Volume VII: Editors’ Letter Design is a matter of problem-solving. This volume of Industry signals a decisive shift from all that has come before it, providing the solution to the void of fashion, design and technology writing and photojournalism at the University of Oxford. Hand-crafted, our photo-editorials are responses to the demand for deviations from the norm: (de)Konstruktion showcases cutting-edge garments from the forefront of fashion innovation at the London School of Fashion and Central Saint Martin’s. Our centre-fold, The Female Gaze, takes precedence from nineteen-seventies softcore pornography, subverting notions of ‘scopophilia’ with vanguard images of unapologetic body-empowerment and brazen displays female sexuality. Menswear, so frequently relegated to the back-pages of a magazine, at once comes into its own: Batik fabrics adorned with Javanese patterns illuminate the stale, veteran surroundings this is the millennial man’s armoury in the undergrowth of the city. Industry’s exclusive editorial with Google Technologies explores the implications of wearable tech, namely ‘Glass’, in the age of information. This issue also harbours interviews with New York artist and auteur, Will Cotton (of Katy Perry’s California Girls fame); Sonnet Stanfill, Senior Curator of The Glamour of Italian Fashion at the V&A; and Instagram superblogger and wunderkind, Leonie Timothy. From the nucleus of Oxford, Industry goes transnational - with investigations into the street and State-run fashion worlds of unlikely locations: from Pyongyang to Johannesburg, from Antwerp to Myanmar. An examination into the nature of pavement-trends culminates with Hans Eijkelboom, the Dutch photographer who explores the tribes of the new Millennium through a distinctively ‘anti-mode’ lens. From the brainchild of an art historian and an experimental psychologist, Industry Volume VII is born. There is more to ‘fashion’ than just garments, right now you’re holding it.
– Ever yours, Tori-May McKenna and Love Hedman
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CONTENTS •
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•
EDITORS’ LETTER
Horst: Master of Light
‘La Dolce Vita’
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• Sweet Dream, Saccharine 8
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•
(DE)KONSTRUKTION
LIFTING THE VEIL
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14
•
•
KHUMBULA:
THE FEMALE GAZE
BLOOD IS THICKER THAN MUD
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• vISIONS OF THE FUTURE 16
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Editors Love Hedman & Tori-May McKenna
• GIRL TALK 28
• GENERATION XY 33
• Beyond the 38th Parallel
• OTHER STREETS 38
• Hans Eijkelboom: The Anti-Sartorialist
• “For she doth make my veins and pulses tremble”
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42
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Creative Director Chloe Schneider Deputy Editors Fred Shan, Morgan Harries, Katherine Cowles Contributors Cherry Jackson, Richard Porteous, Stephanie Suh Photographers Jacob Sacks-Jones, Daniella Shreir, Love Hedman, Alexandra Talbott, André Larsson Stylists Katie Jowett, Lakmini Wijesinghe Events Izzy Gerretsen, Henna Shah PR Team Summer Taylor, Katie Robinson, Lily Baker, Nina Foster, Stephanie Suh, Anna Ying Wei Fu
Images by Maurice Scheltens & Liesbeth Abbenes
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HORST: Master of Light Author Fred Shan
Horst is most famous for his work with Vogue, but his art is by no means limited to fashion catalogues. The collection presented at the V&A features a
‘On entering the Horst exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) the lack of colour in the room is instantly noticeable. To the left, giant letters spelling ‘Horst’ cling to a blackened wall, while black and white photos in simple frames spread along the right hand side. Small spotlights run down both lengths of the ceiling, focusing on the photos and lighting the black walls up like a stage. The room is stretched into a long rectangle, and at the other end domineering mannequins in Haute Couture stand on raised pedestals. The ambient monochrome exudes an otherworldly coolness that seems to say: “step in.”
variety of fashion catalogues, still lifes, portraits, and surrealist experiments. It is not choice of subject matter that distinguishes Horst from others in his time; celebrity photos as well as surrealism were became increasingly popular with the development of portable cameras and the rise of New Objectivism. What set Horst apart was his mastery of the use of light. Horst saw photographic portraiture as the modern equivalent to the Renaissance painting. He used light in a way that made his models’ skin resemble the marble of a statue. He insisted that light must not come from overhead, since overheads would emphasise a model’s wrinkles; rather, he directed light sideways or from below. Through experimentation and study Horst gradually came to master the effects of light. A catalogue next to a portrait of supermodel Lisa Fonssagrives features one of her letters to Horst. She writes: ‘I feel such soothing blessing by your beautiful work – even more so today when we live in a sea of flickering snapshots, bombarded from everywhere.’ Lisa’s words resonate in an era of digitalised photography and Instagram. The colour print room contrasts with the other spaces – there is no blackness, no darkness. The entire room is gleaming white – the walls, the frames, even the lights. On the walls of the rectangular room hang Horst’s 10x8 inch colour prints, reproduced from transparencies. A glass exhibition case stretches across the centre of the room, showcasing vintage copies of Vogue. The collection features Horst’s most famous and opulent photos, prints that seem to transcend the technological and ideological boundaries of space and time. It wouldn’t be surprising, in fact, if one of Horst’s colour photos turned up in a current issue of Vogue.’
This page: Summer Fashions, American Vogue cover Horst 1941 © Condé Nast / Horst Estate Opposite: Corset by Detolle for Mainbocher, Horst 1939 © Condé Nast / Horst Estate
The exhibition runs at the Victoria and Albert Museum until January 4, 2015.
