Time Out rebranded as Time In

Time Out magazine has temporarily rebranded as Time In and is available digital-only for the time-being as many parts of the country and communities around the world are in a lockdown state. Content of the magazine is focusing on supporting local businesses, providing inspiration, and reporting news and initiatives emerging in the city. Regular Time Out content, including its digital magazine, will continue to be available across the brand’s websites. In addition, its social media channels and email newsletters are offering timely news and support.

Robots – a help or a hindrance when it comes to fighting Covid-19?

The Covid-19 crisis has proven that robots and AI can provide crucial assistant on many levels, according to new analysis from Professor Héctor González-Jiménez at ESCP Business School.

Smartech

From being used to deliver medicine to patients diagnosed with Covid-19, to measuring patient’s temperatures while doctors and nurses speak to them via automaton, robot potential continues to exceeded expectations across the globe.

In China, as many civilians are quarantined in their homes, the government have also provided logistics robots to deliver medical supplies and food to homes in Wuhan.

But are the robots here to stay? Can they truly help us to overcome the coronavirus health crisis and lockdown?

To an extent, yes, but it should not be underestimated how much humans appreciate a human face, especially in time of need.

“Despite the usefulness of robots, a sudden confrontation with a robot, without human support, may in fact further exacerbate stress and anxiety in an individual who is already going through trauma.”

“As well as this, people may also be overestimating robot capabilities, particularly in crisis situations. The appearance of such robots could actually create a false sense of hope for patients. Worse, technical mishaps in difficult terrains could even lead to further complications" says Professor González-Jiménez.

The researchers warn that while the advantages and disadvantages of robots need to be closely monitored, recent examples from Asia indicate that when used in a careful manner, robots can be valuable partners in times of crisis. Compassion is something that cannot be compromised though, and during this period of uncertainty, we must not underestimate the power of human care.

Ian Snow introduce new SS20 Clothing & Jewellery Collection and raise funds to feed India’s daily-wage earners

British lifestyle brand Ian Snow which have been sourcing from India for some 40 years have launched an urgent appeal to raise money to help feed daily-wage earners in India whose incomes have suddenly stopped due to the lockdown in their country. 

Right now there is no social security available, according to organiser Daisy Snow, a director of Ian Snow Ltd. founded by her parents.
“These people live on a hand to mouth basis, daily, their incomes have suddenly and completely STOPPED and they are going to starve,“ said Daisy in her appeal.  
“Everyone around the world is struggling and in difficult positions right now, but we are really blessed to be in a country with an NHS and a social system (in the UK) that will not let anyone starve to death, I want to help the self-employed people of Jaipur who rely on a daily wage which is not currently possible to earn, so do not know how to feed their children because of the imposed lock down they no longer can earn any money.”
To date, they have raised £13,000, enough for about 73,000 meals and their target is £50,000.
You can donate over £5 directly here: gf.me/u/xs86u7
You can donate under £5 via PayPal: daisy@iansnow.com
You can read more about the appeal here.

This appeal coincides with the launch of Ian Snow's new SS20 clothing and jewellery collection. However only half of the new range is available now as the other half is stuck in India.  



"We are donating 10% of every sale from any item in this collection directly to the street kitchen project we are running in Jaipur, India, which is currently distributing food to those whose incomes have suddenly stopped," said Daisy.

Mayamiko: “We love making clothes, but protective masks have to come first”

Mayamiko the London fashion label that directly supports the Mayamiko Trust through their artisanal, fairtrade, sustainable and ethically-made collections have to stop their deliveries for online orders because their warehouse partner in London, following government direction, has closed down for the time being.   Therefore they are currently not able to ship orders or receive deliveries, as the first priority for them is to look after the health of employs and vulnerable adults.

During  the lockdown in the UK, the Malawi government has also enforced a series of measures in preparation for the Covid-19 virus spreading, and while their sewers and makers are still able to work, with all the necessary precautions, they have diverted their entire production to making protective masks for the local community and health workers. Mayamiko are donating them and their teams continue to be paid a full salary.

Mayamiko normally hand pick  textiles from the local fabrics market in Malawi, and work with a local cooperative of women traders to source the most exclusive prints.  They only produce a very limited number of pieces to minimise wastage and each garment is made on demand so they don’t waste fabrics by over-producing.

