Is it fashion or fruit? The story behind footwear brand Guava
Portuguese footwear line, Guava lends its inspiration from CEO and Creative Director’s, Ines Caleiro’s, passion for architectural shapes - fittingly the name was coined after Caleiro’s favourite fruit.
By Alyss Bowen
Portuguese footwear line, Guava lends its inspiration from CEO and Creative Director’s, Ines Caleiro’s, passion for architectural shapes - fittingly the name was coined after Caleiro’s favourite fruit.
Based in Oslo, Norway, Caleiro started her love affair with shoes whilst attending London College of Fashion, where she was invited to work with Jimmy Choo after winning ‘Best Student Award’. Guava was born in the USA in 2010, when Caleiro’s former boss advised her to turn a shoe-obsession into reality and start a footwear brand – after spotting Caleiro obsessively drawing shoes on every piece of paper available.
Coming from a graphic and product design background, and having extensive experience in creative areas, such as fashion and interiors, served Caleiro well when forming Guava. Driven by the emotions behind vibrant colours and asymmetries; its designs are a ‘fusion of a geometric seduction.’ The statement block heel is not only a piece art-wear for your footwear, but calculated so precisely it would be impossible to take a tumble whilst wearing these urban designs.
Priding themselves on utilising modern technologies, while still holding onto an artesian feel, Guava shoes are a quality product. Each piece is hand crafted by a team of dedicated artisans, whose refined skills enable them to create detailed, delicate shoes that embody an original vision and fresh design concept.
Guava is not only a colourful unique experience with a niche concept; they only use sustainable materials such as; bio leather and rubber made from recycled materials. The Guava team work closely on all aspects of the manufacturing, to ensure they produce a product that is creatively distinctive and environmentally green. As idea that stemmed from a love for fruit, Guava is ultimately for people who want to experiment with contemporary detailed and innovative footwear.
Five Springtime Releases: Girl Band, Godspeed, Skelton, Braxton and Copeland
Girlband, Godspeed, Skelton, Braxton and Copeland are releasing new music. Soon.
Girl Band - The Early Years
Dublin four piece Girl Band will soon be dropping their latest slice of panic-attack inducing, alternative noise rock. The Early Years, released through Rough Trade, is restricted to a 500, 12” run predominantly available on their North American tour. If the stickle-brick adorning artwork and teaser song ‘Why They Hide Their Bodies Under My Garage’, a cover of Blawan’s “terror techno” masterpiece, are adequate barometers, The Early Years will capture the same mechanistic krautgrunge that has been unbalancing sensibilities since 2011.
Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Asunder, Sweet and Other Distress
Godspeed You! Black Emperor are releasing their fifth studio album Asunder, Sweet and Other Distress in March. Clocking in at 40 minutes, it is their first average length album since their 1997 debut F#A#∞; a record that introduced the world to a shifting, mysterious Canadian collective with touches of political anarchism. Asunder’s opening track 'Peasantry or 'Light! Inside of Light!’ is available to stream and suggests both an immediate return to form and re-entrance back into the world of metal-flecked minimalism that surrounds their cult following.
Richard Skelton - Belated Movements For An Unsanctioned Exhumation August 1st 1984
Artist, musician and author Richard Skelton has just announced a new record, titled Belated Movements For An Unsanctioned Exhumation August 1st 1984. With over 30 EPs to date Skelton’s music is hard to define. In the broadest of senses it is a contemporary form of classical. In terms of effect however, it feels closer to a Brian Eno landscape; piercing violins dart above weighty, layered down cellos in works of haunting melancholy, anxiety and dreaminess. With a title referring to the Lindow Man, a bog body found in Cheshire, Skelton’s latest offering appears as a aural follow on from his written studies of rural Lancaster and the mythology of rivers.
Tyondai Braxton - HIVE1
Former frontman of Battles Tyondai Braxton has just announced his first new release in six years, HIVE1. The album is the end product of his work on a performance piece premiered at the NY Guggenheim and described as “a live multimedia work that was part architectural installation and part ensemble performance.” With the visual side stripped away, an oily texture of discordant synths and 70s Sci-Fi effects rises to the surface of Scout1. If this initial release and the mounds of frantic percussion are anything to go by, Tyondai has retained the brilliance of Battles whilst veering off into slightly spacier pastures.