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La Dolce Vita: An Interview with Sonnet Stanfill, Curator at the V&A Sonnet Stanfill is chief curator of the exhibition ‘The Glamour of Italian Fashion 1945-2014’, which took place in the Victoria & Albert Museum from April to July. After working in New York as a buyer, Stanfill studied Fashion History at the Courtauld Institute of Art and has since been working at the V&A as a curator. She previously co-curated the exhibition ‘Ballgowns: British Glamour Since 1950’ at the V&A in 2013. Her most recent exhibition explores the importance of fashion in creating an Italian cultural identity and the role of fashion in leading Italy out from the ruins of the Second World War leading to the mega-brands of today.
textiles solely for his collections, and designed his clothes
The 1970s saw to the shift in Italy from couture to ready-to-
around these fabrics. Clark’s fashion shows were enormously
wear pieces, emphasising a more casual chic as compared
influential, and he was a charismatic individual. He is probably
to the antiquated Parisian couture. With the decline of
the closest British equivalent of a figure like Walter Albini, a
Italian manufacturing in the twenty-first century, how could
What made you choose to take on the project
Could an exhibition ever truly convey the full
figure considered in The Glamour of Italian Fashion 1945 –
designers maintain the significance of ‘Made in Italy’?
‘Glamour of Italian Fashion’?
meaning and aura that the clothes held in their
2014. Albini was instrumental in shaking up the Italian fashion
Interestingly, there is a shift back to couture, even for
The V&A holds the national collection of fashion and
original context or does their relocation result in the
industry and opening up new ways of showing and consuming
designers who started with ready-to-wear. Dolce & Gabbana
textiles, with a strong selection of Italian fashion.
loss of a sense of their sanctity and power?
fashion.
have recently introduced couture, and Armani started his
The project also started out of a personal interest,
This is something that curators who work with fashion
as I often travelled to Italy as a child and developed
collections, whether historic or contemporary, deal
In a modern, globalised world where fashion houses draw
Giambattista Valli has found no lack of eager clients to
an appreciation for Italian art, language and culture.
with daily. It is doubly hard with fashion since in
from rest of the world both resources as well as inspiration,
purchase his gowns. In addition, though Italy’s regional
I knew we would be able to tell a vivid and detailed
comparison to an object like a painting, which is
is it still possible to speak of a distinctive ‘Italian fashion’?
network of industries (the so-called ‘cluster system’) has
story using objects from the V&A’s oustanding
always meant to be shown on a wall. A museum,
Certainly there is still such a thing as ‘Italian’ fashion. Even
thinned, the expertise is still valid and necessary for the ‘Made
collection as a starting point, paired with the prowess
though not an original environment, still offers a wall
though many of the high-end luxury brands are now owned
in Italy’ label.
of a dedicated curatorial team. There has also never
for display. Clothing however, is meant to be shown
by foreign conglomerates, the design studios and head
been a comprehensive overview of Italian fashion and
on the body. Mannequins present a lesser solution.
offices are still based in Italy. Such brands still place a value
Wealthy, old men continue to dominate the Italian fashion
with factors like a shifting emphasis on production
The V&A’s experience in mounting fashion exhibitions
on Italian materials (leathers, silks, wools) and many of the
houses, forming a block against young designers. What are
and the establishment of new generations of designer
means that we have experience to draw from. We
Italian designers rely on Italian craftsmanship for things like
the contemporary implications of this?
talent, we felt this was thus a pivotal moment to stage
increasingly use photography, film, sound and digital
embroidery and leather and fur techniques. When a large
As Jacopo Etro has said, ‘Italian fashion really needs
the exhibition.
projections to enhance and enliven our exhibitions.
conglomerate like LVMH buys an Italian brand to add to their
to wake up somehow.’ This might be through more
Though not the same as seeing an outfit on the street,
portfolio, they inevitably cite the attraction of the company’s
direct encouragement of young businesses and fashion
it does help to animate the environment.
Italian heritage as a compelling feature of the brand. Thus it
entrepreneurs, such as Armani’s mentorship of Stella Jean or
is in their interest to maintain and nurture that heritage. In
Dolce & Gabbana’s encouragement of Fausto Puglisi. It might
Ms. Zoe Pilger from the Independent wrote that the exhibition failed to convey the ‘glamour’ of Italian
Prive line after 30 years of ready-to- wear. The couturier
fashion. What does ‘glamour’ mean to you? How
According to the exhibition, the 1970s saw to the
the exhibition, the final section featured interviews with key
also be through the government allowing a more porous work
would you define it?
rise of ‘stilista’; all-round characters in the fashion
industry figures to consider what the future of Italian fashion
permissions system that would enable people from around
The exhibition title referred to the unique Italian
world who were involved in all parts of the industry,
might be. The ‘Made in Italy’ label is still very highly valued,
the world trained in Italian fashion schools to remain and join
way of dressing, which even when informal presents
ranging from design to styling. Is the ‘stilista’ an
especially in emerging markets.
companies there. Certainly the government should recognise
an effortless glamour. The Italian ease of dressing
Italian phenomenon or do you see international
is something that I admire; one doesn’t need to be
figures who might also fit the term?
Did Italian fashion prompt a shift in Italian culture, or do you
dressed in an evening gown to be glamourous! Having
The word ‘stilista’ really was a term of 1970s Italy.
believe the inverse is true?
said that, the exhibition did include couture gowns
It referred to someone who mediated between
Italy’s fashion industry was born from the tradition of making
The book accompanying the exhibition, The Glamour of Italian
from seven decades. One of the most glamourous
manufacturers, textile producers, retailers and the
clothes by hand, either by someone within the family, or if
Fashion – Since 1945, is on sale on the V&A online shop and in
is a wonderful A/W 2013-14 couture gown from the
fashion press. A British equivalent from that era might
one could afford it, at a dressmaker’s studio or couture salon.
