DENIM PREMIÈRE VISION in London, December 3 - 4.

Innovative denim developments on display at Première Vision Paris in September 2019.

Photo by Lucia Carpio.

Following on the success of its first London edition last December, and a Milan edition lauded by fashion professionals and the denim industry last May, Denim Première Vision will be returning for  the second time to the UK capital come 3-4 December.

It will be held in a new venue, Printworks London, a cultural destination in southeast London.

Denim qualities from Portuguese mill Trificolor 

 on show at Premiere Vision Paris in September 2019.

Photo by Lucia Carpio.

Presenting the latest on offer from 97 exhibitors from around the world. the show will focus on Spring-Summer 2021 trends and eco-responsible innovations in materials, the latest technologies and techniques as well as various contemporary denim developments.

Organisers say the fair will be targeting all creative fashion brands that develop denim collections - fashion and luxury brands, pure jeanswear players, web players.  This season’s broadened offer is up by 9% over the 89 exhibitors showing in December 2018.


As an itinerant show, Denim Première Vision aims to ensure a continuity between its various editions. While the show relies on new destinations to help professionals conquer new markets, the goal is also to build lasting relationships between these various players.

Sustainability and Smart Materials are key factors 
at Denim Première Vision in London

Returning to Denim Première Vision this December will be Platform C.L.A.S.S. - the acronym for Creativity Lifestyle And Sustainable Synergy – which will take up a booth to educate, share sustainable innovation and promote smart textiles to professionals in the fashion business.

“In London, we will bring forward its vision and strategy with a set of initiatives, talks and projects,” explains Giusy Bettoni, CEO and founder of C.LA.S.S. and sustainability consultant for the Première Vision in Paris.  Ms Bettoni will curate a programme of #SmartTalks in London with some of the most influential players in the industry.

The programme focuses on the concept of Jeans ReDesign exploring denim becoming smarter with many different expressions, interactions and brand new solutions dedicated to today’s consumers. The series includes The Jeans Redesign Guidelines by Make Fashion Circular; a talk dedicated to the new generation of contemporary fibres and circular economy business models. Other talks focus on the role of the designer as an enzymatic power triggering sustainable change in fashion and the role and the innovative design strategies of brands and retailers bringing together circular economy and a new level of aesthetics, performances and unexpected multiple lifecycles.

C.L.A.S.S. will also bring its Smart Materials Bank featuring some of the most innovative materials on the market to provide an open and inspirational resource and educational tool for designers, students, brands and researchers, allowing them to discover and experiment with a unique selection of sustainable textiles, yarns and fashion components.

This year, Italian denim manufacturer Candiani Denim joins the Smart Materials Bank with its  smart collections, in particular, the ReGen, winner of the 2019 ITMA Sustainable Award.  It is a rigid selvedge fabric composed of 50% Refibra™ fibers and 50% recycled fiber, ReLast, a stretch fabric, composed of organic cotton and the world’s first ROICA™ EF premium stretch yarn made with 58% of pre-consumer recycled content, the ROICA™ EF comes with the Global Recycled Standard - GRS - certification by the influential Textile Exchange. 

“At C.L.A.S.S. we constantly monitor the textile business looking for sustainable and innovative products. Our Smart Materials Bank, the result of such observatory, is open to creatives who can purchase at affordable prices samples and small quantities of sustainable materials up to 50 meters.” Explains Luca Olivini, Eco Hub Material Manager of C.L.A.S.S.

While physical store profit margins more than halve in eight years in the UK, ‘Store of The Future’ flagship opens at Selfridges, London

Newly published data report that UK retailers are suffering from diminishing profit margins drawing concern for the UK overall economy, at a time that retailers are gearing for Christmas sales, even without complications of a general election.  However, those retailers, especially fashion brands, that are focused on the value, convenience and luxury segments remain generally resilient, compared to the struggles of mid-market operators.

Strategic partnership and in-store pop-ups give shoppers new physical retail experiences at a time when retailers

are faced with increased challenges presented by online shopping, growing operating costs and inflexible leases.