Inga Copeland - RELAXIN’ with Lolina
Noise maker, former vocalist of Hype Williams and Estonian Inga Copeland may or may not be releasing new album RELAXIN’ with Lolina. The argument for? She has recently debuted new tracks whilst playing at Dalston’s Café OTO. The argument against? The release date is set for the non-existent February 29th. If the calendar does allow for its manifestation, a full return to the texturally chunky, sometimes humorous, often bazaar feel of last year’s Because I’m Worth It can be expected.
Nikita Gale: Archaeology, Anthropology, Advertising and Art
Originally based in Atlanta, Nikita Gale is an artist making a name for herself in America’s burgeoning and increasingly diverse art scenes on both the East and West coasts.
Originally based in Atlanta, Nikita Gale is an artist making a name for herself in America’s burgeoning and increasingly diverse art scenes on both the East and West coasts.
Currently pursuing an MFA in New Genres at UCLA, Gale is trained in archaeology, anthropology and advertising; she consistently utilises elements from her multidisciplinary background in her work as a conceptual artist. Dialoguing frequently with the traditional constructions of consumer and producer, Gale expresses an interest in the way ideologies of history and capitalism are consumed by individuals:
“I have cultivated a practice that explores the relationship between material culture, identity, and language, specifically how identity is mediated through material, sound, desire and language.”
An artist working with photography, text, video, installation, and performance, it is hard to pin down exactly what Gale’s artistic style is – she describes her work as “heuristic, interdisciplinary, and research-based”:
“My practice incorporates elements from my own lived experience with elements culled from varied sources: reality television, queer hip hop, the work of Wittgenstein, hooks, Foucault and Debord, film (especially ‘anti-narrative’ films), and themes surrounding black/queer subjectivity.”
Projects have included ‘Everything & More’, ‘Autographs’ and ‘The Objective Mutability of Certainty’, all utilising language and text to different ends. Gale expresses an interest in language as our primary means of communication in spite of the fact that it is consistently problematic, exploring the link between text and the communication of identity in ‘Autographs’, and the relationship between time and knowledge in ‘The Objective Mutability of Certainty’. ‘Everything & More’ was an early series of large scale photographic sculptures putting together lettering from Times Square signage, effectively highlighting promises commonly used to entice customers through advertising.
Despite a lack of formal art training prior to the MFA she is currently undertaking, Gale has exhibited widely since 2009, and was recently named one of Complex’s young black creatives making waves in the art world – definitely one to watch.
Up close and personal at Fashion Scout
When ROOMS were invited to check out the Fashion Scout, Ones to Watch show, and go behind the scenes, we jumped at the chance.
When ROOMS were invited to check out the Fashion Scout, Ones to Watch show, and go behind the scenes, we jumped at the chance. And where better than Fashion Scout to discover the latest talented designers.
JMOON kicked off the show, founded by London College of Fashion graduate, Jihnee Moon, who recently launched her womenswear line. With her modern use of colour and textures, it’s easy to see why she won the ‘best directional use of colour and textile’ award for her BA press show.
Her simplistic take on tailored trousers, peter pan collars and roll necks, contrasted with hints of colour made her collection just the right amount of minimalism.
South Korean designer, Minju Kim’s playful approach to fashion has got her collaborating with Disney to re-image Minnie Mouse. A standout short and blazer two set, complete with said Minnie print made an appearance on the runway. Minnie Mouse had never been so coveted.
Kim Stevenson’s collection paid homage to a London guard with her tall headpieces. Her use of floral embroidery against denim and tasseled textures gave her line a flamboyant, showy edge – however, she brought it back down to street level with her patchwork, wearable jeans.
Angel Chen’s latest collection, Bunny with short Leg is noticeably different from her usual brave coloured previous lines. With khaki greens and juxtaposed texture, it’s ultimately still Chen behind the collection, but Bunny with short leg feels like her previous collection, The Rite of Spring’s, older, more sophisticated sister.
Wearing scout neckties, badges and boyish shorts this collection had an androgynous vibe. She incorporated daring yellow and reds, perhaps as a nod to her more colourful work, complementing the forest greens and creams of the lace details.
To draw upon her bunny title, Chen collaborated with designer Jing Tan to give her models sock ‘bunny’ feet, and beautifully intricate lace bunny ears, disguised as hats.
ROOMS were instantly drawn to both Chen’s designs, and Chen herself. The first thing you notice about her is how much of herself she projects into her clothes. Her animated character is undeniably addictive and you can sense her energy as soon as she speaks.
Her clothes not only reflect this energetic vibe, they echo her inner childlike qualities. It would be no surprise if everyone that met her tried to put her in their pocket, so they too could carry around her spirit with them.
