What it takes
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What it takes A raw collection​of artistically delivered content for the steadfast youth
Publisher & Editor-in-Chief Faye Harris Copy Editor Jennifer Blot Contributing Photographers Aldo Carrera, Shan Lee Contributing Stylists Isabelle Eder-Mcnab, Haley Burgstahler, Alannah Macintyre, Hannah Coleman, Shan’nice Storey Editorial Tel 415 774 6536 Editorial Email fayeharris@me.com Website www.whatittakesmag.weebly.com
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TABLE OF CONTENTS 7
Editor’s Manifest
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Graphic Impact
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Runway Trends S/S 16
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Vivienne Westwood
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Haider Ackermann
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Young Guns
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Rick Owens
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Burberry Prorsum
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Effortless
70 Babyghost 76 Stampd 84
Gender Neutral
90 Empower 98
Beauty Verse
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Beauty Lies Truth
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Making Over the Beauty Industry
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Nick Flatt’s Class War
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Saint Bénédicte
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Nuit Noir
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The Majesty of Metamorphosis
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A Semiotic Spirit
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EDITOR’S MANIFEST .
Grit. A mindset that moved me to create this magazine. This is a publication that contains a kaleidoscope of beauty, fashion, and art to stimulate and shape impressionable modern minds, as the creative’s featured within have shaped mine. Whether using the runway as a protest platform or as an avenue to express a message, every designer that I’ve chosen to interview or review has managed to touch upon and tap into a deeper consumer desire of significance, while delivering their personal aesthetic. Artists and personalities that reflect on cultural ideals, societal issues, and spirituality, bring these themes of learned behaviors to our attention, creating a curiosity, an inquisitive
wit. Faye Harris Editor-in-Chief
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GRAPHIC IMPACT
PHOTOGRAPHY BY SHAN LEE STYLING BY ISABELLE EDER-MCNAB MODEL: CARLY RICK AT STARS MODEL MANAGEMENT STYLING ASSISTANT HALEY BURGSTAHLER HAIR & MAKEUP BY FAYE HARRIS
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SWEATER, SHOES H&M, SKIRT & OTHER STORIES, BRACELET VINTAGE
TOP LOUIS VUITTON, SKIRT ZARA
TOP ZARA, PANTS LOUIS VUITTON, NECKLACE ZARA, SHOES ADIDAS, BRACELETS VINTAGE
JUMPSUIT, BLAZER, HAT ZARA, BELT STYLIST’S OWN, NECKLACE VINTAGE
DRESS STYLIST’S OWN, JACKET FOREVER 21
RUNWAY TRENDS S/S 16 High impact trends define the season in a step away from minimalism. See five key trends that indicate the eccentricity that’s to come in Spring/Summer 2016.
FRINGE The swingy trim has been trending for a few seasons now, and is here to stay for Spring. Seen at Issey Miyake, Edun, Prabal Gurung, and Sonia Rykiel. 14
LOGOS Names are emblazoned across the front of clothing or in some cases repeated as graphic patterns. Seen at Moschino, Hood By Air, Loewe, and Lanvin.
RUFFLES Whether its sculptural or flirty, designers are adding dimension to tops, skirts, and sheath dresses. Seen at Kenzo, Alexander McQueen, Balmain, and Vetements. 15
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LINGERIE What’s normally relegated to the bedroom is out in all of its sheer, lacy glory. Seen at everyone from Alexander Wang, Elie Saab, Miu Miu, and The Row.
SHINE High shine and sequin details on both daytime and evening cocktail dresses. Seen at Emilio Pucci , Isabel Marant, Carolina Herrera, and Alice Temperley. 16
HAIR + MAKEUP
The Tuck - Christopher Kane
Radiant Complexion - Isabel Marant
Maximalism - Giambattista Valli
Metal Clips - Rodarte
Nineties Liner - Rochas
Gold Lips - Prada
Team Red - Oscar de la Renta
Blue-Eyed Girl 17 - Jonathan Saunders
Killer Cut - Alexander Wang
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VIVIENNE WESTWOOD Austerity is a Crime! The queen of anti-establishment presentations let loose again with a government protest at the Red Label show.
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Austerity, is a crime in both senses of the word at Vivienne Westwood’s show; extreme plainness in style, and economic conditions created by the government to reduce budget deficits.
The clothes, in true Westwood form are anything but simple. The collection, which was themed ‘Mirror the World’, implies that “you understand the world through art and culture”, says Westwood. “You’re like a tiny shard of mirror that’s an exact copy of the whole world. It evokes an idea of wanting to do your best for the world, by not being blind to what’s in it. That’s why the models paraded the runway to a soundtrack of riot and chaos noises, with a girl mindlessly chanting on repeat: “Go crazy, post everyday, everyday, boom, boom, hashtag, hashtag, Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest”. Basically put down your phones, and open your eyes to current world issues; It was like the subliminal messaging was a rebuttable, purposedly heard. If you’re in Westwood’s position, you can use your runway as a protest platform. The protest comes first, clothes second, pertaining again to the idea of being held at the mercy of nature and of others. Undoubtedly, what’s more important in this world, the clothes, or the climate? the fashion or the fracking movement? 20
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1. ‘Climate Revolution’ written on a cotton top makes a statement, while the oil-slick on the model’s eyes suggest oil-spilling and being blinded to truth. Westwood’s signature tartan-print is given a wet-look using lamé fabric for bloomer trousers, worn with sand-colored slip-ons. She uses a book as an anchor for the outfit; get educated.
This display came only a week after Westwood turned up in a tank outside the UK’s prime minster David Cameron’s house in an effort to publicly challenge the controversial fracking plans that he is trying to administer throughout the UK. {Fracking is intended as an economic, energy security solution, recovering gas and oil from shale rock. Gas is released when sand, high-pressure water, and potentially carcinogenic chemicals are directed at the rock deep inside the earth. The process may have somewhat transformed the energy industry in the U.S., but it has also caused real environmental concerns, particularly chemical contamination of groundwater, and fracking related earth tremors.}
2. There’s no denying the impact of the color red, on an entire outfit. Suggesting danger? The standout look is a top and skirt combination of textured linen tailored at an angle, cut lopsided. The body brace almost resembles a plastic six-pack beverage holder (the things that have caused environmental concern when dead animals have been found entangled on shores.) The wet, straggly hair looks like she just emerged from the sea.
“I’m here to sort of say something” says Westwood. “Like a crazy person, because people aren’t saying it, they’re all pretending everything’s normal.”
3. What’s your carbon-footprint? A monster-sized charcoal footprint mars an otherwise bright and simple t-shirt. Her British-style tailoring is distinctive in the fitted jacket and puffed high-waisted trouser suit which hints at her admitted beliefs that “politicians are criminals.
Well, you might be wondering what can you do about it? “You’ve got to demonstrate!”, declares Westwood. 21
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HAIDER ACKERMANN Wanna be in a girl gang? The Columbian-born designer proves that a girl gang doesn’t have to be copy-cat.
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A strange look for a strange world.
Columbian-born designer Haider Akermann, proves that a girl gang doesn’t have to be copy-cat. His spring ready-towear collection shown at Paris Fashion Week, was exhibited by a group of fearless, nonconformist women emerging from the darks of billowing smoke. He wanted to display a gang of girls with strong personalities; “We all need to find a strength with each other, even though we’re all individual, even though we all have our story to tell” says Akermann. The collection, which was shown at the magnificent Palais de Chaillot, was an expression of contrast. It blended dress codes of punk and poetic, boyish and feminine. Pleated trousers were made from shantung silks in pastels and brights, while cropped leather jackets were worn over ruffled pussy-bow blouses. Models appeared in their playful madness to an eery classical soundtrack, accompanied by a grand operatic (female) voice. The simple cuts which are often asymmetric are resolutely modern, and the silhouettes are sophisticated. Ackermanns’s designs are worn by strong-charactered females, such as celebrities Tilda Swinton, and Janet Jackson. His pointed leather boots with a zebra hair toe cap suits that kind of tough femininity. 26
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1. A satin-lapeled tuxedo jacket is cinched in at the waist with an oversized metallic leather belt, bare skin underneath. Cropped leather trousers are worn with hand-in-the-pocket boyish attitude, low-slung on the hip, revealing sheer hosiery beneath. A troll-doll pastel mohawk keeps it rock n’ roll. 2. Silk pastels mirror mauve velvets on what resembles half a men’s smoking jacket and half a woman’s nightgown. As well as exuding a blend of sexy and edgy, it may be influenced by his fondness of cultural differences. He uses resources and mixes of materials to represent dynamic and urban areas, high and low cultures. 3. A long white tuxedo jacket with a built in fringe neck scarf drapes over the shoulders of an unfastened waistcoat, revealing a pale torso. Lime colored silk trousers with a grey grosgrain waistband are cropped and relaxed for comfort, like fine loungewear. Paint-splattered slip-ons suggest diligence or vulnerability, while a neon pink mohawk and lilac veil protects the face; almost like soft armor.
