The Sock Club London x The Superior Labor – Bag Collaboration

The Sock Club London may be all about socks to its loyal members, but for the second year running the British brand has collaborated with Japanese company The Superior Labor to produce a limited edition of exclusive hand-made canvas bags which will be available only on the Sock Club London web store.

Two bag styles are offered:- the SCL Canvas Bag – a good alternative to the usual man-bag, and the SCL Triangle Pouch – perfect for keeping socks and extras, both constructed with natural materials that can only improve with age and use.  

Made mainly in natural heavyweight canvas, the SCL Canvas Bag  is available in black and features an additional overlay of duck hunter camouflage fabric on the handle straps and the base of the bag. 

With a roomy interior, the bag has deep open pockets on either side. One side features a logo made of bronze which depicts The Superior Labors mantra. On the reverse side the pocket has Sock Club Londons circular logo hand printed in white.

The coordinating SCL Triangle Pouch is also constructed from natural heavyweight canvas, and is available in black and featuring an additional overlay of duck hunter camo on the base and sides of the bag. 

The pouch can be closed with a heavy-duty Waldes branded brass zip, with leather zip pulls. 

Side brass rings are affixed by leather and brass rivets; and the camo is finished at either end in a triangle shape and held in place by additional brass rivets. 

The well-designed and craftily made Canvas Bags and Triangle Pouch are both great looking bags - just in time for Christmas.  

Founded in 2007 The Superior Labor operates out of a former schoolhouse, in the hills

of Okayama in Japan, which has been converted into a workshop. Here they make some

of the best utilitarian products out of natural materials such as cotton canvas and leather. 

Sock Club London which recently celebrated its first anniversary, has gained a loyal following since its inaugural product launch at the "Made in England" event in September 2014 and continues to keep its members informed of exclusive events and product drops via its website, blog and instagram account.  In addition to its own brand, the club also features those from partner brands. 

Jolly T-shirts - great alternatives to the Christmas Jumper!

Talking about being jolly for Christmas, for those looking for a lighter alternative to the classic woolly jumper, these retro Christmas T-shirts may be the answer.

The retro-styled fashion label Jolly Clothing offers a range of cotton Christmas T-shirts in a rainbow spectrum of colours – from bright red to purple, blue and funky pink, or even glow-in-the-dark versions for that special fun spirit of the season, for men, women and children.  

They come in a selection of designs covering all the classic favourites - reindeer, snowflakes, snowman, Xmas tree ...

“Our Christmas t-shirts are printed using eco-friendly water-based ink for an embedded soft feel on a super-soft 100% cotton t-shirt. They are fun, stylish, fashionable and can be worn dressed up for a night out or simply with a pair of jeans for a great casual look,” according to Jolly Clothing, a family-run business in Monmouth Wales, headed by Melvin and Helen Green. 

The festive t-shirts are designed in Monmouth, locally printed in Cardiff, labelled, packaged & dispatched in Wales. 

Tis the season to be Jolly indeed!

Knitted Festive Jumpers are for Christmas!

As we gradually step into the heart of November, and with Halloween out of the way, no doubt soon we will be thinking of Christmas.  Just look at all the festive decorations in the city that get us into that celebratory mood.

In terms of wintry fashion, nothing sums up Christmas more than the classic jumper especially when the temperature starts to tumble and we need something to make us feel warm and cosy all over.

Superdry women's Ombre Brushed Fairisle Knit jumper featuring a Fairisle inspired pattern, a ribbed neckline and a Superdry Mountain logo patch on the sleeve. 

Now there was a time when Christmas jumpers were just a novelty – often too jolly for everyday wear.

But the ones on show here are nothing but desirable and trendy, now available from that very cool British brand Superdry .

An embellished Fairisle Crew Neck Jumper featuring a fairisle pattern across the chest and shoulders, with layered embellishment across the front and sleeves, finished with a Superdry Knit Co logo patch above the hem.

Superstar knitted jumpers with all over festive print featuring metallic thread detail, ribbed cuffs and hem and finished with a Superdry logo patch on the right arm.

Two versions of knitted jumpers featuring the polar bear.   (left) A crew-neck fairisle-style jumper featuring a polar bear design running across the chest and back with a subtle metallic sparkle thread.  (Right) A super soft, brushed knit jumper featuring a Superdry polar bear pattern with hints of metallic detail and a ribbed neckline. 

There’s no prize for guessing which one is my favourite.  All left to add is a mug of hot chocolate.

All product photos by Lucia Carpio for My Fashion Connect.

Jean Paul Gaultier goes KAPUTT for Swarovski

In German, the word Kaputt means “broken”.  And that is the name for a new collection of crystals from the Austrian house of Swarovski, designed by French haute couture ‘rebel’ and design genius, Jean Paul Gaultier who champions the art of ‘imperfection’ for the new family of Kaputt crystals.

Photo courtesy of Swarovski

Accordingly, following a visit to Swarovski headquarters in 2013, Gaulter was inspired to create a crystal design of his own and felt that the only way to make something that is already perfect, was to make it new by adding a unique touch of imperfection.

