SPRING 2012
Vol. 14
Coveted THE
ISSUE
Editorial Staff REESE HERRICK
The Coveted Issue
FOUNDER EDITOR-IN-CHIEF reese@chaos-mag.com
SPRING 2012
Vol. 14
FALLON KERR ASSISTANT TO EDITOR-IN-CHIEF fallon@chaos-mag.com
MAX ODEN
Coveted THE
PHOTO EDITOR photos@chaos-mag.com
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Michael Kohr MUSIC EDITOR michael@chaos-mag.com
KATIE EDER
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Vol. 14
spring 2012
4
Letter From The Editor
6
Fast Fashion No More: The Micky London Cure
70
Rebel Youth shot by James Loveday
86
A Modern Renaissance Man
122 Boy Meets Girl 156 World Music Meets Modern Day Rock 172 Timeless 180 Crossing The Plane in a Porcelain Raft 206 The Ancient Elements (Cover Story) 214 Contributors Page
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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
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Hello, and welcome to The Coveted Issue for Spring 2012! Please excuse our tardiness, but it’s the nature of CHAOS to be fashionably late to the party! With this issue, we have, as always, a selection of killer fashion editorials conveying the essence of being coveted. Our photographers have infused this theme in their images, and as you’ll soon see, there are many ways to be coveted. You’ll see bold and dark stories alongside in-yourface beauty shots, with just enough sex appeal to satiate your thirst for edginess. In addition to our great editorial content, we’ve got a slew of awesome interviews for you, from model et artist, Marcin
Rogal, to experimental indie pop maestro, Porcelain Raft, this issue of CHAOS is bursting at the seams with brilliant content. We hope you enjoy experiencing it as much as we enjoyed creating it. Stick around for our next issue, hopefully launching midsummer, but as I’m sure you now know, that probably won’t happen. But, when it does come out, believe me, it’ll be well worth the wait. : )
XX- Reese Herrick Founder +Editor-in-Chief
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A DESIGNER on the DARK SIDE text KATIE EDER
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Agatha Hambi’s shadowy color palates and classic silhouettes harmonize flawlessly in her dark and alluring collections.
Most people try to existentially find themselves by working to carve their paths in this chaotic world when they’re 22 years old. But a select few, like designer Agatha Hambi, already figure it out by then. At 22, Hambi has created a successful collection, earned features in magazines like Vogue Italia, and snagged the attention of bigname fashionistas. A recent graduate of Middlesex University in London, Hambi found success designing simple silhouettes and edgy garments for the modern woman. Even with these accomplishments, she has just skimmed the surface of her career and talents. Hambi began her journey into fashion long before college. As a young girl, she found inspiration in clothes, and she created characters and personalities around her wardrobe. “From a young age, I had a fascination with style and how things were carefully put together, to create a certain mood,” Hambi said. “I used to love dressing up and being or portraying a character, playing the role that the clothes and the jewelry created.” While most girls were dressing up as Cinderella, Hambi found allure in darker and bolder characters like Ursula and Cruella De Vil. Even in her fall collection, it was clear that her garments reflect her childhood musings. Hambi’s pieces truly radiate the mysteries of the dark side, with silhouettes reminiscent of De Vil’s bold sexuality.
After cementing her love for fashion as a teen, Hambi knew she wanted to pursue a career in designing clothes. In 2007, she enrolled in Middlesex University’s fashion and design program to gain experience crafting beautiful garments. Her college years allowed her to cultivate skills as a designer, while discovering the many sides of the fashion industry. Like most design students, Hambi initially realized that she didn’t have a good understanding of construction. With the guidance of her professors, she honed her skills and constructed the pieces she envisioned, crafting garments with perfect silhouettes and darker palates. By interning with Vivienne Westwood and Harrods, she matured as a designer and stylist, but she also got a taste of the less glamorous sides of the fashion world. Through courses on fashion history and design, Hambi became captivated by the styles of various fashion eras and the moods they evoked. She ruminated on her own feelings and experiences, in order to craft a story that would serve as the starting point for hercollection. Aside from school, Hambi believes the city of London played a role in developing her point of view as a designer. “I have lived in London all my life, and to this day, I am still finding new places to go, new streets, new inspirations,” Hambi said, noting that London is a city with a mixture of cultures, socioeconomic backgrounds, and refreshingly eclectic people. “It’s refreshing to
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live in a place like this. It makes you feel alive.” Like Hambi’s collections, London has a mysterious dark side that makes it intriguing, so the city is infused in the collections she creates and the emotions her clothes convey. As a culmination of her college career, Hambi presented her graduate collection in 2011. It was based on a beautifully desolate story, reminiscent of the days of her youth. Hambi centered the collection on a mistress in thirties Paris, mourning the death of her lover. Hambi’s love for fashion history greatly contributed to the story, and the garments reflected her passion for chic, vintage dresses. This collection embodied the sensuality and culture of Paris in the thirties, combining black and white motifs with bold chevron, plunging necklines, and subtle embellishments. The show officially welcomed Hambi into the design world, and she demonstrated fashion prowess by drawing the attention of fashionistas like Lady Gaga, who has already worn pieces from her collections and gave her the “confidence and drive to do what I love to do.” After graduating from college, Hambi stepped out on her own to build up her brand and image as a designer. Her fall 2012 collection was launched earlier this year, and it expressed her vision of an undefeatable woman, with pieces that balanced exposed skin with maxi-length dresses to create a classic silhouette. When Hambi designs something, she has a certain
woman with a distinct personality in mind. The woman she designed her fall collection for has a “sense of mystery, which is both alluring and captivating,” she said, adding that the woman doesn’t give too much away, but still has an “underlined sexual power” that’s illustrated through cut outs and chic crop tops. For the color palate, Hambi stuck to the alluring combination of black and white, which beautifully harmonized in her garments. The collection was reminiscent of her childhood fascinations, with sleek silhouettes and bold leather accents adding a dramatic flair. But Hambi purposely kept her pieces simple to highlight the power and confidence of the women wearing her clothes. “When you overcomplicate something, it starts to lose all of its beauty,” Hambi said. “The woman should be wearing clothes, not the other way around.”