Photo by Lucia Carpio taken at London's Harvey Nichols during a recent pop-up shop launch.

The new study has found that store margins for the top UK retailers “have dropped from 8.8% in 2009/10 to 4.1% in 2017/18.” According to new data published by global professional services firm Alvarez & Marsal (A&M), in partnership with Retail Economics, store-based profit margins have plunged, faced with growing operating costs, inflexible leases and the rise of online shopping, thus leading to the steepest decline in shoppers’ footfall,  and resulting in a wave of store closures, while demand for UK retail space is at its lowest since 2007.

Richard Fleming, Managing Director and Head of Restructuring Europe, A&M, said a new era of retail is emerging, which means "new opportunities exist for forward-thinking incumbents, entrepreneurs and investors."

Despite the challenges in the sector, UK retailers are being urged to continue to invest in their in-store shopping experience, as bricks-and-mortar shops are expected to account for 65% of retail sales over the next five years.  And while the rise of online shopping has threatened the future of in-store shopping, the study found that 25% of Millennials and Gen Z continue to visit a flagship shopping destination at least once a week - more than their older counterparts, with 45-54-year-olds saying they visit on average just once every six months.

In London, luxury department store Selfridges has long been admired by its ability to strike a balance between offering desirable lifestyle goods and leisure through strategic partnership that gives unique experiences to its shoppers.  One of its newest additions is to have Smartech, an experience-led tech concept store, open a new flagship in the lower ground floor of Selfridges on London’s Oxford Street, within its tech-products section.
Smartech is a new “tech playground” where more than 80 carefully curated cutting-edge innovation pieces are on show to give visitors unique lifestyle experiences.  

Photos above and right by Lucia Carpio.

Fronted by exclusive robotics, IoT, smart art, FemTech, snaps-taking spectacles and the very latest in Deep Tech, it’s said to be the largest and most experiential shop-in-shop at the iconic London department store. 

Smartech is a concept store, designed with 

discovery in mind, created for people to have fun,

diving into a future filled with surprises 

Above, visitors engaging with Waterlight Graffiti, a surface made up 

of thousands of LEDs that are illuminated 

by contact with water, allowing the user to treat it as an electrical canvas.
Photo from Smartech. 

Dubbed by the Financial Times as “The Store of The Future”, Smartech is billed as "a window onto what the world’s creating, bringing life to a new era of ground-breaking makers, creators and start-ups."

Covering 200sqm, Smartech introduces a state-of-the-art store designed by renowned British designer, Robert Storey – previously of Prada, Hermes and Off-White. 

Smartech aims to open your mind to what culture, tech, art and sustainability will look like in the not-so-distant future. Incorporating contemporary and sustainable influences, Smartech’s innovation space “showcases a new design identity, embodying a never-before-seen mixed reality of tech and futurism combined with modernity,” according to founder Jacov Nachtailer.
He said, " Everybody is talking about innovation, but you don’t have a physical space to try, discover and buy. People come to Selfridges to discover, which is why they’re the perfect partner for Smartech, to amaze and amuse their customers with the world’s latest innovations.”

 

From MAKR SHAKER - bar-tending robots serving visitors' favourite cocktails in Smartech, Selfridges.

Photo by Lucia carpio

“As the digital revolution continues to transform everything from politics to pop music, we want give people who create things a platform to tell their story and shine light on new ideas. Pushing the boundaries of where tech, art and creation collide has been a driving force behind our success,” said Nathalie Bernce, CEO of Smartech.
Smartech has been turning the retail game on its head, with huge success, experiencing an aggressive global growth over the past three years and over 143% above target year on year,  In addition to Selfridges, Smartech concept stores are also found in high-end department stores around the world including Paris, Milan, Berlin, Amsterdam, Rome, Zurich and Copenhagen, with another 10 stores opening within the next 12 months.

