JustPirez! 02 - Identity Issue

JUSTPIREz! FASHION | ART| CULTURE | JANUARY 2013

FASHION | ART| CULTURE

JUSTPIREz! MAGAZINE

January Issue | Identity Published by JustPirez! Ltd www.JustPirez.com Cover Credits Illustration by Chris King Editor-in-Chief & Creative Director Jimmy Outhwaite jimmy@justpirez.com

Publisher & Production Jimmy Outhwaite Advertising info@justpirez.com

Submisisons

submissions@justpirez.com

ŠJustPirez! Ltd 2013 Contributors

Viki Imrie, Chloe Holloway, Isabel Li, Nicole Broad, Lambi Chibambo, David Sheldrick, Rachel Gold, Polly Mann, Claudia Smith, MC Gaff E, Sarah Kirk, Chris King, Sky Nash, Ed J Brown, Paul Sergant, Nick Alston, Nicholas James Lockyer, Elisa Mac, Layla Sailor, Tory Smith, Julia Kiecksee, Irina Skladkowski, Ines schult, Jenny K, Florian Maas, Tomaas, Dina Yassin, Yadim C, Charley Brown, Maximova, Fiona Thatcher, Sachiko Yanase, Elena Levenets, Yana Sotnikova.

Special Thanks...

Viki Imrie, Nicole Broad, Chloe Holloway, Lambi Chibambo, Isabel Li, MC Gaff E, Rachel Gold, Polly Mann, Claudia Smith, David Sheldrick, Chris King, Nick Alston, Sarah Kirk, Sky Nash, Ed J Brown.

Illustration: CopyCat Series on opposite page by Nicholas James Lockyer

A BAD DREAM..

Every morning I wake up, and I assess what my day will be like based on the dream I’ve just woken from. For a long time I have been obsessive with analysing dreams dreamcatcher tattoo on my back. So I’ll wake up some days and feel almost sickeningly positive about everything, and some days I don’t want to get out of bed to see what the world has to offer, because if my dream world is poor then undoubtedly real life will be even more awful.

Throughout my life, in particulot of people who are special to me suffer with one of the most cruel but downgraded illnesses; depression. Depression is an illness that makes you feel like you’ve woken from a bad dream every single day, and sometimes it just feels like you’re stuck inside that bad dream. There are so many people who carry on with their lives keeping it a secret, and not realising that actually every single one of us could suffer with this at some point in our life.

Between 5 and 10 per cent of the entire population are suffering from it to some extent at any one time, and throughout your lifetime developing it. It can literally happen to any of us.

All of these facts, and people still generally belittle depression as an illness until they come face-to-face with it.

Depression is a disease. It steals lives on a day to day basis, and it should be taken as seriously as any

other. So many people in the modern world think that the route to happiness is based around material possessions. Money, houses, fast cars, the latest designer shoes. In reality, all of these things don’t matter. Money might make the world go round in a political and economical sense, but as far as emotions are concerned it is a short term strategy. There are so many people that are so busy they have no time for their personal lives, and 9 times out of 10 they grow old to regret it.

A career has always been important to me, more important than anything else. I know where I want to be but I want to enjoy the learning curves and tests I have to pass in order to get there. I don’t want my career handed to me on a plate, where is the fun in that? A career is another example of what people assume will bring them happiness. How many people do you know that have got into the career they have worked hard to get to, and decided it’s not for them?

Wasn’t all it was cracked up to be, not what they expected... I personally have heard so many stories like this, and I don’t want to be that person. But if I am, I want to know I’ve enjoyed and learnt from the journey that took me there, even if the end of the rainbow didn’t give me that pot of gold I was hoping for.

Another misconception is that you need to be in love to feel truly happy. Looking back, I can honestly say I don’t know if I have ever been in love.

So many people get wrapped up in a fairytale and they miss everything beautiful that’s going on around them on a daily basis. I try to meet someone new every day, especially on bad dream days. I don’t care if I’ll never see them again, once a hello turns into a chat you can learn so much. Be it on the street, on a train, on a bus, I make the effort to smile and sometimes magical. Spend a day inside a train station. There are so many people from so many paths of life; people going to work, people going home to visit their family, people going on holiday...

You will hear some interesting stories and meet some fascinating people. It’s amazing how someone will open up more to a stranger than they will to their best friend. Sometimes you just need that impartial ear to listen, and even without any advice it somehow makes you feel better.

The reality is, whatever we’re going through at any point in time there is someone worse off. Someone out there would class your life as a walk in the park, and vice versa. Our own problems always feel bigger than everyone else’s, but if you start to open your eyes to other peoples lives you begin to feel less isolated and more in control of the hurdles you’re facing. You might even make some new friends along the way. I go outside at night and look at the stars. I think something can only be properly put into perspective when you compare it to the universe.

Everything feels completely something so unbelievably massive, beautiful and natural. The universe

itself spans a diameter of over 150 billion light years, and is expanding constantly. It’s estimated to be 13.7 billion years old, in comparison to the life expectancy humans in the United Kingdom have eighty years. We have eighty years to make our lives matter in the grand scheme of things.

We need to spend more time concentrating on the beautiful things, and less time over thinking the negative. I’m a strong believer in fate, and think that everything that happens in life on a day to day basis is meant to be.

Everything is a lesson to me, and will serve to become something positive - even if it feels awful at the time. Grab every opportustation, theres a hundred different paths we can choose and sometimes we get confused in making the decision. We can feel that everything is moving in the opposite direction to us, but thats what makes things interesting.

Learn to see things as a test to your personality rather than as a challenge you can’t deal with.

Believe in yourself and you can make anything work.

Our lives are so short, and we spend half of our time worrying. Look at the ceiling instead the pavement. You’ll start to see the beauty in the world and you’ll trust it to guide you on your way to something bigger and better than what you’ve currently got. It’s not till you start believing things can change that they will...

TEXT NICOLE BROAD | ILLUSTRATIONS NICK ALSTON

ILLUSTRATION BY ED J BROWN FOR JUSTPIREZ! MAGAZINE

PAM HOGG There’s only one woman who can talk quite casually about how Debbie Harry pinched the very dress she’d designed off her back, only to later wear it onstage and then pull her up there to join in. Needless to say they messed up the lyrics. Evidently designer/musician/80s club kid Pam Hogg is something of a legend. quickly sold out at Hyper Hyper in Kensington as well as her own shop in Soho and it was full speed ahead from there. Hogg was quickly something of a sartorial (and indeed musical) leader on the club scene, fronting more than one band herself and inspiring a generation of revellers to dress however the hell they wanted. Happily, that legendary rebelliousness is still apparent Pam has since dressed Siouxsie Sioux, Lady Gaga and Kylie Minogue yet freely admits that as a self-taught pattern-cutter and seamstress she really just makes it up as she goes along.

