Having worked for the UK Fashion & Textiles Association advising British fashion companies on strategies to expand business for the past 10 years, Maria Alvarez, Executive Director and founding member of Fashion Awareness Direct (FAD) has been helping young people bridge the gap between education and industry. We sat down to pick her brain about business, Markus Lupfer and good old-fashioned self promotion.

Here are her 5 things every designer should know:

With thanks to Maria Alvarez at FAD

Words: Jacqueline Anyanwu

SHOP THIS!

SHOP HERE

1. ’Tom Ford For Men’ -  We all know that sex sells especially when it comes to the fashion and beauty world.  I just love how photographer Terry Richardson is able to ‘commercialize’ sexual narrative in his work and is able to translate this into campaign images, which ironically ends up on billboards for the whole world to see.

2. Dutch photographer Erwin Olaf is one of my biggest inspirations, period. His imagery is provocative, conceptual, yet perfectly technically balanced. This series titled ‘Fashion Victims’, for me, is an exceptionally executed concept. It talks about how we ‘hide’ behind the brands we are wearing, masking our true selves. The rest of the series portray lots of naked models, but I chose this image because YSL is one of my favourite brands…

3.German photographer Armin Morbach shot this editorial for Cosmo Germany.  I was pleasantly surprised to see how explicit sexual content and subject (such as latex underwear and Araki bondage) can go hand-in-hand with a high fashion story.

4. An image of my own, shot backstage at the Charlie le Mindu LFW catwalkshow. I love this image for it’s unrestricted power but it transcends the self-confident models:  It’s the look and feel, the animalistic proportions of black girls wearing animal print combined with neon colouring, it just makes me happy looking at it. The image itself was marked as  the judges’ (as well as Princess Julia’s) favourite for the Hospitalclub’s ‘I love’ competition: it will be published in their next printed issue.

5. A second image of my own, as part of my series for Dutch magazine, Real. I love this image for it’s power: The graphic, high-key nature of the image gives it a pop effect, which comes even more alive when printed. I have a blown up 30-inch portrait of it in my studio.

In my work, I am always trying to create a mixture of elements, whether it be sexual undertones, graphic details or media based elements. It is when various aspects work well together that an image becomes truly successful. In this over visualized world we live in, it’s actually a compliment for a photographer/image-maker when somebody looks at your picture, and it holds their attention for longer than 2.2 seconds.

CV Highlights:

Working with Dutch fashion designer Jessica Joyce to create her editorial lookbook for her New York Fashion Week capsule collection.

Creating the filmcover for  documentary ‘Nooit meer laf’ in english: ‘Never a coward again’, the film cover had the main character, a World War fighter,  pictured naked, clutching a pistol. It’s one of my photographic highlights to date!

I have just graduated from London College of Fashion with a Masters degree in fashion photography; my final project, entitled ‘Manifesto’, was one of my biggest ever. It’s fashion photography, but constructed with bullet-time animation: It will be launched online soon, so watch this space!

Working as creative director for Supperclub London, executing concepts in line with Supperclub’s brand identity through commercial photography, art, performance, styling, and set design.

why PHOTOGRAPHY?

I have been photographing for around 5 years now, and my love for this craft keeps on growing. Photography gives me the opportunity to take control, to create a world that actually only exists in my head and allows me to bring it out for the rest of the world to see.

who INSPIRES you?

Viktor & Rolf, I love all of their elaborate catwalk shows, especially the way they execute their concepts.

Inez van Lamsweerde & Vinoodh Matadin. Dutch fashion photographer Inez moved to New York in the 80′s to pursue her career on a higher level: And so she did! Working for the biggest names in the world, the likes of YSL and Lanvin, her career is the perfect inspirational and motivational story.

who would you love to SHOOT, alive or dead?
It may be cliche, but I need to shoot Naomi Campbell. She is an unparalleled icon; I would love to see in front of my lens.

what’s the perfect SOUNDTRACK to shoot to?

Fischerspooner -Invisible
Heiko Voss – Call Me Now
Hercules & The Love Affair- You Belong
LCD Soundsystem- Losing My Edge

what’s your JOURNEY in photography?

