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a walk in the woods

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Today has been a sweltering day - actually the opening
day of what promises to be a long hot summer - we reached
35°C in the afternoon with sweat tops, huge rectangular
sunglasses and step-ins popping up all around the small
town where I was visiting a nice little fair about social
economy. Soon after a shower, I'm going to freshen me
up all the more by taking a slow walk in the woods thanks
to Dutch designer Esther Dorhout Mees who took 
living wood as a source of inspiration.



The label 'Dorhout Mees' was established by expert
designer Esther Louise Dorhout Mees after years of
working for well-known brands such as Bruuns Bazaar
and Tommy Hilfiger launching a conceptual yet wearable
refined style. ”The base of all collections are prints, silk,
wool and delicate knits combined with the use of wearable
unconventional materials. Fascination of the constant
connection between body and material, covering and
uncovering of the female body is always the starting point.
Contradiction in structures, silhouette and textures 
are the essence of the collections” the designer states.



'Dorhout Mees' keeps on going its game of contrasts in
the latest fall-winter 2014-15 collection, 'Passage', a
collection ”for women who show their strength through
their vulnerability.”
Introduced by a line by young American
born writer, poet, essayist and philosopher Criss Jami that
goes: ”To share your weakness is to make yourself vulnera-
ble, to make yourself vulnerable is to show your strength”
,
Esther Dorhout Mees emphasized the similarity 
between humans and plants.


”How can you tell if it has had a good or a bad year by the
annual rings of a tree. A bad year is a delicate moment. A
fragile and difficult period, but when the tree grows through
it, it becomes part of the core of the trunk and gives power
 
from within...” she declares introducing her signature game
of contradictions: organic forms facing hard contours, smooth
and shiny fabrics together with rough textures, straight lines
with folds. I'm nuts about a breathtaking pair of 3-D printed
shoes that look like carved from blocks of solid wood while
the handmade accessories, clutches, belts and bracelets,
have a real wood finish.
A breath of fresh air from northern woodlands.

> all images © by Dorhout Mees website <


Thomas Tait: on structure and fluidity

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All eyes are on Canadian-born young talent Thomas Tait
since he won the first LVMH Prize: with a three-year
technical degree in womenswear from Collège LaSalle
in his hometown Montreal, Thomas then enrolled in
women's wear at London's Central Saint Martins 
graduating in 2010 as the youngest student ever to 
complete CSM's womenswear MA making his runway 
debut at London fashion week as part of the 
College's 2010 graduate show.



”Thomas Tait's ready-to-wear demonstrates a unique
combination of structure and fluidity, lending a clear
aesthetic to the garments and footwear he conceives
for his eponymous women's wear label”LFW's website
states adding that ”Thomas rose swiftly to prominence
in London and important critics immediately championed
him because of the directional refinement and considered
detail that is integral to his designs.”



Tait showcased his RTW s/s 2014 essential collection
last year on the last day of London fashion week skillfully
blending evening and sportswear: the basic palette made
of ivory white, neutrals and warm gray with pops of bright
yellow, aquamarine and salmon pink highlights the purity
of lines and shapes through feminine sporty outfits paired
with lightweight elegant dresses and trapezoidal, a bit
see-through blouses with lots of interesting details such
as track suit hoodies reworked as collars, oversized cuffs,
swish drapings and feathered hemlines. So it's small
wonder that Thomas Tait has been recently chosen as
the first winner of the lucrative LVMH Prize 2014 for the
'Young Fashion Designer of the Year' by eight of the
French luxury conglomerate's creative directors, who,
due to the competition's extraordinarily high level,
decided to award two special prizes, 
but that's another story.

> all images © by London fashion week's website<


at the crossroads of stylishness

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Let's meet again (after more than three years, though)
the delicate feminine style of Croatian-born, Australian
designer Karla Spetic who wanted to become a fashion
designer ever since her chidhood fullfilling her dream in
Australia where she launched her namesake label just
two years after graduating from Sydney's Fashion
Design Studio (as mentioned here).



Karla declared that her greatest challenge is producing a
collection every season: she doesn't search for inspiring
sources, she always looks at the world around her aiming
at capturing what's beautiful (she adores unusual color
combinations, floral patterns and prints that briskly 
became her distinctive features) through simplicity 
and a convincing unpretentious style.



Karla unveiled her AW 2014-15 'Crossroads' collection in
which she enlightens basic black & white outfits with 
bright pink and lime green combining I-shaped longuettes 
with cropped tops or black bodysuits with sleeveless sheer
dresses in a game of transparencies, half the way between
petticoat and tutu, and cozy knitted cardigans. 
Karla's delightful tongue-in-cheek élan at its best.

> all images © by Bowen Arico, style by jamesrncampbell<

mind-blowing knickknackery

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”That's for sure a fresh take on recycling!” I said to
myself stumbling across the impressive portraits of
richly adorned she-warriors wearing suits made with
objects of everyday life. Fully amazed by their strong
stylistic approach keenly investigating the idea of power,
its ambiguity and attractiveness, and the thought of losing
personal identity, I waded through the jaw-dropping
images conceived by Marie Rime.