Her S/S’13 collection caused a bit of a stir (as the best do) with her characteristically fetish-inspired designs, not to mention Alice Dellal prancing down the catwalk in that bottomless ensemble. We just had to delve deeper into the mind of the woman whose wild designs have alarmed and delighted clubbers, onlookers and fashion critics for many a year…

Pam Hogg, you come from an art rather than a fashion background having studied at the Glasgow School of Art. How does this affect your design process?

I use my vision as an artist, which allows me to be free of any rules to evolving as a fashion designer.

I design everything in my head with no preconceived ideas, working on a feeling or idea that something may have planted in my head rather than researching a topic. I just see where it leads.

Having no formal training in fashion also affects the construction process as I’m totally self-taught in the art of making of garments, as well as pattern cutting. I just

make it up as I go along.

What was it like growing up in Glasgow? Is it a completely different scene from London?

The Glasgow area was a poor but creative environment. When you have nothing, you have nothing to lose.

I was surrounded by a mentality of hard work and took nothing for granted. I had dreams I aspired to to be afraid of being different, so I had pretty good foundations. When I came down to London I was exposed to many more opportunities to move forward. There was a real excitement brewing in the club scene and punk movement that I gravitated towards, so it was here in London that I really found my direction.

What is is it a someone the day

clubbing about for you chance for a person to be they wouldn’t dare to be in time? Or is about the music

with everyone imagining they are writes up a press release dictating it to be so. In reality it’s something you have to earn.

you think of the club scene now?

Going to clubs was always about meeting people, hearing great music and dressing up. In the 80s there was an abundance of amazing clubs and therefore a reason to go out every single night. Clothes were a way of showing your individuality whilst embracing a group you could identify with. These scenes were forever evolving with an intense momentum and the air was constantly charged with change and new direction.

I think it’s harder these days to pretty much handed on a plate to the masses, with stylists everywhere you turn - for me it’s not so fresh and exciting. But there are pockets of small clubs with a great vibe where people who really have something special make their own scene. At the heart of that is good music.

You quickly built up a cult following when you started out in the early eighties. How different is it for young designers starting out now do you think? Do designers still get such loyal followings?

I had no thoughts or desires to create a following; it was the furthest thing from my mind. I was in the midst of discovery, creating my collections and having the time foremost and if you do it well and with integrity it will resonate and touch people. That’s when you gain a following, and in turn the knowledge of that inspires you to never give up and always stay true to your dreams.

You must have some pretty amazing memories from your time on the stage. How are the worlds of music and fashion connected for you?

Getting called up on stage to sing with Debbie Harry in the early nineties was insane. It was impromptu so we tried to remember all the words to ‘Waiting for the Man’ and muddled every verse, but it didn’t matter as we just larked around. She was wearing one of my pieces; a dress she’d earlier that day ripped off my back, so that stands out as a great moment. As for being connected yes.

For me, music and fashion are all glove. Equally for me the medium of

I think there’s a danger in putting such importance on the idea of a “cult following”. For young designers starting out it can be damaging when the desire to have a following becomes greater than the work itself. It’s like the word “Icon”; it’s bandied about so much that it starts to lose its meaning,

closely connected to fashion as I’m off, and all the disciplines feed off each other.

Your designs are often based on fetish-style concepts. What is it that fascinates you about the concept of a fetish? Is it the style/ the fantasy/ the psychological element?

I think it must be a combination of all three but it’s not something I try to analyse too much. It comes with an intensity that drives my ideas forward and if I was to dissect every move I made it would break the spell. I just embrace it You work with a constantly changing team of students - does this ideas always coming in? Do you think it would change the way you work if you were to have a permanent team?

I work mainly alone and my fusing and forming and just waiting for the right moment to pour out.

The requisite to gaining a placement with me involves no design input - I look for the ability to work alongside me in a quiet intimate environment, allowing me space to let my ideas continue to evolve as I work. This is paramount. The students arrive when the collection is underway and with my guidance they help physically make the remaining pieces for the show. I take on two each season and they’re chosen solely for their ability to listen, understand, work hard and learn. I would love one day to be in a someone who would learn and grow with me to become a permanent part of the small dream team I envisage

for the future.

What do you think is the most important factor in styling? Is bravery important?

I think the key is to go with gut instinct and not linger too long.

When I’m designing I envisage the total look so I’m not searching for anything to add to it at the end. I unconsciously style as I go along, with an instinct that dictates the look for that particular moment.

Afterwards I realise that there could be many combinations within the collection and that all of my collections work easily together - but when styling it’s all about focusing on the moment.

How does it feel dressing celebrities and larger than life characters like Lady Gaga and Rihanna? Do you only dress people who you feel really embody what you are all about?

I get many requests for my pieces, and depending on who it is and the situation at the time they can be given on loan or made to order. Not all requests, no matter who for myself with no copies and they’re needed for editorial, so although there are many people out there that I’d love to see wearing them, its not always possible. I’d love to have my own shop again where my things would be more accessible.

THE END. INTERVIEW BY VIKI IMRIE IMAGES PAM HOGG

Photographer Julia Kiecksee Styling: Irina Skladkowski Hair & Make-up: Ines schult Model: Jenny K @ Place Photo Assistant: Florian Maas

JACOB KIMMIE are simultaneously sentimental and subversive, aggressive and romantic.

His work celebrates the revolutionary mood of South Africa as she went through tremendous change to democracy. His growing up in coloured townships of Johannesburg is a constant source of energy and reference point for his designs, the outcome emulating the elitist establishment values of couture. competition?

I try to stand out by always trying to be individualistic and original.

I also attempt to see and explore as much as possible in art and culture in an attempt to feed my imagination. Staying true to your vision is key.

What inspired your collection and what inspires you?

I’m inspired by a mission to create beauty from nothing. I grew up in a radical time in Jozi.. I think that left a lasting impression on me... to be radical. Radical doesn’t have to mean ugly. And it most certainly isn’t for a wealthy elite. For SS13,I was inspired to move fashion away from that pretty, clawingly sweet thing happening at the moment; All parading as high fashion. I’m totally anti-glamour, anti-luxury. I wanted to do something fun, but ferociously sophisticated. I love the music by Grimes and Salem.It steered my collection in the direction I wanted it. My clothes are all about Azealia Banks, Zebra Katzz, Iggy Azealia. My clothes are for a different type of elite...an artistic elite...who don’t mind getting their boobs out!

