Uncovering Clerkenwell Design Week 2014's Secrets

Clerkenwell Design Week Map. Source: clerkenwelldesignweek.com

A Spaniard in London, Enrique Perezalba Red Interview in Klei Magazine. Issue 1, Jan/Feb 14

“I create seductive art that turns heads like a beautiful woman walking down the street.”

The World According to Carol McNicoll, Interview in Klei Magazine

Klei Magazine 'Great British Special Edition' cover, featuring Clare Twomey's 'Monument' 2009

Recently I was asked to interview Carol McNicoll, the incredible British potter extraordinaire (a noun I don't use lightly) for Klei Magazine on their 'Great British Special Edition' (Nov/Dec 2013), which also features Clare Twomey, British studio pottery and the recent happenings in Stoke-on-Trent.

I caught up with arguably the most industrious creative in Camden, nearly two years on after our Breaking the Mould interview during her 'Ideal Home' Marsden Woo exhibition back in late 2011.

For those of you who don't speak Dutch (myself included), our opinion-filled conversation consisted of French vs. British taste, the craft revival and whether she think it's still realistic to be an artist in the digital age.

Watch out for an upcoming Klei interview with the very talented Spanish ceramicist and RCA rising star Enrique Perezalba Red in early 2014.

'The World According to Carol McNicoll' interview

'The World According to Carol McNicoll' interview

7 Things You Never Knew about Canada till You Read 'Fashion'

 Canadian Fashion gets Serious

h

Daria Werbowy on Fashion's October 2013 issue

According to my long-suffering cousins, the Canadians are a misunderstood bunch. Popular myths beyond the border involve igloo housing, lesser technology and the assumption that everyone speaks French (when the French-speaking population is mostly found in Quebec).  

Let's just say the last thing I expected from my recent visit was intelligent, intriguing fashion and beauty journalism from a Canadian perspective. 

Here's a few eye-brow raising facts I learned about Canada from its best-selling women's' magazine Fashion (October 2013), starring none other than Ukrainian-Canadian super Daria Werbowy.


7 Curiously Canadian Fashion Facts 

1. The shopping pages are divided by province (that's how big the country is) 

At nearly 10 square kilometres (the second largest country in the world), the existence of only 5 Louis Vuitton boutiques feels a bit mean. Besides high-end department stores like Holt Renfrew, Gravity Pope (the go-to for footwear), the rest are independent boutiques scattered across trendy districts in Montreal, Toronoto, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver, stocked with top international and local designers.


2. They're obsessed with all things British

"Maybe it's the class system, the stiff upper lip or the Queen, but something about the Brits makes them born to rebel."

While I don't completely agree with all of the above, there's little doubt of 'The British Invasion' in Canada. It was surprising to see the extent of it - from short hair ("British girls are more adventurous"), mod (Agyness Deyn's Dr Martens collab), punk, handbags (the Mulberry Bayswater finally arrives!), British models (Stella Tennant to Edie Campbell) and promising talents like Jean-Pierre Braganza.

3. But they put a Canadian twist on it obviously 

 

For example, London-based designers Jean-Pierre Braganza and Erdem were both born in Canada (in Toronto and Montreal respectively). 

 

Jean-Pierre Braganza A/W13

4. Canada's Got Talent 

Discovering Melissa Araujo (see dress below) was a weak-in-the-knees moment for me. Minimalist, interchangeable and affordable, her pieces offer serious wardrobe ROI. A selection of her designs are available to purchase on her website, which also showcases her brilliant fashion illustrations

Look#37 from Melissa Araju's 'Linear' collection

The magazine's 'Top Coats' Canadian outerwear special is also noteworthy, not least since freezing winters can drop below -40°. Serbian born, Toronto-based designer Bojana Sentaler Nikolic (of Sentaler) and her luxuriously tailored 40s wartime-inspired coats win my vote. 


5. Kick-ass Ads (starring fashion bloggers)

Christina Caradona's ad for Tampax Radiant

How refreshing to see New York model/Trop Rouge blogger Christina Caradona front a Tampax ad campaign with pride. It's a step in reducing the awkwardness of traditional faceless western ads. In southeast Asia (countries which are supposedly more 'conservative') celebrities as feminine hygiene product spokespeople are nothing new. Seriously, it's time to grow up. 

This also exemplifies the growing trend of bloggers becoming public print and TV faces of major brands.


