Mexican style and sensibility by Christian Dior at the Designer of Dreams exhibition, Victoria & Albert Museum London

Christian Dior, Designer of Dreams at V&A Museum, London.
Photo by Lucia Carpio.

To look at the influence of Mexican cultures and sensibility in fashion we enjoy today one goes back not just to the highly popular Frida Khalo exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum last year, but also to Christian Dior, the French fashion couturier whose Designer of Dreams exhibition (a sold-out event) currently running at the V & A as well.

Monsieur Dior (born 1905 and died 1957) took inspiration from influences around the world for his ground-breaking looks.  He loved to travel as early as in his twenties when he visited places far and wide, from London to Athens and Istanbul, he had spent a year in the Balearic Islands.

Born in Normandy, his love of global cultures grew as his business prospered.  Recognising the importance of the international market, he had made references to different countries through his various creations and collections,  exhibiting his admiration of countries that included  India, Egypt, Japan, South Africa Mexico and Australia.  Monsieur Dior named several of his dresses after a country and several of these are on show in the Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams exhibition currently running at the Victoria & Albert Museum, London until 1st September 2019.

This dress above is one of the dresses that demonstrated Dior's interest in Mexican style and art. His bold A-line skirts, which have become a signature of the house, are reminiscent of the Tehuana style, complete with a sombrero hat. 
The current house creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri also revisited the Mexican journey with her Escaramuza Charra show last year.

Christian Dior, Designer of Dreams at V&A Museum, London.
Photo by Lucia Carpio.

The creation above here is another Mexican-inspired dress by Monsieur Dior,  It was referred to as a dance dress with a label  'PRINTEMPS-ETE Christian Dior MADE IN FRANCE' on the inside.

According to information provided by the V&A, the dress was featured in French Vogue (March 1953) and L'Officiel (April 1953).  In the summer of 1953, the Duchess of Windsor (née Mrs Wallis Simpson) chose a Dior dress made in the same fabric and printed with a dot and scallop pattern to wear at the Circus Ball in Paris (American Vogue, 15 August 1953).

Further information from the V&A stated that this is a Mexico evening dress made in Paris in 1953, designed by Christian Dior, and made by Bianchini-Férier, Atelier Germaine.

Materials and techniques used included  printed silk organza, boned, net foundation, crêpe de Chine stiffened with net and organza, metal hooks and eyes.

It's Cherry Blossom season in Japan and lifestyle brand Muji opens hotel in Tokyo's Ginza district.

It's Spring time in Japan, and tourism is booming in this oriental kingdom as visitors flock there to admire Cherry Blossoms.

A luxurious gown  from Christian Dior SS 2017 haute couture collection designed by Maria Garzia Chiuri, elaborately embroidered to channel Japanese cherry blossoms as a nod to the Hanami - Japan's National Cherry Blossom Festival - and echoing Monsieur Dior's 1953 "Jardin Japonais" dress.  This is one of 200 rare Dior haute couture gowns now on show  in the Christian Dior - Designer of Dreams Exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum, London, until 1st September 2019.

Photo by Lucia Carpio.

According to BBC business news earlier this week, the blossom season is worth billions for Japan.  The season attracted nearly five million people and boosted the economy by some US$2.7 billion, according to figures from Bloomberg.

Cherry blossom represents the nature of life and a season of renewal in Japanese culture.  Events and festivals are held in Japan each spring during "Hanami", or "flower viewing" season.

If one has the luxury of time to travel to Japan this Easter break, you may like to try out the Muji Hotel Ginza, operated by the Japanese retail chain Muji - known for their minimalist designs.

The hotel is to open this Thursday in Tokyo as a novel way to experience the brand's wide range of lifestyle products.

The hotel offering 79 guests rooms which will be decked out with Muji's own lifestyle-related products, from furniture, to slippers, to toiletries and toothbrushes.

The hotel is situated above its shop - from 6th to 10th floor - above the commercial complex.  This is very handy because if guests like any of the items, they can buy them at a Muji store below.

The hotel is viewed as a kind of showroom where guests can experience using their products, according to officials at the chain's operator, Ryohin Keikaku, which has revealed that sales of Muji products are on the rise, mainly in Asian countries, and they hope the new hotel will further boost its brand recognition and help expand sales globally.

The Ginza hotel will be the company's first in Japan; it follows ones already opened in China, in Shenzhen and Beijing.

