Noctis
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www.houseofsunny.co.uk Photographer - Stephanie Alcaino Writer - Hannah Sargeant
HOUSE of Sunny Based in Hackney, the melting pot of many great fashion ventures, The House of Sunny studio offers all you would expect from the headquarters of a brand with such a clean, minimalistic aesthetic. As the natural light seeps onto the latest AW15 collection and into the open space, emphasising the bold HoS logo on the white wash walls, you can't help but get the feeling that this label has succeeded to establish itself as a brand in its own right. Meeting Sunny himself, the man behind the growingly popular House of Sunny label, he explains his organic journey of creating a product, a concept, an ethos and finally a brand. Now as a team of 12 (all of whom originally joined the house as interns), House of Sunny is growing and undeniably on its way to a big scale of recognition. We spoke to Sunny about what makes his staples stand out, where House of Sunny is headed in the future and to explain his Vogue magazine collection, tucked away in the corner of his studio.
16 | HOUSE OF SUNNY
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Collage, Art Direction & Styling - Laurie Basset Photography - Vincent Nadon Makeup Artist - Ann-frederic Tremblay Model - Emilie Nadon
"'Sur le fil' is based on contemporary dance. I like the spontaneity and improvisation of this discipline; it's a magnificent way to express yourself. Here, the model is not a professional dancer. She is a young woman who knows how to express herself and is capable of improvising, which are two fundamental principles of contemporary dance. I always want to use the human body for my work; I like this expression and the change in perception that a body in movement, a twisted body, can give. The collage makes this even less perceptible. It confuses and explores the moving capacities of the human body to" - Laurie Basset 4 | LAURIE BASSET
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Lan Nguyen-Grealis is one of those anomalies that somehow broke into the industry without any technical makeup training or industry contacts. “Funnily enough, sometimes I feel like a fraud,” she tells me modestly. But she is far from a fraud, and instead one of the most influential makeup artists today. She has created faces for Glamour, Russian Vogue, Elle UK and Vanity Fair. Lan Nguyen-Grealis is a freelancer, the beauty editor to fashion week publication Phoenix, a mother to her beautiful baby daughter, the official makeup artist to Paloma Faith and author to coffee table sensation "Art & Makeup". The book is an art and makeup medley, “I wanted to share how I see things in hope to inspire others, but also to try and bring makeup to the forefront to be discussed as an art form”. The first half of the book is filled with makeup looks she created especially for the book, in the form of beautiful imagery shot by Rankin. The rest of the book is full of step-by-step guides to achieving the looks as well as industry quotes and tips. “I wrote the book for anyone really, especially makeup artists, but those in general who like picture books but didn't realise how much influence makeup has. I like to think my audience would be those that are not necessarily into makeup but will appreciate it for what it is”.
Lan Nguyen Grealis Photographer - Robert Deacon Makeup Artist - Buddy at The Makeup Salon Hair Stylist - Andrew Barton Creative Direction - Lisa Farrall Writer - Kea Bose
80 | LAN NGUYEN GREALIS
LAN NGUYEN GREALIS | 81
Within the confines of a 140 character limit, Sophie Rundle describes herself as a “human woman, lady actor, Bowie enthusiast” who is surprisingly good at putting up tents. She is a young and beautiful actress, but also driven and defiant.
