A-Lu-Ha
Posted: January 31, 2012 Filed under: Men, Spring/Summer 2012, Women | Tags: 2012, a-lu-ha, lu flux, spring, summer Leave a comment »
Despite the fact that favouritism when it comes to various designers and labels is not something I personally advocate, I cannot deny the fact that London-based designer/label Lu Flux is one of my all-time favourites, and I follow each and every collection and piece with great passion and admiration. Even though it may come across as a cliché, I personally feel that being a designer is about being creative and having a somewhat careless attitude when it comes to considering the likes and dislikes of others – and instead creating what you admire, and not what others deem as ‘acceptable’ (basically, treating your label as a creative outlet; rather than a commercial venture). After flicking through the numerous creations of Lu Flux, I feel that it is somewhat evident that this is a thought which she also stands by, but please do correct me if I’m wrong.
The most recent delight to grace my computer screen courtesy of Lu Flux is the Spring/Summer 2012 collection, which has been fittingly titled A-Lu-Ha. Referring back to the title of the collection, each and every design making up A-Lu-Ha is of Hawaiian orientation, and takes inspiration from the seemingly wonderful island in some way or another.
Anyone who is familiar with the work of Lu Flux will know that eccentricity has always been her thing, and A-Lu-Ha does not disappoint any way. With a continuous use of exuberant fabrics and patterns – closely followed by more than your fair share of admirable asymmetric shapes and cuts, and topped off with a delightful palette of pastel tones, this collection exceeds all expectations in every way possible. Not to mention, Lu Flux has a winner of a haberdashery in her mitts, and if anyone knows the secret location of this delightful store – which I imagine to be candyfloss coloured and lined with gumdrops, jelly tots, marshmallows and gingerbread men, please do share!
You can view the full collection via the Lu Flux website, right here!
Images courtesy of Lu Flux
YoungJun Koo / Where would you consider to be your favourite location when shooting street-style?
Posted: January 28, 2012 Filed under: Interviews | Tags: i'm koo, photographer, question, youngjun koo Leave a comment »In addition to questioning designer Diana Martinez of Estela Balan about her childhood aspirations earlier this week, today I bugged New York-based street-style photographer YoungJun Koo of I’M KOO, and asked…
Where would you consider to be your favourite location when shooting street-style?
YoungJun kindly answered my question with…
“If I’m totally honest, I really love Manhattan in general. My favorite spot is most probably Greene Street and Spring Street in Soho. Not only do a lot of my friends hang out there – but so do a vast amount of ‘fashionable’ individuals. Although, recently I’ve spotted a handful of other photographers there – meaning that if I shoot their regularly, my images might not be as unique as they were previously. This means that I now do not necessarily care where the photographs are captured – as long as the subject behind them is an admirable one. If my skills are to improve and grow, I need to be able to snap street-style everywhere, and in a vast array of locations – and that’s what I’m now looking to expand upon!”
Longshore Parka by PYRUS
Posted: January 28, 2012 Filed under: Women | Tags: ash johnson, london, longshore parka, lorraine johnson, pyrus, young british designers Leave a comment »
Even though I tend to spend excessive amounts of time scanning the internet for emerging, independent and unique designers/labels, it seems that there are numerous corners which have been left unturned. Two or three days ago I was flicking through Young British Designers, an online-store/boutique for emerging, independent and unique designers which I have bookmarked and thrown into my list of favorites, and came across PYRUS. PYRUS is a London-based womenswear label that was founded back in 2005 by designers Lorraine and Ash Johnson. It’s been almost 7 years since the launch of the label, and I never stumbled across their work prior to this week. If I had a list of embarrassing fashion-related moments, this would be right up there in my top 10 for sure!
Anyway, back to PYRUS. Lorraine and Ash describe PYRUS as a ‘modern and contemporary’ label, and say that the ‘aim of the brand has always been to create wardrobe favorites for fashion aware women who are not led by fashion fads.’ Which I respect entirely, and agree with in most cases.
Even though all of the items which make up each collection from PYRUS do not exactly pin-point my personal taste, there are a handful of garments which I really do admire. That of which includes the Longshore Parka, which I found retailing via Young British Designers. The Longshore Parka provides us with a classic military-orientated interpretation of the parka, and I’m almost positive that the majority of you will agree with me when I say that Lorraine and Ash have done a wonderful job, and hit the nail right on the head. The Longshore Parka is perfect for the spring, as we begin to welcome in the warmer months, and with a more than reasonable retail price of £249.00, I honestly do not feel that I could fault this garment in any way whatsoever!
