Amelia’s Magazine | Alternative Fashion Week 2010 at Spitalfields Market: more from Day 4

Alternative Fashion Week Day 4 2010 Nicole Gill
All photography by Amelia Gregory.

By Day 4 at Alternative Fashion Week things start to go a little hazy – and the other bloggers who were so keen earlier in the week seem to have all gone quiet so it’s much harder for me to cross check my facts and be sure that I have the right credits for the right designers. Do let me know if I’ve got it wrong or I’ve missed out a link.

As I arrived a bevy of scantily clad beauties were lining up for a photo call at the back of one of the dressing tents. They were modelling the lingerie designs of Nicole Gill, approved cure whose collection was described as being inspired by the Balinese Barong dance, symptoms whatever that is. Now, I’m no specialist on Balinese culture but I’m fairly certain that they don’t dance in their underwear or wear corsets. Non obvious influences aside, these were sexy pieces for sure. Bemused labourers looked on.

Alternative Fashion Week Day 4 2010 Nicole Gill
Alternative Fashion Week Day 4 2010 Nicole Gill
Alternative Fashion Week Day 4 2010 Nicole Gill
Alternative Fashion Week Day 4 2010 Nicole Gill
Alternative Fashion Week Day 4 2010 Nicole Gill
Lingerie by Nicole Gill.

Inside Crispin Place Alex Seroge was ready to go, lined up with his models in an imposing group. Apparently an amalgamation of middle eastern and Persian influences, there was also something of the Edwardian country squire-ess to this collection, which mixed tweeds with exotic head wraps and prints in every shade of spice.

Alternative Fashion Week day 4 2010 Alex Seroge
Alternative Fashion Week day 4 2010 Alex Seroge
Alternative Fashion Week day 4 2010 Alex Seroge
Alex Seroge.

Next up with a fabulously-over-the-top-despite-being-all-cream collection of big knitwear was George Strood; props to her models for posing so perfectly with the shaggy knitted bag. And loving the shaggy trousers, inspired by Mr Tomlinson, the fawn in Narnia?

Alternative Fashion Week day 4 2010 George Strood
Alternative Fashion Week day 4 2010 George Strood
Alternative Fashion Week Day 4 2010 george Strood
Alternative Fashion Week day 4 2010 George Strood
Knitwear by George Strood.

The University of Derby passed by without me particularly noticing – apart from this one fabulous piece, like a wearable lampshade made from a giant spidersweb. Judging by the silver make up I think the boy in the pink may have been part of the collection too.

Alternative Fashion Week day 4 2010 Derby
Alternative Fashion Week Day 4 2010 Derby
Alternative Fashion Week day 4 2010 Derby

Barnet College also showed with Zero Waste – from the title I can only presume it was all recycled. I liked this lady because as she was standing on the steps waiting to go onto the catwalk I realised that she had a cupcake tattoo on her bum. Taking the fetishising of cupcakes to a whole new level!

Alternative Fashion Week day 4 2010 Barnet
Alternative Fashion Week day 4 2010 Barnet
Alternative Fashion Week day 4 2010 Barnet
Check the cupcake on arse!

Alternative Fashion Week day 4 2010 Barnet
Barnet College.

I found the sports menswear collection by Thomas Lovegrove unoriginal. When Kim Jones first put the bright back into menswear a decade ago it was smart and new, but now it just looks tired and done. You can find sportswear like this in any high street shop these days.

Alternative Fashion Week day 4 2010 Thomas Lovegrove

Alice Barcham paraded a collection of tailored whites inspired by the Sydney Opera House crossed with Audrey Hepburn and LuaSarcy showed some dreadful wedding wear. Well, not dreadful, but just weddingy. i.e. not very exciting. Certainly not what I would call fashion at any rate.

Alternative Fashion Week day 4 2010 Alice Barcham
Alice Barcham.

Alternative Fashion Week Day 4 2010 LuaSarcy
LuaSarcy.

On the knitwear front Gemma Maher showed a delightfully understated collection called Firebird, inspired by the ballet apparently. Can you see the connection? Not sure I can but anyhoo.

