Rose Gold by Laura Isabella

#01

Rose Gold

Rose Gold issue one

gold note It feels crazy to say it – but issue one is finally here! When we began our journey we had three things in mind: our passion for women’s streetwear, our desire to showcase emerging artists and our deep belief in the optimism of youth. We’ve worked around the clock delving deep into the pool of the creative talent that our generation has to offer, to provide with the bravest, most inspiring content possible. Each artist we have featured or collaborated with has their own take on creativity and its possibilities, but unanimously believe in the power of making things happen for yourself and being authentic. It’s been a long road to get here - but we’ve grown a lot and, despite many sleepless nights, feel more buoyant than ever! We hope the pages that follow will excite and inspire you, our readers, as much as they have us. Thanks for picking us up. We’re super excited to share this with you.

Laura Isabella

contents 6

TEI SHI

D x A: COLLABORATIONS

PLAIN BEAR

DREAMS IN BLUE

ILLUSTRATED PEOPLE

DIGITAL STREETS

VASILISA TV

SUNSHINE YOUTH

HUSTLE BUCKS

EGO ELLA MAY

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Image courtesy of Tei Shi

tei shi

Tei Shi Tei Shi discusses Brooklyn life, Jay Z names and the power of music collaboration.

Listening to Tei Shi’s (a.k.a. Valerie Teicher) music is like being washed over by magical soul-stroking moonlight. The singer crept into our consciousness via soundcloud this time last year with the vocal layered delight that was ‘M&Ms’. With it, too, came the fear that - like is often the case on the musical blogosphere - we might only be graced with one offering from this elusive vocal goddess. Indeed Tei Shi was a musician still in seemingly relative infancy at this point - with no live shows or social media to speak of. Soon followed, however, ‘Saudade’ Tei Shi’s first EP, which totally blissed us out. Fast forward nearly a year and we had the excellent fortune to catch up with Tei Shi whilst she was in the studio recording her follow up EP.

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Tei Shi mermaid music

ROSE GOLD: Where did the name Tei Shi come from? Does this moniker have a meaning to you? TEI SHI: The name came about when I was trying to come up with some sort of moniker to use when I was about to release the first single off the EP. I definitely wanted to have a name that separated myself as an artist from my actual self. At first the idea was Yai Shi - kind of jokingly as a take on Jay-Z. I was tossing ideas around with my friend Luca Buccellati who produced the EP with me, and I was trying to think of what would be a funny kind of antithesis to my music, so the Jay-Z thing came out. We actually both liked how that sounded, and I figured if I changed it to Tei-Shi, it resembled my last name somewhat, which is Teicher. Overall, it doesn’t really have any personal meaning, but I like that it is a bit mysterious and evokes a kind of culturally ambiguous identity. RG: You’re Brooklyn based - how do you think this environment has impacted on your music? TS: Being in New York has definitely impacted my general creative process. I’m around creative people all the time, and because there is such a strong artistic community it’s allowed me to be much more open with my work and collaborative with other people, which used to be really hard for me.

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There is also this kind of urgency and anxiety in the air that makes you want to move fast and make things happen, which is definitely a big influence in how I dove into releasing my music and pursuing a serious musical career head on.

RG: Where did you grow up and how did it differ? TS: Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve moved around a lot in my life and had to adapt to change and varying cultural identities, and I think that has all really formed me as a person and artistically too. I was born in Buenos Aires, and then spent most of my childhood in Bogota, where both of my parents grew up. When I was 8 we moved to Vancouver, Canada, where I spent most of my teenage years until graduating high school (with one year spent back in Colombia sandwiched in there). I then moved to Montreal for a year, then went to school in Boston, and am now in New York. So change and very different environments have always surrounded me. I like that New York is a hub for people like that - from all over the place, with mixed and interesting backgrounds - people with a need for change. I guess that fuels creativity in itself.

RG: There are a range of styles and techniques on your first EP - do you have a broad range of musical influences? TS: I definitely have a really broad range of influences. I grew up loving Queen, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Elliott Smith...and in my teenage years I also got into R&B. I love hip hop at the same time as I love folk, classical music, bossa nova, etc. I tend to appreciate the greats of every genre, but yes definitely a very eclectic taste in music developed I think as a result of my eclectic background. Someone who has been a strong influence on me in more recent years has been James Blake. The way in which he layered his voice and made these thick harmonies that had an almost gospel or chant-like quality to them and combined that with electronic elements and production that hits hard while being minimalistic was something that really spoke to me when I discovered him. I think since I got really into artists like him, Bjork, Imogen Heap and such, I started using my voice differently, and more like an instrument in itself.

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RG: Your harmonies are beautiful and impressive - what’s your musical background? TS: I didn’t ever play an instrument well enough to accompany myself, and for a long time I saw that as a hindrance or a weakness, but then I realised that it forced me to use my voice in more interesting ways, creating more intricate harmonic progressions that you would usually employ with a piano or a guitar, but instead by layering my vocals. That was a huge thing in my songwriting and in my sound. I also went to music school where I learned a lot of theory, harmony, counterpoint and all that, so although I have never really employed all that consciously, I think it’s definitely made me more aware of the possibilities I have with my voice and how to technically evoke certain feelings. RG: Who are your favourite musicians right now? TS: Hmmm, this is a constantly evolving thing for me, but some that I’m really enjoying right now are Jon Hopkins, Mac DeMarco, and D’Angelo. RG: How are live shows going?

