muuse fa r f e t c h
barbara franchin
t i l d e b ay k r i s t o f f e r s e n smarteez
emma lindqvist
1granary
elle st yle awards
MUUSE MAGAZINE NO. 3
jacquemus
v o g u e ta l e n t s
s t y l i s h c r e at i v e s
upcoming editions
introduction
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introduction
PROducing cOllectiOns with next geneRatiOn visiOnaRy designeRs MUUSE is a fashion label that produces collections with some of the best of young design talents, putting visionary fashion into your wardrobe. We are discerning, and from our HQ in Copenhagen we work with globally recognized talent scouts from Tokyo to London to discover the next rising design stars. We understand what it takes to refine pure vision into wearable, hardworking pieces that you will treasure for years to come. Find the future of fashion at select retailers and in the MUUSE online shop.
muuse.com
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credits
MUUSE MAGAZINE NO. 3 Editor-in-chief Natasha Skou ASSISTANT Editor Melissa McKenna ART Direction Brunswicker Studio
Contributors Uffe Buchard, Frederik Lindstrøm, Sigurd Grünberger, Nanna Flachs, Rikke Dengsø, Tayfun Yilmaz, Cath Clarke, Sophia Gonzalez, Moussa Mchangama, Elisa Pervinca Bellini, Claire Beermann, Sofia Tchkonia, Louise Polano, Helle Pontell, Jill Arnfjord Andersen, Gitte Jonsdatter, Katarina Dahlström, Isabella Hemmersbach, Linda Ghabain, Melissa McKenna and Søs Bjerrisgaard OUR THANKS TO DANSK Magazine, Uffe Buchard, Odalisque Magazine, Sara Maino, VOGUE Talents, ELLE DK, Fashion Scout London, N DEGREES, EDC, Elite, Scoop Models, Mikas, CIFF, Maria Foerlev, Hege Aurelie Badendyck, Anne Christine Persson, Claire Beermann, Bertrand Le Pluard, Jens Løkke, Hassan Havier, David Shih, Chris Vidal Tenomaa, Crystin Moritz, Divna Susa, Nicky De Silva, Sandra Semburg, Pernille Ringsing, Christina Mantas, Patti Policier, Simone F, Alastair Philip Wiper, Henrik Vibskov Boutique, Notabene Copenhagen, Michaela Myhrberg, Anna Klein, Jussi Särkilahti, Peter Movrin, Jimmy Duus Jensen, Joe Giacomet, Kajsa Guldberg, Louise Körner and MUUSE designers
Sankt Gertruds Stræde 6E DK-1129 Copenhagen Denmark press@muuse.com www.muuse.com
muuse fa r f e t c h
barbara franchin
t i l d e b ay k r i s t o f f e r s e n smarteez
emma lindqvist
1granary
elle st yle awards
jacquemus
v o g u e ta l e n t s
s t y l i s h c r e at i v e s
upcoming editions
MUUSE MAGAZINE NO. 3
Cover Photo Sigurd Grünberger Styling Nanna Flachs Hair and Make-up Rikke Dengsø Model Cristina Mantas / Elite Sky Viscose Dress 100€ Abigail Stewart x MUUSE Showpiece Clutch price upon request Wali Mohammed Barrech
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contents
MUUSE MAGAZINE NO. 3
08
muuse interview
MUUSE NEWS
010
016
jacquemus
"twentysevenforty" BY sigurd grünberger
028 stylish creatives
018
farfetch
032
037 040 042 048 050 058 060 064 new talent
diane pernet
"WHITE DOOR" by frederik lindstrøm
smarteez
muuse editions by katarina dahlström
rune park
Upcoming editions
1granary
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meet some of our contributors
UFFE BUChARD
creative director
Uffe Buchard is the creative director of GrenaaBuchard, a Copenhagen based consulting and branding agency for the fashion, beauty and lifestyle industries. The agency publishes DANSK, the international fashion and lifestyle magazine that passionately seeks out the most exiting, innovating and groundbreaking trends. GrenaaBuchard also established the DANSK Design Talent competition and charity event, as well as the inspirational design platform DANSK Collective, which takes place during Copenhagen Fashion Week twice a year. Uffe is a committed supporter of new talent, and was the natural choice to pen the introduction of MUUSE magazine.
Nanna flaChS
stylist
Nanna Flachs has worked as a stylist for seven years, contributing to Danish magazines Eurowoman, Costume and Cover. Nanna also enjoys still life photography, where she says she can really explore her creativity in ‘small defined universes’. Nanna will be adding to her CV soon, with the launch of her own clothing brand. For this issue, she styled the "twentysevenforty" story.
SOphia GOnzalez
journalist
Sophia Gonzalez is a freelance writer and editor whose work spans fashion, media and e-commerce. She writes for style.com and her career highlights include past stints at Burberry, Yoox and New York Magazine. Sophia holds an MA in fashion journalism from Central Saint Martins in London. A champion of emerging design talent, she is most interested in the intersection between fashion, innovation and technology. A regular contributor to MUUSE's online magazine MUUSINGS, we are delighted to welcome Sophia to our print magazine.
fReDeRik lindstRØm
photographer
Frederik Lindstrøm became one of the most talented photographers around by never compromising his vision, and by wowing collaborators and clients with his distinctive style. The MUUSE team loves Frederik’s rich mix of still life images and portraits with a unique point of view. He has worked with brands such as Pandora, Fritz Hansen and Sophie Bille Brahe, and contributes to leading titles including Interview, Nylon and Bullett.
MOussa MCHANGAMA
JOURNALIST
Moussa Mchangama is fashion features director at DANSK Magazine and a contributor to MUUSINGS. As a fashion writer he has reviewed and written about fashion shows for Copenhagen Fashion Week's official paper DANSK Daily and Style.com, and has been the editor of the Danish news and business site FashionForum.dk. He has interviewed all the major players in the industry, including Tim Blanks, Olivier Rousteing, Tommy Hilfiger, Hilary Alexander and Nicola Formichetti. For this issue, Moussa talked to Danish designer Tilde Bay Kristoffersen about commercial collections and her hopes for the future.
