Amelia’s Magazine | London Fashion Week S/S 2012 Catwalk Review: Ann-Sofie Back | Atelje

Ann Sofie Back S/S 2012 London Fashion Week by Dee Andrews

Ann-Sofie Back | BACK S/S 2012 illustrated by Dee Andrews

It’s 7 pm on the first day of London Fashion Week and the rapid advent of my first catwalk show clash; do I see Ashley Isham or Ann-Sofie Back | Atelje? I’m not familiar with either, case though as I clearly requested these invites, I’m sure both must have appealed to me in some form or other. A quick look through past look books online and I’m still undecided. I spy the locations for each show and my mind is made up; Ann-Sofie Back | Atelje at the BFC tent it is. I refuse to walk all the way to Il Bottaccio (again) – one of this season’s London Fashion Week venues, located miles (well maybe just under two miles) away from the hosting venue, Somerset House. If nothing else, it’s a sensible choice and means little time spent queuing and the acquisition of a front row seat.

Ann-Sofie Back | Atelje S/S 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay

Ann-Sofie Back | Atelje S/S 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay

Ann-Sofie Back | Atelje S/S 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay

Ann-Sofie Back | Atelje S/S 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay

Michael of Anastasia and Duck comes and sits next to me and chats enthusiastically about Back’s previous London Fashion Week shows and the theatrical element to them; fear inducing ghosts and zombies I’m informed. Not many designers take advantage of the opportunity to stage a memorable avant-garde show, so I’m now super excited to experience this one.

Ann-Sofie Back S/S 2012 London Fashion Week by Geiko Louve

Ann-Sofie Back | BACK S/S 2012 illustrated by Karla Perez aka Geiko Louve

So soon after the show commences, I’m a tad disappointed with the non-drama of the show, though if I’d read the press-release before, instead of after the show, the seemingly non-theatrical element would have made complete sense. This is because Ann-Sofie Back’s Atelje collection is inspired by religion and traditional Lutheran values coined Jantelagen; a set of axioms that frown upon and discourage success, conspicuousness, pride and satisfaction and acuity amongst other things:

The law of Jante
1. Thou shalt not believe thou art something.
2. Thou shalt not believe thou art as good as we.
3. Thou shalt not believe thou art more wise than we.
4. Thou shalt not fancy thyself better than we.
5. Thou shalt not believe thou knowest more than we.
6. Thou shalt not believe thou art greater than we.
7. Thou shalt not believe thou amountest to anything.
8. Thou shalt not laugh at us.
9. Thou shalt not believe that anyone is concerned with thee.
10. Thou shalt not believe thou canst teach us anything.
From Aksel Sandemose’s 1933 novel En flygtning krydser sit spor (A Fugitive Crosses His Tracks)

Ann Sofie Back | Atelje S/S 2012 London Fashion Week by Dee Andrews

Ann-Sofie Back | Atelje S/S 2012 illustrated by Dee Andrews

With Sweden being one of the most secularized countries in the world, these rules akin to the ideals of communism, appear contradictory to the character of the Nordic country. But it appears that Jantelagen is very much embedded into Swedish culture, economics and politics and is taken rather seriously.

Ann-Sofie Back | Atelje S/S 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay

Ann-Sofie Back | Atelje S/S 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay

Ann-Sofie Back | Atelje S/S 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay

Ann-Sofie Back | Atelje S/S 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay

Ann-Sofie Back doesn’t do savory inspiration; her collections are always a creative battle against or a fight for awareness of some form of oppression/suppression or other and the spring-summer collection is no different; a rebellion against Jantelagen.

Ann Sofie Back | Atelje S/S 2012 London Fashion Week by Dee Andrews

Ann-Sofie Back | Atelje S/S 2012 illustrated by Dee Andrews

The garments appear almost two-dimensional in their simple paper like forms; crisp, clear and severe. The colours are neutral: white, sand, ink black and office blue maintaining the illusion of inconspicuousness. However, the acute stripes, the use of flattering soft and iridescent organza and careful features such as pin-tucks and precise folds and creases all offend the Jantelagen commandments by being defiant, boldly standing out and exuding confidence. I rarely wear mute colours, but the white apron dress and white skirt and stripy top ensemble would most definitely find a home in my wardrobe.

Ann-Sofie Back | Atelje S/S 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay

Ann-Sofie Back | BACK S/S 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay

Ann-Sofie Back | BACK S/S 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay

Ann-Sofie Back’s BACK collection certainly acquiesces far more to conventional inconspicuous and unostentatious fashion. Linen is the ruling fabric in the collection and is constructed into simple, loose shapes, but almost always accessoriesed with the signature motif, the skinny belt, inspired by – wait for it… Spaghetti! The knitwear is unpretentious and though I can’t touch the the fabrics and see how they feel, I have a feeling they would be a pleasure to wear.

Ann-Sofie Back | BACK S/S 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay

Ann-Sofie Back | BACK S/S 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay

Ann-Sofie Back | BACK S/S 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay

My favourites in the BACK line are; the spacious hot pink linen dress and the long blue pleated skirt, very wearable, very chic. The collections haven’t blown my mind though the ideas behind them have certainly provoked curiosity, but they do however have commercial value.

Play the video and watch the show.

All photography by Akeela Bhattay

Categories ,Akeela Bhattay, ,Ann-Sofie Back, ,Article, ,Atelje, ,BFC Tent, ,british fashion council, ,catwalk show, ,Dee Andrews, ,designer, ,fashion, ,Frugal, ,Functional, ,Geiko Louve, ,God, ,illustrations, ,Intellectual, ,Jantelagen, ,LFW S/S 2012, ,London Fashion Week, ,Neautral colours, ,Oppression, ,Rebel, ,religion, ,review, ,September, ,simple, ,Somerset House, ,SS12, ,Suppression, ,sweden, ,swedish designer, ,Swedish Fashion, ,theatre, ,Venue

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Amelia’s Magazine | London Fashion Week S/S 2012 Catwalk Review: Ann-Sofie Back | Atelje

Ann Sofie Back S/S 2012 London Fashion Week by Dee Andrews

Ann-Sofie Back | BACK S/S 2012 illustrated by Dee Andrews

It’s 7 pm on the first day of London Fashion Week and the rapid advent of my first catwalk show clash; do I see Ashley Isham or Ann-Sofie Back | Atelje? I’m not familiar with either, though as I clearly requested these invites, I’m sure both must have appealed to me in some form or other. A quick look through past look books online and I’m still undecided. I spy the locations for each show and my mind is made up; Ann-Sofie Back | Atelje at the BFC tent it is. I refuse to walk all the way to Il Bottaccio (again) – one of this season’s London Fashion Week venues, located miles (well maybe just under two miles) away from the hosting venue, Somerset House. If nothing else, it’s a sensible choice and means little time spent queuing and the acquisition of a front row seat.

Ann-Sofie Back | Atelje S/S 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay

Ann-Sofie Back | Atelje S/S 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay

Ann-Sofie Back | Atelje S/S 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay

Ann-Sofie Back | Atelje S/S 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay

Michael of Anastasia and Duck comes and sits next to me and chats enthusiastically about Back’s previous London Fashion Week shows and the theatrical element to them; fear inducing ghosts and zombies I’m informed. Not many designers take advantage of the opportunity to stage a memorable avant-garde show, so I’m now super excited to experience this one.

Ann-Sofie Back S/S 2012 London Fashion Week by Geiko Louve

Ann-Sofie Back | BACK S/S 2012 illustrated by Karla Perez aka Geiko Louve

So soon after the show commences, I’m a tad disappointed with the non-drama of the show, though if I’d read the press-release before, instead of after the show, the seemingly non-theatrical element would have made complete sense. This is because Ann-Sofie Back’s Atelje collection is inspired by religion and traditional Lutheran values coined Jantelagen; a set of axioms that frown upon and discourage success, conspicuousness, pride and satisfaction and acuity amongst other things:

The law of Jante
1. Thou shalt not believe thou art something.
2. Thou shalt not believe thou art as good as we.
3. Thou shalt not believe thou art more wise than we.
4. Thou shalt not fancy thyself better than we.
5. Thou shalt not believe thou knowest more than we.
6. Thou shalt not believe thou art greater than we.
7. Thou shalt not believe thou amountest to anything.
8. Thou shalt not laugh at us.
9. Thou shalt not believe that anyone is concerned with thee.
10. Thou shalt not believe thou canst teach us anything.
From Aksel Sandemose’s 1933 novel En flygtning krydser sit spor (A Fugitive Crosses His Tracks)

Ann Sofie Back | Atelje S/S 2012 London Fashion Week by Dee Andrews

Ann-Sofie Back | Atelje S/S 2012 illustrated by Dee Andrews

With Sweden being one of the most secularized countries in the world, these rules akin to the ideals of communism, appear contradictory to the character of the Nordic country. But it appears that Jantelagen is very much embedded into Swedish culture, economics and politics and is taken rather seriously.

Ann-Sofie Back | Atelje S/S 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay

Ann-Sofie Back | Atelje S/S 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay

Ann-Sofie Back | Atelje S/S 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay

Ann-Sofie Back | Atelje S/S 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay

Ann-Sofie Back doesn’t do savory inspiration; her collections are always a creative battle against or a fight for awareness of some form of oppression/suppression or other and the spring-summer collection is no different; a rebellion against Jantelagen.

Ann Sofie Back | Atelje S/S 2012 London Fashion Week by Dee Andrews

Ann-Sofie Back | Atelje S/S 2012 illustrated by Dee Andrews

The garments appear almost two-dimensional in their simple paper like forms; crisp, clear and severe. The colours are neutral: white, sand, ink black and office blue maintaining the illusion of inconspicuousness. However, the acute stripes, the use of flattering soft and iridescent organza and careful features such as pin-tucks and precise folds and creases all offend the Jantelagen commandments by being defiant, boldly standing out and exuding confidence. I rarely wear mute colours, but the white apron dress and white skirt and stripy top ensemble would most definitely find a home in my wardrobe.

Ann-Sofie Back | Atelje S/S 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay

Ann-Sofie Back | BACK S/S 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay

Ann-Sofie Back | BACK S/S 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay

Ann-Sofie Back’s BACK collection certainly acquiesces far more to conventional inconspicuous and unostentatious fashion. Linen is the ruling fabric in the collection and is constructed into simple, loose shapes, but almost always accessoriesed with the signature motif, the skinny belt, inspired by – wait for it… Spaghetti! The knitwear is unpretentious and though I can’t touch the the fabrics and see how they feel, I have a feeling they would be a pleasure to wear.

Ann-Sofie Back | BACK S/S 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay

Ann-Sofie Back | BACK S/S 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay

Ann-Sofie Back | BACK S/S 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay

My favourites in the BACK line are; the spacious hot pink linen dress and the long blue pleated skirt, very wearable, very chic. The collections haven’t blown my mind though the ideas behind them have certainly provoked curiosity, but they do however have commercial value.

Play the video and watch the show.

All photography by Akeela Bhattay

Categories ,Akeela Bhattay, ,Ann-Sofie Back, ,Article, ,Atelje, ,BFC Tent, ,british fashion council, ,catwalk show, ,Dee Andrews, ,designer, ,fashion, ,Frugal, ,Functional, ,Geiko Louve, ,God, ,illustrations, ,Intellectual, ,Jantelagen, ,LFW S/S 2012, ,London Fashion Week, ,Neautral colours, ,Oppression, ,Rebel, ,religion, ,review, ,September, ,simple, ,Somerset House, ,SS12, ,Suppression, ,sweden, ,swedish designer, ,Swedish Fashion, ,theatre, ,Venue

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Amelia’s Magazine | London Fashion Week S/S 2012 Catwalk Review: Swedish School of Textiles BA


Isabella Falkirk (BA) Graduate Collection, mind by Faye West

On Saturday evening a selection of students from the Swedish School of Textiles transported their graduate collections to our fair city to give us a taster. A year ago, graduating students from Sweden did the same thing and Amelia was bowled over by what was on display, so I was pretty eager to see what this year’s offering offered.