ROOMS caught up with Chen to hear about the new collection. Inspired by a Bolero lyric, Chen’s told us her ideas stemmed from: “An army group walking through this forest, where they come across this goddess like girl. Everyone loves and wants to protect her.”
She projects this exploration through her use of texture to symbolise the forest girl’s lively nature. The collection combines both organic and synthetic materials, with mixtures of lace and tasseled details.
As far as new design is concerned, Fashion Scout’s, One to Watch show had a variety of designers we hope to see in the future. All showcased inventive, original styles and techniques, combined with high-end and wearable pieces. All designers had that special something, however, Chen’s latest collection, and her carefree spirit ticked all the boxes for ROOMS. We can’t fault her, and would quite like to be her new best friend – Angel, please take note.
JMOON, ANGEL CHEN, MINJU KIM, KIM STEVENSON
Photos by Alexandra Uhart
On the fashion map: The US Deep South
With NOLA Fashion Council serving as a platform for Southern based and born designers, the Deep South is well and truly gaining momentum and establishing its position on the fashion map.
With NOLA Fashion Council (NOLAFC) serving as a platform for Southern based and born designers, noted as “the driving force behind the growth of the Fashion Industry of New Orleans” - coupled with competitive fashion festivals battling it out for media attention in the crescent city - as well as fashion weeks now in Nashville and Charleston, the Deep South is well and truly gaining momentum and establishing its position on the fashion map.
Boasting a homegrown style, designers emphasise on keeping things in the town, collaborating with local pattern markers, sewers and illustrators, to reflect the intrinsically creative Southern spirit. The Deep South trends with hand craft and effortlessly chic designs, with fabrics often ranging from chiffon, seersucker and tulle, to lightweight cottons and knits, designing with tropical temperatures in mind.
Embodying the Southern aesthetic, founder of NOLA Fashion Week, blogger and designer Andi Eaton, listed as one of the most stylish southerns, is owner to one our favourite boutiques in the Deep South, hazel & florange. The New Orleans “home spun, ethereal and delicately beautiful” brand is a celebration of southern charm, featuring locally crafted bohemian-style clothing, jewellery and accessories for women, with various sweet floral prints and a consistent 70s retro vibe in her designs. We also love her blog - ouiwegirl.com.
As fashion forward as the Deep South gets, also based in New Orleans is high end boutique Exodus Goods.Focusing on design and cultural aesthetics, “filled with stylish threads, bold accents and a curated selection of contemporary lifestyle “goods””, Exodus Goods combines luxury with trendy apparel, keeping in the Southern vintage theme with clean cut silhouettes in a mixture of cotton and polyester, silk tent and mesh dresses, woven maxi skirts and bold-edgy accessories.
Jumping over to Charleston, Hannah Goff, winner of Charleston Fashion Week Emerging Designer 2012 and Belk Southern Designer Showcase 2012, brings an eccentricity to the coast with her heavy eye catching textiles and emphasis on colourful collages of prints. For her accessories she follows the Southern handmade traditional detailing trend, but is prominent for her contrasting print-centric style. Her pieces have gained the attention of Time Out New York, The WildMagazine, Elle.com and Nylon Magazine.
Addictive TV present: Orchestra of Samples
On Thursday, 26th February, production duo Addictive TV are bringing their unique brand of sampling to the Rich Mix Studios in Bethnal Green.
On Thursday, 26th February, production duo Addictive TV are bringing their unique brand of sampling to the Rich Mix Studios in Bethnal Green.
Formed at the hands of veteran audio/visual remixers Graham Daniels and Mark Vidler, Orchestra of Samples takes clips, videoed by the pair over the course of five years and globally sourced, and melds them together live.
An analogue accompaniment of Beatbox Collective’s Bass6, violin, BBC young musician of the year Shona Mooney and sitarist Baluji Shrivastav will offer a live, physical presence beneath the towering wall of pre-recorded video.
The conceptual inspiration for the project is one rooted in diversity. Alongside the competent, seemingly contrasting live task-force are a mixed platter of noises, melodies and rhythms, picked up from everyone from acoustic guitar players and hang drummers to flautists and a man hitting a spring with a stick.
The resultant effect, backed as it is with a small visual glimpses of whichever of the fifty countries the pair travelled to for the project, is one that implies a richness of culture and genre; brought together by a pair who have been at the forefront of live DVD turntable and AV mixer work throughout the entirety of their 10 year career.