TS: The live aspect of things has been going well, and it’s constantly changing. It’s something very new to me, as I’d never performed my own music until last October, where I did for the first time during CMJ in New York. I grew up performing as a dancer and in theater, but performing your own music that you have written so intimately is something completely different. There is something also very daunting about not taking on a character, but having to present yourself as a source of entertainment for people. All that to say that I’m still getting used to the experience, and I feel as though I have a lot of growth and experience to have until I can really feel like I’m putting on a great show and representing myself in the best way. The band came together in October, just two weeks before we had three

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back to back CMJ shows lined up, so it as definitely something that was a bit rushed, and I didn’t expect to dive into it as quickly as it ended up happening.

RG: What’s the best show you’ve done so far? TS: I think the best show we’ve played so far was when we headlined at Glasslands Gallery right before going to SXSW. The sound was definitely the most solid that night, and it was the first time I actually had a lot of fun and started to feel more confident on stage. That was still only our 6th show or something like that! RG: Do you prefer the creation process of the music, or the sharing of it live? TS: I definitely think that up until now I prefer the process of creating and recording music more so than performing it live. I am the type of person that needs to be alone and in an intimate environment to feel comfortable enough to create. When I’m writing or recording I’m able to take my time, reflect on things, really craft out an idea and be able to control most aspects of it. I find the process of bringing an idea slowly to life really thrilling. I think there is a totally different enjoyment and thrill in performing live, and I just think it takes a lot more time, experience and individual growth to accomplish. RG: On your first EP you collaborated with producer Luca Buccellati - you have said that this was interesting in contrast to the intensely private time of song writing in your bedroom. Is it important to collaborate do you think? TS: Luca was one of the first people I ever showed my songs to. Until about a year and a half ago, I was extremely private about my music. I wrote a lot, and had tons of shitty demos I recorded on my computer at home, but I kept them totally secret and as a result they were very personal for me. When I met Luca and shared them with him, he really encouraged me to

take them more seriously and put them out there. We decided to work together and record them properly, add more instrumentation, develop them further and make a final product out of them. We went into it with no expectations and did it pretty naturally. We recorded the whole EP in about a week in my apartment in Brooklyn at the time, and used a friend’s home studio for a day or two to put some live elements on it. I think in two or three weeks it was recorded, mixed and mastered. We work really well together and are definitely on the same wavelength 95% of the time, and Luca is incredibly talented. He is able to take my ideas and bring them to life so precisely, and he really understood the sound and aesthetic I was going for. We’ve continued to work together, and are working on my new EP currently.

RG: What should we expect from the new EP – how do you feel your sound has developed since ‘Saudade’? TS: It’s interesting because it is definitely different this time around, but the way we work together is still consistent. I still manage to have the intimate kind of isolated song writing process, as I write the songs on my own and record simple demos of them which I then bring to him, and we build on them and re-record. So I kind of still have the best of both worlds, where I can create very personally and then collaborate openly after a certain point. I think I have definitely grown in the production side of things, and with this project I am being much more hands on in that respect. The last EP was heavily vocal-centric and a lot of it was acapella. This time, there is more intricate instrumentation and more heavy-handed production. I am more comfortable and confident in the production role so I’m able to take that role more vocally with Luca, which is great. He has taught me a lot and is very encouraging. So while the approach this time is very similar to last time, it’s also changing in that we’ve both progressed a lot in our skills and our roles are expanding. I would also say that the song writing this time around is somewhat happier and brighter. •

D x A A xD At Rose Gold we are firm believers in the power of artistic collaboration. In these pages we bring you news of the freshest Design x Artist collab collections right now.

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Collaborations

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MAISON MARTIN MARGEILA CONVERSE FIRST STRING Following its highly coveted sell out collaboration with converse last autumn, Maison Martin Margeila has linked with Converse First String to create a highly unique sneaker experience. The silhouettes of Converse Chuck Taylor All Star and Jack Purcell have been hand painted in signature M.M.M. white, which with normal wear will slowly crack to reveal the coloured upper. What hides beneath this designer emulsion? For the Chuck Taylor’s: ‘Amber glow’ and ‘True Navy’, whilst the Jack Purcell will reveal ‘Biking Red’ and ‘Azure Blue’ - all converse heritage colours. With the wearer creating their own completely unique markings on the shoe, originality and exclusivity are at their highest with this collaboration. Find them at Dover Street Market, London, W1. Available from now.

BEEN TRILL PAC SUN The temperature has begun to (gradually) rise and dreams of the beach are on everyone’s mind. What better time for Californian lifestyle brand PacSun to link with internet art collective Been Trill on a swimwear capsule. Been Trill, whose inspiration is drawn from the new youth culture found on the pages of the deep web, have emblazoned their swimsuits, two pieces and leggings with the brands signature internet-style font graphics. The seven piece collection features clean black and white designs, contrasted with hazy water-colour washed pieces. The wavey slogan one piece is Rose Gold’s personal favourite – even if the closest we’ll get to open water is the local lido. It is available now exclusively at www.pacsun.com.

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Clockwise from Left: Ora X Adidas, Margeila X Converse, P.A.M. X Caharhartt, Been Trill X Pac Sun.

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P.A.M CARHARTT WIP For the first time in the work apparel’s history, Carhartt WIP bring you an exciting capsule collection created exclusively for women with Australian art collective P.A.M. The collection will feature highly coveted denim overalls, clean-cut shirtdresses and T-shirts all in new and original prints. A limited edition P.A.M. x Carhartt WIP x Vans shoe will also be released. With Carhartt’s heritage in practical workwear and P.A.M.’s dedication to DIY creativity and their fine-art flair, the collection is all sorts of fresh. P.A.M. collections are notoriously exclusive in their production volume so this is one to be snapped up quick. Find them at selected Carhartt WIP boutiques. Available from now.