Alternative Fashion Week day 4 2010 Gemma Maher
Alternative Fashion Week day 4 2010 Gemma Maher
Alternative Fashion Week Day 4 2010 Gemma Maher
Gemma Maher.

At the nearby Brady Centre in Tower Hamlets a team of designers had been beavering away under the name A Team Arts and for awhile it all went a little crazy backstage. What I could deduce was theirs was quite frankly bonkers. A tiny innocuous looking blonde girl stood by her three crazy orange and brown outfits featuring pop-sock festooned polystyrene balls growing carbuncle-like in every direction.

Alternative Fashion Week Day 4 2010 Brady Centre
Alternative Fashion Week Day 4 2010 Brady Centre
Alternative Fashion Week Day 4 2010 Brady Centre

To continue the costume design theme someone had decided to turn men into dragons, with one poor model entirely covered in what can only be described as a large knitted spotty body sock. The poor fella inside mumbled something to me about having been street cast and not knowing what he had let himself in for, but hey what the heck no one was going to see his face.

Alternative Fashion Week Day 4 2010 Brady Centre

This wee girl was not so keen on having her picture taken, but she’d created some pretty amazing jewellery/accessory pieces out of laser cut shapes.

Alternative Fashion Week Day 4 2010 Brady Centre
Alternative Fashion Week Day 4 2010 Brady Centre

Someone chose to subvert traditional English tailoring, another designer created some stunning purple and green tailored dresses, and Lorraine’s batik Afrochic outfit was worn by the most amazing model – check out her absolutely loving up the camera. A photographer’s dream. Below are a few more shots too that I presume come from that creative Brady Centre bunch.

Alternative Fashion Week Day 4 2010 Brady Centre
Alternative Fashion Week Day 4 2010 Brady Centre
Alternative Fashion Week Day 4 2010 Brady Centre
Alternative Fashion Week Day 4 2010 Brady Centre
Alternative Fashion Week Day 4 2010 Brady Centre
Alternative Fashion Week Day 4 2010 Brady Centre

Elif Muzaffer hails from Turkey, but graduated from Ravensbourne last year having specialised in womenswear and textiles. Titled A Struggle Within, a love of print was obvious in this elegantly presented collection of tailored coats and long ballgowns worn by willowy models. I loved the colour range, all deep juicy oranges and sultry shades of deep blue and violet. Elif emailed me to thank me for my interest that evening and wisely set up a blog last week after I queried how I could link to more of her work. Take note, other designers that I am struggling to write about!

Alternative Fashion Week day 4 2010 Elif Muzzafer
Alternative Fashion Week day 4 2010 Elif Muzzafer
Alternative Fashion Week day 4 2010 Elif Muzzafer
Alternative Fashion Week day 4 2010 Elif Muzzafer
Alternative Fashion Week day 4 2010 Elif Muzzafer
Alternative Fashion Week day 4 2010 Elif Muzzafer
Elif Muzzafer with her girls. Definitely one to watch.

Renata Suchanova not only has a wonderful name but her website sports a pretty fabulous collection of purple clothing. It’s a shame I can’t find any snaps of her collection at Alternative Fashion Week – did I miss it? Was it incredibly different? I’ll probably never know…

Serbian Mila Popovic was found cursing the volcano – she had travelled overland to make the catwalk on time and was sounding harassed. Next to her the make up artist Maya was sporting the most fabulous henna arm tattoos. I liked Mila’s eclectic collection The Flowers of Romance which is co-designed with sister Tijana, and featured bright patterns mixed with traditional tailoring. According to the little booklet she raced off to find for me their Cash for Trash showroom promotes “eko design” though I am not sure in what way.

Alternative Fashion Week Day 4 2010 Popovic
Alternative Fashion Week day 4 2010 make up designer maya

UCreative from the University for the Creative Arts in Rochester closed the day with Metamorphosis/Transformation and another flurry of young girls in a melange of creamy ruffles. Make up artist Phoebe Dalziel explained that she used lace to spray paint directly onto the faces of the models.