What advice would you give to young designers wanting to break into the industry?

Break all the rules. But you can only do so if you’re clever. So...read more books.

For Africa to truly be taken notice of, she needs to produce designers who can compete with Balenciaga, Givenchy, Rodarte, Kantrantzou and Sconamiglio. The world doesn’t want to buy costume. They want to buy fashion.

INTERVIEW BY CHLOE HOLLOWAY ILLUSTRATION BY ELISA MACDOUGALL

MERCEDES-BENZ AFRICA FASHION WEEK Fashion enthusiasts,ecstatic critics and the elite of African fashion gathered to showcase their latest Summer/Spring 2013 collections. Over 30 designers from across the country lined up to celebrate aesthetic African style and culture. Melrose Arch, Johannesburg, was the backdrop against which the event took place.

Day One: The event was kicked off by three emerging young designers, Kyra-Moon Halfpenny, Kim Gush and Wativie Nkosi as part of the AFI Fastrack programme - an initiative aimed at promoting young up and coming designers from around the continent. Kyra-Moon Halfpenny, who amazing brogues. The collection was a string of casual and elegant centre piece for the Kim Gush Menswear collection. Whilst Wativie Nkosi and Tina Lobondi used patterns and shades of yellow in their collections. Lobondi used feminine silhouettes whilst Nkosi’s collection consisted of exaggerated collars.

Next on the line up was a International treat with the likes of Millie Collins, Marc Oliver and Inés Cautrecasas bringing day one to an elegant close.

Day Two: Making our way to the shows excitedly antcipating to watch Gavin Rajah presentation.

Keeping in line with this season’s trends pink was very prominent in his collection, which oozed femininity and class along with bright bursts of colour. Diandra Forrest opened up for French designer, Fred Sathal, his collection emphasized a wide array of intricate prints and unusual color combinations that complimented each other surprisingly well.

Day Three: We were treated to the cream de la cream of Zimbabwean fashion, Zuvva by Joyce, Intisaar and Maito Marimo. A cotton sea of blue and green with a touch of purple hue graced down the runway, some beautifully incorporated bead work completed the look that really show cased Zimbabwean potential.

Day Four: Print were the center piece for the majority of designers showcasing today. The fourth day held a great deal of promise with the day starting off with KluK CGDT. A summery palate of colours was used effectively. The Kluk CGDT collection was extremely wearable day wear that appeared very easy on the eye. Next was the Duaba Serwa collection from Ghana titled “Lines and Moments.” The bold bright colours and prints were a beautiful indicator of the designer’s There was a slight change in schedule as Iteun Basi replaced Kevin Hall. The collection experimented with newspaper and Nigerian print and a mix of vivacious colours and silhouettes. With such creativity it is no wonder this collection received a standing ovation. Later on in the evening it was Haute Couture designer, Thula Sindi.

Day Five: Closing this season’s Africa Fashion Week were a host of talented musicians feeding the audience with musical delights.Minty hues and pink leather created a Parisian atmosphere in the Mimi Plange start. Performances from Naima Mclean and Lira created a relaxing mood and got us all excited for the next designer Maki OH. A tassel revival and beautiful agbada inspired silhouettes showed off the creativity and genius that is this young Nigerian designer. To end off such a spectacular season, a glitzy award ceremony took place, awarding those for having the most outstanding collections or showing the most promise.Africa Fashion Week was a delightful success; Oozing with protential to become big players in the fashion week scene. Watch this space.

TEXT LAMBI CHIBAMBO ILLUSTRATIONS ELISA MACDOUGALL

CANDYPOP!

Photographer & Creative Director: Tory Smith Stylist: Twinks Burnett Make-up & Wig Designer: Giorgio Galliero Lighting Assistant: Ben Ramasami Models: Karis Eaves & Elizaveta Razumova

UNA BURKE Through Una’s work she continually aim to create leather objects which are both visually captivating and technically challenging. They are preventing them from being placed into the conventional categories of the fashion industry. They are free to exist just as the objects that they are, interpreted independently by each individual. Burke uses traditional leatherworking techniques to produce these evocative, conceptual creations. In doing this Una Burke hopes to encourage a new and more modern appreciation for leather craftsmanship and present the possibilities achievable through the use of this material in both the areas of art and of functional design.

How would you describe your designs?

that I do with these traits.

My designs could be described

wanted to be a designer?

shield, to protect the wearer and show strength of character.

They have a rock-chic feel with an occasional hint of femininity through the use of colour.

This happened over a space of time really. I was always helping my mum to make clothes for myself and my sisters on the sewing machine when I was a kid and then at about the age of 14 or 15 I started to have dream’s at night-time where I could see models walking up and down a catwalk wearing designs that I had dreamt up. I remember seeing the detail down to the stitching on the pockets. It was very strange but I felt lucky to have such a strong calling when so many of my friends were confused about what to do with their lives.

What was life growing up on a farm like?

Wonderful!! I wouldn’t have it any other way. You come to be at one with the earth when you grow up on a farm and you appreciate so many things that a lot of people take for granted. Farming strengthens you as a person though as it’s a very tough way of life.

There are such highs and lows, often to do with the birth and death of animals. I loved it though and it’s led me to have a very strong work ethic.

What drives you as a person? Creatively and personally?

I’m driven by honesty, strength, beauty, respect and passion. I instinctively approach everything

Úna your designs often grace the ential magazines how does it feel seeing you designs in a timeless manner?

It’s quite surreal really! I’ve always managed to stay ridiculously calm at the most exciting times and then about a year or two later I’ll say to myself,

wow that was really something to be proud of actually, but then the moment is gone and it’s too late to celebrate so I’m really trying my hardest to wake up and enjoy the moment as things happen because all too soon it could all be over!!

For example, a stylist recently used the word “iconic” to describe an image of my work that was photographed about two years ago by David Bailey and styled by Charlotte Stockdale and had appeared in i-D. Only then, when this stylist used that word, did I really acknowledge how huge that it was! I think that being a grounded person means that all of these experiences are a bonus to me. I didn’t really chase the glory, instead, if I might plagiarise a line from my friend Rob Goodwin (a super-talented fellow leatherworker), “I just wanted to make beautiful things!!” tial people in your short career.

What are the highlights?