RITA ORA ADIDAS ORIGINALS FW14 Adidas Originals are synonymous with creative collaboration. From Jeremy Scott to Mary Katrantzou, the brand sure knows how to pick ‘em. Their latest link, and first collab with a female musician, is with London raised singer Rita Ora. No stranger to the fashion world, Ora has previously done a campaign with Roberto Cavalli and been the face of DKNY. The collaboration will bring about five lines – ‘black’ will drop on August 21st, followed by ‘Pastel’, ‘Colourblock packs’, ‘Spray’ and ‘Roses’. Studying 50 years of Adidas design archives, Ora says she “worked very closely with Adidas Originals to put a personal touch in every piece with connections to [her] music, career and life.” Fans can see sneak peeks of the forthcoming collections on the singercome-designer’s instagram, along with Ora’s multiple exclamation marked confirmation that it will be “the best sexiest coolest sportswear possible!!!” – watch this space.

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Plain Bear Plain Bearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s strong and simple designs are Rose Goldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s latest market-find.

PLAIN BEAR

Sometimes it takes something like a recession to spark creativity in forging your own path. Gone are the days of ease in 9-5 jobs. Besides, those with a strong creative vision never want to work for the man. Frank Whitford, 27, is one of those visionaries. A fine art sculpture graduate with a background in graphic design, Frank picked up some creative mates with a similar DIY attitude and founded up and coming streetwear brand Plain Bear. With the creative talents of illustrator Thomas Koush and Graphic Designer Richard Nicolls – the newly formed Plain Bear team collaboratively created a fresh, clean cut, and dynamic streetwear collection. Designed, printed and sold by the wunder-trio the brand have gone from strength to strength, with their latest achievement being the opening of stand alone Plain Bear store in Camden Stables Market. The store, like the brand, is a DIY affair with wooden constructions a la LN-CC displaying a range of unisex hand printed sweaters, t-shirts and beanies. The shop stays true to the brands market ethos, whilst the apparel can be found at both Greenwich and Spitalfields stalls on a Friday and Saturday. Inspired by his dedication to DIY creativity and the brands clean cut aesthetic Rose Gold paid Frank a visit at their Camden joint to talk taking initiative, original apparel and design for all.

ROSE GOLD: So firstly how did Plain Bear come about? FRANK WHITFORD: I was having trouble getting a job out of art school, I had skills and experience in silk screening, and a background in graphic design – despite my education being focused mostly on fine art sculpture – so I thought I would use this to start my own business and create a job for myself.

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RG: Excellent initiative! Why did you choose to create a streetwear brand specifically? FW: I wanted to create very simple and clean designs – they’re not over complicated and can be worn casually or, due to their clean cut designs, mixed up for a smarter look. RG: Did you design all of the collection yourself? FW: I designed a portion of it. I collaborated with two of my friends - Illustrator Thomas Koush and Graphic Designer Richard Nicholls. They helped me with some designs and with the silkscreen printing. RG: Is the printing done locally to Camden? FW: We print in Woolwich, where we’ve got a space in Second Floor Studios. We’re moving to Peckham soon though to a new studio. RG: Is this move exciting for the brand?

FW: I’m not sure – what do you think of Peckham? RG: I’ve been hearing a lot about it being the next creative hub. Arn’t more people moving to Peckham as studio space in East London gets too expensive? FW: Well that’s just a coincidence then, I didn’t know that! We’re doing that and we’re hoping to get a bigger press so we can do more colours. RG: As a trio you design, print and sell your collection yourselves. Is the DIY creative process important to you?

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FW: It is important and doing it ourselves gives it the authentic and hand-made quality we wanted. This also enables us to print on demand. For example, there is only about 15-20 of our Plain Bear white jumpers in shop circulation, and we only print a new one after a purchase. RG: That’s great – it gives it an exclusivity, doesn’t it? Which can be quite key in streetwear. FW: Yes it does, and because they are hand screen-printed no item is exactly the same. RG: The collection is unisex – was that a conscious decision? FW: Unisex based. We use American Apparel unisex T-shirts which work well on both men and women. We buy good quality t-shirts straight out. The hats

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of course work for either sex. Our sweaters look great on females – they are whom we sell most of our sweaters to.

RG: We came across Plain Bear at Greenwich Market. Is that where you first began to sell? FW: Yes we started at Greenwich market, where you found us! Well I personally started there. I built a special stall set up – I thought we’d be there a long time, but we’ve grown pretty quickly and we’re now at Greenwich and Spitalfields market, and have this stand-alone shop now too. We’re trying to stay essentially market based at the moment. RG: This shop definitely still has a market feel. FW: Yes, totally. The idea is we don’t want to go too commercial too quickly. Seeing as it’s all hand printed stuff we don’t think we fit that mould that well. We’re hoping to go to Brixton next. RG: So setting up at new and different kinds of markets is that where you see the brand going next? FW: I think we’re taking a hiatus from expanding anymore. We’re gonna be concentrating on new designs and new products. We are designing some backpacks and broadening our colour range in the collection. We’ll also be staying London-based; we’re not trying to go anywhere else. RG: Is London important to the vibe of the brand? FW: Of course. It’s one of the fashion capitals, and streetwear capitals of the world. The only place I can think of other than London is New York maybe. That’s a long-term goal – to have a shop in London and New York. If you can make it in New York and London hopefully everyone else knows about you! •

Dreams in Blue

Dress: JiaXin Gao Shoes: Buffalo

photography by Bridget Schurch

Jumper: Pin La Ghim Trousers: JiaXin Gao Bralet: Topshop

Coat: Pin La Ghim Swimsuit: American Apparel

Jacket: JiaXin Gao Skirt: Zara

Bralet: Topshop Shorts: Illustrated People, Topshop x Ashish Trainers: Nike

Jacket: JiaXin Gao Cap: Glassworks

Jumper: Pin La Ghim Trousers: JiaXin Gao Bralet: Topshop

Top: Illustrated People Shorts: Rebecca Neglia Trainers: Nike

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“What I love about streetwear is its casual approach; you can be wearing something from Primark and then matching it with Versace - that experimental give no shits brave look - that’s what Illustrated is about.”