The Vauxhall Fashion Scout venue at Freemason’s Hall wasn’t packed wall to wall like it usually is, which suits me fine – I was only mildly sweating as opposed to my usual soaking-wet state. A glance down the running order while I waited for the show to start revealed that this was to be pretty epic – no less than 17 BA and 4 MA graduates. Here goes!

Isabella Falkirk
The show kicked off with Isabella Falkirk. Foam shapes took centre stage, squared off to control the contours of the female form. The model was essentially wearing a foam box. The aesthetic was pleasing, but the model looked miserable, and I did have to wonder to myself how viable or groundbreaking this show opener was. A similar creation followed atop a model’s head, and I wondered further; this wasn’t fashion to wear on a visit to the shops to pick up milk. Despite this, underneath the shock tactics was some extremely wearable and well-tailored formal attire – sleek trousers and well-cut blazers. A reaction to the strains of work, the collection finished with a conceptual jacket with four or five layers, showing Falkirks’ vision a little more clearly. I liked this piece a lot.


All photography by Matt Bramford

Per Axén
Next came chic and crisp tailoring courtesy of Per Axén, whose concept through the juxtaposition of materials was a little more commercial but equally as enjoyable. A leather cape flirted with cream free-flowing trousers that looked elegant and futuristic at the same time. Other leathers had been married with cottons for the same effect, and geometric shapes featured, a la Mondrian.

Freja Sundberg

Freja Sundberg‘s BA Graduate Collection, illustrated by Christina Demetriou

Up next came Freja Sundberg‘s homage to the working class people of Havana and their music and culture. A lively collection, it featured Cuban prints in a multitude of colours, plastic skirts and lively wigs with flashes of red. Statement jewellery also appeared, and the final piece, an extravagant gold silk dress with a discreet print, had been gathered with drawstrings and rucksack pulls. A real winner.


Sofi Svensson

Sofi Svensson (BA) Graduate Collection, by Faye West

The standout collection for its sheer bravery, conceptualism and bloody amazing craftsmanship, was Sofi Svensson’s masked creatures. Models appeared like they had landed from a Doctor Who novel, wearing ghoulish masks with eyeholes that became long, wide dresses. Each had been encrusted and embellished to the max – jewels, crystals, plastic objects and mirrors filled every piece of the garment. Again, this was fashion as expression and conception rather than as a commercial commodity. Breathtaking, too.

Maja Dixdotter
Maja‘s collection brought us back in to the real world a little, but was by no means boring. Beautiful pastel shades in lemon, lavender and blush were the colour palette. A structured jacket had been juxtaposed with a sheer micro dress, while a skirt and a top carried gorgeous flower details.

Linnéa Woxinger Sköld
Living creatures affect me in a way nothing else can,’ exclaims Linnéa Woxinger Sköld on the handout, ‘…and fashion, at its best, gets very close to this fascination. How close can I get?‘ Pretty close, love. Linnéa’s collection was a fusion of organic shapes and experimental materials. An unusual mint-coloured translucent number opened her showing, which had been gathered together working against the model’s body. A body-concious number followed, then other dresses with organic twists and turns. This was like something I’d never seen before, but I really liked it.

Elin Engström

Elin Engström‘s BA Graduate Collection, by Christina Demetriou

Questioning the conquer-all ethos of the suit and fashion’s fascination with it, Elin Engström presented an expertly tailored collection in monochrome. The first model appeared with a large tube covering her face that looked a bit like those things you put on dogs to stop them sniffing their arses (is that what they’re for?) and was teamed with a large cloak. Later came a onesie, in which the model’s arms were unable to escape. Wild vase-like shapes were worn over the eyes, creating an ethereal effect. More tailoring followed with horse-hair details, but the real showstopper was an embellished translucent jacket with matching strange-vase-like-sunglasses-thingies.

Ida Klamborn
Closing the BA section of the show in dramatic fashion, Ida Klamborn presented an all-red collection of floor-length numbers. The colour choice and use of grand fabrics made for a sophisticated, luxurious collection of pleated skirts and high-waisted trousers. Sweet.

At this point I was desperate for the loo, and I just couldn’t make up my mind if I thought attendee Jay from E4 show Dirty Sexy Things was attractive*. I do love seeing graduate shows – they have fewer constraints and no worries about commerciality. But during London Fashion Week, with so many shows to think about, I did find it a little exhausting. The show wasn’t over, though, and we quickly launched into the MA graduates – you can read all about them in Akeela‘s review here!

*I decided in the end that yes, he probably is.

Categories ,BA, ,catwalk, ,Christina Demetriou, ,Cuba, ,Dirty Sexy Things, ,Doctor Who, ,E4, ,Elin Engstöm, ,Fashion Design, ,Faye West, ,Freemasons’ Hall, ,Freja Sundberg, ,Front Row, ,Havana, ,Ida Klamborn, ,Isabella Falkirk, ,Jay, ,Linnea Woxinger Skold, ,London Fashion Week, ,ma, ,Maja Dixdotter, ,Matt Bramford, ,Mondrian, ,pastels, ,Per Axen, ,review, ,S/S 2012, ,Sofi Svensson, ,sweden, ,Swedish School of Textiles, ,Vauxhall Fashion Scout, ,Womenswear

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Amelia’s Magazine | London Fashion Week S/S 2012 Catwalk Review: Swedish School of Textiles MA

LFW Swedish School of Textiles Salisa Phuwanawijak SS 2012 by Claire Kearns

Salisa Phuwanawijak for Swedish School of Textiles by Claire Kearns

Twenty one designers’ I’m told by one of the PR people at the Swedish School of Textiles Show at Vauxhall Fashion Scout. The familiar room feels like it is getting ready to assume the role of a sauna and I’m afraid I may melt away. So the idea of sitting through a showcase from twenty-one designers is beginning to feel a little like a punishment.

Anna Lidstrom Swedish School of Textiles S/S 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay

Anna Lidstrom - Swedish School of Textiles S/S 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay

But as the first models in pastel notebook necklaces and cubed foam ensembles appear on the catwalk, buy more about my previous qualms are quelled and I excitedly snap away with my now bruised camera (I had managed to drop it on a concrete floor at another show); I’m hoping it’s not damaged internally, cure much.

Swedish School of Textiles Anna Lidstrom LFW SS 12 by Barb Royal

Anna Lidstrom for Swedish School of Textiles S/S 2012 by Barb Royal

I’m sitting at the very beginning of the catwalk and beside me, malady on the floor, sits a hipster photographer with his fancy camera who decides it’s a good idea to poke me and demand that I move my bag. I ignore him and he shoves my belongings away whilst muttering unmentionables under his breath. I’m spouting much worse at him in silence. I’m not the only person he’s offended though; as the models take their places at the start of the catwalk, he harangues them with his personal requests “stand here,” and “look at me” and exclaims “oh very sexy!” A few of the models ignore him, but others look like they might burst in to tears. If he were not twice my size, I’d slap him on their behalf, but all I can do is stare lasers into the back of his obnoxious skull.

Laura Clausen - Swedish School of Textiles S/S 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay

Laura Clausen - Swedish School of Textiles S/S 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay

The never dull showcase advances and after a fantastic variety of fabrics, textures and ideas from seventeen BA students and a lustrous collection from Ida Klamborn, the MA students close the show. Anna Lidstrom is first with a collection that uses unconventional textiles to challenge the illusory ‘ideal’ female silhouette. The garments that really stand out are the accordion pleat skirt that brings to mind the common lampshade. Accompanying the skirt is a bottle green blouse made from a plastic of some kind. Taking pride of place in the collection is an eighties-esque party dress, again in a synthetic plastic like fabric. It is accompanied by the eighties essential denim jacket and a giant angular foam bangle.

Swedish School of Textiles Anna Lidstrom LFW SS 12 by Barb Royal

Sarah Turkelsson for Swedish School of Textiles S/S 2012 by Barb Royal

Laura Clausen presents a collection that invites the audience to reflect on the concept of body modifications and deformities. She does this by offering garments that are abnormally angled or exaggerated in certain places, such as the chest.

Salisa Phuwanawajik -  Swedish School of Textiles S/S 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay

Salisa Phuwanawajik -  Swedish School of Textiles S/S 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay

Salisa Phuwanawajik -  Swedish School of Textiles S/S 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay

Probably my favourite from the MA collective are the designs of Salisa Phuwanawijak. The juxtaposition of the simple and complex are evident in her collection, with her use of primary colours and her strict use of one colour per garment and yet each garment is structured completely contrary to the traditional method of working with the natural silhouette of the human body. Rather she has challenged herself to use a specific amount of pieces on each garment and has attached them in a multitude of techniques, making each garment multi-dimensional.

Sarah Torkelsson - Swedish School of Textiles S/S 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay

Sarah Torkelsson - Swedish School of Textiles S/S 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay

The show concludes with Sarah Torkkelsson’s collection of ‘moving’ garments. Playing with fabrics that have a rhythmic element to them, Sarah’s collection explores how different fabrics create the illusion of transition and expression. The dresses remind me of immense dishevelled birds. I’m not sure how I feel about them and strangely; I have the suspicion the designer intended for that ambivalent reaction.

Swedish School of Textiles S/S 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay

I’m very slightly disappointed that the MA designers haven’t surmounted the BA students’ work, but although it’s been a rather long show, over-all it has has been much fun.

All photography by Akeela Bhattay

Watch the show here.

Swedish School of Textiles SS12 Full Show from VAUXHALL FASHION SCOUT on Vimeo.

Read more about the BA students in Matt Bramford’s review here.

Categories ,17th September, ,Anna Forsman, ,Anna Lidstrom, ,BFC, ,british fashion council, ,Clara Flygare, ,designers, ,Elin Eng (strom), ,Freja Sundber, ,g Stina Eklund, ,Ida Klamborn, ,Isabella Falkirk, ,Josephine Strid, ,Laura Clausen, ,lfw, ,Linda Larsson, ,Linnea Woxinger Skold, ,London Fashion Week, ,Louise Arkelund, ,Maja Dixdotter, ,Malina Nordin, ,Mari Miltvedt, ,Per Axen, ,S/S 2012, ,Salisa Phuwanawikjak, ,Sarah Torkelsson, ,Sofi Svensson, ,Somerset House, ,SS12, ,students, ,sweden, ,Swedish School of Textiles, ,Teresa Jaksetic, ,Vauxhall Fashion Scout

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Amelia’s Magazine | London Fashion Week S/S 2012 Catwalk Review: Swedish School of Textiles MA

LFW Swedish School of Textiles Salisa Phuwanawijak SS 2012 by Claire Kearns

Salisa Phuwanawijak for Swedish School of Textiles by Claire Kearns

Twenty one designers’ I’m told by one of the PR people at the Swedish School of Textiles Show at Vauxhall Fashion Scout. The familiar room feels like it is getting ready to assume the role of a sauna and I’m afraid I may melt away. So the idea of sitting through a showcase from twenty-one designers is beginning to feel a little like a punishment.

Anna Lidstrom Swedish School of Textiles S/S 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay

Anna Lidstrom - Swedish School of Textiles S/S 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay

But as the first models in pastel notebook necklaces and cubed foam ensembles appear on the catwalk, buy more about my previous qualms are quelled and I excitedly snap away with my now bruised camera (I had managed to drop it on a concrete floor at another show); I’m hoping it’s not damaged internally, cure much.

Swedish School of Textiles Anna Lidstrom LFW SS 12 by Barb Royal

Anna Lidstrom for Swedish School of Textiles S/S 2012 by Barb Royal

I’m sitting at the very beginning of the catwalk and beside me, malady on the floor, sits a hipster photographer with his fancy camera who decides it’s a good idea to poke me and demand that I move my bag. I ignore him and he shoves my belongings away whilst muttering unmentionables under his breath. I’m spouting much worse at him in silence. I’m not the only person he’s offended though; as the models take their places at the start of the catwalk, he harangues them with his personal requests “stand here,” and “look at me” and exclaims “oh very sexy!” A few of the models ignore him, but others look like they might burst in to tears. If he were not twice my size, I’d slap him on their behalf, but all I can do is stare lasers into the back of his obnoxious skull.

