DEMUR March 2016
Metallic Tale
CONTENTS
Demur Magazine
04 - Editor's Pick 06 - Demur’s A/W 16 Highlights 10 - Dress Code Nation 13 - Metallic Tale 24 - DEMUR at the last ever Bloc Festival Weekender 29 - Demur HEADLINES 30 - The Restory
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Contributors Noreen Chada - Editor
Shirley Dee- Fashion Editor Kay Samuel- Features Editor Nicole Samoto – Social Editor Stella Dzingai – Contributing Writer Andrew Sim – Intern Samantha Shava - Intern
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Visit us at: www.demur.co Facebook: DemurMagazine Twitter: DemurMagazine Instagram: DemurMagazine TV:www.youtube.com/DemurMagazine Email: info@demur.co Demur Magazine is a FREE magazine distributed in London, Birmingham & Manchester. You can also access Demur from your tablet.
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Demur Picks
Lomography Lomo'Instant Wide Black Camera – Urban Outfitters - £199.00
Starter Osorno Cap - Marcelo Burlon County of Milan - £61.00
City Through Hands Clutch Bag – Amber Blu - £35.00 Pompelmo Liquer – Stellacello - £25.00
The Advantages of Being A Woman Artist Tea Towel by Guerrilla Girls – Baltic Shop -£13.95
Sigma Spa Brush Cleaning Glove – Cult Beauty - £30.00
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Demur Magazine The Cube Turqueta Small – Heio £440.00 (Folds into a cube!) Bowie plate – Donna Wilson - £24.00
Rock It Like It’s Short – Dazzle & Jolt -£32.00
Screen D Protective Reading Glasses – See Concept - £45.00
Acton Speaker – Marshall £150.00
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Prosecco Gummies – SugarSin - £6.50
Demur’s A/W 16 Highlights Georgia Hardinge
Images by Eva K Salvi
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Demur’s A/W 16 Highlights Gabriel Vielma
Images by Iker Aldama
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Demur’s A/W 16 Highlights Danielle Romeril
Images by Morgan O’Donovan
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Demur’s A/W 16 Highlights Three Floor
Images by Morgan O’Donovan
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Dress Code Nation by Patrick Adjaye
Dress Code Nation is a platform for creatives in the fashion industry. It’s a place where people can meet and network and grow their portfolios and share their work. Of course at the moment there a few companies that offer a similar service, but with these other companies you are paying a subscription fee and you are not really guaranteed to get anything out of it. This is where Dress Code Nation come in, it is very important to us that all the creative professionals connect and network with the right people.
Why Dress Code Nation matters Dress Code Nation is very important to the fashion industry because there are two elements to the fashion world. There are people who are born into fashion, they go to school to study fashion and it’s all they know and do and then there are those who didn’t study fashion but are very creative in their own right. Those people are not always embraced by the fashion world which is a shame, because some of the most creative people in the fashion industry are those without a fashion background.
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Lessons from Dress Code Nation Dress Code Nation has taught me a lot. I have found patience is a very important skill to have. I had been sitting on this idea for like three years and it was officially launched at the beginning of this year. As human beings we don’t always understand the value of patience, but hopefully people can appreciate the effort I have put into this, as they witness the wonderful platform we have created. I would also say don’t let your financial situation stop you from doing what you want to do. People will always tell you to wait until you have enough money to put into whatever you want to start, but the truth of the matter is, you may never get the money, we are not all billionaires. You can’t act on your limitations, you will never get anywhere.
Ambition is everything
Self motivation is key, I cannot stress that enough. As an independent creative, you have to put in tons of work before you start to see the benefits of your effort. That can of course be off putting. You have to be consistent; don’t take your eye off the ball. Don’t be distracted or laid back about things, otherwise you will miss out. As young creatives we have no excuse not to be working towards our dreams. There are so many platforms and outlets for us to showcase and expand our talent, which means we have more opportunities to do what we want to do. I have been in a situation where I couldn’t move left or right and I was just stagnant. Now that I am doing something I enjoy and love, every minute is important to me. I don’t let time just pass me by and I never stop, I’m constantly working.