Hello Birdie - Lorna Syson's new autumn range teaming up with RSPB

British textile designer Lorna Syson is known for her contemporary bird motifs as an integral part of her signature design style.  Her inspirational take on the British countryside and her ability to bring out the beauty of nature has made her prints for wallpaper and designs for home soft furnishing ever popular, and her new autumn range brings focus on two typical birds popular both in the UK and other parts of the world..


At the Top Drawer and Decorex International trade fairs held at London’s Olympia in Kensington in September and October respectively, Lorna Syson announced she is celebrating 10 years in business this autumn with a collaboration with the Royal Society for Protection of Birds (RSPB) to create a new collection inspired by her favourite birds and their habitats.  

The two new fabric patterns feature two favourite British birds, the long tailed tits and hummingbirds, well chosen to celebrate the important work the RSPB do protecting birds here and abroad.  
The Blossom & Bird design shown above, in classic tones of navy, grey and soft pink, features pretty long-tailed Tits perching on English cherry blossoms.  
For the Hummingbird design below, Lorna has chosen vivid tones of teal and mint as a backdrop for her majestic hummingbirds hovering amongst honeysuckle.

The range includes curtains, furnishing fabrics, cushions and lampshades.  Made in cotton, all fabric is made and digitally printed in the UK.  The items will be available from RSPB stores and website, and from Lorna Syson's website, and 10% of sales will go to the charity.

Long-tailed Tits and Hummingbirds are popular species both here and abroad and Lorna's work with the RSPB help to raise awareness of the RSPB's work in the UK and around the world, where they run conservation projects across Africa and Asia.  

Inspiring hand-woven contemporary textiles enrich modern lives.

Thanks to modern technology, our daily life has become more efficient, and thus we should be left with more time to slow down and admire crafts that are lovingly made by hand.  As we wake up to the global crisis of throw-away plastics, hand-crafted home furnishing textiles remind us the joy of appreciating things that take time to make and indeed can last a long time.

At 100% Design trade fair in London, held in September at Olympia in Kensington, I met woven textile designer Pamela Print who had her weaving loom set up in her stand so she could demonstrate her craft.  She is the genius behind her wonderful hand-woven furnishing textile collection that included wall hangings, throws and cushions that she produces for her own brand.  

As a designer and weaver who is passionate about sustainability, Pamela Print is keen to demonstrate her eco credentials, as all her products are totally sustainable as her products are all in 100% wool.  

For example, the cushions front is made in merino lambswool and the back fabric  is in Harris Tweed while for the filling she uses eco-friendly British fleece (Dorset Horn.)

Pamela graduated from Central Saint Martins in London with a BA in Textile Design, and is an alumni of TexSelect (a London-based charity that nurtured and promoted UK textile graduates for some 50 years) through her career was launched 14 years ago after particpating at Premiere Vision trade fair in Paris.

Pamela worked for many years in textile and garment supply companies like Dewhirst and for top brands and retailers including Topshop and Marks & Spencer - before relocating to Brussels for seven years.  Recently she and family decided to move back to the UK.  

But Pamela has brought Brussels back with her through her geometric patterns that were inspired by architecture in Brussels with art deco influences.  But while on the loom, ideas are developed, she said.

With a studio set up outside London in the historical village of Writtle where her designs are developed and sampled, she has also got an agreement with Bristol Weaving Mill where small batches can be produced to order.

Also exhibiting at 100% Design was Lydia Forman, whose hand-woven upholstery fabric designs won her a place in the Design Fresh area of the trade fair held in September at Kensington Olympia in London.  

Lydia was one of 30 designers selected by curator Barbara Chandler, design editor of Homes & Property at the London Evening Standard, to showcase their breakthrough design talent. 

Lydia brings a vibrant modern aesthetic to complex traditional weaving skills, creating cushions, upholstery fabrics, hangings, and flatweave rugs in yarns that include cotton, silk and Lurex.   

She juxtaposes geometric structures with bright floral colours. Weights and textures are explored using different yarns and weaving techniques.

Inspiration ranges from the colours of Kew Gardens to the rigid repeating facades of contemporary architecture.  To showcase some of her colourful textile products was a vintage Ercol sofa and chair  at 100% Design which were covered in her fabrics.        