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Y G
oung uns
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ALDO CARRERA MODELS: BIANCA WALIAN AT EXALT, KRIS AT SCOUT AGENCY STYLING BY ALANNAH MACINTYRE STYLING ASSISTANT HANNAH COLEMAN HAIR BY KURT MUSRASRIK MAKEUP BY GARY
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LEFT: KNIT PANTS JACQUELINE RABOT AND JULIE SELTZER, SEQUIN TOP STYLIST’S OWN, NECKLACE STYLIST’S OWN, SHAWL STYLIST’S OWN. RIGHT: DRESS ACADEMY OF ART UNIVERSITY FRENCH TEXTILE COLLECTION, ROBE VINTAGE.
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SEQUIN TOP STYLIST’S OWN, NECKLACE STYLIST’S OWN, SHAWL STYLIST’S OWN.
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STRIPED JUMPSUIT VINTAGE, CREAM CAPE VINTAGE
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PINK CHUNKY SWEATER IAN SCOTT MCFARLAND, BEADED PANTS VINTAGE, SNEAKERS MARC BY MARC JACOBS
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CHUNKY SWEATER IAN SCOTT MCFARLAND, TRASH BAG DRESS STYLIST’S OWN, GREY WEDGES JEFFREY CAMPBELL
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STRIPED JUMPSUIT VINTAGE, CREAM CAPE STYLIST’S OWN, LACE BOOTS STUART WEITZMAN
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LEFT: STRIPED JUMPSUIT VINTAGE, CREAM CAPE STYLIST’S OWN, LACE BOOTS STUART WEITZMAN. RIGHT: DRESS ACADEMY OF ART UNIVERSITY FRENCH TEXTILE COLLECTION, ROBE VINTAGE,
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LEFT: CHUNKY KNIT IAN SCOTT MCFARLAND, TRASH BAG DRESS STYLIST’S OWN, GREY WEDGES JEFFREY CAMPBELL. RIGHT: PINK SLACKS VINTAGE, SILK BLOUSE ACADEMY OF ART UNIVERSITY FRENCH TEXTILE COLLECTION
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STRIPED JUMPSUIT VINTAGE, CREAM CAPE STYLIST’S OWN, LACE BOOTS STUART WEITZMAN
RICK OWENS Walk this land with me. The anti-conformist fashion designer is celebrating “sisterhood and motherhood, and regeneration� in his latest collection.
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Now the pendulum has swung, and the focus is all female.
She walks through the concrete underground of the Palais de Tokyo in company, another body strapped to her, dangling weightless. She is transported not by a constraining bandage, which desires to undermine the human body, but harnessed with a “loving ribbon”. It’s a stunt that initially conceals the clothes in Rick Owens recent collection, allowing an emphasis on the message, but it’s a directed obscurity. The illusion of control isn’t about the burden or the baggage that we carry, says Owens, but of “women raising women, women becoming women, and women supporting women”. Titled ‘Cyclops’, the theme glorifies the female for what she truly is, a mythical creature.
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Women are supporting each other, literally, bearing one another, suspended, upside down. The aerial distortions of the figure mimic cradling and birth, the act that can only be performed by a woman. Its “a world of women I know little about and can only attempt to amuse in my own small way,” says Owens. The performance inspires a fear or respect through its intensity and its focused vision. ‘This land is mine’ is a phrase sung repeatedly by three vocalists, solemnly stood in an unreachable glass box. It is intense and outlandish, an expression that Owens has used on the runway before; earlier this year he purposefully created controversy by “framing the penis”, essentially glorifying the male procreative parts.
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1. The sheer organza silk tunic with its ripples of fabric is “as close to floral as I’ll probably ever get,” says Owens. The natural folds of the flower are part of a symbol that is often represented by the female reproductive parts. Her hair flows naturally behind her, a bare face. 2. The shoulder is sharply defined in an asymmetric dress with sculpted metallic leather proportions. The form is organic and has no method; It conveys the idea that, “like human nature, were imperfect and raw.” 3. Leather is waxed in a process similar to drum skins here to create a lustrous touch, a sensuality related to the female body. It’s nourished and soft. He uses women for his show that are “not beautiful by conventional fashion standards: to show that beauty is also a story of self-confidence, attitude, and it can work”.
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BURBERRY PRORSUM The
English
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The traditional British Burberry girl has diverged from her preen feminine perfection in Christopher Bailey’s latest collection.
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Ethereal Grunge; A Dark Romance
She exposes her daring and slightly disheveled London-cool. The looks break boundaries, featuring dark silks, metals, lace and leather, which almost don’t make sense for the season. They are purposely “a mashup of things I really love”, and people no longer care in a world that is hot and cold all year-round, says Bailey. He chose a tent in Hyde Park, London, decked out with Burberry’s signature marble flooring, and a runway that circled around a full 32-piece orchestra for the show space. It was prominent all over the Snapchat feed yesterday, with unique geofilters of ‘The Burberry Show’ alongside videos of models Cara Delevigne, Jourdan Dunn, and Suki Waterhouse, who are all avid social media users. Burberry proves their fashion and tech-forward mindset by partnering up with the social media site for the first time to give everyone “an instant global view,” says Bailey. As well as streaming the show live, the feed revealed behind the scenes snippets of rehearsals, backstage fittings, and the after-show. 56
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1. A sheer oxblood polka-dot dress floats down the runway over a high-wasted black short, nipped in at the waist with a thick silk band. Wedged black sandals embellished with a thick gold chain, a contrast against the dainty handle of the neutral-toned bag. The lip shade ‘Black Rose’ is dominant. 2. A lingerie dress in black silk and lace, worn with a hooded jersey coat is the antithesis to summer daywear. The heavy metal accessories and bed-head hair add an edgy disorder to the feminine English rose. 3. A dark spin on the classic Burberry trench coat, worn casually over a sculpted sheer dress of black lace is the edgier ‘underwear as outerwear’ look. Personalized nylon backpacks characterized with models initials, give the overall look it’s nineties laid-back grunge.
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EFFORTLESS
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PHOTOGRAPHY BY SHAN LEE STYLING BY SHAN’NICE STOREY MODEL REGAN AT SCOUT MODEL & TALENT AGENCY PHOTOGRAPHY ASSISTANT HANNAH WEBER
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PANTS, TOP ACADEMY OF ART UNIVERSITY STYLING CLOSET
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TOP ACADEMY OF ART UNIVERSITY STYLING CLOSET
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PANTS, ACADEMY OF ART UNIVERSITY STYLING CLOSET
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PANTS, ACADEMY OF ART UNIVERSITY STYLING CLOSET
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VEST, FOREVER 21, PANTS, ACADEMY OF ART UNIVERSITY STYLING CLOSET
BABYGHOST Why do you fear me? The label inspired by “Death” is an ode to the eternal state of rest.
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“When I am needed, I’ll come to you.”
Babyghost, the label founded in downtown Manhattan 2010, is the bi-coastal design child of Qiaoran Huang & Joshua Hupper. The duo who want to make clothing girls want, not clothing that the designers want them to wear, spend almost six months of the year exploring the world for cultural inspiration, particularly Huang’s native China. Their gritty but whimsical Spring 16 collection, shown at New York Fashion Week was inspired by both the Halston documentary Ultrasuede, and an eery poem from the 1940′s, Clarence E. Flynn’s “Death.” It’s an ode to the eternal state of rest, he asks, “why do you fear me? I am your friend.” We have nothing to fear. The collection which features the death stitch in every piece, is both gothic and dreamy. Even the couple’s muse, Chinese fashion model Xiao Wen Ju, has a hauntingly romantic air about her. Babyghost’s collection floats down the runway, provoking a quietus, soothing atmosphere. Empyrean on Earth. 72
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1. The light sheer fabric of an over-sized black t-shirt is mixed with heavier velvet, imprinted with the supernal words of Flynn’s entire poem. She is a walking ephemera. High-waisted, tailored cream pants add a touch of angelic feminine elegance. 2. An otherwise neutral palette is lurid and rich with deep royal blues, striped across the body on a pleated tunic dress. A black shadow like skirt flows out from underneath revealing a grave-like darkness of sheer fabric, and the words of death. 3. A winged cherub conceals the sheer upper layer of this look, with a weighted skirt of jersey, gold lamÊ, and copper foliage. Wooden earth toned suede sandals add a contradicting earthiness. The lightweight translucent, yet somber mood conveys a warped yet enchanting view of the dark side.
