Samantha Louise Emery launches IKONA / Mirrored Interior - A Collection of wearable art inspired by modern muses

IKONA 9 Malala Yousafzai,
Nobel Peace Prize winner and ardent activist
for women’s rights,by Samantha Louise Emery.

Artist Samantha Louise Emery presents a new collection of scarves and sarongs based on her series of powerful portraits IKONA | Mirrored Interior. The portraits of 10 modern muses represent the women who have inspired the artist throughout her life.

Emery presents the women in bright abstract forms with their features becoming distinguishable upon closer inspection.

IKONA 7 Caitlin Moran, columnist and candid comedian, by  Samantha Louise Emery.
Each portrait attempts to capture more than just a physical representation of the subject but seeks to reveal the deeper layers of the self and the Feminine spirit, looking to bring awareness to the positive effects of Feminine solidarity, says Emery.

Subjects of Emery's art span from an Anatolian vegetable seller Sadiye to Malala Yousafzai, the Nobel Peace Prize winner and ardent activist for women’s rights, Grammy Award winner Angelique Kidjo.  There's Grammy Award winning musician Laurie Anderson, and British author and outspoken feminist Germaine Greer.

IKONA 4 Germaine Greer, author and outspoken feminist , by Samantha Louise Emery.

IKONA 3 Sadiye, matter of fact, maternal Anatolian vegetable seller by Samantha Louise Emery.
The scarves (28”x38”) and the sarongs (50”x66”) are at samanthalouiseemery.art/.  A portion of all income from the work is donated to the Working Chance charity and the Malala Fund. Working Chance is the only recruitment consultancy for women leaving the criminal justice and care systems. The Malala Fund works to give all girls the chance to an education.

IKONA 6 Krystyne Griffin, prominent jewellery designer and godmother by Samantha Louise Emery.

​Throughout the series Emery incorporates imagery of her own body, displaying her connection with her subject and laying bare her vulnerability as an artist, according to the Emery, the multimedia artist who splits her time between the UK and her studio in Bodrum, Turkey, her spiritual home.

Emery says, “IKONA honours ten women alive today who have inspired my evolution and journey in rediscovering the source of a woman’s power, the Feminine spirit.  I believe in the potential and majesty of female solidarity and feel privileged to live in a time of change, when many women have asserted their Feminine selves and have inspired others through their actions.”

The 10 muses in the series are:
IKONA 1 Laurie Anderson, creative pioneer and Grammy Award winning musician
IKONA 2 Angelique Kidjo, Fearless activist and Grammy Award winning singer
IKONA 3 Sadiye, matter of fact, maternal Anatolian vegetable seller
IKONA 4 Germaine Greer, author and outspoken feminist
IKONA 5 Alanis Obomsawin, spokeswoman for Native American and women’s rights
IKONA 6 Krystyne Griffin, prominent jewellery designer and godmother
IKONA 7 Caitlin Moran, columnist and candid comedian
IKONA 8 Jane Goodall, conservationist and impassioned animal rights activist
IKONA 9 Malala Yousafzai, Nobel Peace Prize winner and ardent activist for women’s rights
IKONA 10 Lucy, artist Samantha Louise Emery

Singapore designer and illustrator promote bridal brand in London Bridal Fashion Week

Singapore-based bridal wear designer Vienna Mei and founder of bridal company Giorgia Couture is in London Bridal Fashion Week to promote her range of bridal fashion.

Vienna Mei showing her showpiece gown to a visitor from the US at London Bridal Fashion Week.

All photos by Lucia Carpio.

But Vienna's showpiece that has attracted buyers' attention is a one-off tiered organza gown featuring a special print that was originally painted by Singapore-based fashion artist Chan Clayrene, who's known for her signature style of illustration, using water colour and her own brand of nail polish that she sells online.

Chan's illustration for the dress was painted on paper and then transferred and digitally printed onto fabric.  It features Singapore's Changi airport and surrounding architecture; the complex has undergone an elaborate  development recently.  Chan Clayrene takes the opportunity of attending London Bridal Fashion Week to customise her illustration for visitors to their stand.