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Join Dress Code Nation at www.dresscodenation.co.uk
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Metallic T.a.l.e
Photographer: Bogdan Teodorov Fashion Stylist: Andra Teodorov Hair Stylist: Camelia Tugearu
Makeup Artist: Corina Tudor Outfits: L'Atelier Cristina David
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DEMUR at the last ever Bloc Festival Weekender
BLOC Festival have announced that this year’s weekender will be their very last. After ten years Bloc co-founder Alex Benson said "Weekenders are strange, beautiful things, Bloc itself has had some very widely publicised ups and downs. For us, in the middle of it, it has been a roller-coaster. Of course, everyone will have been on roller-coasters—they're quite a trip, and leave you euphoric, shaken and with a new-found zest for life. Eventually, you get off having had a thoroughly great time. And that's where we are." We really wish we could get back on this roller coaster next year. Nonetheless, the organisers are planning to make sure this last weekender goes out with a bang, seeing as the event sold out last year, we don’t think they will have any problems on that front. Bloc will however be moving on to bigger things with plans to develop a super club in London. Bloc already have a venue in an ex-industrial building in London, which is used as a studio and work space for creatives alike, promoting their ethos of providing a platform for underground artist to showcase and develop their art.
D J Bone will be spinning some cuts at the festival. 24
Joe Farr whose latest album, “Sense of Purpose”, was released under the Bloc said “I think it’s really helped set the standard of what an underground electronic music festival should be, such a great line up, every time. Obviously there are a few bigger (great) acts in there to pull in the punters but the majority are really quite underground and forward thinking artists which I think reflects what the guys at Bloc have always strived for. Now they are pushing forward with the label and other ventures at Bloc HQ. I think it's only going to increase their impact on the electronic scene in the UK.” It’s not a complete curtain call on the Bloc event scene. To celebrate their ten year anniversary, Bloc will be hosting a world party in ten different cities, including, Paris, Dublin, Amsterdam and Barcelona.
The last ever BLOC weekender will be held at Minehead Butlins from March 11-13 2016.
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Demur Getaways (Escapadas) - Barcelona, Spain When you think of Spain, you automatically think of sun, sandy beaches and cocktails, but what about the other cities? Barcelona is magical full stop! It offers sun, sandy beaches, some kick ass cocktails, the glamorous city life and culture. Barcelona is the city for everyone, for the family, history connoisseurs, the singles and those couples still in their honeymoon periods.
How to get there -Vueing Airlines During the off peak season you can get a flight to Barcelona El Prat Airport from London, for less than £80 and the flight is only 2 hours. Vueling offer some great deals to Barcelona, although you have to pay if you want to check in your luggage as with the other budget airlines, they were kind enough to check in our carryon luggage for free, which is a great help for those who love to shop like us.
Where to stay SmartRoom Hotel, Carrer Olzinelles, 56, 08014 Barcelona It really helps when you stay somewhere you are not familiar with and there are people on hand to help make you feel welcome and give you a full insight on the area, the good and the bad. That’s exactly what the staff at SmartRoom Barcelona did for us. SmartRoom is reasonably priced and decorated in a clean and minimalist fashion. The hotel is quiet and for a few extra Euros you can add a buffet breakfast, which will come in handy for those who like to fill up before a heavy duty day of shopping and sightseeing. Each room comes with its own private
bathroom, a 28-inch Smart TV, functional wardrobe (closet), a chair and desk, as well as two bedside tables with reading lights. Rooms are cleaned and most importantly for our current lifestyles you get FREE WiFi! SmartRoom Barcelona is located in the Sants neighborhood and therefore well situated for both tourists and business guests alike, whether to visit various city attractions or attend a business fair at the city's convention centres. It is also only an 8 minute walk from Sants Estación (the city's main train station) and only a 5 minute walk from Plaza de Sants, where you’ve got some great shops and restaurants.
There is no curfew at SmartRoom which is great for those who like to explore the city at night. One important thing to look out for and bear in mind is the occupancy tax, 0.72 EUR per person per night, which will be added on to your hotel bill. This was the perfect stay for us as were able to walk to the shops, various restaurants, take the bus to the beach, airport and many hot spots including Gracia, Catalonia. Aliana and Xavi (front desk hotel staff), made our stay extra cosy, thank you for being our personal tour guides!