Born in Charmey, Switzerland, young gifted photographer
Marie Rime graduated from the Ecole Cantonale d'Art
(ECAL) in Lausanne, the beautiful town on Lake Geneva's
northern shore where she currently lives and works, soon
making waves with her conceptual approach to portraiture
and her carefully constructed masks and costumes.
Her striking photo series actually began as an art school
project briskly evolving into a wider exploration of the
concept of power and hence the status of women.


Two of Rime's photographic series made last year
and called 'Armures' (suits of armor) and 'Symètrie de
Pouvoir' (symmetry of power) show eye-catching visuals
made with a quirky set of ordinary objects [strange how,
while browsing through them, I was listening to Matmos
live from Barcelona's Sónar Festival, the 'sampladelic'duo 

from San Francisco whose 'songs' are often played using 
objects as unconventional instruments]. 'Armures'
represent women wearing armor-like creations produced
with daily life stuff that ”are the starting points of a
reflection of the relationship between power, war and
ornament. These women loose their identity and 

become the carrier of their clothing” Marie states.


The 'Symètrie de Pouvoir' series shows Rime's exploration
of power, ”its means of representations and their relation
to symmetry. The butterfly has been chosen for its natural
symmetrical state. These have been painted and placed on
the top of portraits and thus creating a multi-layered 

image that shows the excess of decoration” she declared. 


Marie won the people's choice award at the 29th Interna-
in Hyères, France, with her theatrical outfits and colorful
geometries made by using the most common household
objects such as party straws, toothpicks, tweezers, board
games pieces or with fake buttefly wings of different sizes
whose brightly colored scales provide otherwordly 
textures concealing the wearer's individuality.

> all images © by Marie Rime<

Ioana Ciolacu's elegant paradox

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'Ioana Ciolacu' is a RTW womenswear label based
in Bucharest, Romania, whose creations blur ”the
lines between femininity and masculinity, with an
emphasis on tailoring, a personal use of materials
 
and custom developed techniques” as its namesake
founder, London-based Romanian designer Ioana
Ciolacu Miron, proudly states.



Born and raised in Iaşi, Ioana is a fashion designer
with a background in architecture and art, a former
graduate of Bucharest's University of Architecture
and Urban Planning, she gained her BA in fashion
design a year later from Unarte before getting a
scholarship at London College of Fashion in 2013
where she's currently attending a womenswear
MA course and where she's sharpening up her skills
while gaining self-confidence both as a designer
and a businesswoman.




Ioana Ciolacu continues to explore the relationship
between the static nature of buildings and the fluid
structure of outfits and blurs the line between luxury 

 and street walk in each of her collections”, the label's
statement reads introducing ”a signature style of
architectural input”. Called 'Paradox 2.0', the label's
latest AW 2014-15 collection skillfully investigates
the idea of a contradictory statement by juxtaposing
fabrics and prints on extremely feminine shapes
applying men's wear tailoring techniques for the
jackets. I have to confess that I came to rearrange
all the pictures in order to keep a close eye on Ioana's
exquisite garments in truth altering the significance of
the round-shaped images (thus beggin' her mercy).

> all images from Ioana Ciolacu's website<

in a state of mindfulness

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I always knew the acronym AWOL in its original meaning,
Absent Without Official Leave, but now Singaporean
practiced designer Alfie Leong - the mastermind behind
'A.W.O.L.' and 'Mu' labels - gives a new signification with his
'All Walks Of Life', referring I presume, to the different type
of women who fall in love with his youthful idea of clothing.




Leong graduated in 1998 from Raffles LaSalle Int'l School
of Design soon setting up his own label to create by 2004
a company called 'The Little Voice Pte Ltd' with its two
labels, Mu and A.W.O.L.: the first offering unique yet
affordable looks in a genuine East meets West style,
while A.W.O.L. embodies refined yet extremely wearable
garments in a very contemporary design. Alfie Leong
believes in fashion as a way of life in which everyone
deserves to make his voice heard, regardless of gender,
race, religion or age, producing cozy garments meant
for people from all walks of life merging ”the boundaries
between creativity and practicality fusing a diverse world
of 
inspirations and cultures...” as the label's statement goes. 


All my doubts about meaning went AWOL when I
stumbled upon the label's fall-winter 2014-15 collection
called 'State of Mindfulness' that has been showcased
together with the collections by three other emerging 
Singaporean talents at Seoul fashion week's brand
new venue, the Dongdaemun Design Park designed
by archistar Zaha Hadid, and lately at the Audi Fashion
Festival, one of the most iconic lifestyle events in
Singapore that brings under one roof exciting Asian
designers alongside world-class fashion houses.


Playing with volumes, layerings and drapings, Leong
brings into being original designs and shapes for his
all-purpose outfits with riveting silhouettes, enveloping
necklines and a striking combination of sophisticated
fabrics and technical materials, graphic patterns and
functional details subtly highlighting the label's expertise
in draping techniques. Optical dresses, shiny puffer and
comfy patterned woollen coats, cropped jackets in
which zippers help create the shape are accessorized
with gloves and stunning hats and fascinators of different
materials, from feathers to metallic bands. 
I'm indeed mindful of A.W.O.L.'s distinctive style.

