Aim magazine issue 2 by Amelia Krzapa

FA S H I O N TA L K S • LO O K B O O K • B E AU TY E S S E N T I A L S • HAIR TIPS • REVIEWS

A I M MAGAZINE

Issue 2 June 2018

EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE EVERYDAY

C O N

Boundless Fashion Photography

SEX - Fashion Design Inspiration

T Fashion on Stage E N T

Se.quences

Exclusive London Fashion Club

Styling is NOT a Piece of Cake

The Dior Story

THE

EDITOR’S

LETTER

Summertime has come. This beautiful weather keeps me positive every day. Although, the sunshine is not the only reason I am that optimistic. I am more than happy to finally share with you the second issue of A I M MAGAZINE. I hope you will enjoy reading about the exceptional sex inspirations for designing fashion accessories, based on the interview with Ayano Kumakiri. Moreover, you will discover a new young fashion designer and her brand - se.quences as well as an artist whose original photographs delight loads. A I M MAGAZINE has also prepared for you a piece straight from Paris. “My Dior Story” is based on personal experiences of a fashion designer who left everything to be and work for Dior Haute Couture House. Don’t miss the exclusive interview with Stefan Howarth, a fashion blogger who believes that fashion is like “an exclusive club.” He also explains how important is to be confident and dress as you like to dress.

CONTACT

Amelia Krzapa ameliakrzapa@gmail.com 07751819680

As you probably already noticed A I M is moving forward and is now on Instagram (@aim_magazine_by_ameliakrzapa) This is the place where A I M’s editorials and news are being published. It also gives the opportunity to play with interactivity. It’s very important to me to have contact with you and share with you

the process of creating the magazine. According to that I have also created A I M’s YouTube channel so I can share with you the interviews and backstages from the photoshoots. Stay tuned as A I M has some surprises coming up soon on the channel so don’t forget to subscribe!

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Model: Fani Mania Photographer: Kiki Doxaki

Arcadius Mauritz Fashion Photography 07

Boundless Fashion Photography “The biggest challenge in fashion photography is to surprise people, to make them curious through the art.”

This picture was created by someone who is truly fascinated by people. Someone who collects beauty through the photography and has been working in the fashion industry for some years. Today, he is an award winning, well-known celebrity, portrait and fashion photographer. His photographs are unique and recognisable as he mixes art with photography. Arcadius Mauritz uses photography to create his very own world of truth and imagination.

A photographer who mixes art with photography When asked about the inspirations Arcadi- us compares the brain to the computer. He explains that you can make your brain learn almost everything. “When you want to think abstractly the only thing you need is to teach your brain is how to do it. You can „feed” your brain with a lot of inspirations, looking for it, craving for it. After a while, your brain gets used to it and treats it like its own. With time it becomes the way how it works. Your ideas are bolder and brighter.“ Sounds easy but in fact it is not. Fashion photography is definitely not a piece of cake. The most important thing to bare in mind is to focus on showing the garments and not forgetting about the model. However, photography is not just pressing a shutter button it is about showing people something new, something that will draw they attention. Arcadius believes that suprising people is the biggest challenge in photography.

“Sometimes I think it is not possible anymore as it seems almost everything was already created. But I still hope I am wrong.”

Model: Aleksandra Zuraw Photographer: Arcadius Mauritz Makeup Artist: Koleta Gabrysiak Designer: Sebastian Szczepanski

“

Arcadius does photography, movies, music, fashion etc. On the other hand he is a total minimalist in his job. Putting this and his personality together makes an amazing mixture that you can see on his awesome photographs.

And Arcadius does that. Przemyslaw Jakubczyk, Olympus Master Trainer works with Arcadius very often and he describes Arcadi- us as a polymath. “Arcadius does photography, movies, music, fashion etc. On the other hand he is a total minimalist in his job. Put- ting this and his personality together makes an amazing mixture that you can see on his awesome photographs.”

„POP/ON Reloded” Arcadius Mauritz has been working on his newest project called „POP/ON Reloded” for a year. It is a mixture of fashion, nude and pop-art. He describes it as crazy, vivid, raw and controversial. “My idea is to merge different styles of art photography into one, to use digital and traditional ways of exposing.” Arcadius was not willing to tell us more. You have to experience the opening yourself!

Technical Story Arcadius is currently working as Olympus Am- bassador so he works with their equipment. He used to work with full-frame Canon 5d mkII. Today, OMD-EM1 Mark II with his favourite lens: ZUIKO 12-40 PRO f.2,8. “I highly recom- mend it for fashion photography because it has very universal focal length (40mm – 80mm eq in fullframe – you can use for well framed and stable portraits, 12mm – 24mm eq in fullframe you can use for crazy distorted fullbody shots.”

