Kit Kemp Design Studio creates immersive "Day Room" at WOW!house - Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour

Kit and Minnie Kemp

Wow!house - Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour's first designer show house, has given interior designer Kit Kemp and her daughter Minnie - from Kit Kemp Design Studio - a unique opportunity to create an immersive "Day Room" which is named Mimi's Atelier, inspired by French milliner Mimi de Biarritz based in Paris.

"Day Room" at WOW1house - Design Centre Chelsea Harbour, London

The starting point for inspiration is the "Au bord du Lac" tapestry wallpaper from Pierre Frey.  Kit and Minnie's Day Room is all about blending one-off crafted pieces that add character and whimsy to any interior space, along with fabrics from Guell La Madrid, Liberty and Jim Thompson.  Porta Romana provides lighting and painted cabinetry by Tess Newall.  To watch a video showing the Day Room, click HERE.

Designers Kit and Minnie have drawn inspiration from Mimi's hat creations; 20 one-of-a-kind hats are hand-made from papier-maché, cardboard and objects ranging from matadors to fishing gnomes, as seen above and below.  The hats on unique paper hat stands are on display at the WOW!house show in Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour and on sale online.

Minnie Kemp models one of Mimi de Biarritz's hand-made hat creations: "Tour de France" 
in the Day Room.

Minnie says, "We want our space to feel like a living, breathing workshop where any moment now Mimi will storm through the door like a character from the Incredibles and fashion a new hat especially for you. 

"Do Not Disturb" -

  For the Kit Kemp Design Studio

In the narrow, cobbled streets of Paris, Mimi has her workshop making hats and is always buzzing with creativity.  Although her workshop is small, her mind knows no bounds and she is always thinking of grand spaces." 

The Wow!house in the Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour, London, is on from June 1st to July 1st.  It features a series of rooms conceived by 20 established and up-and-coming designers collectively representing a diversity of style and inspiration. 

Kit Kemp MBE is founder and creative director of Firmdale Hotels and the Kit Kemp Design Studio.  Minnie Kemp is an interior designer working across the hotels and residential projects.

Photos  by Lucia Carpio.

Design Centre Chelsea Harbour hosts WOW!house June 1 - July 1 2022

The Design Centre at London’s Chelsea Harbour, a resource destination of more than 20 years for interior designers and architects, has launched a new event called WOW!house – from June 1st until July 1st 2022.  This first-ever designer show-house features the work of 20 world-class interior designers, each given a free rein to create individual rooms to provide inspiration and creative ideas to designers and their potential customers alike.

Julian Chichester Library
designed by Bunny Turner and Emma Pocock of
Turner Pocock

Claire German, CEO of the Design Centre, said she conceived the idea during lockdown in the UK, with an aim “to pioneer a sense of wonder, to amaze and inspire” by showing what extraordinary achievements can be made when talented industry comes together.

The interconnected but individually designed and fitted-out “rooms” have been constructed within the open communal atrium of the Centre. 

Entrance Foyer designed by Shalini Misra

In total, 20 designers – established names as well as rising stars - have been involved with the project, each given a room in the WOW!house, with which to propose their strong point of view and vision.  

Dining Room designed by Freddy Van ZevenBergen

From the Entrance Foyer of the “house”, visitors can wander continuously and experience the distinctively finished drawing rooms, dining rooms, living rooms, day room, a garden room, bedrooms and bathrooms, as well as a study and a library.

Drawing Room designed by Paolo Moschino & Philip Vergeylen of Paolo Moschino Ltd.

Drawing Room designed by Rui Ribeiro

Principal Bedroom with bathing area designed by Rayman Boozer of Apartment 48.

“Each space tells a compelling narrative,” said Claire, “in different but relevant styles, layers of pattern, colour and texture, along with carefully chosen furniture, lighting, art and objets d’art.”

Day Room designed by Kit Kemp, founder of Firmdale Hotels and her own design studio.

Visitors are presented with room after room of diverse styles and a wide selection of soft furnishing, wallpaper, rugs, decorative pieces, accessories, bespoke and unique furniture from a myriad of companies to support each designer’s individual creations, achieved through careful space planning and use of colour, materials, special finishes, lighting and technology.

Schumacher Garden Room designed by Duncan Campbell and Charlotte Rey.

Morris & Co Courtyard Bedroom designed by Brandon Schubert

De La Cuona Living Room designed by graduates Roshu Shrestha and Christine Omerere.

Study designed by Stephanie Barba Mendoza.

