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contributors Tania Franco Klein, Quentin Hubert, Annabelle @ Profile Models, Laura Gutierrez, Ishmil Waterman, Amber Watkins, Onna Chan, Rookie @ Joy Models Milan, Rio-Romaine, Nikki Wolff, Laura Zee, Bianca @ IMG Models, Patrick Jendrusch, Julia Koistinen, Theo Schn¸rer @ Blossom Management, Anna Cywinska @ Iconic Management , Adam Balcerek @ Photogram, Anna Poniewierska i Monika Lewandowska, Charles @ AMQ Models, Lulu @ Panda Models, Adrian Lasota, Adrian Swiderski @ Rouge Bunny Rouge,
Bartek Osowczyk, Marek Piotrowski, Tadeusz Matula, Igor Koch, Filip Jablonski @ Ilmatic Production, Simone Golfieri, Pablo Patanè, Valeria Orlando, Malte @ Viva Models, Nastasia @ Viva Models, Vittorio Masci, Andrea Dematte, Thais Custodio @ ALLURE MGT Brazil, Cesar Cortinove @ INDIE MGT, Renato Mardonis @ ABÁ MGT, Gabi Jovine, Dani Romanenko, Claire Harrison, Krishan Parmar @ Lovely Management, Eoin Dillon, Rebecca Doney, David Wadlow @ Premiere,Shreen @ Premiere, Mellisa Bell @ Select Models, Nathan Brewer @ AMCK,
Angela Dennis, Agne Kucinskaite, Sabine Metz, Caitlin & Donnata @ Elite Amsterdam, Sato Okoro, Misty Smit, Melchi Blanken, Adrian Soto Pilas, Migle Golubickaite, Sascha Weissenborn @ Fashion Model Management, Success Models, Karolina Missm, Giedre Izabele Kvaraciejute, Caitlin McConnell, Nazy Alvarez, Lydia Brock, Leah Cultice @ Factor Women, Olivia Park, Carmen Rose, Sheran Azmi, Barney Gleeson, Melissa @ IMG Models
Volume 4; Issue 5; sep/oct 2015
features adam balcerek Go behind the lens with this talented fashion photographer. In this interview conducted by Gosia Sobiczewska, we learn about Adam’s start in the photography field, his inspirations & more!
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Trend Report: ‘70s Flashback
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Edit or’sNote
Feel like reliving the last days of disco? Well, now’s the perfect time to do it! Designers brought back key looks from the era -- fun flares, chunky knits & psychedelic prints! Can you dig it?
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minnoji
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Illustration by António Soares
Trend Report: Power Puffs! This isn’t your typical cold-weather topper! Designers updated the puffer coat, this fall, & gave it a sleek & stylish appeal. Say goodbye to bulky, overbearing outerwear. No Michelin man moments here!
Simplified silhouettes, balancing the edgy & avant-garde with the sweet & subtle: Minnoji designer, Milena Encheva talks starting the New York brand and developing her signature style.
on the cover CREDITS: Photographer: Carmen Rose, Makeup Artist: Sheran Azmi, Hair Stylist: Barney Gleeson, Model: Melissa @ IMG Models
Autumn has arrived and we couldn’t be happier! When it comes to shopping, this is one of the most exciting times of the fashion calendar. Now, you can finally pull out your favorite statement boots, cozy knits & edgy leather pieces. If you’re looking to update your fall wardrobe with new trends, we’ve got you covered! Flip ahead for loads of outfit inspiration to help you start the season in style! Enjoy!!!
- Shannon Phelps
adam
balcerek by Gosia Sobiczewska
ow did your story with photography begin?
it. Everything that followed was the result of a single thought.
I’m not one of these photographers whose grand grandfather was a photographer and who received their first camera for [their] 4th birthday. I never even owned a camera until my fourth year of studies, when I started to play with the camera of a friend -- and Ioved it. I decided to earn money and buy such a great toy for myself. So, a few months later, I bought my first camera - a Canon Eos 300 - film SLR.
So, the day after, I signed [up] for a school of photography. I wanted to develop my skills and learn about photography as much as I could. I was attending classes during long weekends, I did a lot of my own projects and started to take more and more one day vacations from my office to do photo-shoots or to finish my photographic projects. It was a crazy time without sleeping and without any breaks. Working two jobs at the same time. Finally, I realized that I just could not go on like this and I needed to make a choice… But in reality, this choice had been made a long time ago, I guess.