Model: Kamila Buras Photographer: Arcadius Mauritz

Model: Sandra Kevin Photographer: Arcadius Mauritz Makeup Artist: Estera Kosinska Hair: Atelier Mazerscy

SEX

An Inspiration for Designing Clothes Ayano Kumakiri believes that there is no more sexes than one. She says that even if you look like a man you have some femininity deep inside. Ayano is also interested in the relationships between people and the way they show themselves on social media.

She designs fashion accessories. Her one and When you design your pieces, do you only collection is about explaining the rela- mix masculinity with femininity or do tionships between people. All the pieces she you work with them separately? has created were inspired mostly by the gay couples but also by the heterosexual partners. I usually work with masculinity but still, I am It is not about gender. It is not about love. It a girl so, even without thinking about it, I add is about relationships. It can be sex. It can be some femininity to it. friendship or any other experience.

“I am a girl who likes man and I have my own view thinking about femininity. However, when I talk to gay people they have their own idea about femininity and masculinity. 19

Q& How many genders do we actually have? ONE. If someone think “I am a man” he definitely has some femininity inside because nowadays everything is “mixed”. Men can wear skirt, men can wear high heels and women can wear trousers so it is all mixed. If a man says that he is a woman. Who is he then? For me, this kind of person is in the middle. He can’t be 100% women as the nature made him to be a man.

How would you describe your work to someone who has never seen it?

What are the differences bewtween men and women?

I want people to create their own opinion about my work. I want my pieces to be controversial but not aggressive. I do not want to upset anybody.

The prosentage of masculinity and femininity in them, inside. Can be 50/50 or 60/40 it depends.

&A I feel like nowadays we confuse gender with sexual orientation. What do you think about that? What are the distinctions about these two things? Gender is something you decide to be, something personal while sexual orientation is something you get when you are born. Do you think that men can fight for women rights? Yes. Why not?

What is the vision of Ayano Kumakiri brand? For now, I have just one collection but I am not going to work only with gender. I am looking for something sym- bolise the relationships.My aim is to understand and explain the relationships between people. It is not only about love or sexual relations, it is about people in any kind of relationship. There are still so many undiscovered relationship stories...

I really don’t want to upset people with my work. I don’t want people to think that my designs are agressive. Ayano Kumakiri is from Japan. If she was still there she probably wouldn’t be doing what she is doing int he UK. “In Japan, if you talk about gender people will be freaking out but here in the United Kingdom people are mostly fine with that.” How is her second collection going to look like? For updates, check @ ayanokumakiri.

Model: Ricardo T. Photographer: Tom Clarke Makeup Artist: Paula Jamrichova Designer: Ayano Kumakiri

Fashion On Stage 5 Questions to Melissa Sanley

Melissa Sanley, Soul, Pop and R&B singer, works with a team of great professionals from NYC such as the producer Jerry Barnes member of Chic ft Nile Rodgers and the well known songwriter Alex Forbes. She has just recorded her music in Reservoir Studios and the legendary Avatar Studios NYC now as Power Station at Berklee NYC, one of the favorite studios for artists.

choose what they like. Is there any difference, when it comes to clothes, on stage and on the video clip? Not really. I think that for both, stage and a videoclip, you can choose something that shows your personality. The best thing is that, you can wear whatever you want, with no limitation and I love that!

In what way, does music influence fashion and how does fashion influence music? I think fashion and music are related in 100%. The impact of fashion is very high, not only on social media but also on the video clips. When a musician wears a specific dress, everybody can see that. And so, you can express yourself and show who you are through the clothes. Musicians are often asked to wear all sorts of clothing, makeup, bags, sneakers, hats, accessories. Sometimes musicians are paid to promote the products. Do you think that’s okay? I don’t see anything bad in it. It is the industry, it works like that. If a musician does that and still keeps his authority then it is okay. Would you do that? If I liked the brand, I would. Justin Timberlake said: ”I think we all want to dress like rock stars.” People use music as an escape through listening to it and by dressing into the style of your favourite musician” Do you agree with that statement? Our society is definitely influenced by the celebrities. Although, we live at the time when most of u has the opportunity to choose their styles. I would say that the “rock starts” represent different styles what enables other to

se.quences

Simple projects enriched with new, interesting solutions. Various cuts, combinations with sleeves, frills, length contrasts... Clothes with a classical colour gamut and timeless prints. All of that with inspiration taken from the past, present and the future that is being created in one girl’s mind. Monika has always wanted to be an artist. She has been looking for her place in the creative industry. She went to the high school of fine arts with a goal to become a professional photographer but her aspirations have changed. Today she says that “fashion is a freedom and there is no better way of expressing yourself.” High school was also the time when she felt in love with painting and graphic design. However, when the time of making diploma came along, she decided to connect everything she was doing with fashion. “Fashion was more like my hobby than the plan for life but I loved it very much.” Monika also says that when she was in high school she was reading many books about famous fashion designers and was following latest trends.

