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Friday 6 July 2012

NEWS| Malene Oddershede Bach featured in The Upcoming


Malene Oddershede Bach impresses with her AW12/13 collection and is featured in The Upcoming.

After an impressive SS12 show, Malene Oddershede Bach brings another captivating collection with bursts of colour and intricate patterns. The Upcoming talks about her continuous rise since stunning the panel at Vauxhall Fashion Scout with her graduate collection, and their appreciation for her amazing way of mixing fabrics and textiles to create bold pieces.

One that tells a story, the collections holds inspiration that comes from “the feeling of being lost and unfulfilled”. This powerful and captivating message is brought to life with a remarkable use of cuts and shapes, in which they hail her as “the designer that proves emotions can be expressed aesthetically through clothes”.

The Upcoming show their excitement for the designer’s AW12/13 collection giving you a rundown of their favourite looks. We’re not the only ones thrilled to see what Malene has in store for us next!

By Vanessa Omoregie (@wewearblack)
Images from Malene's AW12 Lookbook

NEWS| Kirsty Ward interviewed by Twin Factory


VFS jewellery designer Kirsty Ward has been interviewed by Twin Factory magazine. Twin visited Kirsty in her North London studio and quizzed her on her unique method of integrating everyday objects into her collections, her influences for the SS13 collections (which is "Tea ladies and tabards with a modern sci-fi edge" if you must know - Kirsty could never be described as the 'norm') and who she'd love to collaborate with in the future. 
"Spend a day with womenswear and jewellery designer, Kirsty Ward, and you’ll never look at an ordinary household object in the same way again". Read the full article here.


By Cass Gowing, Editor, @CassGowing
Images taken from Twin Factory article. 

Thursday 5 July 2012

BEAUTY| Backstage hair with Prose


A retrospective look backstage from the fashion week for the seasons ahead- appropriate, given the uncharacteristically wet weather of late. Think it a way of styling out the unintentional "wet look", and passing off as deliberately slick... or- like us- take the summer deluge as a style cue for working Autumn/ Winter Prose- just grab the nearest can of mousse, and follow the rest of the "how to" here.
You know, the wet weather's not all bad...

Backstage Prose hair with Toni & Guy here.

Wednesday 4 July 2012

NEWS| Raffaele Ascione featured in SYN magazine editorial


Issue three, or 'The Fatal Issue' of SYN magazine has featured the detailed dresses of VFS's designer Raffaele Ascione in one of their editorials. The independent, quarterly online magazine is one with the aim to "represent the fresh and creative of the new generation" and so his pieces are right at home. Ascione is a London based designer and has gained experience under the likes of Max Mara and Gareth Pugh. A recent womenswear graduate of Central Saint Martins, his work's been published around the UK and Europe, as well as showcased at London Fashion Week.


Josh Walker, VFS contributor (@josh_walker_)

Tuesday 3 July 2012

COLLECTION| Iris van Herpen's Autumn Haute Couture






‘Hybrid Holism’ was the given-name for Iris van Herpen’s Autumn Haute Couture; a title and collection inspired by an anti-reductionist science, centred on the belief that “the whole is greater than the sum of it’s parts.” 
True, you might say, given the impact of the VFS alumni’s other-worldly PVC moulds, and juxtaposed cut-out bodices. However, being couture- finished by hand with the most extreme attention to detail- we’d defy Van Herpen’s ‘Holism’ tag, with its “great[ness]” placed wholly on the finished works, and say her work is a feat of dualism; a collaborative process in which Herpen’s attention to detail- and the components of it- are equally as important as the whole.

One thing always expected of Van Herpen’s couture showings is innovationpushing technique, and textile to produce something other-wordly- evocative of outer-space, and ahead of our time. 
Last season, we saw this manifest beneath a “look, but don’t touch” exploration of the atypically feminine- this season, Herpen's output seemed less explorative in terms of theme, and more-so in terms of structure.
This season opened with metallic, midnight blue- a "piece" whose “everyday” foil would likely be a coat- seemingly solid in form, and moulded using newly-tapped lithograph technique; however the solidity of the piece was offset by layered 3D-polymer printing, showcasing Herpen's unique ability to capture motion in the utterly immovable.

The same technique was applied to lacquered cocoon coats, and thigh-skimming dresses; the latter’s truncated “ball gown” silhouette a reminder of Herpen’s now-established atypical femininity. A femininity reinforced by the Swarovski-crystal iridescence of a wild-waisted, cut-out bodice, and innovative “lacework”. "Lace" said with uncertainty, because- whilst it was undoubtedly open-work fabric, patterned with open holes- it wasn’t lace as we’d ever seen it- again enforcing Herpen's “atypical”. This lacework was silicon- seemingly delicate at distance; but wax-like- “alien” up close. Last season’s “look, but don’t touch” threatening femininity rearing its head.

It’s this complexity, and contradiction of inherently feminine proportions, and pattern that makes Iris van Herpen a skilled, and innovative couturier. 
Not just a designer; an artist, and a sculptor, manipulating material- thus structure- to compliment, but change the female form. 
Whether it’s the resulting modernity of this alumni’s couture collection, or the fact that her name is one that’ll become familiar, Iris van Herpen undoubtedly embodies futurism- however you choose to look at it.

Forgive the proverbial poking of tongues, but... "nurrrr", we cottoned on first.

Image source: NY Mag
Sara McAlpine (@sara_mcalpine)

NEWS| Lewis & Leigh PR take on Eleanor Amoroso





Eleanor Amoroso creates a buzz over her unique design skill with her innovative use of knit and impeccable craftsmanship. She has been announced as a new client for up and coming London based agency Lewis and Leigh PR who recognise her talent and potential.

Since showing her collections at Vauxhall Fashion Scout, the fan base for the young designer has continued to grow. The new designer has embraced the Tumblr fashion community, joining the Tumblr gang Eleanor Amoroso’s new page can be found at www.eleanoramoroso.tumblr.com where you can find images from her shows as well as little backstage peeks, keeping you in the loop.

By Vanessa Omoregie (VFS contributor)
Images - screen shots from Fashion Monitor and Eleanor Amoroso's Tumblr page

Monday 2 July 2012

NEWS| Eleanor Amoroso in Volt, Black Suede & Used mag



Eleanor Amoroso’s incredible talent continues to shine, and has been picked up in recent press from various publications. Everyone is taken with the young designer’s skill in creating beautiful woven shapes, and her bold designs are featured in editorials by Volt, Black Suede and Used Magazine
Dark and mysterious, or cool and contemporary, the designs possess a type of versatility that is brought to life in these recent editorials. Eleanor Amoroso has also earned a fan in young new musician Purple Ferdinand, who wore a gorgeously crafted black woven piece in her music video titled “Beautiful Anomaly”
Blowing up everywhere, Eleanor has also been featured in Vision China Magazine recently showing her true potential to be one of London’s biggest names.


Vanessa Omoregie (VFS Contributor)

NEWS| Heohwan Simulation featured in CRACK magazine



A Heohwan Simulation jacket has graced the pages of the latest issue of CRACK magazine. The monthly art and music publication features the womenswear piece in their most recent issue, welcoming the experimental aesthetic of a growing brand to their editorial. It's Korean born and London based Royal College of Art graduate Hwan Heo who is the creative force behind Heohwan Simulation. Launching the label in 2010, Heo's inspiring designs have been greatly received. He's not only our One to Watch, but a designer who already seems to successfully blur the boundaries between fashion and art.

By VFS Contributor Josh Walker
Images from CRACK magazine