So far Orchestra of Samples has been performed in France, Spain, Brazil, Russia and Morocca before it closed the RomeEurope festival last week. Thursday’s concert will be the first time Addictive TV have graced London since May, when they played the Looking Outside my Window festival. For £9 advance and £12 on the door, punters will not only be offered the broadest, most intricately crafted version of a live show that has won Addictive TV two DJ Mag best visual DJ awards, but accompaniment from veteran electronic experimentalist, Howie B.
WE LoVE: 5 exciting pieces at MoMA Design Store
Shimmer Table
Patricia Urquiola
Made from iridescent glass with a light reactive multi-coloured finish, the small tripodal table reacts with light, allowing the surface tones to flicker, depending on the viewer’s vantage point. Because the table is lacking in construction materials, it has a graceful nature about it, the shifts in colour lending it an ethereal, magical energy. Elegiacally contemporary the Shimmer table is brilliant in both its concept and physicality – Patricia Urquiola has created a complex, yet strikingly simple and very liveable piece.
Gramovox Bluetooth Gramophone
Pavan Bapu
With bold, yet timeless steel/walnut design this piece was inspired by the exceptional style of the 1920s horn speaker. Combining modern aesthetics with a reminiscence of the characteristically crisp sound of vintage, the Gramovox offers the full package. If you are up for a bit of analogue nostalgia here’s the piece for you.
The EggTM
Arne Jacobsen
The Danish architect and designer Arne Jacobsen, has become a household name. Jacobsen designed the Egg™ for the lobby and reception areas in the Royal Hotel in Copenhagen, as a sculptural contrast to the building’s vertical and horizontal surfaces. The chair is a classic piece of design furniture from one of the all-time greatest aesthetic engineers, the importance and influence of which is undying – as is the status of this cult chair.
La Chaise
Charles and Ray Eames
La Chaise was originally designed in 1948 as part of MoMA’s International Competition for Low-Cost Furniture Design. Inspired Gaston Lachaise’s sculpture ‘Floating Figure’, this voluminous lounge piece has a captivating sophistication and allows a wide range of sitting and reclining positions. The iconic clean lines and simple design of the piece allow it to fit numerous interior designs and to never go out of fashion.
Hope Pendant Lamp
Francisco Gomez and Paolo Rizzatto
It’s hard not to fall for this piece, dazzling as it is with its series of thin polycarbonate Fresnel lenses to achieve a dioptric effect similar to glass. Much like the diamond, which inspired its name, the Hope lamp multiplies the light from the light source, recreating a glittery and brilliant atmosphere. Reinterpreting the magic of traditional lamps with sophisticated technologies and contemporary materials, the Hope lamp achieves an enviable effect in any setting.
Can't wait for Spring: Edwin SS15
Edwin’s classic denim has cultivated new elements and washes into the Spring/Summer 15 collection. Making sunlit appearances are checks and stripes, together with camouflage and leopard print, SS15 is cut for a casual day out as well as some intrepid strolls in the woods. Tapered jeans with low crotch fit have provided more definition to spontaneity for the urban minds. Knitwear is also a must on the list for springtime. This season light knit jersey will be accompanied by appliqué detailing. A variety of choices in patterns and fabrics, SS15 is here to enhance the functional while referring to the casual undertone, but it never fails to impress.
Atomos by Random Dance at Sadler’s Wells
As a choreographer Wayne McGregor is not just ground-breaking, he is more like colossal. The Artistic Director of the company which bears his name, the Wayne McGregor|Random Dance, is notable for creating choreographies at the limit of what the human body is capable of achieving through performance. Hence this frontier between mind and body is one of the features of McGregor’s work that often resonates in our senses.
Atomos is a piece that reflects on the nature of the human body and the shape of its movements. The choreography is enveloped by the music of A Winged Victory For The Sullen, a tailor-made suit, builds surprising forms in expansion, complex contours and curved lines which produce esoteric shapes.
In short, Atomos is essentially a spectacular piece of visual and plastic art which releases a symphony of colours, thanks to magnificent lighting design by Lucy Carter and costume design by Studio XO, all highlighted by the appearance of 3D displays by Ravi Deepres in the heart of the show. Superb set.
Everyday Illustration: Paola Saliby
I'm a Brazilian illustrator based in Sao Paulo. I've been illustrating for three years in publishing and advertising. I also work on my personal projects, create portraits and custom wedding invitations. My dream is to do a master degree in Europe, expand my work worldwide and have my own illustrated book published.
My ideas come from simple things, like people on the streets, some experiences I have during my day, a book or a movie I saw. In my illustrations I like to explore prints and patterns, creating interesting and exciting textures and I also like childlike themes very much.
I love working with analogical tools like gouache and watercolour.