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editorial
Shaping tOmORROw's fashiOn Uffe Buchard on what brings MUUSE and DANSK together At DANSK Magazine we are passionate about discovering and promoting new fashion design talent. We insist on dedicating space to unknown designers whose creations move us, presenting them side-by-side with high profile, established luxury brands. We like to think of our role as facilitating fashion, by finding and editing a fine selection of both innovative, commercial brands and the enormous body of new talent. New talent is crucial to this balance because for new designers the sky's the limit. Their creativity embodies the very essence of fashion… Change. Renewal. Development. They are a reflection of the times we live in and challenge us all to think beyond the conventional context. A few years ago, a newly founded brand, MUUSE, approached us with a proposal to work together. I loved the idea of a carefully edited international talent showcase and sales platform, and from the first conversation I was hooked. Since the company's infancy we have supported MUUSE and watched the brand grow from an idea to what MUUSE is today – a successful fashion label with several ready-to-wear collaborations designed by young talent under their belt. We at DANSK look forward to continuing to work closely with MUUSE – helping to shape tomorrow's fashion, promoting uncompromising and independent design talent, and savouring the vital nourishment that new design gives us, and our readers. With this edition of MUUSE Magazine, I hope that you will be – just as I am – completely enthralled by MUUSE’s universe, mission, and love for innovative new fashion.
words by uffe buchard p h o t o b y n i c k y d e s i lva
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interview
FashiOn with COllabOratiOn
Gitte Jonsdatter & David Dencker, Founders of MUUSE
In a chic office in Copenhagen on a glorious September afternoon, a passionate team is hard at work discovering tomorrow’s fashion superstars. This is the place where design visionaries are born. Welcome to MUUSE.
w o r d s b y tay f u n y i l m a z f o r o d a l i s q u e m a g a z i n e edited by sophia gonzalez p h o t o b y k ata r i n a d a h l s t r Ăś m
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interview
“The enthusiasm for buying one-of-a-kind products is evident, and here in Scandinavia, the movement is already on its way” - Gitte Jonsdatter, MUUSE
FOLLOW MUUSE Muusings - an online magazine with designer profiles, all our new discoveries, in-depth fashion stories and
MUUSE co-founder Gitte Jonsdatter, all blond hair and warm smiles, comes out to greet me at the company’s offices. She introduces me to her team and excitedly pulls out a few MUUSE samples. In the space of just a few moments, I can tell that this chic yet relaxed workplace is a hotbed of talent, innovation and ideas.
everything we care about. blog.muuse.com Follow MUUSE around the world. Watch as designers take over our Instagram. Get behind-the-scenes snapshots, sneak peeks
MUUSE is a company that attracts talented fashion designers and tastemakers alike, and collaborations are essential to its DNA. It develops and produces collections in collaboration with design talent from all around the world, which are sold online and in carefully selected independent boutiques. Gitte says that the heart of MUUSE is the future of fashion, creating designer collections in small, curated editions that are made to last.
and live reports from the MUUSE team out and about on the fashion week circuit. instagram.com/muusefashion @muusefashion, #MUUSE
We are the facilitators Odalisque magazine: What is the history behind MUUSE? Gitte Jonsdatter: “First of all, we wanted to make a difference. There are so many inspired and well-educated fashion designers graduating from fashion schools, but most are unable to fulfill their dream of designing their own collections.”
Sign up to our newsletter for weekly reports on MUUSE Editions, competitions, sales and MUUSE highlights. muuse.com/newsletter Follow MUUSE on Facebook to get your daily
“Creating a piece of clothing doesn't end with the design. There is a much larger, often unseen, process that comes with it. If a design is to be mass-produced, it has to be washable, it has to be wearable, it has to be introduced to consumers, and much more besides. It is difficult for a young designer to do all of this alone. So with MUUSE, we wanted to create a space for new talent – a place where designers can express their vision and we take the responsibility for the rest of the work.”
dose of MUUSE Editions and discover the best new international design sensations in the making. facebook.com/muusefashion
“You can also see that people are becoming far more interested in small collections from boutiques than those from larger, massproduced labels. The curated collections, like those we create, give people unique, quality designs they will treasure for years to come.”
Gitte says that launching a brand today means that designers need to have design sensibility – the ability to hone all their knowledge to support the product. Designers must also have a good understanding of production, public relations, and marketing: “MUUSE handles production, sales, PR and marketing for our designers so they can focus on their design. In the end, it is the designer’s name in collaboration with MUUSE that is attached to the clothes that he or she creates. We work as facilitators for the designers and for consumers who not only want to discover new designers, but unique designs.” Designers always come first What is MUUSE’s philosophy? “Our philosophy has always been to prioritize our designers. They are the most important part of our brand. MUUSE gives them the opportunity to focus on their designs and create pieces they will be proud of.” How do you get in touch with the designers? “We contact fashion schools all around the world. Besides that, we have the MUUSE x VOGUE Talents Award, which is a fashion design competition in collaboration with Vogue Italia. Our latest design prize, in collaboration with ELLE Style Awards, is the New Nordic Talent of the Year award. Last year, a Swedish fashion designer, Lina Michal, won the competition, and we have already begun working with Lina to create a MUUSE Editions capsule collection for 2015. Competitions are one way in which we scout young, talented designers.” What are your goals for the future? “We hope that MUUSE will continue to grow and be very successful. Nowadays, people prefer clothes that give them a feeling of uniqueness, and large brands cannot satisfy this desire, but this is what we do. Our designers are carefully chosen and every item has its own identity. The enthusiasm for buying one-of-a-kind products is evident, and here in Scandinavia, the movement is already on its way!”
Read the complete interview with Gitte Jonsdatter at odalisquemagazine.com in February 2014.
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notes
TERRY and the Danes
Copenhagen International Fashion Fair (CIFF) has teamed up with worldrenowned fashion photographer Terry Richardson and MUUSE favourite, the Danish supermodel Caroline Brasch Nielsen, for its AW14 campaign. You can see Caroline here wearing MUUSE x Yvonne Laufer’s signature glitter blazer and pants. Don’t you just love her look!
Hannah Williams One to watch
There are so many visionary new designers emerging on the fashion scene. But the hottest name to watch right now is rising star Hannah Williams. In 2013 alone, the British designer was selected for Fashion Scout’s ‘Ones to Watch’ showcase, and during Graduate Fashion Week was awarded both the MUUSE x Fashion Scout Womenswear award and the Graduate Fashion Week Innovation Award. Hannah’s upcoming MUUSE Editions collaboration ‘Hannah Williams x MUUSE’ is not to be missed. Stay tuned!
Lady Gaga Beyond controversial fashion
Known for her provocative style of dressing, Lady Gaga is no stranger to emerging designers. Moreover, it seems that the House of Gaga is well informed about new talent on the fashion scene – even before they make it into the stores. Lady Gaga has shown her love and support for new designers – whether they’re Swedish, Brazilian or Slovakian. MUUSE x Vogue Talents 2013 finalists Dora Abodi and Peter Movrin and contestants Jamie Wei Huang and Cassandra Verity Green are among her new favourites.
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q&a
ITS
FOsteRing the EvOlutiOn Of FashiOn ITS (International Talent Support) is a platform for creative minds. Barbara Franchin, ITS’s director and project supervisor, is the celebrated mastermind behind the operation. What inspired you to start ITS? Barbara Franchin: “I have to go back in time, to something that happened 25 years ago. I graduated in accountancy and worked in real estate for a while. Then I quit to open an atelier with a friend of mine. We did extravagant women's clothing and through her I understood the essence of creation, the process of shaping matter to fit one's own conceptual inclination. That’s how I got into fashion. From there, I became addicted to creativity and to beauty in all of its limitless inclinations.”
never cease to stay in touch with our finalists. We support them in finding opportunities, internships and work positions. We follow them throughout their careers and support them also on the communication side, finding as many opportunities as we can for them to be published in the international press. In the near future we would also love, for instance, to create our own ITS Showrooms, and invite finalists to showcase their work there during fashion weeks.”
