'nuff said.
Thursday, 25 November 2010
Wednesday, 24 November 2010
How I Made It in Fashion
review by Amy Green
photography by Chu Ting Ng
Last night, the Fashion Society kicked off its programme of careers events with How I Made It in Fashion – an opportunity to find out how five women from across the industry took their first steps towards success. Around fifty LSE students gathered at WEXO Towers on the Strand to listen to talks by fashion journalists, brand managers, boutique owners and designers. And, in true student style, drink free wine and receive goody bags.
A common theme througout the evening was the sheer hard work required to be a success in such a competitive industry. Whatever the career path, the women all talked of long hours and menial tasks. Kinvara Balfour, most recently London Editor for DailyCandy.com, spoke of her entry-level positions in fashion journalism as being just like The Devil Wears Prada. One evening in particular stood out in her mind. At 7:30pm, just about to leave to meet friends for dinner, she received a phone call telling her to immediately source dozens of dresses for a shoot scheduled to take place at 9am the following morning. Though disagreeing with the Devil simile (!), Emily Zak, currently Retail Editor at Vogue UK, talked of working 90-hour weeks for her internships and entry level Fashion Assistant roles. Meanwhile Kate Canvin emphasised the months and months she spent researching markets and brands before even deciding to set up her boutique, Austique.
On a completely different note, the panelists weren’t particularly enamoured with fashion’s most recent development: fashion blogging. Zak argued that, though it is great that people without traditional fashion journalism experience are able to air their views, they are doing so in exactly the same way as print magazines without bringing anything new to the table. Balfour backed this up, stating that blogs are just one of a number of important media in fashion and it is unlikely that an individual’s blog could become a feasible business. Sorry, Qualified!
However, all agreed that the internet has had a huge impact on the industry. Chloe Lonsdale, founder of the re-established brand Made in Heaven jeans, noted that if you want to become a successful designer or store, it is now absolutely vital to have a strong web presence with an online store or online stockists. Zak pointed to the success of Net A Porter as evidence of this trend. So, if you’re tech-savvy there might be some fantastic opportunities in fashion web development, social media and online marketing out there for you and this would be well worth exploring.
What really stood out was the sheer diversity of backgrounds these women came from, and the huge range of roles available within the industry. Wherever your skills lie, and whatever experience you have, there will be a role that fits, whether it’s writing, design, marketing, management, computer programming or something else. As Lonsdale said, if you find a talent for something, anything, it gives you such confidence and that boost to really go for it.
Obvious, though, was the group’s shared love of clothing and fashion pre-dating their specific career choices. To get anywhere in any subsection of the industry, you need to know what you’re talking about inside out – as well as the usual knowledge about what’s hot right now, you need to know about brand heritage, cultural and historical references in fashion and why designers are designing their products in a particular way. What’s the inspiration? What do you personally like? And, as you’ll need to work your butt off to stand out, if your heart isn’t completely in it, if you only ‘kinda like’ fashion, you’ll most likely find yourself resenting the long hours and tea-making that nearly all potential fashionistas need to put in at the start of their careers.
The night was a fantastic insight for those of us hoping to work in fashion or, really, any creative industry not normally showcased on a campus characterised by the ‘banking-consulting-finance’ stranglehold. What I most took heart from is that there are diverse opportunities out there, things that don’t involve global finance and hedge funds and lawyers, and those opportunities are very much open to us all as LSE graduates.
The ladies’ best careers advice? Work hard, be polite and do what you’re asked to do! It’s a hard grind, but the rewards are more than worth it.
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If you couldn’t make the event, the Fashion Society will be uploading a full video of the evening so you don’t miss out. And look out for more Fashion Society careers events throughout the year on our Facebook page.
Tuesday, 16 November 2010
Future Beauty: 30 Years of Japanese Fashion
by Chu Ting Ng
Three decades of Japanese fashion and history graces the Barbican Centre’s Art Gallery this autumn, courtesy of the Kyoto Costume Institute. Curated by the Institute’s Director, Akiko Fukai, this exhibition traces the development of Japanese design and lays out the simple elegance that defines Japanese beauty.
Future Beauty takes you through the evolution of Japanese design visually, first contextualising the clothing with a touch of fashion history. In the early 1980s, Japanese designers shocked the industry by advancing an aesthetic that defied prevalent Western trends. At the time, the West embraced boldness, colours and fitted tailoring. Following the fame and success of Kenzo Takada and Issey Miyake, Rei Kawakubo, founder of Comme des Garcons and Yohji Yamamoto sought to conceal the body through large, flowing geometric shapes in a variety of fabrics. The feminine shape was disposed of and deconstructed to make way for androgyny, drawing attention to design by obscuring the distracting and less aesthetically significant human form.