Creativity is a very complete subject. It's about using perception, logic and sensibility in order to analyse things from a different point of view. It’s something that with dedication everybody can develop throughout life.
Paola Saliby
We like Designer MARTINE ROSE
“NEW BEAT GENERATION – ADRENALIN – LONDON DANCE”
“NEW BEAT GENERATION – ADRENALIN – LONDON DANCE” – the words taken from a flyer, printed on to patches and sewn on to the garments of London menswear Martine Rose’s AW14 collection, inspired by her days on the London rave scene.
Described by Dazed as the “unsung hero of Britain’s menswear scene,” the go-to designer for Rhianna is all about referencing influential British youth movements and reflecting inspiration from her own experiences in her collections. Past seasons have been inspired by the early 90s ravers (AW14), the 70s S&M subculture (SS15) and the skinheads (AW12, AW13 and SS14.)
Originally beginning as a Menswear shirting label in 2007, Rose was scouted by Lulu Kennedy, director of Fashion East when showcasing her debut collection of 10 shirts at a Black private members club in Soho. With the support of Fashion East, Rose debuted her first catwalk collection and subsequently gained the prestigious British Fashion council sponsorship NEWGEN award. The rising design talent now choses to not exhibit on the catwalk, but likes to explore the possibility of alternate options.
Music is a big reference point for designers creative process. In an interview with Dazed she said: “I got turned on to fashion through music. It didn’t come the other way around.” Her subculture inspired silhouettes blend masculinity and femininity, we see an eclectic mix of odd proportions, unexpected fabric combinations and unconventional textile paring in her designs.
For AW15 Rose takes us back to urban 90s with what she describes as a “sporty crusty ravey type vibe” in a collaboration with fashion collective #BEENTRILL#. She has also collaborated with Ditto Press and artist Toby Mott to create a made-to-order MA1 jacket and a limited-edition patch set and badge featuring Grogger and Inch to mark the book Skinhead: An Archive.
Previous collaborations for the designer include Wallpaper Magazine, Timberland, Ligne Roset, CAT and Boutique Department store Browns. Rose has received press attention across the globe and boasts stocks in the US, Europe and Asia.
PACO POMET’s Surrealist Visual Games
Playing with vibrant colour, absurd details and shifts in perspective, Paco Pomet is an artist that demonstrates a propensity for surrealism, successfully converging fiction and reality in his oil paintings.
Pomet’s interests lie in exploring the grey area between the commonplace and the absurd –subverted landscapes and portraits borrow from sepia-toned vintage photographs resembling historical documents, the degree of manipulation of these sources varying from subtle to explicit and unrestrained.
Previous exhibitions include Shipwrecks, shown in Copenhagen’s Bendixen Contemporary Art gallery with works showcasing Pomet’s playful and oneiric style:
“Paco Pomet's paintings are visual games. At first sight they show a recognisable environment, but before long, the imitation of reality tips over into an illogical narrative that draws on the symbolic language of Magic Realism…. The author, as he has always done, invites the spectator to enter an exercise of interpretation where the constructive elements of the images are divested of all conventionality.”
Unambiguously titled Obra Reciente (‘recent work’), Pomet’s most recent exhibition in Madrid’s My Name’s Lolita Art gallery sees the artist tackling industrial progress as it took place early in the twentieth century.
Modifying source material from American municipal files, Pomet comments on civilizational regression, evident in the wounds inflicted to the landscapes portrayed – ‘Rojo’ (‘red’) depicts felled trees with their insides exposed and the workmen responsible flecked with a red element suggestive of blood. ‘Fin de siècle’ shows prospectors basking in the golden glow of the new century’s roman numerals, those of the last eerily looming over them in the background wooden and grayscale; the images are tainted with proleptic irony, the onslaught on the environment that would take place over the next century evident to all but those portrayed.
Completing a Fine Arts Degree at the University of Granada in Spain, Pomet went on to study at the School of Visual Arts in New York; He currently lives and works in Granada.
Paco Pomet
GUILLAUME PANARIELLO
– Post Production Perfection
French filmmaker Guillaume Panariello uses technology to create a virtual reality. He explores the emerging platforms that accompany film, with impressive visual effects and a unique playful outcome. His most recent film, a music video for ‘Unconditional Rebel’ by Siska was shot on a Phantom 4K in five seconds at 1000fps. A panning shot of a group of eighty extras creating a ‘living dreamlike mural’ . Although the film can often be overpowering with the excessive use of visual effects, it’s undeniable that Unconditional Rebel has a certain flourish, making you unable to avert your attention.
