TEENAGE ICON
CONTENTS
INTERVIEWS
ERYN OF STYLE ORBIT
CAITLIN HAZELL OF BOLLYKECKS
ANA HINOJOSA
FLOWER OF BOBBLY RAINBOW SOCKS
HOLLIE WILLIAMS
Teenagers are cool and the ones featured in this zine are super fantastic. They’re all talented and inspiring and do deserve the term “icon” because one day they will be.
'The grown-up beauty queens, Lipstick traces of glory faded In ghost hallways, empty yearbooks’ flap stained pages birds of ignorance and youth mascara streaks and broken mirrors the bleeding fingers and poppy blossoms of womanhood too young too old
How are fashion and feminism in relation? I don’t think they are related. At all. I suppose there has been a certain aesthetic that has become associated with feminism, but I don’t think they are related. Feminism has nothing to with fashion, it’s not a fashion accessory, it’s a belief! And what does that belief mean to you? It means equality, an end to rape culture, patriarchy, and male/cis/straight/white supremacy. It’s not just equality for women, but for everyone. I don’t know everything about feminism but I’m learning a lot, and I’m very passionate about it. It’s a wonderful thing. What are some of your influences? Wes Anderson is a huge influence, I’m completely obsessed with his films and aesthetics! I also love Sofia Coppola, John Hughes, Courtney Love, The Shangri-Las (and other 60’s girl groups), Francoise Hardy, Bjork, Petra Collins, Frida Kahlo, Anna Karina, Freaks and Geeks… and of course, other bloggers (that’s a big one). Those are all really obvious and typical, and the list does go on, but those are some main ones.
How did it all start? My interest in blogging started on a day where I was snowed in and obviously completely distraught that I couldn’t go to school. I was sorting out a pile of ratty old magazines and I found an article on fashion blogging. I looked up some of the blogs that were mentioned in it and immediately fell in love with the community and decided I wanted to start my own. My interest in fashion was a less sudden thing- because of my mum’s work I grew up surrounded by design books, fabrics, magazines, designer clothes and had an am amazing dressing up box. Over time I started reading more and more magazines and sewing…it[fashion interest] really grew once I started blogging. What influences you? I’m a very obsessive person (in a good way) and I tend to get started off by something small, like a object I’ve thrifted, or something I’ve seen or read. Then I’ll start thinking about some kind of wider aesthetic and start making collages, playlists, patches, shrines, pinboards and so on and [I start]taking photographs inspired by it. I guess it can be silly and time consuming but it means I’m never be bored. My outfits are just an extension of all this.
Caitlin reminds me of the character Cassandra from the novel “I Capture the Castle”. The whole frolicking in fields and writing in journals and just documenting everything. Ever since following her blog I’ve been inspired, not just to create art, but to see more in films, see more in my environment. I once asked Caitlin why she preferred art over any other form of creative expressions and her answer was simple. “I just find it easier I guess. I used to be really sad and I was told that maybe drawing would help and I thought that silly but now I guess it does.” That stuck with me for days, and I think it’s because I’m very into the idea of people using bad feelings to create wonderful art. Check Caitlin out at bollykecks.tumblr.com
My favourite music is the kind that makes me feel transcendent, as if the world was made up of me and whatever I'm listening to. The most recent band to do so is 'The Blisters' a "teenage rock band" from Chicago, that consists of Henry Mosher(frontman), Hayden Holbert(guitar), Tony P-Lopez(bass), and Spencer Tweedy(drums). The Blisters are fantastic, and unlike real blisters you want them to be around forever. If the music itself wasn't good enough, the lyrics are indescribable. Henry Mosher's voice is a magical vessel in which the words come to life and carries them into the holes of my heart. I could listen to 'One Day', 'Follow Me', and "Through You" all day and I plan to. If you're looking for some new music, "The Blisters" are the right way to go. Listen to The Blisters at theblisters.com