And here's Chan's customised illustration she has done for our Content Editor, Lucia Carpio, embellished with her own brand of nail polish.

Second-hand clothing market sets to overtake the fast fashion movement

One of the reasons why I have problem de-cluttering my wardrobe is because I still love all my old clothes and accessories. (Marie Kondo, look away.)  Now take the cue from celebrities who are going for pre-owned clothing.  Leader of the pack is Kim Kardashian West who was photographed recently sporting vintage Azzedine Alaïa and Versus Versace.

Indeed various studies have shown that the second-hand clothing market is set to grow massively in the coming years, and will overtake the so-called "fast fashion" market.

Consumers are increasingly turning towards second-hand clothing, with conscientious buyers set to make pre-loved items a bigger market than so-called ‘fast fashion’ by 2029.  Photo supplied by BusinessWaste.co.uk.

Unless we have beloved relatives and ancestors who pass us their hand-me-downs, second-hand clothing outlets are where we can source desirable additions to feed our quest for something "near new" to wear.

According to a poll conducted this week by the waste management agency, BusinessWaste.co.uk, consumers are beginning to shake off their prejudices about wearing second hand clothing. While just 20% said they currently regularly buy second-hand clothes, some 90% said they could be influenced to start doing so by friends or family doing so first and 94% would follow celebrities who do so.

Interestingly, while both younger and older fashionistas were seemingly happy to shop second-hand – 80% of 16 – 21 year-olds and 91% of over-sixties, respectively – the overall percentage averaged at 45%, suggesting that there are cultural elements at play, according to Mark Hall, Communications Director of BusinessWaste.co.uk.

 “Older people are used to buying clothes that were made to last and passing hand-me-downs through families, which explains this age group’s willingness to buy second-hand. And, on the other end of the scale, young people are increasingly environmentally conscious, which could certainly influence their shopping decisions and cause them to turn away from fast fashion.  However, those in their thirties and forties are perhaps of a generation more used to consumerism, having grown up in the excessive 1980s – it’s certainly an interesting generational divide,” said Mark.

He added: “People are turning to second-hand clothing – not just out of financial necessity, but out of choice. There’s a huge opportunity here for retailers to improve their green credentials and tap into a growing number of consumers who would like to buy stylish clothing, but without the ethical concerns. Some well-known retailers already feature vintage or pre-loved selections in store and there’s clearly room for these to be more widely available – consumers still have the benefit of shopping curated lines of (second-hand) pieces in line with their preferred style, but without the environmental impact.”

The San-Francisco-based secondhand fashion marketplace ThredUp has also released similar findings in its 2019 Resale Report, saying the secondhand apparel market has been growing 21 times faster than retail apparel over the last three years and is on track to be larger than fast fashion by 2028.

“Resale offers the wardrobe-rotating fun of fast fashion without the guilt or waste. By driving preferences away from fast fashion towards higher quality clothes, reuse is a boon for our personal style and the planet.” says Elizabeth L. Cline, Author of the Conscious Closet.

Bang & Olufsen announces SS2019 Collection in Scandinavian summer colours

The new Spring/Summer 2019 Collection from Bang & Olufsen, which includes a range of premium headphones, speakers and accessories, celebrates the subtle colours associated with a Scandinavian summer. 

The limited-edition B&O SS19 Collection includes a range of premium headphones, speakers and accessories in a new, ethereal colour scheme that eases from the ground, through the forest and up into the pale blue sky. 

The new, ethereal colour scheme features Clay, a deep and natural colour inspired by the earthy tones and dramatic seaside cliffs; Pine, a dark green that brings to mind the crisp freshness and deep contrasts of the Scandinavian forest; and Sky, a light blue tone with a cool sense of breezy summer afternoons. 

DDP streetwear label in collaboration with Neith Nyer in Paris: A clashing of universes or a cohesive love affair?