Paola Masperi founder of Mayamiko says: “We love making clothes, but right now, masks have to come first.”

In the meantime, Mayamiko is helping us to make the best of this phase of social distancing and share with us a new simple skill of making a zero-waste scrunchie in ten simple steps with a bit of scrap fabric and some elastic, led by two lovely ladies Brenda and Jane. Perfect accessory if you want to put up your long hair while doing work-outs at home.

Click HERE for the online tutorial.
So get rummaging, find what you need and let’s get this scrunchie party started!

Note: there are lots of ways of making scrunchies, they picked what they felt was the easiest for beginners. They used a sewing machine, but you can also hand-sew your scrunchie if you don’t have a machine. If you are hand-sewing, you might like to use a contrast colour thread, so your handy work becomes more of a feature.
Paola says, "We look forward to when we can go back to doing what we do best: clothes that give you joy, and empower women."  
Mayamiko urge you to share your creations with them on Instagram and tag @mayamikodesinged

London Embroidery School: Online Class Now Available

Here's another wonderful skill you can learn during the lockdown staying at home.  The London Embroidery School has launched an online class for the first time with tutorials on how to make Valentino Roses.

This is a free class that will allow you spend an hour or so making something lovely. Simply click Here to link to the class, or find it in the new online classes section of their website. There is also a blog to go with it with some extra notes, also on the website.

Valentino Roses are one of their longest running classes, say the London Embroidery School, where they make these gorgeous little silk flowers. 

The class is led by Natasha Searls-Punter.












Before you start, here is a list of things you will need:

Fabric for your rose (lightweight) – ideally Organza (50x15cm); other options- tulle, chiffon, muslin anything lightweight and flexible (likely to be sheer)

Base Fabric (medium/heavy weight) – ideally a non stretch woven like cotton (fit to our hoop size) or felt (10x10cm)

Thread- Match colour to your lightweight fabric

Needle- Sharps or similar- size you feel comfortable threading up

Scissors- Fabric and Paper

Paper

Pencil

Ruler

Pins

Embroidery Hoop (optional)- regular hoop, table clamp frame, seat frame

Laying tool (optional)- mellor, stiletto, awl

Follow the link to the class when you are ready, and remember to pause the video as you go along if you need some more time to keep pace with the steps. 
London Embroidery School would be happy if you share your roses with them and anyone who you think might enjoy making their own using the hashtag #valrosechallenge (and stayhome sticker in instagram stories). Or send them direct to them if you don't have social media: classes@embroidery.london

"Everything has changed." McKinsey article highlights protocol to take place to avoid permanent damage to our livelihoods, and our lives.

An excellent article published in March 2020 by McKinsey, entitled Safeguarding our lives and our livelihoods: The imperative of our time,  stated the shocking reality: “Everything has changed.”
Along with the shock of realising the growing threat of the Covid-19 outbreak on our daily life, on our families, loved ones and friends, on our nation and indeed the whole world, frequent reports of increasing infections and death rates have greatly raised our fears and anxiety levels, and governments around the globe have to take much-needed, “drastic” measures to combat the pandemic resulting in restricting our personal freedom, putting the lifestyle as we know it in disarray, thus interrupting our livelihood and economy in unimaginable ways.
Our thoughts are with our community, victims of the virus and health workers, as we continue to experience and confront the unprecedented and evolving global challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

But as German chancellor Angela Merkel said last week to her German citizens, and we agree totally, in order for us to come through this crisis, we will primarily depend on the behaviour of each other.  
Never before have we been more connected than today, albeit we are also exercising social distancing, with lockdowns in place to break the spread of the infectious virus to save lives.  


The panel of experts who produced the McKinsey article stated above believe that with the right protocols in place, and people following those protocols, the lockdown constraints can be gradually released sooner rather than later.
While there is fear about the severe economic downturn may result from a prolonged battle with the novel coronavirus, which has already caused many businesses to shutter and people lose their jobs, we need to do everything possible to find solutions.  This according to McKinsey is the imperative of our time.
They think and hope there is a different option from the bleak ones posed in a recent Wall Street Journal editorial that suggests we may soon face a dilemma, a terrible choice to either severely damage our livelihoods through extended lockdowns, or to sacrifice the lives of thousands, if not millions, to a fast-spreading virus.