ILLUSTRATED PEOPLE

Illustrated People Despite our penchant for wearing oversized men’s tees, it’s always exciting to see streetwear brands we love branching out from unisex pieces and creating stand alone womenswear collections. It’s especially exciting when they look as good as Illustrated People’s do. Constantly collaborating with the freshest emerging talent that the city has to offer – the brand come creative collective has grown rapidly since its birth from their initial t-shirt collection collaboration with massive attack ten years ago. Their studio operates an open door policy – inviting creative youth of their city to come in and share their art across the board and collaborate on projects with the brand. Each campaign is intricately planned and presented through artistic photography and boundary pushing fashion film. Everything from the drawstring on a pair of kawaii inspired pastel-pink basketball shorts to the baby hair curls on their street casted models sets Illustrated people apart from the classic streetwear fare. Rose Gold mag caught up with creative director Bradley Bell, 22, and talked collaboration power, brave ideas and the optimism of youth.

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Illustrated Bradley Bell Images courtesy of Illustrated People

ROSE GOLD: Can you tell me a bit about the story behind Illustrated People? BRADLEY BELL: Illustrated People was founded by Duncan McNamara – who studied an MA in textiles at The Royal College of Art. It was born out of a project for Massive Attack with Warren Du Preez and Nick Thornton Jones collaborating with Duncan – a project which led to the creation of a line of T-shirts. These exclusive Tees got the attention of Topman and the brand Illustrated People was born. RG: So it started as a male streetwear graphic tees brand? BB: Yes, slogan tees and graphic tees. It was a line of t-shirts collaboratively created with lots of different freelance illustrators. RG: It’s come a long way since its beginnings as a t-shirt brand. When and how did you take the leap into more of a focus on womenswear and a wider range of product?

ILLUSTRATED PEOPLE

BB: About two years ago our now head of design Kelly Anna came to the studio. She brought a whole new focus and loads of new ideas to the brand. It was at this point we realised how much more it could be as a brand – not that it was bad, it was doing really well – but there was so much more potential. We started understanding more of what we could be about and what we could represent and that kind of naturally found its way into the prints. We started doing collections and found an agent in both menswear and womenswear and from then on it took on a whole new identity and started attracting new people to work with us. RG: How does a collection come about?

BB: We start with a solid two-week block of research, we make the biggest most inspiring moodboard possible! We keep revisiting it and talking through it and then we start the design process. We have meetings everyday about where everything is at. Then we put up everything we’ve got and slowly edit it down and create the collection. RG: Does the brand have a DIY ethos to the creative process? I remember reading on the label of my first Illustrated People Tee that it was hand -printed in your studio in East London. BB: Yes. For the last 8 years everything was hand printed within our studio. Designed in house, printed in house, boxed in house, sent off in house everything was under one roof, so it definitely was very DIY to begin with. However, with our growth, the majority is now outsourced, though some garments are still hand-printed in the studio. RG: Do you think that’s important?

BB: I think so because you always have creative control of what’s going on. Every single thing is thought about and each stage of the process can be observed and then reviewed as necessary.

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ILLUSTRATED PEOPLE

RG: Where does your inspiration for campaigns come from? They often seem to be on point with contemporary trends and a perfect collision between street culture and fashion.

BB: When I’m doing a campaign I don’t look at what other brands are doing. I try to keep it as organic as possible – I look at where the original ideas for the collection came from and try and match that – and build something creatively organic from that. It’s less for me about looking at what people are doing to stay on trend, but more staying true to your original ideas. RG: How would you define streetwear?

BB: I think a traditional definition of streetwear is looking at what’s on the street and taking inspiration from that. What I love about streetwear is its casual approach; you can be wearing something from Primark and then matching it with Versace - that experimental give no shits brave look from the street is what Illustrated is about. RG: What does it mean to Illustrated People to be based in East London? BB: It’s important because of our 10-year heritage of being there. In terms of being founded and based in London as a whole, that is really important as a lot of our brand direction now explores the undercurrent of creativity that is present in the city. We are collaborating with so many musicians, illustrators and artists to infuse all that talent with our output at Illustrated People. London is a really exciting place to be! RG: You’ve got the Illustrated London project – which looks really exciting – why do you think it’s important to collaborate with emerging talent? What does it bring to the brand? BB: It brings fresh ideas and creativity. When I came to Illustrated People I think what I really liked was its open door policy – I think that’s how Duncan

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created illustrated people to be. There’s no kind of ego to ideas, and if you have a suggestion it is always listened to. I think creative collaboration in this city is absolutely what Illustrated is about.