Alternative Fashion Week Day 4 2010 UCreative Rochester
Alternative Fashion Week Day 4 2010 UCreative Rochester
Alternative Fashion Week Day 4 2010 UCreative Rochester
Alternative Fashion Week Day 4 2010 UCreative Rochester
Alternative Fashion Week Day 4 2010 UCreative Rochester
Alternative Fashion Week Day 4 2010 UCreative Rochester
Alternative Fashion Week Day 4 2010 UCreative Rochester
Alternative Fashion Week Day 4 2010 UCreative Rochester
Alternative Fashion Week Day 4 2010 UCreative Rochester
Alternative Fashion Week Day 4 2010 UCreative Rochester
Alternative Fashion Week Day 4 2010 UCreative Rochester
Alternative Fashion Week Day 4 2010 Rochester
Rochester Girls. I used to teach down there. Once upon a time.
Alternative Fashion Week Day 4 2010 Brady Centre
All photography by Amelia Gregory.

At the nearby Brady Centre in Tower Hamlets a team of designers have been beavering away under the name A Team Arts and for awhile it all went a little crazy backstage on day 4 of Alternative Fashion Week. What I could deduce was theirs was quite frankly bonkers. A tiny innocuous looking blonde girl stood by her three crazy orange and brown outfits featuring pop-sock festooned polystyrene balls growing carbuncle-like in every direction.

Alternative Fashion Week Day 4 2010 Brady Centre
Alternative Fashion Week Day 4 2010 Brady Centre

To continue the costume design theme someone had decided to turn men into dragons, cialis 40mg with one poor model entirely covered in what can only be described as a large knitted spotty body sock. The poor fella inside mumbled something to me about having been street cast and not knowing what he had let himself in for, but hey what the heck no one was going to see his face.

Alternative Fashion Week Day 4 2010 Brady Centre

This wee girl was not so keen on having her picture taken, but she’d created some pretty amazing jewellery/accessory pieces out of laser cut shapes.

Alternative Fashion Week Day 4 2010 Brady Centre
Alternative Fashion Week Day 4 2010 Brady Centre
Alternative Fashion Week day 4 2010 Gemma Maher

Lorraine’s batik Afrochic outfit was worn by the most amazing model – check out her absolutely loving up the camera. A photographer’s dream.

Alternative Fashion Week Day 4 2010 Brady Centre
Alternative Fashion Week Day 4 2010 Brady Centre

I presume the pieces below all come from that creative Brady Centre bunch. From subverted English tailoring to bold fitted dresses, there was much to admire in this group.

Alternative Fashion Week Day 4 2010 Brady Centre
Alternative Fashion Week Day 4 2010 Brady Centre
Alternative Fashion Week Day 4 2010 Brady Centre
Alternative Fashion Week Day 4 2010 Brady Centre

Elif Muzaffer hails from Turkey, but graduated from Ravensbourne last year having specialised in womenswear and textiles. Titled A Struggle Within, a love of print was obvious in this elegantly presented collection of tailored coats and long ballgowns worn by willowy models. I loved the colour range, all deep juicy oranges and sultry shades of deep blue and violet. Elif emailed me to thank me for my interest that evening and wisely set up a blog last week after I queried how I could link to more of her work. Take note, other designers that I am struggling to write about!

Alternative Fashion Week day 4 2010 Elif Muzzafer
Alternative Fashion Week day 4 2010 Elif Muzzafer
Alternative Fashion Week day 4 2010 Elif Muzzafer
Alternative Fashion Week day 4 2010 Elif Muzzafer
Alternative Fashion Week day 4 2010 Elif Muzzafer
Alternative Fashion Week day 4 2010 Elif Muzzafer
Elif Muzzafer with her girls. Definitely one to watch.