> all images © by Fashion Snap<

Dutch winter in Paris

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'Léo Paris' is the name of an interesting womenswear
label obviously based in the Ville Lumière founded by
young designers Matthias Medaer and Leonneke Derksen,
both graduates of Antwerp's Royal Academy of Fine Arts,
one of Europe's leading fashion insitutions. Born in the
Netherlands, Leonneke is the brains of the label who
went to New York to work for Sea-NY before moving to
Paris where she toiled for Balenciaga, Cacharel and
Carven before joining forces with Medaer 
in their own Léo Paris.


The label's fourth collection for fall-winter 2014-15 started
with the idea of going back to Leonneke's roots who envi-
sioned a quintessential Dutch winter landscape through
rusty tones, leafless trees and icy patches on the road.
”Inspired by old Dutch primitive paintings we searched for
Van Gogh landscapes and scenes of Vermeer's portraits
to find a small village right outside Paris, called Chevreuse,
that struck us as an ancient Middle Ages town (...) The
first input for the clothes were typical Dutch embroidered
canvasses that my family resourced at flea markets that
 
are worked into sweaters” Leonneke declares adding that
she was also inspired by the decor of the 'True Detective'
tv drama series and by the images of twenty-something
Chicagoan surreal photographer Kyle Thompson whose
work is mainly composed of self portraits, often taking
place in empty forests or abandoned buildings.


The elegantly bucolic/melancholic mood of both the
collection's lookbook (titled 'From the dusty sun') and the
campaign - shot by renowned French-Belgian photographer
duo Hannah and Joel - recaptures a bygone era free of the
hurly-burly of modern society that emphasizes the Parisian
label's polished silhouettes with absorbing printed shirts
and sweatshirts, covetable jackets, knits and skater skirts.
Could winter look more attractive?

> all images © by Hannah and Joel <

Quinn's first cracked canvases

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Today's the day of Richard Quinn's floral abundance:
the young designer to be with a natural aesthetic who
conceives his creations like the canvas of a painter
comes from London, namely from Central Saint Martins,
the one and only college with a fashion course deemed
seasoned enough to stage its own show during
 London fashion week.


Fashion print graduate Richard Quinn proves to know
how to create something bold by pushing his design skills
forward: his BA final capsule collection, recently showcased
together with all of this year's graduates at the degree show,
is actually a completely revised tailoring project from his
second year at CSM, a carefree take on couture that has
been wittily hailed as ”cracked couture” by BA fashion
course director Willie Walters. Richard's still a neophyte
yet he gained a noteworthy experience interning at Dior 
in Paris and Richard James in Saville Row while studying
to dare to submit eye-catching dresses with frayed 
edges, some of them courageously ripped in half, 
with large floral motifs and broad stripes 
made with strokes of cobalt blue.

 

Quinn clearly aimed at producing a subtle hand painted
look by carefully balancing pure white tones with the
screen printing in order to make his freehand drawn
flowers and the glued calico ones on top to come out.
That's why I'm nuts about the photo shoot carried out
for 1 Granary - blog and magazine run ”by the students
of Central Saint Martins” - by a gifted crew made by
photographer Nikolay Biryukov together with stylist
Marina de Magalhaes(in truth, thanks to her website
where I took the gorgeous pics) with make up artist
Marina Keri and hair by Fumihito Maehara.
Kudos to all of them!

> all images © by Nikolay Biryukov, style by Marina de Magalhaes <


Peter Movrin's hidden jewelry

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I'm eventually back after two hard-pressed weeks,
too tired of the to and fro to keep on blogging as
usual, yet the striking collection by Slovenian designer
Peter Movrin - the only son of a butcher who grew
up dreaming to become a fashion designer deeply
inspired by the glossy issues of Vogue his grandma
bought him during short trips to Trieste - makes
 me gladly resume my 'regular' work.


Movrin graduated from the University of Ljubljana,
Slovenia's capital city, briskly making waves with
conceptual unisex pieces and a great work on shapes
and details. He achieved his childhood ambition to
become a designer at first studying fashion textile
but was soon drawn to design developing a highly
personal style and a noteworthy craftsmanship by
combining traditional techniques and materials,
juxtaposing and treating natural and synthetic
fabrics often by means of heat and chemicals.


The young designer's MA degree collection, called
”Lu Gedigte Perlaopis”, probably a play on words, is  
”a very tactile monochromatic collection, where
through the manipulation and deformation the
 
garments become hidden jewelry pieces...” Peter
declares adding that pearls ”were one by one meti-
culously squeezed into the garments by my own
fingers. It takes forever, but it's so beautiful. The
collection's basic premise is that clothing should be
regarded as adornment for the body, as precious as
jewelry, thus transcending the norms of the fast and
furious ready-to-wear. A quintessential bourgeois
artifact and a pearl necklace can produce an effect
much like that of a body mutilation and a scar, which
is the most intimate adornment of them all. While
researching the Ethiopian tribes' practice of body
scarification and decoration, the polished sculptures
 
of Constantin Brâncuși kept popping up” he states
referencing different sources of inspiration.