McKinsey said to avoid permanent damage to our livelihoods, we need to find ways to "timebox" this event:  we must think about how to suppress the virus and shorten the duration of the economic shock.  And we must do so now.  To solve for both the virus and the economy, we need to establish behaviours that stem the spread of the virus, and work towards a situation which most people can return to work, to family duties, and to social lives.

"We must try to bound the uncertainty (surrounding Covid-19) with reason and think about solutions within a limited number of scenarios that could evolve."

The study describes the impact of the virus on the world's economy along two dimensions which will primarily drive the outcomes of the crisis for all of us.  It lists three archetypes of interventions and outcomes, in terms of virus spread and public health response, and anticipates three potential levels of effectiveness in terms of knock-on effects and public-policy response.
By combining the three archetypes of viral spread and three degrees of effectiveness of economic policy, they see nine scenarios for the next year or more.
To read McKinsey's Safeguarding our lives and our livelihoods: The imperative of our time, article in full, please click HERE.

Boris Johnson's simple instruction: You must stay at home

As we continue to face the unprecedented impacts on our lives, caused by the Covid-19 global pandemic, we in the UK wake up today with the most drastic restrictive measures ever imposed on us by the UK Government in modern peacetime history.  The country is basically in lockdown, in an urgent bid to slow the fast-spreading virus.

The orders were given by the Prime Minister Boris Johnson who in a televised statement last evening said: “I must give the British people very simple instruction: you must stay at home.”

This instruction was originally given as advice in the previous week but as it had proven to be ineffective since many people did not take it seriously, the government has now stopped all public gatherings of more than two people and the police have been given powers to enforce this through the dispensation of fines or dispersing of gatherings.   All social events, including weddings and baptisms, have been banned, although, funerals are allowed to take place.

All non-essential shops including clothing and electronic retail outlets are to be shut to “ensure compliance”, announced the prime minister.
UK residents should only leave their homes in the following circumstances:

To shop for basic necessities such as food and medicine, as supermarkets, food shops and pharmacies are allowed to stay open, infrequently

For one form of exercise a day outdoors; either alone or with members of your household (people who live together in the same address)

For any medical needs or to provide care or help the vulnerable

To travel to and from work, only when necessary (Crowded trains are a perfect scenario for spreading and sharing virus.)
In the public broadcast, Johnson told viewers: “I know the damage that this disruption is doing to lives, businesses and jobs. That’s why we’ve produced a huge and unprecedented programme of support.

“The coronavirus is the biggest threat this country has faced for decades. Without a huge national effort to halt the growth on this virus there will come a moment where no health service in the world will be able to cope.

“If too many people become seriously unwell at one time, the NHS will be unable to handle it, meaning more people are likely to die not just from coronavirus but from other illnesses as well. It’s vital to slow the spread of the disease.

Johnson said: ”I know the people of this country will rise to that challenge and we will come through it stronger than ever. We will beat the coronavirus and we will beat it together. Therefore, I urge you at this moment of national emergency to stay at home, protect our NHS and save lives.”

This will be reviewed in three weeks, said Johnson, and be relaxed if there is evidence to be able to.

Manufacturing trade show Make it British to host virtual expo while Live show is postponed

UK manufacturing and sourcing trade show Make it British Live has been postponed to an unconfirmed future date, due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Live show was due to take place on March 17 and 18 at the Business Design Centre in London, showcasing the best of British manufacturers and producers of textiles, clothing and homeware, covering the entire supply chain, from sewing factories to fabric mills, printers, and machinery suppliers, as well as support and advice from those that manufacture locally.

Organisers will now hope to stage a virtual expo towards the end of May, which will include everything that the live event planned they said, including the conference, networking and workshops.

Show founder Kate Hills said during the virtual event each exhibitor will have their own virtual booth with the use of a webcam that can be attached to any computer.  They will be bringing the fair to visitors, allowing them to "visit” the show, meet the exhibitors, attend the talks and network with other visitors.

“This virtual expo model, and the software platform that we have chosen for it, has already proven to be successful for other large events and we are confident that it will give visitors the platform that UK manufacturers and British-made brands rightly deserve.”

