WORK | The London Mela with Oxfam

On Sunday 1^st September I attended the London Mela with Oxfam to take part in the celebration inspired by South Asian culture.

As well as raising awareness of current campaigns, Oxfam’s main event was a trio of Fashion Shows throughout the afternoon which showcased creations and outfit selections from designer and creative Neishaa Gharat.

 Neishaa sourced unique and original items from Oxfam’s Batley Wastesaver and Milton Point hub as well as a number of shops to style eight different looks for the show. This included a sequence of her own designs and a selection of upcycled pieces.

In the run up to the event, as part of team fash, I visited Oxfam’s Milton Point logisitics centre to help prepare for the show along with Oxfam Fashion blogger Laila Bowman. Meeting with the lovely Neishaa, we steamed the clothes, helped put them into sequence in line with her creative vision and styling with accessories and layers.

 

Venturing down to the big smoke on the Saturday, it was a busy day meeting the gorgeous TMP models, fitting outfits, altering the sequence and practicing the walks. Neeru Bhandari of Laviva events coordinated the event taking charge of the models and choreography to put on a spectacular event. It was exciting to see everyone’s hard work over the last few months formulating into the real thing.

Waking early on the day we made our way to Gunnersby Park where the site’s structures were gradually emerging. 

With a morning or briefings and rehearsals it was soon time for models to move into hair and make-up which were provided by Lubna Rafiq. 

Then, it was SHOWTIME!

It was fantastic to be part of an event which channelled such an incredible energy, working with passionate people and producing a professional and exhilarating runway show.

Massive shout out to everyone involved! Neishaa for her creativity; Kalyani (Oxfam’s UK South Asia Engagement Manager) for being a superwoman; The ACE behind the scenes crew including my fellow team fash-ers Kelly, Emma and Teresa! 

Also, the Neishaa Gharat for Oxfam collection from the Oxfam Online Shop is available to buy NOW!

 

EXPLORE | V&A Club to Catwalk: London Fashion in the 1980s

Last month, the iconic V&A museum opened their Club to Catwalk: London Fashion in the 1980s exhibition.

The 1980s was a poignant era in fashion history. It saw the birth of London Fashion Week and institutes such as the British Fashion Council. It was a period of social and economic unrest which from which formed subcultures and fashion genres such as the Punk and Goth and the club scene exploded.

The fashion exhibition area was brimming with iconic designers who were key to the decade. Statement snippets of Vivienne Westwood, Betty Jackson, Katherine Hamnett, John Galliano and Paul Smith amongst others were encased behind the glass panels on the ground floor. At this time, London style became defined as individual in its own right. Designer Georgina Godley described 80s London as “all about taking risks and creating something out of nothing through passion and ambition,” and this is evident through these designers and their creations.

Climbing the stairs and faced with a mirror questioning ‘would you let you in?’ the top floor of the exhibition takes you to the iconic Blitz club with a queue of mannequins dressed in trends of the time. Inside the Blitz booth is a series of screens playing a montage of 80s club footage, creating an atmospheric feel. This level focuses on the different rebellious subcultures which seemed to form in this decade. Punk, headed by Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren, has a consistently heavy influence on recurring anarchic fashion trends to this day. Goth again is still a strong force and combines elements of punk and fetish. The ‘Ravers’ captured a sensationalist attitude full of metallic and day glo whilst the New Romantics channeled an androgynous vibe pioneered by the likes of Boy George and David Bowie.

This exhibition truly transports you back to the 1980s and educates on the fashion and popular culture of the time. Eighties influence on current trends is a frequent reoccurrence so seeing how it was done the first time round is a great insight for future fashion. Club to Catwalk is the perfect compliment to the constantly sold out David Bowie retrospective which is also at the museum until the 11th August 2013.

The event will run until February 2014 with tickets costing just £5.00 so there’s plenty of time to check it out.

Have you visited the V&A Club to Catwalk exhibition? What did you think?

READ | Vogue - June 2013

VOGUE // JUNE 2013 // PG 89

I loved this article in last month’s British Vogue by Polly Morland, author of The Society of TimidSouls, which gave insight into her quest of ‘how to be brave’.

In the pages of her book, she has sought out and compiled stories of the world’s most courageous people triggered by her own timid soul. She told Vogue: “I was underequipped in the courage department…little by little I realised how much I’d love to be brave, or at least a little bit braver."  

It got me deliberating the subject myself.

My mind automatically deems courage an act of extreme bravery or action; something life threatening, transforming or with high levels of risk. This is still true and I can’t begin to imagine what depths the courage arises from to tackle such feats. Then there’s also the self-imposed courage it takes to throw yourself out of a plane or swim with sharks which is again triumphant.

