Ada Zanditon: where do I begin? After graduating from London College of Fashion in 2007, she went onto launch her eponymous fashion brand and showed her debut collection at Fashion Scout’s One to Watch London Fashion Week show in SS10. Since then, she has continued to show at Somerset House as well as at Berlin Fashion Week. Ada and her label have been showered with awards, and she has judged the ethical award at Graduate Fashion Week in 2013. Oh, and did I mention that she’s also one half of the creative brains behind dark and sporty menswear brand Ada + Nik?

But when having two fashion-forward clothing brands, a string of prizes and a cult celebrity following isn’t enough, what’s a girl to do? Just the small matter of launching a couture label.

And this is the point at which we meet the fashion phenomenon that is Ada Zanditon. Having teamed up with Fiona Garden from The Fashtons (the art direction team behind recent music videos for WIFE, C.A.R. and Polar Caps), Ada Zanditon is giving us an exclusive preview of her kaleidoscopic film to accompany the launch of her couture line. We’ve also nabbed an interview with the multi-talented wunderkind herself. So kick back and enjoy.

What made you want to launch into couture as well as ready-to-wear?

I guess the time for investing in my greatest passion finally became a reality. I have been making couture garments since before I created the Ada Zanditon brand and I have continued to do so as well as designing my ready-to-wear collections. Last year I also launched the menswear brand Ada + Nik with Nik Thakkar and that has really taken off.  But I have had the opportunity to prioritise and think about what area of the womenswear business to expand and the Ada Zanditon couture and bespoke concepts allow me the most freedom to innovate, express my core vision and grow while also being good business.

Do you see your couture creations as an extension of your ready-to-wear vision, or are they completely separate projects for you at the moment?

There are aesthetic narratives that overlap such as my signature sculptural silhouettes, but the process and creative construction is completely different. Couture is now going to be the main brand activity of Ada Zanditon which I’m going to balance with the Ada + Nik menswear alongside other creative collaborations, consultancy and illustration.

Wow! You’re a busy lady. So what are the inspirations behind this couture collection?

I am always inspired by imagining the persona of a Baroque warrior goddess and using the idea of who she would be as a divine feminine archetype. Also, when I was on holiday in the States I went to the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute and met an inspirational marine biologist who studies sharks called Li Ling Hamady. She inspired me to look into the structure of shark skin at a cellular level. This research then prompted me to experiment with cell-like shapes and create garments made from ornate cells of laser-cut leather, manipulated and hand-constructed to form the opulent organic silhouettes.

Can you talk us through the couture pieces in the film?

I selected the four dresses that embody the core concept of the collection aesthetically, so there’s a contrast between sculptural exoskeletons and fluid silk tulle, which I chose to embellish with Preciosa crystals. The couture pieces used in the film also represent my signature use of monochrome contrasted with metallic highlights.

What techniques do you use to create the different 3D textures of your couture garments?

The techniques and the process for creating the garments had to be invented with my team in the atelier because of how unique the approach to creating each piece is. First we experimented with the shapes in card and once we found a form that worked we then laser-cut them and used a variety of hand-tooling techniques to twist the leather into the ‘cells’ that we used to form each piece. We also used layering techniques with fish skin leather cells and hand stitched and braided the silk tulle layers. The team and I are passionate about our craftsmanship.

So did you have an idea of what you wanted the accompanying film to look like before you started working on it?

I wanted the film to be like looking through a window into another world, or multiple dimensions of space and time. I wanted it to have a really ethereal and otherworldly quality whilst still being in an architecturally unique location. We actually filmed it at the ME London Hotel. I knew that director Fiona Garden would be the best to realise this and evolve it visually with Ben Ashton’s artistic input.

What was shooting the film like? 

I was lucky to have a very strong core team for the film. We’d all previously worked on the couture salon show at London Fashion Week, and so everyone really understood my vision of the collection. For example, I regularly work with make-up artist Michelle Webb and hair designer Oscar Alexander, so they designed the look for both the show and film. The film’s star – Caitlin Curran – is my muse and right hand woman, so naturally she had a strong understanding of how to portray the character and it was really a case of standing back and enjoying how Fiona and Caitlin worked together.

How does the film reflect and complement your clothing? 

Fiona and Ben came up with the idea of filming through various wands that Ben created, fragmenting the image to give the illusion of seeing into multiple parallel worlds. I love this effect of tessellating the image because that perfectly reflects the construction of the couture.

Who would you most like to see wearing your couture? 

I am really drawn to strong, confident and unique women such as Jennifer Lawrence, Saoirse Ronan and Rooney Mara. I’d love to dress FKA Twigs and Banks as we listen to them every day in the atelier.

www.adazanditon.com

Words: Samantha Southern

The post Ada Zanditon launches first couture collection appeared first on Wonderland.

Androgyny is a word that has become so overused in the fashion industry that it’s now increasingly difficult to appreciate the womanly or manly aspects of a garment because they are so frequently combined into an unflattering, unisex (at best. No sex at worst) blob. Yet it’s Stefanie Biggel’s perfect understanding of the androgynous trend that makes her stand out… And maybe her sense of humour.

