cause is good enough. Amelia has been calling non-traditional celidhs (featuring a mash-up of Scottish, Irish, English and Appalachian music and dances) for several years now but her biggest celidh to date was held in the main marquee at Climate Camp 2009 on Blackheath, where she got at least 500 people dancing up a storm in perfect harmony.

Little Shilpa illustration by Aniela Murphy

The first glorious day of sunshine in about a million years unavoidably lent itself to the presupposed exotic atmosphere conjured by Blow’s presentation of five young Indian fashion designers, order but the fashion on show moved far and away beyond simply for the Indian consumer into an exhibition of creativity that was fresh, ambulance vibrant and visually nourishing.

Having taken our seats in the Royal Festival Hall, the show began with Little Shilpa and her surfeit of psychedelic accessories that due to their vastness were often threatening to topple off heads and shatter on the catwalk in a pile of plexiglass and glue, but thank goodness those vigilant models kept steady hands. As with like-minded Holly Fulton (where comparisons are inevitable) inspiration clearly came from Art Deco, with a rainbow- coloured New York City skyline perched like a merry hat, carried on like a runway train through the insect and animal kingdoms, plant life, sportswear and even some downright hazardous-looking propeller blade shoulder pads. Whilst enjoyably inventive they were set against a backdrop of miserable old white shirts, although when the only other option was a yellow lycra catsuit maybe it’s a safe bet. We look forward to seeing these in magazines rather than sitting behind somebody who’s wearing them in the cinema.

Following on was something entirely different in Saviojon, whose designs lacked the same reach of imagination but clearly was not aiming that way, with an altogether more wearable collection of ruched and pleated cotton sun dresses in warm colours. The common denominator, however, was strength in accessories with some beautifully embellished shoes and hand crafted jewellery.


Ankur Gupta illustration by Aniela Murphy

Ankur Gupta ramped it back up again, successfully creating a cultural dialogue which surely is a fertile ground as far as the arts are concerned – here we had racy hemlines and futuristic silhouettes combined with traditional Indian embroidery and beading in a stunning display of workmanship. The heavy, carpet-like textiles were stitched and worked meticulously until they resembled beautiful quilts telling stories of trips through the jungle on a magical mystery tour – literally evoked through the appearance of everybody’s favourite educational automobile, the Magic Schoolbus! With added opiates. The dresses were perfectly paired with sequined gladiator sandals in harlequin colours that were the best shoes of the evening – better, certainly, than Anuj Sharma, where poorly made footwear made for awkward times on the catwalk with models eventually ending up barefoot.


Varun Sardana illustration by Aniela Murphy

We returned to drama for the evening’s final (and already acclaimed) designer, Varun Sardana, a real favourite amongst the crowd and reminiscent of showstoppers from Viktor & Rolf and Yohji Yamamoto. With a palette of black the emphasis here was on the convolution of texture, combined with headpieces to create armour-like with an extraordinarily mythical quality, in a collection that included capes, unicorn horns and a final look that’s going to be killer for somebody on the red carpet. Darkness always wins, apparently – even in the sunshine.

Another treat from our friends at Blow, then. We then headed up onto the roof for a few drinks which was pretty bloody brilliant too.

Photographs by Yemisi Blake

Categories ,Ankur Gupta, ,Anuj Sharma, ,Art Deco, ,Blow PR, ,Capes, ,Holly Fulton, ,Indian Designers, ,Little Shilpa, ,london, ,New York City, ,Royal Festival Hall, ,Saviojon, ,Sunshine, ,Texture, ,The Magic Schoolbus, ,Varun Sardana, ,Viktor & Rolf, ,Yohji Yamamoto

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