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Same Style...But Sexier Stampd LA Launches Womenswear Collection A/W 15
He knows the balance between what is luxury and what is street. Chris Stamp, Founder and Creative Director behind rapidly growing Los Angeles brand, Stampd brings an understated elegance and luxe to everyday dressing. The SoCal designer that was just named GQ’s “Best New Menswear Designers in America” for 2015 and says he was ‘born wearing black’ has captured the same kind of casual chic, monochromatic aesthetic in his limited-edition womenswear collection, which launched online on November 17th.
The collection contains the same high quality materials as the menswear, including neoprene, and performance tech fabrics, in a silhouette that complements the female form. Stampd is known for its design being in the details, the texture, the cut, something that Stamp admires about the Danish taste and attention to detail from frequent visits to the design capital of Copenhagen; “I’m kind of just a product of my environment wherever I go,” he says.
In a modern approach to what the future of womenswear is, the brand is redefining the idea of androgynous dressing by introducing a neutral palette of their menswear designs in a more flattering, sexier cut. The brand’s signature nylon Strapped Bomber jacket is available in a cropped version for women, while high-waisted loose fit pants, side-slit maxi dresses, tees, jerseys, and sports tops have a distinct femininity.
The successful womenswear launch can only be a sign of good things to come; Stamp revealed that the brand are opening their first ever brick and mortar retail space in Los Angeles in February 2016, which was designed by his good friends at Brooklyn-based architecture firm, Snarkitecture.
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Your personal style is rooted in Stampd, encompassing a minimalist and monochromatic aesthetic. How do you keep this consistent while introducing seasonal trends into your designs?
Each women’s piece is exclusive, limited to 100. Just something you’re trying out for the debut? There’s kind of two parts to this: We wanted to test and see how things would go and we wanted to be special. If you got it you got it. A one time thing. That’s how we started out with men’s too, very limited edition pieces. And then a slow progression into us doing larger quantities and opening up into a bigger distribution channel. How do you find the balance of what is luxury and what is street for the modern woman?
We started from a more or less black and white color palette, but as we grow we’re not gonna be stuck strictly to that, while we’ll keeping it minimalistic. When we bring in colors, we’re a little bit more drawn to earth tones…there’s a level of understated elegance that’s carried through the collection. I’m not into using super bright colors, so it’s still gonna have that kind of saturated feel even if it is a color. You’ve said in the past that you “don’t like to use the word streetwear, ever, but at the core [you] make luxury streetwear.” Does it come from a place of wanting to differentiate from other streetwear brands, or that you don’t want to be limited by the label?
I think it’s changing. Number one is accessibility to new designers that people haven’t had before because of the whole idea of social media. And a lot of combining different elements, it’s not like oh I’m draped in all Helmet Lang anymore; a lot of people are combining different style and pieces, they like pieces that are unique from different designers and also I guess a level of exclusivity to it. Wanting to have pieces that are not accessible to everyone. If you’re in the know, you’re in the know and I think that’s kind of the evolution of modern fashion.
I think what we’re doing is in a different lane to what you’d stereotypically label streetwear as. I think streetwear almost has a negative connotation that runs through it that’s like, oh there’s this urban lifestyle that streetwear emcompasses, but at the end of the day, streetwear is anything that you wear on a daily basis. That could be anything from Louis Vuitton shoes, Stampd denim, a Lanvin jacket and an Alexander Wang T-Shirt or something.
Who is the Stampd woman? I think she’s the younger modern woman, age 18 to early 30s. She has an appreciation for art, travel, and likes clothes in a different style, but likes to feel sexy at the same time.
I don’t like the the idea of streetwear being like, oh you’re this urban brand, you automatically tie in with that certain kind of market, which I think is a thing of the past.
Can you elaborate on your design process for womenswear? I think it’s a take on this idea of making pieces that I haven’t really seen on the market. We got together a core group of friends that are close to my peers that I work with on a daily, and kind of just asked them like, yo, what do you think about this? How would you like this to be worn? That’s kind of how we moulded the collection together.
You were named one of the Best New Menswear Designers of 2015 by GQ! Has this kind of exposure translated at all in the buzz surrounding the Stampd’s womenswear launch this Nov 17th? How did the launch go? Surprisingly over the the last 3 to 4 years, we’ve been able to see our vision of the woman we sell to, you know 20% of our business is women. Whether that’s them buying hats or more smaller sizes in the guys pieces and liking that more tomboy kind of androgynous look. To introduce things that are more specific, cut wise to women has been rad. It’s awesome to see this whole transition of our core customers who are getting excited about new pieces we make, and then this new customer of girls where we’re making products that are more specific just to them.
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IMAGE: COURTESY OF STAMPD
I noticed on the Stampd site that women’s pieces are mixed in with men’s, as well, kind of like this gender neutral shopping experience. Is this done purposely as you hope some of the pieces can cross over sexes or is that just the merchandising setup?
Where do you envision the brand and yourself to be in another five years? I really want to put the focus directly into our business, and honing it in on the people that are buying directly from us. What they want and what their needs are. From there expanding what we’re doing with our online platform and then from there getting into brick and mortar retail. We’re opening our first store which is gonna be in Los Angeles in February. From there we see it growing into something in Tokyo and hopefully New York in the next five years.
Yeah, that’s the whole idea of the collection really. A lot of the men’s pieces are made to be worn by women as well. We’re ordering in a lot more of the smaller sizes because of it, and a lot of the footwear we make, our smaller sizes sell out first. I think for girls there’s this transition of them wanting to dress like that, not necessarily just like guys, but a kind of tomboy type feel. I guess it was kind of important to us to make sure that they have something special for them, not like I’m gonna buy my boyfriend a t-shirt and buy myself the same in a smaller size. Now you can have the same stye and something slightly different and fitted a little bit more sexy.
Favorite Stampd piece? I love our bomber jackets, it’s one of my go-tos. One of the newest ones which we did with Monkeytime is in an olive, we removed the straps from the back and put them on the sleeves, I love that. And the lighter weight jackets we have for next season with the technical fabric are really cool.
You’ve collaborated with a few brands now for menswear, GQ, Puma, Gap, and Japanese brand Monkeytime. Any designers you’d hope to collaborate with for womenswear?
Anything else you can share with what’s to come? Yeah we’re showing in New York for men’s fashion week between 1-4th Feb. We haven’t solidified the dates yet, but it’s really the first time that we’ll be showing in that kind of platform. That’s exciting. And after that we’ll show in Paris. It’ll be a presentation, a certain space with a two hour window where you can go and check out the clothes and understand the aesthetic, as well as hear directly from me and my design team about the process.
Not specifically; I like to know the person or the brand prior to us working with them as we work very closely. Not to say I don’t have any people that I admire but like just more of an organic relationship. That’s how the majority of our collaborations have come to life at this point. We meet and have lunch or go out and if there’s this general understanding and a good vibe between us then we take it to the next design level. And for womenswear I want that same organic process.
We’ll go more minimal with the display, let the styling in the pieces speak for themselves. Most likely we’ll be working with our friends, a Brooklyn-based architectural firm who’s also designing our store, called Snarkitecture. So they’re gonna help us curate the aesthetic of what we do for the presentation and have that carry into what we do with the store.
Stampd has its roots embedded in Southern Cali, but do you see other parts of the world now influencing your aesthetic? Over the last 2 years I’ve been able to travel so much, and I think I’m kind of just a product of my environment wherever we go so, from being in Tokyo admiring the architecture and the level of minimalism they have there, and also seeing things in Copenhagen and how their taste level is super driven by attention to detail. Little nuances from each place are definitely buried into if not directly a piece of clothing, it’s more of an attitude of the aesthetic .
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Gender Neutral: A Fashion Movement Millennials are challenging the perception of sexual orientation, causing a seismic shift in gender targeted fashions. What aesthetically distinguishes a male and a female, masculine or feminine is not being redefined in clothing, it’s disappearing altogether.