Renata Suchanova not only has a wonderful name but her website sports a pretty fabulous collection of purple clothing. It’s a shame I can’t find any snaps of her collection at Alternative Fashion Week – did I miss it? Was it incredibly different? I’ll probably never know…

Serbian Mila Popovic was found cursing the volcano – she had travelled overland to make the catwalk on time and was sounding harassed. Next to her the make up artist Maya was sporting the most fabulous henna arm tattoos. I liked Mila’s eclectic collection The Flowers of Romance which is co-designed with sister Tijana, and featured bright patterns mixed with traditional tailoring. According to the little booklet she raced off to find for me their Cash for Trash showroom promotes “eko design” though I am not sure in what way.

Alternative Fashion Week Day 4 2010 Popovic
Alternative Fashion Week day 4 2010 make up designer maya

UCreative from the University for the Creative Arts in Rochester closed the day with Metamorphosis/Transformation and another flurry of young girls in a melange of creamy ruffles. Make up artist Phoebe Dalziel explained that she used lace to spray paint directly onto the faces of the models.

Alternative Fashion Week Day 4 2010 UCreative Rochester
Alternative Fashion Week Day 4 2010 UCreative Rochester
Alternative Fashion Week Day 4 2010 UCreative Rochester
Alternative Fashion Week Day 4 2010 UCreative Rochester
Alternative Fashion Week Day 4 2010 UCreative Rochester
Alternative Fashion Week Day 4 2010 UCreative Rochester
Alternative Fashion Week Day 4 2010 UCreative Rochester
Alternative Fashion Week Day 4 2010 UCreative Rochester
Alternative Fashion Week Day 4 2010 UCreative Rochester
Alternative Fashion Week Day 4 2010 UCreative Rochester
Alternative Fashion Week Day 4 2010 UCreative Rochester
Alternative Fashion Week Day 4 2010 Rochester
Rochester Girls. I used to teach on the fashion promotion course down there. Once upon a time.

Day 4 got so out of control that I have split it into two parts: you can read part one of this post here.
You can read up on day 2 here and day 3 here.

Categories ,Alternative Fashion Week, ,Brady Centre, ,Elif Muzaffer, ,ravensbourne, ,Renata Suchanova, ,Rochester, ,spitalfields, ,Tijana and Mila Popovic, ,Tower Hamlets, ,UCreative, ,University for the Creative Arts

Similar Posts:






Amelia’s Magazine | An interview with Lupen Crook about new album British Folk Tales

lupen crook by chris brake
Lupen Crook by Chris Brake.

Outsider artist and musical savant Lupen Crook returns with his 5th self produced album, created for only £600 at home in Camden. I first came across him some years ago when I introduced Lupen Crook to the world via the print pages of Amelia’s Magazine: alongside his unique talent I admired in him the DIY ethos that chimed so well with my own. Since then he’s remained on the fringes, a place he inhabits well: here his idiosyncratic take on life is able to manifest in acerbic, angry but always exciting songs that walk the space somewhere between folk, indie and grunge. Lead single Treasons To Be Beautiful is an anthemic refrain about the state of the UK today. It kicks off new album British Folk Tales with a brilliant animated video that showcases the collaged artwork that Lupen has become equally well known for. Despite his occasional pessimism life is looking pretty good for Crook.

Lupen Crook treasons to be beautiful
Lupen Crook treasons to be beautiful
Your current single Treasons to be Beautiful features some of your inimitable artwork – can you describe your artistic process in creating a video such as this? 
I’m not trained at anything, and my experience in video making is by far the thing I have the least experience in. There’s always a risk in everything that it could go a little sideways, but then it’s the trying and finding out for myself that appeals to me more than the result. I enjoy trying to communicate things, and this animation is basically a visual extension of the lyrics. Felt tip pens and patience for the most part, and not worrying too much about the things I don’t have, instead using my limited experience and the little resources I have as best I can.  

lupen-crook
What kind of art and music training do you have?
Well, nothing in terms of education. I can’t write or read music. I couldn’t tell you what paint stroke or technique I use when I paint. I’m a person who just does things, sometimes stubbornly and with little thought to whether or not I am capable. It’s not that I can write songs or paint pictures, it’s that I’m compelled to do so. I guess my training has been the experience of what I’ve done, and continue to do. There’s not much I know other than what I’ve found out by myself.  