Meeting David Bailey and his beautiful wife Catherine was one of them but then of course, I didn’t realise that until quite a while later! Exhibiting in SHOWstudio this year, I also met Nick Knight and took commissions from both Daphne Guinness and Phillip Lim. I’ve also had the pleasure of meeting with and working closely with several amazing stylists such as Charlotte Stockdale, who has been incredibly supportive of me since used my work for Numero magazine when I was less than a year graduated; Katie Shillingford, who I worked with on a catwalk project with creative hair stylist Peter -

duced my work to Rihanna; Nicola Formichetti, who commissioned an tour; Anna Trevelyan, who commisers; Robbie Spencer, who has continually used my pieces for shoots Richard Burbridge for Dazed and Confused and other top style magazines.

What is the process and time frame of making your signature body brace from sketch to completion?

The big art pieces pieces take several weeks to make from start to made. For example, with the commission that I’m currently working on for Phillip Lim’s private art collection, consisting of an upper body piece and a kneeling legs piece, the design work and pattern for those two pieces originally took me about 6 weeks to develop.

The leather for these two pieces was cut about 6 weeks ago and only now, with three of us working on it full-time, is it starting to take pieces. One of the simpler pieces for the seasonal collections however, might take about 2weeks to it could be made in the space of two to three days.

Twisted Candy - Your SS13 Collection looks much more playful than what you usually are known for. Was it a conscience effect to change direction?

This was a conscious decision to..

try something lighter as my concepts are always very heavy and I am very passionate about them, however these heavy concepts can also be quite draining so the point of this collection and it’s lighter colours was to point to the fact that we all need balance in our lives and I, like so many people, run around working all the time and not investing enough time into my personal well-being.

This quest for balance and thus the name, twisted candy, indicates how something that we love and therefore take too much of, can often end in illness of some sort.

Can you give us a exclusive preview from your latest collection? What can we expect from you?

The next collection’s got to be top secret, the season’s move fast enough already so have patience and enjoy the collection I’ve just given presented, it’s not ”so last season” just yet!!

If you were stranded on a deserted island miles away from civilisation what three items would you take with you, and why?

I’d take a good book, an enormous bottle of mojito to enjoy every last moment of it, and I’d take a huge mircatch the attention of airplane pilots and ship captains.

/ART OF PHOTOGRAPHY The art of photography is the ability to translate unspoken thoughts into an image, thus capturing more than just an image, but an untold story.

It was brought to the forefront of modern society in the early nineteenth century, upon the discovery of the ability to capture a moment in time through black and white images. Since the 1850’s, colour photography has been used to add a more vibrant dimension to photographs, but black and white photography is still commonly used to this very day.

years, until now, when, because the public has so readily embraced the exhibition, it has been changed to a biannual event. This year marked photographers ranging from amateur to professional all showcasing their remarkable talent. The expositions were spread over four weeks and the works could vary from forms of personal expression to commentary on politics and philosophy.

As well as being a series of exhibitions aimed at appreciating the massive amount of talent that Through the lens of the camera is in South Africa, the festival is people have not only been given the also an educational experience. Not opportunity to cherish their most only is the still life aspect of sentimental moments but also carry photography explored within these the pleas of the voiceless in works; the audio-visual aspect of places of war or natural disaster. photography is well expressed by Thus, it was with such thoughts in each photographer who mind that “The Cape Town Month of painstakingly spent ours matching Photography” was introduced. resonance to their presentations.

Kicking off in 2008, it is the This year, the proceedings kicked biggest photographic cultural event off with a huge exhibition in the in the Southern Hemisphere. Like historical Cape of Good Hope it’s counterparts in New York and Castle, on the 27th September.

London, it was brought to South Africa to showcase, not only local The opening event was attended by photographers, but international numerous photographers and photographers as well, showcasphotography enthusiasts and the ing over seventy works by solo and group photographers. canon in the quadrangle, just It was started in 1999 and, since outside of the main exhibition then, it has happened every three venue.

Despite relatively dismal weather, the event attracted large amounts of people, who had the privilege of witnessing the announcing of the winner of the Grand Prize, a Nikon D800, as well as a Nikon 50mm f/1.4G lens. The winner, For “Best New Body of Work”, Nel de França, received much praise for her haunting works entitled “Lost Moments”.

A woman of Portuguese decent, whose family was originally from Madeira, but now live in Port Elizabeth; Da França’s work was highly commended for her inventive thinking and insightful interpretation of a person’s life. Her works were split into three parts, all in black and white photography; each portraying a message that held a new meaning in the eye of every beholder.

By integrating technology, innovation and creativity, she was able and evoke strong emotions within every person who was lucky enough to have an opportunity to gaze upon her works.

This year, the proceedings kicked off with a huge exhibition in the historical Cape of Good Hope Castle, on the 27th September. The opening event was attended by numerous photographers and photography enthusiasts and the canon in the quadrangle, just outside of the main exhibition venue. Despite relatively dismal weather, the event attracted large amounts of people, who had the privilege of witnessing the announcing of the winner of the Grand Prize, a Nikon D800, as well as a Nikon 50mm f/1.4G lens.

The winner, For “Best New Body of Work”, Nel de França, received much praise for her haunting works entitled “Lost Moments”.

A woman of Portuguese decent, whose family was originally from Madeira, but now live in Port Elizabeth; Da França’s work was highly commended for her inventive thinking and insightful interpretation of a person’s life. Her works were split into three parts, all in black and white photography; each portraying a message that held a new meaning in the eye of every beholder. By integrating technology, innovation and creativity, she was able to snag evoke strong emotions within every person who was lucky enough to have an opportunity to gaze upon her works.

The showcase consisted of four core exhibitions, entitled: “A Celebration of Land and City Scapes”; “Home: Roots en Route”; “Jansje Wissema’s District Six”; and “Dale Yudelman-Life Under Democracy”.

‘A Celebration of Land and City Scapes” was exhibited at the Iziko South African Museum. This Particular exhibition focused on people and the environment in which they live and boasted thirteen bodies of works by over thirty different photographers, including that of the famed Guy Tilim. It captured the details of everyday life with careful precision, as well as shining a new light on the not so usual aspects of modern life.

The focuses of the works spanned from every corner of the globe; from Jenny Schneider’s “Pathways” which captured the beauty and majesty of the Western Cape to Guy Tilim’s “Second Nature” which of French Polynesia. An exhibition that was based a little closer to home was “Jansje Wissema’s District Six”. Appropriately, her exhibit was based in the District Six Homecoming Museum on Buintenkant Street in the centre of town.