A graduate of Loughborough University this year with a BA degree in Textiles: Innovation and Design, specialising in Woven Textiles, Lydia Forman was also awarded First Prize in the 2019 Loughborough University Enterprise Award.

All photos by Lucia Carpio.

London Design Festival presented more than half a million international exhibitors from around the world

A seminar on Finnish design characteristics focused

on sustainability, wellbeing and healthy living environment

at the 100% Design fair in Olympia, Kensington. 

It has been a very busy month for everyone working, involved or interested in creative works and design as between September 14 and 22, a number of international trade fairs and exhibitions, along with a full programme of product launches, design collaborations, seminars, presentations, installations and workshops turned London into one big design hub as the capital played host to the 2019 edition of London Design Festival.  

Cubitt House was dedicated to exhibiting cutting-edge design, iconic furniture and lighting brands 

as a major part of designjunction in Kings Cross Design District.

Installations at Cubitt Park featured Bim Buton's creations using enamel reused as outdoor seating in 

From Inside to Out, and

in the background BioKnit by Stephanie Chaltiel of MuDD Architects and Jane Scott showcasing new textile architecture techniques integrating colour, materials and form into a knitted Pavilion.

Designers and creatives from the UK and around the world. including newcomers, artists, craftsmen and artisans, new product developers, well-known brands and established names got together for the  Festival to give the capital a great buzz.

Samsung presented an exposition of Indiosincratico by Italian designer Martino Gamper in Samsung's

experience-led concept store in Coal Drop Yard, Kings Cross Design District.

Giant Anglepoise Lamps in The Light Tunnel in Kings Cross featured inspirational quotes 

to engage with visitors.

In total, 10 official Design Districts across the city were earmarked as special regions where concentrations of design activity and events took place.  All the Districts have their own personalities ad identities, many with partner events and special Routes for visitors.

Bill Amberg Print - a range of bull hides printed with graphics by some of the world's renowned creatives was essentially a collection of leather decoration employing specialist digital printing technology.  The hides have been developed for upholstery and interior architectural use.

SolidWool presented chairs made with not fibreglass but with WOOL, a great recycling process.  The Hembury Collection showcased at Design Junction are made in an old woollen mill in Buckfastleigh, a small market town once a thriving part of the woollen industry.  The seat is made from a composite materials made from coarse wool which is a by-product from hill-farmed, upland sheep farming.

Designs by Tom Dixon in Kings Cross Design District.

Each Design District was organised locally and independently.

New to join this year was the Kings Cross Design District which was the main venue for the ninth Design Junction trade fair.

British designer Tom Dixon's Coal Office headquarters and adjourning showrooms/shops/restaurant in Kings Cross were turned into special zones for visitors to experience various senses, under the banner Touchy Smelly Feely Noisy Tasty.  Tom Dixon was also named as London Design Medal Winner.

Bill Amberg also showcased his leather hides Print collection to demonstrate specialist digital printing technology on leather.

Also held during London Design Festival were 100% Design at Kensington Olympia, Focus/19 at Chelsea Harbour and London Design Fair at the Old Truman Brewery.

100% Design trade fair celebrated its 25th anniversary in the historical Olympia in Kensington.

A Sense of Finland in 100% Design was a specially built eco log house presenting Finnish furniture, products and lighting focused around sustainability, wellbeing and healthy living environments.

Other designated Design Districts included Bankside, Brompton, Clerkenwell, Marylebone, Mayfair, Pimlico, Shoreditch, Victoria and West Kensington.

Also at Kings Cross, 10 finalists of the Rado Star Prize winners were on display in The Light Tunnel, along with product installations by Haberdashery and Anglepoise.  The Rado Star Prize winner this year was Huw Evans for his Concertina furniture using English Ash and Cherry wood.

There were also two giant wooden block 'figures' named Talk to Me by Steuart Padwick installed in Kings Cross Design District for visitors to "React" to, a major theme in this years Design Junction show.  One of which is shown in a picture below.