During this time, I was shooting about 30 films (36 frames/film) per month, which believe me, is a lot, especially for a student! You need to buy a film, develop it and so on… And that’s how it started. You graduated from architecture in Germany and worked over 4 years in one of the best architecture offices in Europe. How did you become a professional photographer? Long story short: it was one decision followed by a long process. I remember one sleepless night (while working as an architect) when I started to think about what I would like to do most. [That] night, I realized that I love photography and began to wonder: “Why not do something about it?” That is how the whole process started. Do you know Inception - the movie with Leonardo DiCaprio? It was pretty much the same with me that night. Once the idea sprouted in my mind I couldn’t get rid of
So, I quit my job to move to Paris and to assist the best known photographers in the world. A new chapter of my life started. What is the recipe to become a great photographer? Being determinate to accomplish your plan? Yes, that’s for sure. But the key to it is to love what you do -- to love photography. Otherwise, you will stop one day and never return. I always teach my students two basic rules how to become a good photographer: One is TO PRACTICE! Practice, practice and once again practice! I believe it was Patric Demarchelier who looked at my portfolio (while I was assisting him in Paris) and said: “… make 100 photo shoots more and then we can talk!” By that time, I had accomplished about 15 or 20 photo shoots, so 100 was an incredible number for me. Nevertheless, I did what he said and started to count. Before I crossed the magic number of 100 (which was about, I guess, 2 years later) I
knew exactly what he meant. With every photo-shoot, with every project I improved my skills. I learned about poses, light -- but as well, about the whole production process. I never had a chance to speak to Patrick again, but having performed the 100 photo-shoots, I didn’t need that so much anymore. The second advice I give is as follows: TO WATCH! Watch a lot of pictures; good pictures of good photographers! Personally, I am watching fashion photo shoots and analyzing everything in them (poses, light, emotions, colors, framing…) all the time! This way you create your own taste, which is super important in this profession. Even by watching things you don’t like you are learning a lot. And that would be it! There is a great number of things I can tell and advice I can give, but in my opinion, those two are the most important! What inspires you? Who is your favorite photographer? I don’t really think that something specific inspires me. The different ideas simply come and go. And when they come I’m writing them down to not lose them. I used to watch paintings, trying to analyze the light. Take as an example Bouguereau, Tissot, Winterhalter or polish Waclaw Koniuszko or Jan Matejko. I’m not pretending to be like one of these great artists in my photography, but it is always a great learning. These painters were repeating what they saw and recreating a light similar to the real one. There is always something ‘wrong’ about their light and that’s the best part. I love [those] kinds of “imperfections.” Speaking about photographers, I’d rather have favorite pictures or photo shoots than favorite photographers! I have this terrible habit to criticize and analyze all the pictures I watch (I’m doing it in silence, of course). I especially criticize my own work but also that of great photographers. Nobody is perfect and even the greatest make mistakes. Generally, I love Eugenio Recuenco for his ideas, courage and amazing light. I like Steven Meisel for his diverse stories and David La Chapelle for his colors. I love the creativity and the purity of Erwin Olaf, the craziness of Terry Richardson, the poses of Greg Kadel and also the perfection of Peter Lindbergh, who is catching and perfectly framing the human feelings. Actually, to become a professional photographer you need to be inspired by the greatest and work a lot. But you still need some equipment, right? Does it matter much? Which camera do you use?
You probably know the story of Ernest Hemingway complimenting the pictures of Irving Penn? He said: “Your pictures are great, what camera do you use?” Irving replied: “Your books are great, what typewriter do you use?” There is a universal belief, that the camera doesn’t matter – it is the skills that count! Generally, I agree with that. But the truth is that a camera matters much more to a photographer than a typewriter to a writer. It really is a pretty important element in the creation process. If you have something in your head, then you need a tool to accomplish this. It may be the camera in your iPhone or else a pinhole camera or a Hasselblad H4D with IQ180 digital back with an 80 megapixels matrix. So, to answer your question: I always use a specific camera at a specific moment to execute a specific, individual job. If you analyze your project “Photography for Nairobi” it seems that in your opinion everybody can be a successful photographer. Is that right? The answer is not as simple as that, but generally I would say yes! The idea behind the “Photography for Nairobi” project is to give people a fishing rod instead of a fish. The fishing rod in this case is a camera. The base of this project is to give talented youngsters from Nairobi (who have trouble to find any job) a good camera and the knowledge [on] how to use it. So, instead of looking for work, they can create their own small businesses and earn good money for themselves and their families. That’s how it works -- and WORKS is in this case a key word because this project simply WORKED! Coming back to your question: I strongly believe most of us can achieve whatever [we] want! It’s just a matter of great determination in pursuit of your goal. If it is well specified, if you take the action in your hands (not waiting for others to help you) and you’re consequent enough, you will always achieve what you want! Of course, this is easy to say but harder to do. But at the end of the day, a clear plan of action, consequence, and determination has to go a long with every talent. Don’t understand me wrong -- Talent is important, but without hard work it never is enough. So, if my students from the “Photography For Nairobi” project prove to be strong enough in pursuing their goals, even with little talent they can reach them and at least partly achieve them!