How has ITS grown and changed over the years? “ITS has grown from being an international fashion competition to becoming a platform that supports not just young fashion designers, but also accessories designers, jewelry designers and photographers. We are also now recognized as a seismographer, capable of recording every ‘quake’ and ‘tremor’ in creativity – as the place to find fresh, unknown talent. ITS has become more and more of an observatory. The annual Trends Report we publish after the competition finalists are selected is a valuable document registering what has happened in young creativity over the past year. And we have built the ITS CREATIVE ARCHIVE, where we store samples of our finalists’ creativity dating back to the first edition in 2002, as well as all of the portfolios sent to us over 13 years. We have a total of 194 outfits, 138 accessories and jewelry pieces, over 700 photographs and roughly 12,000 portfolios. It’s a history of the evolution of fashion in the last 13 years.”
How do you see the future for new designers? Are there more opportunities opening up for them, or is it becoming more difficult? “The ongoing financial crisis, which began in 2008, certainly does not help. Though new markets opening in the East are saving the economy in a way, I believe it is extremely difficult to find a job in an international brand, or to launch one’s own line. I believe more than ever that you cannot approach this world if your only aim is to become famous. Your only aim has to be creation. You must wake up with this desire and go to sleep very late, only when your eyes are closing and your energy is leaving you. It has to be a passion that involves body and soul.”
The finals last summer felt almost like the gathering of an extended, warm family. How do you maintain this atmosphere as the community continues to grow? “The finals in July are just the tip of the iceberg of our work. We
What can we look forward to seeing from ITS in the future? “We will definitely see the ITS CREATIVE ARCHIVE travelling around the world. For instance, we are working on an exhibition for September 2014, which will take the archive very far from its home… That’s all I can say for now! And we are always planning new competition fields, like graphic design, video production, food, music, etc. We are also thinking about an international competition for those who have recently established their own lines and have begun to sell. Wait and see!”
i n t e r v i e w b y g i t t e j o n s d at t e r
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muuse x n degrees
Winner Of The Scandinavian MUUSE x N DEGREES 2013 Award
Emma LindQvist Interested? Sign up for our newsletter at muuse.com
At Copenhagen Fashion Week SS14, MUUSE and N DEGREES Magazine awarded Emma Lindqvist best emerging Scandinavian designer. Her prize is the chance to design a capsule collection supported, produced and sold by MUUSE, and a feature in N DEGREES Magazine's "New Talent" issue Emma’s colorful pixel-patterned designs, featuring a wide range of materials, textures and geometric lines, made her the decisive winner of the MUUSE x N DEGREES Scandinavian Talent 2013 Award. The young Swedish designer, who also scooped the Lindex prize, arrived at her chameleon-like print, which changes depending on the viewer’s distance from the garment, by considering the movement of the body in motion.
Emma Lindqvist’s collection by MUUSE will be available for sale in 2015.
t welwe
elle x muuse
Jean Gritsfeldt
Amalie Bendixen
Essi Lehto
Hanne Sandem Bro
Ilona Hackenberg
Caroline Kummelstedt
Julie Noergaard
Lina Funder
Vote for your favourite young Nordic designer before January 24, 2014 at www.muuse.com/ellestyleawards You will automatically be entered into a draw for two tickets to the ELLE Style Awards and a gift card for the MUUSE online shop.
United by a passion to focus the fashion world’s attention on young Nordic talent and for more space in the industry for emerging designers, MUUSE and ELLE Denmark introduce a new award for Nordic design talent. Official hashtags #NewNordicTalent14 #ELLEStyleAwards
muuse.com/ellestyleawards
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m u u s e x v o g u e ta l e n t s 2 0 1 3
MUUSE and VOGUE Talents team up to bring the future of fashion forward. This time, the focus is on accessories and shoes.
Jessica Hearnshaw
GENERATION Timeline
Support your favorite designer Online voting at muuse.com January 27 - February 17 2014 You will automatically be entered into a draw to win MUUSE prizes. People’s Choice Award Online voting at Vogue.it February 26 - March 5 2014 Sara Maino's final winner announcement February 2014 The people's choice winner announcement March 2014
MUUSE proudly continues our collaboration with VOGUE Talents. The MUUSE x VOGUE Talents Young Vision Award will be presented biannually, awarding in summer for womenswear and in winter for accessories and shoe design. The final winner and the ten finalists of the People’s Choice award will be selected by VOGUE senior fashion editor and VOGUE Talents editor Sara Maino. Winning designers will be given the opportunity to create a capsule collection produced and sold through MUUSE, supported with free production, PR, marketing, and sales. In addition, the winning designers will be given an online feature at Vogue.it The final winner and the ten finalists for the People’s Choice Award will be selected by Sara Maino. Official hashtags #MxVTAcc14 #MxVT14
www.muuse.com/vogueaccessories
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Laura Apsit Livens
NEXT
m u u s e x v o g u e ta l e n t s 2 0 1 3
FashiOn’s new visiOnaRy Vogue's Sara Maino, with help from fashion fans from all over the world, selected Lina Michal as the winner of the 2013 MUUSE x VOGUE Talents Young Vision Award. Elisa Pervinca Bellini, editor of Vogue.it and VOGUE Talents, speaks with Lina about her work and what comes next. Elisa Pervinca Bellini: How do you feel? Lina Michal: “A lot of gratitude. When I entered the competition I never thought I would get this far.” Describe yourself… background, studies, inspirations, manias, icons. “I am from Sweden, where I just graduated from Beckmans College of Design in Stockholm. Before that I was studying in Italy and interned with Mary Katrantzou in London. My philosophy is to never be afraid of doing something. No matter what you do, there will always be people who do not have the same taste as you. If you are afraid of doing something because you don’t know if it will be well received, the result will just be mediocre and uninteresting. As a designer, I think it is important to also be curious about the world around you. I never want to stagnate, or allow myself a cemented view of what I do and who I am. I think it is important to evolve. That way you are forever young.” What is your relationship with materials? “I like to create the material for my collections from scratch. It could mean that I manipulate the surfaces with print, stitches or other techniques. For the Heathen Hearts collection I also let the properties of the materials define the silhouette, rather than using cuts as a way to shape the garments. It gave it a spontaneous, organic feeling.” How did you find out about the contest? “A teacher at school sent me an email with a link to the competition and suggested I should apply. I’m very glad I did!” What do you expect from the future now? “Well, shortly I will be off to do an internship with Opening Ceremony in New York for six months. And after that things are a little fuzzy, but I am confident the future holds many exciting adventures. I’m also looking forward to producing the collection with MUUSE!” What are the next steps? “I have already started working with MUUSE on the collection that will launch in 2015. It is challenging, but fun, to find a way to translate the collection to ready-to-wear. Can’t wait to see the results!”
