Spring’s finally in the air, so shed your layers of wool and jumpers and get those

legs out for a little dance party. We kick start the fun with sultry, slinky beats from Hype Williams, Rudimental, Odd Future prodigy Hodgy Beats plus everyone’s fave Katy B is back with the help of Rinse’s Geeneus and the gorgeous Jessie Ware.

Nicolas Jaar and Theatre Roosevelt – The Ego
Flume – Star Eyes
Evy Jane – M2
The 1975 – Sex (Hackman Remix)
Hype Williams – Galice
If you love me (interlude)
Widowspeak – Ballad of the Golden House
Melanin 9 – Magna Carta
Rudimental – Hell Could Freeze
Hodgy Beats – Break your Neck
Katy B x Geeneus x Jessie Ware – Aaliyah

Mix by Shannon Mahanty (@shannonmahanty) and Hayley Pons (@cheeksdurhythm)

The post WONDERLAND MIXTAPE 006: Spring 2013 appeared first on Wonderland.

No Regular Play – Endangered Species
S.E.F. – Boiling Point
Justin Timberlake feat. Beyonce – End of Time (Brenmar remix)
Future feat. Kelly Rowland – Neva End (remix)
Jhameel – Thinking About You (Frank Ocean cover)
Main Attrakionz – Cloudy Body
Egyption Hip Hop – Tobago
Kuhrye-oo – Give In For The Fame (Body & Le1f remix)
Steffaloo – Can’t You See
James Creed – Top Pocket

Mix by Shannon Mahanty (@shannonmahanty) and Hayley Pons (@cheeksdurhythm)

The post WONDERLAND MIX 005: NOVEMBER appeared first on Wonderland.

Puro Instinct – Dream Lover
Ooft! – Make U Mine
Isaac Tichauer – Doing What I Got
JoJo – Demonstrate
Erika Spring – Hidden (Sportag Remix)
Dusky – Flo Jam
Julio Bashmore – Au Seve
Bicep & Omar Odyssey – Don’t
Quattro – Last Dance (Museum of Bellas Artes remix)
Two Inch Punch – Digital Love Letters
Azealia Banks & Stylwones P – Nathan
Rowdy Superstar – Never Let Go (Olubenga Edit)
M.I.A – Switch Remix Ft. Missy Elliott & Rye Rye

Mix by Shannon Mahanty (@shannonmahanty) and James Norris Keiller (@jn_k)

The post WONDERLAND MIX 004: AUGUST appeared first on Wonderland.

What’s that? It’s already been June for 12 days? Oh right. We didn’t even notice because we’ve been so busy making this mix. And it’s a pretty exciting one… we’ve sourced new releases from big hitters Frank Ocean, Bobby Womack and Big Boi, while keeping it UK with the likes of Hot Chip and Swindle. AND LOADS MORE. Kick back, turn it up, and stop complaining that it’s 12 days late already…

Major Lazer feat. Amber Coffman – Get Free
Big Boi – She Said Okay
Tanner Ross – The Blame Game Feat. Slow Hands, Pillow Talk & Jesse Rennix
Vacationer – Trip (Mmoths Remix)
Bobby Womack – Stupid
Frank Ocean – Pyramids
AlunaGeorge – You Know You Like It (Bondax Remix)
Deniz Kurtel & The Marcy All Stars – I Knew This Would Happen with Tanner Ross Feat. Pillowtalk
Eric Volta – Believe Feat. D.Ablo
Disclosure – What’s In Your Head
Mark E. – We Could Love ft. Robert Owens
George Fitzgerald – Child
Haleek Maul – 88
Soul Clap – Need Your Lovin Feat. Mel Blatt (Nitetime & The Whiskey Baron Remix)
Stubborn Heart – Knuckledown Fade 2
Hot Chip – How Do You Do?
Swindle – Have A Go Feat. Takura
Two Inch Punch – Paint It Red Feat. Mikky Ekko
Frank Ocean – Pyramids
Jessie Ware – What You Won’t Do For Love

Mix by Shannon Mahanty (@shannonmahanty) and James Norris Keiller (@jn_k)

The post WONDERLAND MIX 003 appeared first on Wonderland.

How and when did you set up the label?

It’s been going for nearly three years now. I kind of set it up by accident off the back of my masters graduate show, and then I’ve been developing it since. It’s been quite a slow organic process, getting used to the idea of being an artist and selling clothes. It still feels like early days; I’ve learnt so much since graduating. When you’re at uni you’re in a bit of a bubble.