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OP-ED
The movement shrugs off conventional gender labels, by refusing to adhere to a socially prescribed sex. It’s a progression that is being respected by the fashion industry; designers are choosing not to label menswear and womenswear as two separate entities, but instead blurring the lines between the two, or offering a collection that is completely gender neutral. Vivienne Westwood’s recent collection titled ‘Unisex’, is indeterminate and boundary-free. It features trousers for women and dresses for men, allowing for gender fluidity. It’s a concept that she’s been aware of for some time. “I remember reading a book set in the future,” she told ELLE magazine. “It was written in the 1870s projecting to 1920, and this time traveler said you couldn’t tell the difference between men and women. He saw what was coming.” It wasn’t until just before World War I that fashion became such a huge signifier of gender. Jo B. Paoletti, a historian at the University of Maryland, found that colors came to be recognized as gender specific as a result of manufacturers and retailers shaping America’s preferences; Time magazine printed a chart showing sex appropriate clothes for girls and boys back in 1927. With the arrival of the anti-feminine movement in the late 60s, styles that were devoid of gender became popular. Paoletti found that in the 1970s, the Sears Roebuck catalog did not market pink toddler clothing for two years. The gender divide came back even stronger around 1985, when retailers realized that “the more you individualize clothing, the more you can sell,” Paoletti says. Pink became known as a color for girls, blue for boys, skirts were worn by women only, trousers for men, the partitions go on. It’s rigid classifiers like these that the millennials want to break down again. They do not want to be
sexually defined by appearance or color, especially because these distinctions leave no room to include those who identify themselves as transgender or gender neutral. In addition to color, society also recognizes certain items and accessories as feminine. Vaid-Menon, non-binary transgender performance artist, writer, and activist from New York City said to Refinery29, “There is a material consequence to me presenting feminine, and there’s not a material consequence to me presenting masculine. The minute I wear lipstick, or the minute I put on earrings, or the minute I’m wearing a skirt, my entire reality shifts.” Andreas Frontaler, husband and designer of Vivienne Westwood said in a recent interview with ELLE magazine, “A dress can work for both, because there is both in us, masculine and feminine. I’m 51 per cent man and 49 per cent woman, I think. I just look like a man. But I can feel like a woman, I can understand women.” One of the first to adopt genderless clothing was Pierre Cardin, an Italian-born fashion designer known for his avant-garde and space age style clothing. Advances in technology and fabric production during the 1960s allowed the production of his streamlined, minimalist designs for both men and women. He preferred body skimming apparel for both sexes, rather than dressing women in pants as many other designers did at the time. Even then, his clothes were seen as gender neutral rather than unisex. It’s true that men and women will always be genetically different in their makeup, but as a civilization we have chosen to create aesthetic boundaries that separate the two even further. When we encounter one another, we recognize and accept identity this way.
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The distinction between man and woman is disappearing, aesthetically at least… As a designer, you reflect the culture, and this is a big facet of our culture right now.
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We’re not abandoning the versatility of unisex. We’re just not targeting it. People want to and can shop without limitations, or stereotypes.
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Including gender neutral as an option allows people to define their own identities and to live in a way that feels authentic to them. People can choose instinctively the clothes that reflect who they are, as opposed to what has been prescribed or targeted.
The shopping experience has changed. Revolutionary clothing brands like Acne, Vince, and Rag & Bone intermix their clothing racks to allow the shopper to define the offering for themselves. The historic department store Selfridges of London, launched an experimental popup earlier this year called ‘Agender’, which they described as “a celebration of fashion without definition.” It examined shifting gender boundaries through, music, design, and fashion collaborations, where gender-fluid labels like Nicopanda, Ann Demeulemeester and Yang Li cohabited the same space. Liberty of London’s fall merchandise is 25 percent unisex.
The norm however, is to separate womenswear and menswear in retail stores. This is known as gender-specific target marketing; essentially deciding who can wear what. Until now, it has always been one or the other, male or female, menswear shopping or womenswear shopping. “Nobody cares anymore”, says Lazaro Hernandez, cofounder of Proenza Schouler. He tells Vogue, If fashion can be used as a signifier of gender, then it can diminish it too. Colors and patterns have been so distinctly attached to one gender and not to the other, that some brands have chosen to neutralize this idea completely. Others are purposely blurring the lines and redefining what may in the past have been assigned to a particular sex, flower patterns for females for example.
Some brands have even surpassed trying to be unisex, expressing that another label, is still putting people into a ternary or third gender category. Judson Harmon of Odd, the New York based gender fluid brand says, “We’re not abandoning the versatility of unisex. We’re just not targeting it. People want to and can shop without limitations, or stereotypes.” It’s clothing geared toward a new generation. It seems this time around, in the generation of the millennial, that gender neutral is here to stay. “The trend has a label, and it’s gained acceptance by a mass audience,” says the designer of gender-fluid brand Humberto Leon. The perception of gender-based fashion design and marketing with its dire need for redefinition is being heard, considered, and respected. Millennials are using the hugely effective power of social media to make it known. We are dictating how we want to be accepted in our culture, and how we need perceptions to change. Aesthetics are a huge part of how we define ourselves, and who we are in a culture. With a generation creating change and a fashion industry that is responding, the lines that separate are being stripped back, blurred, and in many cases disappearing altogether.
Gender fluidity has been dominating the runways in the last few seasons. Designers such as Gucci, Proenza Schouler, and Chanel recently used men in their womenswear shows, while Givenchy, Giorgio Armani, Saint Laurent, and Moschino did the opposite. Gucci’s fall menswear collection consisted of pussy-bow blouses and high-waisted flares that echo the 70s, the era where unisex dressing flourished. Miuccia Prada stated in the New York Times recently that, “more and more, it feels instinctively right to translate the same idea for both genders.” At a recent runway show she emphasized this point by leaving a printed card on the seat of viewers stating, “gender is a context and context is often gendered.” The runway is not the only the arena to recognize the movement; clothing stores and gyms are building non-gendered changing rooms, dating apps have gender fluid options, and there is an increase in gender neutral bathrooms in public areas. 89
EMPOWER
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PHOTOGRAPHY SHAN LEE
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COAT MONKI, WATCH VINTAGE, SHOES ZARA
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JACKET VINTAGE, JEANS LOUIS VUITTON, TOP YVES SAINT LAURENT, SHOES ZARA.
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COAT LOUIS VUITTON, TOP & OTHER STORIES, BRALETTE VICTORIA’S SECRETT, PANTS ARMANI, SHOES STYLIST’S OWN
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LEFT: SHIRT, HAT ZARA, SKIRT MARC CAIN, NECKLACE VINTAGE. RIGHT: JACKET RIVER ISLAND, TOP LOUIS VUITTON, SKIRT H&M, BRACELET ZARA
STYLING BY ISABELLE EDER-MCNAB ASSISTANT STYLING BY HALEY BURGSTAHLER MAKEUP & HAIR BY FAYE HARRIS MODELS CARMEN MAE & NATALIA S. 97 MANAGEMENT AT STARS MODEL
BEAUTY VERSE
“She plasters over her well-favour’d face” Drayton, Michael, “The Moon Calf” in Samuel Johnson, ed., The Works of English Poets, Vol. IV (London, 1810), 129.
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“Beauty is an ecstasy� W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) British novelist and playwright.
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“Beauty is bought by judgement of the eye” Shakespeare, Love’s Labours Lost, 1588
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“Beauty is not caused. It is.” Emily Dickinson (1830-1886)
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Beauty Lies Truth You don’t mess with Beauty Lies Truth. This is the non-profit organization that is set out to tell the truth about the beauty industry, bar. no. bullshit.
What’s now a comprehensive website that curates and reviews natural beauty products and advocates for change - including letter writing campaigns to fight for better testing - started out as a blog in 2014. Founded by Alexis Krauss, front woman of American noise pop band Sleigh Bells, and her Harvard Business School friend Jessica Assaf, they are on a mission to create meaningful change in a misleading industry. Musician Krauss, 30, combines her passion for the environment with a background in human rights and teaching with business savvy Assaf. The concept of Beauty Lies Truth came about over coffee and conversation in Brooklyn, New York, chatting about the scary state of cosmetic safety in the United States. rauss had read a shocking New York Times artiK cle about the use of plastic microbeads in personal care products, particularly exfoliants. The tiny beads that seem harmless, are in fact flowing through water pipes into ecosystems where they are killing marine life.
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The article stated that ‘Scientists fear [microbeads] could be working their way back up the food chain to humans,’ and Krauss wondered: “Can you imagine if we thought about what we put on our skin in the same way we think about what we eat?” The feisty duo conceptualized a plan to get safe, effective, and affordable beauty and skincare products into everyone’s hands, they won’t allow you to be lied to anymore. Nor are they afraid to call out the companies that don’t have the consumer’s - or the environment’s - best interests at their core either. Assaf, 25, publicly posted on the blog an offer letter she received for an internship from cosmetic giant L’Oréal alongside her cutting response, which slammed the company for trying to recruit the wrong girl. Assaf said she’s been “a chemical activist since the age of fifteen,” and included one of L’Oréal’s serum gels in an article about the Top 10 Worst Beauty Brands, based on research from the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep database.
JESSICA ASSAF + ALEXIS KRAUSS
PHOTO: COURTESY OF KRAUSS
She says that the website is “the only real resource available to learn about cosmetic safety.” Assaf notes that L’Oréal’s Professional Texture Ex pert Volume Elevation Volumizing Serum-Gel, is one of the most toxic products on the entire database, with a score of 10 and ingredients linked to cancer, developmental and reproductive toxicity. She even posted a link to the scientific data that she referenced, alongside her personal toxin exam, revealing how many harmful chemicals and pollutants were in her body due to longterm use of products from chemical-based brands.
really is a market for non-toxic, effective skincare products. There are brands out there that don’t use chemicals in their products, that don’t test on animals, and that work with organizations like EWG to ensure that their products meet the highest standards, and are safe for consumers.
It’s because of the number of cosmetic firms that still use toxic chemicals like this that Beauty Lies Truth began their crusade. While EWG provides a lot of numbers and research, Beauty Lies Truth want to fight to make safe the universal standard.
Krauss said their ultimate goal is to “educate consumers about the unregulated chemicals they are exposing their bodies and the environment to, empowering them to demand change from conventional companies and motivating them to support alternative brands and cleaner products.”
The #TruthBeauty movement, which launched on Kickstarter earlier this year, raised over $33,000 by backers who are just as eager to help show the world that there
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It’s alarming that many of the ingredients we slather on our bodies on a daily basis, we cannot even pronounce. To help illustrate this point, the Beauty Lies Truth duo went around the streets of New York City, asking people if they could name any of the ingredients in their skincare. None of them could.
ALEXIS KRAUSS OF SLEIGH BELLS
PHOTO: ERIK ERIKSON
What’s the biggest deception surrounding the beauty industry? Products are so effectively marketed, most consumers don’t even know or question what’s in them. Can you imagine if we thought about what we ate in the same way we thought about what we put on our skin? We’d be eating thousands of mysterious things we couldn’t even pronounce. You founded the site with a friend, Jessica Assaf. How does your friendship, active lifestyle, and musical background contribute to #TruthBeauty?
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Jess is one of the most hard working and passionate people I know. She’s an idea machine and I find her extremely inspiring. She doesn’t care who she’s going to piss off and that’s key to being an effective activist. As a result of Sleigh Bells I have some influence in the world of beauty and fashion and that platform has been critical to growing support for Beauty Lies Truth and the #TruthBeauty movement. As you mentioned I lead an active lifestyle. I spend a lot of time outdoors, exploring wild places. My love of na-
ture and the planet has motivated me to do whatever I can to consume responsibly and sustainably. Using cleaner products on my body means exposing our air, water and land to less chemicals. The #TruthBeauty movement is without a doubt an environmental movement. You once said, “If you can’t pronounce it, if you don’t know what the f*** it is, you probably shouldn’t be putting it on your body.” Is there anything in your beauty routine that you have to make exceptions for? Unless you are a chemist it’s still much harder to understand what’s in your eyeliner than it is to understand what’s in your body lotion. There is a reason why mainstream cosmetic companies formulate with so many synthetics…they work! While the natural beauty world has come a long way developing transparent and effective formulations for makeup, it can still be challenging to find eye makeup that lasts. I’ll still use some conventional liquid liners especially when I’m on stage. What do you think of the stigma around organic products not working as well as conventional chemical based products, deodorants or toothpaste for example? I think it’s becoming less and less of an issue. The stigma mostly only exists because alternative brands don’t have the same marketing machines behind them as huge corporations, and mainstream brands have worked hard to discredit natural companies. As more and more people start buying and using simpler, safer products the market for them will grow and customers will share how wonderful these products are with the world. Formulations will also continue to get better as the demand for non-toxic, organic, fair trade, and cruelty free products increases. If you came into my house, how would you detox my beauty routine? You have to start small so that you don’t get overwhelmed. I’d probably begin with your moisturizer. Let’s get rid of any any lotions with harsh preservatives like parabens and petrochemical lubricants like mineral oil. Instead let’s start exploring the wonders of plant based oils and butters Which organic products can’t you live without? Shea butter and coconut oil. 109
What are your go-to beauty resources to educate yourself? I really value the resources provided by the Environmental Working Group and the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. I think alternative brands such as Earth Tu Face, Allafia, ILIA, Juice Beauty, AuNaturale, SW Basics, Ursa Major, One Love Organics and Beautycounter (just to name a few), and stores like Follain are some of the best sources for information on safe and sustainable skin care formulations. When you launched on Kickstarter, you offered makeup bags filled with organic goodies for backers. How did you choose the products, and what do you plan to do now the campaign is over? (I noticed all the brand partners are female owned.) The goal of the #TruthBeauty Kickstarter was to get our top picks for safe and effective makeup and skincare products into the hands of our supporters. Jess and I meticulously chose the products ourselves. The products we chose best represented the contents of our own beauty bags and highlighted essentials from some of our favorite companies. Since women are the primary consumers of makeup and skincare products we decided to support brands run by women. We believe it’s critical for women to take control of their bodies and take back the power in the beauty industry! What can companies do to prove their safety and effectiveness? I think companies must do everything they can to source high quality ingredients and work with respected certifying bodies such as USDA Organic, Fair Trade USA, and Leaping Bunny just to name a few. Companies need to act as ethically and transparently as possible and provide their consumers with comprehensive educational resources. I read that you were toying with the idea of creating an app that would aid with the beauty choices we make? Jess and I are working on ways to expand the #TruthBeauty movement and create resources that will allow consumers to more easily choose excellent products that adhere to our strict standards and meet their beauty and skin care needs. More soon!
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MAKING OVER THE BEAUTY INDUSTRY The beauty industry needs a makeover, and so does your bathroom cabinet.
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IMAGE: EMANUELMRS
OP-ED
It is highly likely that most of the cosmetic products that we use every day contain toxic chemicals. But across the pond in Europe, this isn’t the case; the majority of their personal products are safe and non-toxic. Already over 1000 toxic chemicals that are common ingredients and preservatives in beauty and personal products have been banned in the E.U., whereas in the U.S., the Food and Drug Administration has banned only 10. Some of these extremely hazardous ingredients, are carcinogens - cancer causing, and have been linked to birth defects, genetic mutation, and organ damage. The shocking studies for these ingredients are not difficult to find with a simple Google search, so why is it that the regulation system is so different and less stringent in the U.S.? The FDA does not currently have authority to test chemicals used in cosmetics, to require safety testing before products hit the shelves, nor to recall products once a toxic chemical is discovered. The responsibility lies with the cosmetic manufacturer who must ensure that the production of their products adheres to the FDA’s guidelines. This is how companies get their toxic products into the consumer’s hands, because they are not required to register their cosmetic labs, file data on ingredients, or report cosmetic related injuries to the FDA. According to the FDA, a cosmetic is defined as a product for “cleansing, beautifying, promoting attractiveness, or altering the appearance.” The European Union Cosmetics Directive (EUCD) defines it much more thoroughly, as “any substance or preparation intended to be placed in contact with the various external parts of the human body (epi-
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dermis, hair system, nails, lips and external genital organs) or with the teeth and the mucous membranes of the oral cavity with a view exclusively or mainly to cleaning them, perfuming them, changing their appearance, and/or correcting body odours and/or protecting them or keeping them in good condition.” The EUCD also mandates that products “must not cause damage to human health when applied under normal or reasonably foreseeable conditions of use,” which is why when an ingredient in the E.U. is discovered to cause any damage, the product is taken off the shelves immediately, and the chemical banned from any further use in the manufacture and production of any cosmetic products. “Many of these chemicals are considered safe in low doses by themselves,” said Nneka Leiba, a senior analyst at the consumer organization the Environmental Working Group (EWG), in a recent Newsmax Health article. “What we are concerned about is the damage they can cause repetitively over time and synergistically with each other. There is no research or data for this.” EWG launched the Skin Deep database in 2004, after finding that one in 30 products sold in the U.S. fails to meet industry or government safety standards. They concluded that people apply, on average, 126 unique ingredients topically on a daily basis, most of them containing highly toxic chemicals. The organization urges consumers to educate themselves and to learn how to read the ingredient labels on the products that they are using.
“ Over 60 percent of what one puts on their body goes directly into the bloodstream.