During Apartheid, Government made its intentions to eradicate the District Six clear, Jansje Wissema, now one of South Africa’s most celebrated photographers, was commissioned to make a record of the lifestyles and architecture that resided within the District. Unfortunately, she did not live to showcase her remarkable work; however, the negatives were stored in the hopes that they would, one day, be

dedicated to her work. The photographs were in black and white, the lack of colour in her exhibition adding a certain depth and the intensity to them. Each photograph portrayed a different character, personality, livelihood. While the focus of her photography was mainly on the people, the story that every building tells allows the viewer to gain exclusive and intimate understanding of the lives that the residents lived.

Town Month of Photography was a monumental success. The incredible amounts of talent that graced the halls of every building that was privileged enough to have an opportunity to host an exhibition was astounding, but the talent is not limited to the art that was showcased. Over one hundred works were submitted for evaluation and while not all of them may have been included in the exhibition, the sheer number of people who were bold enough to try is a clear testimony to the beauty and diversity within our world and the number of people who have the ability to capture said beauty.

The festival has grown vastly, no doubt, that it will continue to grow as the years pass.

that her work had been showcased.

Wissema’s work did not only display limitless talent, but it bore the mark of a woman who was truly

TEXT LAMBI CHIBAMBO

THE RODNIK BAND Philip Colbert is the founder and designer of The Rodnik The Rodnik Band is not just another fashion brand, it is inspired fashion label. The designs walk a humorous line and fashion, and have a strong artistic spirit. “We like

Band. a pop art between art to think that

our collections. We create clothing inspired by artists for artists.”

Philip Colbert speaks to JustPirez! about their up-coming collaboration with the musician, artist and model Audrey Napoleon.

Your previous collections are obvious you enjoy combining fashion, music and art together in a playful and spectacular way. Are there any experiences or reasons behind this?

We like to break the mould! In the art world artists reinvented the traditional conception and role of the artist in relation to the work, such as Gilbert and George becoming ‘living sculptures’, and I felt that fashion was still very conservative with the way designers present their collections on the runway and bow at the end etc.

I like the idea that if you change the way you look at something, the thing you look at changes. So as a designer to pick up a microphone and start wrapping about the collections on the catwalk with models picking up instruments and playing along seemed like a fun way of creating a cross over of a fashion label band, the world’s That is really an insightful thought! So now, as one of the coolest Fashion-Art brands in the U.K, what are your thoughts on your success?

We try to do things our own way,

making collections that are in keeping with the spirit of the brand, and as well as developing the commercial sides of the collection. We love to keep creating the wearable artwork styles that are less commercial but the brand.

We also like to keep developing our win approach to showing the collections, for example instead of doing traditional fashion shows at fashion week, for the last couple of seasons we have been developing look alike publicity stunts with artist Alison Jackson, this season we did the ultimate fake celebrity front row, with the queen, Elton John, and Katy Perry. collaboration with Audrey Napoleon, be breath-taking, right?

Audrey came along to a fashion event we did a couple of seasons back at the Mayfair hotel and we instantly got on. We kept in touch and the idea to collaborate sort of grew organically.

Audrey Napoleon is not just a superstar in the music scene, we know that she is also an amazing fashionista and has been doing some stimulation experience?

Audrey has a very strong aesthetic, and after meeting her, ideas started popping into my head. The pop art take on naploean, with the spirit and audrey’s strong identity.

And how was the design process?

The design process was quick, as the ideas had been slowly developing in the back of the mind, so it was a quicker process than having to create ideas from scratch. Also by discussing things with Audrey really helped to steer it in the right direction.

Now we see the results of your hard work. Could you describe your thoughts?

It’s really fun seeing Audrey wear and even preform in the styles, they come alive when she wears them. When Audrey plays live she has an amazing stage presence, she goes crazy behind the decks, check it out.

Last time you had a music collaboration with “The Energie” you had an after-party organised. Is there going to be a party for this We are planning a launch event in Milk studios in NY in November.

Ooh sounds fun! If you were stranded on a deserted island miles away from civilisation, what three items would you want with you?

Radio, hammock, sun glasses.

The Rodnik Band X Audrey Napoleon Collaboration Out Now! WWW.RODNIKBAND.COM INTERVIEW BY ISABEL LI

White Magic By TOMAAS Photographer: TOMAAS www.tomaas.com Make Up Artist: Fiona Thatcher For Make Up For Ever. Hair Stylist: Sachiko Yanase Post Production: Elena Levenets Model: Yana Sotnikova @ Ford Models

/PHOTOGRAPHY PROFILE TOMAAS photos are anything but static. Each shot is like a cross section of a vibrant narrative: a slice of a cinematic story just racing to get to the next scene.

So where did the photographer develop the ability to capture life in such a way? Growing up in Hamburg, Germany, TOMAAS remembers it was the fascinating whir and whine of the old Hasselblad camera that really got wandered the streets taking photos of people going about their daily lives and capturing animals at the zoo. It was always about movement and story.

The almost cinematic quality to TOMAAS’s work is perhaps explained by his obsession with travel and photojournalism. A trip to Vietnam really highlighted this, and the photographer captured an array of faces without all the fuss of hairstylists and intricate costumes. Indeed, his travel work is almost painfully candid, dissolving the distance between photographer and subject as if no camera had been used at all. It was this trip that prompted TOMAAS to take a photography course, having had no formal training up to this point. He quickly built up a portfolio and was taken on by an agent, and from here it all went uphill.

TOMAAS really gets the chance to set up shots with all the drama of a much-needed life - have such vitality about them that it’s almost as if the photographer has just burst in on a private party where everyone conveniently happens to have incredible hair and make up.

So, what next for TOMAAS? His work has been published across a number of international publications and exhibited in New York galleries, and now he’s keen to give advertising a whirl. With the power of photographic do it…

TEXT BY VIKI IMRIE

White Magic By TOMAAS Photographer: TOMAAS www.tomaas.com Make Up Artist: Fiona Thatcher For Make Up For Ever. Hair Stylist: Sachiko Yanase Post Production: Elena Levenets Model: Yana Sotnikova @ Ford Models

White Magic By TOMAAS Photographer: TOMAAS www.tomaas.com Make Up Artist: Fiona Thatcher For Make Up For Ever. Hair Stylist: Sachiko Yanase Post Production: Elena Levenets Model: Yana Sotnikova @ Ford Models

White Magic By TOMAAS Photographer: TOMAAS www.tomaas.com Make Up Artist: Fiona Thatcher For Make Up For Ever. Hair Stylist: Sachiko Yanase Post Production: Elena Levenets Model: Yana Sotnikova @ Ford Models

/DESIGN ON A SMALL ISLAND

What is it that breeds innovation and creativity on a little, icy island in the middle of the North Atlantic? Well, something or other is doing the job seeing as Icelandic design is booming at the rate of its Scandinavian sister Sweden - a country long-renowned for its stark yet elegant design credentials. But tempting as it may be to slot Iceland neatly into the ‘Nordic Design’ category and leave it there, it just wouldn’t be right. The creativity that Iceland bubbles over with is altogether different; it has that same raw, simple edge but with a strong sense of warmth, narrative and tradition woven through.