interview by elisa pervinca bellini
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interview
Fresh minimalism fOr disheveled girls
simOn PORte JaCQuemus In Paris, a new star of the fashion world is rising. Simon Porte Jacquemus is 22 years old, his favorite color is blue and he’s obsessed with the ’80s. Simon cheekily instructed fashion editors to cover their high heels with plastic bags when he staged a runway show at a public swimming pool. What he creates promises to be the answer to what young women have been searching for: minimalism for a new generation. Did we mention that we’ve fallen in love with you, Jacquemus? interview by cl aire beerman photos by bertrand le pluard
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interview
“A real French girl is a girl who speaks very loud. Every French girl I know is not afraid to speak up.” - Simon Porte Jacquemus
Five girls stroll through the empty streets of a distinctly average French suburb. They loiter on the pavement, lean bored against walls and sit in front of the local swimming pool sipping Orangina. “We don’t really know what they are doing or what they are going to do with their lives”, an elderly passerby comments, “but they have the beauty and insolence of youth on their side.” And they are wearing dresses made by Jacquemus. As it happens, this realistically staged scenery is part of the eponymous Parisian designer’s winter teaser film La Piscine, un documentaire sur la glande. It expresses the vibe of his collection for AW13, sporting a mix of edgy and minimalist silhouettes, laser-cut wool fabric and the French national colours. Simon Porte Jacquemus grew up in Provence and presented his first collection in 2009 at the tender age of 19. Without any professional education, the Frenchman is a self-taught designer, and perhaps it is this that makes his creations so bold – impeccably tailored yet not stiff, never exaggeratedly conceptual. Sailor stripes, cubic shaped mini skirts in signal blue, voluminous cropped jackets, a mesh sweater printed with the superbly simple phrase “le pull marine”, tennis socks, beach slippers – Jacquemus likes to work with simple means. Naturally, the collection La Piscine was presented at a public swimming pool. For hygiene reasons, guests were asked to cover their Manolos and Louboutins with blue plastic bags. And instead of professional models, the designer’s friends walked the show on the improvised runway along the pool. Jacquemus makes minimalism for disheveled girls. The image of youth his fashion mediates isn’t classically beautiful, but pretty, embodied by the boyishly slim, stereotypical French girl who likes to run around with her hair undone and her face unmade-up, with no bra under her shirt and an obligatory Gauloises cigarette sticking out of the corner of her mouth. Slouchy, slightly rebellious and thus of a beguiling authenticity, that’s the kind of girl Monsieur Jacquemus might think of when designing.
When asked what inspires his work, he often cites the ’80s, when women began to express their self-confidence and female power with accentuated midriffs, exaggerated shoulders and elements from sportswear. And from this, the image of the strong and rebellious, yet subtly charming girl was born. La Piscine was influenced by Jacques Deray’s eponymous 1969 film of the same name, as well as French actress Isabelle Adjani, whose career picked up pace in the ’80s with films such as Mortelle randonnée and L’été meurtrier. Still, Jacquemus does not dwell solely on nostalgia. “I love the ’80s. To me it feels cosmic and avant-garde to project my thoughts, into this period,” he says. “However, I like to create in and for the present while taking inspiration from the past and reinterpreting it. I think I fit in very well with our time, and so does my fashion. I want it to be wearable, affordable and made for today.” Jacquemus also likes to spin his design around whimsical and slightly odd flights of fancy. Last summer’s collection, La Maison, was inspired by a fictional woman imprisoned at home all day long. As a result, she begins working up every material she finds in the house – mosquito nets, sofa covers, sun blinds and cotton fabrics normally used for workwear. Accordingly, La Maison was a beautiful mix of transparent white mesh blouses, crop tops made from striped awning, and perfectly tailored angular plaid skirts in signal orange. It’s that ingenious, fresh simplicity and refined rawness that makes Jacquemus’s designs such a success. Fashion critics have raving about this young emerging talent. For SS14, Jacquemus presented La Grande Motte at Paris Fashion Week. The collection, named after a popular holiday resort in Southern France, sports pink mini-dresses with graphic cutouts, tennis caps casually worn around the neck and dark green sweatshirts with one sleeve in a contrasting color. Inspiration: summer vacations, tennis, holiday amour, banana shakes. Result: minimalism as fresh as a scoop of strawberry ice cream.
seventeen
TWENTYSEVEN F0RTY Photography Sigurd Grünberger Styling Nanna Flachs Hair&Makeup Rikke Dengsø Model Cristina Mantas at Elite Copenhagen
Showpiece Dress price upon request Hellen van Rees Shadow Leather Bag 340€ Abigail Stewart x MUUSE Shoes WonHundred
Showpiece Hoodie Dress price upon request Sasha Nassar x MUUSE Showpiece Blouse price upon request Heidi Paula Showpiece Skirt price upon request Hellen van Rees t h i s pag e
o p p o s i t e pag e
Showpiece Dress price upon request Wali Mohammed Barrech Showpiece Tights price upon request Sasha Nassar x MUUSE Geometric Dress 215€ Ece Gözen x MUUSE Dissection Silk Blouse 140€ Beate Godager x MUUSE t h i s pag e
o p p o s i t e pag e
Sky Viscose Dress 100â‚Ź Abigail Stewart x MUUSE Showpiece Clutch price upon request Wali Mohammed Barrech
Showpiece Blouse price upon request Wali Mohammed Barrech Beyond Silk Dress 390€ Louise Körner x MUUSE Eclectic Jersey T-shirt 80€ Yusuke Maegawa x MUUSE Showpiece Skirt price upon request Hellen van Rees o p p o s i t e pag e
t h i s pag e
interview
Farfetch
A digital viewpOint On fashiOn Uniting fashion lovers with international boutiques from around the world, Farfetch is a hub for the global fashion community. MUUSE co-founder Gitte Jonsdatter sat down with JosĂŠ Neves, founder and CEO of Farfetch to hear about his forward-thinking approach to shopping.
i n t e r v i e w b y  g i t t e j o n s d at t e r
twentyeight
interview
“We want to revolutionise the way people shop for fashion”
- José Neves, founder and CEO of Farfetch
Gitte Jonsdatter: Farfetch has quickly become the global hotspot for great boutiques. Can you talk a little about the journey there? What surprises, twists and turns took Farfetch where it is? José Neves: “I learnt first-hand the huge challenges facing a bricks and mortar retailer wanting to expand into the hugely competitive online environment. When I came up with the concept, it was clear to me that we had to have a global mindset. Thanks to the evolution of the web and the social media revolution, fashion is now much more global than before. There is a global fashion community out there, and a global zeitgeist. It has certainly been a challenge, but Farfetch would not be relevant if it did not recognize this phenomenon, because our mission is to be a catalyst of this revolution. What started as an idea brought alive with a small amount of stores is now a business I am very proud of with more than 300 partner boutiques around the world! Our most recent acquisition of Le Mill in Mumbai marked our entry into the Indian market, a very exciting time indeed.” You've talked about Farfetch as a discovery tool for bringing the best from around the world to customers – so the right curation is essential. How do you select which shops to invite? “One of the key attributes we look for in new partners is individuality – having a unique view point on fashion that is reflected in their edit. It’s not a matter of price point and it’s not a matter of brand list. It’s a matter of the boutique’s individual and unique take on fashion and the curation of the products they choose. Each of the boutiques in our community has been carefully selected for its unique approach, forward-thinking attitude, and diversity. In addition to boutiques proactively applying to join our network, we have a brilliant business development team who are responsible for finding the best boutiques in each territory we work within. Keeping in mind our mantra of quality over quantity, they work tirelessly to ensure we are continually working with the best boutiques around the world.” Is there a limit to how many boutiques Farfetch will support in future? “No! From day one we were a global company. We launched with boutiques in five countries and we opened offices in London, Los Angeles and São Paulo before we had our first round of venture capital funding. We are growing at an increasingly rapid pace and currently only work with boutiques in three territories. But it’s something we were ready to accept and have always been excited about from the beginning. Of course, as we continue to increase the number of boutiques we partner with, it will increase the complexity of the project, but it’s easier when you start global to become a truly global business.” A lot of of small offline boutiques are struggling. What advice – besides applying to be on Farfetch – would you offer them? “If a struggling boutique was to ask my advice I wouldn't automatically advise them to join Farfetch. There are so many other factors to consider. There is so much competition for retailers in the industry today that it is essential for independent boutiques to offer their consumer something different. Along with unique product offering and a strong variety of brands there must also be a way of delivering an exceptional level of brand experience to the customer. It is so important for boutiques to embrace both traditional retail and digital opportunities for the development of their business. Based on our experience, internet sales on average will make up 15 to 20 percent of the total sales of a specialist high-end retailer. No business can dismiss this kind of opportunity, especially in these tough times.” What is your dream scenario for Farfetch in three years? “We want to revolutionise the way people shop for fashion and by doing that making the world a more diverse and creative place. In three years I would love if Farfetch becomes the ultimate shopping experience, bridging the online and offline world seamlessly and providing the coolest, most rewarding fashion experience.”