That was something that made her make a campaign for imaginary fashion house and create her first authorial dress. She liked it so much that she chose her studies path and she went to MSKPU, which is the most recognisable educational brand in the Polish industry environment. It is a 2.5-year post secondary school of clothing design. “Couple of years at this uni were like making a dream come true. I knew I was in the right place.” Today, after graduating from MSKPU she knows that fashion design is the right path for her. “I am sure that there is no better place, for me, to broaden my hori- zons and knowledge. My aim is to never get off track!” Today, she has her own brand with an intriguing name and great story behind it. Monika Matysiak conducts the Se.quences brand as she wants to create some kind of sequence in her crazy world. She is in love with minimalistic architecture, geometry what is very visible on her designs.

all with elevated features. They’re statement making without ostentation. That’s the vibe I get from them. These certainly aren’t fast fashion. These are chic pieces, carefully designer and made for someone who carefully curated there closet.”

“Live is a continous battle.”

Despite that, she take inspiration from life. It is really visible on her projects. The OPPO- SITE collection is based on lines that Monika plays with in different ways. “The line I use is a metaphor. A metaphor of a life line that can look differently depending on our life de- cisions.” Vertical lines, crosswise lines, devi- ous lines and double lines that show second chance from life. “ Life is a continuous battle with adversities”, that she mirrors in her collection. People are in love with her designs. “The silhouettes are crazy, in a very good way. I am not sure if I would wear them for a party but I have always dreamt about taking part in a photoshoot when I could wear such clothes. For me, the pink and navy blue striped garment with frilling on the sleeves is definitely no. 1” says model - Julia Sokolowska. Her projects are very simple and clear. When asked if it mirrors her personality, she says: “While creating OPPOSITE collection I was trying to polish every detail to make the silhouette ... Each line, each fabric does really matter to me. “When I devote myself to something, I do it in 200%. Everything must be perfect, each inch just like as I wanted it to be, as I created it in my head before.

I am a perfectionist who thinks that it can always be bettern than it is Not only she says that, other people do that too. Stefan Howarth, the Judge of Young Fashion Designer Awards, says “I love that the pieces are not cut to be figure hugging. They’re loose for everyday casual wear yet all the pieces are elevated with clashing prints and colours. They feature unusual cut-out placing, ruffles and some are designed with a play on proportion. I feel they’re very much designed for a busy mil- lennial, an office job city girl who wants clas- sic and smart pieces that are not traditional, they’re chic, youthful and modern

“

Model: Julia Sokolowska Photographer: Jakub Kazmierczyk Designer: se.quences

How did Stefan Howarth get to the exclusive London fashion club? It is 8:53 in the morning, London, Oxford Circus Station. I am here with my cameraman waiting for the interview to start. We still have 7 minutes to go. A chilly wind blows my scarf away. I don’t really care about that overwhelming cold as I am really excited about meeting Stefan Howarth. It is time of London Fashion Week 2018. The 25-year old blogger is busy jumping around from one fashion show to another. Although, today the first presentation starts at 11 am so I exploit the situation to talk to him for a little while. 9 o’clock. The crowd is getting out of the station. And there he is. Stefan Howarth, wearing checked jacket, trousers and black shirt from Newlook, Dorothy Perkins faux fur jacket, Boohoo killer shoes, a waist belt from Topshop and a Chanel Boy Bag. He looks fantastic, everyone looks at him with admiration. I feel that I should have taken my high heels too, instead of wearing sneakers. However, if I did so, I would probably fall over in the middle of the street and the interview would be over after 3 minutes. Anyway, Stefan looks a way better than me. We are walking down the street. I am going to discover Stefan’s fashion blog story. “My blog started a couple of years ago, in 2014 to be precise. I started it as an expression. It was just for me, to be able to talk about what I want to talk about. I come from Nottingham which is a small city in England. This is the place where not many people dress like me. My aim was to show and inspire others. I believe, that if you want to dress like this you can do it and there is nothing wrong with it.”