Why knitwear?

I come from a textile background, before doing my masters I always specialised in textiles and I’ve always had a real love of different textures and fabrics and pushing them. I ended up specialising in knitwear – it wasn’t planned, I didn’t watch my grandma knitting and choose knitwear! It just kind of happened. It was something I experimented with and found you could do a lot with. I think for me, I wasn’t really following the techniques but seeing what else I could do. It’s about pushing the boundaries of your own designs. The knit part is the initial process and then I see how I can push it with my weaving techniques and the cording and embellishment once it’s off the machine.

How is knitwear changing?

At one point, knitwear was something that was part of a collection, you had your twinsets and your v-necks and whatever, but now there’s whole knitwear collections and you don’t even notice. I think it’s great that it’s gotten more modern. Its not just autumn/winter and Christmas jumpers anymore, it can be spring/summer or even swimwear. It’s becoming more recognisable. I do look back at old style knit patterns I was given by my Irish aunties for their Arran jumpers; it’s great to look back and see the tradition and techniques, but for me it’s about newness.

What techniques are you currently using?

I’m recognized for the wax cord, the original technique I came up with. That’s what my graduate collection and the two after that worked with. I took a break from it and did a collection with Jayne Pierson. I’d like to reintroduce the cord work in different ways, I left it for two seasons so it’ll be exciting to bring elements of it back.

What’s the inspiration behind the current collection?

This collection is based on Nomadic imagery. I’m interested in the merging and clashing of colours. That’s led me to look at more patterns and I’ve really been pushing colour this season. I’m known to be more monochrome so I’m really experimenting with it.

It seems like you have quite an experimental take on fashion?

I couldn’t do it any other way. I’m very experimental. It’s easy to follow a trend but to me I’m always pushing and looking for something new. I’m always thinking of the fabric first before I even think about the silhouette. I couldn’t do a bog standard plain knit. I think I’d get bored.

What are your plans for the future?

A lingerie company has approached me. They produce lingerie to wear with all types of garments. In the collaboration, “Derek lawlor for Nicole de Carle”, I’ll be designing a range of knitwear among the lingerie collection; it’ll be interesting to see how it works out.

Words: Shannon Mahanty

The post DEREK LAWLOR – AW12 appeared first on Wonderland.

What inspired you to start the website?

Not Just a Label [NJAL] is based on an idea that came to me and my brother Daniel. We realised that the internet can act as a networking platform for future fashion designers and those who are ready to present and sell their collections to the world. The industry lacked this; we wanted recruiting and trend scouting for fashion designers to be carried out on NJAL without geographical limits… literally a global showcase. My goal is to demonstrate a new way of doing business, by being completely transparent and disregarding politics and borders, we simply erase old systems, and we take fashion out of the hand of corporates and put it back in the hand of talents and artisans. By doing so, we create a new form of luxury – authentic and sustainable.

How do you find new clients?

I have a great team that scouts designers, edits the page and maintains the relationships with the talents. NJAL has a face, it is not an anonymous website. The scouting team, led by Katri Salminen, meets the people and attends the trade shows and events. Most of NJAL’s designers have been handpicked at fashion weeks and graduate shows.

Are you approached by a lot of new brands?

Every day. Our “designer relations” team is amazing; not only at scouting for new talent, but also at coaching the designers who aren’t quite there yet.

Have you faced difficulties considering the current financial climate? Are people reluctant to buy luxury and new brands?

We couldn’t be more excited about the slow fashion movement and individuality as the new luxury. In today’s fast-paced world, luxury consumers are turning to the lesser-known brands for the more interesting and unique garments. From day one, we have been encouraging consumers to make wiser choices and to invest in their clothing. Buying fast fashion from the high street is destroying the fashion industry and seriously harming the environment. Impulse purchases don’t last. An investment purchase can last a lifetime.

Who are your top three current designers? 

J´Ai Mal À La Tête is an amazing menswear label from Munich. The designer, Anja Pawlik, has a keen sensibility to create classic shapes with a youthful feel. Claudia Ligari, whose latest collection is so modern, but so simple at the same time, is based in London. She has an amazing ability to make sportswear more elegant than evening-wear. Mal-Aimée is a design duo based in Paris. Léonie Hostettler and Marius Borgeaud have been working together at Nina Ricci and I think their poetic yet very elegant style is something we don’t see often from young designers.