THE BLISTERS
If you ask me, The Skinny Artist is one of the most popular blogs on Tumblr. And why wouldn’t it be? Ana, the artist and blogger behind “The Skinny Artist” creates art that’s interesting, cute, and a perfect insight into the mind of a teenage girl. I don’t think there’s a piece of Ana’s work I don’t like. Months ago, I asked Ana some questions just so I could get to know the girl behind the ink. I was very happy with how the interview turned out and I’m a bigger fan of Ana now more than ever.-Akosua AA: When did you get started with your art? When was your interest first sparked? Ana: I don't really remember very well but my earliest memories of artsy behavior include painting the sidewalk next to my house only using a stick and mud and drawing stick figures with huge dresses in kindergarten. I wasn't very good at it at first but elementary through high school gives you a lot of time to really get to know yourself. AA: Was there an 'aha' moment, where art became all consuming/a release? Ana: YES! Middle school. Middle school (was) a lot like a nightmare. I had a lot of insecurities and I always felt that art was something that no one could ruin for me, so I did it all the time. I filled huge books and journals with art and sketches and paintings. I made comics and I filled my school papers with so much doodles my teachers threatened to take points off of homework if I continued(laughs) AA:Did you read up on or learn about artists? Ana: I try my best to learn about my favorite artists everyday. I had a Da Vinci phase around my sophomore year of high school and I wrote papers on him and did presentations on him as well. I also like Frida Kahlo a bunch, Van Gogh (and) Andrew Wyeth. (There are) a few others I can't remember right now. AA: Apart from artists, what influences your art?
Ana: I really like spooky things like Tales from the Crypt, Creepshow, Young Frankenstein; and just (the) atmosphere that vintage creepy things give you. I also like girly things like wild flowers, Henry Darger art, pink everything. Liking things like this at the same time gives my art a sort of twisted cute-girl-with-adagger-behind-her-back type feel with a lot of neon colors and pastel colors all at once. A blog that really inspires me is moonbrains.tumblr.com. The girl who runs it is called Ari and her crazy colored hair and interesting thrifted outfits goes(nicely) with how I want the girls in my art to be like. AA: Is your personal style ever influenced by the spooky things that influence your art? Ana: Yes, definitely! Some days I(‘m)completely decked out in black or i'll wear a black a-line skirt and a lime green top and put on my vintage Halloween pins. I have a lot of Halloween stuff and a have a lot of black clothes so it all evens out. The same with dressing girly. I have tons and tons of pink and pastels and delicate clothes that go well with cute girly pins that i made for myself. My style varies a lot but I usually stick to what makes me feel comfortable. AA: What are some of your favourite places to shop? Ana: I usually don't answer this question when people ask because i feel like i'm being a "hipster" when i say it... so here i go... I mainly get my clothes at thrift stores or online. I know it's nothing to be ashamed about as some people say but thrifting is an art and let's say that I have a masters in the subject(laughs) I used to shop at my local mall but after being broke when I got out of ONE STORE I just didn't believe all the hype over it. I never liked being fashionable and i didn't like being spoon-fed outfits that I didn't want. I like going to the thrift store because i have to work hard for my clothes and when i find it, it's worth it. Most of the time I get shoes from online. Last year I had gotten my first pair of leather boots and I haven't parted with them since.
