Tuesday, 26 July 2011

Designer Graduate Exhibition = New Talent Alert!!!

Not too long ago, I was very pleased to receive a complimentary ticket for the Designer Graduate Exhibition in the New Design Centre, where I was able to meet some amazingly talented graduates and see their work.

My mission, was to find innovative and fresh young designers to feature in upcoming shoots and I was not disappointed. Although there were mainly textile and fabric designs on display, the pieces I did find were enough to justify the lack.

Unfortunately there were waaaay too many designers to feature them all, my bag of business cards was stuffed by the end but here are a few pics of some collections that particularly caught my eye.......



This is the lovely Sarah Hutton with her gorgeous designs of Snoods, now I love a bit of gold and a hood every now and then, so these stood out for me straight away. Watch this space for this lady as is planning to take the fashion world by storm (she also does photography and is an aspiring stylist!). Sarah's designs are also due to be sold on www.boticca.com.

www.sherocksit.webs.com Watch this space!

Below is a jewellery collection from an exciting new brand called MOXHAM.......designed by Ms Madeleine Moxham.



I quote..... 'MOXHAM's pieces are not for the faint hearted and are thus not items that one would throw on at the last minute or never take off.....'

This jewellery collection is stunning and literally made me gasp out loud. Using materials such as leather, wood and metal, this Wearable Constructions collection is made up of statement jewellery that will be sure to add depth and interest to any outfit. I for one, love it and would definitely never take it off!




MOXHAM's also had some amazing sculpted neck and shoulder pieces that I plan to use in a shoot very soon, so watch this space!

The next piece that caught my attention were these bright coloured laser cut body and shoulder pieces by Catrin Louise Brierly....don't have much info on her i'm afraid as her card was essentially an envelope of sequins and things that fell out and made a mess in my bag but anyhoo here are her amazing pieces.....




Aren't they just gorgeous!?!

This next collection is by Nicola Chisnall, a graduate from Bristol University. The genius in the materials used to construct these pieces is unbelievable and had many people stopping in their tracks. See her full collection at www.nicola-chisnall.com. A legend in the making......







Here are a few more pics from the various collections of gorgeousness....

Designer: Glori Tsui
gloritsui@gmail.com

Designer: Swava Strzepka
www.swava.weebly.com

Designer: Alexandra Aldridge
www.alexandraaldridge.com


Designer: Lisa Whitwell
www.lisawhitwelldesign.carbonmade.com

P.s she was a lovely designer who was more than happy to explain her pieces to me and was clearly very popular as she had run out of all her cards! :) Loved the puffball skirt, volume is good.

Designer: Malamila
www.malamila.com

This dress was AMAZING! Very futuristic which is right up my street, unfortunately the company have decided to only feature one or two showpiece dresses in future collections though so this is very limited edition.




Designer: Claire Fitzjohn
www.clairefitzjohn.com

A truely interesting contemporary designer, who featured really innovative pieces in her work, such as hair grips wrapped around feathers, leather detailing and chunky knitted jewellery. Loved the tribal vibe she had going on and the visual merchandinsing of the pieces were excellent as they really stood out from the rest. Another designer who I'll be using in the future......result!

Mission Complete :)

Amongst all of the fashion design on display though, as I mentioned earlier, there were quite a few textile designers also and the odd few caught my eye in terms of interiors and fabrics. Here's a peek at a couple....



Designer: Rachael Clark
Clarkrachael01@aol.com






Designer: Lucy Coxhead
www.lucycoxhead.wordpress.com


Finally, I will leave you with a lovely lady, who is sitting down and is of no relevance whatsoever but her colors and style caught my eye, so thought I'd share her with you :)


Peace out x

Saturday, 9 July 2011

Fashion in Motion - Yohji Yamamoto

So, back in the V&A again, this time for their Fashion in Motion series, which is a series of live catwalk shows that showcases some of the greatest designers of our time.

Step forward design genius Yohji Yamamoto for his time in the V&A spotlight, using real life couples from London to model archive pieces from both menswear and womenswear.




Building a reputation for subverting gender stereotypes, including styling women in garments generally associated with menswear, Yamamoto is renowned for pushing boundaries and forcing you to see the world from a different viewpoint. For this show, this was demonstrated through his casting of models.




Yamamoto's fabrics are central to his design practice and his textiles are created to specification often incorporating traditional Japanese dyeing and embroidery techniques.






A true innovator and individualist, the show was an snapshot into his minds eye and displayed exactly why he deserves his place as a fashion great.

Friday late presents: Afropolitan @ V&A

Recently I went along to Friday Late at the V&A museum (easily one of my favorite places in London), an evening exploring African photography, fashion, style and identity.

The evening consisted of various activities, with the highlight of the night being a fashion show, where various designers had the honor of showcasing their designs in the V&A's Raphael gallery.

The show featured some of the most gorgeous african inspired pieces I've ever seen, I was having serious sartorial envy and was very pleased to see collections such as these taking center stage and proving ethnic wear can be more than a mere passing trend.




Featuring fashion and accessories from Duro Olowu, a critically acclaimed designer, Ituen Basi, Afrochique and Debonair amongst others....all designers featured were of outstanding quality with a keen eye for detail, making for a delicious visual explosion of colour. Just what the doctor ordered on what on was a grey day in London!



A truly inspirational night, heralding a new generation of 'Afropolitans' global tastemakers whose sensibilities are rooted in their African identities.



GORGEOUS!! X