Volt SS15

17

UK: £10.00

PRINTED

USA: $14.95

IN

ENGLAND

E D I T O R S - I N - C H I E F:

CYNTHIA LAWRENCE-JOHN, RUI FARIA D E S I G N A N D A R T D I R EC T I O N :

SHOW MEDIA A S S O C I AT E P U B L I S H E R :

GORAN GUSIC FA S H I O N D I R EC T O R :

CYNTHIA LAWRENCE-JOHN FA S H I O N E D I T O R :

JASON LEUNG B E A U T Y D I R EC T O R :

LINDA ÖHRSTRÖM DEPUT Y BE AUT Y EDITOR:

JULIA LAZA FA S H I O N F E AT U R E S E D I T O R :

KATIE BARON SUB EDITOR:

ANNA BANG PA T O T H E E D I T O R S :

ROCHELLE BAMBURY ISABELLE GOESSENS SARAH TOBIAS NIKI VAN DER PLOEG SHOW MEDIA S E N I O R A R T D I R EC T O R :

DOMINIC MURRAY-BELL A R T D I R EC T O R :

JO MURRAY-BELL MANAGING EDITOR:

ABBY RAWLINSON E X EC U T I V E E D I T O R :

PETER HOWARTH C R E AT I V E D I R EC T O R :

IAN PENDLETON S H O W M E D I A L O N D O N .C O M

voltcafe.com

twitter.com/ VOLTMAG

facebook.com/ VOLT.Fashion.Magazine

Instagram: VOLTMAG

pinterest.com/voltman

CONTRIBUTORS

Photography: CHAD + PAUL, JULIAN MARSHALL, JOHANNA NYHOLM, KATJA MAYER, NICKY DE SILVA, REN ROX, RUI FARIA, SANDRA FREIJ Fashion: CYNTHIA LAWRENCE- JOHN, EMMA MACFARLANE, JASON LEUNG, JULIA BRENARD, KATE RUTH, SABRINA J HENRY, SEBASTIAN MACHADO Hair: BENJAMIN MOTH, CHER SAVERY, CLAIRE ROTHSTEIN, JULIA LAZA, JOSE QUIJANO, MARCIA LEE, SØREN BACH, STEPHEN BEAVER, TRACEY CAHOON Make-up: ANNABEL CALLUM, CLAUDINE BLYTHMAN, JAIMEE THOMAS, JULIA LAZA, LINDA ÖHRSTRÖM, LOUISE O’NEILL, LUCY BRIDGE, NATSUMI NARITA Photography assistants: ALESSANDRO RAIMONDO, ANDY CARSON, JOHN GRIBBEN, LIRON WEISSMAN, OLIN BRANNIGAN, ROB BILLINGTON, SCARLETT AICHROTH Stylist's assistants: ANGELICA MANDY, DANIELLE WESTWOOD, GRACE ROOKS, ISABELLE GOESSENS, KYANISHA MORGAN, MORGAN CHARLES, NADIA RYDER, NATALIE SHELEST, ROCHELLE BAMBURY, VERITY MAY LANE Hair assistants: CECILIE HILDEBRANDT, JORDAN LEIGH Nails: STEPH MENDOLIA Set design: DORA MILLER, LOUISE PORTER Set designer’s assistants: ROXY LEE, LOUIS GIBSON, YVIE ANDREWS Models: ALBA FRIEJ, ALEX LOUIS, ANJA KONSTANTINOVA at PREMIER MODELS, BILLIE at SELECT, BRONTE at NEXT MODELS, GEORGIE HOBDAY at PROFILE, IMOGEN BYRON, INDIA GROVE at PROFILE, KESSE DONKOR at PREMIER, KONAN HANBURRY at MODELS 1, LILYSWAN at SCOOP MODELS COPENHAGEN, MARI at SCOOP MODELS COPENHAGEN, MARIEKE VAN DE BRAAK at PROFILE, TESSA KURAGI at PREMIER MODEL MANAGEMENT, TRAVIS SMITH at SUPA, VAL BIRD at D1, VIVIEN WYSOCKI at STORM MODELS Online Features Editor: ANNA BANG Website design: MARK WELLS Online design: REBECCA HAWKES Retouching: The Forge Studios: Studio 9 London Casting: NIKKI SHELDON at SCOUT CAST PRODUCE Digital operator: CRUSOE WESTON Printing: PUSH. Tel: +44 020 7231 1166 The paper used in this magazine is elemental chlorine free. It is printed to ISO 14001 environmental procedures using vegetable based inks.