Laura Clausen - Swedish School of Textiles S/S 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay

Laura Clausen - Swedish School of Textiles S/S 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay

The never dull showcase advances and after a fantastic variety of fabrics, textures and ideas from seventeen BA students and a lustrous collection from Ida Klamborn, the MA students close the show. Anna Lidstrom is first with a collection that uses unconventional textiles to challenge the illusory ‘ideal’ female silhouette. The garments that really stand out are the accordion pleat skirt that brings to mind the common lampshade. Accompanying the skirt is a bottle green blouse made from a plastic of some kind. Taking pride of place in the collection is an eighties-esque party dress, again in a synthetic plastic like fabric. It is accompanied by the eighties essential denim jacket and a giant angular foam bangle.

Swedish School of Textiles Anna Lidstrom LFW SS 12 by Barb Royal

Sarah Turkelsson for Swedish School of Textiles S/S 2012 by Barb Royal

Laura Clausen presents a collection that invites the audience to reflect on the concept of body modifications and deformities. She does this by offering garments that are abnormally angled or exaggerated in certain places, such as the chest.

Salisa Phuwanawajik -  Swedish School of Textiles S/S 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay

Salisa Phuwanawajik -  Swedish School of Textiles S/S 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay

Salisa Phuwanawajik -  Swedish School of Textiles S/S 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay

Probably my favourite from the MA collective are the designs of Salisa Phuwanawijak. The juxtaposition of the simple and complex are evident in her collection, with her use of primary colours and her strict use of one colour per garment and yet each garment is structured completely contrary to the traditional method of working with the natural silhouette of the human body. Rather she has challenged herself to use a specific amount of pieces on each garment and has attached them in a multitude of techniques, making each garment multi-dimensional.

Sarah Torkelsson - Swedish School of Textiles S/S 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay

Sarah Torkelsson - Swedish School of Textiles S/S 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay

The show concludes with Sarah Torkkelsson’s collection of ‘moving’ garments. Playing with fabrics that have a rhythmic element to them, Sarah’s collection explores how different fabrics create the illusion of transition and expression. The dresses remind me of immense dishevelled birds. I’m not sure how I feel about them and strangely; I have the suspicion the designer intended for that ambivalent reaction.

Swedish School of Textiles S/S 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay

I’m very slightly disappointed that the MA designers haven’t surmounted the BA students’ work, but although it’s been a rather long show, over-all it has has been much fun.

All photography by Akeela Bhattay

Watch the show here.

Swedish School of Textiles SS12 Full Show from VAUXHALL FASHION SCOUT on Vimeo.

Read more about the BA students in Matt Bramford’s review here.

Categories ,17th September, ,Anna Forsman, ,Anna Lidstrom, ,BFC, ,british fashion council, ,Clara Flygare, ,designers, ,Elin Eng (strom), ,Freja Sundber, ,g Stina Eklund, ,Ida Klamborn, ,Isabella Falkirk, ,Josephine Strid, ,Laura Clausen, ,lfw, ,Linda Larsson, ,Linnea Woxinger Skold, ,London Fashion Week, ,Louise Arkelund, ,Maja Dixdotter, ,Malina Nordin, ,Mari Miltvedt, ,Per Axen, ,S/S 2012, ,Salisa Phuwanawikjak, ,Sarah Torkelsson, ,Sofi Svensson, ,Somerset House, ,SS12, ,students, ,sweden, ,Swedish School of Textiles, ,Teresa Jaksetic, ,Vauxhall Fashion Scout

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Amelia’s Magazine | Danielle Romeril AW15: London Fashion Week Presentation Review

Danielle Romeril AW15-photo by Amelia Gregory
New Gen designer Danielle Romeril showcased her A/W 2015 collection against an apocalyptic backdrop made fragrant with liberal scatterings of heather. Models wore tumbling quilted capes, asymmetric plaid skirts with appliqué feathered hems and matching clogs. Black was offset with white trim and highlights of moss green, rock beige and seams of red. This was survival clothing for those with an eye for style, salvaging the best they can find.

Danielle Romeril AW15-photo by Amelia Gregory
Danielle Romeril AW15-photo by Amelia Gregory
Danielle Romeril AW15-photo by Amelia Gregory
Danielle Romeril AW15-photo by Amelia Gregory
All photography by Amelia Gregory.

Categories ,A/W 2015, ,AW15, ,Danielle Romeril, ,London Fashion Week, ,New Gen, ,Presentation, ,review, ,Show report, ,Somerset House

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Amelia’s Magazine | Designer Spotlight: Brooke Roberts- Part One

Rob-Hopkins
Illustration courtesy of Valerie Pezeron

Nothing satiates a foodie quite like the first forkful of their best-loved grub, try but reading about it comes close. For those gastronomes who believe that food’s role reaches far beyond basically fuelling our existence – that it’s integral to community bonds, economies of every scale and our relationships with our environment, as well as our physical wellbeing – the new book from Tamzin Pinkerton and Rob Hopkins (yes, he of Transition Culture fame) will have you salivating over the nosh-related possibilities that a little ambition, curiosity and organisation can create close to home.‘Local Food: How to Make it Happen in Your Community’ (Transition Books) shadows Hopkins’ inspiring ‘Transition Handbook’, training the spotlight on the integral subject of our food and what we can do to go back to the literal roots of the good life – and stay there. While written against the unnerving but inescapable global backdrop of peak oil, food security and climate change crises, ‘Local Food’ incites excitement about the potential of a carefully considered future, both long and short term, rather than fear of a hopeless one. With the onus on the ‘local’ part of its title, the book encourages a proactive, fun approach to sustainability by profiling a huge and diverse range of CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) initiatives based all over the world.

 

LOCAL_FOOD_cover 
Image courtesy of Transition Culture

“The kind of community engagement facilitated by CSAs generates and harnesses passionate enthusiasm among the people who participate in it,” write Pinkerton and Hopkins, “and this is due, in no small part, to the sheer thrill that comes from being able to shape and engage with the food system that feeds us.” From legitimate legume growers to dig-by-night guerrilla gardeners, the teams and organisations featured in ‘Local Food’ not only explain their motivations for picking up tools, but reveal the thrills, difficulties, surprises and benefits that they have faced since they did.

 Hopkinspic
Image courtesy of Stephen Prior

Unsurprisingly, the majority of these people are driven by a passion for good food, and a respect for and desire to greater understand the environment that provides it. However deeply they’re involved in the food production within their community – be it founding community gardens or filling their fridges with farmers’ market fodder – the individuals highlighted in ‘Local Food’ prove how attainable a sustainable lifestyle is, whether you want to get muddy or not. And, if you do want to have direct involvement in and influence over what ends up on your plate, there’s even a contacts section to introduce you to your nearest initiatives. As the authors put so succinctly, “We can have our affordable, local, organic cake, and eat it too”.
3Zorb catsuit in exclusive silk/ glassino jacquard knit and silver and red gold stacked skull rings and spinning skull slice ring.

Last week I was lucky enough to meet a fashion designer whom I would describe as one of the most innovative, sildenafil visionary and hard working designers of the moment; Brooke Roberts. Brooke’s self named women’s wear label is heavily influenced by radiology and juxtaposes the worlds of science and fashion to great technical effect. I caught up with Brooke in her Hackney based studio to find out more….

PB242089Brooke Roberts SS10 collection, taken in designer’s studio.

Where were you born and raised?
I grew up in rural Australia and went to university in Sydney and at that point I was studying to become a radiographer as I loved science and the anatomy. Whilst I was there I tried a bit of styling and then moved to London. I temped for a while then ended up going to LCF and Central St. Martin’s after deciding I wanted to be a tailor.

How long ago did you graduate?

It feels like decades ago but I finished at Central St. martin’s at the end of 2005.

15Zagna dress in skull python printed georgette and ortho suede belt.

PB242086Close-up of skull python printed georgette.

What have you been up to since graduating?
In four years I’ve been juggling everything. I’m still working as a radiographer and I’ve been doing that all the way through even when I was studying. At the same time I’ve worked with people like Giles Deacon and Louise Goldin. I’ve also been keeping busy doing some freelance bits here and there, the most recent of which was a job for Daphne Guinness with Jens Laugesen. I’ve been travelling a lot as well working at factories in Italy and developing links in India, just trying to immerse myself in the industry and developing contacts. In the last year specifically I’ve been focusing on trying to build my label.

4Zagna dress in printed waffle georgette with embroidered ortho trim and ortho georgette belt.

How does your job as a radiographer influence your designs?
You can’t really separate the two because everything I do in terms of my design links directly back to my work as a radiographer. I’m very scientifically minded and I think what I do looks more at the technology side of science. From technique to materials to imagery it all goes full circle. All the artwork, the shapes the way I cut it all relates to it. It’s different because it’s not purely aesthetic and I really like to think about function. When I design I think about how it’s going to be cut and put together even down to which seams I’m going to use which is why I thought about becoming a tailor.  Stay tuned for the second installment…

Categories ,Brooke Roberts, ,Central St Martins, ,Daphne Guinness, ,Designer Spotlight, ,Giles Deacon, ,Jens Laugesen, ,London College of Fashion, ,Louise Goldin

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Amelia’s Magazine | Anja Hynynen: an interview with this fabulous Swedish ethical fashion designer


Illustration by Gabriel Ayala

Oh God, viagra 60mg cost is it really that time again? Do I really have to stay up, night after night, sending all those emails? Worrying about outfits? Processing 12,000 photographs? Yep, London Fashion Week is just around the corner, and yesterday Vauxhall Fashion Scout announced their line up for their extra special Ones to Watch show.

Previous winners of the accolade include Ada Zanditon and Lu Flux (both in Amelia’s new book) as well as Eudon Choi and David Longshaw. Last season’s outing was an ecclectic mix of ‘dandyish’ menswear, cream pleats and yellow ruffles. The line up this time around looks certain to impress, though – Central Saint Martins’ graduates Anja Mlakar and Kirsty Ward, along with Sara Bro-Jorgensen and Tze Goh.

While we all get excited about London’s most fashionable five days, here’s a little round up of the new design talent.

Tze Goh

Illustration by Lana Hughes

Tze Goh graduated with a BA from Parsons in New York before completing an MA at Central Saint Martins. Tze’s collections to date have had that strong, minimal aesthetic with emphasis on shape and sculpture.

They’re definitely futuristic, and each garment appears to have been moulded from an unknown material rather than sewn from jersey. Pieces emphasise the shapes of his models – exaggerated shoulders and discrete twists in fabric make for modern, appealing clothes. Hopefully he’ll stick to his minimalist principles during his outing this coming season.

Kirsty Ward

Illustration by Gabriel Ayala

Kirsty Ward is brilliant. She’s one of the most unique designers I’ve seen in ages, and it’s no surprise that she’s, yep – you guessed it – Central Saint Martin’s alumni and went on to work with Alberta Ferretti in Italy. Amelia reviewed her collection last season , a vertiable wonder of sculptural jewellery and clothing that echoes the contours of the body.

I loved her work with David Longshaw (creating jewellery that he teamed with his collection) during his debut on the very same Ones to Watch stage a year ago This season promises another fashion-forward outing.

Anja Mlakar

Illustration by Willa Gebbie

Anja Mlakar is – you guessed it – another Central Saint Martins graduate. I’m feeling fatigued typing those three words already and the shows haven’t even started. Anyway, Her debut collection harboured much interest and having only graduated last year, Anja is set to cement herself in fashion this coming season.

Her S/S 2011 collection was a welcome ray of sunshine, with bursts of pastel yellows and pinks. Her aesthetic features structural forms and body-concious frocks, and her style straddles the fine line between flattering and futuristic. The most diverse collection, it will be intereting to see if Anja develops a particular element or mixes it up again.

Sara Bro-Jorgensen

Illustration by Jaymie O’Callaghan

Sara, a Royal College of Art graduate (at last!) takes a different approach to fashion and is heavily influenced by 2D forms like black and white photographs. She’s been nominated for awards here and there.