6. Vichy is Canada's no. 1 skincare brand

Who knew? Known for its French thermal spring water formulations (sourced from the town Vichy) and diverse targeted skincare lines, mid-priced Vichy comes up on top. Available in the UK from Boots.


7. Danier Leather

Danier Bucket Tote

A vertically-integrated retailer whose leather collections are sold exclusively in Canada, Danier is probably the country's best kept-fashion secret. Classic styles, functional, high-quality leather clothing and accessories (for men and women) at purse-friendly prices that look every bit the designer. Visiting Canada soon? I highly recommend Danier's outlets for tempting bargains.

Image credits from top:  art8amby.wordpress.com, catwalking.com, melissaaraujo.com, stocklandmartelblog.com, danier.com

The Great Time Out Takeover − The I.T crowd

It's not every day you get to write for one of London's best loved and unbelievably free magazines. So sounding like an unapologetic cliché, when Time Out announced its reader takeover issue, I jumped at the chance.

I was in Canada last Tuesday when my father emailed me a scan of my Hong Kong fashion feature on the I.T pop-up at Selfridges in the latest printed mag. 

A number of expletives followed, conveying my excitement to my befuddled cousins.

I hope you'll like it. Let me know what you think!

7 Reasons Why You Should Read Chinese Fashion Magazines

Why now's a fashionable time to start learning Chinese 

Shu Pei is the stunning cover model for Elle HK September 2012 issue

Two nights ago, 2.30am, ridiculously bored on Twitter and desperate for self-amusement before bed, I was rummaging the mountains of plastic bags that are a permanent fixture in my room – where I found something that didn’t belong.

An unopened, sealed September 2012 issue of Elle HK. I’d picked it up for a measly HK$10 (about £1.50 for two inches, plus you get Elle Health & Beauty for free) at Chep Lap Kok airport on my way back to the UK last August. Turns out I’d taken it back home and completely forgotten about it.

It’s interesting because I’m not one for conscious delayed-gratification. Patience is not my forte and I’ve never withheld the urge to rip off crisp polythene bags off anything for more than five seconds. In a strange way, it was like opening a time capsule of my own culture (I was studiously raised on a bilingual diet of local and foreign magazines). Yes, I know it’s a year old, but had the content, tone and reader in fashion magazines changed since I left Kowloon for Kent?

1. The ads

Image source:  http://awake-smile.blogspot.co.uk

Advertising in fashion magazines fascinates me – both the model and brand reflect capitalist aspirations of readers. I have never met a Chinese woman in my life who would think twice on splurging on the latest It-bag or skincare, even if it meant living off stale bread crusts for the next month to pay rent. Chinese women are far more likely to be working high-flying workers than pram-pushing housewives, so owning the right brands is essential in portraying an ever competitive social image of success.

Timeless French and Italian houses like Dior, Louis Vuitton, Hermes, Chanel, Prada, Gucci, Versace and Armani are popular, as is the chic elegant European aristocrat look – Nicole Kidman, Sophie Marceau considered classic beauties in luxury ads.

I’ve picked my two favourite ads from the issue. The postcard perfect scene of Bally’s FW12 ad depicts Verbier’s famous Chalet d’Adrie in Switzerland, starring Hilary Rhoda and Caroline Trentini. I love the irony of selling winter ski coats to a subtropical region that will never snow. It taps into the customer’s wishful fantasy and I think it’s brilliant.

The second ad I loved was for Paul Smith featuring subsequent portraits of Suzie Bird, her eyes open in one and closed in the other. I’ve seen Kate Moss in similar versions of the ad but I think this one encapsulates British quirkiness and wit more – with a whiff of Magritte.

2. We’re starting to talk about SEX(and other taboos)

The liberal conversations and serious debates the western world take for granted, like sex, exploitation and body image are a relatively young phenomenon in conservative Asian cultures. I particularly enjoyed the frankness of Marky Lo’s discussion on the ethics of sexual images in fashion advertising. To quote, “I remember being shocked the first time I saw an American Apparel ad on Portobello Rd during a London visit.  I went in, left with a new windbreaker and realised that’s how some companies make money these days”.

3. Our real-life office dramas

No, this isn’t a piece on the newest anti-stress boxing trend, but it’s office tensions caused by the increasing generation gap. It’s common for baby boomers, generation X and Y (which it fondly labels ‘The Evil Generation’) to misunderstand and be at each other’s necks – they’ve been raised in very different eras. Cue stories of horrified line managers fed up of insubordinate, spoilt ‘little children’ with ‘no manners’.  It all sounds quite familiar but highlights the importance of keeping lines of communication open in the workplace rather than resort to bathroom bitching. Especially when we all use the same ladies’ room.