Says Stefan when asked about the background of his blog. Is there anyone who inspires you? I am inspired by Manolo Blahnik. I think he is just an amazing artist. I am also inspired by Coco Chanel it is a shame that she is not here anymore. I also love John Galliano, I just wish he was still in Dior. The crazy avant-garde style - it is just me, I love it. Some time ago, you compared fashion to an exclusive club. Why do you think fashion is an exclusive club? I come from a small town. I felt like when you are not in London it does feel very exclusive to be able to go to fashion shows, to wear fancy clothes etc. Sometimes, it could be very hard to get there, the same thing is with an exclusive club. “That was one of the reasons I started my blog - to get into this exclusive London club. And, once you are in the club, you are in the club.”

“

I believe, that if you want to dress like this you can do it and there is nothing wrong with it.”

Do you think that social media play an important role while being in this club? In these days, it is very important. Without it, you can get lost. Unless you are already a very big name. I was very worried about being hated when I started w social media. I was very

nervous but luckily, I have never had anything like that. There has always been a supportive environment for me. Howste's blog and Instagram are also full of makeup subjects. He does his own makeup every day as a way of building his confidence. "If I didn’t have makeup on my face and I dressed like this I would look odd.” Check out his blog to discover more: https://www.howste.co.uk

“That was one of the reasons I started my blog to get into this exclusive London club. And, once you are in the club, you are in the club.”

Model: Amelia Krzapa Photographer: Jakub Kazmierczyk Makeup Artist: Paula Jamrichova

Model: Megan Hatt Photographer: Toby Shaw Makeup Artist: Cloe Campbell

My Dior Sto

ory

Model: Karolina Pekalska Photographer: Daria Alicja Designer: Ange Looui

When she was a little girl she was dreaming about designing dresses that look like Dior’s. She has always been inspired by the haute couture Paris Dior House. “I feel like we have a lot in common. He saw the woman as I see her.” “My Story of Dior” is based on the interview with a fashion designer, Ange Looui, who left everything and moved to Paris for six months to be the part of Haute Couture Dior House. “Being in there is just indescribable and unforgettable experience.”

“When you are in Dior you feel like you are surrounded by the family. In Dior House, the atmosphere is very important. There are no arguments, no fights. She sent the application via Dior’s website in 2013, not expecting any response. “I didn’t even think I could ever get there.” She sent the pictures of the dresses she had already made and then forgot completely about the application. After three years, they came back to her saying that she got to the Dior Haute Couture Paris House. “I completely forgot that I sent the application and after three years they sent me the email that I got there.” She already had her “Wysoczarska” brand. She was designing and making dresses. When she got the email, she had to shut the company and go to France. “I thought: I am packing everything in as Dior is waiting for me.” She admits that this was the right decision as she had the best experience of her life.

”

France

The biggest challenge

When she came to France, she was sure that she has already got the placement. Although, there were twelve people like Ange Looui and they had to pass the three days test. The first day included the conversation about Dior. Ange’s knowledge about Dior is impressive so she didn’t have any problems with that. “When I first worked with her, I photographed two of her dresses and I remember saying that she is so talented that she will certainly achieve a lot.” Said Magdalena Tarach - Haladyn, Polish fashion and wedding photographer. The next step included designing and sewing dresses on the tiny dummies. Before the actual dressmaking, the participants had to choose the fabrics. “There was a room with a variety of plain fabrics that I am not a big fan of. I like embroidery more than plain fabrics.” However, there was also a large bag with old laces, destroyed pieces of different fabrics etc.

“At the very beginning I felt really weird as people who came like me they were all wearing Dior and I was wearing H&M shirt.” That wasn’t a big deal. The biggest challenge was embroidering. “I have always wanted to learn how to do that and Dior gave me that opportunity.” Nevertheless, it wasn’t that easy. “They were showing me couple of times how are they doing that but even if they showed me in slow motion I was not able to get that.”Ange laughs. “I was annoyed that I couldn’t do that.” However, she got there and now she does on an advanced level.

The lady said that she can use it but this is trash. Ange Looui created the dress using the “trash”. The dress she made is still in the workshop of the Dior House.

“For me, the woman should be unique and look gorgeous.” Ange Looui says that she thinks that Dior perceived the women in a similar way. She admits that being at Dior and working in this amazing atelier gave her a lot, she learnt a lot but she wants to move forward and continue working on her own brand. She aims for building her brand in Russia and United Arab Emirates as she sees those countries as very appealing when it comes to luxury fashion.