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Skin Deep rates over 80,000 popular cosmetic products, ranking them from 0-10 in terms of the toxicity of the product. It clearly explains the function of ingredient use within a product and its effects on the body. Ingredients are listed in order of the amount used within the product, therefore what is listed at the top of the label is what the product contains most of. Most fruit extracts and healthier ingredients, the ones that you can normally pronounce the names of, tend to be listed at the bottom, which means that they are used in extremely small quantities. Usually this is only to add some sort of fragrance to the product, and has little benefit for the skin or body. Understanding all of the ingredients on the labels of products can sometimes be difficult and time consuming. To make it much easier, EWG created the Skin Deep app in 2013, transforming the way we shop for personal care products. It allows the consumer to scan a barcode of a product in-store to get a toxicity rating. In November of 2015, they took an even further dive into regulating the cosmetics sold in the U.S. marketplace by launching the EWG Verified seal, a mark that indicates that a product has met their strict standards. Only products that qualify can bear this seal. The EWG’s criteria is based on products scoring a “green” in their Skin Deep database, not containing any ingredients on their “unacceptable,” or “restricted” lists, and fully disclosing all ingredients on labels including those used in fragrance. They must also follow the E.U.’s requirements for labeling allergens and nanomaterials used in cosmetics, and finally indicating expiration dates or a “period of time after opening.” 114
EWG has created stringent guidelines because the government does not require long-term safety studies or pre-market testing. Many companies use the very low FDA approved percentages of toxic preservatives and fillers because they are cheaper to use than their safer, natural or organic alternatives. They also increase the shelf-life of the product. What the government doesn’t take into account when approving these doses in small quantitates, is how toxic the ingredient is in larger quantities. When the body is exposed to such chemicals on a daily basis, it makes the risk for damage by toxic chemicals considerably higher. People often have the misconception that if something is applied topically to the skin, like creams, lotions, and makeup, it can be wiped straight off and therefore we aren’t absorbing it. Scientists and dermatologists have since found out that’s not the case. Over 60 percent of what one puts on their body goes directly into the bloodstream. As consumers we have a right to know what is in our products and how common ingredients are affecting our bodies for the long-term. Even though the information was traditionally hard to find, it is now readily available online thanks to EWG and the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. Advocacy websites have spurred an influx of organic and natural brands that want to market themselves as safe, non-toxic, and made without any harmful ingredients. Perhaps in the future the toxic offenders will be in the minority.
Six of the most common, toxic, skin-care ingredients that are used in the U.S. but are banned in other countries are: 1. Formaldehyde: This chemical is used as a preservative and also includes a group of substances known as “formaldehyde donors,” which effectively releases formaldehyde into a product. One of the most controversial of these donors is quaternium-15, which until recently was found in the popular Johnson & Johnson’s baby shampoos. The American Academy of Dermatology warns that formaldehyde can cause severe allergic reactions. Canada has banned it in personal care products. 2. Petroleum distillates: The same oil refineries that pump out oil for heating and cars also produce petroleum that is often found in mascaras and lip balms sold in the United States. Petroleum distillates are used as emollients and are also found in eye shadow, lotions, creams, hairspray, and foundation makeup. 3. Hydroquinone: This bleaching agent is often used to lighten dark patches of skin called hyperpigmentation, dark spots, age spots, or liver spots. It has also been linked to lung irritation and tumors in mice. Canada and some Asian and African countries have banned the use of hydroquinone in skincare products. 4. BHA Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA): is used as a preservative in moisturizers, shaving creams, fragrances, and makeup, particularly lipsticks. It is linked to endocrine disruption and cancer, according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer. The EU prohibits its use in fragrances, and California requires a warning label on all products that contain BHA. It adversely affects the environment by accumulating in water, killing wildlife. 5. Parabens: These chemicals are used as preservatives in a variety of cosmetics. They are suspected endocrine disruptors and may interfere with the male reproductive function. They are commonly used in deodorants and antiperspirants and have been linked to breast cancer. The EU banned parabens in 2012. 6. Methyl cellosolve: This solvent is used in anti-aging creams, moisturizers, and serums. According to the EWG, methyl cellosolve is a neurotoxin that causes DNA mutation. It’s an obscure ingredient that is sometimes not explicitly listed on labels. It has been banned in Canada and restricted in the EU. 115
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NICK FLATT’S CLASS WAR
ussian fascism and a new sort of corporate elitism is blown up on a wall in Berlin. R The giant mural ‘Class War’, which is located at the ‘Devil’s Mountain’ was created by American photorealism painter, Nick Flatt, in a collaboration with London street-artist, Fanakapan. It displays the idea of cultural dominance by an elite Russian ruling class.
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ALL IMAGES: COURTESY OF ARTIST
The “fashion terrorist” modeling the mural is Russian-born Sonya Molodetskaya. She represents the glamourous and powerful supreme class, scantily clad in black lingerie and a fox fur jacket. Embellished with Erickon Beamon jewels, she is a symbol of conspicuous consumption. However, a photoshopped black eye and a cigarette dangling from her mouth distorts the desire for her superiority. “Class War” is located at Teufelsberg Station, known as the ‘Devil’s Mountain’, in Berlin, Germany. This location was chosen particularly because of its war-lorn history. Flatt says, “The U.S., along with allied forces, used the station to spy on Russian occupied east Germany during the Cold War. The station was built on a Nazi technology school used to train elite intelligence officers during World War II. Cray as fuck.” Flatt’s artwork regularly features antiestablishment themes and mock the narcissistic cultural ideals we have, such as ‘The American Dream’. He believes these are learned and reinforced through corporate media control. Other series of his work 118
include porn star portraits on tarot cards, princesses of plutocracy, and a smoking, naked Barbie doll demonstrating the “Commodification of Rebellion”. Flatt just returned from London, competing in ‘Behind the Curtain’ a four-week series which saw sixteen artists take over East London’s Shoreditch Art Wall. Flatt’s mural, which was a collaboration with Seeds One was entitled ‘Capitalism Is Rad™’. It made a statement against gentrification and the warped consumer culture we live in, where the model represents the wealthy 1% ruling class, giving the finger to everyone who walks by. Avoiding any relation to the capitalist principles of branding, he is now working on a series of Abstract paintings, and toying with the idea of doing Photorealism in the streets and Neo-Expressionist Abstraction on canvas in the studio.
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How has growing up in the U.S., Texas specifically, influenced your work?
You’ve expressed the absurdity of the ‘American dream’, paintings of sex, money, and power. Now living in Berlin, ‘Class War’ touches on the history of Cold War Germany. Such different cultures have inspired your work. What does this mural represent for you?
Leaving Texas for California, then California for Europe, has really helped me realize the amount of cultural insulation that America, and even more drastically Texas, places around its citizens. Watching America from abroad the last 2 years, especially the last few months is kinda scary. Maybe it’s because I am seeing events through a different scope, but seeing the rise of a person like Donald Trump on the right, while living in Berlin makes it easy to draw certain parallels.
I was just getting my feet wet with my first series that mocked the American Dream. As I began traveling a little more, I realized advertisement’s role in developing/ promoting corporate hegemony on a global scale. The cultural relevance of Class War was to do with the Cold War, but Fascism, in one of its chameleon forms runs through both events. The model I chose for this image, Sonya Molodetskaya, fitted the role perfectly being both Russian and from the American ruling class. Her longtime partner is former San Francisco mayor Willie Brown. Sonya is really into fashion, so I knew she would be able to dial up the image of a socialite with her jewelry and designer clothes.
What’s your process of working from a photo to a canvas, or giant mural?
What’s the art community like in Berlin? It’s great! There isn’t a shit ton of money in the Berlin art scene, so everyone is more emotionally supportive of each other. Attending other artists shows and really developing the scene. Berlin is in the early stages of gentrification, so I expect to see an influx of capital to the area over the next few years. Be it good or bad. 121
I work with a photographer to capture a specific concept for each individual piece. Once the final image is locked in, I take that photograph into Photoshop and blow it up to the exact same size as the canvas or wall. For example; if the mural I am working on is 12 feet tall, I make the jpeg 144 inches tall in Photoshop. Then I go through and cut an A4 size (or if in America, standard 8.5 x 11in) rectangle out of this enlarged image. A typical mural will consist of 40-100 of these rectangular images that I then have printed at the local print shop. I then tape these pieces together into horizontal strips. Now I have an exact size, printed replica of what I am going to paint. Then I paint that shit.
You’ve also been commissioned for mural work in London. Are antiestablishment artworks appreciated more in Europe?
How long does it take to complete a mural? Murals typically range from 5 to 18 days. My last mural in London took six 12 hour days. It’s said that you generally go against any sort of political system (I read that somewhere), who or what is inspiring your work right now?
That definitely seems to be the case. People loved mine and Paul Punk’s “Fuck Everything” mural in Berlin, where we take the piss out of all the shit we hate from Capitalism to Brad Pitt. As a counter story, I had a group show in San Francisco called Control where eight artists created pieces around the concepts of sex, money and power. I made a tank for this group show, and another artist painted a realistic rendition of a threesome from a porn clip. The gallery received so many complaints about the porn painting that it was eventually removed. Everyone loved the tank. Highlighting a disturbing trend in American censorship where violence is tolerated, even elevated to grandeur, and sexuality is demeaned and hidden in the back...behind the dope as fuck tank.