Her upcoming Spring/Summer 2015 collection ‘Death by Watermelon’ (?!) is inspired by both the good and the bad baggage that comes from past relationships. Like her previous collections, it continues to fuse the typically feminine – think tactile materials and flowing layers – with the masculine: sharp tailoring and oversized silhouettes. The end result is why we’ve chosen her as our latest One to Watch, with her understated style managing to ooze sexiness through suggestion rather than being brash.

Catch our interview with the up-and-coming designer below.

What made you decide to launch your own fashion label?

I had worked on several small collections before, but just for fun, not for sale purposes. People liked my work though and started to ask me where they could buy the pieces. At that time I’d met a friend who had some knowledge of sales and production, so she encouraged me to produce my first collection and sell it in her shop. The collection was a great success, so I continued designing!

Why did you choose to focus on womenswear?

I like the female body and the possibilities it offers… My designs often include masculine or androgynous shapes, so maybe that’s why I get encouraged to do menswear a lot as well. This isn’t an option for me right now, but I do have some ideas of how I would like to continue into that market.

You were originally based in Zurich, so would you say that Swiss lifestyle and culture is an important influencer of your work?

No, I don’t really see any Swiss influence in my work to be honest. It’s not really the market I want to work for, anyway. That’s why I recently moved to London.

How would you describe the core aesthetic of your brand?

My style combines an elegant look with sporty influences. There is a balance between contemporary, seasonal pieces and more timeless items that you’d want to keep and wear every season. There’s always a story behind my collections inspired by either memories or everyday life…

So can you talk us through your upcoming Spring/Summer 2015 collection?

My Spring/Summer 2015 collection is called ‘Death by Watermelon’ and is inspired by past lovers; happy memories and funny anecdotes that were shared together. It’s about looking back but also looking into the future. It’s about saying goodbye but celebrating the good times. I’d call it… A happy funeral!

I love the tactile materials and textures in your collections; is choosing just the right fabric something that is important to you?

Yes, it is very important. I love to combine all sorts of fabrics together and play with that. I’m really into high quality materials and creating original surfaces. I love for everything to feel three dimensional.

You’ve collaborated with other designers and artists before. Do these projects blend into your fashion collections as well, or do you just see them as side projects?

I always get inspired by the other creative people around me, and whenever there’s a possibility to work with them I’ll go for it! I think it’s very refreshing because every artist and designer has another view on a topic and can contribute their own vision.

What’s been your proudest moment as a designer so far?

When I got my first collection back and then seeing it hanging in stores… I will never forget that feeling.

How do you see the Stefanie Biggel brand evolving?

I recently moved to London and I am curious as to what will happen to both me and my brand! The city is so vibrant, and people really love fashion. It’s very different to Switzerland. You never know what will happen in the future, but I like to live in the present; it makes me happy. So for now I am looking forward to continuing my work here and getting new inspirations.

stefaniebiggel.com

Words: Samantha Southern

The post One to Watch: Stefanie Biggel appeared first on Wonderland.

Having worked with the likes of Richard Nicoll and Fashion East’s Lulu Kennedy, Kevin Geddes is now getting ready to launch his second standalone womenswear collection. His first collection for Spring/Summer 2014 was inspired by “big brand packaging and British drinking culture” and made a loud and confident entrance into the industry which was very well received by the fash’ pack.

But in the flesh Geddes is anything but brash. When we caught up with him he explained that he prefers to take a backseat from the limelight, particularly as he feels that he’s still honing his craft. Which is great news for us, because that means that his slouchy, sports-inspired clothes still have that cool, under-the-radar edge that makes them all the more desirable.

So read on to get the insider scoop on this up-and-coming designer’s journey towards creating his own brand, and also see some exclusive pics of his upcoming Spring/Summer 2015 collection.

Could you take us through your journey up to the launch of your first standalone collection?

I had a bit of a strange one actually, because I went to Central St. Martin’s but I dropped out after a year. So then I went back to Birmingham – my home town – and got this sewing job for a bridal company. That was how I learned to sew! So I did that for around four years, and then decided to go and finish university. So when I went to university the second time around I knew how to make clothes and I also knew exactly what I wanted from it. The second time I actually went to Coventry University, which might seem a bit odd. But it was really close to Birmingham, and they’d just opened a new course with lots of technology. I was really interested in using the new technology which I knew a lot of other universities didn’t really have yet. Stuff like sonic welding machines, big laser cutters… I’d never used them, but I wanted to learn how. I knew how to make clothes – I’d been designing on and off just by myself – so I wasn’t really struggling with that side of it. But it was more that I wanted to know about how I could improve…

Since then you’ve worked with the likes of Richard Nicoll and Lulu Kennedy. What was that like?

I was pattern cutting for Lulu for a couple of seasons. Lulu’s lovely. I’d met her at Richard’s, so I it was nice because we kind of had a friendly relationship already, and it was just really nice working with her for a couple of seasons and seeing her build her collections. Then I’d been working with Richard for about three and a half years, and it’s always tricky because sometimes you need to make a move, I think, to keep it interesting. I’d always wanted to do my own thing, so that was really the point where I just thought that I’d either have to do it now or I’d never do it. So I decided to give it a shot! It’s something that I’d been working on for quite a while; taking my time and not rushing. I’m more interested in building a business than just being a flash in the pan sort of thing. Ultimately I love making clothes. That’s what I do.