The French streetwear label DDP's new AW2020 collection was conceived with the collaboration of Neith Nyer,  and unveiled at Paris Fashion Week in February.

Described as "a brutal car crash with tender lovemaking",  the inaugural collaboration was designed with the intensity of a clashing of patterns, layering of various proportions, marked by floral prints and madras checks,  fleece, knits and leather, oversized sportswear shapes, puffa jackets, along with drawstring detailing taken from active sports.   The collection carries this spirit of accumulation, searching for cohesion between clashing universes.  

The new collection isn’t just about two brands working together, it is an attempt to create an aesthetic that blurs the lines between the new and the old, luxury and streetwear, a genre that Neith Nyer creative director Francisco Terra does very well, working closely with DDP Founder Laurent Caillet and their shared obsession with flea markets have influenced their ideas. "We thought of a digger," explains Francisco. "She's a girl who obsessively bargains, she runs from the club early morning to get the best deals at the garage sales."

The creative process guiding this collection reflects the same dynamics: through their research, the designers excavated hundreds of DDP archive pieces, some of them dating from the mid 90s. (DDP was launched in 1995 by LAURENT CAILLET with partner DIDIER MAUROUX.)

Individually, the pieces are commercial and adaptable.  It's in the use of fabrics in an unconventional, almost perverted way that provokes.  Fleece is treated to look moth-eaten, then employed to craft byzantine corsets and bizarre flowers. Padded nylon is the base of mini skirts while knitted jackets are spray painted.

The cartoonesque shoes were done in collaboration with Naomi Hille, while Florence Tetier designed this seasons jewelry, a cosmic assembly of iridescent bubbles.

The collection is under the auspices of the iconic figure of the eggman, one of the most memorable visual elements of DDP, whose face is burned on jersey and hand-sewn on hoodies. This character, revived for the collection, serves as the symbol of « Neith Nyer and DDP », a brand that stands for playfulness and inclusiveness. 

Butterflies bring a happy feeling.

A Red Admiral among lilacs. in my garden.  Photo by Lucia Carpio.

With the promise of Spring,
Butteflies are everywhere.

Butterfly effect. 
Bold lines, dynamic cutouts and refined lens shape.
From Silhouette Spring Summer 2019 collection.
Accent Shades inspired by the Morpho didius butterfly of Peru.

Chase And Wonder Gift Wrap The Butterfly Lady Portrait.

Printed butterfly scarf, National History Museum, London.

Made-to-measure butterfly wallpaper mural by Gina Lorena Maldonado at Wallsauce.com.

 Hand-decorated butterfly chest of drawers, the Natural History Museum, London.

Kimhékim's runway presentation in Paris: Ready-to-wear 2020

KIMHÉKIM's ready-to-wear collection for Fall Winter 2020 features smart tailoring and suiting shapes, as well as street-style aesthetic with a nod to his Korean roots.  Note the asymmetric cuts, fitted as well as generous silhouettes, in a range of fabrications.

“ If one asks me about my new collection, I will say it is all about ‘me’, who I am and what makes me. I say or mention the word ‘me’ more than uncountable times per day, ‘Text me’, ‘Give me’, ‘Love me’… what really defines me ?" says the designer Kiminte Kimhekim.

In fact the name Kimhekim is of ancient royal family in Korea and it symbolizes the era of a golden kingdom.

This catwalk presentation is referred to as the "Renaissance of the Golden Kingdom -  Enrichment of the decorative art" whereby he enhances women’s silhouette with experimental elements.

The new elegant collection represents the brand’s signature silhouette indicating the designer's passion through details, feminine references and sophisticated finishes.

The designer Kiminte Kimhekim graduated from the notable Paris fashion design institute of Studio Berçot in 2009 and went straight to work at the prestigious fashion house Balenciaga in Paris.  He worked there for 4 seasons crossing between the studio and the atelier and learned the importance in the approach and the attitude and mentality of an artisan.

KIMHEKIM has presented in Paris since 2014 and has expended into the global market, 

receiving high praises from buyers and the social media.