“There are certainly differences between screen work and theatre”, Rundle begins when questioning her approach to a new role and character, “they’re extremely different mediums. Theatre is a lot more collaborative and considered. You have the time and space to try things out and let them work or fail, or evolve before you show it. Then you take it on stage and each night it can become something quite different”. Screen work, however, tends to be more instinctive, “tiny moments are captured”, she continued, “and at the end of the day you’re done with it and you have to allow someone else to take over. What the audience sees is manipulated by a lot of different people and there are parts of both processes that I love because of that”. There are still many taboos that women are faced with when trying to make a name for themselves, “I think you’re expected to be prepared and professional like anyone else”, Sophie Rundle continues, “the trouble with calling out an inherent sexist attitudes in this industry is that they don’t always manifest themselves in singular shocking anecdotes”. There is still a pervasive attitude of inequality under the surface of many industries, in [ours] she says, it is demonstrated through the hyper sexualisation of young actresses; “it can feel quite intimidating when you try to protect yourself against that. I sometimes feel people would prefer it if you were quiet”. The way a woman looks is seemingly important, but we are given a conflicted message, one that contradicts more than it encourages. “Personally, I’m tired of wasting so much energy focusing on the female aesthetic”, Rundle adds, “It would be silly to say I don’t care what I look like, everybody cares to a certain extent, but I feel utterly bored of having body consciousness rammed down my throat”. Society today has a very disjointed attitude to how we ask women to perceive themselves, one page of the magazine is diet tips, the next is a cake recipe. “One page is body empowerment, the next is the ‘circle of shame’”, she adds, “women have wildly varying body types, all of which are valid and attractive. Move on”
“I would hope I portray myself as exactly who I am, silly and self deprecating, and with a head full of thoughts”. Little is left to the imagination, Sophie Rundle lets us into her life and we find ourselves falling in love with her a little bit more with every nod towards food, and the art of colour coordination. “I hope that anyone impressionable would read the stuff I put out there and think ‘it’s okay to be flawed’ and ‘it’s good to have a giggle’. I would hope they see kindness too, we need to focus on making social media a kinder place”. Mysteriously fascinating, Sophie Rundle is most recognisable when she assumes her role as Ada Shelby in the historically haunting BBC period drama, Peaky Blinders. Ada Shelby embodies a strong woman against the times and “she’s 100% pure sass”, proclaims Rundle, “who wouldn’t love to play that?”.
“The characters Steve Knight writes are like heroes in their own adventure”, she continues, “I love that strength of conviction the writing has, and therefore the characters. No one is simply a ‘strong woman’ or a ‘strong man’, we are all flawed and vulnerable. Particularly Ada. But there’s a stubbornness and bravery in her that I relish. I like to think there’s a tiny piece of Ada Shelby in me, more so after I’ve had a few gins… [laughs], I also feel like there’s a new wave of particularly gutsy leading female characters around at the moment in general, and that’s exciting. It comes from audience demand, people are interested in seeing the power of women explored through drama. The characters aren’t new, they’re based on the women around us every day, but the interest in them is new, and it’s exciting that people are looking for that”.
Sophie RUNDLE @rundlesophie | sophiesophierundle Photographer - Leoni Blue Stylist - Sophie Monro-Pruett Makeup Artist - Dionne Lea Taylor Writer - Jodie Shepherd
But to work as a young woman in that environment, it must be challenging?
“It’s fun and hard work and exciting and liberating and fascinating and testing and thrilling and a hundred million other things”, Sophie Rundle exclaims, hardly taking a moment to breathe.
Sophie Rundle, however intentional, has built quite the following with many young girls cooing over portrayals of endearing characters, and looking towards her for inspiration, and admiration. Sophie Rundle’s social feeds are ripe with quirky emoticons and a sense of realness. “I rather like the idea of having ‘ripe social feeds’, that’s lovely!“, her own cooing following suit. Sophie wears Jacket Preen Line Shirt & Trousers Stylist's Own
26 | SOPHIE RUNDLE
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“I have always loved to paint and draw”, begins Irene Palacio, “I studied a Fine Arts Degree but it wasn’t until I had worked in different fields of art, such as animation and design, that I started to understand and define my own artistic language. Before working with puzzles, or even mirrors and pictures before that, intervention was always one of my biggest interests. I have found a way to dig into reality, following my obsession for trying to speak about the real truth that lives within every person. Everyone has a way of being that they choose to show, a way of living, laughing, lying, fucking… but also one they hide, and that is where I believe the true reality resides. One much more perverted, deep and honest”. If there is something that Irene Palacio enjoys the most, it’s the early process of creating an image. “I have always found puzzles to be fascinating objects. You can buy and build the art, the whole family plays together to then forget it in a wardrobe forever. But not me. I buy the puzzle and build it and even at this stage, I start to imagine all the possibilities that I could choose to paint on it.