BRAVE:

ready to face and endure danger or pain; showing courage

a young man who shows courage or fighting spirit.

endure or face unpleasant conditions or behaviour without showing fear

However, I also believe courage seeps into the everyday too. As well as the generally confirmed forms of valour, there can also be an extremely personal level of bravery. A single step outside your comfort zone can take a tremendous amount of bravery. Traits such as speaking your mind and standing up for yourself take bravery. Snap, spontaneous decisions, take bravery.  Sometimes, with events such as the monstrosity in Woolwich not to mention global sufferings, it can feel brave to even leave the house on a daily basis.

Yet avoiding being brave can leave you stuck in your mousehole. In her article, Polly said: “Fear turned out to be absolutely central to their mettle, the intuitive bedrock from which their bravery sprang.” We’ve all heard those vacant inspirational phrases such as ‘do something everyday that your scared of’ alongside the ‘YOLOs’ but maybe there’s a whiff of sense amongst those treacly words. Is it fear that forces us out of the safety zone into a more fulfilled life?

As also mentioned, it seems this craving for bravery in such an unstable environment has triggered a reaction on the fashion front too. Loud prints, bright colours, bold ensembles and ‘crazy’ designs could all be deemed as ‘brave’ by the wearers. Statement style evokes individual strength and fearlessness and defies mass conformity and in the end, is vital to the future of the industry.

“I’ve learnt that it’s in looking and thinking beyond your own bubble, your own immediate comfort, that courage starts to grow,” Polly said, words my own timid soul and I will be taking heed of.

Polly Morland’s book, The Society of Timid Souls – the namesake of which was a group for stage-frightened wartime performers on the Upper West Side, is now downloaded onto my iPad and top of my reading list.

How would you define bravery? Who would you classify as brave and why? Is it important to be brave?

FASHION | Junky Styling

AS PREVIOUSLY POSTED ON THE OXFAM FASHION BLOG...

It's exciting when you discover innovative fashion concepts which not only challenge the ethics of the industry but create visually pleasing aesthetics to boot.

Junky Styling, Hackney

Founded by designer duo Annika Sanders and Kerry Seager, Junky Styling has been an established sustainable fashion brand since 1997. Operating on a number of different creative levels, they offer a unique Wardrobe Surgery for people to bring their own clothing in to be transformed into some Junky couture as well as producing a Ready-to-Wear collection, off the peg garments and a bespoke service. The creastions have been affectionately dubbed 'an eccentrically chic line of mutant couture' by The New Yorker and 'high fashion street couture' by Vogue.

Junky Styling champions the sustainable message of upcycling and said: "All items are created from either post or pre consumer stock which is cut up and reworked. The recycling of textiles into upcycled garments is what makes us sustainable. We create style that outlasts seasons while still managing to retain the original ethos of individuality off the peg."

Inside the Junky Styling shop in Hackney

The unique garments which fill the Hackney shop are made up of material from numerous sources. As well as renovated, high quality second-hand clothing they utilise excess stock from labels, decommissioned army surplus and surplus from textile merchants and pickers across the country.

An example of their celebrated Wardrobe Surgery saw them turn 85 silk bow ties, previously owned by a client's father, into the interior of a cape. "It is a truly amazing piece that fitted the remit of having her dad close to her but without everyone knowing, until the cape came off that was!" said Kerry. She also adds that her dream Wardrobe Surgery would have been reworking the late Princess Diana's wedding dress into something Kate could have worn.

As founder members of the Ethical Fashion Forum, the brand aligns with Oxfam's reuse, recycle and resell philosophy aiming to combat the 1.4 million tonnes of textile waste sent to landfill each year. They said: "I think sustainable fashion is the only future and, with the help of tomorrow's generation of designers being exposed to so much information on sustainability, knowledge is key to change."

A selection of the Junky Styling clothing range

Having forged upcycling into a career, when it comes to getting crafty with clothing, Junky Styling are experts. Their advice is: "identify your own style, what cuts you like and what suits you and then get confident with the scissors! Initially, it's all about how your pieces look on the outside, so don't feel pressurised to reach perfection in the first attempt. Begin with tweaking pieces first and save the transforming for a little further down the line."

After 15 years in business, and many more to come, Junky Styling are in the midst of a rebrand. With promises of exciting offers, keep an eye on this exciting ethical brand in the future.

Blog post written by Helen Archard

Online Fashion Content Intern

More by Helen Archard

Posted with Blogsy

FASHION | AW12/13

It's back to traditional grey and grisly weather outside so what better way to spend the rainy days than by starting to prep for AW12/13. Here's a brief overview of what to expect from next season. Time to embrace your waistline.