What are your top tips for new labels? 

The times of government funding, sponsorships and free support are definitively over, and talents have to think how they can set up a business that brings art and design together with all aspects of running a business. Nobody but them are responsible for wanting to learn how a business works – it is a survival of the fittest, but I strongly believe that with the right attitude, a hunger to learn and professionalism, everything is possible.

What are your plans for NJAL in the future? 

We’re shooting for the stars…

Words: Shannon Mahanty

The post NOT JUST A LABEL – Stefan Siegel appeared first on Wonderland.

Haizhen Wang moved to the UK from China, and his designs are inspired by authentic Chinese culture and dramatic contrasts in architecture. A master of structure, his dramatic tailoring is striking, yet thoroughly wearable. Does he stand a good chance? “I don’t know!” He told Wonderland. My advantage is that I’ve been in the industry a couple of years: I have experience, I’ve got strong skills and I’ve had my label for the past two years, it all gives me more confidence. I feel ready for the day that I have the opportunity to have a catwalk.”

Shuting Wang also started her career in China. “I think the Chinese mind and the English minds are like strands of DNA. Sometimes they think together, but most times they are poles apart. It is this juxtaposition which provides 180 degrees of space to challenge, question, and think in ways which help to create new ways to interpret the world around you.” Wise beyond her years, she tells us, “the most beautiful woman is like water, who seems soft and gentle, but cannot be broken.” Her line echo this idea; the designs are beautifully delicate, yet have a sense of timeless wearability.

Across the board, the label concepts are striking. For Cornel Bolt, inspiration comes in the dynamic of love vs power. “It’s a philosophical concept. That idea of having multiple personas within the self. The rivalry for superiority, it came from the “Ring Cycles” by Wagner. Individual conflict, I felt it was a beautiful concept.” He describes his label as forward thinking. Avant garde yet accessible, conceptual yet wearable, sophisticated yet young and fresh.

Raffaele Ascione’s designs have already been worn by Lady Gaga. “It was amazing, I never even had her in mind but it was so great.” Who did he have in mind? “Celeb wise I absolutely love Clare Danes, she has a graceful beauty that’s not typical. And I’d love to see Rihanna in more sportswear stuff.” Ascione has always harboured a passion for hip hop culture, and his dramatic silhouettes harmoniously fuse this urban edge with a sophisticated femininity.

Last but not least, we spoke to Vita Gottlieb. The only candidate without formal fashion training, her aesthetic is rooted in a multi-disciplinary approach to art. With a background in fine art and film, Gottlieb takes experiences of storytelling and human character and translates it into her designs, “I have a vivid imagination, I create stories and that’s the way I see the label developing, there’s endless inspiration within people”. In her dramatic attention to detail, her intricate garments feature secret pockets and hidden elements, each piece become unique to its owner and their own stories.

This year’s shortlist are extremely diverse in all aspects, from their experience to choice of materials. Yet, each candidate showcases a forward thinking attitude to fashion, and a pioneering collection. So who’s going to win? Not even a clue.

Words: Shannon Mahanty

The post FASHION FRINGE 2012 appeared first on Wonderland.

Looking for a new music fix? We’ve sourced exciting upcoming releases from the likes of AlunaGeorge, Oddissee and Disclosure to soundtrack your May in the first of our mixtape series. In the unadulterated R&B corner, we’ve got our resident crush, Kilo Kish (who we interviewed last week), and the incredible Javeon Mcarthy; 2012’s answer to R Kelly without the criminal record. So sit back, check it out, and let us know what you think!

yU & Slimkat – I Gotta Move ft. Mr HU (DJ Dirty Ice)
Homeboy Sandman – Cops Get Scared of Me
Javeon Mcarthey – Precious
Rhye – Open
ANGO – Better For You (Jesse Boykins III & Melo X Remix)
AlunaGeorge – Just A Touch
Oddisee – Right Now (ft. Diamond District)
THEESatisfaction – QueenS
After The Smoke – One In A Million
Disclosure – Boiling (ft. Sinead Harnett)
Usher – Climax (Figgy Remix)
#Unknown – Just My Type
Seye – White Noise
Bwana – Baby Let Me Finish
Kilo Kish – You’re Right

Compiled by Shannon Mahanty
@shannonmahanty
Mixed by James Norris Keiller
@jn_k

The post WONDERLAND MIX 01 appeared first on Wonderland.