Yeah, I read that too. That would place more in line with Anarchists, but I would self-identify as Democratic Socialist, which I reckon stems from Marxist writings. It’s another term that has been purposefully aligned with ne’er do wells since WWII, and is criminally under taught in the American education system. That being said, I’m really inspired by economist Richard D Wolff at the moment. I can’t stop reading Christopher Hedges, and I think I will send in my overseas vote for Bernie Sanders in 2016. 122
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SAINT BÉNÉDICTE
Inspired by the dark romanticism of 18th century France, Mexican art, and 50s style tattoos, French photographer and graphic designer, Bénédicte creates a unique mix of prints for both interior design and clothing pieces.
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Bénédicte’s work includes a recurrent theme of death, spirituality, virginity, and anatomy; subjects which inspire her artistic expression, guide her, and bring her peace. Bénédicte’s most recent collection entitled ‘Renaissance’, is sold in the South of France’s eclectic boutique, La Ligne 29, located in the ancient, artist-driven city of Montpellier.
How did you begin your career in graphic design? When I studied photography, graduating in 2001, Adobe Photoshop was a new software in this profession. I first began restoring old pictures, using correction techniques (adding/ removing ungraceful elements etc…) and I quickly realized the possibilities within the software. I started to create my own pictures became totally addicted creating with this tool. It’s my experience with Printer Company, which reinforced this addiction. After Photoshop, I tested designing in Illustrator, added both to my design process and made my own way. Are you commissioned for your designs elsewhere or do you design solely for your own brand? For now, I am only working for La ligne 29 but I work on visuals for another brand, which will be launching next year. Tell me about the concept of La Ligne 29? LL29 is a store concept. The owners, my coworkers and great friends Bruno and Nicolas sell many different things which they look for all around the world. The place is full of positive waves and spirituality. What’s the theme for your latest collection? My last collection would be titled “Renaissance”. I left my ex associates when my name and my work was not taking the direction I wanted. It was getting constraining, completely incoherent and I felt I was losing my style. Profit had become the watchword. So that’s why I decided to start with Nicolas 127
and Bruno at LL29. With them I completely express myself, there is no censorship or obligation to create visuals that I don’t like or are not like me. It’s happiness! A true renaissance. The recurrent theme of my work is death, spirituality, virgin, and anatomy...Subjects that always inspire me. You use many skulls in your designs, any particular reason? My alternative healer would tell you that I come from a planet where those people have been exterminated. My shrink would tell you that I think of my grandfather very often who was an artist himself, and my medium would add that I am in complete connection with him. My grandfather is a person I have known very little in my life but he means a lot to me. I have his name, Renee. It’s true that I feel connected with him deceased. I always liked skulls, and I listened to Guns N’ Roses and wore their t-shirts when I was a teen! Can you tell me about your piece ‘Ma Madone’? ‘Ma Madone’ is a painting by Ingres. The night I made this creation, I really felt the piece was guiding me. It may sound crazy, but once I finished creating it, I immersed myself in her eyes and I got chills. I felt something new and disturbing to such an extent that I went to bed with a kind of fear. She is also displayed in my room and I meditate in front of her when I am lost. It’s what I want for my next tattoo. I devote a veritable cult for the virgin, though I’m not religious! She calms me down and guides me.
Can you describe your design process?
What is the art community like in Montpellier?
I reflect on a picture for days or even weeks before I produce a piece. When I find the time and in particular the inspiration, then I search my images (if I haven’t created them myself) and I assemble, cut, and superimpose on Photoshop. Sometimes I use Illustrator to create my designs. I don’t really draw freehand so my brush is my mouse. I can need as little as one hour or as much as 6 or 8 hours to finish a creation.
I am quite alone in the way I work...I don’t rubs shoulders with the Montpellier art world too much. Not that I don’t want to, but I consider myself a very shy and unconfident person. I am in awe of the work of some street artists such as Supakitch and Koralie, it impresses me very much.
Where do you find inspiration? I’m a big fan of Tim Burton movies. I also love the French 18th century for its romantic design. I like everything that is old, dark, moody, as well as Mexican art, the 50s, and tattoo art... In fact I mix all that I see and I love. I have never yet traveled; I guess when I can finally do it, my inspiration will be tenfold! Where do you print your designs? All of our materials are printed in France. It is much easier for us to control manufacturing here and we love working with our country. I have nothing against China, but we have neither the volume nor the means to work with them. We will do in the future for certain products or materials that are not found here, but we want to keep most of our production in France. LL29 and their customers like that.
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Are you showcasing at any trade shows/events? My next event is the Christmas market in Montpellier. I love getting back in contact with my clients, true fans of the first hour. I talk with them and tell stories all day!! We will also participate at the huge exhibition “Maison et Objet” in Paris in September 2016. I love this show, I’ve done it two times, but with Bruno and Nicolas of LL29 it will be even better! What’s next for you? To propel LL29 and continue my work as a photographer and above all working again with my hands. I have several tracks in life, maybe even teach graphic design at a private school!
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AMELIA BRA, SUSPENDER, BRIEF, LEATHER GLOVES, AGENT PROVOCATEUR, STOCKINGS MODEL’S OWN.
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ALIINA BASQUE, OUVERT, AGENT PROVOCATEUR, STOCKINGS MODEL’S OWN, SHOES CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN
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JENNA RED BRA, SUSPENDER, OUVERT AGENT PROVOCATEUR, STOCKINGS MODEL’S OWN
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AMELIA BRA, SUSPENDER, BRIEF, LEATHER GLOVES, AGENT PROVOCATEUR, STOCKINGS MODEL’S OWN.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY SHAN LEE STYLING BY FAYE HARRIS 137 SOLARES MODEL MINDY
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THE MAJESTY OF METAMORPHOSIS Born and raised in France, Nelly Recchia is the elegant, unique, and ethereal body art evolutionist that is all about emotion. To find something beautiful, she has to be moved.
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ALL IMAGES: COURTESY OF ARTIST
She’s a multi award winner in International makeup and Body Art competitions, but humbly hopes to “be perceived as someone who is contributing to Body Art’s evolution and make it more than just “naked people with paint on.” Recchia lends her fine talent and skill to the renowned Cinema Makeup School in Los Angeles, where she now resides collaborating on all visual art forms including: music videos, editorials, commercials and fine art photography. Some of her clients include: Katy Perry, Dita Von Teese, Kelis, Static X, Marilyn Manson, Britney Spears, Vogue, and Wired magazine.
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Where and when did you train to be a makeup artist?
I would like to take the opportunity of this question to say how much the word inspire is used so loosely, sullied. Nowadays more people tend to use the term “ inspired “or the term “ re-create” when all they are doing is to plagiarize someone else’s work. Even if I believe no one is really inventing anything completely new anymore and we are all mainly recycling ideas, I believe it is important to strive for originality. Many pro artists in my field and I are quite stunned about so many self proclaimed “creative genius artists “ all over the internet who are completely lacking of personality and humility.
I have never said as a child “when I ‘ll grow up I will be a body painter.” I was more likely to become a ballerina but I would have had to live the family’ s nest at a very young age to enter a professional ballet school and I did not want to. I was lucky to have my parents nurture my early tastes and genuine interest for Arts. I don’t remember this myself but my mother also mentioned I used to do strange makeups on my dolls so maybe there was already something there! Years after studying languages and philosophy, I finally decided to pursue a career which would encompass various forms of arts theater, music, photography etc… and I concluded being a makeup artist would just do that. So I studied makeup artistry for a short year program in France.
Many of your pieces include fashion and costume as a part of the overall image. Where do you get your pieces used in the artworks?
What inspired you to use airbrushing/body painting as your medium?
I am making most of the headpieces or accessories myself so I am sure to have precisely what I want and to be unique. Several times people who are appreciative my work have mentioned it reminds them of Haute Couture.
For our final at the end of the Makeup School year we had to present a body painting based on a given theme. That day I had a strong and positive reaction from the jury and the audience towards my work. I realized then the magic of paint on a human body and wanted to experience and share these emotions again and again.
What kind of a feeling does it evoke for you, seeing your final piece? It is always reminding me how much more I need to learn and strive to do better each time. I am surely not about self- contentment !
Body Art is particularly niche, what are the kinds of projects that you work on?
I heard that you are planning on publishing a book of your artwork?
There is quite a diversity, it may be one day for a music video and the next for a commercial or a circus performance. In fact anything which requires a strong visual impact.
It is taking much more time than I was expecting since I am more about quality than quantity. I still need to gather more images.
Can you tell me a little about the technique of metamorphosis? How long does an artwork typically take?
What do you think about the future of hand-painted body art with the digital world kind of becoming so prominent as an artist medium and platform?