Movrin's post-romantic approach, his innovative take
on draping through delicate inner beading, the accuracy
of each single detail and the constant play between
sheer fabrics, leather and wool, huge floral motifs and
earthy tones, are emphasized by the stunning images
taken by renowned Ljubljana-based photographer
Maya Nightingale together with make up artist
Špela Ema Veble and flowers by Dafnis studio.
Slovenian charm at its best.

> all images © by Maya Nightingale <


is space the place?

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Young Chinese designer Ge Bai, MA womenswear
fashion graduate from London's Royal College of Art
specialized in knitwear, conveyed a subtle Sci Fi
character to this year's graduate collections: models
with rose-shaped goggles on walked the runway
wearing well proportioned knitted outfits in 
Mondrianesque color combinations of black and 
white with neon yellow and pastel pink.



An original color blocking tale with gripping silhouettes
and cuts; gorgeous knitted coats and combos subtly
referencing the 1960s in which 3-D printing techniques
and bright colored silicone flowers fastened on knitted
lace are paired with black piping and huge floral motifs
in what seems to be the first step of a conscious style.




So it's small wonder that Ge Bai has been selected by
public vote as one the 50 semifinalists of the MUUSE
x VOGUE Talents - Young Vision Award whose winner
will be invited to design a capsule collection under the
MUUSE label and will appear in a feature story on
Vogue.it. Hurry up, you can cast your vote until noon
GMT tomorrow, July 11, to help pick out the 'people's
choice' award winner. Both the Grand Prize and the
online readers' poll winners will be announced 
in August during Copenhagen fashion week.

Best of luck to Ge Bai and all her young fellows!

backstage images (first and last) © by Jamie Stoker
all lookbook images thanks to MUUSE x VOGUE Talents

rookie designer's charming power

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Ashley Miella's graduate collection took my breath
away at first glance: I saw in my mind's eye three
hooded Wiccan witches who don't fly on broomsticks
but walk at leisure pace through the woods on posh
high-heeled shoes sprucing up their charming powers
through long flowing silk layered gowns, stunning
jackets with leather inserts and gorgeous neck pieces.
Yet Miella's 'Crusade collection' has nothing to do with
witchery; it's all about movement and energy.


Ashley graduated last year from AUT University, in
Auckland, New Zealand, with a BDes in fashion
showcasing her 'Crusade collection' at the AUT
Rookie, the University's end-of-year graduate show,
a display of future talents from New Zealand, an
event able to fire up the career of the most gifted
ones: Miella has been actually selected for a
scholarship for a master course in fashion design
at IED, Istituto Europeo di Design, in Milano through
the 'Design for a Better World' contest and her work
can be voted or reviewed in the Creative Diary
website. Let me introduce her collection 
literally using her own words.


”From the beginning my goal was to have a theatrical
collection, so performance, momentum and drama
were important for me. Inspiration for 'Crusade' draws
from other-worldly warriors on a quest which focuses
more on the role of protector than on the violence of
battle, and the resulting victory or defeat. (...) The
collection responds to an idealistic interpretation of
the journey to individuality, freedom and liberation.
The energy and momentum associated with Crusade
is brought to life through the silks used in the wrap
skirts and pants. I also explored ways of adding
 
volume using pleats to create these pieces” 
she declared.


”I experimented with laser-cutting leather which
I have used in Crusade's intricate neck pieces.
I used a lot of leather in my collection, including
a hair on hide for one of the jackets. I looked at
creating organic, sculptural shapes for the jackets
and the use of leather helped me achieve this.
The hats in my collection reference warrior-like
headwear, and again the use of leather helps
reinforce the structured silhouette”
Ashley states
but because of its theatricality and dynamism,
Crusade ”needs to be seen in motion with the
flowing silhouettes of the silks contrasting with
the structured leather pieces (...) Crusade
conveys a sense of purpose and explores an
idealistic internal journey of self-discovery.”

> all images © by Frances Carter<

mad as a hatter

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My beloved readers' eyes must miss nothing while
scrupulously patrolling the narrow boundary between
art and fashion design and I bet the spooky creations
of a young 'mad hatter', Romanian-born fashion and
accessories designer Dinu Bodiciu, will make 
them squeal with delight.


The London-based designer, a graduate of London
College of Fashion who previously completed a BA
in graphic design in Bucharest and worked as a
costume and stage setting designer for independent
theater companies, focuses his search on the
interaction between body and garments and made
a name for himself with his mask-like hats. Dinu
always plays with shapes and materials: his latest
couture headwear collection, called 'There is no
name', is perfectly balanced between experimentation
and play with gripping visual illusions made working
with a range of materials from synthetic 
resin to human hair.


”I hope people can find my designs uncanny rather  
than futuristic”Dinu declared stressing the nature of
his unearthly head/mouth/eyepieces with translucent
squared or octopus-shaped forms which all at once
reinterpret the whole concept of head covering and
couture millinery or whatever else you like to call it.
What will Dinu pick out of his own hat next time?

