30/07/2014

Fashion East: Nurturing Young Talents

For some time now, cult fashion events have been happening far from the posh streets of Paris. Despite the strength and influence of established fashion routes, the discipline is seeking other venues and means of promoting young creative production. What better place than London, then, to build an innovative fashion culture.

Fashion East is a London-based non-profit institution that has become a beacon for young designers today. The organization was founded in 2000 by Truman Brewery with the aim of bringing forth and encouraging young designers who were just starting out, with the aid of Topshop, TOPMAN and the Greater London Authority. In 2005 Fashion East founded MAN meant to work as a menswear equivalent of the initial Fashion East. Each season three womenswear as well as three menswear designers are selected and given the opportunity to present a collection to the press during London Fashion Week. Designers are selected by Lulu Kennedy and a panel of fashion experts, and are provided venue, show production and mentoring.

Fashion East has become recognized for spotting talent and former designers include Craig Green, Lee Roach and Matthew Miller, while this year’s choice of Edward Marler was highly praised from the fashion world. His graduate collection from the Central Saint Martins was a homage to every girl and boy who ever dreamed of being a royal. Grand head attires shaped as crowns and luxurious materials were used in an ostentatious yet intriguing way, building hype and creating a definite expectation for his next work. Marler will join fellow designers Helen Lawrence and Louise Alsop, who are presenting second time around, for this year’s runway show. Establishments like Fashion East are important to keep the essence of fashion alive: by introducing someone new to the scene it adds to the dialogue of fashion, keeping it alive, fresh and critically engaged.

Victoria Edman 
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29/07/2014

Melitta Baumeister – Casting Fashion

Originally from Germany, the young fashion designer Melitta Baumeister is now based in New York from where she is currently running her own brand. She recently received a MFA degree in Fashion Design and Society at Parsons – The New School For Design, and her Fall/ Winter 2014 capsule collection was presented by VFILES during New York Fashion Week. Her unique and innovative clothes made of uncommon materials like silicon, have been met with great critic acclaim, while trendsetting stars like Rihanna and Lady Gaga have embraced their highly artificial and futuristic appeal.

Melitta Baumeister merges fashion, objects, sculpture and installation in her work – influences and perspectives which are constantly present in her design. Her approach is to focus on different ways of looking at fashion, and try to push the ideas of what fashion may look like in the future – by using new materials and new manufacturing methods. For her latest collection the young designer wanted to explore the possibilities of tomorrow and combine that aim with the process of casted garments, the absence of color and the notion hyperreality. She has chosen to work with casted garments which get their shape of the mold they are cast into. The specific technique of casting a garment is based on the many layers of silicon which embodies the shape of the mold, a technique Melitta Beaumeister describes as something which is in process, alive and in an ongoing state, where she captures a certain moment of this process.The mold makes it capable of endless repetition, something she considers both a metaphor for the repetitiveness of the fashion industry as well as one of its possible futures.

Hanna Cronsjö 
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28/07/2014

Style Suggestions: Poolside

Relax next to the pool this summer carrying only the essentials. Here are some of our suggestions to maximise your summer season.

Baseball Cap: Kenzo, Flip-flops: Havaianas, Sunglasses: Mykita, Swim Shorts: Orlebar Brown

Styling by Vanessa Cocchiaro 

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24/07/2014

What Has Beene Done: Revising Geoffrey Beene

In today’s fashion, the cult of personality is of utmost importance. We are used to relating the name of a brand to that of a precise designer, always waiting for the next shift, the next reshuffling of fashion teams. To some extent, we have actually become spectators more than involved consumers, looking at fashion as a stage on which designers move, carefully playing their designater roles. In this context, the peculiar story of Geoffrey Beene has the shape of a paradox. Beene was among the first to openly advocate for individual identities of designers to be recognized, beyond the limits and restrictions imposed by the industry. Nowadays only a few, even among fashion students and industry professionals, are fully aware of the work of a man who dared to put his name – rather than that of a company – on the labels of his creations, sold in an eponymous boutique on the Seventh Avenue in New York. It happened in 1963, in a decade fraught with change and innovation: a golden age of individuality, personalities and character destined to stand out and make a difference.

Geoffrey Beene was, of course, one of these incredible personalities. His work must be noted for its capability of fusing together thoughts and reflections on different spheres of the fashion system, defending the autonomy and supremacy of creativity and originality. It could be that his short-lived experience as a medicine student, promptly abandoned to pursue a career in fashion, sparked an interest in the female body. Strongly interested in its curves and lines, Beene shared the same analytical vision of anatomy with his contemporary Charles James. His designs took into consideration the needs and desires of women who, after becoming Beene’s customers, were totally devoted to his vision: sometimes irreverent, other times extremely elegant, Beene brought pret-a-porter on the same level of couture for both structure and significance. “Design is a revelation to me. It’s like taking something that is not alive and giving it form, shape, substance, and life,” he used to say. Beene’s revelation was supported by hard work on unusual fabrics, always looking for new ways to break into a consolidated language with measured grafts, precisely thought to fit into a pre-existent discourse. He was the first to bring jersey and other ‘poor’ materials to the ballroom, minimising seams and cuts to “let the fabric move and flow”. This was just one of many ways for stating, again and again, that the value of a design is not just in the preciousness of materials and fabrics, but in the ability and wit of who is capable of taming its intrinsic characteristics, subduing it to his will.