So what drives these people to create? The current textbook answer is that Iceland is ‘consolidating its economic recovery though the creative industries’ but I think this is a bit of a cop out. Sure, the economic situation has pushed Icelanders into action in some ways, but I think the reason behind the boom in creativity has a lot more to do with the Design Centre attributes it to something like a cultural (and indeed climatic) coping mechanism.

“Perhaps living on a cold, windy, volcanic island in the middle of the North Atlantic requires a certain blend of a courageous spirit and creativity - often new, imaginative solutions are required.”

Standing inside SPARK design space in the centre of Reykjavik, surrounding cans of beer, I experience something of this almost physical need to create. On this particular Tuesday night - the opening of an exhibition of beautiful graphic posters by Professor and designer Goddur - there is none of the aloofness sometimes found lingering like a bad smell around ly proud they are of the talent brewing in Iceland. But more than this, they want to talk about their own part in the phenomenon - what they individually are doing and creating. This isn’t just a group of people spouting carefully rehearsed rhetoric about a project they have been planning for a several years, mysteriously rooted to the ground by their own creative inertia. These are people just doing stuff. In Iceland there is a feeling of nothing being impossible. As if to prove my point, a man chips in; “You have to trust that everything will work out,” he says. Wise words.

This eternal optimism is something of a boon, and can perhaps be partly attributed to the small size of Iceland’s population; not too much over 300,000. Halla Helgadóttir, Manager of The Iceland Design Centre (and trained as a graphic designer) cites the matter of size as a major factor.

66 North catwalk show at the Blue Lagoon

“We are very few people living in the middle of the Atlantic, far away from both Europe and America. Being so few, one individual can have a of a project.”

Having been lucky enough to work on various different projects with the Icelanders, I’ve seen this easy, laid-back attitude to ‘doing’ in wooden house and transport it to the remotest backwaters on wheels? No hunger - and you don’t just stand around talking when you’re hungry, do you? As Sari explains, creativity is a very ‘natural and obvious’ part of the culture - more of a necessity than a conscious choice.

Before we launch onto the Icelandic design scene, we do of course need the obligatory mention of the country’s stunning scenery. Forgive me momentarily whilst I string together adjectives like ‘awe inspiring’ linguistic experience. But seriously - it is beautiful. Driving into er like a lunar adventure of sorts. Ditto as I gaze up at the faint green snake that winds through the sky one night in the form of the Northern Lights. It all feels a little like a fairytale. ly at one with their landscape and nature, so too are they accepting of the traditions, folklore and supernatural elements that are central to their culture. They seem to accept and love their environment rathtains, the elves living in the moss… This oneness with the land and landic design, whether through use of natural materials and techniques or the traditions and folktales that inspire a product or project. But perhaps a story would help illustrate my point?

Once upon a time (but not many years ago) a team of labourers had been working on a construction site in Ljarskogar when some mysterious accidents happened in front of one particular stone, causing work to be brought to a standstill. A medium was called, and sensing that elves ternative route for the road. The Iceland Road Authority are well used to this - in fact it’s something of a regular occurrence. As Birgir Gudmundsson from the Authority comments; “Our basic approach is not to deny this phenomenon. There are people who can negotiate with the elves, and we make use of that.”.

So now you know - folklore is a part of Icelandic culture in a very real way. This open and accepting belief system is clearly visible in the design process, in the form of a playful and overtly positive narrative. A perfect place to start in illustrating this blend of the functional and humorous is Vik Prjónsdóttir - a collective of young designers working with Icelandic wool. What with the rise of that horSouthernmost Iceland on a rescue mission to study traditional techniques and gather knowledge.

Their best known product is probably the seal pelt blanket - essentially a seal-shaped onesie. What makes it even more delightful is that the idea was born from one of Jón Árnason’s Icelandic Legends from 1874.

Want to hear the condensed version? I’ll oblige. You see, according to Icelandic folklore seals can shed their skins to take on the appearance which he took home and locked away in a chest. The next day he returned to the exact same spot and found a young girl, naked and crying. He took her in and cared for her and she eventually became his wife, alwent out and on his return found his wife gone along with the seal skin out in his boat a sad-eyed seal watches over him. Now don’t even try and tell me you get that calibre of back story with a Primark onesie.

Vik Prjónsdóttir also design the somewhat hilarious ‘beard cap’ based on a traditional ‘lamb-shed hood’ which farmers would wear on long treks to neighbouring farms. The cap is rather like a re-worked balaclava but the Vik Prjónsdóttir version has a moustache and beard attached. So Icelandic.

KRADS Lego Playtime

One of my favourite products spied on my travels in Iceland was discovered in the aforementioned SPARK design space. What looked like a monumentally long necklace hung on the wall (ridiculous/ disproportionate accessories always catch my attention) actually turned out to be something totally different. The SASA clock was designed by Thorunn Arnadottir as her BA project at the Iceland Academy of the Arts and is - put simply - a string of wooden beads hung over a circular carousel on the wall. Each bead is colour coded as a minute or hour and as the carousel slowly rotates, a bead slips down, marking the passing of time. The idea behind the clock is that it turns time into something organic, letting our lives control time as opposed to the other way around. Hence the name of the clock ‘SASA’ meaning ‘what is now’ in African Kiswahili. My favourite part is that when you feel like time is running away from you, the designer suggests you simply take the beads off the wall and wear them as a necklace, making time your own. combining couture and gardening. Not a concept I had ever really considered, but Hafsteinn Juliusson’s creations - ‘simple things with fun solutions’ - have well and truly convinced me. His growing jewellery consists of necklaces and rings containing live and growing is similarly tongue in cheek; edible paper crisps. The whole idea is that eating junk food is often just down to habit and routine, so creating nutritionless but edible paper crisps allows one to perform the act of eating without actually consuming anything. My favourite take on the product is Hafsteinn’s own - ‘This is a paradoxical product that plays with weapons like irony and nonsense thus leaving interpretation to the bravest consumer.” Brilliantly put.