All visitor tickets will automatically be transferred to the virtual expo in May as well as being redeemable against tickets for a re-scheduled live show.

All public places, museums and galleries are closed.

While the UK is taking  all precautions to battle the spread of the Covit-19 pandemic, many public spaces are now closed, including galleries and museums, non-essential shops, fashion and electronic retail outlets.









Although I planned to visit the Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A) in Knightsbridge, London which was hosting a major exhibition on the Japanese national costume, entitled Kimono: Kyoto to Catwalk until 21 June 2020, I decided not to do so in order to restrict my possible exposure to the virus in public places, and now with order of the prime minister we are all to stay at home.

However, I'm able to show here pictures sent from PR agency Totem Fashion, which was representing Yoshikimono, a partner of the V&A on this exhibition.

London’s iconic V&A has been collecting Japanese art and design since it was founded in 1852 and now holds one of the world’s most significant collections, including important holdings of Japanese textiles and dress.

A major focus of the exhibition, 

Japanese brand Yoshikimono founded by famous rock star Yoshiki,

 is a partner for the new exhibition on kimono in London.  The brand  was created 10 years ago by

 iconic Japanese rock star Yoshiki, the founder of 

rock band X Japan which has sold internationally more than 30 millions albums.

While the kimono is widely reconised as the ultimate symbol of Japan, perceived as traditional, timeless and unchanging, the new exhibition aims to counter this conception by presenting the garment as a dynamic and constantly evolving icon of fashion.  
Over 315 works were being featured in the exhibition, including kimono especially made for the show, half drawn from the V&A’s superlative collections and the rest generously lent by museums and private collections in Britain, Europe, America and Japan.

Kimono: Kyoto to Catwalk revealed the sartorial and social significance of the kimono from the 1660s to the present day, both in Japan and in the rest of the world.   Rare 17th and 18th century kimono were displayed for the first time in the UK, together with fashions by major designers and iconic film and performance costumes.

The kimono’s recent reinvention on the streets of Japan was also explored through work by an exciting new wave of contemporary designers and stylists.

Highlights of the exhibition included a kimono created by Living National Treasure Kunihiko Moriguchi, the dress designed for Björk by Alexander McQueen and worn on the album cover Homogenic, and original Star Wars costumes modelled on kimono by John Mollo and Trisha Biggar. Designs by Yves Saint Laurent, Rei Kawakubo and John Galliano were to reveal the kimono’s role as a constant source of inspiration for fashion designers.

Paintings, prints, film, dress accessories and other objects were featured throughout the exhibition as well, providing additional context to the fascinating story of the style, appeal and influence of the kimono.

Anna Jackson, curator of Kimono: Kyoto to Catwalk at the V&A, commented: “From the sophisticated culture of 17^th -century Kyoto to the creativity of the contemporary catwalk, the kimono is unique in its aesthetic importance and cultural impact giving it a fascinating place within the story of fashion.”

Alianna Liu's AW2020 Collection features tailoring along with puzzle game-inspired motifs

Although Paris-based designer Alianna Liu started her eponymous label only in 2018, her Autumn/Winter 2020 collection shows maturity and an understanding of what women want to wear everyday: well-made high quality designs.  She combines creativity with ingenuity and a good dose of easy-to-understand style .

Describing that at the heart of her collection is Alianna herself, she draws inspiration from fairy tales, emphasizing “our collective desire to remain children forever, even well into adulthood,” she said.  But the end result is very grown-up indeed.

Alianna’s new collection is very wearable, from school-girl suitings to knit tops, cardigans, blouses and billowing tiered skirts to tailored pant-suits with oversized drop-shoulder jackets and matching trousers, and long coats, as well as flattering cape-like jackets and sweaters.  

Alianna says she looks to the ordinary objects and events in life, seeing the extraordinary in the everyday.  Her new Autumn/Winter 2020 collection has been inspired by the puzzle game Tetris, explains the designer, based on her passion for video games by featuring a mix of cubism and pixel art, she created the prints, composed of tetrominoes and other motifs which were hand-drawn by designer.   Note the puzzle game-inspired embroidered motifs to the Napoleonic era-inspired collars, and highlights of silver thread, beads, and sequins.