He works in a modern, progressive way using motion to create atmosphere, controlling the speed to suit the sound delicately and placing effects in post-production that shape his work subtly. Panariello’s passion creates beautifully shot images, always harbouring a pleasing use of colour and detail.
Ballade Pour Une Boite De Verre (A Ballad for A Box of Glass)
An electronic bucket roams around an empty room
As part of Fondation Cartier’s 30 years, an electronic bucket roams around an empty room. Every so often, a surprising drop of water falls directly into the bucket.
An installation from Diller Scofidio and Renfro, New York based interdisciplinary design studio, in collaboration with composer, David Lang and sound designer, Jody Elff. The piece creates a dialogue between the museum building (designed by Jean Nouvelle) and the sound. Every movement is perfected, with every action having a consequence in the complex set up. Everything rests upon the reliability of the sound to the drop from the building, creating equilibrium.
The bucket is accompanied by a large screen, which hangs towards the floor, from waist height. Visitors are encouraged to use low chairs to get underneath the screen and watch the colourful image, which is a real time view from the bucket. Each drop creates a ripple, the image ever changing and constantly in motion, creates a relaxing final realisation in the installation. The large space used complements the journey you go through understanding the link and discovering new aspects to the installation, you have to walk around and get involved to fully gain a perception of what it is you’re viewing, making the piece powerful on many levels.
For the love of music and anime: VICTOR JARDEL
I'm a 27 years old French, I live in Paris. I spent 5 years in a Parisian graphic school and made 2 short films with my friends Eddy Loukil and Ghayth Chegaar there -- I was mainly focused on the animation, and listened Senbeï's music in a loop.
After I started to work as a freelance animator. And one night when I went to see Smokey Joe and The Kid playing live (a group former by IRB and Senbeï), I wanted Senbeï's autograph on my newly bought album, just like all fans… but I got to talk to him about my job. I told him that I really wanted to make animated music video. Our collaboration started there.
I started this collaboration with the clip Robbery Anthem Song: a universe had already created in my mind by its sound. I stayed in contact with my friend Eddy Loukil and told him (as an also Senbeï's fan) he could help me to make that clip. So the Grey Monkey Production was created.
We made another clip together for Smokey Joe And The Kid (with Senbeï so) Slow Drag.
I made videos for Senbeï's live then, but Senbeï wanted some simple visuals, so I did it on my own.
Then Senbeï wanted me to make the clip Rain. I really wanted to make live video and feature my characters in 3D. It is a type of video that I really wanted to have in my portfolio. So I went filming in some corners of Paris I like.
It took me 2 months and a half to complete that video (including the inspiration time and the pre-production). I would like to have much more time, but I saw this small leap like a challenge.
My main inspirations come from Ghibli’s universe (the productions studio, Princess Mononoke, Le Voyage de Chihiro ...), Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas, and some draws I make.
The art is for me the expression of our dreams or nightmares. My creativity comes a lot from my nightmares, I’ve had some sleeping troubles for a while and I think that affects my ideas. I can't complain much because it helps me with work and I love my work.
SS15 Illustrated: Our favourite fashion illustrators
Though fashion illustration has slowly been on the decline since the late 1930’s with the emergence of photography, nothing can replace the ethereal and timeless beauty of a detailed hand sketch, which has the power to utterly bring a design to life.
Admired as an art form, there is something so incredibly charming about a detailed reportage illustration, which translates an artists unique interpretation and impression.
Whilst only playing a small role to the contribution of magazines and advertising, there is still a role for the craft in the industry. Stylish sketches are particularly illustrious in the blogosphere, esteemed by fashion power houses, and regarded as collectable pieces of art.
From minimalistic pencil sketches, to bold, striking shapes which play with form and proportion - fashion illustrators have the freedom to pour their artistic style into the essence of their work and to inspire us with their distinctive visions.
For each of the fashion capitals, resident illustrators are commissioned by SHOWstudio to create a series of original sketches. Some elegant, some playful, some focusing on one detail in particular and others balancing light and dark, but all strikingly unique with their signature styles.
Among my favourite fashion illustrators is London and LA based Velwyn Yossy. Distinctively associated with elegance and style, as SHOWstudio's resident London Fashion Week S/S15 illustrator, Yossy has produced a series of original artworks inspired by womenswear collections including Burberry, J. JS Lee, and Issa. Using a mix of clean lines and bold colours the artist pushed the boundaries conceptually with her unique interpretations.