Blackwells Art & Poster shop.
house of Valentino, which combines old world couture
be a figure like Ossie Clark, who first sold garments
This tradition of well-made clothes with the trace of the hand
elegance with an element of surprise. The dress
through the shop Quorum. Clark had his own designer
remained, even when Italian fashion shifted to a factory
features images of fantastical creatures down the
label but also made a less expensive diffusion line.
production model. Clothes were still made to a high level of
front, such as a seahorse, a rhinoceros and a snake.
He worked closely with Celia Birtwell, who created
quality.
the enormous economic contributions of its own fashion industry.
Author Fred Shan
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Will Cotton directed that music video. The one involving a certain celebrity superstar, America’s most
Sweet Dream, Saccharine
legendary rapper, some animated gummy bears and a whole lot of squirty cream. We’re talking California Girls, and one of New York’s most multi-talented contemporary fine artists. This guy has got his fingers in so many pies, (some of them metaphorical, some of them real), that you can see his work in a gallery, in pop-up bakeries, the cover of the New York Times, a
MH: But how do you think your work, with its focus on
pop princess’ album cover and even on a fancy pants
excess and this element of ‘too far’ speaks to people
pair of pyjamas. Morgan Harries talks nudity, hats
from backgrounds in poverty compared to affluent,
made out of macaroons and mankind’s inevitable
cultured Americans from the ‘land of plenty’?
doom with the artist who made gluttony chic. WC: I tend to think of those differing points of view MH: Hello Will. It seems that the physically beautiful,
in art historical terms. When in 1567, Pieter Brueghel
and often thin, women you paint are at odds with the
the Elder painted The Land of Cockaigne, depicting
calorie-filled foods that they are surrounded by. Do
a place where everything is made of food, it was
you consider that this creates a dissonance between
essentially an escapist’s dream. This was at a time
the aesthetics of these foods as depicted by you, and
when most of the world wasn’t unfamiliar with real
the reality of their effects?
hunger. Of course this is still the case for many people in various places. And that is exactly why I don’t
WC: So many of the attractive things that can damage
consider my work political. My message isn’t that
and/or kill us, have a way of doing it slowly. When I’m
things should or shouldn’t be this way, but simply that
thinking of a figure entering a candy environment,
it is in our very nature to feel lacking, and therefore to
it’s that moment of entry that I’m looking at. The
always be confronted with our own desires. It is the
unanswered question in the painting is what happens
impossibility of permanently fulfilling those desires
next, and that omission is hopefully what keeps
that makes the human condition so fraught, and the
the picture from becoming a didactic morality tale,
subject so interesting to me.
against the dangers of overconsumption. MH: You have mentioned before that your favourite
An interview with the artist who fuses pop culture and fine art with sickly sweet results
MH: So the saccharine quality of your subject matter
womenswear designer is Dolce and Gabbana, which I
can also definitely be viewed in a darker context,
would personally have to agree with. Is it their sense
in that it can take on an overwhelming or repulsive
of Italian aestheticism and decadence which engages
quality. You once talked about the inseparability of
you on an artistic level?
pleasure and guilt in your work; what role do you think

this darker side of desire has in high art and fashion?
WC: I’ll start by warning you that my fashion expertise is that of a complete outsider, and I basically have no
WC: When I think about the repulsive part of that
idea what I’m talking about. That said, I do look at
equation, my guess is that it’s rooted in our innate
many of the runway shows online. There is something
knowledge that too much of a good thing seems to
about Dolce and Gabanna’s work that consistently
always turn the corner that leads us into the self-
excites me. I would describe it as a willingness to
destructive. Obviously the answer is balance, but
engage in fantasy while remaining completely elegant
balance is boring. So to keep things exciting, the
and serious; this is something I’m interested instilling
answer in art and maybe in fashion too, is to look for
in the costumes I make for the people in my paintings.
the extremes, to go “too” far. MH: You are probably most well known in the public
It’s rooted in our innate knowledge that too much of a good thing seems to always turn the corner that leads us into the self-destructive. Obviously the answer is balance, but balance is boring.
sphere for your collaboration with Katy Perry, however you seem to view her as a construction or ‘narrative entity’ with her own ‘semiotics and associations’ rather than an individual. Do you feel that you need to be removed from celebrity in order to comment on it artistically?
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WC: I suppose it’s really a case of discussing an artist’s
WC: At the end of the day, everything’s impermanent. I
work, as opposed to the artist herself. In the case of a pop
think we try desperately to convince ourselves otherwise,
star, we wind up with an entity that is part human and part
but that’s just how it is; we’re all doomed! Depicting decay
character. The trickiest part of this semiotics game is that
within my work is, in a way, a celebration of impermanence,
these associations are all moving targets. So all I can really
and the beautiful delicacy of transitory experience. In my
say for sure is what drew me to Katy in the first place, and
bakery project, one of the items on offer was a cupcake
then show you what came out of that meeting. Fortunately
made from a very peculiar recipe my grandmother used. I
for Katy, and for the rest of us, it’s changing all the time.
may never bake those again, and there’s a beauty in that. I’m left with my own Proustian moment that brought back a
MH: With figurative pieces selling in galleries for big bucks,
piece of my childhood.
why do you get involved in mass produced media such as album artwork, producing pyjama designs, or the everyday
MH: Where do you see the future of your artistic career? Will
such as selling your baked products for $6 in a gallery?
there be any foray into fashion design?