Kawakubo introduced the world to her surprising vision in 1982, and the ensuing reaction was coined the “black shock”. Her protégé, Junya Watanabe, expanded the range of Kawakubo’s definition by shaping black fabric of different textures and weight. The emphasis of each garment was structure without frills, to the point of being almost architectural. As early as 2001, Watanabe’s textile innovation and use of modern synthetic materials earned the label of “techno-couture”, sparking yet another design branch. Design, different fabric, one colour (or perhaps a non-colour): those defined the “new black” look. Today, this unique and highly specific philosophy has certainly left its mark on newer designers such as Margiela and Ann Demeulemeester. Both designers hold the same reverence for deliberately clean and clear palettes, abandoning colour in favour of emphasis on design.
In one section, Future Beauty highlighted Rei Kawakubo’s desertion of tailoring and the sculted silhouette. Exploring the concept of flatness, Kawakubo opposed the conventions of gender-specific dressing and defied the narrow expectations of Western culture. This was preceded by Issey Miyake’s 1976 work, “A Piece of Cloth”, featuring a figure in a single length of fabric hung in geometric shapes. This experimental work was a statement of ma, the Japanese notion that voids between objects are not merely empty, but rich and energised spaces. The focus on negative space and spartan lines reveal the cultural preference for an unadorned aesthetic that speaks for itself without unnecessary distractions.
Challenging norms and tradition was another feature of Japanese design that the exhibition raised. For a culture so rooted in tradition, Japanese designers addressed taboos and trod new avant garde ground. Yamamoto encroached on kimono culture, but not without careful thought and deliberation as he formerly considered it taboo. Kawakubo likewise subverted tradition through experimental deconstruction and editing. Clothing archetypes were modified extensively to the point of reinvention. Beyond design, Kawakubo also rebelled on the runway. In a recorded interview, she decided to use men from every profession as models to bring out each outfit’s distinct personality. Art world personalities and celebrities were used on the catwalk as well, following early catalogues featuring figures from Japanese art and literature. Contemporary designer Jun Takahashi took the lead from his masters, presenting a striking red dress comprised entirely of layers of skull cut-outs in his Spring/Summer 2007 collection. His line, Under Cover, also bears the same enhancement by touches of incongruence and controversy.
Future Beauty rounded off on a youthful note by devoting the tail end to Ohya and ZUCCA, labels embraced by a younger demographic. Instead of embodying pure beauty, these modern labels spawned from the hokoten (“pedestrian paradise”) of the now famous Harajuku populated by students and young people. Amidst the chaos and sensory overload, Ohya and ZUCCA turned to a simple and judicious incorporation of classic manga icons, such as Hello Kitty and Astro Boy. International icons were also featured. In his Spring/Summer 2000 collection, Hirosaki Ohya presented a dress constructed from twenty one volumes of books. Again with the architectural feel, the patterning and shapes of the folds were inspired by the Wizard of Oz. Other designers also fell into subgroups. A noteworthy and unusual aesthetic would be the Gothic Lolita look, which plays on the juxtapositions of overt sexuality, girlish kawaii-ness (“cuteness”) and child-like elements packaged in Victorian or Rococo-inspired costumes.
This is definitely the exhibition to see as a breather from work. The time span it covers is well-plotted and provides a comprehensive insight into Japanese design. One point to note: although visually stimulating, Future Beauty would be far better appreciated with some background knowledge on Japanese culture. Some familiarity with fashion history and technical terms would be useful as well, so read up and head on down today!
-
This review has also been published in this week's issue of PartB, The Beaver. Pick up a copy for more on fashion, news, music and other LSE happenings!
Three decades of Japanese fashion and history graces the Barbican Centre’s Art Gallery this autumn, courtesy of the Kyoto Costume Institute. Curated by the Institute’s Director, Akiko Fukai, this exhibition traces the development of Japanese design and lays out the simple elegance that defines Japanese beauty.
Future Beauty takes you through the evolution of Japanese design visually, first contextualising the clothing with a touch of fashion history. In the early 1980s, Japanese designers shocked the industry by advancing an aesthetic that defied prevalent Western trends. At the time, the West embraced boldness, colours and fitted tailoring. Following the fame and success of Kenzo Takada and Issey Miyake, Rei Kawakubo, founder of Comme des Garcons and Yohji Yamamoto sought to conceal the body through large, flowing geometric shapes in a variety of fabrics. The feminine shape was disposed of and deconstructed to make way for androgyny, drawing attention to design by obscuring the distracting and less aesthetically significant human form.