Her previous collections contain a mix of knits and deconstructed pieces, and I’m not exaggerating when I say this girl digs black. As it’s the A/W 2011 we’re looking forward to, I wouldn’t be surprised if we see more of fashion’s favourite colour on Sara’s outing, but then what do I know?


Illustration by Gabriel Ayala

Oh God, story is it really that time again? Do I really have to stay up, night after night, sending all those emails? Worrying about outfits? Processing 12,000 photographs? Yep, London Fashion Week is just around the corner, and yesterday Vauxhall Fashion Scout announced their line up for their extra special Ones to Watch show.

Previous winners of the accolade include Ada Zanditon and Lu Flux (both in Amelia’s new book) as well as Eudon Choi and David Longshaw. Last season’s outing was an ecclectic mix of ‘dandyish’ menswear, cream pleats and yellow ruffles. The line up this time around looks certain to impress, though – Central Saint Martins’ graduates Anja Mlakar and Kirsty Ward, along with Sara Bro-Jorgensen and Tze Goh.

While we all get excited about London’s most fashionable five days, here’s a little round up of the new design talent.

Tze Goh

Illustration by Lana Hughes

Tze Goh graduated with a BA from Parsons in New York before completing an MA at Central Saint Martins. Tze’s collections to date have had that strong, minimal aesthetic with emphasis on shape and sculpture.

They’re definitely futuristic, and each garment appears to have been moulded from an unknown material rather than sewn from jersey. Pieces emphasise the shapes of his models – exaggerated shoulders and discrete twists in fabric make for modern, appealing clothes. Hopefully he’ll stick to his minimalist principles during his outing this coming season.

Kirsty Ward

Illustration by Gabriel Ayala

Kirsty Ward is brilliant. She’s one of the most unique designers I’ve seen in ages, and it’s no surprise that she’s, yep – you guessed it – Central Saint Martin’s alumni and went on to work with Alberta Ferretti in Italy. Amelia reviewed her collection last season , a vertiable wonder of sculptural jewellery and clothing that echoes the contours of the body.

I loved her work with David Longshaw (creating jewellery that he teamed with his collection) during his debut on the very same Ones to Watch stage a year ago This season promises another fashion-forward outing.

Anja Mlakar

Illustration by Willa Gebbie

Anja Mlakar is – you guessed it – another Central Saint Martins graduate. I’m feeling fatigued typing those three words already and the shows haven’t even started. Anyway, Her debut collection harboured much interest and having only graduated last year, Anja is set to cement herself in fashion this coming season.

Her S/S 2011 collection was a welcome ray of sunshine, with bursts of pastel yellows and pinks. Her aesthetic features structural forms and body-concious frocks, and her style straddles the fine line between flattering and futuristic. The most diverse collection, it will be intereting to see if Anja develops a particular element or mixes it up again.

Sara Bro-Jorgensen

Illustration by Jaymie O’Callaghan

Sara, a Royal College of Art graduate (at last!) takes a different approach to fashion and is heavily influenced by 2D forms like black and white photographs. She’s been nominated for awards here and there.

Her previous collections contain a mix of knits and deconstructed pieces, and I’m not exaggerating when I say this girl digs black. As it’s the A/W 2011 we’re looking forward to, I wouldn’t be surprised if we see more of fashion’s favourite colour on Sara’s outing, but then what do I know?

Anja Hynynen by Andrea Peterson
Anja Hynynen by Andrea Peterson.

How has a love of arts and handicrafts been passed down to you?
Amongst my ancestors there is a menswear tailor, diagnosis  a well-known Swedish painter, for sale  and my three aunts who worked with textiles. My father keeps a family tradition alive as a blacksmith and my mother is an artisan working with leather and photography. Since finding my passion within drawing, website like this textile and environment it feels natural to follow my heart. I wish more people were able to work with what they feel is important.

Anja Hynynen by Andrea Peterson Ardalanish Collection
Anja Hynynen Ardalanish Collection by Andrea Peterson.

What prompted you to start working with organic fabrics? 
I became allergic to some fabrics when I begun to sew full-time, and getting sick made me wonder about the health of the people and the soil in the places where those fabrics were being grown, woven and dyed, as well as what happens to the water in which we wash these toxic clothes at home. I grew up close to nature, and experiencing first hand the fallout from poisonous chemicals made me want to search for pure materials to create ethical clothing.

Where do you source your organic materials from?
I find the background of materials fascinating. It’s so important to understand where fabrics come from; to be able to tell a customer the story, from seed to finished garment. I work with organic wool, linen, cotton, hemp and peace silk. The linen is grown and woven in Germany and Austria, where it is certified the whole way through production. For detailed artistic work such as felting I like to work with local materials such as handspun angora rabbit yarn and native sheep wool; materials where I have the opportunity to know the source personally. One of my dreams would be to ensure the local production of materials that we can produce in this part of the world, such as wool, hemp and linen fabrics…

Read the rest of this interview and see more illustrations of Anja Hynynen’s clothing in Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration, alongside interviews with 44 other ethical fashion designers and 30 fabulous fashion illustrators. You can buy the book here. The illustrator Andrea Peterson also designed the front cover of ACOFI

Categories ,ACOFI, ,Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration, ,Andrea Peterson, ,Anja Hynynen, ,Ardalanish Collection, ,Austria, ,cotton, ,Eco fashion, ,ethical design, ,Germany, ,Hemp, ,Linen, ,organic, ,peace silk, ,sweden, ,wool

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Amelia’s Magazine | Anna Wenger Interview

Monday 12th Jan
Starting today: The Voice and Nothing More is a week-long festival at the Slade Research Centre that explores the voice as both medium and subject matter in contemporary arts practices. Established artists and emerging talent will work with leading vocal performers in an exploration of the voice outside language. On Wednesday the festival culminates in a presentation of objects, pilule generic performances, order and installations that are open to the public. There will also be performances on Thursday and Friday from 6 pm.

chior-1.jpg


Wednesday 14th Jan

Now in it’s 21st year, recipe the London Art Fair begins at the Design Centre in Islington. A hundred galleries are selected to show work from the last few hundred years. This immense exhibition will encompass sculpture, photography, prints, video and installation art. It ends on the 18th of January.
There is a talk this evening at the ICA entitled Can Art make us Happy? where artists Zoë Walker and Michael Pinsky explore the notions of art as a social cure-all in times of economic and social gloom.
A new solo show from Josephine Flynn begins today at Limoncello on Hoxton Square. The Mexican was bought off a patient who was in hospital with mental health problems. When the patient talked about The Mexican she described how the process of making him had helped her – ‘healing through making’ was how she put it.

josephine-flynn-1.jpg

Thursday 15th Jan
Feierabend is a collaborative installation between artists Francis Upritchard, Martino Gamper, and Karl Fritsche, bringing together a shared aesthetic in their distinctive approaches to jewellery, furniture design, and sculpture. The exhibition plays with the boundaries of art and real life – looking like a workshop abandoned at the end of a day’s work, or a sitting room left in abstracted dissary, it’s only inhabitants a set of sculpted figures who seem lost in their own meditations.
Gimpel Fils opens a new photographic exhbition from Peter Lanyon and Emily-Jo Sargent, 100 Pictures of Coney Island.
The Asphalt World is a new solo show at Studio Voltaire from Simon Bedwell. Drip paintings are made from advertising posters in an ironic twist or corporate seduction.

feierabend-1.jpg
Feierabend


Friday 16th

There are two exhibitions starting today at Wilkinson on Vyner Street. In Upper Gallery a, Episode III, Enjoy Poverty, is the second in a series of three films by Renzo Martens in which he raises issues surrounding contemporary image making, challenging ideas about the role of film makers and viewers in the construction of documentaries. In the Lower Gallery, there will be the fourth exhibiton from German artist, Silke Schatz. Through the conjunction of video, sculpture, drawing and found objects, Schahtz composes a personal portrait of the city of Agsburg.

renzomartens_431x250.jpg


Saturday 17th Jan

We featured David Cotterrell in issue ten, where in the picturesque surroundings of Tatton Park, he explained how his visit to Afghanistan, where he was invited by the Wellcome Trust, would be likely to have a lasting effect on his future work. Aesthetic Distance is David Cotterrell’s third solo exhibition with Danielle Arnaud, and focuses on the experiences and inevitable aftermath of a flight he took in November 2007 in a RAF C17, from Brize Norton to Kandahar. He was the sole passenger in a plane loaded with half a million rounds of palletised munitions and medical supplies to join Operation Herrick 7, a strange irony not lost on the artist.

aestheticdistance.jpg

Earth Listings

Monday 12th January, viagra 60mg 7pm

Climate Rush hits Heathrow

suffragettes%20listings.jpg

To whomsoever concerned by the biggest threat faced by humanity today-that of climate change,

You are cordially invited to Dinner at Domestic Departures. Join us for an evening of peaceful civil(ised) disobedience ahead of the government’s decision over a third runway at Heathrow. Inspired by the actions of the suffragettes, we will be calling for DEEDS NOT WORDS. The government acknowledges the huge problems we face from Climate Change but they continue with business as usual. This jolly evening is intended to produce much-needed positive change and we do hope that you would join us.

Location: Domestic Departures, Terminal 1, Heathrow Airport.

Time: 7pm (when the string quartet plays their first note).

Dress Code: Edwardian Suffragette: high collars, long skirts, fitted jackets, puffed sleeves, think Mary Poppins. Sashes will be provided. * Although advisable, it is not compulsory to arrive in Edwardian dress, the most important thing is that you your friends and family join us for dinner. To add the element of surprise, it is suggested that you arrive in a large coat to conceal your costume until the stroke of 7.

Bring: Jam tarts, scones, cucumber sandwiches, hard-boiled eggs, tea cakes. Picnic blankets and table cloths. Tea and elderflower cordial. No alcohol please.

Entertainment: String quartet, art tricks from ArtPort, polite conversation.

We look forward to seeing you,

The Misbehaved Ladies from Climate Rush x

Tuesday 13th January, 6pm

Art, Activism and the legacy of Chico Mendes
RSA
8 John Adam Street
London
WC2N 6EZ

Chico%20Listings.jpg

Tonight will explore the ways in which the arts can help shift society’s attitudes in the face of unprecedented climate change. Elenira Mendes, daughter of environmental activist Chico Mendes, will talk alongside panelists Jonathan Dove (award-winning composer), Greenpeace’s senior climate adviser, Charlie Kronick and fasion designer and activist Dame Vivienne Westwood.

Wednesday 14th January

Wednesdays Do Matter
InSpiral Lounge, 250 Camden High Street NW1 8QS

A night of music, comedy, poetry and film (and really good vegan smoothies!) in aid of global justice campaigners, the World Development Movement. Remind yourselves why everyday matters, even Wednesdays.

Trouble the Water
ICA
The Mall
London
SW1Y 5AH

trouble%20the%20water.jpg

Winner of this year’s Grand Jury prize at Sundance and announced as a finalist in 2009 Accademy Awards for Best Documentary. This is one New Orleans’ resident’s depiction of the catastrophic tragedy of Hurricaine Katrina. Shot with a (shakily) handheld camera, Kimberely Roberts’ footage starts from the weekend before the hurricaine and covers a period of a year. Michael Moore collaborators Tia Lessin and Carl Deal edit and append the tapes with their own film of the post-Katrina clean-up effort.An astounding portrayal of resilience and bravery.

Showing at the ICA 12th-15th January

Turning The Season
at The Wapping Project
Wapping Hydraulic Power Station
Wapping Wall
London
E1W 3SG

turning%20the%20season%20cropped.jpg

Recent crisp bright skies have been a welcome respite from the usual drab January weather. But who knows what tomorrow may bring. Turning the Season explores the social and cultural phenomenon of the British Season. It would be fair to say that the increasingly visible effects of Climate Change have further fuelled our national fascination with the weather.
Expect 100 bird houses, a roof-top lily pond and a photo story showing the break-up of a relationship against the backdrop of seasonal events shot by fashion photographer Thomas Zanon-Larcher.