So once you got some experience with established designers, that really pushed you to think that you could set up your own label?

Yeah, exactly. I was building up the confidence and also the knowledge of how it works: the behind the scenes stuff. There’s all this production and it’s just so much to take on board that I wanted to have that set in my head before I went into it on my own. For example, when I was at Coventry I won a big competition with my-wardrobe.com where they produced a collection I created, and that actually highlighted to me how much I didn’t know. I’d never had to deal with the production side of designing before that, and so it scared me a little bit. It was great to win the competition, and they did do all of the production work for me, but it was also terrifying!

How did winning that competition come about then?

I was actually made to enter some sort of competition through the university as a project! I think it was aimed at third year students, and I was a second year student at the time, but I thought the my-wardrobe.com design incubator competition sounded interesting and that it would give me the freedom to explore what I wanted to do. So I created a mini capsule collection that was really sales-focused, and then I ended up getting into the final and winning! I’d still got a year to go before I finished my degree after that though, and I didn’t feel like I’d built up enough of my own work to keep it going. It was a weird situation because I think they would have preferred me to just launch from that and then I would have had the support from them, I guess. That would have been really great, but I didn’t feel ready, so…

So when it came to the production of your capsule collection, that’s what made you want to get more experience in the industry?

Yeah. I’d been working with other people as well, but I hadn’t really thought that using one fabric might be cheaper and more economical than another and stuff. So that side of it was really quite intense for me. Especially on top of everything else I was doing, like holding down a job and trying to finish my work for university. I mean, now I’m able to juggle everything, but it took some getting used to.

How do you feel about the relationship between commercialism and creativity?

I think that the work I’m doing is really commercial, but I am interested in building up a brand rather than just designing what I want. So I don’t have a problem with commercialism at all. At the end of the day I make clothes and I want people to wear my clothes. That is the one thing that’s really important to me. So I look at it from the viewpoint that I’d rather make clothes that people will wear. You know, functioning garments for everyday wear.

Tell us about your first standalone collection for Spring/Summer 2014…

It was the first one I launched, but I actually did a smaller one before that. I created a little capsule collection for winter to get feedback from people within the industry before I launched in the summer. I started from scratch for that, so I didn’t have any block.

So how did your first collection develop from that then?

So I basically used the smaller collection to build a block and then I developed it from there. I wasn’t really comfortable with it looking back. I mean, I like it, but I would have loved it to be something else. I think I listened to more people than I wanted to. I took too much on board from other people about how they thought I should do it, or what route I should go down. But now I’ve learnt from that to stay true to myself and to do what I want to do.

And what’s next in the pipeline for you?

The next collection! So I’m going to get back into the studio, and I’ve been planning it for a while, so I’ve got a clearer picture in my head of what I want now. It’s going to move on slightly from what I did with the last collection. At the moment I’m obsessed with this one comic called Death Sentence, so I’m going to reference that, and then there’s this artist that I saw who draws on Post-it notes that I’m really into as well. They’re quite gothic, dark illustrations and I really like them.

How would you like to show that?

I’d like to take my next collection to Paris and do a trade show, and just build from that.

Do you think you’ll continue to focus solely on womenswear?

I’m not averse to going into menswear, but I think at the moment I’d like to do one thing and do it well.

Words: Samantha Southern

The post One to Watch: Kevin Geddes appeared first on Wonderland.

The Death in Paris concept originally began as a graphic design collective in Paris, but has now grown to become a byword for modern and functional accessories. Natasha and Mélusine co-founded the Death in Paris bag range to stay true to the minimal aesthetic that the design studio started, but with the pair now operating between London and Bangkok, their work is able to incorporate influences from all the cities that they have lived in. Their first collection for Autumn/Winter 2014 combines these multi-cultural inspirations to create bags that would look just as good on a runway as they would running errands.

We met up with the brains behind the brand to talk about the journey behind the conception of Death in Paris and to get an insight into their plans for the future. You heard it here first: this brand is going to be big.

Tell us a bit about how you two first met…

Natasha: We met in Paris about 3 years ago. Mélusine was based there and I had just moved there to study French. She knew my boyfriend and he ended up introducing us pretty soon after I arrived. We got along and ended up becoming good friends.

What was it like working in graphic design together in Paris?

Natasha: Actually, Mélusine is the graphic designer, it’s not my background at all! I have learned so much from her though…

Mélusine: Death in Paris was the name of the studio I set up after my motion design and graphic design studies. I had worked for a few high fashion brands and so I’d always been passionate about branding. Setting up the studio was really a great adventure as it made me realise that I not only enjoy the communications element of branding, but I really enjoy creating products too!

So what does ‘Death in Paris’ actually mean?

Natasha: The name is an extension of the graphic design studio; we wanted our products to carry on from the existing brand.