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f e at u r e
First spotted at a graduate show in Copenhagen, Tilde Bay Kristoffersen releases a collection for MUUSE in the fall. Here, the avant-garde designer talks about process, commercial collections, loneliness and her hopes for the future.
In conversation with
tilde bay kRistOffERsen words by moussa mchangama p h o t o s b y k ata r i n a d a h l s t r รถ m
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“Look at the Chicago sculptor and clothing artist Nick Cave. He doesn’t necessarily use expensive materials, but he has an amazing capability of translating and putting them together. And that’s what it’s all about.” - Tilde Bay Kristoffersen
I first noticed Tilde Bay Kristoffersen’s designs at a graduation show last year in Copenhagen. Her dramatic, almost costume-y designs had a nightmarish, dream-like quality. The simple silhouettes were contrasted with self-made fabrics and rich details that grabbed the attention of everyone who laid eyes on them. For AW14, she is producing a collection for MUUSE, with more commercial designs than usual. “It’s so exciting. It’s a challenge, and one that makes me put different sides of my creative identity out there,” Tilde Bay Kristoffersen says. “It’s an amazing opportunity for a learning experience. I can work more with draping and sketching, but I also have to think about commercial issues. What makes a design commercial and how?” asks the designer, calling herself “a fan of simple silhouettes”. “But I still have to maintain my personal signature and combine it with an understanding of what the consumers want. So it’s about trends, silhouettes and detailing in a different way,” she states of the collection, which will contain around 15 pieces, inspired by melancholia, darkness, and femininity – just like her graduate collection. “The silhouettes are classic and simple, with plissé and ovals in fur. I’ve used materials like suede and wool twill, and star prints, and then added handmade accessories in fur and pearls.” A Lonely Job Tilde Bay Kristoffersen graduated last summer. When she looks back on her years at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, School of Design, process was always on her mind. “When studying, I was mostly concerned with different processes of design, developing ideas, conceptualizing projects. I focused on the universes that one can create in the interplay between textures, silhouettes, materials, models, and location. I haven’t focused as much on wearability or construction, so I get to do that now,” explains Tilde, who is the mother of a two year old. “My education was a pretty lonely experience. I think it’s a lonely job to work expressively. I really lacked a partner-in-crime, someone to discuss design with and share ups-and-downs.” From McQueen to H&M But not everything has been concerned with process. The designer took three internships during her time in school. Wanting to diversify and work in very different areas, she interned at the playful Danish brand Moonspoon Saloon, Alexander McQueen and Swedish powerhouse H&M.
“It was very intentional to choose those three different places,” she says. “They are different in size, brand and consumer. Moonspoon Saloon is this small Danish company, H&M had the big commercial apparatus and McQueen is a true player in fashion, working with showpieces and high fashion.” The internships allowed Tilde to try on different positions at the brands. “At H&M I worked with accessories, digital printing and trend research. At McQueen I worked with digital prints, mood boards, dyeing by hand, and I went to locations taking pictures that we developed into digital prints – like Westminster Abbey, a gothic church whose ceilings became prints.” Artistic Creativity Tilde has mostly worked with an artistic expression that makes her designs a cross between avant-garde high fashion, sculpture, and art. The Danish designer wants to cross the boundaries between what we wear, and how we wear it. “I think my expression calls for pieces that transcend boundaries. I can use every material and put them together from an aesthetic point of view. There needs to be a high level of quality – whether in materials, the way they’re put together or in creative expression,” she tells me, pointing out that you don’t need to work with luxurious materials to make luxurious garments. “I can work with very cheap pearls. But if I do that, it’s about the capability of using them and putting them together in a way that gives a high level of quality in expression. That way of working creatively has always pleased me, as it’s about making ideas bigger than they are,” she notes, giving an example of her inspiration. “Look at the Chicago sculptor and clothing artist Nick Cave. He doesn’t necessarily use expensive materials, but he has an amazing capability of translating and putting them together. And that’s what it’s all about.” Dreams of the Future When it comes to Tilde Bay Kristoffersen’s future, she’s only sure of one thing: she wants to work with diverse creative projects and challenge herself in different ways. “I want to have versatility as a designer. I’m interested in most parts of the trade. But of course, the artistic works and expressions are closest to my heart,” she says, stating that she wants to do it all. “In the future, I’m going to work with commercial, high fashion and artistic pieces. But I also want to work more with art pieces, which don't necessarily have anything to do with clothing, but are still connected to the body,” she says before ending: “And my dream? Having my own small fashion brand. Or maybe a big one.”
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s t y l i s h c r e at i v e s
FashiOn Writer, Berlin
ClaiRe BEERMANN photo by sandra semburg
MUUSE: As well as writing for Vogue.de and Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (one of Germany’s most prestigeous newspapers), you also write your own blog. How did you get started in fashion writing? Claire Beermann: “I've always been writing. I started writing short stories in first grade when I barely knew any grammar. When I was 15, my older sister said: ‘You are creative, why don't you write a blog and share your thoughts?’ That's when I launched C'est Clairette. First it was just a nice hobby to fight boredom. Today it has become a real passion and my very own online journal.” What do you appreciate most about up-and-coming designers? “Young designers are often are more independent and free in their creativity. They don’t have to stick to certain trends in order to present very commercial pieces yet, so their designs can be very invigorating, avant-garde and unique.” What’s the difference between Nordic street style and Berlin street style? “In Berlin, people like to dress casually and sporty. It's all about the art of chic underdressing. In Stockholm and Copenhagen I’ve noticed that people dress much more elegantly, but still minimalistic and cool. It’s a kind of casual dressing-up.”