AW12/13 relies on the construction and fine details of clothing to create impact. The feeling of opulence on designer catwalks is classy and reserved as we move away from a period that craved fun, flamboyancy and flaunting apparel.

 

SHAPE&STYLE

Manipulation of the silhouette is the key to next season with meticulous focus on the waistline. In decade that has dominated by androgyny, elements of male and female autonomy are creeping back, sometimes contrasting and sometimes complementing.

Peplums are the fundamental feature for frill-seekers this AW12/13. The flap of material at the base of a jacket, top of a waistband or mid-point of a dress not only draws attention to the waistline but also accentuates the feminine hip curves. A similar tactic, used by CSM graduate Phoebe English, is a bunched or pleated waistline secured with some sort of rope belt. This flattering style creates texture which blurs any midriff definition and has a slimming effect whilst still highlighting the area.

Waist belts at Dior and McQueen both exaggerate and create a focal point Worn over outwear, they can draw a combination together and stop any figure being swamped by the season’s shapeless coats and capes.

Although it’s all about the midway point, what is happening above and below is just as interesting. Waist down, full, A-line skirts were seen on the runways of Dior and have made a permanent re-appearance. Wide, flared bottoms on trouser and skirts show exaggerated form whilst, yet again, emphasising the middle focal point. Gareth Pugh brought the flare into the coats of his space age collection.

Waist up, there is yet more play on shape with over the top shoulder and sleeves. Stella McCartney teamed broad shoulders with waist belts to contrast masculine and feminine. Wide and sharp or rounded and shapely, it could be time to dust off those shoulder pads again.

Seasonal style sways towards a more demure and covered up stance. Necklines are high and reserved, structured and statuesque. From long collars to sweeping cowl necks or simply straight, revealing less is more.

  (Ellie Saab - vogue.com - Alexander McQueen)

COLOURS

The colour palette is rich and typically autumnal with dark brooding purples, reds and browns through to deep teals, blues and greens at the colder end of the spectrum. These regal colours, in particular purple, are prompted in part by royal events such as the Diamond Jubilee and the patriotism felt from the Olympics. Similarly, the wedding of William and Kate last year saw even greater impact on our industry. Christopher Kane’s runway was engulfed by purple, right down to the catwalk, whilst Jonathan Saunders’ captured the key colours in a holographic print.

There were hints of monochrome within several collections including Mugler, D&G and CSM’s Craig Green. The white and black resonates ideas of moving from a dark period of troubled recession and war into a hopefully lighter future.

 (Lanvin - vogue.com)

MATERIAL

Luxury materials such as leather, sequins, fur and tulle and those with metallic finishes are, instead of engrossing the whole outfit, now accents. Added in panelling or sections to augment affluence to classic yet basic pieces.

Leather was a key accent to Dior’s collection although it steers away from the fetishist feel of yester season. Leather belts and accessories would suffice in incorporating the luxury feel. Similarly with fur, an outer-garment or winter accessory, a la Alberta Ferreti, is an indulgent finish.

Traditional autumnal knitwear is head to toe at Mulberry who also turned chunky knit scarves tucked into a waist belt to create an interesting way to wear the traditional accessory.

(Christian Dior - vogue.com)

DETAIL, PATTERN & PRINT

Brocade has been a leading trend in SS12 and transfers into AW12/13. The raised finish, usually created with silver or gold thread, looks like luxurious tapestry and adds a twinkle in a subtle, less garish way.

Jewel encrusting is a further trend but, like leather, it’s toning down from the attention seeking, loud bling to a more subtle sparkle or oversized collection of juicy jewels. Eye aching gems featuring in the last few years have been linked to the economic crisis and the desperation to imitate wealth. The Edwardian shoes at Marc Jacobs and Louis Vuitton’s iridescent and encrusted items were nearly trumped by Chanel’s gem covered eyebrows.

 

(Louis Vuitton - vogue.com)

STYLIST SAYS:

SARA DARLING @disorderfashion

“oooh....reckon i'll be going for checks, lace and feathers! And some over the elbow leather gloves”

SAFFRON HUNT @saffers

“Mix contemporary patterns with neutral classics”

TIM BITICI @timBitici

“Umm..Peplum, Leather, Bold floral prints, Militant yet feminine, Futuristic, Metallics, Tailored suiting, lots of fur + slouchy”

OLIVER GLASS @OLIVER_GLASS

“Discover the world. Kaleidoscope. Baroque style. Victorian. Romance + sex. Long hair. Black is taking vacations #GLASSTRENDS”