Volt Magazine is published twice yearly by Volt Publishing Ltd. ISSN 1752 2927

V O LT M A G A Z I N E Show Media 1-2 Ravey Street, London EC2A 4QP Tel: 020 3222 0101 Printed in England

PA R I S O F F I C E c/o Julie Acroute dit Vampouille 5, Rue Vicq A’Azir 75010 Paris France Tel: +33 1 42 00 01 12 oolala-productions.com

U K & I N T E R N AT I O N A L DISTRIBUTION: Pineapple Media (COMAG) 172 Northern Parade Portsmouth PO2 9LT United Kingdom Tel: +44(0) 2392 787970

S P EC I A L I S T L O N D O N DISTRIBUTION: Bill Stocker MMS Ltd info@mmslondon.co.uk Tel: +44(0) 1778 424973

ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES: Abby Rawlinson Show Media, 1-2 Ravey Street London, EC2A 4QP Tel: +44 (0) 20 3222 0101 abby@showmedialondon.com

All images contained within this publication are the sole copyright of the photographers and designers and are protected under the international copyright laws.

Nothing may be printed, copied or reproduced wholly or in part without prior permission from the editors. Volt magazine does not accept unsolicited material and cannot accept responsibility for any loss or damage. © 2015 VOLT PUBLISHING LTD ALL RIGHTS RESERVED WITH THANKS TO:

ANNA BANG, PAUL MORELAND, THREEFOURSNAP, BETH WIGHTMAN VOLT Cover Photography: JOHANNA NYHOLM Fashion: JASON LEUNG Model: BRONTE COATES at NEXT MODELS Clothing: NOIR KEI NINOMIYA

STOCKISTS

VOLT Man Cover Photography: JOHANNA NYHOLM Fashion: JASON LEUNG Model: KESSE DONKOR at PREMIER Clothing: GANRYU

ACNE acnestudios.com ASHISH ashish.co.uk ANGELS angels.uk.com RAF SIMONS FOR ADIDAS store.y-3.com/us/adidasx/rafsimons ALEXANDER MCQUEEN alexandermcqueen.com AMERICAN APPAREL americanapparel.net AMMERMAN SCHLOSBERG ammermanschlosberg.com ANDREA POMPILIO andreapompilio.it ANNIES anniesvintageclothing.co.uk ANNE SOFIE MADSEN annesofiemadsen.com ARMANI COLLEZIONI armani.com/armanicollezioni ATSUKO KUDO atsukokudo.com BALENCIAGA balenciaga.com BARBARA CASASOLA barbaracasasola.com BRUCE ESINEM esinem.com BURBERRY burberry.com CARUSO carusomenswear.com CARVEN carven.com CASELY-HAYFORD casely-hayford.com CATERINA ZANGRANDO caterinazangrando.com CÉLINE celine.com CHALAYAN chalayan.com CHARLIE FOX TROTS VINTAGE charliefoxtrot.com.au CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN christianlouboutin.com COS cosstores.com DEREK ROSE derek-rose.com DEXTER WONG dexterwong.com DIOR dior.com DR HAUSCHKA dr.hauschka.com DRIES VAN NOTEN driesvannoten.be E. TAUTZ etautz.com ERDEM MORALIOGLU erdem.com EUDON CHOI eudonchoi.com FALKE falke.com FENDI fendi.com FOGAL fogal.com FOLK folkclothing.com/men FYODOR GOLAN fyodorgolan.co.uk GILES giles-deacon.com HOLLY FULTON hollyfulton.com HOOK LDN hookldn.com HOUSE OF HAD houseofhad.com HUISHAN ZHANG huishanzhang.com JENNIFER FISHER jenniferfisherjewelry.com JOHN SMEDLEY johnsmedley.com JUST CAVALLI justcavalli.robertocavalli.com KIT NEALE kitneale.com LEG AVENUE legavenue.com LIAM HODGES liamhodges.co.uk LINDA FARROW lindafarrow.com LIVIA CORSETTI liviacorsetti.pl LIZZIE FORTUNATO JEWELS lizziefortunato.com LUCAS NASCIMENTO lucasnascimento.com MACKINTOSH mackintosh.com MANISH ARORA manisharora.com MARGARET HOWELL margarethowell.co.uk MARIA BLACK maria-black.com MARTINA SPETLOVA martinaspetlova.com MEADHAM KIRCHHOFF meadhamkirchhoff.com MICHAEL VAN DER HAM michaelvanderham.com MIU MIU miumiu.com NARS narscosmetics.com NATASHA ZINKO natashazinko.com OSMAN osmanstudio.com PALMER HARDING palmerharding.com PAM HOGG pamhogg.com PAUL SMITH paulsmith.co.uk PAVANE pavane-london.com PEBBLE LONDON pebblelondon.com PHOEBE ENGLISH phoebeenglish.com PREEN preenbythorntonbregazzi.com RALPH LAUREN ralphlauren.co.uk RELLIK relliklondon.co.uk RICHARD JAMES richardjames.co.uk RICHARD NICOLL richardnicoll.com ROBERTO CAVALLI robertocavalli.com ROKIT rokit.co.uk SAINT LAURENT ysl.com SHAO YEN shao-yen.com SHOUROUK shourouk.com SMOOTHIE valerydemure.com SOPHIA WEBSTER sophiawebster.com STELLA JEAN stellajean.it STELLA MCCARTNEY stellamccartney.com STEPHEN JONES stephenjonesmillinery.com TABIO tabio.com TATTY DEVINE tattydevine.com THE COSTUME STUDIO costumestudio.co.uk THOMAS TAIT thomastait.com TOGA toga.jp TRAGER DELANEY tragerdelaney.com UNDERGROUND underground-england.co.uk VINTAGE REN ROX MENSWEAR HOUSEOFLIZA.CO.UK VIVIENNE WESTWOOD viviennewestwood.com WOOD WOOD woodwood.dk Y-3 store.y-3.com ZEYNEP TOSUN wolfandbadger.com/designers/zeynep-tosun