Fashion and Sportswear brands take urgent action to utilise recycled material waste

SEAQUAL ™ changes plastic waste to filament yarns.
Photo © Lucia Carpio 2018

There is no time to wait and see with the critical problem we are facing on this planet after many years of not realising the damage that plastics, despite their amazing range of usefulness, have contributed to polluting our environment, our oceans, our cities, our countryside, and affecting the health of all living beings, ourselves, our nature and our wildlife.

The BBC nature programme Blue Planet II had driven the message hard and highlighted the immense urgency we are facing in one of their critically-acclaimed programmes hosted by nature guru and UK national treasure David Attenborough.

One shocking fact we have learned is that less than 50% of the 480 billion plastic bottles sold in 2016 were collected for recycling. It is indeed a responsibility of all of us to take action and tackle this irreversible global crisis.

Sundried sportswear made from
recycled plastics.

While politicians, activists and environmental agencies are reportedly taking action plans to promote recycling and minimising waste, many companies and brands are giving new lease of life to recycled plastic bottles by turning the waste into new ethical and environmental friendly products.

One such company is activewear brand Sundried whose sportswear range is made from 100% recycled materials including plastic bottles.

While helping to clean up the global excess of plastic bottles which would otherwise take thousands or even millions of years to decompose naturally Sundried are also reducing harmful emissions and water waste used to create new textiles.

Sundried was founded by personal trainer and triathlete Daniel Puddick. His goal was to create a brand that his children would be proud to be associated with in years to come.

Puddick says: "Being a parent makes you think about the bigger picture for the world, so business for me now is more than just creating a financially successful brand."

From the ten-piece pilot collection launched in 2016, Puddick has grown Sundried in size and together with his small team of designers have created sportswear made from recycled materials whilst ensuring a low carbon footprint.

Sundried activewear made from recycled materials
including coffee waste.

Sundried founder Puddick adds: "Creating collections made from recycled plastic bottles and recycled coffee waste has been a really exciting part of this journey and we are continuing to research the best, ethically-sourced materials available."

Fashioned from Nature exhibition - Victoria and Albert Museum, London until January 27 2019.
Photo © by Lucia Carpio 2018.

Of course Sundried is just one of many brands and designers who are all too aware of the plastic crisis and material waste.  Designs by the likes of Nike, Calvin Klein and Stella McCartney are on show among fashion specimens highlighting the close relationship between fashion and the environment at the Fashioned from Nature exhibition currently on at the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in London.  Forming an important of the exhibition is the forcus on practices in the fashion industry that threaten people, the lives and the environment.  Running until January 27 2019, this is billed as the first UK exhibition to explore the complex relationship between fashion and nature over the last few centuries, from 1600 to the present day.

Recognising that urgent action is required quickly to tackle marine plastics pollution, a Spanish company of textile fibres has recently unveiled its commitments to initiate a new eco-friendly yarns called SEAQUAL ™ filament yarn made out of plastic waste retrieved from the ocean.

Seaqual 4U was founded in 2016 to tackle marine pollution with as a starting point the recovery of plastic waste collected in the oceans and recycling them into a range of continuous and discontinuous yarns.

Its ingenious plan is to dredge then upcycle plastics from the bottom of the sea and turn them into fibres and yarns.  The company partners with some 400 fishing boats off Spanish coasts that help it to collect the plastic waste.

The company has thus set up a virtuous chain involving various stakeholders in the textile industry including spinners, weavers and brands. 

SEAQUAL ™  fibres is a real catalyst engaging the entire textile industry and thus inspire consumers to buy products made of sustainable fabrics made from recycled plastics.

New innovations from SEAQUAL ™ will include exclusive yarns in staple fibres for blending with other fibres such as recycled cotton, Tencel ® , viscose, wool, linen and will be available as both continuous and discontinuous versions in their natural ecru shade or dyed into different colours. 

The I LOVE LINEN campaign has landed in London

I LOVE LINEN being promoted in the atrium of the Peter Jones department store, Sloane Square, London.
Photo © Lucia Carpio 2018

Sharp-eyed shoppers and eco-conscious consumers probably already notice that an extensive campaign is going on in London this month in major retailers and brand name shops around town where a natural and wonderfully versatile fabric – Linen - is being promoted.

Following successful campaigns in Milan (2017) and in Paris (2016), the I LOVE LINEN campaign has arrived in London to raise the awareness on the wide range of applications and qualities of this eco-friendly natural fabric.