Is travel important to your designs?

I love to travel and I love different cultures. I think that moment of culture shock is the best time for me to get inspiration. I like to look at different cultures together. The new collection still has inspirations from the Chinese ethnic background.

How has your most recent collection evolved?

The new collection is more wearable compared to my graduate collection (AW/11). Rather than the avant-garde pieces, I want people to be able to enjoy my clothes and really wear them. It’s a change from my last collection in that sense.

You use a lot of real fur, have you experienced any difficulties or criticisms with this?

All my fur comes from legal companies where it’s registered and I have all the documents. I do agree, you have to be so careful with fur because it’s a very sensitive topic. I think it’s more important how you use it rather than not using it at all. Because fur basically is a material. It’s been used for hundreds of years; it’s actually one of the oldest fabrics human beings have used to make clothes. I think there’s got to be a healthy balance; do you use it for the sake of it or do you use it healthily? I mean, you don’t throw a fur piece away, you hand it down for your granddaughter and so on… so in that way I think it is sustainable.

What other issues have you come across? Is it hard being a new designer during an economic crisis?

Ahhh! It’s so difficult! Every day. Especially for new designers. I don’t know, I think I have to just go through it. I guess It’s nothing I can change, I just have to carry on making new collections and see if the buyers recognise me and realise that I’m actually serious in what I’m doing.

Is this why this collection is more wearable, less avant-garde? To sell more?

Yeah. It’s definitely something to do with the sales. I realised it’s not just a hobby, you’ve got to sell and If you don’t it’s really hard to make a sustainable business. But I didn’t want to lose my spirit. I want to make beautiful garments from beautiful fabrics. It’s hard finding a balance in between. I think I need to do more homework about finding quality fabrics at a reasonable price.

Who would you most love to see wearing Lulu Liu?

Jessie J. She has a beautiful body. I love her music, and I think she’d be perfect.

Words: Shannon Mahanty

The post LULU LIU appeared first on Wonderland.

How did you guys get together?

We met while we were in college a couple of years ago. We were basically around the same kind of people; we had the same kind of friends so we would be in each others’ circles a lot. In 2008, we started making music.

And how would you describe it?

It’s more like a vibe. I don’t like to put a label on it. We’re usually pigeonholed into hip hop and soul and r&b but I feel like it’s more than that. When people listen to it they really get inside of the music, which is why I feel it’s a vibe or a groove.

It’s a sound that in some ways feels almost rooted in the past? Would you say you have older influences?

Definitely. We look to all areas and times of music and try and pick out the best sound that we can get from that. It stems all the way back to even tribal and African sounds way before our time. Right now I’m listening to a variety of music; we listen to newer artists but we also listen to artists throughout this whole kind of spectrum of time. We listen to a lot of jazz from the 40s and 50s and soul from the 60s and 70s. It’s a real mixed bag.

You mention getting pigeonholed into a genre. As females in hip-hop do you find you’re thrown in with up and coming artists like Azealia Banks and Kreayshawn, or is the comparison something you do relate to?

We’re different to them because we’re not them. Those artists do their own thing in their own way. We’re not even talking about the same topics and our sounds aren’t the same at all but we’re at the same time of existence. We all exist in 2012 as artists. That’s how we’re linked realistically. They’re not from the North West and we’re not where they’re from so that alone means we already have different sounds, different vibrations. It’s always an opinion; people are always gonna have their own opinions. They’re always gonna highlight that we’re women or that we’re black or that we’re queer or that we rap and we sing and produce our own beats. People always highlight the thing that catches them off guard.

You’re in both a romantic and working relationship… do you ever get sick of each other?

Like any relationship, when you hang out with someone a lot you have your ups and downs. We give each other time and space. I don’t think it’s any different… but then I don’t really have anything to compare it with!

You guys always look incredible, how would you define your fashion style?

So we like a lot of vintage stuff! I think we’ve actually bought all of the good clothes Seattle has to offer as far as vintage goes. We really don’t like to wear anything that’s younger than us. Although there is this Seattle brand called Prarie Underground that we love, but that’s pretty much the only new things we put on our bodies.

Words: Shannon Mahanty

The post THEESatisfaction – “Turn off your swag!” appeared first on Wonderland.