IN THE SERVICE OF THE MIND

FASCINATED BY THE FEMALE FORM, MAN RAY CREATED A PROVOCATIVE VISION OF HIS MODELS IN HIS FASHION PHOTOGRAPHY OF THE TWENTIES. HERE, WE PAY HOMAGE TO THE PIONEERING SURREALIST PHOTOGRAPHER, APPLYING HIS EXPERIMENTAL TECHNIQUES TO OUR CELEBRATION OF JAPANESE CULTURE

Photography: JULIAN MARSHALL Fashion: CYNTHIA LAWRENCE-JOHN

THIS PAGE Coat, shoes ALEXANDER MCQUEEN OPPOSITE Pyjamas DEREK ROSE Shoes ALEXANDER MCQUEEN

Shoes CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN

OPPOSITE Jacket, trousers CÉLINE Shoes ASHISH

THIS PAGE Coat ARCHIVE FENDI Culottes MARTINA SPETLOVA Shoes CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN OPPOSITE Rubber collar ATSUKO KUDO

THIS PAGE Dress ISSEY MIYAKE OPPOSITE Dress FYODOR GOLAN

THIS PAGE Dress ARCHIVE DEXTER WONG Shoes ALEXANDER MCQUEEN OPPOSITE Jacket ARCHIVE BALENCIAGA Photography assistants: SCARLET T AICHROTH ALESSANDRO RAIMONDO LIRON WEISSMAN Fashion assistants: ANGELICA MANDY GRACE ROOKS Set designer: DORA MILLER Set designer’s assistants: YVIE ANDREWS LOUIS GIBSON ROXY LEE Hair: MARCIA LEE at CAREN using KÉRASTASE Make-up: JULIA LAZA using MAC PRO Skincare: 111SKIN Model: TESSA KURAGI at PREMIER MODEL MANAGEMENT Shibari: BRUCE ESINEM

THIS PAGE Eyes: Eyeshadow in Goldfinger NARS Taj Mahal blush used as eyeshadow NARS Lips: Audacious lipstick in Lana NARS OPPOSITE Eyes: Shimmer eyeshadow in Goldfinger NARS Taj Mahal blush used as eyeshadow NARS Lips: Sheer lipstick in Cruising NARS Earrings DELFINA DELET TREZ Dress TRAGER DELANEY Ring BUCCELLATI