Mélusine: I actually came up with the name on a train ride back to Paris when I was a student. I was returning from my hometown of Lyon, and was feeling a bit disillusioned by Paris… There is the image that everyone has of Paris, and then there is the real Paris. So I comically wrote it as my Facebook status, and later ended up using it for the studio name.

Natasha: I love the name. I had a similar experience in Paris and feel it really has a sentiment of coming of age, and a sense of seeing reality for the first time. So it connotes a sense of loss but also a kind of renewal at the same time.

What made you both want to start up your own brand?

Natasha: The idea evolved quite organically as we both have a really similar taste in products. I had been thinking of opening an online shop, so Mélusine and I began casually discussing the possibility of making our own designs. We are both quite entrepreneurial, so it seemed like the natural next step.

You two are now split between London and Bangkok. How does that work?

Mélusine: We tend to talk daily by Skype, so it doesn’t really feel like we are disconnected at all. It does seem to be easier to work when we are in the same city together, but overall the distance doesn’t really affect us.

Natasha: We do stay in constant contact. I guess it seems odd that we manage a business from opposite ends of the world but I feel like it works well for us.

Do you feel that your surroundings have influenced your work at all?

Mélusine: Definitely! Both cities are so different culturally. It’s absolutely fascinating! I love how Bangkok is like a city jungle and how it contrasts with the modernity of London.

Natasha: Yes, Bangkok is very raw and unpolished, but it also has this laid back ease to it. London is so fast-paced comparatively! We get two very different perspectives of life influencing our design ideas.

What else influences your designs?

Mélusine: Interior design and architecture, materials and natural colours, green spaces, contemporary art, empty swimming pools, Swiss graphic design and stationary.

What is at the core of Death in Paris’ accessories range?

Natasha: We are quite minimalist at heart. I think we both have this idea of simplicity as the ultimate form of luxury. So our accessories really reflect that; we focus on really clean design.

Could you take us through your current collection?

Mélusine: The first collection really represents our aesthetic. We kept everything very structured and minimalist, and wanted all the designs to have a sense of effortless simplicity.

Natasha: At the same time, we want the bags to work harmoniously in peoples’ daily lives, so we designed them with a kind of built-in organisational element and tried to make them all multifunctional. For example, the Belvédère style can be used as a backpack or a clutch, while the Vasistas could be a clutch or an organizer in a bigger bag.

And what have you got planned for Spring/Summer 2015?

Mélusine: We are expanding our range of bags to include some new styles. They are a continuation of the first collection: monochrome and versatile.

Have you got any exciting plans or collaborations in the pipeline that you can tell us about?

Natasha: We plan to expand to other products beyond just bags. We can’t say too much, but definitely a range of apparel and other lifestyle pieces.

www.deathinparisstore.com

Words: Samantha Southern

The post One to Watch: Death in Paris appeared first on Wonderland.

River Island’s Design Forum initiative has previously brought collaborations from London Fashion Week favourites such as Katie Eary, Eudon Choi and Joseph Turvey to the UK high street. So we were more than a little excited when we heard that this year the retail giant has partnered with Liz Black to bring that designer je ne sais quoi to the fashion hungry masses… And boy, does Black have some fashion credentials! After graduating from Central St. Martin’s in 2010, she went onto set up her own luxury womenswear label. Since then, she has caught the attention of Roland Mouret when she was selected as a semi-finalist for the Fashion Fringe Awards in 2011, and she’s recently been nominated in the ‘Creative Excellence’ category at the Scottish Fashion Awards. Oh, and she counts Lady Gaga as one of her celebrity fans.

So if you want to grab yourself an affordable slice of this up-and-coming designer, her 9-piece capsule collection is launching across River Island’s UK stores today. The gothic collection draws inspiration from Princess Anastasia’s rumoured survival during the Russian Revolution, with the power dressing silhouettes offset by tactile leather-look materials and fur detailing.

But don’t worry too much about doing your fashion homework, because we’ve done it for you! We nabbed an exclusive interview with the emerging designer, as well as a sneak peak of the Liz Black for River Island film, which is officially launching at the British Fashion Council Fashion Film event on Monday. Enjoy!

Could you take us through your fashion journey so far: since graduating from Central Saint Martin’s to the upcoming River Island Design Forum collaboration?

After graduating I started my own label, and I have since shown at both London and Paris Fashion Weeks. In my shows I am always trying to tell a story. My inspirations have been quite broad; from art to architecture. For example, last season my collection focussed on Salvador Dalí but a couple of seasons before it was Alice in Wonderland.

So wherever you take your inspiration from, you’re always looking for something that has a story to tell?

Yes, exactly. My collections always tell a story about something that’s going on, or something that’s relevant. So every season we show the collections at a showroom in Paris, and I always go to as many exhibitions as I can while I’m there. And, obviously, I eat very well too! But, for example, I saw the Salvador Dalí exhibition in Paris, and the Soto exhibition as well. So my collections will always be about something that is happening in my life, or something that has touched me in some way. I tend to get obsessed with a theme! But what is most fun for me is pulling together how to tell the story, rather than just assembling one garment.

How did you feel when you found out that you were going to be designing a collection for River Island?