Experimental, avant-garde and sexy chic

give us a self-made QUOTE:

‘Without creativity there is nothing’

Giovanni Martins

www.thisisgio.com

Interview: Melissa Carew

Sometimes, love is not a walk in the park…

Photography by Cristine Leone
Art direction and Styling by Melissa Carew

His: Hoodie by Izzue; Waistcoat by Todd Lynn; Shirt by Zara; Trainers by Converse

Her: ‘Love’ T-shirt by Izzue; Dress by Bitching & Junkfood;Necklace and Earrings by Culietta;Boots by Office

His: T-Shirt by Izzue

Her: Vintage mohair jacket by Beyond Retro; Silk top by Kumiko Watari; Shorts by TWO WEEKS

His: Jacket and jeans by Snake and Dagger

Her: Sweater dress by Fam Irvoll; Necklace by FAM/A&C = SANT; Boots as before

His: T-Shirt by Izzue

Shot with Lomography’s The Diana Mini “Love Is In The Air”

WHO: Men’s Ones to Watch: C/Bruerburg, A.Hallucination, Mr Lipop and Asger Juel Larson

WHERE: Vauxhall Fashion Scout @ Freemasons’ Hall

FRONT ROW: Paul Weller, Vogue’s Jessica Bumpus, LFW regular and fashion writer Yu Masui and stylist Richard Pickard

WHAT: First up C/Bruerberg, whose collection had a chic hippie-festival influence – neon green silly string-style headgear and woven tops, muted greys and shiny black tracksuit bottoms and leggings with knitted ponchos. Next, A.Hallucination’s modern take on 70′s suits; doing what they do best, the collection focused on black, brown and navy and comprised stunning blazers with knitted sleeves, duffle coats with two-tone colours and white bow ties. Mr Lipop’s collection was a more minimalist take on suits; burgundy-purple, collarless and simply with a low, loose tee underneath. Blazers were also paired with shorts and brogues (no socks) and coverups came in the form of fur-lined duffle coats and a black leather jacket with a shearling lining. Finally, Asger Juel Larson presented his gothic collection. A taxidermy headpiece and top hats with black crosses provided a starting point; as the eye scanned down the body we saw a multitude of star prints, leggings with criss-cross corseted string and plenty of leather with zips and chains.

HIGHLIGHT: A gorgeous long white jumper with lace and transparent panels by C/Bruerberg; A.Hallucination’s duffle-meets-blazer jackets, Mr Lipop’s leather rucksacks with suede pockets and Asger Juel Larson’s finale look – a tophat off which a muted black, brown and navy American flag (quite literally the size of a flag, or perhaps a duvet) cascaded. Sweeping down the runway, this look summed up the washed-up, gothic Americana aesthetic.

QUOTES: Jessica Bumpus told us, “I saw the last guy at the LCF MA show but it was great to see again and I loved A.Hallucination.”

Words: Katie Rose

Photography: Cristine Leone

C/Bruerburg

A.Hallucination

Mr Lipop

ajLarsen

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2011 FAD Competition winner: Milly Jackson

WHO: FAD

WHERE: Vauxhall Fashion Scout @ Freemasons’ Hall

FRONT ROW: Members of the FAD panel: founder Maria Alvarez de Toledo, Wendy Dagworthy, Head of Fashion and Textiles at the RCA and Whistles CEO Jane Shepherdson.

WHAT: The fifteen finalists of the FAD competition presented their responses to the brief: ‘Escape (from the everyday)’. Each designer presented two looks which had to show an original interpretation of the brief and could work as a mini collection in its own right. Our favouite looks from each collection included Annie Vallis’ mountainous prints, muddy red shorts and translucent trench coat with harness; Emily Booker’s bright knit balaclavas with oversized bobbles; Emma Clifton’s surreal cartoon-esque pieces: a grey jacket with gashes and a dripping blood jumper with a blue fishscale skirt; Kerri Goulden’s plastic neon jewellery; Qi Zhang’s colour palette of brown-grey and mint-turquoise; Ashleigh Downer’s hook and eye detailing; Lucy Johnson’s hooded brown men’s parka and leaf scarf look; Rachael Brooks’ big peter pan collars and big flouncy clown sleeves and Rachel Copper’s architectural separates; Kay Wilcox’s space-age blue skirt with spikes of silver material jutting out at the hips; Esther Ndongala’s deconstructed kimono-style coat; Milly Jackson’s monochrome Tweedledee and Tweedledum-style dresses, super huge structured skirts and toadstool detail; Shabana Mahomed’s gathered skirts and technicolour panels; Joanna Course Mandle’s fantastic headgear with hair, purple and pink flowers and horns and Laura Carew-Gibson’s tassels and dip-dye-effect neon sunset colours on a black shaggy fur jacket.