Food design is actually the youngest of the design disciplines and a probably the oldest discipline. The Designers and Farmers Project has taken this idea and run with it, creating innovative ways to design, present and manufacture Icelandic foods. The designers behind the venture have certainly succeeded in their goal to ‘create new traditions’ what with the beautifully-designed and crafted collection of rhubarb caramel sticks, black pudding marble cakes and rye bread rolls. These last ones are my favourite and were created in tribute to the eccentric Icelandic writer Þórbergur Þórðarson who was obsessed with experiencing life through measurements of size and space above anything else.

Inspired by his ideas, the designers came up with a chopping block for the rye bread that ensures each slice is exactly one thumb length long.

Now for two young Icelandic designers collaborating on a completely different type of jewellery (no grass involved this time). I like a good recommendation and Sari of the Iceland Design Centre tipped me off that María Kristín Jónsdóttir and Bylgja Svansdóttir - the brains behind jewellery brand Staka - are the ones to watch for 2013. I didn’t need any encouragement - as soon as I heard the words ‘unisex leather neck accessories’ grouped together I wanted several. The girls actually met at SPARK design space and like all the best Icelandic designs their pieces are heavily inspired by folklore, in particular one of Iceland’s best known narratives - The Brennu-Njáls saga; a dramatic tale of a blood feud and a majestic leading lady. The pair say the pieces have got people guessing which character would wear which piece.

This is really just the tip of the iceberg (rather appropriate imagery I thought). I haven’t mentioned KRADS architecture studio and their ‘Playtime’ workshops setting 16 students loose on 65 kg of old-fashioned lego, nor have I mentioned the 66 North catwalk show staged over the steamy waters of the Blue Lagoon. There are countless other amazing things. Luckily every March the Iceland Design Centre gathers the country’s talent in one place for four days of exhibitions, workshops and lectures covering all areas of design. As Halla wisely says; ‘We are a young nation design-wise and a lot is happening at a grass roots level right now. We have yet to see how the design scene will develop and this lot from continuing to create some pretty amazing stuff.

For more info on Icelandic design and all the designers mentioned visit www.icelanddesign.is Design March 2013 will take place 14th-17th March 2013 in Reykjavik.

TEXT BY VIKI IMRIE IMAGES ICELAND DESIGN CENTRE

MC GAFF E MC Gaff E - transcends genre. Coming in somewhere between Peaches’ Primitivist electro-rap and a queer drag mother form Utopia, the hallucinogenic MC is a one-woman theatricial explosion.

How best would you describe yourself in three words?

colour, doing my own thing with my own style… I guess they get excited and inspired.

special, colourful, driven You often receive clothes from inyou to be seen in their wares. How does this process work?

I have a lot of friends who are designers, also when I see a designer creating super fresh threads, I get in touch. Its a mutuever I choose from their collections into my style and sport it loud and proud Do you feel obliged to wear things you wouldn’t normally choose?

No, I choose everything I wear. Its not randomly sent to me without me Do you consider yourself a fashion muse?

Would you consider turning to fashion full time if your persona got stale?

Performance and music have always been in my life and have become a big part of me. I don’t see myself quitting me. I do what I love. I am inspired by colourful beautiful things. I never know whats around the corner and I like that. Keeps things exciting. I’m always building and creating. I hope to think my persona will grow and further develop. I turn to fashion for inspiration and maybe in the future I would like to create my own line of clothing, but it would be because I want to out of love, not of boredom.

In 120 characters can you describe your music?

Psychedelic cave pop.

Labelling oneself as a ‘fashion muse’ would be taking yourself too seriously. The way I see it, is designers these days have to play it safe because there isn’t really a market for anything that’s TOO different. So when they see someone like myself head to toe in

How did you start rapping?

One day, my friend Peter Kirk, said he needed a rude MC and asked me if I spandex zentai and rapped our hit ‘Sex in the Zoo – Moo Moo Moo’ (where the instrumental was created entirely from animal noises). When I returned the time in upstate New York, he insisted we go into his barn-converted studio and lay the vocals down. And just like that… my life took a new and exciting turn! you enjoy working with the most?

Jonny Woo, Thomas Bullock, Carley Hague, Ylva Falk, Drugmoney and My Bad Sister. Sorry that was six but they are all very important!

What has been your best highlight in your career so far?

When I played on the main stage at - Lovebox If you was stranded on a deserted island what three items would you take with you and why?

A Whole Foods supermarket so I can be all gourmet and shit,

a helicop-

his mankini for entertainment purposes.

Share an embarrassing story with us?

At the Big Day Out in Sydney couple of years ago, it was 40 degree heat and I had eight shows over two days. As I was trotting to the stage for nausea. As I reached the stage, Bangs and his crew asked me; are you ok?

I yelped noooooo, then proceeded to vomit at their unsuspecting feet.

The show still went on however the backstage stank all night...

INTERVIEW BY JIMMY OUTHWAITE

/MODERN ARTISAN

With a rise in the number of apprenticeships, tailoring schools and guilds offering expertise in both traditional and modern techniques, it directly. Modern Artisan is set to be one of the biggest trends of the coming Spring Summer season, seeing master craftsmen come to the forefront and work alongside modern technology to create a harmony we didn’t know existed.

In menswear, we will see a focus on natural textiles, mark making and quality production methods. At fashion week cut and paste techniques give a raw quality to the garments, as well as a focus on typography and workman’s drawings in menswear print garments which was seen at James Long.

Localised production methods will play a big part on the change in the fashion sector with brands focusing on going back to their roots, which was apparent with a rise in UK manufacture over the last year. The luxtinual incline, and local Manchester tailors Frank Rostron has noticed a direct impact on his business. “The Made In Britain trend has made a massive impact on our business. It’s a revolution, we’ve noticed a lot more sales and interest in the kind of work that we do.”

The trend for craftsmanship is a celebration of traditional methods in a of the way the UK shopped in the early 2000s, but consumers are swinging back to the idea of clothing that is made to last. “The fast fashion trend didn’t affect our sales, our customer doesn’t want that.

We are in the luxury end of the market, but we know how to make something that will last. All of our products are made in England and it makes the garment timeless. You will always look in your wardrobe and it is made for you.”

said Frank Rostron.

experienced in house cutters and seamstress’, ensuring the service to their clients is unrivaled. Tailoring has been a menswear favourite for centuries, with Savile Row being a well known term in Britain and men traveling from far to visit the famous London street. With undeniably popular fashion house Alexander McQueen set to return to it’s roots with a store opening at number 9 Savile Row, it’s clear that the trend for bespoke is returning. McQueen began his fashion life as an apprentice tailor at Anderson & Sheppard on Savile Row, and the new store has been described by creative director Sarah Burton as “almost like a homecoming in a way.” and sees the tailor roots from McQueen as “the backbone of the label”: exceptional tailoring. The store will show the entire menswear collection and provide an in store bespoke tailoring service, and is set to open next year.