c l a i r e ' s fav o u r i t e m u u s e e d i t i o n s
Concave Wool Jacket 430€ Ece Gözen x MUUSE Art & Life Silk Scarf 110€ Louise Boye Andersen x MUUSE Relativity Draped Dress 230€ Ece Gözen x MUUSE
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FashiOn EditOr at COstume, NOrway
HEGe auRelie BadendyCk photo by sandra semburg
MUUSE: What do you like most about working in such a creative industry? Hege Aurelie Badendyck: “I like that I’m able to do something I love! Working in an industry that is changing so fast is a challenge, but I find it to be mainly positive. There’s always new things happening, someone new to watch, new designers, new trends, new inspirations. You HAVE to be curious to work in fashion, and curiosity demands a positive and open approach to your surroundings.” You visit several international fashion weeks each season. What do up-and-coming designers bring to the schedule? “To be honest, I often find the up-and-coming scene to be the most inspiring. I remember how I completely fell in love with some raw, simple bracelets many years ago. They were made by a Danish designer called Yvonne Koné and had been worn by Hanneli Mustaparta during Copenhagen Fashion Week. I contacted Yvonne directly after Fashion Week and we’ve had a great relationship ever since. I really admire her hard work and talent.” Whose style, past or present, do you most admire? “I really admire the way Leandra Medine of The Man Repeller blog approaches fashion, as well as her playful and creative style. Caroline de Maigret is another fabulous women whose style is so effortless and so... French!”
h e g e ' s fav o u r i t e m u u s e e d i t i o n s
Signature Wool Pants 230€ Yvonne Laufer x MUUSE Single Thread Silk Blouse 200€ Hellen Van Rees x MUUSE Shadow Neoprene Dress 295€ Eun-Jung Lee x MUUSE
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VP & DevelOpment DirectOrOf COpenhagen FashiOn Week
Anne ChRistine peRssOn photo by pernille ringsing
MUUSE: As well as continuously working on renewing Copenhagen Fashion Week, you write for style.com as part of their Style Map. How did you get started in fashion? Anne Christine Persson: “As a child I dreamt of working in fashion, but it wasn't until I moved to New York and I got the chance to work for the talented fashion publicist Kelly Cutrone. Then I met Eva Kruse in the start-up process of the Danish Fashion Institute. We had a great connection and shared the same vision. One thing led to another and we have been working together for more than seven great years.” Every season you take great pride in setting the show times. What do you feel up-and-coming designers bring to the schedule? “They bring so much energy and uninhibited creativity to the show schedule. As a brand becomes bigger and more commercial, creativity often becomes more controlled so there is something quite liberating seeing the first shows of new designers.” You are a keen supporter of new Danish designers. What do you appreciate most about up-and-coming design? “It’s important to support young designers as they represent the future of the industry. At the moment there are so many new talents in Denmark and they are constantly injecting new ideas and creativity into the industry while attracting a lot of international attention. It’s a win-win situation.”
a n n e ' s fav o u r i t e m u u s e e d i t i o n s
Pure Neoprene Blouse 190€ Eun-Jung Lee x MUUSE Allude Wool Pants 245€ Jantine van Peski x MUUSE Awakening Silk Shirt 205€ Sasha Nassar x MUUSE
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c o p e n h a g e n i n t e r n at i o n a l fa s h i o n fa i r
fa l l / w i n t e r 2 0 1 4 – 1 5 30 January – 2 february 2014, Bella center, copenhagen c i f f. d k
a r t d ir ec t i o n â „ g r a p hi c d e s i g n o f M U U S E M AGA ZINE
brunswicker studio is an independent design studio based in Copenhagen..
Working across a broad range of disciplines, Brunswicker Studio delivers art direction, branding, advertising, packaging, and magazine design to some of the biggest names in fashion, lifestyle and media.
www.brunswicker.dk
n e w ta l e n t
intrOducing
Helsinki based designer Satu Maaranen skillfully combines bold color and extreme shapes. Her work has been featured in countless international publications, and in 2013 Satu was awarded the prestigious Hyéres Fashion Festival prize. Satu Maaranen, who has studied art since the tender age of six, brings an artistic eye to her designs. Her latest collection exquisitely blends natural landscape with her innovative take on haute couture. Satu’s designs don’t shy away from standing in the spotlight, and make liberal use of color, print and experimental materials. Inspired by both the traditional Finnish use of natural materials in design and the 1960s Land Art movement in print design, Satu has effortlessly united unlikely forces to create truly visionary fashion.
words by melissa mckenna photos by chris vidal tenoma a
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intrOducing
Min Wu is a Chinese born designer based in London. After graduating with an MA from the London College of Fashion in 2013, she decided to establish her own label MIN WU. Last year, Min Wu’s graduation collection Schizophrenia was selected for the inaugural runway show of the London College of Fashion’s MA course at London Fashion Week. Min combined dip-dye colours, radical materials and 3D structure details to create a fresh, elegant, sporty feel to her collection. Schizophrenia took the work of multi-disciplinary artist Anthony McCall, particularly his 'solid light' series, as a starting point, pushing pattern-cutting to extremes. Min also drew inspiration from the 'Schizo Vase' produced by Studio OOOMS which – like schizophrenia – splits the mind.
words by melissa mckenna p h o t o s by dav i d s h i h
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intrOducing
Taiwanese designer Huang Ting Yun studied advertising before following her passion for design and clothing. Ting-Yun’s unexpected silhouettes and playful use of faux-fur have earned her the admiration of Lady Gaga. After recognizing that her true love lay in materials and clothing, Ting-Yun focused her work on design, and in 2009 moved to Helsinki to study. Looking at Ting-Yun’s work it is easy to see how she has been influenced by the Scandinavian minimalist design approach. In her view, the aesthetic of minimalism is not just a style, but “a value and a philosophy”, which has pushed her to question the essentials of design. Ting-Yun’s most recent collection, Building the Void, was inspired by her research into spatial ideas, the parallels between fashion and architecture and the way Japanese designers value the intimate space between the body and clothing.
words by melissa mckenna photos by jussi särkil ahti
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interview
FrOm New YOrk Designer tO Parisian FashiOn Writer
Meet
Diane Pernet Diane worked as a fashion designer in New York in the 1980s, as a costume designer for movies, as the women's fashion editor of Joyce magazine and as the fashion editor of Elle.com and Vogue.fr Today, she is best known for the blog, A Shaded View on Fashion and for her film festival, A Shaded View on Fashion Film.
Diane PeRnet interview by sofia tchkonia edited by isabell a hemmersbach p h o t o by h a s s a n h av i e r
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She is a fashion icon famous for her blog, A Shaded View of Fashion. But what few people know is that Diane Pernet was once a designer herself. Sofia Tchkonia, founder and creative director of ARTGeorgia Paris and the talent support contest BENEXT, talked to Diane about her past, taking us on a journey back in time.