> all images © by Alexandra Boanta<

a flip through the ethnic craze

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'Special Moment'© by Bubi Canal, NYC
As you know, fashion has felt the fascination of exotic and
faraway folklore ever since Sergei Diaghilev's 'Ballet Russes'
debuted in Paris in 1909 becoming a prime source of design
inspiration. Countless ethnic influences can be easily traced
throughout the 20th century with different periods, from the
Orientalist fad of 100 years ago to the 1970s and the latest
African influences, in which ethnic style became 
in effect a mainstream look.

from 'Far' editorial © by Addminimal creative studio
    photo © by Dobrin Kashavelov

from ”Multiethnic Gallery” editorial, Vogue Italia,
    January 2013 © by Paolo Roversi

both images from 'Cocktail'© by Namsa Leuba
        for WAD magazine n° 53 
The ethnic touch - provided by African multicolored patterns,
block-printed fabrics, Ghanian kente cloth or by Asian silk
clothing, indigo dip dyeing, mythical dragons, lush florals
and fierce tigers - can actually spice up a look as in 
jewelry as in fashion. Indian, Chinese, Japanese and African
cultures widely shape the Western world's fashion industry
(Mexican and Native American styles included) repeatedly
setting enduring trends that know neither gender nor age
strongly influencing designers, stylists and visual artists
as well as editorials and photo shoots.

© by Namsa Leuba from 'The African Queens' series,
       New York magazine, August 2012 
Jean Paul Gaultier's couture s/s 2013, photo © by Style.com
Manon Kündig's 'Bowerbird', © by Michaël Smits
    see 'finders keepers'
Maison Martin Margiela's haute couture s/s 2013,
     photo © by NowFashion
from 'Ancient Songs of Praise'
      © by Giampaolo Sgura for Vogue Japan, May 2014 issue
Let's celebrate this weekend the never-ending charm of the
ethnic mood through a selection (obviously personal hence
incomplete) of
beautiful pictures as a matter of preservation
of indigenous cultures, traditions and techniques worldwide
as well as the right key to blur even more the intercultural
barriers we still have to deal with in our 
multiculturally growing societies.

from 'Ancient Songs of Praise'
      © by Giampaolo Sgura for Vogue Japan, May 2014 issue

one more wizard coming from Kiev

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Thankfully, lots of new fashion talents keep on growing
up in war-torn Ukraine and their work is more and more
part and parcel of the global fashion biz. Kiev-based
young fashion designer, stylist and visual artist
Yana Chervinska studied at the local National University
of Technologies and Design graduating last year 
soon after the creation of her own label lately 



Chervinska's latest collection is a skilled exercise in
shapes and colors, a compendium of her understanding
of clothing through the glass of art and design history,
namely the paintings by the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood 
(even if the beautiful model, Evgenia Migovich, to my
eyes looks like a pop Alice in Wonderland coming
 
back from afternoon tea wearing a hat as a souvenir),
that emphasizes her innovative approach making visible
the aesthetic research behind it: supple pale-toned outfits
with sinuous lines, sculpted volumes, embroideries and
pleats worn with gorgeous soft wizard-like hats and
chunky coordinated platforms. A true statement 
of simplicity and straightforwardness.

> all images © by Yulia Zhdan, styled by Yana Chervinska <

don't worry, be happy!

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I met the YÒUYÒU label thanks to a friend's advice:
gifted Singaporean designer Max Tan (click his tag
to look at his works) dropped hints that I would appreciate
the brand's work which is marked by ”a quiet differentation,
an understated sophistication” as their motto goes.
YÒUYÒU is a ready-to-wear label aiming at bringing
forward ”a fresh perspective to the day-to-day wardrobe
of contemporary women, with foremost focus on design,
quality and aesthetics, offering classic pieces styled with
a modern twist” the designer duo behind it reveals.




YÒUYÒU is the brainchild of designers Jac and Zhiying:
”Jac has a background in fashion design while Zhiying
used to work in the Central Business District. They met
when both of them landed themselves in the fashion
industry and through conversations, found a lack of
options for young working professionals to dress up
for work, while retaining a youthful vibe and energy.
Thus, YÒUYÒU was born...”





YÒUYÒU's fall-winter 2014-15 collection, called
'Don't Worry, Be Happy!” shows spry outfits in a basic
palette made of black & white and bright blue with a
touch of cool gray for few woollen pieces: tight comfy
clothes ”designed with 'You' in mind” as they declare,
”for youthful or those who are young at heart, who seek
a breath of fresh air in their day-to-day wardrobe.”

A lively take on everyday fashion (you're 
absolutely free to whistle Bobby Mc Ferrin's 
eternal tune on the way).

> all images  by Gavin Yeoh Photography<


Ohkojima's tapestry of delights

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'Mother', photo © by Kenji Mimura
I went into a speechless rapture when I cast my eyes
on the jaw-dropping artworks by young Japanese artist,
painter and muralist Maki Ohkojima; not only with her
fine paintings but chiefly with her murals. Born in
Higashikurume city, western Tokyo Metropolis, Maki is
a School of Fine Arts graduate who's been constantly
inspired by Mother Nature developing through the years
a sumptuous narrative style through her own 'off the wall'
technique, a style she calls ”the mural beyond the frame.”