I mentally paint one thousand paintings in one, that nobody will ever see. I start to imagine and ask myself: "Is there someone walking down those stairs?", "Why has that house exploded?" or "Why is there people dancing around that bonfire?". A thousand realities manifest themselves together, and after all that hustle of alternatives, there is only one possible painting. It becomes clear and I can start to draw it. In a way, the final result is driven by intuition and imagination, but not without a lot of violence and a sense of humour." “Being aware of the underlying truth behind apparent reality creates the need to dig deeper” she continues, “That intention transforms the way we see and understand. We feel fascination towards the danger of the unknown. That is the nature of the process I have lived, wanting to understand things and what has lead me to that understanding. It is intuition that has guided me to sketch a graphic language, because the best guide is to let ourselves be carried by what magnetises us. Intuition knows more than reason”.
IRENE PALACIO www.irenepalacio.uk
10 | IRENE PALACIO
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Eva wears Jumper Ganni at IPR London Eva wears Eva wears Dress Graham Fan
12 | EVA DOWNEY
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Remi wears Roll neck Katie Eary Vest & shorts Mohsin Shoes Palladium Socks Topman Hat BEYIOKU
FOR THOSE THAT AREN'T FAMILIAR WITH WHAT YOU DO, WHO IS REMI BLACK?
DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE THAT YOU WOULD GIVE TO AN ASPIRING DANCER?
I'm a 21 year old artist from London. I dance and create as my profession, but it's more than just a job, it's living art. I started dancing properly (taking classes and training) around the age of 13/14 at Pineapple and Huskeys studios. I trained with the likes of Zoonation, Avant Garde and Dance2xs. I always loved dancing; Ever since I was a kid when I first heard music, my body just wanted to move to it and it was so hard to contain myself back then, whereas now it's freestyle in my head, which means you'll probably find me just staring at something for a long time with a dead face.
Trust your instincts, and make every decision come from a genuine place
ARE YOU CURRENTLY WORKING ON ANY NEW PROJECTS, OR HAVE ANY IDEAS THAT COULD TURN INTO SOMETHING CREATIVE? I am always working on something and that something is me; which I try to show and represent in my work. To be honest I don't want to sound clichĂŠ, but I am my art, I just want to see my growth my and choices in life. 58 | REMI BLACK
IF YOU WEREN'T A DANCER, WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU WOULD BE DOING AND WHY? I think I would still be creating something in a different field, but to be honest, life is one big piece of art, so whatever else I'd do I would make the best out of it. So I'm not too sure, but I won't do something that wouldn't challenge me, teach me and add more knowledge. Or make me happy. WHAT WOULD BE THE IDEAL PERFORMANCE FOR YOU? There's so many things I could say, but I'll give just two for now. My first would be Usher, and it's simple, he's inspiring. My second would be Top of the Pops! That show was amazing! Watching all the artists performing their new song each week and the amazing dancers living the life and looking so happy performing on stage made me want to do this even more. REMI BLACK | 59
WHAT WAS YOUR INTRODUCTION TO MUSIC? WERE THERE ANY FAVOURITES IN YOUR PARENTS RECORD COLLECTION? For me, it was funny because my parents had vastly different tastes in music. There were a lot of arguments as to who would have control over what was going to be played. My dad would put on Bob Marley or James Taylor, whilst my mum preferred Celine Dion, Tina Turner or Whitney Houston. I also have three older brothers who all liked different stuff too, so my introduction to music was a little bit crazy, a little of everything. But I’m glad, because now I have a really wide, diverse taste in music. YOU SET UP YOUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL (ALEXAMUSICTV), WHICH HAS SINCE BECOME ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL MUSIC CHANNELS IN BRITISH YOUTUBE HISTORY. AS SOMEONE GROWING UP WITH THAT RISE OF SOCIAL MEDIA, HOW IMPORTANT HAS IT BEEN TO YOU AND OTHER BREAKING ARTISTS? For me personally, it’s been so important. It has played a massive part in my success to date. I mean, the reason I have a record deal is because they found me on YouTube. It all stems from the fact I set up that channel. Even now, it is so important; not only does it give fans the chance to directly interact, but vice versa... It’s so nice to be able to connect with fans on an immediate level. It’s an amazing tool to get youout there, but also to maintain those relationships. It makes me feel closer to people, even other artists. YOU RELEASED A HANDFUL OF COVERS BY THE VE- RONICAS, TAIO CRUZ, AND WILLOW SMITH. BUT YOU ALSO COVERED MORE DISPARATE STYLES INCLUDING BOB DYLAN AND JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE. WITH REGARDS TO RELEASING COVERS, IS THIS TO ALLOW FOR THE FAMILIARITY OF THE SONG TO HELP BRING PEOPLE INTO YOUR SOUND, YOUR VOICE AND APPROACH? When I first started my channel, I was working on original material, but all I wanted to do was sing. I didn’t care what, I just wanted to sing. It didn't matter what, I just wanted constructive opinions on my voice, my style and my way of reworking these familiar tracks. I wanted to appeal to as many people as I could, as a breaking artist and because I have grounding in so many different genres, it made as much sense to release songs by Taylor Swift as by Lil Wayne or Bob Dylan. I don’t want people to be con- fused by the music I make, but I do want to incorporate my influences, without confusing what I’m doing.