HIGHLIGHT: The announcement of the winners – we came over all tingly and emotional! Annie Vallis and Laura Carew-Gibson were runners up with £1000 each and internship placements and Milly Jackson won the grand prize of £2000 and a design placement at Whistles. The best designers were recognised!

QUOTES: Various overheard comments included: “What a fantastic prize”; “how professional!” and “when we were teaching him we were like ‘what’s wrong with him? Is he on drugs or something?’”

Competition winner: Milly Jackson, Nottingham Trent University

1st runner-up Laura-Carew Gibson, DeMontfort University

2nd runner-up Annie Vallis, Nottingham Trent University

The Finalists

Esther Ndongala

Lucy Johnson

Rachael Brooks

Emily Booker

Rachael Capper

Emma Clifton

Kerri Goulden

Ashleigh Downer

Joanna Louise Mandel

Words: Katie Rose

WHO: A La Disposition

WHERE: Vauxhall Fashion Scout @ Freemasons’ Hall

FRONT ROW: Amelia Gregory, Kelly Morris from Running in Heels and the Fashion Monitor team

WHAT: Entitled ‘The Utopian Aviary’ and set to a soundtrack of classical music and flapping birds’ wings, the collection was beautifully Victoriana-inspired and took its silhouette quite literally from bird-like forms. Dresses and shirts in copper, burgundy, pale turquoise and emerald green sloped downwards at the back into stunning coattails to mimic wings, shoulders were ruched and everything was high-necked and buttoned-up. Black and white vertical stripes lent shirts a certain mod vibe and furry trousers and capes in naturalistic black and white stripes played up the birds of paradise theme.  Birds-nest hair and red contacts gave the clothes a further animalistic vibe.  Divine, demure and quietly confident, this could turn out to be surprisingly wearable too…

HIGHLIGHT: The collars! Gloriously oversized, jutting out at the neck, ruffled to the extreme and supported with rigid material jutting up from the shoulder blades, these collars made a serious impact.

Words: Katie Rose

Photography: Natalie J. Watts

WHO: D.GNAK by KANG.D

WHERE: Vauxhall Fashion Scout @ Freemasons’ Hall

FRONT ROW: Paul Weller, Prince Cassius, Leroy Dawkins of Diary of a Clothes Horse and from Camille of Karma Style blog

WHAT: For his collection ‘Cracks’, Dong Jun Kang presented a kind of schoolboy-meets-Paddington Bear look. Mustard corduroy jumpsuits and trousers, blazers and shirts made for a classic masculine aesthetic, shaken up with modern interpretations for a more casual take. Brown or blue plaid, olive tweed, corduroy and a heavy glug of burgundy made for an accessible colour palette, but it was the details that took these pieces to the next level. Jackets were constructed with two constrasting fabrics - mustard cord and olive tweed, a blue puffa jacket with wool hemming on the collar or a blazer with a sheer black chiffon lining peeping out. Most of the time these blazers incorporated elements of the classic trench, puffa jacket or duffle coat. Extra-long knits in mustard and burgundy were topped off with mittens and the red and brown rucksacks, superbly square and structured, had room for an umbrella or towel to be tucked. Stylish thinking for the discerning camper about town.

HIGHLIGHT: The jackets and coats – deconstructed stitches, layered-up with double collars and two-tone fabrics.  These were super modern and highly covetable.

QUOTES: Prince Cassius caught up with us after the show: “I loved the colours, the detail and the cut. It was well-tailored. I’m loving the cape coat and the trench blazer. Oh and the navy blazer with yellow cord. It was absolutely gorgeous. So wearable which is important for menswear. I would definitely buy that.”