WC: I feel lucky to have arrived in New York at a time (1983)
WC: It’s funny, in making the costumes for my models to
when that high art versus pop culture battle had already
wear, and doing some fashion related projects like the one
been fought, making it for me, a non-issue. What’s remained
for New York Magazine with Elle Fanning last year, I felt like
important within that dialogue is context, and intent.
I was moving into that territory. As someone who used to
Nothing is off limits, and nothing is automatically non-art
paint almost exclusively nudes, I’ve come to realize that
material. I think this has become a vitally important idea in
what a person is wearing in a painting can carry as much
contemporary art.
narrative and symbolic weight as any other element of the picture. I see incredible potential in continuing to make
MH: Your pieces aren’t just about preserving candy-cane
costumes but I’m guessing you won’t see them on the street
worlds, but also about the deterioration and perishability
any time soon!
of them. I’ve heard that you enjoy watching your cakes disintegrate in the rain or in a shower. What place does the finite have in art or high fashion industries, where pieces cost thousands of dollars?
Author Morgan Harries
(DE)KONSTRUKTION
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Photographer: Jacob Sacks-Jones Shoes: Carolin Holzhuber Designers: Sisi Tang and Lucas Nascimento
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Lifting the Veil
Parallels can be drawn between this interpreted function and the role of some garments, such as the
The Hijab in contemporary society
mini-skirt and the crop top, in Western societies. The way women dress in the west has been used to defend against accusations of sexual harassment and assault charges; that by dressing in short skirts
Author Cherry Jackson
and low cut tops, women bringing such cases behave what they choose in Euro-American societies, or the
The hijab has been a source of debate: where, why, how, and on whom should it be worn? In her book ‘Questioning the Veil: Open Letters to Muslim Women’ Marina Lazeg argues that the hijab cannot be symbolically rehabilitated, nor detached from its historically acquired meanings. Lazreg refers to the misuse of the hijab as a cultural weapon, pointing to both the prohibiting and enforcing of the hijab for women that is customary in some Muslim communities. Throughout her argument Lazreg stipulates that the hijab is used to reinforce man’s identity as powerful and decisive, by making woman his domestic and abiding opposite. It is true that the hijab envelopes the identity of men and women, Muslim and non-Muslims, and that it can be a means of securing male domination over women in the domestic and public arenas. But, as Lazreg also argues, the hijab has complexly “layered” meanings emanating from its colour, style and texture, and by who wears it, how they carry it, what the observer considers it to mean, and what the wearer considers it to mean. The hijab can be a secular object. As such, Lazreg argues that the hijab cannot have its meaning reconstructed unless we consider the change in meaning of the Christian cross and its use in modern fashions as well. High street brands like Topshop or designer brands like Versace have showcased a variety of pieces depicting religious icons, stained-glass window patterns and crosses in their apparel. (Just consider Madonna’s famous use of the cross in the 1980s!) People of all beliefs and affiliations can wear these fashions with supposedly Christian emblems. The problem is that the hijab is naturalised as a defining symbol of Islam by those inside and outside the religion. Lazreg sees the hijab in all of its contexts as a religious symbol, representing either the emancipation of Muslims and a sign of the freedom of women to wear
subjugation and infringement of rights in the Middle East. Lazreg argues that the hijab carries different symbolic weight in different contexts. But, more basically, the sheer range of headscarfs also gives the item a plurality of possible meanings. It can be a fashion statement as much as the Christian cross can be, and even influence ‘mainstream’ fashion styles. Travel back to 2012: headscarves from all walks of life were flaunted on the catwalk all over the fashion world, including turbans and ‘ethnic’ headscarves. An example of the hijab’s multiple meanings can be shown in its integration with a co-ordinated look. Someone wearing a sombre hijab teamed with loose-fitting clothes of a similar hue creates a very different look from that of someone wearing a bright hijab with colourful close-fitting clothes. The former seems inhibited, while the other suggests confidence and even ostentation. Nevertheless, the reasons that someone chose to wear the former outfit in this scenario could reflect a desire to conform to an interpretation of correct attire, or compliance with a legislative or regulatory edict. Similarly, the person who chose to wear the more garish outfit could simply like to wear bright, tight clothes and have the freedom to do so, not because they necessarily want to stand out. What should be noticed in these two examples is that the hijab is not seen in isolation from the other clothes; the rest of the outfit is equally important in the meaning and interpretation of the hijab. Nevertheless, there is still an idea that perpetuates the isolation of the hijab itself so that, no matter how it is worn, it is seen as suppressing the person that wears it and as a symbol of women’s submission to an idea of masculine superiority and desire for women’s sexuality and attractiveness to be obscured.