Lupen Crook treasons to be beautiful
YouTube Preview Image
What inspired Treasons to be Beautiful?
The dreadful fucking corruption that exists, and worse still the cheap knock off versions of events that are so blatantly paraded around right in front of us, though it comes from such a great height it seems a wasted energy to worry about it for the most part. If I do get drawn into it, for all my efforts I end up paranoid, anxious, full of self loathing and despair. There’s a very real danger of growing hateful and bitter with this world. Thankfully, I have been working on avoiding the negative, am training myself to cope with these symptoms of living, not by ignoring the bigger picture, but by reducing it, and doing my best to ensure it doesn’t enter into my personal space, or my mind. Blissful ignorance is a dangerous illusion, but on the flip side if you look too close, your eyes will burn. It’s about moderating the things you allow into your reality. 

Lupen Crook British Folk Tales
Your new album comes out on a proper label – what was the decision behind this?
Self releasing was a learning curve. Of all the things I learnt, I learnt that I do not enjoy the selling, or the business stuff that has to be considered when self-releasing. Some people are brilliant at these things, they are as enthusiastic about selling records as I am making them, and it’s those people that should be selling music, not me. At the start of 2012 I made a decision to be positively selfish toward the things I wanted to do, and avoid anything that was in the slightest bit opposed to that. I like creating things. I like ideas. I like painting, I like writing, and I like music. Luckily this label, and Neil Burrows in particular, approached me, and were enthusiastic about releasing the album. They stick to their side of the fence, I stick to mine. We meet in the middle for a catch up, but otherwise I just get on tending to my side. So far, it’s working. 

Lupen Crook by Fran Marchesi
Lupen Crook by Fran Marchesi.

Why British Folk Tales?
Ha, it sounds like a fucking Mumford and Sons record doesn’t it? But it’s not, obviously. Well, the truth is my last few albums have, for want of a better word, been almost conceptual, in the sense the songs have had this very strong theme and message running through them. This time, it felt more like just a collection of songs. Of course, there are themes that run through the songs, because themes run through me, but it felt quite a relief not to be dealing with something that was trying to define itself, to solve something bigger and beyond the actual music. That’s not to say I feel anything less for these songs, but there was less of an overall ‘thing’ to contend with. The title itself, I fell in love with very early on. I love that it’s so simple, and almost traditional, and so non-crooked. It amused me, but also it just felt right. The trouble was, as the album progressed, it started to feel very wrong. Throughout the whole recording process, I referred to the album as ‘illogica‘, but after the album was finished, I randomly stumbled upon that old photograph in a box of other stuff, and suddenly it all made sense. 

lupen-crook
What is the folk tale that has touched you the most?
My friend Bob Loveday, who played Violin on the album, compared something that’s been happening in my life to this tale … A man and goes out to work, in the hope of providing for his family. Their fields are dry and nothing grows. The future is bleak. He is gone for months and months, maybe even years. He tries his hand at everything. He mines for gold, oil, whatever else you can mine for. But he finds nothing. No luck. He has failed. And so, with nothing more to do, no hope or choice, he returns to his family a broken man. One night, sitting outside in his back garden, looking out upon the dry and lifeless field on which his dilapidated house stands, he kicks the ground. Under the moonlight, he sees a slight flicker of light from the dark dirt at his feet. He reaches down, and there he finds a diamond, and then another, and so on. This story really struck a chord with me. In essence a story about home and family and what’s really important. I love that this bloke had gone around the world searching for something that all the time was right there, under his nose, where he least expected it to be.    

Lupen Crook treasons to be beautiful
lupen-crook treasons to be beautiful
Are you hopeful or fearful for the future, or maybe a bit of both…  and where do you think we are heading?
We? I can’t answer that. Where I am heading is nowhere beyond my next idea. Along the way, I’ll be keeping an eye on myself, cleanse a little more of the rotten guilt that weighs on my mind. Self awareness to an extent, but not self obsession. Awareness of my surroundings, but realising that my surroundings are an illusion, and a changeable one, changeable by myself and everything else in the world.