An installation "Talk to Me" by Steuart Padwick

Rado Star Prize winner this year was Huw Evans
for his Consertina collection.

Designer and woven textile designer Pamela Print showcased her weaving technique during 100% Design along with 

her new collection of sustainable hand-woven designs for home furnishing including throws and cushions all in British wool (Merino lambswool).  Cushion backing is made with Harris Tweed and the filling is eco-friendly British fleece - Dorset Horn.  

This was the 17th annual festival which also marked 11 years collaborating with the Victoria and Albert Museum which was also the official Festival Hub for  a series of specially-commissioned project by international designers.

Welsh artist Thomas Perceval was on hand to discuss his unique artistic craft with visitors at 100% Design.
Based on the border of Mid Wales and Herefordshire, Thomas captures the beauty of trees - especially in the winter and early spring when absent of leaves, trees reveal the complexity of their intricate branches formed by nature.
He combines drawing techniques with laser burning technology to create amazing images of trees.  Each laser etched tree artwork meticulously takes a few months to create.

Original hand-woven upholstery fabric designs by Lydia Forman,

one of 30 designers selected by Barbara Chandler, design editor of Homes & Property at the London Evening Standard, to showcase their breakthrough design talent. 

on show at the Design Fresh area at 100% Design.

Creative China was one of the country pavilions at 100% Design.  
The China Pavilion promoted 22 companies that showcased creative design with traditional cultural elements.

All photos by Lucia Carpio.

Colour comes in many forms, by way of Pad Lifestyle at Harvey Nichols

Scottish boutique Pad Lifestyle has set up a concession at Harvey Nichols, bringing a profusion of carefully curated design-led home and interior décor finds to the heart of London luxury shopping of Knightsbridge.

Among the wide selection of designs set up on the 4th floor of the department store are home products from Jonathan Adler
such as this pop-art cum counter-culture quirky cushion.

This LSD cushion above features hand-beading on linen ground crafted in an artisanal workshop in India where a master beader took nearly 100 hours to create. Beads of varying heights and patterns within patterns create a sense of depth and dimension. The result is part pop art, part textile triumph.

Also wonderful are these fine Espresso cups and saucer sets in bright colours from Dutch brand Pols Potten, made in glazed porcelain, as well as coordinating mix-and-match cake plates in similarly eclectic pattern.

Meanwhile from Reflections Copenhagen is a selection of crystal table wares, such as these T-light/candle holders in bold geometric shapes, interplaying different gem colours to bring a sense of luxurious elegance to any homes in the city.

All  Photos © Lucia Carpio 2019 at Pad Lifestyle, Harvey Nichols. 

Sccop London draws European brands such as Mhudi and Kyomai

London is an aspirational market for emerging European brands.

At Scoop, held at Saatchi Gallery this week (until July 23)  in the heart of London, Italian label Mhudi's designer Francesca Passeri hopes her own range of headwear made with selected fabrics will bring Italian know-how, culture and crafts from to London, a city she loves.  Her speciality lies in her ability to choose coordinating or contrasting fabrics for reversible designs which would give the wearer flexibility.  Some of the designs are shaped like a beanie hat, another is like a turban with interesting twisted fabrics and decorations.  Others are like headbands.


Another brand eyeing the British market is French label Kyomai, which uses traditional Obi belts or sashes to created clutch bags handmade in France. 

Nicolas Amouroux, president of the company, had lived in Kyoto, Japan's ancient capital, for some years and was a collector of the Obi fabrics worn traditionally with kimonos.  Since his return to France, he had decided to turn his passion to good use.

His communication manager Julia Drouet was happy to showcase a couple of designs to coordinate with her kimono-inspired jacket she was wearing at Scoop.  The bags come with a chain for added functional flexibility.

Each Obi belt features uniquely jacquard silk woven with gold, silver and platinum threads.  One belt can be transformed into 3 - 5 clutchbags.  Each bag is also numbered and thus limited editions thus ideal as collector's items.

All photos© Lucia Carpio 2019.