A trailblazer, Beene was sure of his abilities and completely into each of his designs, which he followed from conception to production and retail. Beene tried to protect his work in every way, pointing out that what was to be protected was first of all the identity of the person behind (and inside) the clothes. The dignity of his designs was considered a value to be shared with the consumer who felt part of a wider project, as if initiated to a new philosophy. His admirers are numerous, and his legacy counts, among the others, the names of Issey Miyake and, above all, Alber Elbaz who worked in tight contact with Beene for many years. “He taught me everything”, Elbaz points out, showing that Geoffrey Beene was a protector and could still be a teacher whose lessons should be taken out of the shade of history to serve as precious tools for reading the contemporary.

Marta Franceschini 
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24/07/2014

The Talented: Maiko Takeda

Originally from Tokyo, Japanese designer Maiko Takeda recently completed an MA in Millinery at the Royal College of Art in London and is currently working for Issey Miyake on the brand’s line of accessories. Before joining the RCA, Takeda has studied Jewellery Design at Central Saint Martins and has worked both with Stephen Jones and Philip Treacy. Her bold and original pieces have been frequently shown in fashion magazines and other pop cultural contexts, where they are appreciated for their sculptural qualities and intricate design.

Maiko Takeda’s design aesthetic is far from traditional and the creation of her latest collection started with a question: “how would it feel to wear a cloud?” The aim was therefore to create three dimensional objects which pushed the boundaries of the wearer’s surrounding space, taking inspiration from Robert Wilson’s 1976 production of Philip Glass’ opera “Einstein on the Beach”. Many of her pieces focuses on the area from the neck up which, seen from a historical point of view, is usually adorned with objects displaying symbols of wealth and luxury. Huge jewelry pieces were symbols of power – showing that the wearer was not afraid of taking physical space or being noticed and looked at. The view on this kind of attention-drawing jewelry has, however, changed from being a symbol of money and wealth to a pop cultural phenomenon. Takeda’s jewelery is the prime example of this shift of focus and re-appropriation of cultural meaning. Maiko Takeda has made a modern version of the old status symbols, where the most significant effect of wearing them is still left intact – they undeniably draw attention.

Hanna Cronsjö 
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23/07/2014

The Power of the Fashion Muse

The story of relationships between artists and their muses is an old and well-know one. Creatives from all over the world have always been inspired and guided by other human beings: by their needs, their styles, their attitude or, simply, by the alchemy that sparked from their mutual relationship. Debra N. Mancoff, Adjunct Professor at the School of Art Institute of Chicago, investigated this parallel world of complex and fascinating ‘creative couples’ in a recently published book titled “Fashion Muse”.

The tome’s narrative is guided by photographs and drawings, which animate the lives of fashion muses throughout history: starting from ancient Greek goddesses to Charles Frederick Work – the very first couturier from 1800s – who created clothes inspired by his wife, up to Elsa Shiaparelli, inspired by an entire art movement, the Surrealism. Fashion designers’ muses can often change with the evolution of their style or, simply, life. Like Yves Saint Laurent, who praised different, yet equally bold, female characters, from Lou Lou De La Falaise to Betty Catroux. Madame Coco Chanel and Diane Von Furstenberg, on the other hand, have always been the inspiration for themselves meaning they didn’t really have another source of influence other than their own persona. “Fashion Muse”, published by Prestel, is a volume that aims to investigate the reality behind the flimsy idea of ‘inspiration’ – the life, the cultural and historical background, the origins of women, men and sometimes movements, who animated the creativity of fashion.

Francesca Crippa 
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21/07/2014

Style Suggestions: Summer Whites

Nothing says summer like a white on white look and this season it is a trend that has gone from catwalk to the street. Whatever your trajectory, this is your blank canvas to run with.

T-shirt: Rag&Bone, Skirt: Christopher Kane, Sandals: Ancient Greek Sandals, Ring: Maison Martin Margiela

Styling by Vanessa Cocchiaro 

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18/07/2014

The Future of Swedish Fashion | Part Two

Currently on show at Sven-Harrys museum in Stockholm (running through August 31), “Swedish Fashion: 2000-2015” traces the explosion of Swedish fashion creativity at the turn of the century. Among the authors represented in the exhibition, chosen by a panel of esteemed fashion professionals, are three young designers undoubtedly representing the future of Swedish fashion: Anders Haal, Leonard Kocic and Giorgi Rostiashvili.