The British Fashion Council proposed the initial designers and then River Island shortlisted three final designers to interview. I still don’t know who the other designers were! But anyway… I went and it was really exciting to know that the British Fashion Council had even nominated me. I was interviewed by a panel of Fashion Directors, and it was a great experience. But I never really thought I was going to be their final choice! I know I shouldn’t say that, but you just never really expect to be chosen for these kinds of things. I really, really wanted it, but I just didn’t want to be hurt if I didn’t get it. Then the next day they contacted me to tell me that they wanted to work with me! So that was a very exciting moment.

What has it been like working with such a big brand?

This has really been my first experience of working for the high street. I’ve previously interned with Emilio de la Morena and Diane von Fürstenberg in New York, but I have never had experience with a high street brand. But the energy that this company’s got is amazing. We’ve had a lot of meetings and there have been a lot of people to meet there because they have amazing teams for every single thing. There are so many people working at River Island, and all of them have a really niche knowledge of a specific area. So we’ve been blending that knowledge with my ideas.

How did you adapt your usual aesthetic to cater for a high street brand and a wider audience?

The collection feels 100% Liz Black to me, but then the materials are a little bit more affordable. For example, I always use leather in my collections, but for this collection we have used a material that is similar to leather instead. It was important to me that this collection felt like my own, because I want young people to like it, and then if they really like it they might want to look at my stand-alone collections as well. I’m actually really excited to see people in my pieces. I want to see people out and about wearing this collection! So maybe I’ll look out for the leggings, the cardigan or even the coat in the daytime, and then perhaps I’ll see the dresses when I’m out in the evenings. I’d like to see how people style the collection as well.

Can you talk us through the inspiration for the capsule collection?

The inspiration started with the cape that the Russian Princess Anastasia wore, and then I worked out from there. I took inspiration from everything: Fabergé eggs, Russian dolls and even the Disney film! So although it started with just one thing, I wanted to make sure I got the whole picture. It was actually an idea that I had had for one of my collections – I have folders and folders and folders of different inspirational subjects – but that was the one that most appealed to me at the time, and I wanted to tell her story because it’s something that I feel really strongly about. So I made a clutch for the collection that looks like a Fabergé egg, and then the dresses are all styled to look like corsets, because Anastasia is said to have sewn precious stones inside her corset when her family were leaving Tobolsk to ensure that the guards wouldn’t find them. So the corset actually became a main feature for the collection.

What are your favourite pieces?

This is a really hard question because I’d wear every single thing! But I think if I had a specific budget to spend, the coat and the shoes are probably the pieces that I would buy first.

Did you enjoy making the film to accompany the launch?

The film production was amazing! The photo shoot was good as well, but the film production was out of this world because I’ve never really been involved with anything like that before. There were almost fifty people working on it. Seeing the transformation of my ideas was so amazing. The company and director, Mary Nighy, were absolutely brilliant.

Can we take any hints from this capsule collection about what the Liz Black Spring/Summer 2015 will be like?

Not really… My Spring/Summer 2015 collection is about insects! So there’s black mixed with a really bright palette, and then the dresses are inspired by spiders, flies, bumblebees, ants… Anything really! We are using microfiber, power mesh, leather, heavy cotton and organza. I really like working with organza because organza is very structural, and what I do is very structural as well.

Are you showing in both London and Paris this season?

This season I made the decision to focus more on the River Island collection in London, and then in Paris we are inviting everybody! When we come back from Paris in October we’ll have a London press day.

Have you got anything else exciting planned for the future?

I can’t say too much, but I have been contacted by a TV programme. My dresses are going to be featured on a show, which is very exciting. For me the most important part of the design process is seeing the finished dresses.

The Liz Black x River Island collection was launched in River Island’s Oxford Street stores today, and will be available at the following stores from Tuesday:

LONDON, White City Westfield

LONDON, Bluewater

LONDON, Parkhouse

MANCHESTER, Arndale

LIVERPOOL, Church Street

LEEDS, Lands Lane/Trinity

BIRMINGHAM, Bullring

NEWCASTLE

GLASGOW, Argyle Street

DUBLIN, ILAC

Prices start at £30 and go up to £100.

Words: Samantha Southern

The post Exclusive: Liz Black × River Island appeared first on Wonderland.

I think I speak for women everywhere when I say that I feel as if my outfit isn’t quite complete without a smattering of jewellery. Whether your taste is blingtastic or minimal, quirky or classic; finding the right jewellery can take you that all-important step closer to sartorial heaven.

So imagine what happened when we unearthed the, ahem, hidden gem that is Lily Kamper… This jewellery wunderkind has already had her own London Fashion Week show and also created bespoke pieces for Fashion East designer Helen Lawrence. As if that wasn’t enough, her decorative yet structural designs have also got the Anna Wintour seal of approval. Trust us: if she wasn’t on your radar before then she will be now!

We caught up with the London-based designer to let her take us through the inspirations behind her inimitable jewellery as well as introduce us to her upcoming collections.

What inspired you to create the columnar, structural pieces that have become your signature?

It initially started as an exploration into shaping and adding colour to Perspex, and the initial inspiration for the forms came from the beautiful carved pillars of temples and in particular a visit to Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in North London.

And what led to the unusual material combinations?

I was studying Mixed Media at the Royal College of Art and I think I have always had a fascination with how different materials can sit alongside each other; ones that have different values or simply create different textures.

Could you talk us through your Autumn/Winter 2014/15 range?

My Autumn/Winter Collection was inspired by images of the earth at night time, marble staircases and the phases of the moon. For this collection I introduced the use of a resin that appears to look like stone and also pieces that are set with light blue sapphires: set upside down so the bottom of the cut stone spikes out. I also made a luxury piece made out of solid Lapis with a cap set with sapphire pavé.

And what can we expect for Spring/Summer 2015?

For next season I have been working with a very simple colour palette and also introduced some new hexagonal shapes set with white sapphires, a little rose gold has also made an appearance…

Your work has attracted the attention of Vogue Italia, WGSN and, more recently, Helen Lawrence. Do you enjoy collaborating and working on bespoke pieces? Which has been your favourite so far?

I love working with other designers and really enjoyed working with my good friend Helen to create some pieces for her catwalk show out of glittery resin and powder coated metal. I also really enjoyed working with the designer Steven Tai on some bespoke hardware for a leather rucksack in his Spring/Summer 2014 Collection. There are some really exciting collaborations in the pipeline too which I can’t wait to reveal!

What has been your proudest moment as a designer so far?

I think my proudest moments were graduating from the Royal College and also showing at London Fashion Week at Somerset House. The last year or so has been such a whirlwind, but presenting my work to Anna Wintour in Milan was pretty amazing too!

Wow! So who would you love to see wearing one of your pieces?

I would love to see someone just out and about on the street that I don’t know wearing one of my pieces, it hasn’t happened yet, so I reckon that would be quite cool.

www.lilykamper.com

Words: Samantha Southern

The post One To Watch: Lily Kamper appeared first on Wonderland.

Since the London Collections: Men fashion week launched in 2012, trend-led menswear has become an increasingly important part of the British fashion scene. With more and more men now starting to experiment with their sartorial style, we needed something – or should that be someone… – to add a bit of colour to the sea of greyscale suits.

Enter Rachel James: the antidote to menswear monotony! After seeing the Westminster Fashion Design graduate’s pastel-hued, flower power-inspired collection troop down the runway for her graduate show in May, we knew it wouldn’t be the last we’d see of her eclectic, modern menswear. True to form, James is going to fully launch her clothing into the fashion world this September in the only way she knows how: with a BANG. We caught up with the designer to talk art, travel and inspiration.

You recently graduated from the University of Westminster with a BA in Fashion Design. Tell us a bit about your journey up to that point…

Although I didn’t necessarily used to think in terms of fashion, I’d always loved fine art. But I never really wanted to pursue fine art because it wasn’t exciting enough for me. Then I became more and more interested in fashion and thought that I liked the pace of it. I get bored quite quickly and I knew that I loved working with people, so it kind of came together like that. Then after finishing school I decided to go and travel the world to get a bit more inspired and that was fab. I matured a little bit as well which was needed before university! I do work very, very hard, but, equally, when I was younger I did like to party very hard too. And I just thought that I’d go out and have a good time. So, I did all that, and I think that made me really focused to come back and start my studies. I went to Manchester Met. for my Foundation Art and again had a great time. But I couldn’t even sew at this point! I was just interested and keen and was still always drawing actually. So then I applied to various universities, and I went to Westminster and just loved it. I definitely wanted to be in London; I love London! And Westminster have the year out in industry option, which a lot of other universities don’t do on a fashion design course. Everyone knows that fashion’s the kind of industry where you have to have a lot of hands on experience, as with a lot of industries, but lots of courses only offered a term.

So had you ever lived in London before?

When I was eighteen actually I interned at Dior for three months, which was the first time I moved to London. I worked in the Sales department so that I could still be working in high-end fashion. That was my first placement and that was the place that really toughened me up, which, I think, was necessary. I just learnt so much about high-end fashion and the kind of customers you need. I didn’t really appreciate it that much at the time, but now I’m doing my own label so much of it is sort of bubbling up and I am so pleased that I’ve actually worked for a luxury brand. I learnt a huge amount, but I learnt by far the most in my year out, which I’m so pleased I did.

You interned at Todd Lynn, Acne and Josh Goot during your time at university. What was that like?

Todd Lynn was my placement in second year. That was my first proper design placement and that was fab. In my year out I was very fortunate to be snatched up by Acne almost immediately. So I moved out of my house, said goodbye to all my friends got on a flight to Sweden. I had nowhere to live; I just flew out with my backpack! But I had a wonderful time. By three weeks in they’d already said to me “Rachel, we love you, can you please stay? Can you please do six months?”. So I lived in Sweden for almost seven months, which was amazing. It was just the best of both worlds because I love travelling so much, but then I learnt so much working for a global brand as well. Halfway through that I fell in love with my current man and he persuaded me once I’d finished my placement at Acne to move to Australia, because he was living in Australia at the time. But that’s a whole other story! So, once I’d finished in the March I flew out and moved in with him in Sydney. Then that’s when I interned for Josh Goot. So I interned with that company in Sydney for four months.

Wow! So did you know you wanted to be a menswear designer from the very beginning?

Up until my fourth year I was actually still doing womenswear, so I’ve only recently changed to menswear. I guess I hadn’t really worked out what my calling was. At university, cliché as it is, you really are trying to find out who you are, and to find out what you’re good at. Obviously I wanted to be a designer, but I came back from my year out having done so much hands on construction that I realised how much I care about the fit of garments and that I really love things fitting beautifully and looking functional. I could spend so much time obsessing over pocket placements and the type of zips I use!

In your work in particular, playing with and perfecting the form of a garment does seem to stand out as a common theme.

Thank you, that’s honestly so nice to hear from someone who’s just seen the collection. It wasn’t until after I’d met my boyfriend – because he’s so interested in fashion – that I realised that men actually appreciated this stuff. Men appreciate beautifully crafted clothing and pocket placements and zip trims! So I went straight into final year being like: “I’m a menswear student now”. There’s not enough exciting menswear; I’m gonna bring it. I have all of these ideas and now I can channel them into producing menswear clothing. Pow!

So who are your clothes aimed at then?

That’s quite a big question! I mean, I want the kind of man who wears my clothes to be excited about what he’s wearing. Not just someone who dresses himself because he has to. I want the kind of man who really takes care in what he looks like. He’s prepared to pay a little bit more for beautiful fabrics and beautiful fits knowing that the T-shirt’s not going to shrink in the wash. I want men to look at something and feel like it’s exciting; I want them to look at it as a concept. My garments might be a bit crazy in terms of colours and prints, but they’re still ultimately real clothing and that’s really important to me. I don’t just want to focus on the kind of garment that you’d see in a museum somewhere. I want to bring a bit more exciting menswear to the table.

What can we expect for Spring/Summer 2015?

Spring/Summer 2015 is an expansion on my graduate collection, because since I finished I’ve had so many emails with people saying “love the concept, love the colours. Do you do T-shirts? Do you do sweatshirts? Do you do shorts?” and I’m like “yes”! So we’re going to be launching a pop-up store in September which is very exciting. We’re still looking into several locations, so dates are to be confirmed, but it will be announced on my Twitter account. I’m doing it in collaboration with my friend Robbie Anson Duncan who’s a 3D installation illustrator. It’s going to be super fab!

So you’re now evolving your initial look into a fully functioning collection?

A commercial and more exciting collection, yes. And it’s going to be on sale from September when we have the pop-up store.

Can you talk us through it?

I went to an exhibition at the Science Museum for the photography of Tony Ray-Jones and I just loved how there are all these grumpy English men in the photographs, just at the seaside or with their families in their homes and they were all from seventies, working class Britain. There were all these crazy wallpapers and the women were wearing these frumpy floral frocks and there was just so much clashing of colours and prints and florals all around. But then all the guys were in suits and just looking quite severe. So I really wanted to get the men involved in the fun! That’s kind of where it started. I wanted to do a casual collection for men, because I didn’t want guys to feel too restricted in my clothing. I started looking at all these floral wallpapers, and I thought ‘I want to do my own take on that’. So by digging through my grandma’s florals from her house I found all these pressed flowers that looked beautiful. So I pinched them and scanned them in and I actually used Granny’s pressed flowers for my prints! All my prints are pressed flowers that I scanned in at a crazy resolution, changed all of the colours on Photoshop and then built the prints from that.

And apart from the pop-up shop, have you got any other plans for the future?

I’m so excited for the future. I’m just so excited to be doing my own label! So I’m doing the pop-up, called Creative Space, and that will be really fun and really colourful. I don’t really want to say too much yet, because I want it to be a bit of a surprise. But that’s definitely going to be for one week in September. And then after that we will be starting our collection for London Collections: Men in January. Fingers crossed! So I’m basically trying to push forward and do something new and totally different. Not florals! Something different…

www.racheljamesltd.com

Words: Samantha Southern

The post One To Watch: Rachel James appeared first on Wonderland.

Let’s face it, we’re pretty spoiled for choice when it comes to UK fashion designers. From Burberry’s classic trench coats to Bobby Abley’s Mickey Mouse ears, there’s so much variety on our catwalks and in our shops that it takes a lot to make a jaded Londoner look twice. Enter: Danielle Foster.

Based in London, Danielle Foster is an accessories-designer-cum-model (some girls have all the luck!) who combines her incredible eye for sleek lines and boxy structures with a minimal design aesthetic. After graduating from London College of Fashion back in 2010, Foster has had quite a wild ride. Her bag designs first caught the eye of wig-maker extraordinaire Charlie le Mindu, who she then went onto collaborate with on a six-piece collection for his SS11 presentation. Then, after showing at Victoria House during London Fashion Week, Foster began to take her own commissions, offering a bespoke handmade bag service. Attention to detail was a crucial part of these orders; something that is still evident in her recent collections.