Where to eat La Mafia located in La Maquinista , Carrer de Potosí, 2 This restaurant brings authentic Italian cuisine to Barcelona. We heard some great things about this place. The only sad thing is, we only discovered this gem on the day we were due to come home. Nonetheless for those who are like us who eat with their eyes first, check out their Instagram page @lamafiabarcelona. We know we have to stop by when we are next in Barcelona. La Mafia are on the third floor in the La Maquinista mall which is a five minute walk from the Sant Andreu Metro Station Stop.
Other things to do and see Arc De Triomf - Perfect selfie backdrop. This was originally built as the entrance arch for the Universal Exhibition of 1888, which took place in the adjacent Parc de la Ciutadella. Magic Fountain - Font Màgica - This is actually a short walk from SmartRoom
Barcelona, so there is no excuse to miss it. The fountain lights up at night with different colour lights. Camp Nou Stadium – Barcelona is of course the home of football and you can’t go to Barcelona and not visit the Nou Camp stadium. Even if you don’t wish to pay for the tour, you can have a little browse in the shop and outside the stadium.
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Demur
HEADLINES
FORBIDDEN FRUIT NO MOBILE PHONES UNTIL MARRIAGE!
Now this would spark some outrage here in the UK and yet, it is reality for unmarried women in the village of Suraj in Gujarat who have been banned from using their mobile phones. Elders of the village are not keen on young women and men communicating through social media and picture messaging as it may cause them to be more licentious. The village's community leader Raikarnji Thakor told the Hindustan Times that “young girls can get misguided” and thus “break families and relationships.” KEEP YOUR JEANS FRESH… BY FREEZING THEM You must have noticed it, the more you wash your jeans, the more they wear out and that can be increasingly frustrating! Well Levi have told us not to wash our jeans not too often and surely they know what they are saying, in fact they say jeans should never be washed…ever! Levi's CEO and President Chip Bergh says washing your jeans is just a total waste of water. Levi say instead of washing your jeans you should put them in your freezer overnight take them out dry them and then wear them. PHARRELL WILLIAMS IS A RAW G-STAR We all know Pharrell Williams is a well dressed bloke. Remember the “mountain” hat phase he influenced? Pharrell has collaborated with various designers in the past and has co-founded other fashion brands including Ice Cream and Billionaire Boys Club. Expanding his empire, Pharrell is now the co-owner of denim label G-Star RAW. We can’t wait to see what Pharrell will do for the brand and what they will create together.
ADVERTISE YOUR BAND HERE Email info@demur.co for more details
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The Restory
Everyone has a beloved bag or a pair of shoes that absolutely adore. Now imagine that feeling when you pick up your loveable item and it’s no longer in the same condition it was when you purchased it. The Restory are on hand to rescue your items. We caught up with founder, Vanessa Jacobs who came up with the idea after a bad experience. I’m originally from New York and I moved to the UK with my Swedish husband in 2006. I had arranged to have all my stuff sent over in a container and I was going to a job interview and I had these boots I wanted to wear to my interview, they were nothing special but they worked for me. I took them to a High Street Cobbler and they made a mess of a simple heel fit. When I complained they said it would take another 24 hours to sort out. By this time they were now dusty from being shuttled around in a box, so I asked if they could clean them because I was going to a job interview. They said no because it wasn’t profitable for them to do that. That gave me a general mistrust of High Street Cobblers, I felt I really had to move heaven and earth to identify some specialists that I trusted. Generally speaking I found that the whole experience was very tiring and male orientated. The traditions and thinking in this industry, is that there is no money in women’s shoes, that women throw things away, they don’t bother with repairs. I am a woman and I know that is not true. D: So you thought to start your own repair service, something that will benefit you and other women as well? V: I knew that there were things that were possible with repairs and I just couldn’t find anyone to do them here. Simple things like recovering the leather from your heels, it’s not that difficult of a procedure for somebody who knows what they’re doing. I was trying to find people who could offer a repair service of high value for women. I felt like I wanted something that would appeal to somebody like me. I just felt like women were being really underserved and underappreciated in this respect. D: Obviously we spend more money on shoes and handbags and we will do anything to preserve the condition of an expensive
handbag or pair of shoes. V: Exactly, and we do spend a lot. You can cheat with a top by just going to H&M and getting another one, but you really can’t cheat a pair of shoes or handbag. The quality needs to be good. The whole bubble around it is that people will pay more for shoes and bags because they see them as less trendy and they are seen as items of higher value. If you are going to spend your money, then that’s where you would put it. Some women are quite extreme, they won’t pay the rent in order to buy the shoes that they love so much, so they need a good way to look after those expensive items. D: So you did an internship in New York, was that in Fashion or something completely different?
