AnOther N° 316 | AW19
CONTENTS:
3 Cover Story 15 Style News 23 Gift Guide 31 Design and Living 45 Profile 57 Photography 69 Beauty 75 Travel 83 Cover Story 99 AnOther List 107 Feature 115 Finale 2.
ANTI VOID COVER STORY: How Jack James Filled The Void Of Costume Design November 8th 2019 It all began with anti-void. Jack James finally showcases his first major costume collection ‘anti-void’ in collaboration with photographer Freya Eve. Amongst a crowd of up and coming designers, Jack James dominates this industry with his illuminated, textured designs.
Black cotton roll neck, Floor length coat with complete contrast lining
J
ack James is quite possibly one of the most courageous designers out there. At a time where designers are pushed through education to be catwalk worthy, Jack James looked the other way, continuing to pursue his passion of costume design, despite all his peers who followed the path of vogue worthy designs. Now, Jack James is a successful bespoke costumer designer based in Norwich, who aims to bring characters to life using his designs. Jack James’ brand Berethdor Costumes came to life in August 2018 with his first release of costumes inspired by cos-play characters from films such as The Hobbit. These costumes make their appearance all across the UK at various comic con events. Costume design as a field began to develop throughout the 1770’s with approaches of historical accuracy and conceptual driven designs with a vision for production. In this present day, costume design is a very technical talent which is seen to either make or break a production via the quality it beholds. However, it could be argued that costume design has been pushed aside and underrated by the dominance of high end fashion brands that control the catwalks and seasonal trends.
To say the least it is refreshing to see such a young designer pursuing outstanding work within the costume industry. Jack James’ career all began with his graduate collection Anti Void making its debut in autumn/ winter 2018. Anti-Void was a collection designed to contrast between old and new era’s of fashion; the main influences stemming from 1980’s to present day. Anti Void is an overall blanket of dark tones but bursts of colour and patterns leap out within the linings of the clothes. Freya eve photography met Jack James and his Model Uzair Khan in Norwich, on a brisk winter day in October. The shoot took place in the mesmerising Surrey marble hall. Surrey hall glistened with speckled green pillars and freckled red walls. The location complimented Jack James’ collection completely with contrasting yet similar colours and patterns. Anti void is a complex and elegant collection that compliments the model with its dynamic structures and bold linings. Jack James describes his collection Anti-Void as
‘Simple,
but show-
ing strong details’.
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straight legged trouser in a textured/raised geometric fabric. Outfit 3 is a Floor length coat with complete contrast lining (bright red, same fabric as outfit six trousers). Outfit 5 demonstrates a Long-line Wool robe with arm slits for arms to pop through, super wide, training trousers (each leg has a dress like train). Lastly Outfit 6 shows a floor length asymmetrical shirt, left side has a super large panel of old line ‘Prada’ fabric sewn on and this trains behind. Bright red contrast trousers (skinny chinos essentially).
Jack James styled all of his outfits during his collaborated shoot with Freya eve photography. James lists his full autumn/winter collection Anti-Void below as follows: Outfit 1 consists of a Silk Jersey T-shirt, paired with Neoprene Trousers (each leg is a complete circle creating the trousers to be very wide/flared) . Outfit 2 shows a Flame Jacquard T-shirt with very large zip with a Longline Silk Jersey T-shirt underneath, paired with a wide
7.
The care Jack James takes in his designs is nothing but impressive as he hand picks all of his fabrics from all over the UK. Outfit 6 had to be the star of the show as James managed to get his hands on old line Prada fabric which displayed a glossy abstract pattern upon a matte black background. It is not a secret that Jack James takes huge pride in what he creates and wants nothing but the best for his bespoke designs and his customers. .
Black cotton roll neck, Floor length coat with complete contrast lining Neoprene Trousers (wide/flared)
10.
Flame Jacquard T-shirt with very large zip, Neoprene Trousers (wide/flared)
Flame Jacquard T-shirt with very large zip, large black sun hat
Whats next for Berethdor costumes? Jack James is already making huge plans for his 2020 collections. The amount of ambition and motivation James has for Berethdor Costumes is inspiring. Jack James has already began posting sneak peaks of a secret costume project he is currently working on for next year. James reveals the costume is being made from scratch in collaboration with two other designers, that are also to be revealed. He explains that his secret project is something that he has never done before so the outcome is going to be a huge accomplishment. for his brand. Jack James has also revealed that he will begin making design tutorials on how he makes his outfits from scratch. This will include a tutorial on how he will be designing his secret costume! Jack James wants his tutorials will to show intel on how he researches his designs, how he makes his patterns and how he constructs all of his costumes. James explains that he takes inspiration from the history of costume design, which shows is great respect and need for accuracy in his designs. Lastly, next year Jack James reveals he will be attending Birmingham’s Comic Con event in which James is making 5 brand new costumes which resemble characters from assassins creed. James has already began posting content on his social media for these designs so that his audience can follow his creative journey. James has high hopes for next years event as he previously won first place at the Nor Con cos-play contest with his Thraduil, Hobbit costume in September. 11.
Silk Jersey shirt, Neoprene Trousers (wide/flared)
Photography by Freya eve photography. Styled and designed by Jack James/ Berethdor Costumes. 12.