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Instagram teaser film for collaboration with Prefab77 

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Prefab77′s Target Audience

Greg is 38 and works in marketing, he’s a grafter and passionate but appreciates his time away from the office. He’s creative and especially Intrigued and excited by street art and graphics. He’s socially and politically aware and engaged with a love for music and culture (particularly rock and roll and punk) and often goes to small music venues in the evenings with a few friends to discover new talent and socialise. Greg is comfortable with pushing the boundaries and like to reminisce on his rebellious time in his youth and would describe himself as a rough diamond. His has an underground edge, the evening after work is his favourite time, he likes urban underground venues with low mood lighting and good quality liquor and ale. You can often find him in a jazz bar with an outgoing group of people attracted to his personable yet opinionated character, he’s not one to shy away from a healthy debate. He dislikes boredom and is not a fan of mainstream trends, he’s drawn to those with something niche to them.

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4 C’s of Digital

1.     Creating

-       Use Instagram and Facebook regularly – enables a global presence

-       Hype around projects with Jonathan Levine

-       Content for magazines

-       Work for  DKNY, Calvin Klein Jeans, Esprit, Boxfresh, Hilfiger Denim, H & M, Mavi Jeans, Berghaus, Graniph Japan, 2K by Gingham, Republic and Topman – will all be avalible and shown online through vrious platforms controlled by these brands

-       Many exhibitions

 2.     Culture

Prefab77 uses some well-known figures that represent different cultures and periods of history, such as, the winking Churchill. They also take a young modern approach by their work for Dr Martens making them urban and trendy through inspiration from sub cultures of Punk and Rock as well as music, money, politics and fashion.

 3.     Curating

-       Brand new HPM printer promoted on their Instagram

-       Large online following, Instagram 15.1k followers. Regular updates on both social media platforms

-       Layout of the account is good; the shot Instagram videos work well and are very up to date with their trendy audience

-       Website is less informative, doesn’t give you a real sense of the brands passion and history – it could connect better with the viewer on a more emotional level

-       There could be more close ups of sections of work and descriptions about how they were created to make us really want a piece.

 4.     Connecting (through issues and content)

-       Produced work for Gay Pride

-       Use symbols of icons and people of power and history and change them to create conversation

-       Political artwork both inspired by the past and very current up to date happenings

-       Musical influences

-       Need a more personal connection whilst still keeping a sense of mystery

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More Street Art inspiration - Hoults Yard 

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Street art and Prefab77 inspiration from the Ouseburn 

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The Northern Design Festival: Materials Matter

I went to have a look at the Northern Design Festival today, running until the 8th of November, held in The Assembly House; for inspiration on our current trend module. I really enjoyed the experience of going round the different rooms filled with furniture, interiors and installations, created by Northern designers. The festival champions good design across disciplines including architecture, graphics, surface, product design and fashion. The theme for this year was ‘Materials Matter’, it offers “SCINS exploration of cutting edge materials to Giles Miller’s composition of light and reflection and Jimmy Turrell’s layered collages.”

 Featured in this location was the ‘ART ON PAPER SINCE 1885′ exhibition, showcasing the best work from graphic designers, photographers and artists, including; Saul bass, Milton Glaser, Paul Rand, SEA, Made thought and Studio Makgill. The covers, colours and graphics were inspiring, classic and visually captivating. 

The room that engaged me the most contained the works of Jimmy Turrell. The rooms walls were collaged all over to provide an exciting backdrop to his multimedia pieces. The work began “In 2016 when he bought a job lot of 1,000 vintage books and objects on Ebay, ranging from 1920s skiing manuals to vintage scrapbooks of the Norwegian royal family. From this collection (which was actually a day away from being taken to a rubbish dump) he then cherry-picked the best pieces to screenprint, draw and paint on top of, sometimes using the existing imagery and book titles as the source for ideas and concepts and at other times relying on happy accidents and randomness to create imagery of a more abstract nature. Unforsaken is about finding the beauty in forgotten and discarded materials and bringing them back to life in a completely new context.” I’ve always loved collage and multimedia works, my own art has mostly been made using these methods so I was very excited to see Jimmy’s work. 

