5 emerging designers we love…
Stumbling on new design talent in the fashion industry is always exciting, especially when those designers can change the perception you have on fashion. Curious about what you might be wearing in a couple of years? Keep a close eye on these talents and you’re ought to find out!
Moses Gauntlett Cheng
Designer complex Moses Gauntlett Cheng, consisting of David Moses, Esther Gauntlett and Jenny Cheng, is challenging the status quo. Known for pushing the boundaries from material choices to gender roles imposed by society, MGC has caused quite some controversy in the sometimes static world of fashion. Brilliantly shocking and oh so fun, their 2015 A/W collection was a non-stop party, starting off by models flaunting an adult baby look down the runway before jumping out of an RV. They explain their cutting-edge collection as a reaction to the piling stress and exhaustion in a rushed life. “We wanted to capture the vibe of going home and embracing comfort a little bit too much; reverting to this ‘adult baby’ stage and being looked after in a way that you’re kind of in love with and also embarrassed by”. Offering not only comfort but also a voice to a new indefinable generation; we expect them to occupy a permanent spot on the fashion radar.
Images via lucillagray.com
Lucilla Gray
In barely two seasons Lucilla Gray has already earned her place at both London Fashion Week and New Zealand Fashion Week, where she just presented her latest collection. Voicing an intelligent, strong woman, she merges conceptual fashion with ready-to-wear ideals as if they were made to synchronize. Although equally mesmerized by the otherworldly digital prints and versatility in her designs, we are mostly impressed by the level of sophistication she implements in every collection piece.
Ashley Kang
All eyes drawn to her remarkably detailed layering at Central Saint Martins graduation show, it is not a surprise knitwear graduate Ashley Kang learned her embroidery skills by working at no other than Alexander McQueen. Top that with a serious dose of glitter, metallics and heavy knits and you have Sporty Granny. Inspired by her own grandmother, her love for flowers and adventure, she created an overwhelming feast for the eye out of materials that couldn’t be more different but somehow fit the picture perfectly. Modernised granny glasses with beaded strings balanced out the outer space sneakers and futuristic silhouettes. Although we have only her graduation show to judge from, it is safe to say we will be seeing more from this young mastermind.
Image via leparadox.com
Quoï Alexander
Another Central Saint Martins wonder, Quoï Alexander, is taking over the fashion industry with his ‘anything but ordinary’ knits. Characterized by strong silhouettes and killer weaving techniques, his latest collection exists of laced armours, intertwining ideas and references together. The inspiration behind his complex collection came from Xu Bing, the writer who tricked Chinese readers in thinking he mastered the language, while in reality his words meant nothing. Obscurity through abstraction, a concept Quoï executed by bold opulence. A choice he had to make, as he could have gone for a minimalist approach. Instead he went for the maximalist route, a choice that definitely launched his career and made us admirers of his work.
Isabel Helf
As maximalism was the former designer’s main strength, Austrian accessory designer Isabel Helf is all about practical minimalism. Her multifunctional handbags have led her to wining the top price at this year’s ITS Accessories Award and a steady future in the fashion industry. Not only are we amazed by the options that come with these handbags, performing as accessory, furniture and storage, the impeccable quality these handbags radiate is truly remarkable. Aiming to give our eyes and minds a break from cluttered reality, she was inspired by compulsive orderliness, a disorder she recognizes herself in. Her inner urge to create a balance between objects within her surrounding area translates itself in the functional value of her bags, solving the on-going issue of space saving. Having brought a truly unique product on the market, we are curious how she is going to translate the combining function and aesthetics in other concepts.
Central Saint Martins’ Degree Show One: Art
Central Saint Martins’ final year art show boasted a colourful and eclectic mix of interdisciplinary art that is as fresh and cool as its students – exactly what the art world needs.
Central Saint Martins’ final year art show boasted a colourful and eclectic mix of interdisciplinary art that is as fresh and cool as its students – exactly what the art world needs.
With alumni including Hussein Chalayan, Yinka Shonibare and 2013 Turner Prize Winner Laure Prouvost, Central Saint Martins is a hub for raw, new talent that only seeks one thing – prove itself to the world. This year’s show, made up of works across BA Fine Art and MA Art & Science, Fine Art, Photography and MRes Art, continues to hone Central Saint Martins’ reputation when it comes to the creative energy it harbours.
CSM’s Degree Show One is unusual in its content, and a treat for the eyes when it comes to its form – paintings share the wall with installations, immersive experiences, and regular performances across the room that transport you to other worlds. Upon entering the show, one is greeted by giant sculptures that lead you to the main area, where a student recreated the atmosphere and setting of a nail salon bar. Working around that particular framework, she greets visitors with a smile before proceeding to glam up their nails, while the adjacent space is occupied by another student and his aquaponics water plants (a system of raising fish and plants in a symbiotic cycle) and cosy sofas where one can read books whilst waiting to get one’s nails done, or for a friend to bring beer, or anything – you decide. The beautiful part about CSM’s degree show is that it invites you in a manner that other works of art placed in certain institutions don’t. Here, it is never a question of ‘is this lost glove on the floor art?’ or ‘do you think we can touch this?’ or even ‘can we sit on this or is it part of the work?’, rather it is completely interactive and herein lies the fun aspect of art – art can be fun too, and we more often than not forget it too quickly.
The showstopper of the night was undoubtedly Alexis Marie Sera’s big rock-like installation at the back of the room, which made the entire university look like a meteorite landing platform. After walking around the massive structure and feeling like an ant, you climb up inside only to be confronted by three creatures covered in black oil, wailing, rummaging around, circling around and staring at you –frightening and claustrophobic. Paired with some foreboding sounds, the giant ball opens up at the top to reveal some light, while the creatures moan and wail even more –a fascinating and immersive take that aims to recreate the instance right before death occurs.
Another immersive piece that transformed space and relationship towards the audience is the artists’ massage station, set up by student Yao Wang. The décor of the space, which had been constructed in a white, minimalistic salon, greeted visitors with the distinct sanitised yet seducing smell of all health stations –dentists, hospital, doctors. The crowd watched gleefully while one lucky artist got his shoulders massaged, while the space next to it, which was made to look like its complete antithesis –dark, dimly lit by candles and oozing an aura of mysticism, gathered curious bystanders. The great thing about CSM’s show is that the students blend in with the visitors, and the pieces are transformed whenever someone interacts with them. There is no visible hierarchy, and all are simply happy to experience months of hard work put into everyone’s art.
Other pieces which transport the audience into different immersive worlds and settings use film as a medium, creating sensations rather than linear narratives, such as Henrietta Young’s video installation that places the visitor inside a surgical framework by surrounding him with freshly cut pieces of flesh. Upon entering the space, one is cornered by double projections that emphasize the waiting of a hospital room.
Central Saint Martins proves again that it is filled with fresh, raw energy and talent when it comes to art.
Images by Suzanne Zhang
Central Saint Martins - University of the Arts London | 27 May - 31 May 2015