FTM's Artist Textiles - Picasso to Warhol - an exhibition for art and textile lovers!

Salvador Dali's screen-printed headscarf - Ballerina.

London’s Fashion and Textile Museum’s current exhibition – Artist Textiles - Picasso to Warhol – provides art as well as design lovers a treasure trove of textile designs by an array of 20th century artists.

Highlighting world renowned artists whose creativity had been extended from paintings and sculpture to textile design, from Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali to Raoul Dufy, Henri Matisse to Henry Moore, Joan Miro, Andy Warhol and Zandra Rhodes, and many more, this exhibition begins with works from the 1910s through to the 1950s and 60s, with displays of rare examples from leading art movements of the 20th century:- Fauvism, Cubism, Constructivism, Abstraction, Surrealism and Pop Art.

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Fashion Access due to take place in Hong Kong, March 31 - April 2 2014

My Fashion Connect has been appointed UK Representative (Sales and Marketing) of FASHION ACCESS, the international trade fair in Hong Kong for Mid to High-End products, including Bags and Travelware, Footwear, Lifestyle Accessories, Small Leather Goods, Apparels and sustainable products.

The next FASHION ACCESS will take place at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre from 31 March to 2 April 2014.

International trade visitors include sourcing agents, buying offices, department stores, distributors, importers, private labels, representatives of fashion brands, retailers, e-tailers, boutique buyers and wholesalers, from all over Asia, China and the rest of the world.

FASHION ACCESS 2014 is co-located with APLF - Materials & Manufacturing Technology 2014.

It has been held since 1984 and is organised by APLF Ltd along with partners UBM Asia Ltd. (owned by UBM plc listed on the London Stock Exchange) and the SIC Group.

UK buyers, retailers, importers and other trade and industry professional interested in attending FASHION ACCESS, as well as UK companies interested in exhibiting in the fair, please get in touch with My Fashion Connect for full details.

Gearing up for Paris Premiere Vision Pluriel!

The Paris-based trade fair - Première Vision Pluriel – considered the foremost trade event for the global textile and fashion industry, will next take place February 18-20 at its usual home - the Parc d’Expositions, in Paris-Nord, Villepinte.

British designer Orla Kiely's first shoe designs for Clarks - Fun and Stylish!

Orla Kiely and Clarks -two great British names have come together to produce some of the most desirable footwear for this Spring.  Ever since the six styles in the capsule collection were previewed last September, I couldn’t wait for them to be properly launched as they are this week, and get my hands on them.

Orla Kiely’s well-known for her iconic prints and for this, her first ever footwear collaboration for Clarks, the Queen-of-Prints designer shows off her love for pattern, colour, texture and rhythm, throughout the range, incorporating the colours iconic of her collections - green, mustard, navy and red colourways, with a real sense of sophisticated, stylish fun, with a good mix of influences from the 60s and 70s.

Among the styles is one featuring a high-block heel with platform, two beautifully feminine mid-block heels, an elegant mid-wedge, a sling-back with oversized buckle detail and a fabulous sling-back Mary Jane. 

Note the attention to detail and the play with colour-blocking.

Orla Kiely comments: “I always wanted to design a footwear collection and for me Clarks was a very natural fit - particularly with their world renowned heritage and quality. Starting out from my original collection of bags and ready-to-wear, to the current wider lifestyle range I’m really proud of, it’s brilliant to now be able to add a stand-out shoe range to complete this. We worked closely with the amazing Clarks team to create our vision and I can’t wait to see women worldwide wearing them!”

Alison Sudbury, Head of Marketing at Clarks, UK and ROI comments: “Working with Orla and her team has been an absolute pleasure – particularly to deliver her first ever footwear collection. We are incredibly proud of how the styles reflect Clarks’ mantra of Effortless British Style; with a twist on Kiely’s iconic prints, colours and vintage design influences, combined with the recognisable quality of both brands. With an eye for what women truly women in design, I look forward to watching these hit the shelves and subsequently fly out of stores!”

Best Wishes for the Year of the Horse

Happy New Year to all Chinese communities around the world!
May you all enjoy galloping success in the Year of the Horse!

Photos by Lucia Carpio for MY FASHION CONNECT.