I also made my way to the Materials Explorations exhibition in the Cooper Studios, which displayed the most innovating new types of materials many were made from recycled and sustainable materials. I read that “these traditional materials have been made to look like something they’re not; everyday materials like human hair and salt, with are being applied to architecture and fashion with thought provoking results”. Although not my usual interest the materials were very engaging as you could touch and pick them up and I hadn’t seen any of them before. 

This is a new installation by Giles Miller Studio, which specialises in the development of truly innovative surface, sculptural and architectural works.

At just £2.50 for entry I'd deffinatly recommend giving it a visit. 

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This video by The Try guys is great, it shows the unrealistic ideals set to men by the media and famouses, that are able to look that way because 1 it is their job and they can give a lot of time to it and 2, even their bodies are Photoshopped and re-touched to be even more perfect then they already are. The men discuss their own body insecurities and how they feel inferior to the images promoted by the Fashion industry. However, even seeing themselves once Photoshopped to be as muscular as their famous idols, it doesn't make them want to strive to achieve the perfect body as they know they would have to give up a lot to look like this and there’s much more to them and their lives then the way they look. 

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Diversity in Fashion Film

Whilst searching for diversity in fashion film/ fashion brands advertisements I found two films which I found especially inspiring, beautiful and powerful. These are the films from Diesel and YSL 2016/17 campaigns. 

Media these days is pushing us to be as perfect as we can, the pressure to fix our flaws that make us us is forcing us to change the way we are. Diesel’s 2017 campaign ‘Go With the Flaw’ celebrates are imperfections and uniqueness. I love the campaign it’s strong, powerful, fun and exhilarating to watch. I’ve always believed what we sees as our ‘flaws’ can actually be what differs us from each other and what people love about us. This campaign fully embraces diversity and promotes it with the attitude and playfulness of the models. 

The caption for the film is; #FLAWLESS IS FORGETTABLE. PERFECTION IS BORING. ROLL WITH WHAT YOU’VE GOT, EVEN THOUGH IT’S NOT IDEAL. FIND A LITTLE BRAVERY TO WEAR YOUR FLAWS WITH PRIDE, TAKE A FRONT SEAT AND ENJOY THE RIDE. Here’s the film link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=aYxG1ASrYKo

The film includes flaws of all kinds which are all very relatable to us, models have; monobrows, braces, scars, cross eyes, some are mixed race and a male model with half one arm makes a bold appearance. 

YSL’s 2016 campaign by Anthony Vaccarello explores sexuality, starring several models such as Freja Beha Erichsen, Cara Taylor, Jourdana Phillips, Sasha Kichigina, Hiandra Martinez, Mileshka, Selena Forrest, photographer David Friend and British model/musician Josh McLellan.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=138&v=dsf4_6UP_fw

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Maye Musk - Age Diversity

Model Maye Musk, mother of Elon Musk has been modelling since she's was 17, at 69 CoverGirl has announced her as its newest ambassador!

The beautiful model hasn’t look her looks through the years, her white hair is strikingly short like an ice queen and she flaunts the most amazing smile lines and bright blue eyes. It’s no wonder she's still got it. 

Maye has also appeared on the covers of New York magazine and Elle Canada;  Virgin America and Clinique; and been photographed for Vogue Italia, Vogue Korea and Vanity Fair and been in campaigns for Target. A very impressive 50 years in the industry.

I think this is a great move for Covergirl which has been embarking diversity. When so many older women purchase these products why would they not be ambassadors for the brand? Maye Musk is the perfect model choice, lets hope more like her start appearing. 

 Valeriya Saronova, September, 27, 2017, reference and image: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/27/fashion/covergirl-maye-musk-elon-musk.html?mcubz=1

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Diversity - Skin Conditions

I’ve already done a previous post about the amazing Winnie Harlow, however I’d like to look a bit further into models with skin conditions/lack of. I’ve seen the most beautiful people who feel unbelievably insecure about how they look due to their birth marks, freckles, acne, burns, eczema and other skin conditions such as Winnie’s Vitiligo. They feel they need to cover these as much as possible, as though it’s the only thing people will notice about you. This is an idea that needs to change, skin conditions do not define the way you look.

Being a natural red head I’ve always had a large splattering of freckles, as soon as I discovered make up i did everything i could to cover up every last one, I felt that they enhanced my ‘gingerness’ which i always got teased for. However it now seems people are using their make up to create fake freckles on their faces! I can now embrace my splattering and feel that it adds character to my face. Looking into models with freckles I found 21-year old Ralph Souffrant. He has a skin condition similar to vitiligo which gives him the appearance of a bold smattering of freckles. The Brooklyn-based model has used his condition to make a name for himself in the world of fashion, landing a spot in Kanye West's Yeezy Season 3 show earlier this year.