The Big Monkey that ate the sun' on its wall
 'The Big Monkey that ate the sun' framed painting
details from 'The Big Monkey that ate the sun'
Making 'Monkeys shout and sing', photo © by Serge Koutchinsky
colorful details from 'Monkeys shout and sing',
      photos © by Serge Koutchinsky
Ohkojima is widely known for her paintings that sprawl
out of their canvases and frames to decorate the walls
around them in intricate hand painted tapestries of lush
foliage, birds and animals: an abundance of wildlife,
exquisitely detailed and sheer as an openwork. 
When drawing her pictures, Maki always thinks that she's 
merely drawing ”one part of a larger world and narrative” 
as she declares, and that's why she goes beyond the canvas,
making ”the land and the picture further connected, 
and one piece of scenery, which I could not see 
before, starts to emerge.”

The Time Flying' Unknown Black Road with details,
      photo © by Kenta Yoshizawa
'Starsong'
'Starsong' detail
Making 'In the Forest', photo © by Kenji Mimura
'In the Forest' series on display, photo © by Kenji Mimura
detail from 'In the Forest', photo © by Kenji Mimura
Mother figures, tangled trees growing out of skulls housing
wide-eyed and screaming monkeys and fairy-tale creatures
that make me think both to Dante's Divine Comedy and
the highly detailed works of Hieronymous Bosch, look true
to life within the luxuriant setting yet her vibrant hues
become darker in 'more Mexican' works like 'The Time
Flying' Unknown Black Road (when it comes to murals
Mexico's tradition can't never be ignored)
with inky tones,
spider webs, bones and applied solid birds. Ohkojima
has traveled the world painting murals for the Wall Art
Festival in Ganjad village (Dahanu Tehsil), Maharashtra,
India where Japanese and Indian artists gathered in
February 2013 to show the power of art and to make
learning more fun. She came back a year later and
found her murals alive and well: a proof that
 her art is far from being transient!

A Tree Narrates the World', WAF, Ganjad
        photos © by Toshinobu Takashima
'Let's Talk About the Story of Big Sky', WAF, Ganjad
      photos © by Toshinobu Takashima
'Let's Talk About the Story of Big Sky', WAF, Ganjad
   photo © by Toshinobu Takashima
'Big Sky' one year later, photos © by Toshinobu Takashima

nevertheless, time waits for no one

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A picture is worth a hundred words, nevertheless
you've got to read the story behind it to grasp what
you're staring at: here comes the hopeful story of
young earthlings living in a dreary epoch but dressed
to the nines by London-educated Korean designers
Steve J and Yoni P who graduated from Central Saint
Martins and London College of Fashion respectively
to establish in due course the eponymous upscale
label which is mostly focused on character printing
expressing ”its unique wit and characteristic through
high casual and contemporary taste embedded in
fashionable outers, denims and silky 
and feminine dresses.”



'Steve J and Yoni P' provides a sophisticated take on
streetwear through collections inspired by social and
even political issues stressing the need for freedom
in everyday fashion through gripping design ideas and
a good sense fo humor. The label's fall/winter 2014-15
collection, called 'Nevertheless Time Goes', has been
conceived by the clueful duo as ”the story of a hopeful
journey of young people living in a depressing era.”


'Nevertheless' combines prints and patterns with florals,
pinstripes and camouflage in appealing outfits: comfy
patterned overcoats and biker jackets are worn over
knee-length polka-dot dresses while faux fur is used
for fleecy jackets, mittens and clutches in a palette of
black and ivory, green and navy with touches of khaki
and glitter. All images from Steve J and Yoni P's
collection campaign from Seoul fashion week's
website, uncredited photographer, alas.


Miriam Ponsa's hard-working women

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Barcelona-based designer Miriam Ponsa takes us
to an Arabian journey with her latest collection: the
graduate of Southampton University, UK, whose
collections are born and bred products of Catalunya
- each garment is produced in local workshops
strengthening ”values like endeavor, teamwork and
authenticity are important to her as well as the recovery
of traditional handicraft techniques”
- emphasizes
once again her distinctive approach as well as 
her social commitment.





Miriam Ponsa's s/s 2015 ”Dones Mulas” (mule-women)
collection is also an outcry of dissent being inspired
by the women porters of Melilla - the Spanish enclave
in northern Morocco - who smuggle heavy loads of goods
across the border in conditions of semi-slavery (some of
them make 3 or 4 trips a day carrying up to 80 kg. tightly 
wrapped around the body) and that's why hand woven
slings, i.e., ribbons and laces play the leading role: ”the
pieces are created using the arts of basketry, macramé,
rug weaving, braiding and knotting. The knotted strings 
symbolize the porters and the condition of slavery 
they are subjected to” she explains.





Clothes and backpacks of her mule-women are made
from cotton 'Cotó Roig', 'Red Cotton', the project devised
by two women, Rosa and Ángela, soon after the
murderous accident in a textile factory in Bangladesh,
to prevent cotton grown in Spain to go to Asian countries
prior to come back exported in cheap quality garments.
Cotó Roig provides sustainable homemade threads to
Catalan tailors and designers controlling the whole
process from farming to manufacturing without the
exploitation of natural resources and vulnerable workers.



Miriam's 'Dones Mulas' was recently awarded the
'080 Award' at the14th edition of 080 Barcelona Fashion
week, the annual event that highlights Catalonia's
creativity showcasing the work of renowned 
designers and budding talents.