Billed as the world’s oldest fabric, linen comes from flax, the only fibre of plant that originates from Europe, here 80% of the world’s supply is grown along Normandy and the northern coasts of France, Belgium and the Netherlands.

During the month of April until May 13, a series of special events are held at the Victoria and Albert Museum, and in a network of some 40 local partner brands. The I LOVE LINEN message is splashed across some 200 shop windows representing the best of British fashion and home furnishings.

Jaeger is one of the brands promoting
linen in their Spring 2018 collections.
Photo © Lucia Carpio 2018

For example, at John Lewis and Peter Jones department stores in London where metres of linen fabrics are hung in the centre atrium of the stores promoting the I LOVE LINEN campaign.

Other participating brands include Poetry, Oska, L.K. Bennett, Ally Capellino, Jigsaw, Uniqlo, Vivienne Westwood, Jaeger, Skandium, Brora and Velorution, to name but a few – all promoting the qualities of linen through men’s and women’s ready-to-wear, children’s wear, sportswear, home furnishings and fashion accessories etc.

Just opened this week at the V&A is the event Fashioned from Nature and it is the UK’s first exhibition to showcase the complex relationship that fashion has with the natural world.  The comprehensive and informative exhibition highlights how fashion has been inspired by nature, and the demand the industry calls for raw materials, the enormous impact on the environment and the technology advancement is affecting our daily lives.   The European Confederation of Flax and Hemp - CELC, the authority of linen, is the major sponsor of this landmark exhibition which runs to January 27, 2019.

Also at Chelsea College of Arts – University of the Arts London, third year BA textile design students explore the fibre and fabric as part of a special creative project, in tandem with the V&A.
For more information on linen you can visit the ilovelinen.uk website.

I LOVE LINEN is jointly financed by the flax/linen industry and the EU. 

Photo © Lucia Carpio 2018.

Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty - V&A to open throughout the night due to popular demand

If you still haven't seen the immensely popular Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty which is on at the Victoria & Albert Museum until August 2nd, you may be pleased to learn that the V&A has announced that  the exhibition is to open throughout the night for its final two weekends, releasing additional 12,000 tickets, due to unprecedented demand.

While on-line advanced booking maybe closed, tickets are available on day of visit at the V&A, London.  And it's worth the £16 they charge for standard admission unless you've joined the membership then of course it's free.
For full information, click HERE.

The legacy of McQueen needs no introduction and this retrospective exhibition does not disappoint.

While McQueen's ingeneous work on show are awe-inspiring, throughout the exhibition one feels the presence of the designer by the quoting of McQueen's own words offering valuable insights into the thinking behind his visionary creations.

Here is a sampling of some of McQueen's great words:-

"You've got to have the rules to break them.  That's what I'm here for, to demolish the rules. but to keep the tradition."

"I oscillate between life and death, happiness and sadness, good and evil."

"I want to be the purveyor of a certain silhouette cutting, so that when I'm dead and gone, people will know that the 21st century was started by Alexander McQueen."

See if you can spot them at the exhibition.

Photos above by Lucia Carpio for My Fashion Connect.

London's Fashion and Textile Museum extends Riviera Style swimwear exhibition due to poppular demand.

As the temperature soars, you  may choose to stay indoors, or go look at something that can cool you down.
Now here's something for you to admire, if you haven't been there yet, and is the next best thing to going to the seaside.

The Fashion and Textile Museum in London has extemded their “Riviera Style” exhibition until September 13th.

According to the FTM, the Riviera Style exhibition, which showcases 100 years of swimwear from 19th century bodysuits and Fifties’ bikinis to the 21st century burkini and mankini, is attracting record numbers to the Museum in Bermondsey with visitor figures up 19% on the same period last year.

Due to this, the show, which opened on 22nd May and originally scheduled to close on August 30th,  is to be extended to 13th September.

The museum has also seen record sales of exhibition prints thanks to a partnership with UK art publisher King and McGaw, with the most popular image being the Clacton-on-Sea Butlins’ poster designed in 1941 for London North East Railway (top), closely followed La Plage de Calvi by Roger Broders c.1929 (at right ).
Picture credits: (top) Butlin’s Clapton-on-Sea, LNER Poster, 1941. Design J. Greenup © NRM / Pictorial Collection / Science & Society Picture Library
[right] La Plage de Calvi, Corse, 1928 (Colour Litho) by Roger Broders (1883-1953). Private collection. Photo © Christie’s Images / Bridgeman Images.