PRIMAVERA

Photography: RUI FARIA Make-up: CLAUDINE BLY THMAN

THIS PAGE Lips: Lip gloss in Burning Love NARS Eyes: Cream eyeshadow in Pearl Beach NARS Dress, necklace DIOR OPPOSITE Eyes: Duo eyeshadow in Melusine NARS Cheeks: Blush in Desire NARS Lips: Velvet gloss lip pencil in Buenos Aires NARS Dress CARVEN

Skincare: Rose day cream DR HAUSCHKA Foundation: Pure Radiant tinted moisturiser in Finland NARS Concealer: Radiant creamy concealer in Vanilla NARS Powder: Light-reflecting pressed powder NARS Eyes: Cream eyeshadow in Carioca NARS Mascara: Larger Than Life lengthening mascara NARS Lips: Sheer lipstick in Roman Holiday NARS

Eyes: Cream eyeshadow in Lido, Matte eyeshadow in Daphne, Cream eyeshadow in Carioca, Shimmer eyeshadow in Bavaria, all NARS Lips: Velvet matte lip pencil in Paimpol NARS On shoulder: Eyeshadow duo in Fashion Rebel NARS Stylist: JULIA BRENARD Stylist’s assistant: NATALIE SHELEST Make-up: CLAUDINE BLY THMAN using NARS Hair: STEPHEN BEAVER at JED ROOT using Bumble and bumble Manicurist: STEPH MENDIOLA at CAREN using MAC PRO Model: VIVIEN WYSOCKI at STORM MODELS Casting director: NIKKI SHELDON at SCOUT CAST PRODUCE Digital operator: CRUSOE WESTON Lighting equipment: ThreeFourSnap Retouching: THE FORGE Shot at: STUDIO 9 LONDON With thanks to: RICHARD KING at ThreeFourSnap

IDENTITY

PARADE

S

elf-proclaimed ‘social alchemist’ Daniel Lismore’s constantly evolving, organically constructed image has created an extraordinary visual presence that reaches far beyond its clubland origins. A beacon for London’s culturally

curious, his kaleidoscope of looks serves as an agent of genuine social change.

Text KATIE BARON While all creatives, to an extent, invest their own identity in the act of creation, only a handful can successfully meld together self and sentiment to a place of inextricable convergence in order to power up their message. London-based Daniel Lismore – artist, host, creative director of fashion label Sorapol and political activist – is one of the latter group’s best young contenders (he celebrates his 30th birthday this year) and a creative who is considerably more intriguing than the easy-come blogosphere sound bites and life-lite visuals of Insta-world might have you believe.

With an outré-extravagant, heavily ornamental, nocturnal look that hovers on the borderlines of medieval-meets-oriental, Lismore is frequently misaligned in interviews as just another – albeit impressively put-together – darling of the club scene. But his extraordinary visual presence belies an impassioned belief in the liberating power of fashion and art, which is what’s made him a magnet for a wealth of iconoclasts and cultural icons such as Vivienne Westwood, Stephen Fry, Adam Ant, Boy George and even Julian Assange positing him as a genuine force for positive social change.

By default, not rebellion, striking looks have long been Lismore’s first line of communication. A remarkable-looking child growing up in the Midlands, and now a 6ft 4in man whose superbly dandyish daytime attire embraces an enigmatic mane of long, wavy hair, Victorian suiting and prominent millinery, Lismore has always made an impression. ‘I stood out anyway, so I always felt as though I should give people something to stare at. Even in our village I’d march around in platform shoes with cyber hair,’ he says.

clubs – above and below the radar, from dodgy sex clubs to disco bars’, building his reputation as the Pied Piper of the weird, wild and wonderful.

A bona fide ‘cool-hunter for freaks’, Lismore was once approached by photo-legend Mario Testino to help source unusual characters.

Dressing to impress, then as now, meant crafting an extension of his mood (‘not a persona – a reflection of myself’) as an intuitive activity. A typical look takes only 35 to 40 minutes and incubates as organically as it does swiftly, including instances when he’s picked items out of skips to alter his outfit en route. Looks, which he generally premieres on public transport, are rarely pre-planned and evolve from an insatiable appetite for pattern, shape and silhouette rather than a theme. ‘It’s not about anything and then it’s about everything,’ says Lismore. The ripple effect of such a life-as-art, access-meets-excess philosophy was substantial enough to make him Boy George’s first choice to play the legendary Blitz Club performance artist Leigh Bowery (a cult figure to whom Lismore is often compared) in Taboo, the musical based on the New Romantic club scene of the Eighties – a role he eventually declined.