Working in paint, noted for her bold striking splashes of colour, Australian contemporary figurative painter Abbey McCulloch, named as one of ‘Australia’s 50 Most Collectable Artists’ by Australian Art Collector in 2009, illustrated the many runway styles from Paris Fashion Week. McCulloch depicted looks for Louis Vuitton, Viktor and Rolf, Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney, Balmain, Givenchy and Sonia Rykiel to name a few.
In complete style contrast NYFW was documented in the simplistic and fragile signature style of Victoria Kim, the New York born and raised artist who has worked for publications such as Visionaire and V Magazine. Kim depicted the key runway looks from shows including Marc Jacobs, Calvin Klein, Alexander Wang and Gareth Pugh.
The bold graphic work of Damien Florébert Cuypers is also especially recognised. Capturing New York Fashion Week with “impressionistic portraits of the fashion set” as noted by The New York Times, his colourful sketches in his signature crayon style which jump from the page give evidence to why this exquisite art should always have a place in the fashion industry.
From haute couture to street wear, to depicting runway styles and fashion personalities, there will always be a space for the art form of impression drawings in the industry, no matter how advanced technology becomes. Illustration will continue to thrive with the help of these talented artists.
Introducing new age multi-media platform: OPENLAB
In a world where supply and demand is ever important and where the supply side of multi-media representation is ever increasing, staying unique and ahead of the game is essential. We had a look at newcomer multi-media platform OpenLab to see what the new kid on the block has to offer.
Trance-genre Godfather Robert Miles, the internationally acclaimed DJ whose track 'Children' sold over five million copies, founded OpenLab with the objective of creating a premium multi-media platform offering the “now-and-the-next” in music, design, art, technology, architecture and ecology – on demand.
The self-proclaimed ethos of would-be ‘hostess-with-the-mostess’ OpenLab is a promotion of possibility and diversity in output, without compromising quality or the ambition to bring about all that is most desirable in “tomorrow’s world…today”. It is a boutique concept and compared with larger, more detached streaming platforms such as Spotify it may well offer users and artists alike a more personal experience. What really sets it apart from its competitors is what seems to be a carefully curated assortment of various modes of artistic expressions.
The OpenLab brand has a rather couple of ahead, launching a curated music service and digital download store, a subscription streaming service, a social network, and finally opening a creative space in Ibiza for collaborating artists. With astounding visuals and a strong portfolio the platform creates a unique use of music and visual content online, perhaps pioneering the way for a new era, in which we witness a comeback of the radio. And, in doing so, which achieves another important goal – “broadcasting the spirit of Ibiza”.
The OpenLab community, whose partners include household names such as International Music Summit, IBZ Entertainment, Ghostly and Rough Trade, now boasts more than 700,000 users in 140 countries and numerous of the world’s best independent record labels, musicians and visual artists.
‘One Glance Backwards’: CHRISTINA PETTERSSON and the Modern Myth
With a diverse body of work and a penchant for bygone art, Miami-based artist Christina Petterssonlooks back in order to look forward.
With a diverse body of work and a penchant for bygone art, Miami-based artist Christina Petterssonlooks back in order to look forward.
While successful as a performance, video, and installation artist, Pettersson is most renowned for her monumental drawings. With a tendency to reference classical mythology and themes of tragic demise, her drawings are compared to history painting of the past. Portrayals of twisted tree-filled forests, ominous animals, and mysterious figures comprise her drawn oeuvre, which is rendered in graphite and done in scrupulous detail.
In addition to otherworldly themes, her drawings also frequently include self-portraits, a tradition heavily rooted in the time-honoured history of art. Whether nude, positioned as a lounging goddess, or actively interacting with her folkloric surroundings, each likeness alludes to the classical artistic genres that first inspired her.
While self-portraiture is a recurring and key theme in her work, Pettersson does not seek to become the focal point of her drawings. Her intent, rather, rests in narrative:
"I want to restore that epic and mythological dimension, a sense of awe and reverence for the world. The fact is they are not much about my personality. I want to be a storyteller. I want to believe that life is still wild."
This fascination with untamed nature is prevalent in Pettersson’s entire portfolio – namely, The Last Look, a video and installation piece. Inspired by the myth of Persephone, this work is comprised of a short film, projected onto a screen positioned above a three-dimensional scene of wild earth.
Still, even with The Last Look, Pettersson conveys her inherent interest in the past:
“Persephone was allowed to leave the underworld every year, yet every year she had to return. She sees the first sign of light at the end of the tunnel, yet already knows its limits. The darkness will drag her down again. Maybe just one glance backwards. History is full of last looks, stories of people who couldn't help themselves, even when instructed not to turn around. It is so uniquely human to crave that finality. But for someone with such power as Persephone? The opening to the underworld is crystallized by her very breath.”