RG: How did your collaboration come about with Phoebe Lettice? BB: She came across the brand when looking for things to wear for Made In Chelsea. She liked us and got in touch about doing a collaboration and we suggested doing a womenswear collection - the beautiful relationship started from there! I can’t speak fondly enough about that collaboration. She was in the studio practically every single day for six months. I thought she’d come in and point at what she liked but she did everything. She learnt how to do the prints, she did all the photographing, sourcing – she even shot the campaign and casted the models – everything she did was really solid. RG: The collection has just been launched in full at your first stand-alone store in Westfield Stratford – why did you choose this location and is it an important milestone for the brand? BB: Yes. We just opened the store, which is part of an initiative called 100squared UK. It’s not under a roof and instead utilizes the open spaces in Westfield. Each area houses six emerging brands that can’t necessarily afford the space of an actual shop. It was a major milestone. It’s our first chance to physically be branded how we wanted to be branded without being within Topshop as a concession. RG: You’ve done an impressive job of growing Illustrated People into a true lifestyle brand with fashion, illustration, photography and music. What encapsulates the Illustrated way of life? BB: I think more than anything Illustrated believes in the optimism of youth – that’s something we want to write into everything we do and that’s why we are collaborating with Illustrated London people. We want to give everyone a spotlight. If we can give people we believe in exposure we will do that

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– we want everyone to succeed. So, I guess, the Illustrated way of life is to just be brave with your ideas, putting them forward, and believing in things.

RG: Who do you think is the next big thing on the London music scene? BB: Little Simz. She’s a rapper from North London who we are doing a capsule collaboration with currently. It’s called ‘The Space Capsule Collection’. She has her own crew called Space – a group of 12 young people, all under 20, made up of rappers, musicians, artists, actors and designers all from one area of North London. It’s quite amazing how they’ve arranged themselves as a group of friends all doing exciting creative things – they’re ones to watch out for! •

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Digital Streets What happens when the ‘street’ in streetwear becomes a virtual reality?

Shawn Stussy is often cited as the godfather of streetwear. A prominent figure on the West Coast surf scene, Stussy began creating new-wave graphic t-shirts in 1980 emblazoned with his handwritten tag. Initially created to promote his boards, the apparel was sold out of the back of his car to local surf kids. The t-shirts quickly developed a cult following for their alt-culture influenced design. Inspired by the emerging hip-hop, club and skate scene in downtown New York Stussy moved himself and the brand to the city, opening up shop in 1990. The store was notoriously alienating to those they deemed not ‘worthy’ of their clothing, those without ‘streetculture status’. The brand was wary of stores wanting to stock their clothes, as James Jebbia founder of New York streetwear mecca Union remembers: “We didn’t get to carry Stüssy right away. It was a very tough brand and very tough to get. Every store wanted it.” Tight control over where Stussy could be purchased kept the clothes on the ‘right’ people. Fast forward to 2014 – the age of the Internet. Stussy has its own online shop, is stocked by multiple online streetwear stores and most notably can be purchased through mainstream online retailers like Topshop, Asos and Urban Outfitters. What was once a brand with its foundations in cult status can now be purchased globally at the click of a button.

Streetwear is changing. The arrival of the Internet has expanded streetwear’s exposure, sell-ability and creative potential. What was once the apparel of a localised subculture has now become a global phenomenon. Gone are the days of sub-sect exclusivity. With a new audience, improved creative technology and an ever evolving and diversifying streetculture to draw inspiration from, the youth of our internet-addicted era are taking street -wear and putting their hash-tagged, .GIF obsessed modern spin on it. The #BEENTRILL# collective are no strangers to the power of the .GIF - or the hash tag for that matter - as the collective’s identity suggests. This ever developing brand have tapped into the power of the Internet, both for creative inspiration and to grow their brand. What began as a streetculture Tumblr-smorgasbord of wavey music videos, multi coloured .GIFS and #Been #Trill branded images rapidly grew, and gained a devoted following as they effortlessly brought streetwear into a multi-media digital age. Taking their inspiration from “the frenzy of new youth culture found on the pages of the deep web and on the blocks of big cities,” Been Trill powerfully fuse Internet symbolism with what’s happening at street level. After attaining their cult Tumblr fame, the collective branched into streetwear apparel, branding it with Internet inspired graphics, digital slang and hash tags galore. They have reached the heights of fashion and street credibility, with their gear being worn by the likes of Kanye and A$AP rocky at New York Fashion Weeks. The digitally clued up collective don’t only use the Internet’s visual potential in their creative apparel output, it’s also cleverly employed in their marketing technique. Last week a .GIF booth was unveiled at their Canal Street store in New York, allowing customers to create their own Been Trill inspired .GIF to be displayed on the Tumblr. Their hoards of online followers were not left out of the fun either, with an online .GIF-booth also available via their website.

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Image courtesy of Been Trill

DIGITAL STREETS

Been Trill’s use of the blogging platform Tumblr is right on point. With its visually stimulating format, the site allows anyone with an eye for aesthetic to curate their very own online taste gallery. With its re-blogging process the platform has given a democratic voice to the people, and streetwear fans holding the power of what has viral potential. The lucky images that make the cut go on to be re-blogged by streetwear aficionados around the globe and the people’s choice dictates what’s hot or not. .GIFS, sound mixes, music videos and quotes merge to provide a multi-media moodboard promoting all aspects of street culture. The power of Internet promotion for a brand is unmistakeable. With the emergence of a digital street culture, coverage from blogs such as HypeBeast and High Snobiety can make or break an emerging brand. “Websites like Hypebeast are a perfect platform to make announcements, and if they put it up, it will definitely make a difference for your sales.” Eddie Cruz, manager at Union explains. Cruz admits he can’t fault the commercial impact the Internet has had on the company financially, “It hasn’t affected the industry in a negative way – business is excellent.” These blogs help create hype around limited edition releases and collaborative collections – driving brands, and the customer’s sense of loyalty and community forward. Social media also provides a perfect platform for streetwear fanatics to post images of their rare finds. When once it was that Nod of Recognition on the street for your fresh garms, street style success is now measured in a new quantity of Instagram likes and Tumblr image re-blogs. If you’re followers like your look you’re onto digital street success. The Internet has also enabled members of this online ‘street’ community to take their involvement one step further – making it easier to design, print, self-promote and sell then ever before. Alice from streetwear site ‘TLG’ refers to these small labels as ‘bedroom brands’ and finds their boom problematic: “I get emails everyday from young people starting brands and I honestly feel like saying to them, it’s just a logo on a t-shirt – what’s the point of doing that? It’s not gonna become a cult, because there’s no reason to wear them.” She cites Bape, Original Fake and Supreme as the champions of streetwear, “People want to wear them because of their association with, and foundations in, actual street culture”, she argues.