Lupen Crook album launch party
What were the main things going through your mind when you made this album?
Probably that this was the last Lupen Crook album I would be making for a while. 

Lupen Crook treasons to be beautiful
Lupen Crook treasons to be beautiful
Who were your cohorts and collaborators?
I didn’t work with a band. I invited my friend Chris Garth to play drums and we both laid down the album in 2 days, basically live – vocals, guitar and drums. Other than that, I done it all in-house. A few people came round and played some stuff, very improvised. Tom Langridge, John Whitaker and Bob Loveday all visited my flat. I pretty much made them a coffee and asked if they’d have a go at playing something over whatever it was I was working on at the time. Sometimes I’d just let them jam stuff out and then edit it later, rather than work on actual parts for the songs. It was a way of keeping things natural, even if the structures were set. 

Lupen Crook treasons to be beautiful
At the end of Treasons to be Beautiful you seem to float off with your family – how much has being a dad at a reasonably young age informed your work?
Yeah, my crooked family. They allow me to be the way I am. We’ll float off one day. 

What is the best bit about being a dad?
Laughing. 

Lupen Crook treasons to be beautiful
Are you still based in Kent? What is the music scene like down there nowadays?
No. I live in North London. We moved up here and I left the wicked side of myself back there. I left him walking the length of Dirty Mile. We speak sometimes, now and again. But no, I like my sanctuary in the chaos of this capital. Strange, but in all the madness of Camden, I feel peaceful and able to concentrate my efforts on the things that need most. I do visit Medway though, and there’s plenty going on. The last few years have seen a real effort by artists and musicians to promote what they do and what’s happening, which is great, the stuff happening is really worth checking out. 

Lupen Crook festival-of-light
Lupen Crook, Festival of Light.

Any bands we should be looking out for from down that way?
Loads. A lot you can see, a lot more you would never hear about unless you saw it for yourself. The 2nd November gig I’ve put on in Rochester goes some way to celebrating this, but for sure there’s a whole load more to Medway. That said, it’ll be great and no doubt a little crazy getting 8 of my favourite bands in a building for one night only. I’ve also made these punk style booklets, hand-made fanzine type things, which I’m distributing with the help of a few independent shops in the lead up to the gig. I was lucky to get contributions from a few great artists, including Wolf Howard, Scott Jason Smith, and Wolfgang Riot. Not to mention the bands that have agreed to come together and play on the night. Come along, find out for yourself. 

Lupen Crook murder-by-medway-council-2009
Lupen Crook, Murder by Medway Council, 2009

What do you hope for in the coming year?
I’ve got an exhibition that opens on January 10th in Kentish Town. A brilliantly original gallery called Flaxon Ptootch. I’ll be showing new paintings alongside artist Joni Belaruski, which I’m really excited about. Other than that, I’ve got some writing I might try to publish, and other musical things in the pipeline, but nothing set in stone. Open waters, which is exactly how I want it. 

Lupen Crook treasons to be beautiful
Lupen Crook treasons to be beautiful
British Folk Tales is released on 29th October 2012 via license from Crook’s own Beast Reality label to UK Indie label The Preservation Society Presents. Alongside CD, Vinyl and Download, the new album is presented as a Limited Edition vinyl with hand-painted sleeve art created by Lupen Crook. Available via indie stores and mail order from The Preservation Society Presents. website.

Categories ,Beast Reality, ,Bob Loveday, ,British Folk Tales, ,camden, ,Chris Brake, ,Chris Garth, ,Dirty Mile, ,Festival of Light, ,Flaxon Ptootch, ,Fran Marchesi, ,illogica, ,John Whitaker, ,Joni Belaruski, ,kent, ,Lupen Crook, ,Medway, ,Mumford and Sons, ,Murder by Medway Council, ,Neil Burrows, ,Rochester, ,Scott Jason Smith, ,The Preservation Society Presents, ,Tom Langridge, ,Treasons to be Beautiful, ,Wolf Howard, ,Wolfgang Riot

Similar Posts: