Thomas Sabo launches SS2017 collection featuring Ambassador Frankie Bridge

English singer-songwriter Frankie Bridge, a member of the girl group The Saturdays, is UK and Ireland ambassador of global premium jewellery and lifestyle brand THOMAS SABO, and is seen in their latest campaign for promoting the brand's Spring/Summer 2017 collection featuring two distinct looks; which continue to be inspired by the universal ‘Together’ message that has become a hallmark of the THOMAS SABO brand.

The new images display an eye-catching and fashion-forward selection of the new Spring Summer 2017 range, which includes elements of the new Africa collection.

Frankie Bridge comments:
“Summer is nearly here, so I need to update my jewellery wardrobe! I love when the sun is shining and the new collection really brings across the feeling of summer. I look forward to wearing it whether I’m on the beach or dining out..!”

All jewellery is available to buy in store and online now at the Thomas Sabo website.

Bold statement jewellery are artistic sculptures too.

Anna Maria Pitt's jewellery - from the Artic Poppies and Armorous collections -
are to be worn or admired as sculptural works of art.
 Pictured here at the Scoop International trade show held at the Saatchi Gallery, London, 12 - 14 February 2017.
© Lucia Carpio 2017

Architectural, geometrical,  and sculptural are just some of the descriptions that come to mind upon seeing the creations of Anna Maria Pitt.

Originally from Reykjavik, Iceland, now living in London, UK, Anna Maria said her fascination with nature and its bearings is the primary source of her artistic inspiration.  

Having studied silversmithing and jewellery design at Bucks New University where she graduated with a BA Hons degree, Anna set up her studio where her jewellery-creations are made by hand.

Her designs - be they a necklace, a ring, a pendant or a bracelet - make bold statements, ideal for the confident woman who likes or wants to be noticed.

Her jewellery creations are works of art that can be worn for maximum visual impact.  Yet each piece is uniquely beautiful, and can be admired as a stand-alone piece like a sculpture or objet d'art.

"I make design models out of paper before moving onto metal, which is then laser-cut and after I assemble and finish off each piece by hand in my workshop," explained Anna Maria in the lead up to her recent exhibition at the Scoop International trade fair held in London earlier this month at the Saatchi Gallery.   This was followed by Anna Maria's participation in Milano Fashion Week where four of her pieces have been selected for the Artistar Jewellery Exhibition.

You can almost imagine the Icelandic landscape when observing some of her jewellery designs.  In the picture above, Anna Maria models her Arctic Poppy bracelet on her left wrist.  Depicting a flower that blooms in the harshest of conditions, the piece is assembled by cold connecting eight separate parts to create the suspension of form. This modern piece blends the soundness of structure with the lightness of natural order.  On her right hand is one of her latest ring designs - the Migration Ring made from sterling silver, and are part of her cold connected Migration Collection.  Each ring, handcrafted by the artist herself, incorporates a clean slate, a flying bird or an abstract promise thereof, creating dimensional movement in each and every piece.

The picture above shows a selection of Migration necklaces, in varying sizes, made from gold plated sterling silver, as part of Anna Maria’s Migration Collection.   Inspired by migrating bird formations sweeping the sky, each silver or gold bird is fixed onto a circular plate, creating a dimensional arial movement flowing above the surface.

The Canopy bracelet shown in the picture above was inspired by forest tree crowns.  This large piece is assembled by fixing silver leafs to a bracelet base. Available in silver and gold.

Here is the sterling silver Backbone necklace - an intricate piece part of Anna Maria’s bespoke collection.  Inspired by a wild reindeer’s vertebrae, the necklace is assembled by cold connecting twenty six separate parts, emulating the animals spinal structure – creating a interconnecting spiral which fuses form and functionality.  Imagine it framing a lady's face and adorning a simple black dress.  It certainly makes a striking vision.

All images © Lucia Carpio 2017.

Alluring creations from France's oldest lace master

At a time when lace continues to seduce as fashionable adornment on women's apparel, it is the focus of a new exhibition at the Fashion Museum in Bath this year; entitled Lace in Fashion - which encompasses fine luxury garments worn by royals and the aristocracy up to machine-made fashions for the everyday.

Evening wear lace featured at Premiere Vision Paris, 6 -9 February 2017.
Photo: © Lucia Carpio 2017

It is equally fascinating to see new exquisite lace designs emerging from the world's foremost lace producers that invited great admiration from the industry during the Premiere Vision Paris trade show held this February.

Darquer's Spider lace adhere to the body
like a canvas.
Photo from Darquer Dentelle.

Among the latest collection for the new Spring/Summer 2018 season is a new lace called Spider from one of France's foremost lace producers which has harnessed the unique beauty of the web produced by the ingeneous arthropod and will no doubt fire up the imagination of fashion designers everywhere.  The new Spider lace, endowed with a kinetic effect, is launched by the lace manufacturer - Darquer and from the imagination of its creator, Frederic Rumigny. 

Perhaps like me you too hold unique sentiments attached to the spider's web - it is at once seductive and alluring, mysterious and captivating.  Scientists have for years aspire to create the amazing quality of the spider's web, thought to be among the strongest natural material in the world.  The intricacy of each web, how it is spun and woven, is magical to watch and appreciate.

In keeping with its illustrious heritage, Darquer 's innovative Spider lace has been produced in its particular weaving that allows the lace to adhere to the body like a canvas.

Photo: Spider lace presented at Darquer's exhibition stand at Premieren Vision Paris 6-9 February 2017
 © Lucia Carpio 2017

In an effort to emulate the strength of the spider's web, the Spider lace is the result of an extension of tulle made into a thread, realistically representing the spider‘s web with the repetition of a similar pattern creating; thus a very «seventies» and sexy kinetic effect is achieved.

Photo© Lucia Carpio 2017 taken  at Darquer's exhibition stand at
Premieren Vision Paris 6-9 February 2017

.

Lace designer Frederic Rumigny.
Photo from Darquer.

The resistant thread’s size allows a modest macramé transparency on an obvious spirit of eroticism, according to Frederic Rumigny whose inspiration came from the giant spider Kumo, a creation by French artist François Delarozière (whose company MACHINE designs and makes fantastical mechanical creatures often known as living architecture) that was unveiled in Calais last summer.

The relay of Delaroziere's creation was transcribed to the equally impressive lace-weaving machines, Leavers 7 points that weave their thousands of threads to make the new lace.

To read the article in Full, and to see Darquer's other new lace creations, click HERE.

The long and short of it - coats, jackets, dresses and skirts.

Creative British street style in these pictures speak for themselves.

It's London Fashion Week - at its new home, The Store Studios, 180 The Strand.

During London Fashion Week (from Friday 17th to Tuesday 21st February), Mercedes-Benz's luxurious and stylish fleet of chauffeur-driven cars, including the iconic G-Class and Mercedes-Maybach, are moving UK and international media, bloggers, celebrities, buyers and designers around the capital to the 51 catwalk shows and 32 presentations.

All images from Mercedes Benz.

Luxury cars and stylish fashionistas at London Fashion Week

All around London, fashionistas are spotted in their unique British street style attending London Fashion Week events held from Friday 17th to Tuesday 21st February.  The British Fashion Council’s 65th edition of London Fashion Week takes place at its new home, The Store Studios, 180 The Strand.

And supporting the international crowd made up of fashion media, bloggers, celebrities, buyers and designers is a fleet of stylish chauffeur-driven Mercedes-Benz's (including the iconic G-Class and Mercedes-Maybach) moving them around the capital to the 80 or so catwalk shows and presentations.

Trousers from cropped  to sweeping lengths seem to be the order of the day, in a wide range of materials, including denim, wool and cotton mix, in bright hues to simply black.  Straight-line jackets and coats along with statement bags, wide belts, platform heels, booties or stilletos complete the look.

Mercedes-Benz has a long-standing status as London Fashion Weeks' official car sponsor with its 15th season supporting British fashion.

All images from Mercedes Benz.

Novelty fabrics for SS18 - a showcase of new technical and creative styles

Evening fabrics and novelty textiles showcased at Premiere Vision Paris in February 2 - 9 for the Spring/Summer 2018 season displayed a wide range of schematic patterns and appealing surface textures that point to a fresh and optimistic outlook full of innovation and imagination.

The PV fashion team described the SS2018 season as one that is simple yet extraordinary.  Neither naive nor romantic, but rather highly graphic and contemporary.  Definitely a season infushed with creative energy, featuring flowery or geometric lace and guipure with well-defined contours, schematic patterns in two-tone or three-tone colourways with refined contrasts for maximum visibility, as far as evening fashion fabrics are concerned.

While there were sparkling examples, such as mixing cellophane and iridescent yarns, there were also colourful reflections and exuberant, full-coloured metals to enhance jacquards.  There were also dishevelled, fringed patterning, applique embroideres and flowers budding in pulsating scales, featuring greenhouse plants and exotic natural themes burgeoning with flowers, leaves and birds of paradise.

British textile mills and design studios' new creations for high fashion shone through in this genre where new technical and creative styles were highlighted.  

The variety of decorative visual details enriched with visual fantasy played off a complicity that was clever, modern and yet embracing.  Any designer wishing to present their clothing as objects of desire would be spoilt for choice.    A decorative showcase of exuberance for an optimistic future indeed from the British mills.

British creativity and technology knowhow when combined with Asian workmanship produced extraordinary results as showcased by the London Embroidery Studio which participated in a special zone at the fair called Maison D'Exceptions dedicated to high creativity, targetting fashion designers and luxury brands.
Founded in 2007 in London, the studio combines digital and analog techniques to produce made to measure embroidery and adornments.  The company was set up by Royal College of Art graduate Andrew Kenny whose founding aim was to tie together research practice and studio production in the promotion of design-led embroidery practice.

Also featured at Maison D'Exceptions was British company Rare Thread, a textile studio/collective conceived by Laura Miles and Kirsty McDougall incorporating a team of designers and specialists.  The studio has worked with couture names such as Valentino, Chanel, Balenciaga, YSL and other top brands including Calvin Klein and Christopher Kane, with its global networks scross yarn, material, woven manufacturing and finish.  The studio also produces small-scale series in varied and uncommon formats, combining experimental techniques to achieve surprising results.

The UK Fashion & Textile Association (UKFT) stand at the Premiere Vision Paris trade fair February 7 - 9  2017.

From Stephen Walters & Sons, the SS18 collection launched at PV covered womenswear, menswear and neckwear fabrics boasting a broad range that featured the company's signature combination of superior technical expertise and intensely creative spirity.  Both contemporary and heritage inspirations were very much in evidencr, displaying refined, sophisticated fabrics with luxe appeal.
"Our SS18 collection is a wonderful demonstration of both the technical capabilities of our historic Suffolk silk mill, and the innovative, fashion forward vision of our design team, " said Bruce Crabtree, Design Director of Stephen Walters and Sons.  "Thesse exceptional strengths not only enable us to create the finest fabrics for menswear, womenswear and neckwear, but also undertake creative partnerships with fashion houses, producing unique designs for their signature collections."

Meanwhile Bella Tela, another English design house, showcased a wide range of evening wear couture fabrics in its new collection, showcasing widely sourced materials combined with state of the art contemporary embroidery, as well as traditional manufacturing techniques.

New additions to Litmans Lace & Fabrics included luxury crepe and Marocain fabrics, stretch chiffon and stin, French Style Chantilly laces and on-trend metallic shimmer fabrics, geometric, sequin and luxurious 3D stretch laces.

All photos © Lucia Carpio 2017

Premiere Vision Paris saw dynamic growth in visitor numbers

Première Vision Paris closed the February 2017 session dedicated to Spring Summer 18 collections with a 2.3% increase in visitors over February 2016, bringing the total number of visitors to 56,250.