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Cleo Forstater set up Clee clothing when she was sixteen as a means of expressing her experiences of both the positive and negative aspects of urban life. Through Internet connections she has collaborated with young creatives such as photographer Ray Fiasco, spoken word artist ‘George the Poet’ and rapper Kojey Radical. Her brand is born out of her experiences of London street culture – a scene valid in its own right, and promotes her brand and associated artists through her online presence. Using social media platforms to organise events which reflect what the brand is about, Cleo puts on nights that “feature art work, performance and design” and thinks the internet is a powerful medium for “supporting strong emerging talent and exposing it to the varied following [she] has acquired online.” Cieron Magat, founder of art project T-shirt Party also uses the Internet to collaborate with artist and designers. He makes “T-shirts for the people”, taking influences from London Street culture, and collaborating with creatives in this scene such as Wale Adeyemi, Earnest Endeavours and bubblybyte. Each week the project sees the online release of a new t-shirt with an accompanying film, promoting the talent he comes across in his city. Magat sees this art project as reclaiming the t-shirt from big brands and using it as a canvas for what’s really happening at street level. Streetwear as defined by Magat is not about cult brands and a closed off community, he sees it as quite simply “clothing and style inspired by what’s happening on the street”. Refusing to take himself, or the term ‘streetwear’ too seriously he explains, “At the end of the day it’s only a white t-shirt!” The sell out success of T-shirt Party is testament to the truth behind this statement. Streetwear is booming because of its ability to stay connected to, and embrace, our digital age. By letting go of what was once a tightly controlled subculture and harnessing the creative potential of digital technology and social media, Streetwear has lost nothing. Instead, it has gained a new energy and dynamism through the diversity and expanded creativity of its global digital community. The digital revolution is far from over. The millennial generation is the first to be born into our highly connected world of communication and the impact of having lifelong use of the Internet, social media networks and instant messaging is as yet unknown. For streetwear, however, we know a digital world is one full of promise; providing new venture opportunities, community networks and -although in abstract - a sense of place. •

DIGITAL STREETS

Images courtesy of Clee Clothing

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Vasilisa TV

VASILISA TV

Images courtesy of Vasilisa

Vasilisa Forbes is a force field of creative energy and output. From illustration to fashion photography, editing to graphic design, there are few creative mediums the visual artist has left untouched. At 22 she has been exhibited everywhere from Power Lunches to Somerset House and the V&A, whilst being shortlisted for a number of awards including the Aesthetica Art Prize. Her varied work serves to engage the viewer in a socio-political discourse whilst allowing them, at times, to escape into a surrealist super-reality. With the rise of digitally consumed media, Vasilisa has tapped into the needs and desires of the world around her, bringing together her previous artistic experiences to inform her latest practice: film. Rose Gold caught up with Vasilisa to discuss her most recent project â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the Luke and Vas Show.

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ROSE GOLD: What is the story behind Vasilisa TV? VASILISA FORBES: I created VTV to house various video works I had been developing and the Luke and Vas Show built on these. As viewing rates grew I’ve become interested in showcasing other work by new talent and up and coming filmmakers. Initially I had been working on a media project called ‘Great Ode’ which was designed to promote the work of artists who create messagespecific art that relates to social-cultural issues and global conflict. Great Ode will still be published as an artist’s book, however we became very aware of how the most prominent medium was now video and moving image; everything has become very digitally focused. Incidentally when I made VTV I could see that in general my viewers were most interested in light hearted, fun and contemporary content. I realised I could still share meaningful messages through a narrative with a lighter energy.

RG: Despite it’s light dialogue, the pre-sodes to the show are at times both dark and abstract. There are a lot of shots at night – was this to create a darker tone? VF: We are definitely inspired by alternative content and series that explore undercurrents of darkness and reality. I’ve always admired something a little gritty in terms of visual style, and though our pre-sodes aren’t ‘gritty’ as such, they are definitely avant-garde esq. This is something that I was eager to encourage in the style of editing and filming with our DOP Rory McKellar, who comes from a music-video avenue so his works tend to be very visual. I like the idea of adding layers to the content in that sense. We take our inspiration from Portlandia and Louis CK and his work in particular is very much on that line of funny-not-funny. Its almost drama, with a full story plot and no ‘sketchy’ style elements at all but a fluid, strange and abstract thought-pattern. His new material is even more abstract and features elements of what I’d call more ‘live-esq’ footage, practically documenting a day in his life in a hi-res, cinematic style. That is what our show was intended to be about, and to not be scripted at all yet

VASILISA TV

retain a sense of ‘cinema’. In this way you mix the notions of what viewing narrative content should be, and allow it to flow in a more surrealist way.