Photos © Lucia Carpio 2022

Christie's launches The ART OF LITERATURE Exhibition with fashion by MOLLY GODDARD

This June and July, auction house Christie’s in London is staging London Now, featuring a season of two exhibitions under the heading The Art of Literature, as well as events and auctions to celebrate London's vibrant diversity and unique identity at Christie's headquarters on King's Street in the historic district of St James's in central London.

One of the exhibitions, The Art of Literature: Auction Highlights  is staged June 6 to June 15  and presents highlights from their summer sale season, featuring alongside fashion by Molly Goddard, to explore connections between art and literature across a wide range of genres and periods. 

From antiquities and Old Master paintings to fine jewellery and contemporary art, the works in this exhibition underscore the interconnections between painters and poets, sculptors and novelists, dramatists and craftspeople that have existed for millennia.

Molly Goddard has been a fixture on the British runway since the brand’s inception in 2014, with the designer known internationally for her ethereal tulle dresses loved by many, and worn on the red carpet and on screen including by actresses Sonam Kapoor, Rosamund Pike and Jodie Comer (who famously wore one of Molly's pink tulle dresses in the popular Killing Eve TV series.)

Molly Goddard has been creatively inspired by a range of influences, particularly from the English countryside and also from classic narratives of English literature, in particular from the author Thomas Hardy’s novel, Tess of the d’Urbervilles. 

Tracey Dress by
Molly Goddard A/W 2019 Show

Skye dress by
Molly Goddard S/S 2020 Show

Over the seasons the iconic tulle has been joined by taffeta, organdie and silk in voluminous, tiered and frilled joyful creations.  Molly explained that these looks were about being frivolous and fabulous but also strong, tough and resilient – not just surviving but thriving. Signature tulle was adapted for all weathers and paired with utilitarian accessories inspired by Thomas Hardy’s ill-fated 19th-century British heroine, Tess Durbeyfield.

Pearl dress by Molly Goddard, 
A/W 2019 show.

Molly Goddard comments, ‘Hardy paints an incredible picture of the English landscape and seasons in Tess of the d’Urbervilles.  The collection was definitely about being wrapped up against the weather physically and metaphorically. The pieces included in the exhibition are a very good representation of what we do best, by which I mean taking simple designs and turning them into something totally different, using techniques like shirring and hand-smocking, or by scaling them up and using unexpected fabrics.’

Annabelle Scholar, co-curator comments, ‘We are thrilled to include these wondrous creations by Molly in The Art of Literature Exhibition, pieces which were inspired by a work of literature and ushered in a new era of British fashion. In this cross category exhibition spanning three millennia we’re looking at how the written word has inspired artists and creatives to make works of art, or bring new meaning to existing works of art.’

The other Christie's exhibition, The Art of Literature: Loan and Selling is staged from June 6 to July 14, which brings together an extraordinary selection of masterpieces embodying this most productive of creative partnerships between literature and art, at times direct and at other times subtly allusive.  

Aesop's Fables

Picasso

Their intricate connections have been explored across this exhibition offering insights into the works of important artists and writers including Marlene Dumas, William Shakespeare, Peter Paul Rubens, Lucian Freud, Joan Mitchell, James Joyce, Pablo Picasso and Peter Doig.

All photos at Christie's exhibitions by Lucia Carpio.

UK celebrates Queen Elizabeth II 70 Years of Reign

The UK, and indeed the Commonwealth, celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s 70 Years of Service, in great style with four days of bank holiday celebrations in London and around the whole country.

All of us at My Fashion Connect Global would like to congratulate Her Majesty the Queen on her Platinum Jubilee, as the first and only Monarch in the world to reign for 7 decades.   

We salute Her Majesty for her lifetime of great achievement due to her impeccable dedication, devotion and sense of tireless duty, and have made profound impact on her country and indeed to many people around the world.

As we mark this historic milestone, we wish the Queen continued health and happiness for many years to come.

Photos show London © Lucia Carpio 2022

Note on The official emblem for The Queen's Platinum Jubilee in 2022

The emblem was designed by 19-year-old graphic design student Edward Roberts, from Nottinghamshire. Edward's design was selected as the winning entry of Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Emblem Competition, run in conjunction with the V&A Museum. 

A solo exhibition by Lena Bergström 30 May - 15 July 2022

In London's Kensington, Vessel Gallery is presenting a new solo exhibition by the Swedish glass and textile designer Lena Bergström, whose playful, exuberant forms communicate her love of glass as an artistic material and her intuitive sense of colour and texture.