Only a small group of people knows about Diane Pernet’s past as a designer in New York, although her support for new designers is widely recognized in the industry. Delving into Diane’s past casts in a new light her sincerity and passionate support of new designers. “I had no idea of pricing things, or anything really,” she confesses. “I had a girlfriend who worked for an airline and she would go to Italy and bring me back fabrics in her suitcase. I would send the samples to the stores and I priced everything totally wrong, so they would sell the samples immediately. That's how I started in fashion. I showed my first collection in March. Nobody does that.”
“I really didn't have a plan”
- Diane Pernet
Being a designer in the late 1970s in New York required more than just creativity and business skills. While other designers were building their brand with obligatory visits to the Studio 54 nightclub, Diane believed this would compromise her work: “I wanted my clothes to sell themselves. I didn't want to go to Studio 54 like Halston or Calvin Klein. I wanted to make beautiful clothes – to make women feel beautiful.”
In the late 1990s Diane closed the chapter on New York and her life as a designer, moving to Paris and making a natural transition into fashion writing. “Women’s Wear Daily asked me: ‘We hear that you are moving to Paris, what are you going to do?’ And I really didn't have a plan.” However, it was in Paris that she established herself at Elle.com as Dr. Diane, then later at Vogueparis.com, and eventually set up her own blog, A Shaded View on Fashion, in 2005. Today, Diane has gained critical acclaim for her A Shaded View of Fashion Film Festival, touring the world and changing the way fashion is presented through film for both new and established designers. After almost 20 years in Paris, Diane looks back at her start and what it took to establish herself in the capital of couture: “I love being here, in Paris. I've been here for 20 years already, but the French are really not embracing foreigners. It's the opposite of New York, where they love foreigners, they are exotic.” Diane ends the conversation with a benign smile and a description that aptly fits both French hospitality and the fashion world at large: “Here they try to scare you away – and in case they didn't succeed in that after three years, they accept you.”
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phOtOs by frederik lindstrØm MODEL SØS BJERRISGAARD
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Signature Wool Blazer 335€ Signature Wool Pants 230€ Yvonne Laufer x MUUSE Art & Life Silk Scarf 110€ Louise Boye Andersen x MUUSE o p p o s i t e pag e
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Geometric Dress 215€ Ece Gözen x MUUSE Awakening Silk Shirt 205€ Awakening Silk Shorts 160€ Sasha Nassar x MUUSE
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Architect Silk Dress 365€ Jantine van Peski x MUUSE Limit Silk Shirt 200€ Yvonne Laufer x MUUSE Reflecting Cotton Pants 245€ Ece Gözen x MUUSE
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SMARTEEZ
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Design collective and fashion movement Smarteez is a four-man fashion “crew” based in Johannesburg, South Africa. Their bold, creative look and collaborations with Art Comes First and Stocktown have captured the attention of discerning style authorities such as Dazed & Confused, the Sartorialist and Style Bubble. MUUSE’s Natasha Skou caught up with crew member Floyd Avenue to chat about emerging South African subculture and the importance of online media to new designers.
Natasha Skou: How did the design collective Smarteez start? How and when did you guys meet? Floyd Avenue: “We have been friends for years, so there's no particular date. We used to hang around the same places, we had similar style and we all qualified as designers around 2005. So one day the Smarteez collective was just a fact.” What is Smarteez all about? “We are a collective of art future kids, a young collective on a mission. We're the first generation in South Africa to experience freedom, post apartheid, and to be living in a global universe. We take inspiration from everything and anything – culture, language, music, art. Anything. We find synergy in all of these things, and the medium we use to express this is fashion.” What influences you and inspires you? “It’s people. We're influenced by people. What we’re doing is quite organic to who we actually are. We’re trying to live out our dreams and our fantasies through fashion. We look at people who are doing what they want to do, people who are living out their own dreams regardless of what others think, and that is what inspires us.” Over the past several years, you have developed a cult following in South Africa, even winning an award for best subculture. How did you manage this and what has surprised you in the process? “We were surprised by the response. We were fresh out of fashion school, building our brand and trying to establish ourselves as designers. But before we could even put in the groundwork we had all this media attention. People were so enthusiastic about Smarteez, but now things are slowing down and we're a bit older. We're taking stuff from a more mature perspective.” What is freedom to you? “Freedom, freedom, freedom! The word defines itself. Freedom is the ability to let one be, to just be yourself. The ability to live out your dreams and your fantasies, no matter what you’re doing, without bounds. Freedom. It’s quite basic.” How do you feel that the online media has influenced your career? “Online media plays a big role in establishing unknown people. In the past, you needed the approval of certain people in the fashion industry in order to succeed, but with online media, you don't need that. If you want to establish yourself, you just establish yourself. You do it yourself. You just put your work out there. Read more about Smarteez on followtherabbihat.tumblr.com
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muuse editions ss14
MUUSE SPRING/SUMMER 2014
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Object Cotton Jacket 365€ Geometric Dress 215€ Ece Gözen x MUUSE simone we ars
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Aesthetic Cotton Shirt 255â‚Ź Jantine van Peski x MUUSE Socks Falke Shoes Notabene Copenhagen fiftytwo
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Buzz Leather Dress price upon request Magnea Einarsdóttir x MUUSE
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Idéale Neoprene Dress 340€ Wali Mohammed Barrech x MUUSE Socks Sneaky Fox Shoes and Bracelet Wali Mohammed Barrech pat t i w e a r s
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Symmetry Nylon Top 120€ Leggings 110€ Awakening Silk Shirt 205€ Shorts 160€ Scarf 70€ Sasha Nassar x MUUSE Shoes Kenzo Necklace Chacha Rings and Earrings Maria Black pat t i w e a r s
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Pure Neoprene Blouse 190â‚Ź Eun-Jung Lee x MUUSE Sunglasses Kuboraum fiftyseven
q&a
RUNE PARK Buyer, Henrik Vibskov Boutique Natasha Skou: What kind of shop is the Henrik Vibskov Boutique where you work as a buyer? Rune Park: “The boutique has been open since 2006 in Copenhagen and April 2011 in New York. Both stores reflect the universe of Henrik Vibskov – they are the only two places in the world where you can preview the unedited collection. The website henrikvibskovboutique.com is a satellite. Our aim is to reach out globally to all corners of the world with exciting products, special editions, old classics, books, magazines and shoes from a range of local and international designers, artists and creators, creating a new, progressive and beautiful collection of pieces.” What’s the best part of your job? “Working closely with Henrik Vibskov is a very unique experience. In all his creative processes he challenges the notion of both fashion and art. Every season another multitude of twisted yet tantalizing universes comes to life.” The Henrik Vibskov boutique in Copenhagen will be hosting a pop-up shop with MUUSE in April 2014. What attracted you to the MUUSE brand? “That MUUSE helps the best design talent around the world so they can be supported in producing, showing and selling their collections. In this very fast and competitive business, initiatives like MUUSE are very important and encouraging for up-and-coming designers.” What do you appreciate most in a design? “Design that ask questions and talks to your feelings. If I don't feel it I don’t buy it!”