“For me, the woman should be unique and look gorgeous.”

“When I first worked with her, I photographed two of her dresses and I remember saying that she is so talented that she will certainly achieve a lot.”

Model: Klaudia Kapuscinska Photographer: Paulina Siwiec Makeup Artist: Dagmara Bretner Couronne: Wianki Wianeczki

Model: Karolina Mrowiec Photographer: Roksana Romnska Makeup Artist: Dominika Duraj Hair: Tomasz Toman Place: Smak Ksiazki/Ludwik

Models: Maga Czuj, Monika Rybicka, Alice Zakrzewska-Ciesek, Angelina Tsykhovych Photographer: Roksana Romanska Makeup Artists: Dominka Duraj, Aleksandra Mucha Hair: Magda Wysoczarska, Ania Peron Designer: Ange Looui

Styling is not a piece of cake

Anna Ganbator comes from a small country where fashion is not as popular as it is in the United Kingdom or Italy. However, she tries hard to make her dream come true. Anna is a fashion stylist who you’ll likely be hearing a lot more about in the next few years as she is about to graduate from Middlesex University. I talked to Anna about her career and experiences to discover more about the craft of styling.

Anna moved to London six years ago and that was the time when she started to feel free. “I feel that I can do anything or try anything. As soon as I came to London I said to myself that fashion is something that I want to do.”

“When I was a kid, I saw fashion as an expression. It definitely helped me to become who I am now.”

Today, she works as a freelance fashion assistant and stylist. She is inspired by Alexandra Carl - a fashion editor of RIKA magazine. Anna is a third-year Fashion Communication and Styling student at Middlesex University. She has done many assisting jobs such as Paolo Zagoreo Vogue Me August 2017 Issue, Julie Ragolia (At-Large Magazine) styling for British GQ cover December 2016 Issue, Alexandra Carl Vogue Italia and Rika Magazine, Stuart Williamson styling for Fantastic Man and Adele Cany (Paper Magazine) styling Louisa Johnson, Biffy Cliro, The Vamps’ music video, album cover, BBC Radio 1 Teen Awards appearance, various editorials, advertising and commercial jobs and celebrity styling. These are only some examples, the list goes on. Anna Ganbator has done many editorials already too. Her works were published in Sicky Magazine, Flawless Magazine, Lucy Magazine, Dreamingless Magazine, Dapifer, Pink Prince, Avenue Illustrated Spain, The Atlas Magazine and Seen Magazine. Styling is not a piece of cake. At the beginning when you start to do styling and you have no contacts, no connections, and no budget, it is truly challenging. What Anna sees as the biggest challenge is gathering the clothes. “Even if you find somebody to borrow the clothes from, it takes time to actually get them. It is because they have to get to know you, know that you are responsible and also to build the relationship between you and PR agency.” Anna is very passionate about what she does. She says that when she can work with people she feels connected to

When asked if she has always wanted to work in the creative industry, the first thing she highlights is the country she comes from. Anna is from Hungary, which is a small country and there is not much about fashion. “It has always been something that logically, I would never pick as a profession, even if I always wanted to. For reasons of economy and circumstances in my country, it was just not the choice of a career. If you plan your future working in fashion in Hungary, your options are limited.” She continues saying about the bankruptcy of the country and the government that does not help much. “It makes lives so much harder when you want to work in the creative industry. It is a thing, that everyone who finishes university moves abroad. It is mainly because if you want to make it and get good money to provide a better life for your family it is better to move to another place.” Anna sadly explains.

“As soon as I came to London I said to myself that fashion is something that I want to do.” For all the reasons Anna has never planned to work in the fashion industry. Even though, she has always dreamt about it. Nevertheless,

“When I was a kid, I saw fashion as an expression. It is still the way I can express myself, my identity. It definitely helped me to become who I am now.”

her work is just amazing. What she does not like about styling are RETURNS. “The stylist’s life is not that glamorous as everyone thinks. It is a lot of work. Rewarding but most people think it’s just putting nice clothes models.”

“It has always been something that logically, I would never pick as a profession, even if I always wanted to. For reasons of economy and circumstances in my country, it was just not the choice of a career. If you plan your future working in fashion in Hungary, your options are limited.”

Model: Amelia Krzapa Photographer: Lukasz Borys

Model: Keate Browne Photographer: Toby Shaw

Models: Anet Sprynarova&Carmen Abogo Photographer: Tom Clarke Makeup Artists: Paula Jamrichova&Patricia Davidavicius Stylist: Amelia Krzapa