RG: The characters contrast and create a certain kind of beautiful discord – why did you both decide to collaborate on this project? VF: It came to us naturally. The show is based very much on our current reality, satirised and stretched to include a surrealist quality, yet very much evocative of exactly how we live our lives and how the world perceives these two different personalities. We wanted it to be an explorative look at both personal and wider context, in how we fit into society and how society reads us – this is always something interesting to consider in art especially.

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RG: So despite the surrealist quality, these are real life events? VF: The content we wanted to include sounded so bizarre and surreal at first but was in fact our everyday life. Things like trips to the STD clinic, strange sexual awakenings, being hounded by debt collection agencies, finding out you have siblings that you’ve never met, bizarre experiences in a secret society. They were all things that happened to us in the course of the two months that Luke came to stay with me in winter - and that is exactly how the show starts. RG: The Luke and Vas show came about organically, and you have created it yourselves, imagining, writing and starring in it. Is DIY creativity the key to strong authentic work? VF: Creativity is exciting and it definitely masks the horrors of everyday life. There is a real purity in true creativity that is magical. I think DIY creativity has become a tool in itself, for people from varied backgrounds to develop their own world and feel they can have a place within it. Perhaps in doing so they even free up space for link-minded others. In a sense, all things that create a truly ‘new’ path or honestly ‘ground-breaking’ territory tend to be either the individual creatives or the DIY style creators. There does seem to be something more authentic in that. Mostly because it can come from more of a unique place when it doesn’t rely on existing models so much. RG: Does working in this style create a sense of freedom to your work? VF: Within more mainstream culture, you find that there is a lot of repetition and churning out of the same material in an almost paranoid form, where the fear of losing audience for a ground-breaking or against-the-grain idea is at its highest. Unique ideas will be squashed over ideas that sell. Mainstream is a broad area but it definitely works hand-in-hand with commercialism and therefore becomes what it is; limited. You never see the newest or freshest ideas from this area, they always emerge from Start-ups - hence why DIY culture is so important to preserve and grow. •

Sunshine Youth

photography by Ben Simpson

Rachael, 22

Bella, 16

Pippa, 21

Vicky, 19

Alex, 23

Aya, 26

Amy, 21

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Hustle Just off Brixtons main market street, tucked away under a covered arcade, is dynamic youth enterprise Hustle Bucks – a clothing brand and young art collective that has been taking the streetwear scene by storm. With its rainbow coloured spray-painted interior – no inch of wall or ceiling is left uncovered – the store come studio is packed with attitude. Positive slogan statements such as ‘Getting On’ and ‘Leader’ emblazon the back wall, conveying the optimistic energy of the creators of the space. Two girls are sitting behind the counter, laughing, chatting and going through potential design ideas. One of these is Rebecca, who bounds up as we enter asking cheerily if we’re here to see ‘Edz’, “He’ll be here soon.” She says, and invites us to have a look around. Whilst checking out the selection of apparel – each item as attitude packed as the space itself – Edz pops his head around the door and grins sheepishly “Have you been waiting long?” he enquires before he spies who else in present. He excuses himself for a second, giving his Hustle Bucks crewmembers the most genuine hugs hello and quickly catches up on the progress of their days. Edz, or Eddie Niles as I have known him as until now, is the passionately enthusiastic co-ordinater and head of design at Hustle Bucks and he stands for developing and promoting the fresh ideas of Brixton’s young talent. Using the medium of streetwear, Hustle Bucks runs a series of workshops for young people in graphic design, photography, illustration and vinyl printing. With a focus on those in the community not in education or employment, the aim of these workshops is to equip participants with transferable skills to enable them to access higher arts education, enter employment or, potentially, create their very own streetwear lines. “A lot of young people face fear about their talents, or a lack of resources to put their ideas into action” Niles says once we sit down to cups of rooibos tea, his brow furrowing, “Hustle Bucks aims to nurture these ideas, and help people use their creativity to bring them to life”.

HUStLE BUCKS

Niles is well equipped to do so – having both studied and taught textile design at The Royal College of Art. “I took a different path to many of my peers at RCA”, he explains, “but youth work and teaching is something I have always been passionate about”. He has been working within the Brixton community for 8 years, beginning at 198 creative learning, a visual arts space dedicated to training, showcasing and supporting local talent. It was under his support and teaching that Hustle Bucks was set up by members of 198. “During my education, it was my tutors who instilled in me a true sense of possibility – it’s this I want to give back to the youth of the community I was raised in” he explains.

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Hustle Bucks has a strong focus on collaboration and is always on the hunt for new means of reaching out. The store not only stocks work from apprentices and members of the Hustle Bucks collective, it also links up with young designers to help showcase their work, and help them build their brand. Profits are split 70-30 in favour of the designer, and for many has been the first stepping-stone to their success. Stacey is one of these success stories, and Niles beams with pride as he explains that her ‘bitches’ label has sold so well she’s been able to set up a small studio of her own. For those who are earlier on in their creative journey, Hustle Bucks provides creative support, technical workshops and mentoring to help encourage young talent to apply for art school, should they so desire, and to help them create a portfolio to do so. Central St Martins College of Art and Design have a strong link with the youth enterprise. Each term the college collaborates with members of the collective to curate dynamic and thought provoking exhibitions that reflect on street culture and issues affecting their generation. This summer Hustle Bucks will for a second year running collaborate with the V&A and fashion designer Juliana Sissons to run canvas bag design and printing workshops. With the finished products holding the potential to be stocked in the Hustle Bucks store, it’s an intense course which both