The fabrics are from France and Italy.  She uses organdie, silk, satin, and velvet for the empire and mermaid flared dress, extolling the female shape. There is virgin wool for the oversize coat as well as cotton for comfort and ease.

“Working from the heart is the key to being a designer,” Alianna explains. “Thanks to my world travel experience, I am able to draw beauty from common life. I want my clients to look at what I have done and to feel what I feel.” In all her works, there is a boldness of colour and a uniqueness of thought, all tapered with her undeniable honesty, which is core to her philosophy as a designer.

After traveling the world, Alianna decided to follow her dream of becoming a designer, so she enrolled in the famous ESMOD Paris to study fashion design, patterning, and embroidery.  She presented her first capsule collection in Paris in 2018.

HUMAN TOUCH exhibition at Sotheby's in London

The HUMAN TOUCH exhibition at Sotheby's held in early March showcased the incredible connection between designers and makers.

Framed wall hanging above: Art Makes People Powerful, 2019, is designed by Bob and Roberta Smith

Dimensions: 138 by 138cm

The piece of canvaswork (also known as needlepoint) was stitched in one prison by a single stitcher who used crewel wool to stitch in basketweave tent stite, a diagonal stitch which is used for its strength, evenness and structure.

HUMAN TOUCH was a ground-breaking collaboration between eight international contemporary artists and Fine Cell Work a charity that trains and works with prisoners in Britain, transferring their cells into embroidery workshops.

This unique project joining celebrated artists with stitchers in prison cells resulted in eight unique works of art for the exhibition at Sotheby's 26th February to 3rd March 2020 and sold by Fine Cell  Work.

The contemporary artists involved in this project were Ai Weiwei, Idris Khan, Carolina Mazzolari, Annie Morris, Cornelia Parker, Bob and Roberta Smith, Wolfgang Tillmans and Francis Upritchard.

Francis Upritchard's The Artists, Paravent with upholstered silk panels (176 x 149 cm)

The colour images were screen-printed onto handwoven silk and then hand-embroidered using stranded cotton in a wide selection of shades.  The stitches were imspired by the Bayeux Tapestry (technically an embroidery, not a tapestry) and include laid work, stem stitch, satin stich, couching, back stitch, raised chain band, detached chain stitch, French knots, buttonhole bars and double knot stitch.  The embroidered silk was professionally upholstered into the paravent, which was designed and constructed by Martino Gamper.

British designer Cath Kidston, Chair of Human Touch and Trustee of Fine Cell Work said in the programme introduction that the pieces were started from discussions with each artist with the understanding of the restrictions of stitching in prison.  The artists selected their base cloths and small sections were sent into some of the cell groups in prison to be sampled based on their specifications.  The artists then made recommendations or changes before each work was put into full production in prisons across the country.  As the work returned from prison, the emotional connection between the artists and the stitchers became obvious and can be seen through the craftsmanship.  

Ai Weiwei's piece was a quilt called Odyssey.

The monochrome piece consists of 28 embroidered panels, plus plan panels joined together in a variation of a Log cabin style quilt.  The topic is powerful, as it is about refugees, about Human Flow, according to the artist.  The embroidered panels were digitally printed and then stitched in stranded cotton using a variety of different stitches (stem, chain, open chain, detached chain, back and whipped back stitch plus French knots).

Ai Weiwei was so impressed with the results that he wrote personally to each of the 13 stitchers who worked on his piece to thank them for their contribution.

Idris Khan was so impressed with the stitcher's work that he chose to embroider his signature rather than marking with pen.

His design is called Numbers - a hand-sewn photograph presented as a framed wall-hanging of 180 x 180 cm.  The design was digitally printed on heavy linen with embroidered embellishments.

A single stitcher used a combination of darning stitch, Kantha stitch, seeding and irregular running stitch.

He also used black stranded and perle cotton in different weights to convey the subtle variations in shade and line.

All proceeds from the sale of the work were to go directly to the Fine Cell  Work, enabling the charity to provide more creative, paid needlework to the stitchers and enable them to build independent crime-free lives.

Sotheby's is located 34-35 New Bond Street, London W1S 2RT, UK

Photos by Lucia Carpio.