Modern Artisan in womenswear on the catwalk has seen a big focus on laser cut dresses, seen at Valentino and Chloe to name a few. The colour sometimes with a contrast lining to add another dimension to the to womenswear, with Costume National using a nod towards the menswear with sleeveless blazers adorning cut and paste techniques in a bid to recreate the trend. Directional ranges will see contrast as a big as seen at Véronique Leroy.

The quality of a garment is obviously the reasoning behind the steep prices we see every day on the luxury market. “Heritage is so important within our brand. You can’t buy history.”

Rostron stated. For a craftsman to make a Hermes Birkin bag it takes 48 hours, and an artist producing a drawing for one of their famous silk scarves can spend between 1500 and 2000 hours on a single scarf design, with a huge focus on detail being one of their best selling points. In contrast to this, a study by the Chinese Labor Watch in November 2011 showed that workers in a Chinese factory were required to manufacture around 30-40,000 garments per day.

Factory workers are required to work between 12 and 15 hours per day to hit these targets, and students who were employed over the summer at the factories were paid as little as 45 RMB (US $7) for a full days work. The numbers are shocking, but prove that you are paying for the sustainability and ethics of the product, not just the brand name.

Luxury sales are on the incline, showing that consumers are looking for that extra something. They don’t want to be seen in the same garment as three different people as they’re walking to work, they want to turn heads as they wear something personal to them, something that has been handmade and tweaked to exactly their Ugg Australia have noticed a decline in sales, as they realise that for a product so easily copied on the high made sales soar last year has rubbed off. Celebrities that adorned the design before have stopped wearing the boots in a bid to be different from the mass population. This shows the difference between designer and luxury, and is one of the reasons why the luxury market is doing well.

No amount of money can buy the dedication and skill that goes into producing something that is truly a timeless piece.

Todays consumers seem to be searching for a meaning in whatever product they purchase, buying into the knowledge that their product will last and age with them. The story of the modern artisan trend is a revival of the old, combined with the technical innovations of the present.

Handmade, local crafts are seeing a reoccurrence, with the amount of market stalls adorned with beautiful hand produced pieces rising dramatically. The impersonal, mass produced garments that were so popular only a few years ago are being rejected by todays consumer, who want to touch and feel something that has been through its own journey, made from the love of the skill that has created it.

TEXT NICOLE BROAD ILLUSTRATIONS SARAH KIRK

PHILIP TREACY INTERVIEW BY JIMMY OUTHWAITE

Philip Treacy is one of the most extraordinary hat designers of our time. His handmade creations are a feat of craftsmanship, displaying an imagination so fervent that seemingly impossible dreams are realised through his designs. As well as being awarded the prestigious Treacy received an OBE for his services to the British fashion industry.

JustPirez! Magazine caught up with him to talk about the things in life that make his heart beat a little faster.

What was your childhood like growing up in the West of Ireland? didn’t see a city until I was 17; I grew up in rural Ireland. My Irishness is part of my being really. What I do is Irish design. It doesn’t have any shamrocks on it. It’s 21st Century Irish fashion. I was always landscape where I grew up. We had lots of chickens, pheasants and geese so the prime ingredient of the hats I make are feathers because I know them very well.

Originally you studied fashion design, in which you created hats to I moved to Dublin to study fashion at the National College of Art & the course. Nobody really had much time for the hat because it was a fashion school, but there did come a point when I was more interested in experience, I chose to spend six weeks with Stephen Jones, the London hat designer. After graduating from The National College of Art & Design I won a place on the MA fashion design course at the Royal College of Art in London. When I was interviewed I didn’t know whether to play down the hats or play up the hats, but they were thinking of setting up a hat course so I became their guinea pig.

After one day there I said to my tutor Sheilagh Brown: What should I do?

Should I make hats or clothes?’ She said: ‘make hats’ it was very practical, not a great revelation.

You have said you dislike the term ‘milliner’ Why is that?

Millinery sounds like a sex toy.

The Neverland Hat in Collaboration with David Barlett

Could you describe the process the hats are made?

The hats usually start off as drawings. Then I make a mock-up in a very maker in Paris. He then uses the model as a map, or a key, to carve the actual shape in wood, using some measurements, but mostly his eye. I depend on his desire to make his block look exactly like the form I gave him and which to capture every single nuance of the original shape, because in hat making let me tell you, even a fraction of an inch is crucial. It’s all very precise.

It can take weeks or years, it depends on the design.

You have worked with so many fascinating and diverse individuals. Please can you tell us how some of those relationships came about?

Lady Gaga is a great example; some of the hats I’ve made for her have been so fun. I made her a hat to wear to the Grammys some years ago; where she was sitting in the audience looking like she’d arrived from outer space. I like that. I like her attitude.

Is it true to say that Isabella Blow pioneered the “Philip Treacy” hat? met Isabella Blow? What was she like?

In 1989 I took one of my hats to Michael Roberts, fashion director of Tatler magazine, and his style editor, Isabella Blow. Our conversation that day was like twenty seconds and I thought nothing of it. A few weeks afterwards, the secretary at the college said: ‘Some Lady has been phoning up. She wants to know what your schedule‘s like for the next six months.’ I didn’t know what she was talking about, but it turned out to be Issy. Issy was getting married and had decided I was going to make a hat for her. Having chosen a medieval theme for her wedding dress, Issy asked me to make an appropriate head dress. I wanted to base the hat on a 1930’s play called The Miracle which Lady Diana Cooper was in. I suggested to Issy that maybe this would be good for the wedding. I couldn’t believe that I’d hit upon a person who didn’t expect tulle, veiling and pearls for her wedding hat.

What is next for Philip Treacy?

I love the idea of the unknown and the future; you don’t know what is going to happen next week, and that’s a fashion attitude. It’s all very well accusing someone of being a ‘fashion animal’ – I’m one too! Fashion animals are obsessed with something for a moment, and then they move on to something else. That’s the nature of fashion – it’s all about change.

Photographer: Chris Moore Swarovski Crystal Blue Eye Mask Phillip Treacy SS13

LAST SHOT: EMMA BENYON NATURAL SENSUALITY FROM A TALENTED PHOTOGRAPHER

JUSTPIREZ.COM | INFO@JUSTPIREZ.COM