I also know many people who suffer from Eczema, an irritating red, itchy, sore skin condition that can flare up and down. Eczema may only appear in some areas of the body but at bad times can appear noticeable on the face and create dandruff from the scalp. I couldn't find any model with this condition even though it is so common. Some models that do have it have been sent home from shoots whenever the its has flared up somewhere or refused jobs due to it even though they fit the bill in every other way. This does nothing for the confidence of normal people who deal with the insecurities it brings them everyday.

Marks or ‘imperfections' on our skin define us and makes us different from everyone else, if the fashion industry embraced these conditions more it would boost the publics confidence.

Matthew Whitehouse, May 27th 2016,  https://i-d.vice.com/en_au/article/ywv4nj/10-things-you-need-to-know-about-ralph-souffrant

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Where are all the male Tess Holliday’s or Ashley Graham’s?

When looking into the different areas of diversity within the fashion industry I found one of the biggest gaps desperately needing to be challenged is the lack of male ‘curve’ or ‘plus size’ models. Although a lot still needs to be done with getting more curve women on the catwalk I found there were significantly less larger male models in the industry. This is extremely worrying with more and more reports on the rising numbers of males suffering with; body dysmorphia, anorexia and bulimia, a rise of 70% in the last six year, body insecurities are defiantly not just for women. Research has revealed that men have “high levels of anxiety about their bodies and that some resort to compulsive exercise, strict diets, laxatives or making themselves sick in an attempt to lose weight or achieve a more toned physique.” The NHS suggests teenage boys and young men may take drugs because they have bigorexia (or reverse anorexia), where they don’t see themselves as being physically big enough or strong enough.

This shouldn’t be a surprise with magazines, social media, billboards, adverts and fashion shows all promoting the ‘perfect’ image of the male body as lean, toned, tall and muscular and when it comes to catwalks very skinny. However this shape doesn't apply to the majority of our male population so when is the industry going to change it’s ways and address this?

Some female plus size models have been making waves in the fashion industry such as the wonderful Ashley Graham. However I didn’t know of a single plus size male model before researching into the issue which says enough in itself. However there are starting to be some men making changes to the industry.

Model Zach Miko was bet $500 by his girlfriend that he would one day be featured in People’s magazine, at his size he thought this was ridiculous. However he was called by Target who wanted him to be the company’s first plus-size male to model its big and tall line. “For Miko, who can vividly recount the pain he felt as a nine-year-old when a girl called him ugly, the moment was surreal.” He is now a model for IMG Models their first ever brawn model. 

 Another model taking the industry by storm is Dexter Mayfield. The gay plus sized model walked at the Marco Marco show at Los Angeles Fashion Week and it was one of the most iconic walks of all time. “Mayfield sashayed and shimmied and went almost immediately viral" The video of the show is amazing, he brings so much character and sass. During an interview with Strut, Mayfield said “I think it’s so important to have this conversation with young men, no matter how far I’ve come in the industry, I’ve been told, ‘You still need to lose weight.’ When it comes to presenting an image of male beauty, we need to expand that. We have Zach now, but we still have a long way to go.”.

Image: http://www.imgmodels.com/model/new-york/men/17161

Image 2: http://realfmgy.com/2015/10/23/epic-strut-how-this-male-runway-model-dominated-a-fashion-show/

Morwenna Ferrier, Tuesday, 29th march, 2017, available at: https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2016/mar/29/zach-miko-male-model-plus-size-body-image-fashion

Strut, Rachel Lubitz, August 1st 2017, available at: https://mic.com/articles/183116/meet-dexter-mayfield-the-queer-plus-size-male-model-taking-the-fashion-industry-by-storm#.j7bARVdJb

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Gap’s - ‘Bridging the Gap’ Campaign

The brilliant new ad campaign from American high street store Gap has an extremely uplifting message and tone to it. The ad, featuring famous faces such as Wiz Khalifa, Yara Shahidi and Priyanka Chopra, includes models of all ethnicities and colour and to make a change only one white female and male.