Instead of overwhelmingly bright colors and heavy embellishments, Hambi’s looks are a relief for sore eyes, yet they retain daring surprise. Her modern take on classic pieces ensures that her clothing will never become dated. Versatility and comfort were key components when Hambi designed her collection. Her pieces for fall 2012 were all crafted with jersey and leather materials, to give women a sense of comfort and ease, while looking daring and sexual. Hambi’s use of leather accents gave her garments an edgy and earthy feel with a sense of luxury. Achieving a balance between bold and comfortable pieces is incredibly difficult for most designers, but Hambi’s work did it flawlessly. Still, Hambi sympathizes with her clients, noting that “there’s nothing worse than not being able to breathe in an outfit.” With a combination of jersey and leather, Hambi’s pieces were completely wearable, and they could be dressed up or down by the modern woman. Hambi’s love for styling also played a pivotal role in her fall collection, because she wanted to create clothes that could be styled to fit a woman’s mood. “I love creating a mood or essence through my work ... styling is a big part of the design process,” Hambi said, noting that her experience as an intern in Harrods’ window styling department has served her well in that area of design. For Hambi, styling begins when she’s designing her pieces,
“sense of mystery, which is both alluring and captivating...”
so she can put a head-to-toe look together from the start. Her fall collection highlighted her skill as a stylist, as it featured a simple and classic high bun and a few statement pieces, like large tassel-like earrings. The overall look of the collection was effortless and classic, with daring undertones of sexuality. For her next big project, Hambi hopes to build her label while continuing to express her unique point of view. In her spring collection, Hambi worked with her trademark color palette, but in the context of hiphop culture. By staying true to her love of comfort and functionality, Hambi designed her collection by “looking at breathable, comfortable materials, and how the garments could make the wearer feel free,” she said. She created flattering silhouettes mimicking sportswear with oversized, hand-me-down clothes in mind. Through her collection, Hambi reflected freedom of expression and showcased the parallels between hip-hop culture and fashion as modes of creativity.
“...underlined sexual power...”
In the coming years, Hambi will continue to design timeless, wearable pieces for the modern woman. “Fashion is ever changing and fast moving,” Hambi said. “Sometimes it’s hard to keep up.” Her goal is to be remembered as a designer who constructed garments that were wearable in the present, but also fashionable in the
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future. With her emphasis on fashion history and classic silhouettes, Hambi’s pieces will stay fresh and fashion forward for years to come. To watch her designs come to life, Hambi hopes to stock her collections in stores around London, and she’s excited at the prospect of working with other designers in the near future. “I’ve got a few projects lined up and can’t wait to collaborate with other artists,” Hambi said. “I love hearing other artists’ take on your work, what they see, and figuring out how you can work together to create something new.” Hambi said it’s “unreal” when she sees her clothes come down the runway, and she wants to create more fall and spring collections. “It’s months of work, your work, going down a runway,” Hambi said. “My projects are very personal to me. You go through a lot of stages, to get to that final point. It’s a journey in itself, so seeing your clothes coming down the runway is indescribable.” Although her pieces speak for themselves creatively, Hambi said she has a hard time expressing herself, so watching her collections come down the runway is deeply personal. Just like her clothes, Hambi tries not to give too much of herself away in each collection, leaving an air of mystery to create more innovative pieces down the line.
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Although Hambi is only 22 years old, she has matured beyond her years and established herself as a must-see designer, and she wants to share her wisdom with aspiring designers, as well. From her experiences, Hambi has learned that the less glamorous side of the fashion industry creates an environment where designers can become jaded and lose their creativity and confidence. Rather than taking those experiences to heart, Hambi persevered and realized many truths that have helped her develop into a strong and passionate designer. “If you’re determined enough, you will get there,” Hambi said. “People will always criticize what you do. You have to trust your own decisions. I don’t know where I would have been if I listened to all the criticism and let the comments get to me. Everyone has his or her own inspirations, own opinions. Go with it, and just do you!” Those are wise words for anyone who wants to become successful in the cynical fashion world. Hambi has a bright future ahead of her, and her passions and talents are just taking flight.
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COVET
THOU SHALL NOT
photographer CHRISTOPHER HALL stylist PRENTISS ANDERSON model PAUL CRADDOCK @ major