68 | ALEXA GODDARD
YOU’RE SIGNED TO ROCNATION, JAY Z’S LABEL. YOU’VE MENTIONED HOW THEY DISCOVERED YOU ORIGINALLY, BUT HOW IS IT WORKING WITH AN AMERICAN, MALECENTRIC HIP HOP LABEL? I love being part of RocNation. Before I signed, I mean, I am such a massive Jay-Z fan, so to be involved with the label is one thing, but to meet him and his team was so daunting. I was worried, because of the nature of hip hop and it being so male dominated, but everyone was just so nice. I was made to feel included straight away, everyone is so driven by the art. Jay-Z is so passionate it just infects everyone else. He’s an amazing person to have as a boss.
"Over thinking stifles your creativity, you just need to take that leap" YOU CALL YOURSELF AN “OVER THINKER”. WHY? HOW DOES THIS IMPACT ON YOU, AS AN ARTIST? Over thinker is an understatement (laughs). I like to think less so now, but even before I was signed... wow! When I was setting up my channel, even the name was a massive internal dialogue of names and changes. It would take days to make decisions, song choices, which covers to release, what order etc. I think its important to properly consider things, but there has to be a balance. Over thinking stifles your creativity, you just need to just take that leap. Perhaps in a few years, my twitter bio will just read “go with the flow...!” (laughs again).
Alexa wears Jumpsuit Catherine Ferguson Shoes Serap Pollard Earrings Smith/Grey Ring Charlotte Valkeniers
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Poitín Words by Tom Blay. The Sun Tavern, Bethnal Green Road. An East end boozer turned quality pub that maintains a traditional charm. The back bar is full of adventurous, exciting and interesting spirits. The staff are knowledgeable and that is represented by the fact they are sat along the bar as they receive product training. It is the perfect place to be chatting drinking trends, history and fashions with Dave Mulligan and Cara Humphreys, the guys behind Bán Poitín. Poitín is an Irish spirit traditionally made from ingredients such as malted barley, sugar beet, whey and potatoes. It has the reputation for being a 90% abv illegal moonshine spirit. This misconception is currently being squashed as drinking trends and fashions within the drinks industry are seeing poitin listed in cocktails and the spirit becoming a sipping choice of adventurous drinkers. In this very venue, there are several to choose from. Oh, and it's pronounced ‘put-cheen’. ‘Poitín is something that is really embedded in Irish culture,’ begins Dave. ‘There is excitement in people’s eyes when a bottle is produced and you have to go back a long time to discover why and why we don’t want that excitement to die out.’