4. Chinese models working it

image source: models.com 

With names like Shu Pei, Fei-Fei Sun having walked for every major designer in the last six years (Supermodel Liu Wen made history just daysago as the first Asian Victoria’s Secret angel), the rising prominence of Chinese models is hardly news.

Yet I’m pleased that after a good 20 years of idolising a specific Western look (especially in fashion, less so in beauty)- big eyes, fluttery lashes, delicate noses and impossible cheekbones, fashion brands are finally using women that look remotely like the customers unzipping their Miu Miu wallets. Fashion is embracing diversity more than ever and the world’s a better place because of it. 

Check out 21 yr old Xiao Wen Ju in this striking neon club-inspired Kenzo ad and winter coat shoot. Known for her wide-spaced, tiny seed eyes on her porcelain doll face - Xiao is the epitome of the unconventional beauty that is new even to the Chinese.

5. We’ve finally embraced high fashion

This Maison Martin Margiela jewelled mask and jacket ensemble is an acquired taste (Read my comments on Leigh Browery’s dance costumes for MichaelClark & Company’s ‘Because We Must’). It’s unlikely to catch on anytime soon, but the mere publication of the image is mini breakthrough in its own right. The Chinese are finally acknowledging the avant-garde creativity of high-fashion, even though we still prefer to wear the rocks on our fingers.

6. We bloody love the Brits

16 years after the 1997 handover, the emotional remnants of Hong Kong’s British colonial heritage linger; there is still great fondness (perhaps 'fetish' is a more accurate term)for all things British – whether it’s their fashion, education or culture. I’d argue the word in itself represents quality, freedom and taste there (of course they haven’t watched an episode of ‘Shameless’). 

This issue was published just after the London 2012 Olympics and features a lot of interviews with British designers like Vivienne Westwood. Like the Brits, the Chinese love a Dame - her orb logo as ubiquitous and has enjoyed a cult-like status for what feels like eternity. The article also previews her then newly launched Queen’s jubilee-inspired Red Capsule Collection, which still leaves a certain type of girl (and boy) dewy eyed. 

Viv should watch her back though, as new talents like Christopher Kane and Gareth Pugh are gaining momentum with the younger market who don’t want to dress in head-to-toe Moschino like their mums.

7. We really, really bloody love the Brits (especially the ones we lost too soon)

Shu Pei Image source: http://www.huayibrothersfashion.com

Extract from interview with 23 year old Beijing cover model Shu Pei:

Elle: You mentioned being moved by something Alexander McQueen said?

Shu Pei: It was the last show before his death. We were wearing these extremely high and painful heels and models kept falling over during rehearsal.  Moments before the show, McQueen looked at every single girl and told us to walk very slowly. “You must take care and not rush. If the girl in front of you falls, don’t walk over her, stop and help her up.” I was so touched; he was a really kind man.

All translation and scans have been done by myself unless specified otherwise.

Hot Off the Press - Phoenix Fashion and Design Features

Like our Great British weather, PHOENIX Magazine's new summer issue 'Sunshine & Showers' is out now. Starring the sexy siren/tv kitchen goddess which is Gizzi Erskine (the only woman who can pose tattooing a piece of pork belly and still look smokin' hot), designer Tom Dixon and actress Vanessa Kirby, this issue's a scorcher not to be missed.

Here's a snippet from the magazine's 'The Showpiece' page I edited, a breathtaking smashed porcelain print dress by Latvian/Israeli London duo Fyodor Golan, from their 'Holy Mountain' collection. 

Known for their attention to detail that dramatically accentuates the figure, I for one can't wait to see what their September LFW SS14 catwalk has in store.

Photo by Charlie Bettinson

From 18k plated-gold teapots, up-cycled Cold War lighting to the flamboyant designer of 'Happy Chic', here's a few more PHOENIX pieces I've authored.

Click on the links below the images to read the whole story.

http://www.phoenixmag.co.uk/blog/summer-special-surreal-teapots/

http://www.phoenixmag.co.uk/blog/designing-happy-chic-with-jonathan-adler/

http://www.phoenixmag.co.uk/features/blom-blom-lighting-design/