Until 28th Febuary

Amazonia at the Young Vic

Amazonia%201.jpg

Although aimed at swarms of roaring key stage 3 schoolchildren as an educational piece on the issue of deforestation, this production from Palace People’s Projects is a true delight. Set in a traditional village in the Amazon that is eventually swayed by the ghost of Chico Mendes to not fall under the developers’ bulldozers. But not until some devastation has been wreaked first. A socio-political depiction of destruction of the Amazon with a mythical slant. All set to the music and dancing of Forro. An inventive stage (a mammoth man-made tree rather resembling an electrical pole, and pools of water seperating the audience) and brilliantly gaudy costumes by Gringo Cardia.

Until 24th January
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Monday 12th January

Dead Kids, cost O Children, erectile The Lexington, London

DeadKidsLIVEPIC3.jpg

Seriously energetic post-punk, sequinned and LOUD live act Dead Kids headline. No matter what you think of them on record, they’re sure to grab you live. Continuing the infant name-theme, as well as the intense post-punk sounds are support O Children.

Comanechi, Durrr at The End, London

With the ever-winning combo of Japanese girl singing drummer (also to be found as frontwoman for London band Pre) and jangular guitars, this is your best bet for a trendy sceney night out in London.

Tuesday 13th January


Banjo or Freakout
single launch party, White Heat @ Madame JoJos, London

banjo.jpg

Part of the new-wave of ultra-hip, genre-smashing music sweeping the artier corners of the globe at the moment. Should be a celebratory atmosphere as it is his single launch party.

Wednesday 14th January

Goldie Lookin Chain, Metro, London

goldie-looking-chain.jpg

Ho ho ho, GLC are sooooo funny. Free entry is promised to the gig but don’t leave your purse at home as you’ll have to pay to leave.

The Virgins, Rough Trade East, London

American New Wave tinged indie-rock.

Thursday 15th January

Wet Paint, Rough Trade East, London

wet-paint.jpg

Playing this gig in anticipation of the release of their new album, they’ll be supporting Bloc Party later in the year.

Emmy the Great, 12 Bar Club, London

Intimate solo acoustic performance of debut album First Love in full, ahead of its release in February.

Push, Astoria 2, London

A massive farewell party for the Astoria 2 which will be finally demolished on Friday. Catch Cajun Dance Party live as well as DJ sets from Mystery Jets, Lightspeed Champion, Good Shoes and Neon Gold among many others and mourn the demise of the sticky-floored dingy music venue in central London.

Friday 16th January

Cats in Paris, Brassica, Braindead Improv Ensemble, The Woe Betides, George Tavern, London

love-cats-in-paris.jpg

Massively hyped, bonkers 70s-ish glam-electro from Manchester.

The Golden Silvers, The Macbeth, London

Dreamy indie-pop from these regulars of the London gig circuit.

Saturday 17th January

The Bookhouse Boys, Empire, Middlesborough

Bookhouse%20Boys.jpg

Catch this 9 piece mini-orchestra, complete with mariachi brass, duelling drummers and girl-boy vocals, for their Ennio Morricone-style soundscapes.

I Love Boxie: a web-based business in London that tailors a t-shirt especially for you based on the story you tell them. The most astute of the fashion-conscious clan know that style should reflect your spirit and not merely robotic trends. In light of this; don’t wear your heart on your sleeve– instead wear it on a t-shirt; a Boxie t-shirt.
Here, cure founder of Boxie, troche Moxie shares her views on what fashion is truly about, how her brand works and what she hopes to achieve through her t-shirts:

Tell us the story of I Love Boxie.?

Each t-shirt tells a piece of the way – a place we have been, a person we have seen. We have many lines that fit many situations and could tell a piece of your story too. If not, we offer t-spoke. You call us, tell us a story and we turn it into a line on a t-shirt. We believe everyone in the world should have an unbranded, authentic tee that sings a line of where they have been and what they have seen. We are the opposite of any company who just put a logo on a t-shirt.

?Where does the inspiration for your t-shirts come from?

?From the people who write and call in everyday with their stories. The stories are wild, heartfelt, quiet, poignant and are better than anything we could make up.

boxie1.jpg


What’s the idea behind the “half a conversation” concept?

If you think about branding for the last 30 years it’s been about distillation, reducing everything to a line eg: ‘just do it’ or ‘impossible is nothing’.
Our lines are about provoking expansion. It’s just the first line of the story, or the chapter heading. We want people to come up to someone wearing a Boxie tee – and go ‘wow, what the hell happened to you??’
?
Why do you make it purposefully hard for people to purchase your t-shirts, without contacting you directly first??

The tees are written about stupid, funny, weird, deep moments in people’s lives. All of them from the heart. They feel like they need more exchange than a credit card transaction. T-spoke especially. This is a creative collaboration that begins with the customer telling us their story. It is a strange and wonderful one off encounter between them and us. The t-shirt is their battle scar of that personal story.

boxie2.jpg


Is all your business Internet based? ?

As far as being web based goes, our tees are obviously a form of self expression and there is no greater arena for that than the web. This taps into what a tee originally was – a piece of underwear, something that wasn’t supposed to be seen but kept close to the chest and hidden like a secret.

These days, the web is a place where secrets can step out of the shade, where people can talk about things they wouldn’t usually talk about in real life. Most times, you can learn more about someone from reading their status report than talking to them for an hour in reality, because the web has taught us the language of openness and sharing.

Boxie exists in the ether as part of that fluency. More importantly those web values – openness, sharing, community – are overflowing back into real life now. So, yes, soon we’ll be on the streets in some form, although the tees will never ever be in a retail space, hanging limply on a rack.

Your favourite Boxie T-Shirt to date??

So High and Solo

How would you describe Boxie in one word??
Gonzo

Any advice for the penniless fashionista?
Everything great creatively comes from being up against it and with no cash. You can’t ever see it when you’re in it but, as far as imagination goes, you are in an infinitely better position than someone with a million dollars. Do something great with this time. And then call us to get the t-shirt. ?

Advice for those wanting to purchase something Boxie??

Write to us directly at moxie@iloveboxie.com
The-Discoghosts.jpg

New York is spawning many a catchy-tuned electro based band at the moment – meet The Discoghosts, more about firstly they have a brilliant name, look secondly, approved they do what they say on the tin, this is a disco fest. Their ethos is nicely summed up in their lyrics, “We love ladies and they love us, cos we’re cool and disco plus.”

Otherwise known as M-Boy and Tracky, they meant their album title – BAD – literally it seems, rather than a tribute to the King of 80′s pop, as they are apparently, “trying to break the taboos of “good” music, while playing with clichés of club sound like repetition, climax, stupidity, autofilter, and sound fetishism.” I see.

This album could be the OST to many an 80′s movie – it’s true, it may be the decade that taste forgot but it produced some pretty good tunes – there are obvious Ghostbusters references ie: track 2 being called Ghostbusters Busters and there’s also hints of the Beverley Hills Cop riffs in there, along with and slinky soul beats, electro voices, rubbish rapping and a guy that sounds suspiciously like the chef from South Park

That’s not to say they’re stuck in the past, their mellower synthetic beats, such as Jellyfish, track 9, have a Hot Chip vibe and that’s not a bad thing at all.

If their aim was to produce an awful album – they failed, maybe it’s just that I have a soft spot/great love for the 80′s but I very much enjoyed this, catchy, listenable songs that don’t take themselves seriously. My favourite line, from Straight but Gayish (sung by a high electro voice), “your boyfriend’s hetro but he looks homo.”

And they dress like this to perform:

The-Discoghosts-live.jpg

How could you not love them?
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It was legitimate for us to feel nervous. With indiscreet bullying from BAA and no knowledge as to how the police were planning to receive us, sick we tucked our dresses beneath our over-coats and shuffled through the throngs of intimidating fluorescent jackets at Heathrow Departures, illness passports at the ready and an impromptu conversation about flight times – very subtle. I wish I could have seen the briefing, look out for pretty girls in dresses and large jackets.

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Once in, all subtleties were abandoned, a charming sight when the order of the day was Edwardian dress and dinner, an evening of very civil (ised) disobedience. Instruments, top hats, high collars and puffy sleeves – all were revealed as the clock struck seven, the string quartet took to its first note and picnic blankets were unfurled for the beginning of the Climate Rush organized party, Dinner at Domestic Departures.

Music played, food passed cordially from plate to plate, and sashes were handed out. It was not long before currents rippled through the crowd into cheers, claps, and chants, “Deeds Not Words”, “Trains not Planes” and, “No Third Runway”, with a contingency singing to the tune of 90′s classic There’s no Limit. The complete transformation of Zone C was helped along by Artport, a collective of artists working in collaboration with Cilimate Rush to redefine the space as we know it. Green all-in-one clad waiters weaved through the crowd with a planet for a cake and planes for spoons, whilst a parachute game bounced a blow-up earth from edge to edge.

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In amidst this electric and elevating atmosphere, it was a spectacular delivery of a serious message. Climate Change is a very real threat and many people feel let down by the powers that be to address this threat.

We don’t want a third runway and call for cheaper train fares and better transport hubs instead of domestic short-haul flights. It is of course just part of a bigger picture: the greater threat of Climate Change of which aviation expansion is just a part, and the wider feelings of concern and dissatisfaction amongst citizens for whom civil disobedience is also, just a part.

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Describing herself as an ex-Camden townie, link the self-taught illustrator, Zarina Liew, has thrown her arms up at the big smoke and a career in marketing; and has chosen instead the serenity of the Cambridgeshire countryside, pencils, watercolours, and strange lonely creatures ridden by lust and self-ruin.
Her Hunter Series, eight inked paintings which exhibited at the Shoreditch Shuffle Festival, started life as a 24-page graphic novel. It tells the story of a gramaphone and a lonely creature, who forms an unlikely friendship with three musicians. She is driven by a need for company and music, they are captured by her beauty and seduced by her authority. The musicians fall into her charm and into her gramophone where they are trapped and eventually perish, singing songs of solidarity and love.

Over a virtual cup if Green Tea, we ask Liew a bit more about her curious creatures of emotional turmoil, her illustrative inspiration and whether or not she misses Camden.

Tell us about the Hunter Series.

I wanted The Hunter Series to be an extension of the original story both visually and metaphorically – a story within a story. You get a sense of the narrative from the different pieces, but as a whole, you see the Hunter for who she is – a hungry, lonely and melancholic being. It’s an illustration of lust and self-ruin; both the musicians and the Hunter are acting on impulse, blind to their terrible fates. Even though she is the one to end the men’s lives, the Hunter does not get what she wants. With no one to listen or play with, she’s alone again.

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Where do you draw information for your characters from?

I draw most of my information from observing the people around me. I never assume that what you see in someone is what you get – everyone has a hidden interior of ambition and desire. Music plays a large part as well. I found the musicians for The Hunter listening to an unsigned band playing at the Dublin Castle in Camden – the Parallel Animals. After falling in love with them – and the front man! – I offered to sketch them during rehearsals and help out at their gigs. Seeing how hard local bands work at this music business, and how ruthless the whole industry is, gave me a sense of direction in depicting the musician’s fate in my artwork.

The emotional context of the characters is strong; the nature of lust and self-ruin… is this an expression of your own emotional turmoil?

I suppose yes – in a sense that all of my work is an expression of myself, my feelings and thoughts. I wouldn’t say that I am strongly affected by the nature of lust and self-ruin though, let’s just say that I am extremely aware of it in myself, and all too conscious of letting myself go, or losing control of who I am. As I mentioned earlier we all have a hidden interior of ambition and desire – acting on lust however (whatever the desire – money, sex, fame) can only lead to self-ruin. Sometimes I wonder if I’m making the right choices, I question why I did certain things and what is behind my motivations. It’s a constant cycle of self-reflection.

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And finally, Camden vs Cambridge countryside… who wins?