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FLORENCE January 7-10, 2014 PITTI W, Arena Strozzi Pavilion BERLIN January 14-16, 2014 PREMIUM, Hall 7 PARIS January 25-28, 2014 WHO’S NEXT, Fame COPENHAGEN January 30-February 2, 2014 CIFF, Crystal Hall MUUSE POP-UP SHOP During CPHFW AW14 January 29-February 1, 2014 IIL7, Ny Østergade 19, CPH LONDON February 15-February 18, 2014 RE PRESENT, Showroom 64 Lincoln's Inn Fields WC2A 3JX
Producing and selling collections for the world’s most visionary new designers
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upcoming editions
Tilde Bay KristOffersen x MUUSE
OBscuRE
Tilde Bay Kristoffersen’s collection Obscure was inspired by the darkness and melancholy she finds in nature, continuing a theme she explored in her graduation project. The woman she had in mind while designing the collection is strong and feminine. Tilde reveals her distinctive talent for invoking image, memory and mood with this collection of dark colors, poetic silhouettes and tactile fabrics. A digital print of the night sky and stylistic pleats, make up the signature details. Danish designer Tilde, honed her skills at Alexander McQueen and Henrik Vibskov and has since become a design maven in her own right. Tilde uses her artistic, dramatic sensibility to create impressively atmospheric designs, which have featured in publications including DANSK Magazine and Cover. tildebay.com
p h o t o s b y k a j s a g u l l b e r g & k ata r i n a d a h l s t r Ăś m
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Dagmar Kestner x MUUSE
PROximity CoRDage
Dagmar Kestner’s MUUSE Editions collection Proximity Cordage is a creative exploration of the juxtaposition between two distinct topics: the tribal body art of Burmese women and the sci-fi aesthetic of Swiss artist Hansruedi Giger. The desire to abstract, embellish and accelerate the human body – whether by tradition or science – is an enduring one, and Dagmar skillfully uses this commonality in her design. With this unique exploration in mind, she has created a collection of leather accessories which are fresh and radical, yet simplistic in nature. Dagmar creates bold and sculptural leather adornments, cultivating and reviving traditional artisanal techniques. The Romanian’s work has acquired an international following, including publications Bast Magazine and Schön! Magazine. dagmarkestner.com
photo by crystin moritz
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LOuise KÖrner x MUUSE
LOst in the DeseRt Louise Körner’s MUUSE Editions collection Lost in the Desert was inspired by the vivid imagery of a decaying oil factory found abandoned amid a desert’s sandy dunes. For this collection Louise has created three original prints evoking the hues created by a mirage effect and the sheen of spilt oil. The industrial-inspired structure of the collection unifies Louise’s striking prints and rich texture palette of wool, silk and jersey. Grunge meets delicacy in the work of the Swedish designer, whose original prints are a striking addition to her designs. Her styles are favorites among bloggers and have been featured on Swedish Idol. louisekorner.com
photo by louise körner
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Claudia Gamba x MUUSE
Multi— diRectiOn— ality Claudia Gamba’s MUUSE Editions collection Multidirectionality was inspired by her interest in architectural shapes and more specifically, the Spomenik monuments of the 1960s and ’70s. Using her signature method of bold manipulations, Claudia has created designs that are in and of themselves a modern aesthetic. Claudia harmoniously brings together clean tailoring, color blocking and pleated fabric manipulations to ensure each design is a standout piece. Claudia, who hails from Italy, aims to create a revolutionary design concept by collaborating with artists outside the fashion world. Her work, which features high-end fabrics and bold manipulations, has caught the eye of many international publications including Dazed Digital and Il Messaggero. claudiagamba.com
photo by joe giacomet
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f e at u r e
1granary
FROm HeRe
tO MaRs words by sophia gonzalez
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f e at u r e
What happens when a student blog quickly balloons into a biannual magazine, drumming up support from Comme des Garçons, SHOWstudio and others? 1Granary’s entrepreneurial founder and editor-in-chief, Olga Kuryshchuk, discusses the future.
1granary.com/magazine/
“There’s this idea of using 3D printing to print a huge station on Mars,” declares Olga Kuryshchuk. She is reflecting on the dumbfounding speed with which technology, like fashion, changes and upturns all in its wake. And suddenly, the conversation calibrates. It often does with Olga. It’s like trying to cross-examine a witness who replies only in brief anecdotes, much to the amusement of the jury, before finally returning to the original question: what does she hope to do in five years? “I don’t have any ideas yet, but something will happen.” In spite of a mercurial future – for there is hardly a future as unpredictable as the one belonging to this third-year British university student – there is no doubt that for Olga, much will happen. In the world of Central Saint Martins, she is an anomaly, an enterprising witticism to the prescribed afterschool special of downing a pint (or four) at the Star of Kings, the unofficial college pub down the road. Why, when Saint Martins moved from Charing Cross Road to 1 Granary in 2011, did Olga start a blog by the same name, and in its adolescence, print a biannual magazine that sold out across stores in London? “It’s about meeting those professionals,” she says. “I want to see how they work. I want to try everything.” It’s as if Olga is an endless spring of curiosity, from which creative endeavours naturally are born.
“The politics at 1Granary are that the doors are open to everyone.” - Olga Kuryshchuk
Aptly titled “The Birth Place”, 1Granary’s first issue emerged like a beacon of talent from within the newly converted wasteland of Kings Cross. What distinguishes its delivery is the way 1Granary connects Saint Martins then to Saint Martins now. There is hardly an artistic soul unfamiliar with the truism that the college
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breeds fashion and design visionaries: Alexander McQueen, John Galliano, Katie Grand and Christopher Kane. The blog-etpublication undoubtedly taps into yester-lore with photographs of Grand’s first fashion shoot as a knitwear student and conversations with Glen Matlock of the Sex Pistols. And then it fast tracks to the present: student Q&As and high-impact editorials styled in their work and shot within the granary-cum-college. But it is the notion of democracy, gently yet explicitly reinforced under Olga’s leadership, which appeals to contributors and readers alike. “The politics at 1Granary are that the doors are open to everyone,” says Olga. The 1Granary tagline “by the students, for the students”, as online editor Sara McAlpine also explains, ensures that all Saint Martins students have a platform with which to showcase their work. And in true Saint Martins bravado, there are no boundaries to how students get involved. “When we started, none of us had a clue how to do anything. But we had a shared aim to do something amazing,” says Greg French, associate editor. As it turns out, “amazing” – or a concept within the periphery thereof – makes for an easy sell. Even peddling 1Granary copies from a small car did not stop London’s top shops like Opening Ceremony and Dover Street Market from asking Olga for copies. Before retrieving a suitcase stuffed with copies from the car, she recalls telling vendors, “‘Oh, it’s just outside…Here it is!’” She laughs, adding later, “It’s funny because they’d be pretty shocked.” Easy comings have not changed Olga’s perspective. Now with an office in Shoreditch and a fashion community primed for the next issue – to be released in March 2014 – talk among 1Granary staffers largely centres on the future. Will 1Granary become fully indoctrinated into Saint Martins as part of a fashion journalism course? No decision has yet been made. As Olga knows better than most, a lot can change in the future. “A year ago, I thought I would run a blog and close it down,” she muses. “Then somehow, we made a magazine and I thought, ‘We make an issue and close it down.’” Today 1Granary. Tomorrow Mars.
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