Kawakubo introduced the world to her surprising vision in 1982, and the ensuing reaction was coined the “black shock”. Her protégé, Junya Watanabe, expanded the range of Kawakubo’s definition by shaping black fabric of different textures and weight. The emphasis of each garment was structure without frills, to the point of being almost architectural. As early as 2001, Watanabe’s textile innovation and use of modern synthetic materials earned the label of “techno-couture”, sparking yet another design branch. Design, different fabric, one colour (or perhaps a non-colour): those defined the “new black” look. Today, this unique and highly specific philosophy has certainly left its mark on newer designers such as Margiela and Ann Demeulemeester. Both designers hold the same reverence for deliberately clean and clear palettes, abandoning colour in favour of emphasis on design.
In one section, Future Beauty highlighted Rei Kawakubo’s desertion of tailoring and the sculted silhouette. Exploring the concept of flatness, Kawakubo opposed the conventions of gender-specific dressing and defied the narrow expectations of Western culture. This was preceded by Issey Miyake’s 1976 work, “A Piece of Cloth”, featuring a figure in a single length of fabric hung in geometric shapes. This experimental work was a statement of ma, the Japanese notion that voids between objects are not merely empty, but rich and energised spaces. The focus on negative space and spartan lines reveal the cultural preference for an unadorned aesthetic that speaks for itself without unnecessary distractions.
Challenging norms and tradition was another feature of Japanese design that the exhibition raised. For a culture so rooted in tradition, Japanese designers addressed taboos and trod new avant garde ground. Yamamoto encroached on kimono culture, but not without careful thought and deliberation as he formerly considered it taboo. Kawakubo likewise subverted tradition through experimental deconstruction and editing. Clothing archetypes were modified extensively to the point of reinvention. Beyond design, Kawakubo also rebelled on the runway. In a recorded interview, she decided to use men from every profession as models to bring out each outfit’s distinct personality. Art world personalities and celebrities were used on the catwalk as well, following early catalogues featuring figures from Japanese art and literature. Contemporary designer Jun Takahashi took the lead from his masters, presenting a striking red dress comprised entirely of layers of skull cut-outs in his Spring/Summer 2007 collection. His line, Under Cover, also bears the same enhancement by touches of incongruence and controversy.
Future Beauty rounded off on a youthful note by devoting the tail end to Ohya and ZUCCA, labels embraced by a younger demographic. Instead of embodying pure beauty, these modern labels spawned from the hokoten (“pedestrian paradise”) of the now famous Harajuku populated by students and young people. Amidst the chaos and sensory overload, Ohya and ZUCCA turned to a simple and judicious incorporation of classic manga icons, such as Hello Kitty and Astro Boy. International icons were also featured. In his Spring/Summer 2000 collection, Hirosaki Ohya presented a dress constructed from twenty one volumes of books. Again with the architectural feel, the patterning and shapes of the folds were inspired by the Wizard of Oz. Other designers also fell into subgroups. A noteworthy and unusual aesthetic would be the Gothic Lolita look, which plays on the juxtapositions of overt sexuality, girlish kawaii-ness (“cuteness”) and child-like elements packaged in Victorian or Rococo-inspired costumes.
This is definitely the exhibition to see as a breather from work. The time span it covers is well-plotted and provides a comprehensive insight into Japanese design. One point to note: although visually stimulating, Future Beauty would be far better appreciated with some background knowledge on Japanese culture. Some familiarity with fashion history and technical terms would be useful as well, so read up and head on down today!
-
This review has also been published in this week's issue of PartB, The Beaver. Pick up a copy for more on fashion, news, music and other LSE happenings!
Monday, 15 November 2010
Friday, 12 November 2010
Future Beauty: 30 Years of Japanese Fashion
by Chu Ting Ng
The Barbican Centre Art Gallery, running from 15 October 2010 to 6 February 2011. Features Rei Kawakubo, Yohji Yamamoto, Junya Watanabe, Kenzo Takada, Issey Miyake, Jun Takahashi and more.
A full review will be published in PartB of next week's edition of The Beaver. Until then, visit the exhibition yourself and check back here for the story!
The Barbican Centre Art Gallery, running from 15 October 2010 to 6 February 2011. Features Rei Kawakubo, Yohji Yamamoto, Junya Watanabe, Kenzo Takada, Issey Miyake, Jun Takahashi and more.
A full review will be published in PartB of next week's edition of The Beaver. Until then, visit the exhibition yourself and check back here for the story!
Tuesday, 9 November 2010
Monday, 8 November 2010
Water Movement
Modelled by Pia Jacqueline Chandra, Georgina Wood and Chu Ting Ng
Photography and processing by Jaime Tai and Pia Jacqueline Chandra
Jaime Tai is a budding designer currently doing her BA in Fashion Design with Marketing at Central Saint Martins. These are her original designs.
If you're interested in purchasing any of these capes, drop her an email at cerise_billetdoux@hotmail.com. Pieces are limited but can be made to order.
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