This is a real toughie. Can I be wayward and say that weekdays are for Camden and weekends are for Cambridge?
During the week I get a lot of inspiration from the Camden kids, lovely hidden-away galleries and sweaty underpriced indie nights. By the weekend though it’s full of puffy tourists and very long queues for nothing.
That’s when I retreat to the gentle Cambridge countryside. It’s perfect for lethargic country strolls and relaxing afternoon teas; this is also where I get a lot of my inspiration down onto paper and start to paint. All the week’s bustle leaves my mind ready to draw in peace and quiet!

You can see more of her work here, or catch her at the Alternative Press Fair on Sunday 1st February where she will be featuring the Hunter Storybook alongside other homemade creations, and apparently, lots of Green Tea.

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Why is it no-one tells you that when you leave uni, approved your life will have a huge vacuum and those 3 years you spent studying illustration suddenly seem wasted when all the available jobs are in call centres? What to do? Give up the creative dream? Not if you’re Brighton girl Anna Wenger. She decided that if there was no jobs out there, adiposity she’d start her own business, viagra dosage and Sacred Stitches was born. Her idea of stitching classic tattoo designs onto clothes and homewares has really taken off in recent months, and she’s kindly chatted to us about it:

How did your business come about?
I needed to give my family and friends Christmas presents but without spending much money, so made everyone cushions. I got a lot of attention from these cushions and created more and more and now embroider onto everything I can lay my hands on!

Who are your favourite designers?
I love Angelique Houtkamp, her work mixes classic tattoo imagery with Hollywood romance and her eye for style is very inspirational.
Others include Inka Tattooist James Robinson, Alex Binnie, Jon Burgerman, Tara McPherson and Crush Design Studio.

How would you describe your personal style?

A very modern graphic twist on an old school tattoo style. I like to think that with my designs everyone can appreciate the art form of tattoos without having to get one.

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Do you wear your own designs?
Oh yes, and so does my boyfriend, his friends, my flatmates. My flat is completely covered in sacred stitches cushions!

Who or what inspires you? (i know the obvious answer here is tattoos –
but if there’s anything else!)

I live with a tattooist who influences my work; magazines and art exhibitions are good for getting new ideas. My boyfriend and friends are covered in tattoos and will come home with a new piece of art on their skin, so its hard not to be inspired when your surrounded by moving artwork.


Have you got any tattoos?

No, the design is still in progress.

Do you have a favourite tattoo design / what’s the best you’ve seen so
far?

My favourite so far is by Judd Ripley of an amazingly haunting pirate ship. (pictured below)

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Do you still love Brighton/can you see yourself living anywhere else?
I am originally from Brighton and moved back here after University, as it’s a creative city. I do love Brighton as it’s a very receptive place for my designs because people here like to buy from small businesses.

Can I have a t-shirt please?
Yes, what size are you, xxl?!?

How very dare you. A medium at the very most!
Thanks for your time Anna. Talent and ambition, the best combination.
Contact Anna about getting hold of your own personalised tattoo(ed piece of clothing) here.

Categories ,Anna Wenger, ,Brighton, ,Conceptual, ,Designer, ,Fashion, ,Sacred Stitches, ,Tattoo, ,Textile

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Amelia’s Magazine | Bridgedale Bamboo Socks

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Monday 26th January

Lucky Dragons
, health store Luminaire, viagra London

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Pretentious blurb going on about birthing fragile networks of digital signals or whatever but don’t be put off as it should be an interesting night of experimental folktronica.

Zombie Zombie, Ruby Lounge, Manchester

French electro with a cool Germanic edge.

Michael Baker, Ida Brown, John Barrow, Slaughtered Lamb, London

Folk rock from Michael Baker with more acoustic sounds in support at this lovely, folk-oriented venue.

Tuesday 27th January

Grace Jones, Roundhouse, London

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Will be nothing less than extraordinary show from this wildly experimental but still accessibly pop singer. Her new album is spectacular as we have raved on previous occasions and she is completely fantastic live.

Let’s Wrestle, Screaming Tea Party, Hoxton Square Bar and Kitchen, London

Fun party indie boys headline with cute bubblegum punk support from Screaming Tea Party.

Luke Haines, FreeDM studio at Roundhouse, London

He of the Auteurs and Black Box Recorder and self-proclaimed Britpop instigator plays his highly regarded solo material.

Wednesday 28th January

Crystal Antlers, Darker My Lover, Loverman, Ark People, Lexington, London

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I will save my thesis on the fact that every single hip new band seems to be called Crystal something at the moment for another time. Instead catch the Antlers’ Long Beach raw punk on their first European tour. Sweaty, bruising fun.

Six Toes, The Mariner’s Children, Share, Slaughtered Lamb, London

Delicate and pretty, the exact antithesis of the Lexington gig. A Wednesday night of contrasts.

Thursday 29th January

George Pringle, Applicants, 4 or 5 Magicians, Buffalo Bar London

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Spoken word to a stark electro backing track from George Pringle. Dead arty.

Glissando, City Screen, York

Gliding atmospheric sounds, perfectly suited to the cinema venue.

Friday 30th January

Afrikan Boy, The Real Heat, Barden’s Boudoir, London

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Signed to M.I.A.’s label, probably best known for his hilarious masterpiece about shoplifting bargain supermarkets.

Luminous Frenzy, Shunt Vaults, London

Where better than an underground dungeon club to see this haunting cinematic live show? Nowhere better.

Saturday 31st January

Stereo Total, Bar Rumba, London

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Like a Franco-German White Stripes (girl singer/drummer, boy guitarist) only about a million times more appealing and with a sense of humour. And nothing in common musically. Playing electro-punk reworkings of French chanson and ye-ye as well as their own charming and wittily insouciant numbers in French, German, English and any other languages they happen to have picked up.

Mike Bones, Oakford Social, Reading

Session guitarist supreme, turned solo singer-songwriter with interestingly lovelorn songs and none of the whingeing usually associated with that damning tag.

Micachu and the Shapes, Macbeth, London

On nearly everyone’s list of ones to watch 2009 (and of course, featured in Issue 10), catch Micachu’s angular and unpredictable show in a small venue while you still can.

Sky Larkin, Brudenell Social Club, Leeds

Homecoming gig for this local band whose sweet and clever indie rock is slightly off-kilter lending shades of Sonic Youth to their jangly guitars.

Sunday 1st February

Emmy the Great, Phoenix, Exeter

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Promoting her debut album despite having been touring material for the past four years, with deceptively sweet-sounding tunes and scarily frank lyrics.

Last week, more about the London College of Fashion held it’s MA show in the beautiful Raphael gallery at the V&A. It’s very fitting that it took place during menswear fashion week, as twelve out of the nineteen collections were clothes for the boys.

It seems that menswear is finally standing up to its competitive and often overpowering opposite. Usually, the occasional dose of menswear in graduate collections – lets face it – never usually quite stands up to its womenswear rivals, this time round however, it was a different story. If the MA graduates set out to change the preconceptions of us voyeurs of fashion, who put the words ‘fashion’ and ‘womenswear’ hand in hand, they did a very good job with these collections.

Nowhere near boring – menswear and gave us gold, sequins, fringing and innovative tailoring fitted to a selection of 80′s looking, nu-romantic boys; flopping curls and eyeliner in check. Not to confuse these looks as steals from womenswear, masculinity was still very much in tact.

Here is a selection of the ones that caught our eye:

Dimitri Stavrou (below left) presented a very masculine interpretation of fringing through a skilled process of hand-frayed carbon fiber. The collection was inspired by the incest breeding of a Greek mythological God and mortal woman, a part human, part-animal crossover was explored through historical body armour and shapes created through movement.

Ji Yun Lapthorn’s ( below right)sophisticated and beautiful display of drapery and tailoring was a delicate and mesmerising affair. Soft folds created new shapes from heavy silk crepe, and cashmere showed a mature sensitivity to both form and fabric.
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A futuristic rainbow of colour shone through with Rohan Kale’s (above) collection, where luxury and sustainability met in a beautiful patchwork of Spanish silk tie off-cuts. Entitled ‘The Two Christians’ his admiration for both Christian Dior and Christian Lacroix was explored in this rich, exuberant take on sharp, quality tailoring.

Sticking to a theme of bright colour, Carly Garwin (below) used neon pink as a metaphor for happiness in her Parisian inspired collection. Proportions were played with and innovative cutting gave a sophisticated feel to this collection, where leg baring tailored shorts matched with cropped capes for a refreshing male silhouette.
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Miyhun Park (above) took us on a mystical journey under the sea, where fluidity merged with structure. Sheer dresses fitted to wire frames mimicked jellyfish like shapes, whilst creating a blurred and distorted vision of the underlying garments to leave an impression of being underwater.

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In a fitting and fair finale the battle between men’s and womenswear ended in a beautiful mixed collection from graduate Manjit Deu, (above) who won the Collection of the Year. Using the ever-popular sequin- in its new and more abstract rectangular shape – Manjit hand-embroidered dresses, hoodies and tops for a truly lavish and dazzling end to the show.
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Do you get the sense that all things home-made as an approach to everything is flourishing at the moment? Well something has to, viagra sale and we’re glad it’s the world of the home-crafted written word.

This Sunday head down to the St Aloysius Social Centre near Euston for the Alternative Press Fair, bringing together the worlds of alternative comics, zines, art-books and poetry for one great day. Meet the artists, see their work and buy some if you like it, or feel inspired to go and make something of your own for the world to see. Following the fair there will be live music from Mr Trent Miller & The Skeleton Jive until late. Even better, it’s completely free, open to all, come along! The fair is between 12 and 6.

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Solar panels and roof top gardens on every house in Camden, prescription allotments in place of car parks, stomach “I’ll meet you at the crosspaths, crosspaths” we’d sing, and a range rover in Hampstead would be as archaic and out of place as a dinosaur on Bricklane. If you have a vision of a future where humans have stopped stripping the earth of it’s natural beauty and have ceased to persist in pumping out destruction then get the colouring pencils out and submit your design to EcoLab.

EcoLab is a group of environmentally-minded designers and visual artists who explore ways in which communities can collectively change their lifestyles to become more sustainable. They involve artwork in investigating our ecological crisis and communicating the findings.

This year they are planning their first Climate Roadshow. A cavalcade of climate artwork will travel through festivals and events around the country including Glastonbury and Urban Green Fair. Eventually they hope to reach the Copenhagen Climate Conference. So far there are works by artists Jody Barton, Rod Hunt, Kate Evans Airside, Jamie Simmons, & Ali Hodgson that illustrate the very disturbing changes in ecological systems as the climate warms (as described by Mark Lynas in his book Six Degrees). There is a Climate Game by RCA graduate Ali Hodgson, and other climate related artwork to get conversations started about things that matter.

To accompany this they are calling for submissions for a ‘graphically exciting illustration of a steady state society.’ The winning image will receive a £350 prize and will be used in the road show and published in EcoMag. A steady state economic system as defined by ecological economist Herman Daly is one which is no longer obsessed with growth.

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I caught up with EcoLab’s founder Jody Boehnert and asked her about all things sustainable and about the ‘2012 Imperative Teach-in,’ one of the many projects bubbling at EcoLab HQ.

Is complete sustainability across the UK achievable in our lifetime?

‘Yes. We are fully capable of making sustainability happen, but it will not happen unless we stop the insanity that is happening now. We are at a point where it can no longer be assumed that we will have much of a future – en masse. The punk rockers said it thirty years ago but didn’t do much about it. Now the situation is far more serious. Luckily there are options, we could live good lives without destroying the environment. We need to generate the will to make this shift happen. We need a popular movement working towards change even more decisive than those in the 20th century, i.e. gender equality & civil rights.’

What is a Teach-in?

Teach-ins have a history in movements for social change from the 1960s and have been used recently in America to catalyze environmental action in higher education. Teach-ins are practical, participatory, and action oriented.

How will it work?