‘irresponsibly’, since men can’t control themselves. Other lines of reasoning indicate that by dressing in this way, women signal their sexual availability. This ignores any consideration that the women in question could be dressing to feel good, that they might be in a relationship, homosexual, or just fancy a night out with their friends, rather than looking for sex. There is no denying that in some cases women are forced into wearing a hijab by family members, or by social pressure, or even by sexual harassment which some believe will be alleviated by the donning of a hijab. But it seems that rather than the clothing item in particular being the issue, it is the inherent ideas that men are unable to control themselves against the allure of women, and that women must atone for man’s wild natural urges, which we struggle to resolve. The hijab can have multiple meanings, then, depending on what it looks like – a bright neon pink hijab is different from a black one. The symbolism of the hijab can be transmuted: it could be adopted by another religion, it could become secularised, and it could even have its meaning changed within a religion or religious community. It is not the hijab itself that can be oppressive to women, but the attitudes and interpretations of men to women’s clothing in general that must be addressed. Post-script: In October New York –based PakistaniAmerican artists Qinza Najm and Saks Alfridi recently launched their Instagram project #DamnILookGood. In the project, women wearing hijabs or niqabs were invited to take selfies of themselves. If we can’t pout and look pretty then what’s the point? Despite the seeming superficiality of selfies, the project makes us dig deeper into what a selfie represents and that the donning of a hijab really is completely irrelevant. Furthermore, the abuse received by Najm when she gave the hijab a go is genuinely shocking and shows the unacceptably common rate of such closed-mindedness.
Photography by Hana Tajima
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sight. Though you might say it is still in its genesis stages, there have been a number of applications already developed for Glass, not to mention to preembedded features such as Camera, Translation, Motion, Maps, Music, News and Search functions, all in real-time. To give Industry an insight into this new world of Wearable Tech, we met with Nishma Robb, appointed Head of Marketing at Google UK in April 2014. Nishma, works at London Google HQ, situated in the bustling hub of Central London. The Head Office, or more aptly the nucleus of the Google UK machine, is an assemblage of a children’s playground (plush chairs
Larry Page, the company’s CEO, who is estimated to be worth 33 billion dollars, advocates a profoundly utopian vision, intricately woven into Google’s ethos: automatically-driven cars to eliminate human error from road accidents; health-monitoring and tracking capabilities to reduce the risk unpredictable afflictions such as cancer and strokes; making the internet available to all remote communities
and themed rooms aplenty) and and the interior of the Death Star. There are sleeping pods, an on-site gym, a library and several café points scattered throughout, not to mention a panoramic view of North London and beyond, conveniently and whimsically ’mapped’
“Google does not know the implications of glass”
by transparent Google Map pins on the glass. Nishma
Nishma tells us.” We create a device and let people
explains that every Google employee is encouraged
invent it themselves, however they need it!”. She tells
to spend 20% of their working hours on a completely
us of how hairdressers and make-up artists used the
separate project, in order to stimulate new ideas and
device to record how they made a costumers hair up,
an interdepartmental approach. ”It was” she tells us,
so that the customer could receive a personalised
”from one of these side-projects, that the concept of
tutorial on how to do it at home. Nishma tells us of
Google Glass was born”.
how blind man found freedom, with the aid of Google

Glass through learning how to run the marathon
Google, estimated by Forbes to be worth 47.3 billion
In a characteristically driving London downpour,
without assistance.
dollars is the fifth most valuable brand in the world. Its
Nishma leads us to the Google Glass Basecamp, which
VISIONS OF THE FUTURE Authors Love Hedman and Tori-May McKenna
monopoly on universal data extends to fields such as
is significantly different from the main headquarters.
In the recent years, we have seen an incredible
media, engineering and charities and unsurprisingly,
With such a wealth of information, the possibilities
A converted brick stable on the corner of Central Saint
technological advancement at breakneck speed.
fashion - as a global enterprise, it is unique and
seem infinite. This is personalised data for the masses.
Martins, with the minimalist aesthetic of glass, steel
Though the future is unclear and still certain critics
unparalleled.
But with complete interconnectedness at the push of
and tungsten, is where potential ’Glass Explorers’
remain skeptical, it is without a doubt that Glass is the
a button (or the swipe of a touch screen), those who
(business leaders, students, athletes etc.), are
beginning of something much larger. Other wearable
Google is not a product-producing industry, though
privilege anonymity and the ’right-to-be-forgotten’
encouraged to interact with the most recent version
tech innovations such as Calculator Watches and
its bank of data can provide the foundation for
argue that we run the risk of descending into a spiral
of the Glass. My immediate thought when testing
Smart Shirts are now seen as distinctively nineties
products such as Android phones and Chromebooks.
of interiority. One where we are constantly plugged
the featherlight titanium frames was that this was
and ‘retro’, at the end of the last century popular
Larry Page, the company’s CEO, who is estimated to
in, switched on and ’connected’ like our Android
certainly the first step towards a virtual reality, Glass
culture was preparing itself for the new Millennium
be worth 33 billion dollars, advocates a profoundly
counterparts, a convenient namesake so say the least?
is inescapably ’sci-fi’. However Nishma stresses that
and the futuristic developments which accompanied
Glass is not intended to distort reality or to even offer
it. However in the twenty-first century we are much
utopian vision, intricately woven into Google’s ethos: automatically-driven cars to eliminate human error
No product teeters on the brink of this ’dystopia’ as
a second reality, but rather to enhance, and in certain
better equipped, much more conscious of our position
from road accidents; health-monitoring and tracking
Google Glass. If you have been living in a well for three
cases, assist our present reality. Nishma explains that
in a global community to stabilise and make the
capabilities to reduce the risk unpredictable afflictions
years, this is what you need to know about Glass: it is
Glass is already installed in many areas unbeknown
most out of innovations in wearable technology.
such as cancer and strokes; making the internet
a form of wearable technology with an optical head-
to us, for example the Police in Dubai have developed
Postmodernism’s ‘total flow’ has exhausted itself
available to all remote communities, connecting the
mounted display (OHMD); it features a tiny screen
a program which will allow them to screen criminals
and digital users are increasingly more attracted
globe and giving even the most isolated individuals
just above the sight-line (so as not to obstruct vision),
faces for recognition using Glass.
to the personal, individualised functions of
access to a wealth of knowledge that can stimulate
a microphone and speaker, placed discreetly and
technology. Wearable tech, such as Google Glass,
produce and enterprise, provide immediate medical
conveniently behind the ear - similar to the hands-
brings that information one step closer to the body,
information and crisis response, and potentially save
free format. Despite its small size, when wearing
supplementing our day-to-day lives with the result
lives.