You can purchase the Longshore Parka via Young British Designers, right here!
Images courtesy of Young British Designers
Bernhard Willhelm Spring/Summer 2012
Posted: January 26, 2012 Filed under: Spring/Summer 2012, Women | Tags: 2012, bernhard willhelm, spring, summer, totem Leave a comment »
I’m pretty sure that the majority of you are aware of that fact that I’m a fool for anything a little out of the ordinary and unique by now, and that’s where the Bernhard Willhelm Spring/Summer 2012 womenswear collection comes in. Bernhard Willhelm has once again pulled the hat out of the bag (or the rabbit out of the hat) when it comes to his Spring/Summer 2012 womenswear collection, and I have to admit, I’ve never really seen anything like it. Anyone who is familiar with the work of Bernhard Willhelm will know that controversy is sort of his thing, and settling for anything remotely normal isn’t really an option.
I admire absolutely everything about this collection, from the printed photographs, draped fabrics and blocked colours, to the punk-pop rebel vibe that Bernhard has executed so well (in my mind at least). Everything is just perfect, and I’m almost certain that the majority of you will agree with me when I say that photographer Helene Bozzi did an absolutely fantastic job in snapping the lookbook images for this exuberant collection!
As I wasn’t too keen on the thought of downloading, saving and resizing the 34 images which make up the lookbook for this flamboyant collection, you can gaup/gaze at the full lookbook via http://www.totemfashion.com, right here!
Images courtesy of http://www.totemfashion.com
Diana Martinez / As a small child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Posted: January 23, 2012 Filed under: Interviews | Tags: designer, diana martinez, estela balan, interview, question Leave a comment »For some reason, I tend to find squeezing information out of designers, bloggers, photographers and artists somewhat joyous, and it seems to be an ‘obsession’ of mine which is becoming increasingly admirable. On that note, I bugged designer Diana Martinez of Estela Balan and asked…
As a small child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Diana kindly answered my question with…
“I’ve always wanted to be a fashion designer – yet at one point, I did turn to tennis. I wanted to be a professional tennis player. I’ve always hated what other people consider to be ‘normal jobs’, and therefore tennis seemed like a fantastic option. As expected, that dream faded fairly quickly, and I then went back to seeing fashion designing as my best option – and that’s what I then went ahead with. As you may have guessed, I then formed Estela Balan!”
Won’t you take me to the queen of hearts
Posted: January 22, 2012 Filed under: Music | Tags: music, the king and all of his men, wolf gang Leave a comment »Currently playing: Wolf Gang – The King And All Of His Men
2 Many Printers
Posted: January 19, 2012 Filed under: Art, Men, Women | Tags: 2 many printers, art, graphic Leave a comment »
Yesterday, whilst flicking through the blog of London-based photographer Viktor Vauthier, I came across a reasonably dandy collection of images which Viktor snapped for Brighton-based art-graphic label 2 Many Printers. This is the second time that I’ve been introduced to a brand new label via the blog of Viktor Vauthier, with my discovery of Lazy Oaf towards the end of 2011, and therefore as I’m a reasonably courteous guy, thank you, Viktor.
From my own knowledge, and after a quick peek at the ‘info’ section of the 2 Many Printers Facebook page, I can now confidently outline what 2 Many Printers are about, and what they do. Basically, they work with an array of independent illustrators and graphic artists, and create bags and tee’s which are suitable for both men and women. Also, the brand are based in the small town of Brighton in England, United Kingdom, which is literally two hours or so from my doorstep.
Lindsey Gooden, Viktor Hachmang and Leon Sadler are just a handful of the artists that 2 Many Printers work with, and I have to say that from what I’ve seen so far, they’ve grabbed themselves some fantastically talented individuals. Better yet? 2 Many Printers sell the majority of their items for around £20.00 a pop – meaning that unlike a number of similar labels, you don’t have to break the bank to look great, and even a tad flamboyant!
Lastly, my three favorite prints from the label at present are as followed:
• Black Summer by Leon Sadler
• Lolly by Ian Stvenson
• Owl Drummer by Jim Stoten
I love supporting and following independent projects and talented individuals, and will therefore be keeping a close eye on 2 Many Printers over the course of the next year or so, and urge you to do the same.
Images courtesy of 2 Many Printers
I’d be cold as a stone and rich as the fool
Posted: January 15, 2012 Filed under: Music | Tags: birdy, music, people help the people Leave a comment »Currently playing: Birdy – People Help The People