Ultimately, through her drawings, video art, and installations, Pettersson successfully conjures contemporary pieces that, through past traditions and historical inspirations, “embody a restless spirit, a longing for the unbounded and indefinable, and fervent emotion as the truest source of visual experience.”
Nouveau in Paris: Selected Galleries
With Paris only two hours away from London by train...
With Paris only two hours away from London by train, it has never been easier to visit the world’s most romantic city; whether you have planned a trip to the French capital any time soon or are lucky enough to live there, we have compiled a list of five must visit galleries that are guaranteed to have you falling in love with art.
Suzanne Tarasieve
7 Rue Pastourelle – 75003, Paris
Suzanne Tarasieve is currently showing an exhibition by artist Boris Mikhaïlov comprised of pieces of work from 1989, retouched and reworked by the artist to offer a fresh perspective. Ukrainian born Mikhaïlov faced difficulties in the past due to his photography being considered too political and morally subversive; the photographs featured in the current exhibition were taken on his first trip to the west after the collapse of the Soviet Bloc in 1989 in a new climate of freedom, and express the artists wonder with Paris. They now appear coloured in strokes of gold and silver with certain details redrawn.
Some of Suzanne Tarasieve’s represented artists include Neal Fox and Juergen Teller; the former is a London artist whose work often features well known icons and figures decontextualized and juxtaposed in nightmarish and chaotic compositions. Teller is a German born artist currently living in London, guaranteed to provoke thought and controversy through his work which often features full frontal nudity and the human form depicted in all its natural garishness.
Galerie Itinerrance
7 bis rue René Goscinny 75013, Paris
With a focus on street art, Galerie Itinerrance describes itself as part of the urban fabric in full economic and cultural expansion and boasts a formidable list of represented street artists from all over the world.
Notable artists include Shoof, whose work strongly features his traditional Tunisian calligraphy desecrated and reworked; the gallery also represents Spanish artist David de la Mano whose complex humanist street art depicts powerful images of symbolic mass human behaviour.
Zürcher
56, rue Chapon F-75003, Paris
Zürcher is one of Paris’ well established galleries with an exhibition space in New York as well as in Paris’ city centre. The gallery’s current exhibition in New York is entitled Ornamenting Crime, a group show dedicated to playing with ideas of decoration; the exhibition title is derived from Adolf Loos’ seminal essay Ornament and Crime, a work which explores the trivial nature of decorative objects in history.
“Ornamenting Crime is a celebration of the throbbing, pulsating, force that is decoration.”
Past exhibitions include If You’re Accidentally Not Included, Don’t Worry About It, a show featuring pop-art inspired pieces by a variety of American artists including Peter Saul and Regina Bogat that was iterated at both their New York and Paris locations.
Galerie Laurent Godin
5, rue du grenier Saint-Lazare 75003, Paris
Laurent Godin is committed to frequently organizing solo shows by artists who pay particular attention to politics, sociology and culture in their artistic practices, not limited to a specific medium or artistic background. The gallery’s current exhibition is entitled Aires austéres (roughly translated into ‘austere areas’) and guarantees to avoid the chic and commonplace, as is often the case with artist Sven ‘t Jolle. Jolle is one of the gallery’s represented artists, and works primarily through the medium of sculpture.
Also represented by Laurent Godin is performance artist Liz Cohen, whose work contextualises the portrayal of the female form as it is commonly seen in playful and sexualised asymmetry with highly masculine environments and tools. Cohen is also a prize-winning automotive designer.
In collaboration with the French editor Onestar Press, the gallery also develops artist books connected to the exhibitions which are on display.
Jola Sidi Gallery
80 rue Gravilliers 75003, Paris
Created with the aim of supporting contemporary artists, painters, photographers and designers, Jola Sidi is a beautifully renovated exhibition space. The gallery recently played host to Michal Batory, a Polish graphic artist who began his career as a graphic designer primarily making movie posters; entitled Images sans titres (‘untitled Images’), the exhibition featured a collection of works whose clean lines, bright colours and attention grabbing imagery speak for themselves.
The gallery’s current exhibition Tickle the palate is Polish artist Dorota Buczkowskza’s first solo Paris exhibition and develops a narrative between man and his environment. Buczkowska works in different media including drawing, sculpture, installation and video, and is one of Poland’s most notable artists at the moment.
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