 The campaign is directed by stylist and future British Vogue Editor-In-Chief Edward Enninful, who has created an optimistic video to the soundtrack of Boney M’s ‘70s disco track “Sunny”’. It’s about coming together and being undeniably yourself, showing the many ways you can express yourself through the simple iconic white tee from Gap. The cast of models comes from all different professions such as sports stars, musicians, actors and importantly activists. This strays away from the normal model and they all look amazing! The campaign therefore connects with a wider everyday audience.

 I think the campaign is clever and certainly put a smile on face, it has an important message of unity but done in an energetic, light hearted way.

Watch the video here: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Cbbd1gPIxU

Image 1 available at: 

http://www.refinery29.uk/2017/06/157451/edward-enninful-gap-campaign

Image 2 available at: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/gap-campaign-bridging-the-gap-diversity_uk_5937b733e4b01fc18d3ec616

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Diverse Designers - 2017

Chromat:

 Chromat uses a diverse range of models, highlighted again in NYFW. The varied “lineup included three trans models, Carmen Carrera, Leyna Bloom and Maya Mones T.S.S. survivor, amputee, and activist Lauren Wasser; and a range of straight/curve models, including Iskra Lawrence in her first-ever runway show. The models look amazing in the ‘Hyperwave’ range of swimwear, which were inspired by female athletes like Serena Williams and Simone Manuel another empowering move.

 Chromat expresses “I'm proud that these amazing women came to slay in the show. The energy after the runway show this season was insane.". Using a diverse range of models adds intrigue, hype and creates important discussions in the fashion world, it’s amazing to see not just one diverse model walk but many, representing lots of people in a range of shapes and genders.

 Addition Elle:

 Plus sized Monteal based brand, Addition Elle also took to the runway of 2017 NYFW, bringing all of its gorgeous curve models with it. Jordyn Woods and Ashley Graham were the faces of the show, with Ashley’s namesake line and Jordyn’s collaboration with Love and Legend. The brand wants to show that their “forward collections demonstrate there are no limits with regard to size.”

  Dolce & Gabbana 

 The magnificent Autumn/Winter 2017 show finale from Dolce & Gabbana was inclusive for all the family; fathers, sons and mothers and daughters in a variety of ages walked the runway. Champagne at the end of the show celebrated the dressing of real women. It wasn’t just a diverse range of age and size that appeared on the runway but a diversity of races were also dressed for the show. When looking through the photographs of the show I also noticed due to using “real” women and quite a lot of Asian models, there were many models who were petite and not reaching the normal 5.9ft-6ft + which is something I feel passionate about only being 5.3ft.

 As said by Suzy Menkes, “The designers, with their lighthearted fun and games, pulled off something exceptional: making diversity – of body shape, skin colour and ethnicity - seem natural and desirable.”

Images: Liz Black, This New York Fashion Week Was The Most Body-Positive Yet, available at: http://www.refinery29.com/2016/09/123694/nyfw-plus-size-diversity-runway-trends

Quotes and images: Suzy Mekes, February 2017, #SuzyMFW: Dolce & Gabbana - Fashion For All, Available at: http://www.vogue.co.uk/article/suzy-menkes-milan-autumn-winter-2017-dolce-gabbana

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DIY Gucci? Yes please!

I spent some serious time window-shopping in Harrods, falling in love with things I may never own to get an idea of the latest designer ranges and trends. On walking into London’s most beloved department store I was greeted with the Gucci accessories’ section. A bold pink leather covered wall instantly grabbed my attention with perfectly positioned bags hanging on their own pink hand, it was a delight to the eyes. The range of Dionysus bags, each one individual and equally as exceptional have now become available for DIY service, you can personalise each part of the bag to your specification, so you wont spend thousands only to see someone walking down the high street with the same bag hanging from their arm. Tempting yes?  

 Alessandro Michele the current Gucci creative director and former head accessories designer has launched the Dionysus purses, only medium and large, to be decorated with a buffet of embroidered patches; including but not limited to: butterflies, bees, dragonflies, snakes, and peonies, trims, hardware, and monogrammed initials. This even comes with the option to bling them out with Swarovski crystals. There’s then the option to choose from suede or skins in every colour. “It falls right in line with Michele's design philosophy, which is "that the way you dress is how you feel, and that men and women should feel authentic and free in the expression of themselves”.”