Miriam Ponsa posing with the 2014's '080BFW' Award
all images © 080 Barcelona Fashion

the 'provo-cut' textile injurer

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Zita Bettina Merényi is a young Hungarian designer
who developed an innovative technique which provides
the ”sterile purchased fabrics a new aesthetic and
functional changes” as she declares introducing her
MA (in fashion and textile design) graduate collection
at the renowned MOME, Moholy Nagy Mûvészeti
Egyetem, Budapest's University of Art and Design.




Her 'Provo-CUT' collection ”is a coat collection where
I use soldering rather than tailoring lines which look
like scars, reflecting on the long term and temporary
traces of mankind on Planet Earth and on their own
body, just like scarification tattos”
Zita told the press,
”these scar lines generate very new forms, which 
are plastic, sculptural and look beautiful 
and strange at the same time.”




Her efforts to weld together theory and practice led
Zita to carefully build by hand (pretty impressive, huh?)
all her experimental garments: instead of sewing together 
sections of gray neoprene, Zita made use of heat to fuse
the polymeric material into eye-catching oversized coats
with protruding hems and fluid lines looking like rubbery
suits of armor and was brave enough to make slits one
by one - weeks of laborious, painstaking work, a sort of
meditation she recalls - in long satin dresses with the
soldering iron eventually painting their edges. 
”I injure the textiles but then I heal up the holes 
with a layer of paint” she wittily says.




Zita also used laser cutting in some long gowns to get
more detailed patterns or dangling narrow strings in
see-through looks, yet her carving technique creating 
horizontal, vertical and diagonal textures subtly evoking
body marks give a brand new feel to tech materials:
definitely a scarless talent to keep a sharp eye on.

> all images © by Zsolt Ficsór<

Robert Wun's design ingenuity

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Glad to be back with the amazing creations of Robert Wun,
a young Hong Kong born designer who settled down to
London where he undertook a womenswear BA course
at London College of Fashion graduating in 2012 with
'Burnt', a collection of burning fabrics incorporating the
asymmetrical defects seen in butterflies and moths which
instantly became the hallmark of his design ingenuity.
Robert briskly developed a sophisticated, a bit futuristic
vision ”through innovative manufacturing yet with uncompro-
mising attention to traditional values” as he states.





”The chaotic interplay between Nature and artificial forms
is the centre of the design ethos through resourcing in the
novelty of nature and the revolutionary forms of the artificial
 
world...” he introduces his own approach to high-end clothing
which is a constant play with proportions, curved lines,
geometrical shapes and gorgeous details. Robert Wun's
AW 14-15 collection, called 'Volt', is a tribute to Japanese and
African tailoring that explores ”the discovery of energy and how
it interacts and inspires us and our culture practices...” he told
the press adding that ”Japanese and African are the two main
resources regarding the silhouette and the ideas I developed
are actually based on the admiration of those cults for the 
sun as the main source of energy in the universe.”





Visually striking, 'Volt' examines nature's inborn energy showing
original garments plenty of tailoring ideas and details worn over
incredible mannish platform boots in pony skin referencing ice
skating boots while nylon tubes suggest the veins inside our
body in two couture dresses aptly called 'the Vein Dresses'.
Wun's manifest adeptness has been recently recognized by
the world of cinema, he came to create lightweight suits for
an advert directed by renowned Hong Kong filmmaker Wong
Kar-Wai and was approached by the makers of 'Hunger Games'
as the guest designer of 'Mockingjay', the third chapter of the
story designed so far by Vivienne Westwood and Sarah Burton.
Wun has definitely the style it takes!

> all images © by Sebastian Abugattas<

Jon Mikeo: 19 seconds to fame

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Today's the day of a new Spanish talent to show clear
signs of future success: born in Pamplona, the capital
city of the Navarre region, Jon Mikeo moved to Barcelona
to study at FD Moda, the Fashion Felicidade Duce design
school; became finalist in different fashion contests such
as 080 Barcelona Fashion and CreaNavarra; gained
internship at the revered Santa Eulalia for his tailor training
and came to receive a scholarship to sharpen his skills at
London College of Fashion specializing in womenswear
while making practice at Agi & Sam and Panos Yiapanis.




Mikeo's graduation project, called 'Diecinueve Segundos',
'19 Seconds', ”is born and defined by tradition, nostalgia
and pain. An intimate, sophisticated and avant-garde collection
that expects to catch the attention where volumes, embroideries
 
and patterns play a sensorial role”, Jon declares introducing
his dramatic garments: wide-brimmed hats and hooded capes,
knitted cardis and trousers, sort of parachute dresses worn 
over opera gloves with gripping details like tiny embroideries,
 fringed hems made of dangling wood sticks in a coulisses galore.




'19 Seconds' provides a wistful feeling tangling up past and
present in a convincing approach which has recently been
lionized again: during China fashion week, Jon won the
Hempel's international competition for young designers
organized by Hempel Group with China Fashion Association
as 'the best newcomer' and was lately hailed as the 'best talent'
at the MODAFAD Fashion Awards 2014. Mieko is indubitably
an out-and-out talent who's about to reach stardom 
and I bet he'll do it right in 19 seconds!