The 2012 Imperative Teach-in will an event where scientists & eco-design experts make presentations and take questions from students. The event will be broadcast live over the internet to groups of students at institutions around the world. At the end of the day new commitments will be made to address the environmental crisis within design education. EcoLabs is preparing to make this teach-in happen for October 2009. Anyone can participate by signing up on the website and organizing a group of people to watch it together – or better yet, by coming to the event itself. More information available at www.teach-in.co.uk

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The deadline for the Steady State brief is the 15th March-get scribbling!
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Solar panels and roof top gardens on every house in Camden, this allotments in place of car parks, ampoule “I’ll meet you at the crosspaths, crosspaths” we’d sing, and a range rover in Hampstead would be as archaic and out of place as a dinosaur on Bricklane. If you have a vision of a future where humans have stopped stripping the earth of it’s natural beauty and have ceased to persist in pumping out destruction then get the colouring pencils out and submit your design to EcoLab.

EcoLab is a group of environmentally-minded designers and visual artists who explore ways in which communities can collectively change their lifestyles to become more sustainable. They involve artwork in investigating our ecological crisis and communicating the findings.

This year they are planning their first Climate Roadshow. A cavalcade of climate artwork will travel through festivals and events around the country including Glastonbury and Urban Green Fair. Eventually they hope to reach the Copenhagen Climate Conference. So far there are works by artists Jody Barton, Rod Hunt, Kate Evans Airside, Jamie Simmons, & Ali Hodgson that illustrate the very disturbing changes in ecological systems as the climate warms (as described by Mark Lynas in his book Six Degrees). There is a Climate Game by RCA graduate Ali Hodgson, and other climate related artwork to get conversations started about things that matter.

To accompany this they are calling for submissions for a ‘graphically exciting illustration of a steady state society.’ The winning image will receive a £350 prize and will be used in the road show and published in EcoMag. A steady state economic system as defined by ecological economist Herman Daly is one which is no longer is obsessed with growth.

1degrees-Airside.jpg

I caught up with EcoLab’s founder Jody Boehnert and asked her about all things sustainable and about the ‘2012 Imperative Teach-in,’ one of the many projects bubbling at EcoLab HQ.

Is complete sustainability across the UK achievable in our lifetime?

‘Yes. We are fully capable of making sustainability happen, but it will not happen unless we stop the insanity that is happening now. We are at a point where it can no longer be assumed that we will have much of a future – en masse. The punk rockers said it thirty years ago but didn’t do much about it. Now the situation is far more serious. Luckily there are options, we could live good lives without destroying the environment. We need to generate the will to make this shift happen. We need a popular movement working towards change even more decisive than those in the 20th century, i.e. gender equality & civil rights.’

What is a Teach-in?

Teach-ins have a history in movements for social change from the 1960s and have been used recently in America to catalyze environmental action in higher education. Teach-ins are practical, participatory, and action oriented.

How will it work?

The 2012 Imperative Teach-in will an event where scientists & eco-design experts make presentations and take questions from students. The event will be broadcast live over the internet to groups of students at institutions around the world. At the end of the day new commitments will be made to address the environmental crisis within design education. EcoLabs is preparing to make this teach-in happen for October 2009. Anyone can participate by signing up on the website and organizing a group of people to watch it together – or better yet, by coming to the event itself. More information available at www.teach-in.co.uk

flowerbig.jpg

The deadline for the Steady State brief is the 15th March-get scribbling!
Perhaps, this web considering they’ve practically all played together at various
points over the past few years, it’s not all that surprising that the three
bands on Saturday night’s bill had quite a bit in common. However, as well
as a shared sound, the acts we were treated to at Barden’s also clearly
shared a commitment to fun. It was perfect Saturday night fodder, loud,
brash, fast and furious but not too abrasive for a dance.

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Throwing Up took to the stage first for their inaugural gig looking suitably nervous
despite the fact that all of them are old hands on the London gig circuit.
Singer Camille and bassist Claire were formerly one half of Headless, the
raven-haired banshee quartet and you could hear the shadows of their old
band. However, there was less of the 80s goth, righteous women influence
here as, true to their name, Throwing Up adopted a more straightforward pop
punk sound in their blink and you’d miss it set.

They were on and off the stage in as little as ten minutes and whipped
through their five and a half songs with little fuss and fanfare but plenty
of fury. With such a doll-like rhythm section – Claire is so tiny behind her
bass she looks like an Alice in Wonderland drink me experiment and they’ve
got the most exquisitely pretty drummer I’ve ever seen -­ this created a
great juxtaposition.

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Next up Male Bonding matcho-ed up proceedings with their energetic, jerky
punk and pink sweatshirts. Fresh out of 1979 via turn-of-the-nineties
Seattle they danced their way through a sweaty set that had members of the
audience in a headbanging frenzy. Their drummer kept things pacey and the
vocals stayed at a fairly low level, lyrical subtlety is clearly less the
point than raw energy,­ at least in a live setting.

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Screaming Tea Party rounded off the evening with a shot of bubbegum to
temper the rougher edges of the night. Veering between throbbing rock and
sweetly harmonised indie pop and managing to combine a gas mask toting
guitarist with a smiling girl on drums, they strike the perfect balance
between music your ten year old sister and your hipster boyfriend could
credibly like. The live show is heavier than they sound on record,
culminating in the toppling of the drum kit and all band members to the
floor, a fitting end to a brilliant night.

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In many parts of the world, ampoule the summoning of an alternate self, page true self?, stomach is nothing extraordinary, but simply part of the fabric of everyday life. For the Bantu in Western Africa for instance, a routine trip to the doctor might easily involve him/her devining your ailment by entering existential realms of being (brought on by extensive drumming and dancing) and communicating with ancestral spirits; whilst we can all thank Bruce Parry for enlightening us to the medicinal properties of Ayahuasca in the transcendence of spatial and temporal boundaries … But in our own post-cultured world we call it art, and put it in a gallery to peer at through the prism of the exoticised other.

The current exhibition at Riflemaker, Voodoo – ‘Hoochie Coochie and the Creative Spirit‘, draws together artists, writers, and musicians who acknowledge the need to reach heightened or ‘altered’ states in order to create their work. You’d be forgiven for thinking Riflemaker to be a shop from it’s humble exterior and just-off-Carnaby-Street location, but walking through the door you are initiated into a quite different world offering a very worthy respite from the throngs of hapless shoppers in Oxford Street.

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The theme of Initiation is dealt with in a replica of William Burroughs Wishing Machine, pictured above. On entering the exhibition, viewers are asked to ‘check in’ via this small booth, which the famously superstitious Burroughs had installed in the front door of his house in Lawrence, Kansas. Insert a coin, write a wish on a small piece of card and continue on your way, suitably aligned. Extending over three floors, a multi-sensory and multi-media circus is woven together with the themes of sacrifice, symbology, hysteria, possession, and ritual, to name a few. You will see collages put together with semen, listen to Rachmaninov’s chromatic hysteria, and glance on peculiar forlorn dolls, eerily lit, contemplating the window and the street outside.

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Exploring the mystery of the creative act, the idea of Voodoo is used as a metaphor for the spiritual heights considered essential to the creative process – a need to fire up the spirit and go into a trancelike state, to hallucinate. From Jean-Michel Basquiat’s Haitian high priests to the Catholic icons of Andres Serrano; from the alcohol-induced stupors of Francis Bacon and F Scott Fitzgerald to the self-obliteration of Yayoi Kusama; from the exploration of power and sexuality in Richard Niman‘s sculpture of Hitler as an infant girl, to Igor Stravinsky‘s dance rituals, the attempts of the artist to enhance the creative process by removing themselves from reality through meditation or mind-altering substances is examined as a fundamental element in the act of creation.

Throughout the exhibition, there is a film season of Voodoo films at the Curzon Mayfair each Sunday; a series of exploratory concerts at the Royal College of Music every Tuesday, and a soundtrack, which should be available online from January.

With so much emphasis on Voodoo and the existential being, perhaps we will see these practices stepping out of sanitized gallery spaces, out of the confines of the art world, and back into the everyday.
Here are some treats for you:

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Today sees the launch of QueensOfVintage.com – brought to us by the people that run another favourite site of ours, viagra 40mg greenmystyle.com, information pills , sale queens of vintage is packed full of interesting features, such as ‘A history of style: the feather‘ and ‘Top 100 Queens‘, not a list of royalty or friends of Dorothy, it is in fact a lovely collation of people with lovely vintage style.

If it’s buying vintage you’re after, without having to hunt through rails and rails, pay a visit to somelikeitvintage.com, not only does it have a snazzy name but being a Canadian online store, it’s a great chance to get your hands on vintage from the other side of the Atlantic. They also have a commitment to being eco-friendly, they stress the importance of recycling and use little or no energy sources. Below are two garments that I really want to get my hands on:

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For those whose vintage tastes are more extravagant, on Saturday, 31st January, you can indulge yourself at the buymywardrobe.com event, where ladies with expensive wardrobes, sort through the bits of designer couture they no longer wear and kindly bring it to the Adam St members club so us mere mortals can have a chance to own some genuine designer pieces at only a fraction of the designer price. Amazing!

However, if you love vintage but are not fussed by labels, then this is the event for you. This Thursday, 29th January, in the Stepney Green warehouse store, The East End Thrift Store is holding one of their legendary parties! Here at Amelia’s we’ve been several times and always picked up superb bargains and quirky pieces, while quaffing the free wine. Yes that’s right, free wine and a warehouse of vintage clothes! Heaven!
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As I write this blog our MPs are debating the subject of the third runway in the Commons. Although any decision made will not be binding it is possible that there will be a labour revolt over the current decision to go ahead when a vote is held at 7pm this evening. A not insignificant amount of MPs are seriously annoyed with our government’s collusion with BAA, this web with two MPs deciding to resign over the issue this morning.

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Climate Rush were outside the gates of Parliament to show what they think of our farcical democracy at 10.30am this morning, hospital cunningly bearing chains under large coats. It was an easy stroll over to the railings and a leisurely padlocking ensued before any police even took any notice. Eight women and two men dressed in assorted Edwardian-style gear unfurled their lovingly stencilled aprons bearing the immortal DEEDS NOT WORDS, viagra 100mg and proceeded to smile for the attendant press.

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After about an hour the police decided to move everyone else off the area with a bit of force, before then making a u-turn and letting everyone back in. They threatened arrest several times, for protesting in a SOCPA area (you have to apply to protest anywhere near Parliament) without a permit, and then for refusals to unchain. This was much to the amusement of the pro-cannabis lobby over the way in the square, who heckled us through their megaphone. I think they may take tips from us in the future. Tourists stopped to have their photos taken. Suffragettes drank tea from a flask and ate turkish delight.

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Eventually, the boltcutters arrived, and the police chopped through the chains. But still no arrests, in fact they appeared desperate to avoid any arrests, clearly dreading the extra publicity over our demonstration of true democracy in action – orders seemed to change rapidly from whomever was passing them down from on high. After all the Suffragettes had been freed a group huddle ensued to decide on whether to further attempt arrest, but it was decided that this might prove nearly impossible given that it had already proved so difficult, and instead we went off for a cup of tea and a plate of chips in the Methodist Church Hall cafe.

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I’d like to think that something sensible might occur in government today, like our elected politicians realising that building a third runway is not compatible with cutting 80% of our CO2 emissions, as already agreed. Alas I fear not….
Join the fun with Climate Rush if you’d like to voice your opinion on this matter on a future date.
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Over the past year or so, ambulance we’ve had Crystal Castles, cost Crystal Antlers, this Crystal Fighters, now enter Crystal Stilts. Why all these bands seem to have replaced good old ‘the’ with ‘Crystal’ is a bit of a mystery, maybe they all share a penchant for quality glassware.

Crystal Stilts also hail from Brooklyn, making them doubly suspect as an all mouth and no tight trousers prospect. However, although they clearly share the shoegaze influences du jour with fellow Brooklynites Vivian Girls and The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, all three bands have worked these influences into their own personal styles to create zeitgeisty but credible sounds. Crystal Stilts are the clear gloom merchants of the bunch, combining their Jesus and Mary Chain fuzz with a healthy dose of hollow Joy Division vocals.

We may have heard if not these particular shakey drums, spectral melodies, indistinct vocals and Velvets-esque rhythm guitar, something pretty similar before but these emerge as great indie pop songs and should be appreciated as such, nothing more, nothing less. You may not be able to distinguish any of the lyrics but you can happily drone along with the pretty pop melody of B-side Prismatic Room while Departure‘s post punk bassline and kicky drums practically begs to be danced to.