Glass it creates an image of similar size to viewing
that we are all part of one Utopian vision.
a widescreen TV from a standard distance. Google’s intention with Glass is to move your screen from your
Google Glass is available through Google Glass UK and
smartphone to a position where it is easily accessible
Net-A-Porter.
and does move your focus far from ordinary line of
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Khumbula ‘Blood is Thicker than Mud’
Nestled in the back-alleys of Johannesburg is a
Via the re-appropriation of characteristically Western
quivering spectre, a mark of the old that is producing
attire, the ensemble of five forges a platform for
something quite new. Khumbula is styling with credo:
revolt, for stories that would otherwise have been
the unique collective uses vintage garments to voice
locked behind closed doors. Self-taught photographer,
the African story from their own, personal perspectives,
Harness Hamese, captures life in the city of Gold,
championing individuality, empowerment and pride
reconciling history and contemporaneity to expose the
through the medium of waist-coats, tie-pins, kilts and
social and political issues pertaining to life in Africa.
fedoras.
Industry speaks to Khumbula. It becomes clear that this collective goes far beyond the fringes of ‘fashion’.
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Describe Khumbula’s ideology?
How do you intend to ‘spread the word’ of Khumbula? How
Have you seen a change over the years on the streets of
In light of Die Antwoord releasing their new single this
Re-fashioning the perceived image of Africa.
big do you see this project? Or would you like to keep it
Johannesburg? Either culturally or politically? Does space
week, how does Khumbula position themselves against
local?
influence your practice?
other South African subcultures? Are you retrospective or
What people, places and images inspire you? Is Khumbula
Khumbula is a creative division that is an expressive
There’s change in everything to a certain extent. The rich get
progressive? Contemporary or nostalgic?
completely original or are you working from pre-existing
pathway for brands in photography and art in general. In
richer, the poor get poorer, crime and poverty will always
We are proud of all the subcultures our land produces. We
cultural references ?
short we are storytellers. We intend to use relevant popular
be a reminder that there’s a lot that still that has to change.
believe they are the faces of what and how our youth thinks:
We are inspired by everything African, her people, her
culture brands that compliment our vision of embracing an
What has positively changed however is the mindset of
their influences, their priorities and their expressions. They
places and her un-tamed beauty. With all the issues we face
Africa which is one that is not normally seen on TV by telling
our peers. Most of them are keen to know more, to make a
showcase the exact Africa which is said to have 50 % of its
everyday living in Africa and with the type of conditions
our stories through these brands.
better society. Our streets, with the amount of variety we
population made up of the young. Sadly our issues look
have, are more colourful than ever. As for space, it plays
down on this but Africa is a young, vibrant continent that
most of us live in, it is inspiring and beautiful how our brothers and sisters manage to live their lives to the fullest.
We want this project to be as big as possible both locally and
an important role, as almost everything around us was the
needs good leaders. In terms of positioning, our stories
This optimistic approach to life is the Africa we want to show
internationally. The aim is making Khumbula an African icon,
same as it was in our parents’ times. So somehow we always
are retrospective, characterised by or exhibiting a feeling
to the world, at the same time highlighting our own issues
the first thing one should think of when they think of Africa
have a reminder of the past, hence why Khumbula means
of nostalgia with a contemporary approach. We are simply
and paying tribute to our exquisite heritage.
is Khumbula. The aim of the concept is to forge new cultural
remember.
making old stories cool again by using popular culture channels to get our peers attention and probably teach them
and innovative projects for the brands we collaborate with, You mention in your blurb the ‘untold stories of your
both digitally and physically, and we will be heavily based
Has the general reaction to your message been a positive
something.
parents’; has fashion and technology provided a platform
around Khumbula’s ideology of collaboration with creators,
one, or has it been an ongoing struggle?

for your generation to share your stories and theirs?
influencers and artisans that compliment and help project
We started off not really sure what we were getting
What can we expect next from Khumbula?
We grew up seeing pictures of our parents in good times and
the vision and principles of Khumbula.
ourselves in for, but we found ourselves a year later with
More storytelling in as many innovative ways as possible.
how their fashion concurred with those times and it got us
a promising international following. Now we know that
thinking that maybe those times weren’t as bad they said
Does your fashion work relate to your student life?
people are keen to learn how we think and how we do stuff
Khumbula members
they were. So fashion has helped us find the beauty of what
Our work is our life; being ladies and gentlemen is our life.
and the reaction has been overwhelming. We are really
– Bafana Mthembu
many consider a beast and we, with the help of technology,
So we can’t really distinguish our student life and work. This
humbled by all the love we are receiving. We hope to get
– Andile Biyana
use that to project the type of Africa we want. A well cut
is who we are.
funds and sponsorships to do more of what we do and
– David Maledimo
do it better. There’s so much more we want to show the
– Harness Hamese
world. Nevertheless all we’d like to say to the world and the
– Phirima Motaung
Africa like our clothes.