After graduating from Beckmans College of Design in 2009, Anders Haal worked for the Swedish fashion designer Ann-Sofie Back, before founding his own brand HAAL in 2013. The first collection, showcased in Paris, featured an elaborate mix of different techniques and influences. Anders Haal, proponent of the line of thought based on reworking simple ideas, keeps the shapes clean, focussing, instead, on unconventional materials and finishes. The young designer aims to develop clothes which make the wearer feel comfortable and free.

Twenty-one-year old Leonard Kocic, despite still being a student at Beckmans College of Design where he will graduate this summer, was already awarded the Bernadotte Art Awards. The young designer, who was born in Serbia and moved to Sweden in 2003, finds his inspiration in abstract thoughts and structures. For his graduation collection, he was influenced by his mother and her look, resulting in a dark, romantic and elegant collection, made of materials like organza and silk.

Giorgi Rostiashvili was born in Georgia and after moving around to different countries such as Russia, Greece and Cyprus settled in Sweden nearly a decade ago. His work is often influenced by thoughtful observation, related to the many moves during his upbringing. Giorgi Rostiashvili’s BA-collection from the Royal Danish Academy, is called SUBSTRATUM and is inspired by the Americanization of Japan and the interesting mix of the two very different cultures. Fused with experimentation on material combinations, attention to details and craftsmanship, Giorgi Rostiashvili’s originality brought him the prestigious Danish Designers’ Nest Show award, confirming his position among young Scandinavian talents.

Hanna Cronsjö 
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17/07/2014

The War of the Scrunchie

Inevitably, as time goes by, we repeatedly find ourselves talking about those throwback items you have sworn you would never wear again. This time around, the revival item of choice is the scrunchie: that cozy and, if read in a certain way, feminine accessory. Twenty years after its peak moment – how could we forget Madonna wearing an oversized scrunchie in Desperately Seeking Susan back in 1985 – some of the trendiest celebrities, partly supported by the fashion world itself, have brought the scrunchie back to a moment of glory. From Cara Delevingne to Suki Waterhouse, the trend is under our nose.

Taking this story step by step, we cannot but mention the origins of the scrunchie, created in Vancouver in 1984 by Jane Reid who named it “bunch bangle”. Nevertheless, the patent for the scrunchie is equally claimed by Roomy Revson, who called it “scunci”. At the time, the scrunchie was simply part of the cool uniform typical of the decade, usually paired with high waisted jeans, white socks, tennis shoes and oversized jumpers – the same we now buy at vintage stores and flea markets.

Equally loved and loathed, the scrunchie remains a tricky fashion accessory, meaning there’s no middle ground. From the hate camp, we can’t but remember Carry Bradshaw’s “Sex and The City” argument against the scrunchie: “Okay, but here’s the thing. Here’s my crucial point. No women who works at W Magazine and lives on Perry Street would be caught dead at a hip downtown restaurant wearing a scrunchie!” The fact is, even if Rag&Bone proudly ran the scrunchie on their last pre-fall lookbook, following the path of both traditional (Missoni) and fresh (Ashish) aesthetics, we are still asking ourselves which part we would side with.

Francesca Crippa 
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16/07/2014

The Ford Model

Twiggy, Grace Jones, Ali MacGraw, Lauren Hutton, Kim Basinger and Beverly Johnson all have one thing in common: they were all discovered by the genious Eileen Ford, co-founder of the Ford Modeling Agency.As the only daughter of Loretta and Nathaniel Otte, Eileen Ford had an idyllic childhood. In her own words her family believed she could do no wrong, often citing it as a reason for her high confidence. Early in her life Ford would become fascinated with fashion, clothes and etiquette, but at the time could not see her passion as a stepping stone to her future career. Instead, she attended Bernard College from which she attained a degree in psychology. In college, she met her future husband and business partner Jerry Ford and started to model a bit herself.

During WWII Eileen Ford returned to New York and started working as a stylist for Sears catalogs, gaining a key sense of style. In 1946, with a baby on the way, she thought her and her husband could use some extra money so she started to work as a secretary for some of her model friends, thus, unexpectedly, giving birth to Ford modeling agency. The agency quickly became popular, offering services that no other agency before Ford had, including clothing advice and career planning. Eileen Ford is remembered as being very firm, yet at the same time, nurturing and encouraging, always taking a stand for her models’ best interest. Many remember her inviting her protégées to live with her at her New York apartment, where she would give lessons in etiquette and advice on how to adjust to the city’s fast pace. Last week Eileen Ford passed away at the age of 92. She leaves behind a legacy of modernizing the modeling industry into what it is today. Empowering models and elevating their status from just a pretty face into something more. For this and so much more including guts and perseverance Eileen Ford will be remembered and admired.

Victoria Edman 
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