New Doors Opened By The New UK-India Cultural Agreement
The new bilateral agreement between the UK and India will bring new opportunities for the creative industries of both countries, how exactly?
We Are Spastor x Tom Of Finland
Spanish fashion house WE ARE SPASTOR and Tom of Finland Foundation have been collaborating since 2020 with original collections inspired by the artist's works. They are ready to hit the scenes with the fourth partnership.
Now Live: KOUA Studio Limited Edition Collection
Following the debut at the London Fashion Week, KOUA Studio’s limited-edition collection created in collaboration with GENT London is now available.
The LCF Outdoor Art Installation
As one of the world’s most vibrant districts, Soho is known for its diverse art and culture and this week unveils an exciting outdoor exhibition with the London College of Fashion, UAL.
Ph. London College of Fashion
Soho is a buzzing and young destination in the capital and it will house London College of Fashion's young talents with a must-see outdoor art installation.
Ph. London College of Fashion
The London College of Fashion in Soho
The LCF leads the world in fashion business, media and design education, and it has been nurturing creative talent for over a century. This week, Soho proudly hosts its first-ever outdoor art exposition with the prestigious London institution, another good reason to visit London.
Soho X The London College of Fashion Outdoor Art Installation
Ph. London College of Fashion
Following a project brief, ten students from the BA (Hons) Fashion Imaging and Illustration course have been selected to exhibit in the arty and most dynamic district of the capital. This course seeks to produce the next generation of innovative, multi-disciplinary image-makers and original thinkers. The ten illustrations celebrate the history of Soho through the eyes of the students and include bold vibrant street scenes, as well as themes of punk, music and fashion.
The 250ft outdoor exhibition is located on Berwick Street and Hopkins Street on the hoarding of a development site which will reveal ten new retail spaces and two restaurant opportunities in 2023. The ten students – Liyun Li, Neda Yankov, Rosemary Jame, Liv Treweek, Elly Rodbert, Annabel McLaughlin, Heidi Pickover, Eleanor Parry-Hensley, Nerea Gómez Martín and Katie Digan – have been chosen by a carefully selected panel including Simon Quayle Executive Director Shaftesbury and Lindsay Pentelow, Creative Director, School of Media and Communication, London College of Fashion.
Ph. London College of Fashion
Simon Quayle, Executive Director Shaftesbury PLC said: "Shaftesbury is delighted to be part of this initiative to support the emerging talent from this important creative course. Soho has long been renowned as a location for the creative industries, so this is the perfect place for the students to illustrate what Berwick Street and Soho mean to them. This collaboration marks another chapter of our long-standing partnership with London College of Fashion, which has endured for over a decade".
Ph. London College of Fashion
Lindsay Pentelow, Creative Director at the School of Media and Communication, London College of Fashion, UAL, said: "These bold and eye-catching illustrations capture and celebrate the history of this iconic street and its position in the centre of Soho, whilst also looking into the future of its development. This has been a fantastic brief and opportunity for London College of Fashion's highly creative and innovative BA (Hons) Fashion Imaging and Illustration students. The illustrations are a perfect way to help celebrate the rich heritage of London College of Fashion in this area of London, at a time when we are also looking ahead to a new chapter in our story to our future home in Stratford when we open our doors in East Bank in September 2023".
For more information about the open-air installation, visit ThisIsSoho. If you head down to London, you have a new reason to visit Soho with more to see, snap and share this week.
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Chinakwe Is Coming To Oxford Street!
Chinakwe is pleased to announce a new opportunity for lovers of art, bespoke lifestyle products and NFTs to celebrate collectively at their new temporary pop-up shop.
Met Gala looks that promoted sustainable fashion
Vintage fashion has never been more popular than it is at the moment, especially on the red carpet. Rather than creating brand new garments, stars are digging into the archives and bringing new life to iconic pieces from fashion history to create a one-of-a-kind moment.
Ph. Robert Bye (Unsplash)
Gilded Glamour, a theme that inspired many celebrities to go for sustainable fashion.