Words: Katie Rose

Photography: Toni&Guy

WHO: Charlie Le Mindu

WHERE: On/ Off @ Mercer Street Studios

FRONT ROW: The great and good of fashion’s glitter underground; rainbow hair, butt-less latex chaps, Pandemonia, Natasha Khan from Bat For Lashes, Diane Pernet from A Shaded View On Fashion and – every designer’s dream FROWer – Daphne Guinness.

WHAT: Nothing if not the quintessential showman, Charlie Le Mindu again proved his inimitable knack for provocation and exquisite shock tactics. Who knows, perhaps he’s posthumously after Alexander McQueen’s enfant terrible crown. Fittingly, McQueen’s muse and all-round fashion royalty Daphne Guinness even came to show her support. If that’s not a sign of a legend-in-the-making, then we’ll eat our new-season lace hat.

Charlie’s penchant for cult 70s movies transitioned from last season’s hyper-kitsch ode to John Waters’ Pink Flamingos, to an almost-literal homage to horror flick, Carrie. The first look was intended as a sartorial slap – a nude, be-wigged model, doused in blood and crowned with a ‘Violence’ slogan headpiece. A departure from all Spring/ Summer’s pink, but still parked firmly in tongue-in-cheek pastiche.

Once he was sure he’d got our attention, looks trickled towards the more wearable end of the spectrum, no doubt a nod to prospective buyers. But this is Charlie’s world, remember, where commercial is a dirty word. ‘Wearable’ was translated into transparent plastic menswear gowns, militaristic jacket shapes cut from lace-lined polythene and more fur and hair embellishment than you could shake a brush at.

Poking his tongue out at controversy, Charlie took inspiration from the Berlin wartime brothel, Salon Kitty, to present a collection steeped in prostitution, perversion and punk. Graffiti was sprayed with equal abandon onto models’ backs and into dip-dyed mohawk hair, bondage references were employed with lace gas masks and strings of pearls acting as horse bits in mouths, and extremes of femininity were explored through the juxtaposition of pretty blonde wigs, lace and pearls against Gastapo-esque footwear, Nazi iconography and scratch-your-eyes-out 5cm nail extensions.

As usual, it was a visceral extravaganza; an unusually welcome journey to the heart of seedy wartime Berlin that closed to the breathtakingly invasive sound of squealing pigs being led to the slaughterhouse. The man himself sheepishly peeked his head out from the wings, wearing a blood-soaked butcher’s apron and giving us a coy smile. It’s always the quiet ones.

HIGHLIGHT: The finale Nazi bride, draped in dramatic swathes of stained cream lace and topped with a giant Eagle, one of the symbols of the Third Reich. You don’t get more controversial than that.

QUOTES: @viceuk: “Looks like naked, covered head to toe in blood is “in” (finally)” and @sohoroomUK: “If I see one more asshole wearing sunglasses on the catwalk that isn’t Anna Wintour, I’m going to go Charlie Le Mindu on their ass.”

Words: Olivia Phillips

Photography: Cristine Leone

WHO: Enya Patricia

WHERE: Strand Palace Hotel

FRONT ROW: Aston from JLS and children’s author Ellie Daines

WHAT: ‘Obsession’, the second collection from emerging 21-year-old designer Enya Patricia, was rich in texture and evoked the charm and character of a 1920′s Berlin cabaret. Bowler hats, sweeping streaks of eyeliner, fur muffs and sequinned masquerade masks with jewelled tassels evoked the heady glamour of the stage, epitomised, of course, by Liza Minelli. Asymmetric, layered fabrics (velvet, cotton and leather) over shift dresses, all with elongated scarves, undercut any vintage vibe to give way to a more contemporary look.

HIGHLIGHT: The paper-bag waist leather shorts and fur coat with a drawstring waist – a fabulous skirty shape that smacked of military parkas.

QUOTES: The designer herself explained her unconventional approach to design: “I just have a lump of material on the table and I just measure and cut. It’s a pretty medieval way of doing things but I enjoy it more this way. I have ideas in my head that are quite vague and then when I go to cut it and make it all up it comes out completely differently. But I like it that way.”

Words: Katie Rose

Photography: Felicity Ieraci

Featured image: Gavin Thorn

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