> all images © by Javier Ávila<

fixing up the perfectly imperfect

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Young fashion jewelry designer Qian Yang, the mastermind
behind the 'YQY Jewellery' label, graduated from London
College of Fashion with a breathtaking collection all played
around the concept of 'repair' through the Japanese art of
'Kintsugi', the fixing of broken pottery with laquer or gold
highlighting cracks and repairs as typical events of the
object's life in order to embrace the flawed and imperfect.



Called 'The Ceramics Repair Collection', the impressive set
shows second-hand and already broken porcelain pieces
repaired with 24-karat gold plated metal. ”It is a collection 
full of fun and I added extra preciousness to these ceramic 
pieces” Qian unassumingly declared, yet her gold-dipped
 porcelain figures look wondrous.


> all images © YQY Jewellery, from the label's fb page<


Ooh, glossy lady

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Valeska Jasso Collado is a young fashion designer
born in Hamburg who entered London's University of
Westminster attaining her MA with a playfully brave
graduate collection which is wacky and glossy as no
other, plenty of gripping shapes and where pleats are
bolted with steel screws and chrome washers.



Deeply inspired both by the eye-popping postmodern
aesthetic of the Memphis Group design movement
established in Milan in the early 1980s by architect and
designer Ettore Sottsass conceiving furniture and interior
design from the point of view that 'form doesn't automatically
follow function' and by the work of ceramic artist Ben Fiess,
Valeska's ccllection looks like a style utterance 
focused on voluminous yet clean shapes.



She gave birth to her sculptural, glossy silicon-lacquered
garments in pastel hues and quirky geometric silhouettes
by skillfully combining metal, foam and latex. She started
using foam to build her playful shapes but was soon in need
to find a stretchy fabric mate to make them shine and she
came to choose latex. Helped by her father, Valeska carefully
developed her foam-latex showy experimental outfits with
futuristic huge hoop skirts and step-in saggy dresses where
outsized pleats in contrasting colors are smartly 
fastened with screws and bolts.




A stimulating collection which is actually a feast for the
eyes, thus it couldn't go unnoticed: only four weeks after
the college's graduate show, Valeska was offered a job
in Paris by Jacquemus where she now lives hoping to
start working on her own designs, too. She will certainly
develop more wearable garments in all likelihood 
with more comfortable materials from now on.

lookbook images © by Marek Puć
graduate show images (3,4,7) © by Evie Parazite

make love not fashion

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Berlin-based designers Karen Jessen, Anna Bach and
Luis C. Zuniga are the masterminds behind Benu Berlin,
a label which is considered the herald of eco fashion
using exclusively upcycling techniques or materials from
textile surfeit. Karen started off as a sustainable designer
with the much lauded 'Diploma' collection turning worn
shirts and jeans into 'street couture' garments building
the basis of Benu Berlin's approach.


”We love to experiment with different techniques like
braiding or macramé and to get inspired by the soul of
every item; special stitching, washings and handcrafted
 
details” the B.B. design team declares adding that ”all 
the items are developed and produced in our manufactory
at Benu Ranch. Even scraps turn into elaborate fabric
manipulations and structures. Benu Berlin proposes a
diagonal view on fashion by creating expressive textures
from decomposed and disused materials the designers
reintegrate into a cycle which otherwise would have 
been disrupted in the ever accelerating process 
of buying and throwing away.”

> campaign and lookbook images © by Ryuichiro Louis Iijima<
The eco-label's first ever RTW collection for s/s 2015, wittily
called ”Make Love Not Fashion”, debuted on the runway of
'Showfloor Berlin', the Berliner catwalk of Berlin fashion week,
showing unique crafted pieces: old military apparel converted
into lovely everyday garments, plissé made from discarded
parachutes and structured leather creations in coral, lime 
green and earthy hues. Benu Berlin definitely knows how 
to turn sustainability into the latest fad!

> catwalk images © by Mehdi Bahmed<


eco-friendly fantasies

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The growing design philosophy of sustainability is far
from being just a trend; more and more fashion designers
are spearheading eco-conscious methods of production
with minimal waste and environmentally friendly materials.
London-based Korean designers Gyo Kim and Yuni Choe
can be rightfully included: the gifted duo behind womenswear
label 'Gyoyuni Kimchoe' skillfully combines sustainability
with luxury showing their ”respect of life and nature creating
modern sustainable fantasies and eco-friendly myths 
out of inspirations from art history, narratives and 
contemporary issues” the label's manifesto goes.


Gyo Kim and Yuni Choe met in New York where Gyo Kim
was studying fashion at Parsons School of Design moving
afterwards to London for Yuni Choe to start studying at
Ravensbourne College of Art; they both fine-tuned their
skills at Central Saint Martins. Focused on sharp tailoring
and dramatic draping, 'Gyoyuni Kimchoe'”produces
experimental collections for women of unique personalities”
through androgynous garments plenty of ideas and surreal
details that utterly deserve the Fashion Scout's Merit Award
for the spring-summer 2015 season: they will showcase a
fully sponsored catwalk show at the upcoming London
fashion week where their quirky outfits will patently 
have an unalloyed success.

all images © by GYOYUNI KIMCHOE
from Fashion Scout & Vogue UK websites





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