AA: Personally, I would love to thrift more. What's your favourite thing you've ever thrifted? Ana: You should! You can find so much more if you hit up 4 or 5 thrift stores in one day. One of my proudest finds has to be this really old treasure chest. Me and my mom went to this huge thrift store that barely opens in my town for my birthday about 3 or 4 years ago. It was just that right amount of antique-ness that made it look really good where ever you were to put it. It ended up in my room and it's full of journals, old drawings, books, photos, and movies. I keep most of my journals in there so that i can take it wherever I go in the future. AA: That's so cool! So this next question you're probably getting asked a lot but what are some of your future plans? Do you have any big/significant projects coming up? Ana: Aggg... As senior year comes to an end I get more and more nervous for what lies ahead. I'm working on my portfolio for art school right now and I'm hoping that i get into the art school i want to get into, Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota, FL. That's one of my most important goals right now. On the terms of projects, I'm trying to practice on my comic style because I really want to start making/writing graphic novels. I'm trying to write a story for it and possibly let out little books of it in my shop and start up from there. It's always been something that I've loved to read and it would be so amazing to make my own and to have a fan base that also loved the novel as much as i did. AA: That's totes cool. Have you thought about collaborating with anyone on like a comic or graphic novel? What do you think are the benefits and disadvantages of collaborating? Ana: Collaborating seems like a lot of fun to me. I mean you're doing something you love with someone who also likes making art and it seems like tons of fun. I'm hoping I get to
collaborate with Kendra, from unadoptable.tumblr.com, some time soon. I mean we're pen pals, I'm sure it'll happen someday. When collaborating I guess that it might be a little hard knowing who owns the piece of artwork because one person might take a lot of time on it but the other might just take 10 minutes and it doesn't seem fair. BUT you also have to remember that everyone is different with their art style and what might take someone 30 minutes to do might take someone else 10. The benefits are very clear. You get to meet people, expand your art works, have connections with previous collaborators, and I always feel like you get more exposure when you collaborate with others. One of their fans could easily become a new fan of your work. AA: Exactly. I don't really have any more questions(shy smile) but what are 5 of your favourite things? Ana: Alrighty, well some of my favorite things have to be the show "The Twilight Zone", the book "Carrie" by Stephen King, the band The Cure, strawberry glazed donuts, and this sunflower dress that I bought from a thrift store a couple months ago that makes the world seem straight out of the 1966 movie "Daisies". Editor’s Note: This interview was conducted in April, and since then Ana has postponed attendance at her dream school, but
Pages from Ana’s sketchbook
Hollie is a sixteen year old blogger from England who I started following after seeing some of her fantastic photography on someone else’s blog. Hollie’s blog is one of those blogs that you look forward to reading, and each time you read it, you’re inspired to create something that could maybe match hers. I chose Hollie for this zine because she feels iconic. She feels like an icon. She feels inimitable.
When and why did you start a blog? I started a blog in the Summer of 2010 when I'd just turned 13, mainly because I had started sewing and had a growing interest in fashion but there's a plethora of small things that made me get one! I saw a documentary about Alexander McQueen and stumbled across a blog of a girl who was the same age as me at the time (we still follow each other now!) which opened me up to the idea of it being fun to chronicle my outfits and write about fashion. What was the reason for your blog name change? I have a tendency to really despise anything I do once it's in the past, so it's that, really. Even the blog I use now was made because I began to feel contempt for the first one I made! You often say you are shy and awkward, but you do not come off that way. Do you think that blogging has give you more confidence? I hate using the word ‘awkward’ because it's so trite, it's more of a lack of confidence in my abilities/self, but feminism (which I found from being on tumblr/blogging) has helped that, so in an indirect way it has. What are some of your influences? Anything I see on Tumblr tends to influence me, but for specific people; Helena Bonham Carter, JK Rowling, Jessie Cave and Emma Watson (Harry Potter connection unintentional, probably) are people I really admire. I'm really bad at this sort of question because I don't tend to get very invested in particular things. I take inspiration from my surroundings and random books and films but don't let them shape how I think/ work too drastically individually.
What is your biggest inspiration when you get dressed each day? I am really fastidious about matching at the moment, so I start off with one garment and try to find others of similar colours or patterns, so I don't have a specific inspiration as such. Inspiration tends to lend itself to when I'm looking for clothes, but not when pairing them. Do you wear a uniform to school? IF so, how has that effected your personal style? I do wear a uniform to school! I find it quite restricting, but I'm glad we have it because I don't know as if I'd have coped with dressing myself every day before 8am for 5 years. However I do wonder if my personal style would have developed faster without one as it would have required thinking about clothes creatively more often. As of September I start sixth form where uniform isn't required, which scares me a lot. As a growing feminist, what is important to you about feminism? Mainly the fact that it's a thing is important to me, so inherently the same things that are important to any feminist, being choice concerning our bodies and lives, dismantling the patriarchy via recognizing our own bias, questioning norms, educating others about rape culture, slut shaming, misrepresentation of women (and men!) in the media, about gender roles, body shaming, internalised misogyny (i could go on). How do you educate yourself on feminism? Tumblr has helped massively, so have YouTube videos (Laci Green, Celia Edell particularly) and I was in a Feminist club on Facebook a while ago which was really good for discussion, and I learnt a lot about privilege from reading things on that.