For SS14, Foster continues to work with clean structures and minimal lines, but steers away from the hardware detailing seen in her previous collections. All the popper fastenings are concealed, for example, to allow the UK-sourced metallic croc leather to stand out.

We also took a sneak peek at next season, where texture once again plays a key role in Foster’s designs. For AW, the super soft embossed leathers feature in a more simple colour palette comprising of black, navy blue and buttery beige, with Foster’s range of styles expanding to include totes, satchels, envelope clutches and structured backpacks.

Like what you see? As if we don’t spoil you enough, Danielle Foster is going to be holding a sample sale on Wednesday 30^th October. So keep your eye out for her beautifully functional designs, and you may even snap up a bargain in the process. Who loves ya, baby?

Words: Samantha Southern

 www.daniellefoster.co.uk

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Salsa beats and caipirinhas welcomed Wonderland into the world of Maddy McIndoe: a print designer whose adventures in the Amazon last year inspired her to create her own fashion label. We caught up with the designer at the launch party for her ‘Jungle is Massive’ S/S 14 collection.

Tell us a bit about the inspiration behind this first collection?

I went to South America last year, and I didn’t really have much of a plan when I got there; I sort of ended up going through Argentina up to Bolivia, but then I decided to go into the jungle. After travelling through on a little boat and seeing all of the animals I came out thinking that I really wanted to do something, and looking through the millions of photos I’d taken I was like “I know, I’ll do some prints”! So I started doing them, without having much of an idea what they’d be for initially, as they’re hand drawn and quite childish…

You initially designed just menswear. Why was that?

I think my prints are quite playful. And there’s probably quite a lot of kidswear out there like that, but not so much adult stuff. So, yeah, I started doing just menswear, but then loads of my girlfriends were asking if I would do womenswear as well and so I started thinking that these prints could be more versatile.

So it was demand that prompted you to make the move into womenswear as well?

Yeah. And now I think the womenswear will be really popular, especially the matching co-ords and stuff.

You’re producing this collection in India, and yet the prints are inspired by animals from the Amazon. How important is diversity to you as a designer?

I initially went out to India for work, and obviously India’s had quite a lot of bad press for fashion production – Bangladesh especially – so it was important for me to visit the factories and know that I was sure they were good factories. I would have felt really uncomfortable outsourcing and not knowing where my clothes were coming from.

As a new designer, are ethics and the ethical production of fashion important to you?

Yes. In fact, that’s a huge part of the reason behind why I wanted to do my own thing and create my own label: because I can have morals like that, whereas if I was working for someone else I would have no control over that sort of thing.

So would you say that this first collection is a reflection of your own style? Or, if not, who did you have in mind when you started designing?

My label does feel quite self-indulgent in that I do love bright colours and lairy prints, so it’s definitely my sort of thing. But ultimately I’ve tried to make it wearable, so I’ve also done T-shirts with just a contrast print on or something, so people will like it that aren’t even necessarily into that more ‘wild’ sort of look. I knew when I started though that I didn’t want to make it crazy prices. I could never design clothes that my friends couldn’t afford to buy. Like, sometimes I see some beautiful, beautiful stuff, but I can’t afford to spend £400 on a pair of trousers, and I’d feel like a big fraud if I did that sort of thing.

What are the price points of this collection then?

The prices range from £28 to £35.

And you’re already stocked on ASOS Marketplace, but have you got anything else in the pipeline at the moment?

McIndoe’s also available from The Laden Showroom on Brick Lane. And looking forward I’d love to start a concession in a department store.

Have you got anything in mind yet for your next collection?

I definitely want to branch out, but continue to concentrate on print. So I’d like to do a collection with more varied prints. I’d also really love to do swimwear at some point. That would be so much fun! For both guys and gals: I’m happy that I’m designing for both now.

Why did you choose to design for guys first?

I’ve always been into menswear. I went to Manchester [university] and I did menswear for my final year project. I just love it, I don’t know why. I think when I started getting into menswear it was because there wasn’t that much menswear out there, but now, obviously, it’s a much bigger market. Particularly in London, people embrace that. I don’t want to water my designs down.

What about long term goals? What direction would you like your brand to go in?

I’d quite like to do kidswear actually. I feel like the thing that I love about fashion most is the print design. It’s all about the prints for me. So, yeah, maybe branch out in terms of kidswear or swimwear.

So should we be heralding you as the next Katie Eary or Mary Katrantzou then?

Laughs. We’ll see.

McIndoe Online

McIndoe on Asos

Follow McIndoe on Twitter

Words: Samantha Southern

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Oozing Parisian cool, the building’s original exposed brick and distressed plasterboard walls play home to clothing hung from simple, black metal-framed railings alongside jewellery and sunglasses spilling from old-fashioned drawer units. Vintage home accessories from the Lacroix archive, scented candles by Welton and stationary manufactured by Libretto are also presented on minimalist black shelves, allowing the three standout pieces of furniture, a collaboration between Lacroix creative direction Sacha Walckhoff and Brazilian designer Rodrigo Almeida, to take centre stage.

The Christian Lacroix concept store is located at 2-4 Place Saint Sulpice, 75006, Paris.

Words: Samantha Southern

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