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V: No, it was quite classical actually. I knew I wanted to do this and I had sat on the idea for about 8 years. I started to develop the concept when I was on my first maternity leave, but it didn’t really work and I ended up going back to work. By the time the second child had come along I was finding the corporate life a bit too much, especially with two kids. I still had this idea and my personal circumstances were such that I could make this leap, and I felt like, do it now before somebody else makes a go for it. I also felt like the tide was shifting and the market would be more receptive to it. While I was on maternity leave, I went back to New York with my baby and would leave him with my mum during the day whilst I worked for 2 cobblers over the course of two months. Working with people who had done this for 30 or 50 years I got a real sense of what qualities to look out for, and where damage could occur. So I got a good
understanding for that. When I came back to London, I did something very typical of a management consultant. I identified 150 mystery shopping buys, I asked everybody I knew for a recommendation, I called every high end shop in Mayfair and Chelsea. I made a list of 100 shops, then I systematically, went around London with a backpack full of shoes, just testing. I would assess the quality, I’m a lot better at it now than I was, I would look at the shop to see if they specialised in just shoes or also cut keys or dry cleaning or if they weren’t all focused on just shoes. I would peak through the back to try and get a sense of the size of the operation. I would personally chat with the staff at the shops and ask how many people they had in the back for example. I would ask them questions like, If I were to send them 100 pairs of shoes a month for example would they be able to handle it. I would make up things to be angry about and see how they handled it. I am a huge customer
experience nut. That’s really my thing. I found George Zorlakkis of the famed KG Shoes, which was great. I walked in the first thing I said was “where are the keys?” and he said “I’m too busy doing shoes”, and in my mind that was the right answer. I found him and that was the starting point. Then I started going round the manufacturing ports of Portugal and Italy sourcing talent. Now we are quite a big team sourced from all over the place. D: Are there things in New York that you miss and can’t get here? V: I’ve been here so long now I don’t remember. In the beginning it was really quite painful. It took me about 2/3 years to come to love London and now I’ve been here so long, it feels like home and I tend to forget what used to bother me. Now when I go back to New York, things bother me there now. Like when I am in New York I’m like ‘why don’t they put some flower pots out… why is it so grey compared to London’
D: Have you had something that you thought was too damaged, or is there nothing that can’t be restored to you? V: Normally I frustrate the hell out of my team, because I really push for a solution even if it’s something that I can’t really do straight away. Whatever it is we try to find a solution, and I try to think creatively and I get them to think creatively too. Very rarely do I ever flat out say that we can’t help. D: So how do you ensure that you provide a quality service and keep people coming back? V: We always try, especially if it’s the initial visit, we try to meet face to face. We do couriers for returns and other things, but we always try to show up. Almost always we will do the first visit, so then we a get a sense of, where you live, what your lifestyle is, if you spend all day in an office, if a housekeeper is in all day, if there’s a special place that you like things in the garden and so on. Just by
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showing up at someone’s house or office it gives us a lot about what that person is like. Then we try to pick up clues about how we can make the service easier. If for example we are meeting a housekeeper, then we introduce ourselves, we get their phone number, same thing with receptionist, local merchants, if they leave something with them. We’re professional but friendly, so we try to strike up a rapport, we tend to talk a lot to our customers especially for something complex. Then we also send out a newsletter 4 times a year, so we do other things that are more subtle. D: How will you continue to spread the brand, and have you got plans to expand over the next year?
lot of customer vouchers. Something to entice customers and let them know we are around. We are raising money right now to bring on some additional specialist and do some more marketing, the idea is to establish ourselves in the shoe and bag market and then to move into other services as well.
V: We are very much word of mouth at the moment and we have a social media page which is generating a little bit of press for us, so that’s good. We have a referral programme, so we give away a
www.the-restory.com