 I spent ages being shown each different aspect I could personalise and deciding what would go on my bag (If I were ever able to purchase one) as well as the sales assistant’s telling me their favourites, the whole process was very exciting and it’s the most tempted I’ve ever found myself for owning a luxury designer handbag.

I did drop some serious hints to my mum that my 21st is coming up but they may have fell on death ears..  

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Balenciaga Exhibition

I took a trip to London to visit some exhibitions, after a break from University and finishing my internship I’ve been feeling rather uninspired. Living in the middle of nowhere with little but fields to inspire me, I wanted to be in a bustling city and take the time to look around, notice changes; in the people, what their wearing, shop windows, promotions and current artist’s works and interiors. One exhibitions I’ve been desperate to see since it opened was the Balenciaga exhibition in the Victoria & Albert museum.   The exhibition examined “the work and legacy of influential Spanish couturier Cristobal Balenciaga” There were over 100 pieces crafted by ‘the master of couture’ as well as those from his protégées, more contemporary designers of today who have worked in the same innovative style.

 I was amazed from the very start of the exhibition by the forward thinking and incredible technological craftsmanship of the shapes, pattern and structure in Balenciaga’s pieces, aspects that still feature predominantly on the catwalk and trends today.

 For example, this gorgeous pink dress, with its flared lantern sleeves. Balenciaga found his perfect fabric to hold its shape without the need for cumbersome supportive structures inside. Thus he used stiff yet lightweight ‘gazar’ silk that was produced by Swiss manufacturer Abraham in 1958.  The flared sleeves are then mirrored upstairs where the pieces from the protégés are featured.  This is shown in Yuki & Issey Miyake’s polyester pleated dress.

 The master along with his innovation also shocked by moving ahead of time of society with his designs. He shockingly broke the rules in framing and sculpting the female figure and instead he hid it with his ‘sack dress’ or the ‘unsexy sack’, ‘It’s hard to be sexy in a sack!’ cried the Daily Mirror in 1957. This massively contrasted with the still dominant hourglass shape favoured by his main competitor, Christian Dior. Balenciaga as a result anticipated the popular shift dresses of the 1960s.

 “For twenty years he was the prophet of nearly every major change in silhouette’.

 The exhibition takes you up the stairs after experiencing the excellence of Balenciaga’s work we get to see what that work looks like and the influences it’s had on todays designers and catwalk collections. I had two favourites from all these masterpieces and they’re very different in style. Firstly showing my love for sport/outdoors inspired fashion is Demna Gvasalia’s dress for Balenciaga, I love the strong structure that allows the off the shoulder appearance and stand away collar of this jacket, which has been achieved entirely through pattern-cutting. I’d die if I could own a jacket like this.

 The second piece which I’d dream of having in my wardrobe is Oscar De La Renta’s embroidered silk dress for the spring/summer 2015 collection. The influences of Balenciaga’s work are shown through the floral patterns and flamenco ruffles in the garment.

 Overall I felt the was a very well done exhibition highlighting the masterpieces of Balenciaga’s work in a clear and engaging way with spinning garments, films and information.

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London Pride 2017

During my time off from uni this summer I’ve been working at festivals and events mainly London based. This has been an exciting necessity to earn some money and get out of that overdraft… One of the events I signed up to work was London Pride on the 8th July. The theme for this year’s celebrations was Love Happens Here. The goal was to show the rest of the world that London is open, welcoming and inclusive, as well as marking 50 years since the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality in England and Wales. 

It was crazy to see how busy the streets and Trafalgar Square were, filled with people of all ages, races and sexualities coming together to celebrate love. There were in fact more than 26,000 people that took to the streets, part of about 300 different groups, in the biggest march in the event's 45-year history so it was very exciting to see even if I was behind a bar as an onlooker to the events.

 Working the bar had its perks as I could talk to 1000s of people I served that day and witness their excitement at the event and take some snaps. The extravagance of some of the outfits was amazing; I’ve never seen so much glitter and rainbow clothing in one place. Everyone fully embraced the theme and didn’t hold back in expressing themselves which was great to see.

 Upon leaving the event I noticed whilst walking the streets of London that shops, cafes and street signs had all got behind the movement and changed there logos and window displays in support of Pride. The streets seemed to be painted in rainbows. I felt this really showed how the movement has gained so much more momentum in recent times.