What are your goals for your blog? I never set out with any goals other than personal ones, eg be motivated, actually commit to something etc. I really want to just keep doing what I've been doing and hopefully see how I evolve, I want to create a body of posts that reflects how I perceive things inside/what I am, but as pictures and text! What makes you happy? Being out with people, cycling, visiting new places, superficial things like wearing something I like, Pindippy videos, Harry Potter books, fruit salad flavour chewits, vintage shops
'Perfect celluloid teen queen Heart of glass diamond lungs break my bones and taste my aged ale we’ll stare at the Pale blue sky and wonder why we never fall in love.
How did you get interested in photography and fashion? When I was nine years old my grandmother taught me how to sew and from there on I pushed myself in all kinds of mediums. And ever since then I've been inspired by so many different people and places all around the world allowing me to take risks constantly with my work. When did you start designing clothes and why? Ever since I was little I've always had lots of ideas, energy, been very hyper active but no where to truly excel all this drive until I started sewing and once I started it was impossible to stop. Over the years I’ve gained a lot of confidence in sewing and in the arts in general, and the more involved I became and am becoming in the arts the more I experiment with new things and ideas. What was the inspiration behind your latest collection? The inspiration behind my newest collection was basically art in general. Sounds simple and dull but theres a lot more too it. Clothing is clothing and I do love designing clothing, however I also love painting, sculpting, and sketching and this led me to create a wearable art installation for the spring. To honest its not quite finished yet as the plants inside the dress aren't dead yet, and I'm documenting the plants decline every day. I have three main pieces that are all kind of in the making and its basically three huge projects but broken down and displayed through a variety of different mediums. What is your favourite thing about photography? I love setting up for a shoot and planning a shoot with everything ready to go for it, this is because its so exciting getting to create a made up world for models and props to come to life. I love creating this world and getting to do this all on my own, as its an amazing feeling watching it all come together and not knowing the end result.
What do you believe to be the relation between fashion and art? How does that relation influence your designs? It depends how you look at it, however to me I combine the two to create wearable art, and that's an industry I want to explore more as its so broad, creative, and basically how you make it. A lot of the time in fashion designers tend to make what the people want over what they want and I want to be always designing what I love and feel, that's why I prefer making wild designs that represent my emotions perfectly and are all one of a kind. What are some of your general influences? In terms of photography, Sally Mann, Rineke Dijkstra, Petra Collins, Olivia Bee, Cindy Sherman, Irving Penn, David Hamilton. When it comes to fashion Tavi Gevinson, Adrian Wu, Jeremy Scott, Laura Lawrence, a lot of girls from the Pulp Zine, Yuima Nakazato, are quite influential. Name 5 things that make you happy 1. Fridays 2. Dancing and acting - basically I love performing it makes me really happy 3. 3. When I finally get to post all my creations and work on the Internet and share it with others (clicking post is just the best feeling in da world) 4. 4. Fabric shopping 5. 5. INDIAN FOOD <3 (butter chicken specifically)
Contributions and Credits Cover photo by Kirsten Bradley Henderson. Eryn-fashionfledge.blogspot.com Flower-bobblyrainbowsocks.blogspot.com Caitlinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s photos-boombollykecks.blogspot.com The Blisters photos via spencertweedy.com Photos of Ana and her sketchbook pages via theskinnyartist.tumblr.com Julia Thompson-floralcitey.tumblr.com Cover photo by Kirstin Bradley Headley