This year's Met Gala was a little different than usual. There are some comments going around social media that many celebrities did not follow the dress code and the theme. I guess the celebrities interpretation of the theme was different than what most of us, but that is what fashion is for - expressing ourselves. One thing that stood out was all the vintage and sustainable outfits we saw on the red carpet
Emily Ratajowski
Model Emily Ratajowski opted with vintage instead of having something new made. Dressed in colour, cutouts, and throwback silhouettes, she presented her interpretation of Gilded Glamour on the red carpet. Taking us back to the 1992 Atelier Versace spring/summer collection. The colourfully beaded Versace outfit was originally worn by former supermodel Yasmeen Ghauri on the runway. The colourful skin-bare dress comes with a halter-top adorned with beading around the neck, a voluminous embellished silk skirt with a dramatic train, and a voluminous embellished sash. Emily commented, while on the red carpet: "I feel very lucky to be wearing this look."
Shawn Mendes
The singer and songwriter Shawn Mendes walked on the red carpet in a consciously crafted Tommy Hilfiger red and navy coat with gold buttons and structured, high-neck collar made of deadstock materials. On the inner lining of the coat you could see his initials embroidered. One thing he also highlighted during his interview was the matching nail polish that also had the logo of the brand. After removing his jacket, Mendes revealed a navy suit underneath, along with a dark turtleneck he was wearing as a base layer. The inspiration behind his look was “Navy Captain” but his fans have other suggestions. Some commented that he looked like a real-life Disney prince, but many have also said that he channelled Mr. Darcy. It is also reported that the look is a preview of an upcoming collaboration between the designer and star, so if you’re a fan keep an eye for some exciting news.
Emma Stone
As she was deciding what to wear to the 2022 Met Gala, Emma Stone took a look inside her wardrobe for inspiration. The actress ended up re-wearing her wedding reception dress, giving a chic twist to Gilded Glamour. As we all know a wedding dress is to be worn once on your special day, but the actress decided to give hers a second life. Embroidered with white feathers and lace detail, the dress was a bespoke Louis Vuitton design. The brand also shared that the creative director, Nicolas Ghesquière, and each ambassador or friend of the house that walked the red carpet wore “an archival or previously worn look with a twist for the occasion.”
Steven Kolb
The chief executive officer and president of the CFDA, Steven Kolb, arrived at the Met Gala with a tuxedo reworked with braille letters and embroidered onto a 10-year-old tuxedo from Shipley and Halmos. The 7,000 Swarovski crystals on the tuxedo were hand applied by Runa Ray, fashion designer and environmentalist. The crystals actually spell a chapter from one of Kolb's favourite books, Khalil Gibran's "The Prophet '' in braille. Kolbe shares that they decided to upcycle the jacket before knowing what the theme was, but he “felt particularly attuned to the universe’s gift of making sure he was on trend walking the red carpet.” If you have been following CFDA’s work recently that would come as no surprise. Working closely with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, they have committed to supporting more sustainable fashion.
Billie Eilish
A completely upcycled Gucci gown made from pre-existing fabrics was spotted on the red carpet. It was worn by none other than Billie Eilish, who had shown her dedication to sustainability many times and didn’t fail to follow her heart even at the Met Gala. “We didn’t have to waste a bunch of stuff. It all already existed. I just wanted to be as eco-friendly as possible,” said Billie as she revealed her Met Gala look featuring a corset, lace sleeves, and ruched skirt during the Vogue red carpet live stream. The dress was made specifically for her by Gucci’s creative director Alessandro Michele, but it was made from entirely upcycled fabrics.
Nothing beats seeing celebrities on the red carpet channelling sustainability and promoting climate positivity. They have shown us there is nothing more rewarding than wearing something that makes you feel good and does good for the planet. These are only a couple of the sustainability garments so make sure to have a look at all the outfits of the night.