National Gallery brings warmth to London with exhibition of Van Gogh's Sunflowers. Little Sun lamps provide support for third world country.

For many of us here in the UK, we are suffering from a case of water-fatigue with all the rain we have been getting in the past two months (and more is predicted for days ahead) and we are missing the sun.

London’s National Gallery has gratefully come to the rescue to provide warmth for our spirit at least, by staging a special exhibition of two of Dutch artist Vincent Van Gogh’s “Sunflowers” oil-on-canvas paintings - which is on until April 27, and admission is free.

A selection of sourvenirs on sale at the National Gallery shop.
Photo by Lucia Carpio for MyFashionConnect

To view the various shades of the yellow hue through these still-life masterpieces displayed side by side is a rare and unique experience,  as this is the first time in 65 years to have such an opportunity. One of these is the National Gallery’s own, the other is on loan from the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.

While this current installation revives our interest in the great masters, surely with the current fashion trend being faunt and fauna, bouquets and flowers, they provide inspiration for those working in design, as proven by Italian luxury designer brand Dolce & Gabbana which showed a Alta Moda (Haute Couture) collection of floral-decorated creations including one dress with a replication of Van Gogh Sunflowers, at the Spring/Summer 2014 couture shows in Milan a few days ago.

But for the everyday enjoyment of common folks, the Van Gogh masterpieces have inspired The East India Company whose tea master, Lalith Lenadora has created special herbal tea blends by taking inspiration from some of National Gallery’s masterpieces, including the Sunflowers.  Lalith carefully selected paintings that engaged him and resonated with his sensibilities, according to a representative at a recent tea-tasting event.  Lailith had spent many hours working closely with The National Gallery, studying and pondering over the paintings, to bring their essence to life in blends of fine teas, flowers and fruits. 

For inspiration, Lalith had selected two of Van Gogh’s paintings.  One is the Sunflower, and the other is A Wheatfield, with Cypresses, which is also a National Gallery treasure.

The tea inspired by Sunflowers features a blend of Chamomile, Rose Buds and Orange Petals.  Like the paintings, the tea blend gives a calming effect, and also infused with a refreshing fruity note.

The other tea in the collection had been inspired by Claude Oscar-Monet’s, The Water-Lily Pond and his Thames below Westminster.   All available in the National Gallery shop in London.

German artist Olafur Eliasson with Little Sun

Photo: Studio Olafur Eliasson

Now for all sun worshipers, a project called Little Sun has been developed by the artist Olafur Eliasson and engineer Frederik Ottesen with the purpose of helping people in off-grid communities.

Little Sun is a high-quality solar-powered lamp, which is rechargeable and can be used the whole evening after 5 hours in the sun.  

Little Sun at Tate Modern, London.

Photo: Studio Olafur Eliasson

Little Sun is not a charity but a short-term project aimed at donating lamps to areas without electricity (known as 'off-grid' areas), but the focus on the longer-term is to build profitable local businesses that distribute Little Sun light. Little Sun currently has distribution in seven African countries: Zimbabwe, Uganda, Kenya, Burundi, Senegal, Ethiopia, and South Africa, as well as in the European Union, the United States, Canada, Australia, and Japan.  

If you are interested in buying Little Sun and thus help to support the 3rd world, click HERE to go their website.

The new look of Doctor Who has been revealed. Get the Look from British brand Crombie!

 

It has finally been revealed - the official costume of the new Doctor Who - the 12th Doctor to be played by Peter Capaldi.  

It turns out that Peter has a lot in common with the coat - which is set to drive a new trend for fans.  

The Doctor’s new look sees him swapping bow ties for a sleek and sharp coat by British brand Crombie; a rebellious twist to the iconic Time Lord, as well as a nod to Peter’s and Crombie’s shared Scottish roots.

The Retro coat is a Crombie classic, present every season.

Distinctive features of the Retro are its pillar box red lining, its fly-fronted cut with darting for shape, and its velvet collar.

The cloth is a hard-wearing Melton, the most traditional of all British coat cloths due to its durability and longevity. The Retro coat style is also available in the Crombie Made-to-Measure service, allowing the customer to design his own version down to the button.