At 73% international, the show's visitorship, coming from 124 countries, is unique and unrivalled among upstream trade shows, characterised by its high quality and diversity.

Organisers said in a complex and changing global context, this fine performance reflects not only the attractiveness and strength of Première Vision Paris, a trade fair for all in the fashion, textiles and design industries, but also the effectiveness of its creative positioning, a strategic vector of differentiation and growth.

Driven by its creative, selective offer, innovative and inspirational information, and enhanced efficiency - with de-partitioned industry sectors and synergies between business activities - this latest edition also owes its success to a particularly rich program of news and innovation, well appreciated by both visitors and exhibitors.

All images © Lucia Carpio 2017

Lenzing's New Eco fibre enables circular economy for the textile industry.

Lenzing's press conference at Premiere Vision
Paris on 7Feb 2017.  Picture supplied by Lenzing.

During the Premiere Vision Paris trade fair for textile industry professionals (held 7 - 9 February), Lenzing - a world leader in producing botanic cellulose fibres - announced its achievement in developing a new eco fibre that serves the consumers' need for more clothing while preserving the world's natural resources and enabling a circular economy for the textile industry.




Lenzing's Chief Commercial Officer Robert van de Kerkhof said they have achieved a new business model by developing a new cellulose fibre called Refibra ™, which is the result of combining cotton scraps and wood from sustainably managed forests.  This new closed loop business model could open the door for additional developments using other natural fibres, added Amit Gautam, Lenzing's Vice President Global Business Management Textiles.

Lenzing COO Robert van de Kerhof (l.) and Amit Gautam, Lenzing VP Global BM,
handling a garment made with Refibra ™.  © Lucia Carpio 2017

van de Kerkhof highlighted that the initiative is built on Lenzing's reputation as  a leader in the field of environmental fibre technology, pushing new solutions in the textile industry towards circular economy by recycling production waste.

Tencel image on recycling.

© Lucia Carpio 2017

The new fibre Refibra ™ stands for "Reduce, Reuse and Recycle", and is obtained by employing Tencel® (80%) and another 20% made up of recycled cotton scraps.
It is obtained through a similar technique as the one used for producing Tencel and can be manufactured in the same facilities and machines at Lenzing.





Refibra ™ is already available in the Spanish fashion chain Zara as part of their Join Life campaign Spring 2017 offering, just launched to coincide with Lenzing's announcement at Premiere Vision Paris.
Zara, traditionally a customer of Lenzing, has taken on an added new role as a supplier, providing Lenzing with pre-consumer cotton scraps, with which Lenzing had turned into pure cotton fibres and combined with Tencel® fibre to form the new Refibra ™ fibre that are in turn made into garments.

Samples of garments and hangers were on hand at the press announcement to show that there is no difference in hand quality when comparing Refibra™ apparel with regular Tencel ©  Lyocell products. Fibre characteristics: Smooth, gentle to the skin' Absorbent, best moisture management; Strong and robust, in the manufacturing process and the end product
Photo © Lucia Carpio 2017

van de Kerkhof  said overall fibre growth in the world has been driven by the high amount of clothing required globally to meet the needs of the world's growing population and the higher purchasing power seen in emerging markets, and thus post a major burden on our environment, specifically when statistics show that some 50 million tons of clothng are thrown out every year, while the need for clothing will double by year 2025 based on Lenzing's own research.  And this, representing 80% of apparel consumption, would end up in landfill.

"Our Tencel fibre has been internationally recognized for its environmentally resdponsible closed loop productiono process," says van de Kerkof, "the new Refibra fibre offers a deep sustainability profile that clearly contributes to curcular economy."

"For Lenzing, developing circular business models in the fashion  industry ensures the decoupling of business growth from pressure on ecological resource consumption.  It reduces the need to extract additional virgin resources from nature, and reduces the net impact on ecological resources," adds van de Kerkhof.

“At present Refibra is produced with 100% pre-consumer cotton, but new developments made with other natural fibers might also be achieved,” says Gautam, who also acknowledged that the new Refibra fibre could be more expensive than the premium Tencel fibre.