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It’s surely no coincidence that like the music press, the catwalks for this Spring were filled with mid-eighties styles, niftily combining to create the perfect backdrop to Recession Depression. Put a massive bow in your hair, sling on your jumpsuit and whack some ethereal pop on your i-Pod and before you know it you’ll be skipping rather than slumping your way down to the Job Centre.

Death From Above 1979 created one of the finest albums of the last ten years. Remember that time you dance so hard to Romantic Rights you accidentally hit a really big guy in the face and had to run away? Wasn’t that fantastic?

Like so many great things though, view DFA 1979 disappeared just as quickly as they arrived, viagra 40mg leaving many people feeling empty as a hollowed out coconut husk. MSTRKRFT were ok but by the time they had put an album together, remedy we had all become rather tired of their rehashed efforts.

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The news that Sebastien Grainger is releasing some new material therefore fills me with hope. Is it a return to form by the drumstick-wielding section of DFA? Well, not really. These four tracks vary quite a bit, both in style and quality. Straight off, my favourite track is Renegade Silence. It has something of his old band’s former brilliance – though it sounds as if it was all channelled through a keyboard on harpsichord setting – and it’s really quite catchy. It borrows a lot from Metronomy, though whether this is intentional or not I can’t quite decide.

Other tracks on the EP will fill you with disappointment if you approach it with the anticipation you would a new DFA release. I wanted that bass that sounds like a Viking with an upset stomach and the kind of drum thrashings that are banned in 49 American states. This, in comparison, is real sissy music. By Cover of Night sounds like an attempt at Kings Of Leon modelled anthemic-ness – but the lyrics are terribly corny and a little forced.

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It’s not a real stinker, it just doesn’t gain a place in my heart like his previous output. There’s a song called I Hate Most Of My Friends, which seems pretty stupid. If I was his friend and he wrote a song called that I’d tell him where to shove his drumsticks.

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The bailiffs have arrived and the doors to the Temporary School of Thought are sadly shut. Over the past few weeks I’ve loitered in it’s burrow-like corridors and dozed amongst bearded anoraks during a workshop on ‘post-capitalist enterprises.’ I’ve also stumbled into a magic room of delightfully hypnotic Indian classical music, page and I had a very pleasant chat with the collective identity, viagra order Luthar Blisset. For those unfamiliar with the handshakes and double winks of squat living, Luther Blisset was a footballer who played for Watford and later AC Milan in the 1980′s. However his name has become more famous as a collective identity used by artists and social activists the world over. No one’s entirely sure why…

So as I chatted with my very own footballer we passed the welding and bike-repair workshop, past walls pinned with life-drawings and up a colossal marble staircase leading to the grander rooms of the house-all vast with tall windows and heavy shutters that made me want to spin around giddily. I was told, excitedly, that the house was built at the turn of the eighteenth century, and that one room is decorated with intricately hand painted silk wallpaper that must be over 200 years old. Originally built as a private home for the very wealthy, parts of the house have been used as offices but it seems to have been left empty for at least 10 years. Like many grand buildings in London, it is owned in assets. Often the buildings are left waiting for planning permission to be turned into flats or offices. This can take years, partly because the buildings are listed under the National Trust, and partly for the convenience of the owners (often large International companies) who would rather see their assets rise in price over time than spend on redevelopment.

The well-spoken group of house-sitters that discovered what the tabloids liked to call ‘The Luxury Squat’ have similarly arty backgrounds but made a decision to break away from the more art-centered Da! Collective and to start a free school. Not just an exhibition space (although drawings and installations did fill the rooms) the building housed an alternative space for creativity, thought and discussion. In opening the doors to the public they formed an atmosphere that was genuinely welcoming and played host to a variety of free workshops as diverse as charleston dancing to hexayurt building.

When they first arrived there was absolutely nothing to make the house habitable. The first few nights were spent huddled around a rice cooker while they fixed the electrics and built all the furniture from discarded wood. Collectively they created a vibrant work/living space complete with a film screening room with tiered seating, an art workshop and a dining table that could seat 40 people. They transformed a building that had been left to rot into a palace for the people, and after all their hard work, it seems unjust for them to be ousted. But something tells me that their next address won’t be too far away. One of the workshops I attended was called ‘Hunting for Empties’ where we cycled around Mayfair examining potentially squatable buildings. We must have seen 12 different empty properties all in a square mile and all with London’s swankiest postcode. The waste of such property in central London is shocking. I fully applaud their ingenuity and I wish them the best of luck with their next adventure.

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It feels like of Montreal (who are actually from Georgia) have been around for even longer than their eleven years. They’ve never really felt the fickle grip of hype, cialis 40mg instead remaining a constant presence; on mixtape compilations, information pills at parties and in music blogs. Shamefully, viagra their part-of-the-furniture demeanour has meant that I’m only familiar with a handful of their hits, having never felt the impulse to dig deeper and geek up on all of their releases (and boy are there releases; in just over a decade they’ve produced nine studio albums and six EPs). So tonight as we head into Digital, just off the pebbly shore of Brighton beach, I can honestly say that I have no idea about what will be store for us over the next three hours, but I can’t wait to get inside.

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Casiokids at Brighton Digital

While coats are swapped for raffle tickets and bar trips hastily made, Norweigen eletropoppers Casiokids take to the stage in a burst of bright, primary coloured lights and Cheshire-cat grins, fiddling about with the wires that extend out of the countless electronics and snake around their lace-up pumps. The self-named ‘electro troupe’ stand huddled in a close group enshrouded in equipment, energetically clapping their hands and throwing out jaggedy, pulsing dance moves. The music is vigourously dynamic but they appear relaxed as they spin out perky electro soundscapes, drenched in positivity and good times, as the stage is soaked in blocks of red, blue and green light.

Before of Montreal make an appearance, the atmosphere ascends; even the soundcheck is watched by the surrounding crowd with all the excitement normally reserved for an unexpected rendition of an old favourite, not the usual “one-two-one-two”. After being thrown into darkness, the lights eventually rise to depict a guy in a tiger mask standing center stage, setting the tone for the theatrical extremities that will follow. All members then appear to ‘She’s A Rejector’, dressed to the nines in glitter, dark shades, and ruffles, looking like a bemused circus group that have somehow got lost on their way to a carnival in outer space. It shouldn’t work, but it does, and I have to remind myself that this is a band who released their latest record, ‘Skeletal Lamping’, in various bizarre formats, including jewellery and bags.

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Of Montreal at Brighton Digital

Frontman Kevin Barnes never stops moving, always pointedly alert as he bops around and dramatically strips off his shirt. He performs one song sat high on someone’s shoulders and even manages a costume change. The band play their way through tracks from albums including Skeletal Lamping, The Sunlandic Twins and Hissing Fauna…, as pigs, ninja’s and buddahs dance across the stage and with band members, which is slightly disturbing and fantastically theatrical. Due to the many incarnations of of Montreal over the years, their music comes in various forms – it sometimes verges on a ramshackle of unpredictable indiepop, then swins into funky afrobeat, and then just when you think you’ve got them pinned down, they throw in some psychadelic grooves to prove you completely wrong.

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Of Montreal at Brighton Digital

For of Montreal a concert isn’t merely a runthrough of numbers but a grand performance; a chance to challenge perceptions and revel in insanity, dressed up and down and bringing their world onto the stage with them. As we leave I overhear a girl telling her friend, “My expectations were so high, but that has totally gone past anything I’d expected. It was incredible”, perfectly summing up the evening.

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Bodypainting as a practice goes right back to the dawn of culture. It is a decisive clue in piecing together the emerging habits of early humans that distinguish them from our primate predecessors, cost and when anthropologists aren’t announcing a new species of human because of a newly discovered molar, they are constantly getting flustered about the red stuff – red ochre. Thousands of years later, we are covering ourselves in paint once again, devoting festivals to the practice, and holding competitions for it … haven’t you heard? It’s only the World Bodypainting Festival, the annual event that brings thousands upon Seeboden in Southern Austria for three days of festive fun, intense competition, and the most elaborate and fine-combed bodypainting you have ever seen.

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I caught up with Jessica Nurse, who has participated in the festival for two of its ten year life-span, and gain a little more insight into this craft that is a realm unto itself.

What’s the festival like?
It’s really incredible. The actual festival takes place by a lake, and for those three days, the town is completely transformed. They have statues all over the place of painted bodies, and there are separate tents for each country. The bodypainting awards are a big part of the festival, and have been a driving force behind the bodypainting movement. It gives artists a chance to get together, exchange ideas, and bring this amazing art form to the public eye.

What will you be participating in, and who’s the big competition?
There are different categories. I’l be competing in the ‘brush and sponge’ competition, so that’s all hand-done as opposed to air-brush effects. You have six hours to paint, and they give you a theme beforehand so its all about trying to come up with something that’s original. The Americans are good, like the Wolfe Brothers who always do really well, but Caroline Cooper won last year and she’s a brit! We’re good at something after all.

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How did you get into bodypainting, and what do you like about it?
I graduated from University in fashion and editorial make-up design, and I work a lot as a freelance make-up artist, but this is just so much more creative. I feel like you can really push the boundaries, express stories, ideas, and moods, all through the body. I began bodypainting as a hobby when I was young, then once I started studying make-up we did some classes to improve skills and ideas. I heard about the Bodypainting competition in Austria when I was at college and it was always something I really wanted to go too.


Have you ever been painted?

Yes, I modeled for a friend once, but I didn’t like it! I think you have to be really comfortable with your body, but then once someone is painted you don’t really look at their body or see it as a naked body, you just look at the art. But no, I think the painting side of it is more for me!

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Jessica is currently applying for funding from the Arts Council to take a team to Austria in July and we wish her the best of luck! She will be hosting an exhibition in March or April at the Maiyango Hotel in Leicester so keep your eyes peeled for roaming painted bodies.
Bridgedales bamboo socks got me thinking about ethical clothing, click and what a total minefield it can be. Synthetics never biodegrade and are often oil-derived so surely a cotton top must be better? However, website the environmental cost of cotton is so high, involving so much water and pesticides – and let’s not even get started on the human cost of cotton farming, sweat shop production, poisonous dyes, super-cheap prices… The list of things to look out for can be endless and even when you’ve found your preferred brand of ethically produced, fairly-traded clothing of choice, the price tag can be somewhat off-putting.

Things get even trickier when you are buying clothes for a specific purpose such as sport or outdoor activities, where you need your clothes to possess certain qualities.
The trouble is, a lot of high-tech wonder fabrics such as Gore-Tex, that are designed to be durable and keep you warm and dry are also made from oil-derived substances and, once they’re finished with, will just sit in landfill for centuries to come.

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Illustration by Jingyao Guo

Which is why Bridgedale’s new bamboo socks, £10.99, fill a definite gap in the environmentally friendly clothing market. Perfectly suited to hiking, the socks are high quality, technical clothing that offer the same level of fit, shock-absorbency and ventilation as any other good hiking sock. They are also anti-bacterial and water absorbent, keeping sweaty feet dry on long rambles.

Bridgedale wax lyrical about the benefits of bamboo. They claim, and a bit of research on the internet, as well as wearing the socks, supports them – that Bamboo is “soft as cashmere” and the socks are really warm, meaning that you could happily wear them as bed socks around the house. Bamboo is also hypoallergenic, 100% biodegradable, and a pretty sustainable resource, which can be grown without pesticides or chemicals.

Bridgedale socks source their bamboo from an American company, Booshoot, which grows and supplies bamboo within America from their own local nurseries, avoiding the replacement of forest land with an economically profitable, environmentally detrimental monoculture. Of course there are some negative considerations to take into account. Although great as a crop, bamboo can be chemical and labour intensive to turn into a fibre.

So, while the jury’s still out on bamboo fibre in general, at least for now, in terms of comfort, practicality and the environment – if not style…these Bridgedale socks get my thumbs up.

Categories ,Bamboo Socks, ,Bridgedale, ,Ethical

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