Dreaming of a Place in the Sun? Exotic tableware from Creative Tops

Although spring is upon us, the weather has not exactly turned warm in the UK and we may be dreaming of a holiday to a place where the sun is shining and the culture is rich.

A stunning new tableware collection from Creative Tops will help us escape to the shores of the eastern Mediterranean.
This fine china collection of plates, mugs and bowls features exotic patterns adapted from Iznik plates, held in the Victoria & Albert Museum collection.  
Iznik pottery became highly sought after in the 16th and 17th century and the town of Iznik became an established centre for the production of simple earthenware pottery with an underglaze decoration.

The meticulous designs combine traditional Ottoman arabesque patterns, with Chinese elements.
The exotic patterns are reminiscent of the beautiful eclectic ceramic tiles one would find in the eastern Mediterranean region.

Creative Tops hold a tableware licence with the V&A and their ranges incorporate designs from the V&A’s archive of textiles, wallpapers and prints.  Over the past three years, a strong relationship has been forged and beautiful commercial tableware collections for the retail industry have been created.

Another great result of this dynamic relationship is the Toile range above.
The Toile range is designed so individual pieces can be mixed and matched. The tea cups and saucers are elegantly shaped and the plates have scalloped edging.
Each fine china piece feature illustrations adapted from a 19th century printed textile book, and the designs have been sympathetically placed and shown off beautifully on each piece.
The Toile range is perfect for a quintessential English tea party indoors or in the garden when the weather finally settles.

Images courtesy of Creative Tops.

Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty opens at the V&A London, co-presented by Swarovski

The much-hyped retrospective exhibition Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty has finally come home to London, the "epicentre" of McQueen's creative life, opening at the Victoria & Albert Museum today.

At the Opening Gala, the crème de la crème of the world of fashion, film, royalty and glamour descended onto the V&A for a black-tie do, decked in black, lace and sculptural shapes for a dramatic edge, in the spirit of McQueen.  

Highlights of the gala event and details of the exhibition which is open until 2 August can be viewed on the V&A website.  

Click Here.

THE POWER OF BELIEF (Glamour) is one of Swarovski's
main themes for Spring/Summer 2016. Sacred iconography is re-imagined for a modern era.

As co-presenter of the Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty exhibition, Swarovski - the global house of cut crystal and fashion jewellery - has been associated with McQueen since the 1990s when Isabella Blow introduced the young designer to Nadja Swarovski.  This led to numerous collaborations starting with supporting McQueen’s 1999 collection as well as the creation, alongside Tord Boontje, of the V&A’s Grand Entrance crystal Christmas tree in 2003; and the dramatic Swarovski Gemstone-encrusted Bird’s Nest Headdress for his Autumn/Winter 2006 collection. Swarovski has worked with designers since Daniel Swarovski’s precision-cut crystals became much-valued ingredients in the dressmaking ateliers of Paris, beginning the tradition of close collaboration between Swarovski and haute couture that remains to this day.

Looking at the innovations of Swarovski’s new collection for Spring/Summer 2016, Swarovski focuses the direction of its design innovations on the human quest for happiness, strength,  hope and fulfilment, and the importance of visual representation as a way of expressing these desires. 

Four sub-themes for Spring/Summer 2016 have been identified, with their corresponding crystal innovations: The Blossoming of Happiness (Classic); The Nature of Strength (Progressive); The Mythology of Hope (Romantic); The Power of Belief (Glamour).

Swarovski has attributed the season’s inspiration to simply “Between Heaven and Earth”, featuring a collection of loose crystal assortment of cuts, colours, effects and line extensions, 

  THE MYTHOLOGY OF HOPE (Romantic) is another of Swarovski's theme for Spring/summer 2016.

Modern yet mythological, romantic design takes its influence from ancient Greek goddesses, folkloric winged creatures, and the soft dappled light of dawn and dusk. 

The two photos above are among the inspirational images provided by Swarovski from their new Spring Summer 2016 collection.  I have included them here because to me they seem to embody the spirit of McQueen, who is regarded by many not only as a maverick designer, but also an artist.  The Savage Beauty exhibition at the V&A is a celebration of McQueen's life's work, his talent, skills and creativity that elevated him above the rest of his generation.