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Robbie Wears Shirt Krammer & Stoudt
"For children, pushing the boundaries of what's real and what's imaginary is so important, as long as you don't lose touch with reality and keep perspective when it matters" IT HAS BEEN NOTED THAT YOU WEREN’T A FAN OF ONCE UPON A TIME BEFORE YOU WERE CAST AS PETER PAN, YET YOU SAY HE’S A CHARACTER YOU CAN RELATE TO. HOW DOES ONE OVERCOME THESE INITIAL FEELINGS TO ASSUME A PIVOTAL ROLE IN A COMPLEX STORYLINE? I hadn't heard of the show before being cast so a fair amount of research went into figuring out what the style of the show was and where I could take the character, which helped immensely. After that, I looked at Pan as a blank canvas because he was evil rather than good, so I could take it in any number of directions because there wasn't that unequivocal set of characteristics that I had to base Pan off of. After that, I just had fun with it! WHY DO YOU THINK IT’S IMPORTANT FOR SHOWS LIKE ONCE UPON A TIME TO PUT A SPIN ON CLASSIC CHARACTERS SO THAT THERE’S A SENSE OF RELATION FROM THE VIEWER? Once Upon A Time is pretty special to relate to because it's one of the few shows on television these days that the whole family can sit down and watch together, I feel like it connects with everyone in a different way. I also think it shows that there is a duality with every character, that they are not just one dimensional. It's important to recognise that there are two sides to every story, and I think the show does a good job of illustrating that. YOU HAVE BEEN QUOTED AS SAYING THAT THE IDEA OF ESCAPISM RESONATES WITH A LOT OF CHILDREN, WHY IS THIS? WHAT IS IT ABOUT ESCAPISM THAT RESONATES, AND HOW DO YOU FIND YOURS? I think it’s a representation of your imagination, and how far you can stretch reality. For children, pushing the boundaries of what's real and what's imaginary is so important, as long as you don't lose touch with reality and keep perspective when it matters. For me, TV and film is a great way to escape the real world for a little while, especially when it is visually pleasing, that's partly why the industry is still so successful. 20 | ROBBIE KAY
Robbie Wears Shirt Krammer & Stoudt Pants Zara
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David wears Trousers Christian lacroix Belt Stylists own
108 | "DANCE" THE MOVEMENT CULTURE
Ava wears Crocheted top Sebastien Kwok Rings Joon
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Fran wears Jacket & Trousers Altewaisaome Tights Stylists Own Boots Bimba & Lola
Georgia wears Dress JH.Zane
116 | A STORY OF COMPLEXION
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www.confetticrowd.com Confetti Crowd are the UK’s 1st Official Girl Gang of Creatives Photographer - Leoni Blue Illustrator - Elyse Blackshaw Collage Artist - Chloe Monro-Pruett using illustrations by Elyse Blackshaw Writer - Lucinda Anderson The Confetti Crowd - Heidi, Lulu, Heli, Tiger and Cheyenne
126 | CONFETTI CROWD
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Lisa Carletta
www.lisacarletta.com
28 | LISA CARLETTA
HOW DID YOU PHOTOGRAPHY?
BECOME
INTERESTED
IN
At about thirteen years old, I followed a year of photography courses in college. We only had two hours per week, but I quickly realized what fascinated me was taking portraits of people. After starting my studies in advertising, I quickly regretted not having chosen photography, so I decided to take some evening classes. I had to stop to begin my internship in advertising but for me the only thing that was important were pictures, they speak louder than words. I decided to do what I really wanted and to give a try. HOW DO YOU CREATE YOUR NARRATIVES? I find inspiration from both fiction and nonfictional stories; there is always a little trick that will capture my attention and I'll find it interesting enough to develop or divert. All the scenes of everyday life strike me and nourish my work; a mother who cooks for her children, someone waiting alone at a bus stop, a couple dressed the same. I’m really interested in creating a character, sometimes mysterious, who seems to come straight out of a movie.
YOU HAVE A BOOK IN THE MAKING, “ UNITED STATES OF UNICORNS”. WHERE DID THE IDEA AND NAME FOR THE BOOK COME FROM? I'm represented by an Art Gallery in Holland, Sophie Maree Gallery, and clients had been asking if I had a book. They found it interesting to start thinking about it, and I proposed the project on Kiss Kiss Bank Bank (a crowdfunding platform) and it worked really well, a lot of people were really enthusiastic. I’m still working on it to make it perfect; for the title I was looking for something that appealed to dreamers, and those that talk about an oniric world. I already had “unicorn” in mind and I asked Mathias Malzieu (writer and singer of French rock band ‘Dionysos’) to write for my book and I finally asked him to think about the title too. I gave him my ideas and my thoughts, and he proposed the title “United States of Unicorns” to me. WHAT’S NEXT FOR LISA CARLETTA? I'm preparing a new series with my "Mini Me" for the 'Sophie Maree Gallery' in Holland; they would like to exhibit this new series at the same time of the book launch (hopefully at the beginning of June). I'm also working on new editorials, and I'm thinking more and more to start shooting a video!
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N O C T I S M AG .CO M