The exhibition - Lena 25+ - celebrates the 25 years and more for which Lena has been designing glass for Swedish brands of Orrefors and Kosta Boda, and the nearly 20 years for which she has been represented in London by Vessel.

Bergström has designed several prize-winning products and received numerous awards including a staggering 12 ‘Excellent Swedish Design’ awards.

She has works in the permanent collections of the; Nationalmuseum, Stockholm, Sweden • The Röhsska Museum of Fashion, Design & Decorative Arts, Gothenburg, Sweden • Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland United States • Nasjonalmuseet, Oslo, Norway • The Victoria & Albert Museum, London, UK

Vessel Gallery is at 114 Kensington Park Road London W11 2PW.

To view the artworks, click HERE. 

Menswear designer Saul Nash at London Fashion Week on 12th June 2022

London designer Saul Nash, winner of the British Fashion Council Foundation’s Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design and 2022/23 BFC NEWGEN recipient, will be at London Fashion Week presented by Clearpay this June, showcasing his latest collection on the digital schedule, at 13.00 on Sunday 12th June.

 Nash's eponymous brand can be watched on the digital schedule, accessible to all on the #LFW platform. 

From North East London, Nash received a scholarship to attend and graduate from the eminent MA Menswear at the Royal College of Art in 2018, and arrived at his fashion practice via the unconventional route of performance. Known also as a choreographer, Nash practised for many years as a dancer and graduated from BA Performance Design at Central Saint Martins in 2015. 

Saul Nash is described by online lifestyle retail-magazine Hypebeast as "the next superstar of sportswear", and fans admire his ability to bring luxury to activewear, creating fluid menswear that compromises neither function nor style.  Inspired by the kinetic body, and the subversion of sportswear via the memories of the different people he grew up in London, Nash’s practice extends to worn garments and their ability to liberate an individual’s identity. He favours relaxed silhouettes and mesh fabrics that enable movement and flow, while asymmetric hems and monochromatic colourways highlight the designer’s focus on expression. Staying loyal to the brand’s roots, all limited-edition styles are produced by local North East London manufacturers. 

The Saul Nash collections are carried at retailers including Browns, SSENSE, HTOWN, FLANNELS and Selfridges.

Images from London Fashion Week online.

London Fashion Week presented by Clearpay June 2022 Schedule released

London Fashion Week will be back in June, showcasing upcoming designers including AGR Knit, Ahluwalia, LABRUM London, Carlota Barrera, QASIMI, Olubiyi Thomas and Robyn Lynch. 

This season, which will be held from June 10 to 13 2022, designers are pushing the boundaries of what menswear is, according to the British Fashion Council (BFC), creating collections that challenge and eliminate gender constructs, reflecting fashion's ability to adapt and change.

Click HERE for the new schedule.

Many shows on the schedule are presented by "DiscoveryLAB".

The DiscoveryLAB is an immersive showcasing environment to discover and connect with new emerging brands. Creative collaborations often explore the intersection of fashion, music, art, photography and performance. 

This season, the DiscoveryLAB is in collaboration with Dazed magazine. All DiscoveryLAB shows can be watched digitally during London Fashion Week (11th - 13th June).

Click HERE to watch highlights from DiscoveryLAB in February 2022.

Meanwhile, British Fashion Council has once again collaborated with the shopping destination of Bicester Village.

The Creative Spot x British Fashion Council pop-up boutique is open at Bicester Village,  until 15 June 2022, promoting innovative and sustainable British design, coinciding withe The Queen's Platinum Jubilee. The boutique includes previous LFW designers Completedworks, Eudon Choi, Phoebe English and many more.  Bicester Village is located on the outskirts of Bicester, a town in Oxfordshire, and can be reached by train from London and Oxford.

Additionally, the BFC is also launching this season its updated online London Fashion week platform, having appointed digital agency IBM to redesign the website and match it to the level of creativity as seen in the in-person catwalk displays.

IBM creates a cloud-based platform that aims to interact fluidly with the global fashion industry and encapsulate the high-end perspective of the designers involved.

Powered by IBX iX Experience Orchestrator, the new redesign result on the platform taking a human-centred and value driven approach, involving the development of current features and event schedules.

London Fashion Week has launched and helped build the career of many of today's leading designers.  The new online platform no doubt will enhance the creative forces for the vast pool of talent London is hosting.

All images: British Fashion Council