Internet is Siyabonga (thank you). Authors Katherine Cowles and Tori-May McKenna
T H E F E M A L E GA Z E
M o d e l l e d b y Ka tt Wa l to n , Be th Da v i e s– Ku ma d i ro We a r i n g V i n ta ge , Ba l l ro o m & Styl i sts’ O w n P h o to gr a p h y a n d De si gn b y Da n i e l l a Sh re i r
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Girl Talk with Leonie Timothy: Being Thirteen in the New Millennium Author Tori-May McKenna Photographer Love Hedman From the fringes of London, Leonie Timothy is breaking out
Leonie Timothy has vitiligo, a long-term skin condition
to the globe. Being only 13 years of age, Leonie is borne after
where a lack of melanin causes white patches to form on
the Millennium, into a world of materialism, narcissism and
the skin in areas usually exposed to sunlight. In spite of
hyper-realism. With a perspective unknown to most of us,
childhood insecurities, at 13 Leonie was approached by a
Leonie’s gaze reveals aspects of this time that we are blind
photographer and encouraged by a friend to post the images
or ignorant of. As the parents of Generation X were incapable
to Tumblr. Receiving an overwhelmingly positive response
of grasping the vernacular of computers and Nintendo
prompted her to formulate her online identity, connecting
64s, we are unable to grapple Leonie’s cohort of bloggers,
her with other people who also have vitiligo and proving to
Facebookers and Instagrammers fluency of their high speed
be an inspirational role model to many, old and young alike.
connections. The game is changing, but you are born too
Industry interviewed Leonie Timothy on making a name for
late.
herself and shaking up visual media.
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What do you think are the defining characteristics for those born after the Millennium? I think the most defining characteristic for those born after the millennium is open mindedness about social issues like racism, sexism, homophobia, etc. I think it’s mostly because of the internet and social media as to why younger people are educated on these issues as opposed to my parents’ generation. Hopefully these characteristics will be carried onto the next generation and so on, so we don’t have to fight for basic human rights. Growing up as a young woman today, do you feel that there are enough positive forces on women today? How does this compare to your mother’s generation? I do feel like there are more positive forces on women today, only to an extent though. Quite a lot has changed for women on the whole since my mother’s generation. Her generation was the last that was taught things like cooking and ‘being a housewife’ and that the only thing that they could do was get married, raise children and die and weren’t allowed to do what were considered male sports (football basketball etc) in school because those sports weren’t “feminine enough.” I’m very thankful for the women that fought for the rights that we have today. How influential do you believe the internet has been
What are the voices of your generation?
in opening up visual (fashion) references for the
Malala Yousafzai. She voiced her opinion and stood
tech-savvy generation?
up for young girls and women and their right to
Social media sites, like pinterest and tumblr, have
education and even though she got shot in the head,
made fashion history and archives much more
she pulled through and still voiced her opinion and
accessible. This has also let people discover a lot of
continues to inspire millions of girls and women all
subcultures and different fashions from all over the
over the world.
world. What do you want to have achieved by the time you are 18? I want to have made a bit of a difference. I want to get into acting and modelling, I want people to know who I am and what my story is. I want to inspire people my age, and people older. I just want to inspire people basically. I don’t care if I don’t reach my goal by the time I’m 18 as long as I reach it in my own time is all that matters to me.
GENERATIONxy
designer - DENT de MAN shoes - Clements and Church photographer - DANIELLA SHREIR models - Tom Brennan & Selali Fiamanya Kimonos by ITO
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Beyond the 38th Parallel An Exposé into North Korean State Fashion
37 and past styles, are short and modern. The dresses also show some experimentation in colour beyond the typical, and more conservative, monochrome and Socialist red suits of the past few decades. Fashion
Kim Jong Un’s own Moranbong Band (모란봉악단) is
choices are changing in North Korea. Women could
another fashion inspiration for the people. In addition
only wear traditional dresses or a skirt when in
to the very short hair of the members, the ensemble’s
Pyongyang. Now women are allowed to wear trousers,
outfits vary from military chic to sequined mini
albeit loose and non form-fitting ones. An increase in
dresses, all accessorised with tall strappy heels and
imported clothing, still predominantly from China,
jewellery. In a heavily censored nation, the Moranbong
further modernises the growing fashion scene in North
Band’s striking appearances on television indicate
Korea as women start to dress more boldly, wearing
an openness to growing fashion trends. Since they
clothes that teeter on the edge of appropriateness.
were hand picked by Kim Jong Un, the band’s risqué
There are still limitations: jeans, and clothing with
outfits and accessories, previously discouraged, are
Roman letters, are forbidden; they are too overtly
almost cultivated to become the new must-haves. If
foreign. But even within these margins, women,
anything, the band, along with the First Lady, are the
particularly young women, sometimes circumvent the
frontrunners of the North Korean fashion scene.
rules and don increasingly tighter and more Western

clothing.
On the surface, North Korea’s increased interest in fashion shows a materialist attitude inconsistent with
Author Stephanie Suh
Fashion is not the first thing one associates with North Korea. The isolationist nation makes its headlines in declarations of war, significant class disparity and human rights violations - not avantgarde fashion. However, in September, North Korea held its Twelfth Annual Fashion Show in the capital, Pyongyang. Fashion is not the first thing one associates with
some of the obscurity and secrecy that surrounds the
North Korea. The isolationist nation makes its
nation. Pan went to take pictures of the event and
headlines in declarations of war, significant class
was taken aback by the clothing exhibited there. In
disparity and human rights violations - not avant-
addition to traditional North Korean dress - or Joseon-
garde fashion. However, in September, North Korea
ot (조선옷) - the fashion show quite strikingly included
held its Twelfth Annual Fashion Show in the capital,
Western style skirt suits and dresses.