British artist Mali Morris RA designs the flags above Bond Street
The world-leading fashion and jewellery brands of Bond Street will come together with the Royal Academy of Arts for six weeks of art and culture in London’s Mayfair.
All Female artist Exhibition For International Women’s Day
HOFA Gallery to premiere an all-female exhibition named ‘The Divine’ for Women’s History Month (March) launching on International Women’s Day (8 March 2022). The show will run for two weeks until 22 March 2022 and is open to the public daily.
Meet Alise Trautmane-Uzuner, Founder of doors.
Of the many fashion initiatives launched during the pandemic, doors. is a universe for independent designers where they can populate their own space with their style. Behind it there is entrepreneur Alise Trautmane-Uzuner.
The Kinematic Dress and the World of 3D Printing
Fashion started when humans began wearing clothes, so the statement ‘the history of fashion is a history of people’ is a matter of fact. Even with the pandemic in the picture, the world of fashion is still going but with a slight twist: technology is here to stay and be a part of every aspect of our lives, even fashion.
Ph. Simon Lee, Unsplash
To keep up with the trends, 3D printing is becoming a widely used alternative to fabric in the fashion industry.
We can trace the origin of fashion design back to 1826! Fashion reflects the passage of time and if we look back we can learn a lot about history and culture solely based on the fashion trends. Zooming to the last two years, everyone could notice the rapid growth of technology and it is not a surprise latest innovations entered the industry.
Is 3d Printing Replacing The Sewing Process?
Ph. Tom Claes, Unsplash
The biggest threat in the world of fashion is fast fashion and all the negative aspects of it, from the terrible working conditions to the effects on the environment. Many people nowadays are more conscious about the way they approach fashion. Those new aspects are taken into account and are pushing designers to look for ways to accommodate their customers; this is where new innovations come in handy. It is becoming important to use 3D printing for sustainable and eco-friendly purposes, as well as turning the advance of technology to your advantage. 3D-printed garments can cut manufacturing waste, reduce carbon footprint, and promote circular economy. Fashion is embracing 3D printing due to its many advantages, and there are no limits to the possibilities. From clothing to footwear to accessories, 3D printing offers unlimited opportunities.
Kinematic Garments
One of the most well known kinematic garments is the kinematic dress of design-studio-cum-science-lab Nervous System, founded in 2007. Designers and co-founders of Nervous System studio, Jessica Rosenkrantz and Jesse Louis-Rosenberg, merge nature and technology in their line of Kinematics garments, including the Kinematics Dress, that was required by the Museum of Modern Art in New York for their permanent exhibition. Rosenkrantz and Louis-Rosenberg say that “the Kinematics Dress represents a new approach to manufacturing which tightly integrates design, simulation, and digital fabrication to create complex, customised products".
This future started at some point in the past, the studio was working at this already in 2013!
The Making Of The Dress
The dress is made up of 2,279 unique triangular panels and 3,316 hinges, to allow it to be printed as a single folded piece at the Shapeways factory in New York. All the pieces of the dress are rigid individually but, once combined, they function as a piece of continuous fabric that allows the dress to conform to the body and flow fluidly as it moves. The founders of Nervous System wanted to create a 3D printed garment that is both a gorgeous futuristic piece and comfortable for the wearer. At that time, most fashion designers experimenting with 3D printing made good looking garments for a magazine photoshoot, but if you were to wear it, the dress would feel like being covered in plastic. The designers' goal is to create a simple 3D printing method, so they developed an app to allow wearers to indicate their body shape and specify their desired length, patterning, silhouette, and other customizable design details. “We’re interested in computerising the entire manufacturing process” says Jessica, “we’re still in the very beginning, but we envision a future where people end up using their skill and creativity to create an end product that is completely accessible and affordable”.
Envision a future where you will be able to create and print your own unique garment in your bedroom with the click of a button. This is no longer a dream, it is a reality and people are doing it. It is exciting to observe the innovations, tactics, and designs that are created as this technology grows and it’s even more exciting to be a part of it.