Some body paintings can take up over 13 hours which is a challenge not only for me but also for my model. I am very grateful to have such wonderful patient “human canvases.” It is interesting I think to begin by pointing out the fact that painting their bodies is one of the first thing humans used to do whether for spiritual reasons or survival ones, such as camouflage from danger. Nowadays, body painting is still synonymous to a large audience with a little bit of paint on naked girls to satisfy libidinous eyes. I humbly try to push body art to a much more sophisticated level. Technically speaking I am using brushes or an airbrush depending on what I want to achieve. All is painted on my models, it is not done digitally. Where do you find inspiration for your creations?
More and more people are feeling too disconnected from the over the top digitalized images we are served in films or magazines. Even if technology can do wonders, nothing in my humble opinion will ever replace the human touch.
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A SEMIOTIC SPIRIT
Whilst on an artistic journey in Europe, Angela Tolosa is the graphic designer turned - fine arts artist from San Francisco who’s made the elements and interconnectivity her reverence.
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All Images Courtesy of Artist
She herself is “a process, woven together by life.� Angela Tolosa is a nomadic traveling spirit from Northern California who lends her fine art skills to a new artist’s collective, Vagabond, the small community born out of Berlin, Germany, her current place of rest. Growing up around the elements created a kind of spiritual curiosity, since translating into a deep desire to visually and artistically answer the questions she ponders.
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What are you doing out in Berlin right now? I travelled here for a month around Europe in the Summer and was trying to find another city where I could continue my art design, so I’m here for three months. I’m a graphic designer as well so I’m trying to find new work here, discover the art and design culture out here. It’s very different from back home. What’s different about it? I’ve never experienced it before so I was just curious about it. When I came here in the Summer I really liked the city of Berlin. Berlin and Amsterdam were my two favorites cities, but here it’s just very raw, I love the street culture it’s very vibrant, colorful. I grew up in the Bay Area, which is already very multicultural but out here it’s even more so. Germany is in the middle of Europe so there’s even more languages to hear, I find that very stimulating, being around different culture groups and just being somewhere completely new where I have no idea what’s going on. It really gives me new energy. So when I was here in the Summer I did a lot of sketching, I did a lot of art work. Is it more attainable to be an artist in Europe? I know that it’s very different out here, the street art culture here is different, the cities are much bigger, there’s more variety, more artists, and I feel as a creative it’s a lot more affordable to live out here. I think because of that there are a lot more artists in the actual city. As opposed to San Francisco where we’re experiencing a lot of artists moving out to the East Bay, prices have gotten so high with rent but here it feels like it’s more attainable. Is there more of an artist community there then? I think it’s different. There’s more in the actual city. And it seems that way according to all of the people that I’ve talked to so far. Everywhere you go there’s a pop-up gallery, or a pop-up store. I see a lot of artist communities 147
around, people experimenting. It feels very attainable to do that here with the little money that I do have, as opposed to back home all of my money was going on rent and it was really hard to try to rent a pop up store for example. Another part of me being here for three months is to try to do that. It feels like the art and design here is a bit more experimental in sense. Actually the neighborhood that I’m in Neukolln, it’s a super creative and progressive place. Even just walking around, all the stores are small brands, popups, and it feels like there’s definitely an entrepreneurial spirit here, which I’m really drawn to. Tell me a bit about your interests and inspiration? I think that being by the ocean, being by the elements, I love the water. I used to live up in Marin County in Fairfax, and I was so close to the beach I would go there almost every other morning last year. That really inspired me a lot with my watercolors, my newest round of work. Just the feeling of being by the ocean. I was always curious about the elements and the universe and I think what really inspires me is thinking about the universe, and interconnectivity. How people connect, how paths cross, how there’s a much bigger picture out there and how everything relates to each other. The four elements, and how everything relates, that’s what I’m really fascinated with. Beginning in graphic design and now crossing over to art on canvas…just a natural extension? Ever since I was a kid I was creative and always doing art. Even though I was studying graphic design at school (Academy of Art University), and working in that field, I was always doing fine art on the side. Along with illustration and a lot of different types of painting. I used acrylic, watercolor, a mix of both. Watercolor is my favorite medium this last year. With my free time I’ve just started trying to promote my fine arts, trying to get it out there and it’s been a lot of fun. I wish I had done it sooner! That’s always the balance you need to try to find whilst you’re working.
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You use a lot of symbols, geometric shapes in your work. Is this a spiritual thing for you? How did you learn about the meanings behind those? Being kind of a weird kid and being curious is part of it, but in school I also took a class, I think it was called semiotics and semiotica (the study of sign processes and meaningful communication). It really influenced me, it was a class that taught you about what symbols mean, and how you can be perceptive about it, symbolism really fascinated me, as much as the people that I meet. One of my best friends Kate Targan is a musician and a spiritual healer, so all of the concepts that I’ve learned from her have really influenced me. When people that I’ve known have passed away it started making me wonder about the next level or a different dimension that could exist, just wondering where they are, being curious about an after life. A lot of the symbols that I use in my art are from when I’m thinking about people. One of the pieces (now showing at The Woodbridge salon in San Francisco), has one eye open, one of them closed, that was all about the balance of opposites, and I was thinking about my sister actually, it was about how we somewhat were the same soul, but we’re split in two, the balance of opposites. I really enjoy sacred geometry and learning about those kinds of concepts. The universe and also native art influences me a lot. When I create, I think about people, I think about something I’m trying to convey, my relationship with them, or their relationship with the world. I’m trying to answer these own questions I have in my head.
Your portfolio has a quotation from Jack Kornfield, American author and teacher of Buddhism “we ourselves are often a process, woven together by life” Do you follow Buddhism practices?
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I don’t follow practices, but I’ve read some of Jack Kornfield’s books and I was really drawn to his writings about Buddhism. When I read that quote it kind of put into context what I was trying to convey with my art, which is how everything’s a process, but I feel that everything and everyone are interconnected in some way. There’s a lot of aspects to Buddhism that I like, I think it’s a really fresh way of thinking. You named your collection Rapture, can you describe this sort of intense enthusiasm you feel as a creative? It was just about that moment of bliss that you get when you’re doing anything creative, when you’re really concentrating and you finally finish, step back and feel in awe a little bit, you’re really satisfied with what you’ve just achieved with the whole process, not just with the end project. You’re totally enveloped in the moment, completely captivated by the activity of what you were doing. Rapture also conveyed with my schooling, a disciplined path.There are little moments within the crazy when you still accept this is why you’re doing it. You’re finally done, it came together just the way you wanted. It’s visual art. An overwhelming feeling of bliss, felt through little pockets.
Where can we see your work? Right now in San Francisco I’m at The Woodbridge and potentially at the Raw Artists showcase at 1015 Folsom in January. I’ll be a part of something called Futurists. It sounds like a really awesome event. I hope that I’ll be able to make it over from Berlin to be a part of it! Another reason why I’m in Berlin is because my friend Aaron and I, we just started an artist’s collective called Vagabond, mainly me and him and a few friends in SF, in February 1-8th here in Berlin we’re doing a popup gallery, it’s our first group show as a collective. It’s going to be a lot of fun! Do you think you’ll get to any other European cities for popups? Definitely, part of the reason we’re calling it Vagabond is because we love to travel. We’re based in San Francisco, but we want to travel, sharing not just our work but our friends’ art. We want it to work with our lives, we’re very much nomads right now. Being graphic designers, it’s very easy to find remote work, so we want to take advantage of that while we can and spread our art at the same time. We’re really stoked to see where it goes, and even though it’s in the very beginning stages, we’re already thinking about how to expand and who can get involved. We’re taking it slowly, but we’re like fuck it lets do a popup wherever we are, while we’re there. 150
Future goals and aspirations? Trying to work independently. The last five years I’ve been working at firms and agencies around the city and in Portland, it’s been awesome I love everyone I’ve worked with but I think now is the time to work on myself. We’re very lucky that we’re living in a culture where this is becoming more normal for young entrepreneurs. There’s all these things that are accessible for us, especially with the web and social media to do our own businesses and projects the way that we want. I just really want to nurture whatever vision I have for myself at this stage. Working on this artist’s collective, traveling, being open to everything, not tying myself down to working on one thing. Definitely trying to grow as an individual artist as well, I enjoy working with watercolour but I want to get involved in art installations in the future too. As a graphic designer I’ve worked with designing spaces and I want to utilize my experience with that, creating small scale art installations for our popups with the collective. It’s the perfect fuse of what I’ve done professionally, and as what I want to do as an individual artist. Trying to create a whole different experience and change people’s moods while they browse, even through the use of music. A lot of experimentation while I’m here, and really getting V agabond conceptually where I want it to be, with the right people, likeminded people. Who knows where I’ll meet everybody!
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COVER ARTWORK
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ANGELA TOLOSA