Pyongyang. For most, the concept of a fashion show in North Korea is bizarre, albeit intriguing. But for Aram
Although it may seem quite conservative to a Western
Pan, a Singaporean man who has been granted access
audience, the Fashion show clothing proved quite
to the nation four times this past year, the fashion
scandalous, according to Pan. Some of the dresses are
world is by no means a mystery. Pan has been working
quite form fitting, and hemlines are rising above the
on a project called ‘DPRK 360’ that aims to dispel
knee; both features which, compared to the Joseon-ot
This obstinate interest in fashion seems to be
both Socialist values and news of poverty and hunger
indirectly sanctioned by the nation’s leading figures,
that plagues the nation. Some may understanding
Kim Jong Un and his wife, Ri Sol Ju. The Supreme
think there are more pressing issues to address. On
Leader’s wife is the Jackie Kennedy of North Korea: as
a deeper level, though, the change in North Korean
such, she is responsible for many of the new trends in
fashion trends is significant for its openness to social
the country, like high heels and short hair. If the first
and political change. The juxtaposition of the Joseon-
lady’s bright and chic outfits inspire the public, they
ot and the Western dress on the same catwalk reveals
also tacitly endorse fashionable risk-taking.
a shift in thinking towards Western influence and may signify increasing ease and resignation towards foreign relations and a less conservative nation. Also, it demonstrates not only a desire for North Korean women to express themselves but also their desires slowly being fulfilled.
2.
OTHER STREETS • Yangon, BURMA 1 • SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA 2 •
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BRUSSELS, BELGIUM 3
1.
3. 1
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Hans Eijkelboom: The Anti-Sartorialist Author Richard Porteous
In his current project, entitled ‘People of the Twenty-First Century’, Dutch photographer Hans Eijkelboom takes deliberately ‘unexceptional’ pictures of people on streets, in a way that quite designedly opens onto questions of identity, likeness, and difference. Eijkelboom’s work uses “sameness” oppositely to how the fashion industry often does. In ‘People of the Twenty-First Century’, we have groupings of The vast majority of street photography in the twenty-
pedestrians who look quite thoroughly the same
first century is fashion-oriented. Collections focusing
in terms of the colour or shape of their clothing, or
on humans in urban settings more often than not
of their pose. The idea is perhaps that the viewer
present models wearing a particular line of clothing,
understands, despite these similarities, the distinctive
in- tended to bring out the most attractive features
features that make each person in each photograph
of the clothing worn in the shoot. The commercial
seem different. The similarities make the differences
character of contemporary street photography is,
more clear: our eye is drawn, in each photo, to a
however, entirely absent from Eijkelboom’s collection.
humanising uniqueness.
And this is no mistake. Indeed, Eijkelboom is keen to distance himself from the designation ‘street
If in a given group of nine photos we have nine people
photography’ altogeth- er. ‘It may be strange to say
with some shared feature, then, we can be sure that
but I’m not that interested in street photography. 99%
the shared feature will not be a brand name. It tells
of it is fashion, and that’s not my thing. I am more
us something about humans that is not tainted by
focused on human identity, and fashion is about the
cul- tural constructions of fashion or vogue. Indeed, he
fleeting moment.’
says, of his own work:
Eijkelboom distances himself from fashion, but he is
‘It was never my intention to be anthropological, but
certainly interested in mode conceived of more gener-
I could say about my work that if someone came from
ally. Even a cursory glance at the exciting photos we
another planet and needed information about Earth,
have been lucky enough to get hold of will reveal that
then they could look to the work of Hans Eijkelboom.’
the artist groups his photos according to similarities in
And, in a way, this reflection really makes sense,
a person’s image. But he is interested in mode for how
since his photography even has something of an
it can highlight nuanced differences. An Abercrombie
alien feel to it. It is not the affected streetsmarts of a
and Fitch collection might portray a cluster of Herculean young things in different poses, clothes and settings. The idea is that the consumer understands, despite these differences, the common thread uniting all the pouting track-stars together; in this case, an A and an F somewhere on each of their outfits. Our eye is drawn, in each collection, to a seductive generality.
budding reporter that Eijkelboom seeks, nor is it the
a Postcard Home’, was an attempt to defamiliarise the
ear-to-the- ground tone of a fashion-blogger. Rather,
world. Martin Amis (the anagram is deliber- ate) once
when Eijkelboom takes a photo - and, even more,
described Martianism as a way of counter the banal
when he groups nine of those photos together - he
perspective on the world afforded by main- stream
does something a bit like what an alien with a working
culture. When Eijkelboom sends his own postcard
knowledge of pho- tography might do, since his project
home, to his own martians, he perhaps enacts a
is so liberatingly, brilliantly, uncultured.
similar kind of protest. Not only a protest, though, but a collection of photographs that feel, at least to this
A kind of photographic Martianism we have here, then:
writer, both strange and comforting, distanced but
how a street might look if you came to it as a clean
warm, and, perhaps, profoundly sympathetic.
slate, a tabula rasa not looking and judging according to all the obvious cultural signifiers you’ve been taught to look for. In poetic Martianism, the manifesto for which is probably Craig Raine’s poem ‘A Martian Sends
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Dante Alighieri Jewellery: Alighieri
“ Fo r s h e d o t h m a k e my v e i n s a n d p u l s e s t r e m b l e”