Combined with the technical expertise of Swarovski, Gaultier’s creative idea came into fruition a year later, after much experimentation and adjustments, and the new Kaputt collection was created featuring multi-faceted stones with random rugged surfaces and enhanced by a contrasting effect between clear and matt glass finish.  

The new collection are to complement Swwarovski's Autumn/Winter 2016-17 collection, and consists of two pendants and three fancy stones in rich shimmering metallic colours that highlight the stones' irregular forms.  

Perfectly imperfect – as Gaultier likes it. 

Additionally to complement the Kaputt collection are stones and pearls in a Crystal Scrabaeus Green effect.  The stunning colour is mesmerising, as these take on colours that consist of a combination of green, alternating with blue-purple and tarnished copper like those of the scarab beetle once worshipped by the ancient Egyptians. According to Wikipedia, the scarab was seen as “a symbol of (a) heavenly cycle and of the idea of rebirth or regeneration."

Inspiration for the design also came from the Verdigris roof of the Paris Opera House - a bright bluish-green encrustation or patina formed on copper or brass by atmospheric oxidation, consisting of basic copper carbonate.  The story goes that when Gaultier was a young lad, he would frequently go past the opera house and was fascinated by the green colouring of the tarnished copper roof.

(Click HERE to go to “This is Personal”, to learn how you can customise your unique Swarovski crystal to create a bespoke gem for your own personalised jewellery.)

All photos by Lucia Carpio for My Fashion Connect unless otherwise captioned.

Happiness is ... the Mademoiselle Privé exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery in London

Despite the long queues, the Mademoiselle Privé exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery in London is where one can find happiness because it allows you to experience stimulants to your five senses.  

From the colours and the sound of birdsong at the specially-created garden prior to the entry of the building to the audio commentary provided by Mademoiselle Chanel, the delightful installations and sculptures and the sweet fragrant of the sensory lab, to the feel of textures provided by floor to ceiling draping curtains and the sight of alluring couture designs and beautiful jewels.....

Be sure to download the Mademoiselle Privé app before entering the exhibition, which enhances the experience with interactive content that is revealed throughout the visit.

This is the final week and the exhibition finishes on 1st November.  

If you haven't been yet, click HERE for the link to the website.

All photos by Lucia Carpio for My Fashion Connect.

Cheeky faces by Anne-Valérie Dupond at the Affordable Art Fair until 25 October

Just look at these cheeky yet adorable faces.  They are Animal Trophies by French artist/textile sculpturist Anne-Valérie Dupond.

Made in fabrics, wadding, cardboard, buttons, trimming and beads, these wall-hanging Animal Trophies measuring 20 x 15 x 24 inches / 51x 38 x 61 cm are currently on show at The Affordable Art Fair under DECORAZON gallery now at  London’s Battersea Park until 25^th October.

Anne-Valérie Dupond, born in 1976, studied at Marc Bloch University in Strasbourg, and obtained her Master’s degree in Fine Arts in 2000.

Since 2001, Dupond has worked with Parisian Gallery Edgar, and until 2011, with Dufay-Bonnet Gallery, also in Paris.

Not only has Dupond’s work been exported around the world, but she has collaborated on numerous high profile projects, including fashion houses such as Kenzo, Undercover, Le Printemps, and Comme des Garçons, which is quite evident in her body of work, “Travaux de Couture”.

“My work is making sculptures with fabrics. I’m working simply with recovered fabrics, needle and thread. I try to create a world crafted from sensitivity, ranging from the bestial (hunting trophies and animals of all kinds) to human representations such as busts of historic figures, pin-ups, and baroque sculpture. Whatever the representation, I like to approach the female/male duality with humour, playfully caricaturizing the stereotypes.” 

Anne-Valérie Dupond currently lives and works in France, and is represented by the  DECORAZON gallery.

All photos here by Lucia Carpio for My Fashion Connect.

From Moroccan tiles comes striking jewellery by London brand Chalk; exotic Marrakech Mint tea from Whittard

It is not unusual to get inspired from our travels to foreign lands.  It's what we do with the inspiration we garner that matters.
So I was pleasantly inspired by British tea house Whittard coming out with a blend of tea called Marrakech Mint.  It so reminded me of the wonderful time I had in Morocco some years ago.
Whittard blended their smoky Gunpowder Green tea with pure peppermint leaves, inspired by the tea served in the souks of the Moroccan medina, and have also added a sprinkling of blue cornflower petals for a bit of a British touch….  Great for this British winter.

Now I am particularly drawn to what London-based designers Hazel and Malaika have created for their jewellery brand - The Chalk House - following a recent trip they had made also to Marrakesh.

  

The dynamic duo who are also architects have been inspired by Moroccan tiles.

And the result of their creativity is a selection of intricately-handcrarfted necklaces and earrings featuring bold geometric patterns and colour combinations of the Morocco.

The designs are made in walnut pieces, laser cut and infilled with teal, orange, cream, blue and gold acrylic to emulate the exotic patterns of Moroccan tiles.
For the full range of the statement jewellery, go to the Chalk website.