HUSTLE BUCKS

participants and Niles find exciting and deeply rewarding, “truly exciting design can be born out of these collaborations – the young people we work with have a certain energy, a frustration that brings out fresh ideas. It’s exciting to be able to take these and help them turn them into tangible designs”. Whilst dedicated to inspiring, training and mentoring the youth community in Brixton, Hustle Bucks is by no means a glorified arts youth group. The brave designs are stand out in their own right, drawing inspiration from the city the designers inhabit and the trials that they may face. Bold slogans such as ‘Do It Now, Remember It Later’ and ‘Rise Above the Ordinary’ are testament to the optimism inherent in the dynamic young people they work with. In a time when fashion can seem to be less about creating with meaning and more about commercialism and net gain, what Hustle Bucks is doing to promote positive attitudes and develop young ideas into powerful designs is deeply refreshing. •

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Ego Ella May Delicious Soul

EGO ELLA MAY

It’s a steamy hot summer’s night, and underground at Siegfried Von Under -belly in Hoxton square the DJ is spinning 90s R&B classics to a heaving crowd of bump ‘n’ grinding Londoners. “Who’s excitied to see Ego Ella May?” he screams to an uproar from the energetic audience. The atmosphere is excitable and anticipatory, there’s been a long build up to this show and everyone’s eager for May to emerge. As Aaliyah’s ‘I’m So Into You’ fades the young singer bounds towards the microphone, grinning like a cheshire cat. As the band begin to play the sultry intro to opening track ‘Tea’, May’s body starts to slowly gyrate as she sings silkily into the microphone, her arms flowing like liquid around her face. The audience’s dancing has slowed as everyone in the packed out basement becomes transfixed on May as she scat-sings over smooth beats, all the while smiling as if this complicated vocal technique comes as naturally to her as taking breath. May’s smiles are infectious, and her speech excitable - which comes as no surprise - since the release of EP ‘Breathing Underwater’ this February, May has taken the musical blogosphere by storm. Garnering comparisons to the likes of Georgia Anne Muldrew, Mushinah and even Lauryn Hill. Whilst flattering to be placed amongst such influential musicians in the industry, May’s delicious sound is truly in a realm of its own. Experimental production - the work of producer friends Mini D and Iamnobodi - mix with lyrics of soulful wisdom that seem to reach far beyond her 22 years, something May puts down to her insatiable need to read and think. “I’ve always been that way”, she explains a week earlier as we sit at Burnt Toast sipping tea, “I have really bad eye sight now because I always used to read in the dark as a kid. I’d read day in day out just searching for words and wisdom.” This is apparent not only in her deep thought filled lyrics, but also in her presence on social media – both May’s twitter and tumblr are peppered with insightful quotes such as ‘decide if you want it more than you’re afraid of it’ which I cite back to her. “It’s true right!?” she exclaims. “When I’m writing on twitter I’m generally talking to myself in my head and just think, if I need this, maybe someone else will too.” On asking what this particular phrase means May looks pensive for a second, “At that point I felt like sometimes I get really scared of being so vulnerable – you know writing your own songs and putting them out there - are people gonna like it? Are they not? Then I just felt: yes you’re scared but just go for it!”

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This kind of positive persistence is something that seems important to the self-taught musician. She cites Stevie Wonder as her ultimate inspiration. “I’m kind of obsessed with him!” she admits. “His music! His riffs! I mean, the way he plays the keys, the guitar – he can’t even see them. When I first picked up my guitar I was so frustrated... I just wanted it to come easily – I found the whole thing very de-motivating. Then I’d put one of his records on – my earliest memories of music are listening to his ballads – and just think if Stevie can do it!” Teaching herself the guitar was key in May’s mind to her authenticity as a musician, “I didn’t want to have to rely on people, I’ve never liked to rely on people. Even with the last EP, I recorded everything in my house, my friend mixed it, and it’s all just my people helping me out. A main player in the creation process is friend and producer Mini D, “We work collaboratively in a variety of ways. Sometimes I start with a melody and he’ll come up with a beat around it or he’ll have a beat and I’ll write to it... there’s no set way of doing it, it depends on the day... I like it that way, I get a whole bunch of different sounds.” Iamnobodi also collaborated on the Breathing Underwater EP. A German producer, based in Berlin, the two ‘met’ on soundcloud and are yet to work together in person, but communicate frequently via skype. “It’s amazing the vibe we have together! It’s really cool given that we haven’t even met!” May says, swiftly following this statement with: “I checked him out, don’t worry! He’s not cat fishing me... he’s definitely real!” This collaboration brought about a whole new level of recognition for May with Iamnobodi’s affiliation with Californian record label Soulection. Frank Ocean would be the dream collaboratively however: “I think he’s perfect!” May exclaims, her voice then taking a slightly serious turn, “He’s so private. He’s never in gossip magazines. He’s just there; it’s all about the music with Frank. I find that so inspiring. I’m not keen on being too personally out there... I kind of like being private.” Is this desire for privacy the reason behind her lack of appearance in the dreamy liquid filled music video for track ‘love hard’ I enquire? Wondering if her shyness would extend to Sia type performance techniques. ”I’m really camera shy”, May admits, “to work around that we had this idea of silhouettes... I really loved it!” Like the cover for the EP, the video is psychedelic, colourful and slightly trippy.“

EGO ELLA MAY

Images courtesy of Ego Ella May

I’ve never expressed that this is how I wanted the art to be” she muses, “I guess I’ve never really had to express it to people, I think when people hear my music they just see it. They come up with work like the EP cover and music video and I’m just like ‘Yes! Exactly!’ The visuals thus far have all been created by friends, to me it makes everything feel so much more authentic.” It’s certainly the word of the afternoon. “Authentic!” May repeats. “That’s what I’m trying to do, be authentic!” •

“You know you’re on the right track when you become uninterested in looking back.”

Rose Gold