Photographer: Jullie Teitler, Models: Ploy Manee & Pilar Muriel, Hair & Makeup: Valentina Stoyanova
Minnoji Simplified Silhouettes, Balancing the Edgy & Avant-Garde with the Sweet & Subtle by Nadia Matar
ong before Milena Encheva became the CEO and Creative Director of fashion brand Minnoji, she was just a young girl experimenting with various methods of expressing her creativity and imagination. Early on as a child, Milena began to develop her penchant for fashion. At the age of thirteen, she really began to delve into the art of designing and making clothes. She began cutting and deconstructing old articles of clothing to create entirely new garments. Due to Milena’s love for fashion and making clothes, her parents began referring to her as “Milena the Scissors”. Years later, the by-name that her parents had given her played a significant role when it came time for Milena to choose a name for her fashion brand. According to the designer, she knew she wanted a name unlike any other. “I wanted to have a unique name, a non existing word, which had a meaning to me... so I made up one.” The name Minnoji came about after the designer combined the word “Mi“-- an abbreviated form of Milena -- and “Nnoji” -- which is a form of the Bulgarian word nojitza, that actually means scissors. In 2003, Milena made the decision to fully delve into the fashion industry by moving to the United Sates, where she would study at the Fashion Institute of Technology. After years of working for major fashion houses, such as Ali Ro and Calvin Klein, Milena felt it was time to make a name for herself as an independent fashion de-
signer. This decision lead her to successfully create her own womens-wear line right in the fashion capital of New York City. New York Fashion Week boasts some of the most influential designers the industry has to offer. This often leads to some shows being overshadowed by the more prominent and mainstream fashion houses. Yet the buzz at the Minnoji show was without question evident, as attendees eagerly awaited the start of the presentation. The Spring/Summer 2016 runway show, which took place in the heartbeat of Manhattan’s Garment District, opened with several dark and modern pieces and seamlessly transitioned into an array of billowy, pastel dresses. Although the pieces had an overall minimalist style, unique nuances in the cuts and shapes of the fabric are what helped the collection stand out. When asked how she wants women to feel while wearing her designs, Milena said: “I want her to feel beautiful, slightly different from the rest of the women in the room, but not to a point where everyone else is like ‘What is she wearing?’ And comfortable! Very important to feel comfortable!” To the everyday woman, many looks seen on the runway during Fashion Week are often viewed as overly embellished works of art, made exclusively for lanky runway models. Yet the opposite is true for Milena’s designs. As models sashayed down the runway, the effortlessness and versatility of the garments were palpable. Milena believes that Minnoji sets itself apart from other fashion brands due to uncomplicated silhouettes and clean new details.
“Most of the time when someone sees my pieces the reaction is ‘This is very wearable and simple, but it looks new. I haven’t seen anything like this.’” The Spring/Summer collection was inspired by a trip Milena took to Costa Rica. Encheva wanted the “freer” way of life she experienced in Central America to reflect in her current collection by designing each garment to have an airy feel. Outfits throughout the show were paired with flat sandals -- which is a great look for a casual outing on a spring afternoon. Yet, one can imagine styling any of the ensembles into a sexy evening look with classic stiletto pumps and eyecatching jewelry -- which, according to Milena, is essential for anyone with a socially active city life. When it comes to Milena’s personal style, she has described her clothing choices as easy, minimalistic, comfortable, and a little dark. It is safe to say that Encheva’s personal style transitions well onto the runway and into the closets of women everywhere. Due to the range of styles her collection encompasses, Milena is designing clothes that are well suited for almost every body type and personal taste. It is refreshing to come across a designer who incorporates her love of dark, edgy clothes, along with sweet and feminine pieces. The silhouettes of the white, blue and peach garments, and the way in which the fabric flowed gave an ethereal, Grecian-esque appeal. Asymmetry is also a common theme found throughout Milena’s designs. “I have a thing with asymmetry,” she said. “I noticed that almost nothing in our bodies is symmetrical. Neither is the rest of the nature… So I have always been attracted to asymmetrical lines, thus my hemlines.”
Color is also a unique aspect of the Spring/Summer 2016 collection. Looking at past collections, Milena typically gravitates to neutral colors, yet her unexpected use of several colorful pieces in her current collection added a pleasantly unexpected variation to the show. “I usually stick to neutrals. However, when I saw the blue chiffon, I just fell in love with the color so had to use it!” As of right now, the collections primarily consist of apparel, but according to Encheva, a new line of accessories might just be something we can look forward to. Now working as CEO and Creative Director of her own clothing brand, Milena believes that starting her own company has been her greatest achievement thus far. “I think leaving the comfort of a full-time job and starting my company is my biggest accomplishment so far -- it is not an easy decision to make, and I am glad I did it. Everything else that follows is just an extension of it.” And with the ever-changing trends, Milena finds it important to create timeless pieces. “So much effort went into making that piece! It is such a waste to only wear a garment once or twice! I want to create pieces which don’t go ‘out of style’ and you can wear over and over again.” When asked what her ultimate goal as a fashion designer is, Milena responded by saying: “To make the people wearing my pieces feel happy.” With her unrelenting passion for design and drive to make people feel great about themselves, it is clear that we will be seeing much more of this talented designer in the years to come.