‘Amazing as Bowery was, he wasn’t an influence. Until [fashion designer] Kim Jones showed me The Legend of Leigh Bowery [a 2002 documentary tribute] I was completely unaware of who he was,’ says Lismore, for whom the sticking point, and a key misconception to dispel, is that he does not see himself as a performance artist. For his role is less about performance in the traditional sense and more about absorption – a reseeding and entwining of disparate cultures by way of social stewardship.

At 17, having been initially scouted by Select Models (which ditched him almost immediately for fear his look was too ‘strong’), he moved to London (‘still the most brilliant cultural soup’), switched agency to ICM and began shooting for titles as influential as L’Uomo Vogue while also working as a ‘struggling’ photographer, at one stage even documenting the personal archive of the late, great and infamous fashion director Isabella Blow.

Following a childhood surrounded by the curios of his antique-dealer parents, and a seminal year, from 18, living with the Maasai in Kenya as part of an eye-opening charity initiative (‘I came back slightly broken, understanding the extent to which our world is so fabricated, and wanting to use that fabrication to make something better’), he is now professionally wedded to Bangkok-born fashion designer Sorapol Chawaphatnakul, with whom he co-founded the Sorapol label in 2011 after meeting at a club night (of course): the now-defunct electro midweeker Nag Nag Nag.

Clubland, in particular East London’s BoomBox and Anti-Social – both Noughties strongholds for Britain’s subcultural renegades – quickly became his playground, but initial requests by his agent not to be seen in his self-realised flamboyant glory, be that make-up or clothes, persuaded him to wear a mask while clubbing. This kick-started more extreme characterisations, including looks involving prosthetic legs and bin liners.

Running on the peripheries of mainstream fashion but with a staunch music-industry following (Kylie Minogue, Paloma Faith, Azealia Banks), Sorapol’s collections splice couture-level glamour with surrealist theatricality, influenced by poignant historical moments as diverse at tsars and tsarinas or their favourite rock’n’roll stars. Such is the power of Lismore’s magnetism that, for the first show, they hired a church; for the second, 1,500 fans descended on the Old Vic Tunnels in London.

He describes the East London scene as competitive to the point of hostile, fuelling a switch to hosting for DJ/promoter Jodie Harsh’s Soho club night, Circus, ‘for which I would collect people from all kinds of other

Lismore’s personal compulsion to promote change is an especially pertinent consideration considering his access to and influence on youth culture – ‘I want to change bad ideas into better ideas, or at

least educate people about what’s happening’ – but such a seductively rich visual persona – or in his case, a full-blown entity – doesn’t come without problems. Social media’s innate capacity to cement nuanced visual creations into flatly immutable stories has, he says, somewhat mournfully, ‘meant that it’s getting harder and harder to be or express myself’. It’s reached the stage where he now feels far more like ‘a voyeur than an exhibitionist. Most of the time, people are looking at the creation around me rather than me’, but the advantages of this outweigh the sacrifice; the entity has become an invaluable tool for making some realworld headway.

Lismore raised a significant sum for the rainforest-preservation charity Cool Earth by simply asking Vivienne Westwood (whom he regularly supports on her own Climate Revolution action plan) to attend a club night – a process, he says, which is about giving as much as possible.

‘Just as I did with Circus, I collect people. I put them in a room and make things happen. I’m a social alchemist.’ Which is exactly why he’s currently in the middle of divining a new venue that he describes as being ‘similar to Warhol’s Factory’: a space in which he and another collaborator, Chinese photographer Linda Cooper, will use as a visual studio and a destination for events and dinners. More connections. More transformation.

While the axes of Lismore’s numerous endeavours almost exclusively revolve around such highly visualised, ultra-socialised touch-points – as exemplified by his Westwood allegiance – it’s the desire for comparatively invisible, internal change that’s ultimately his deepest driving force. He recalls how an appearance on reality-TV show Made in Chelsea was cut owing to politicised comments regarding climate change – an experience that’s validated his decision to reject the multiple offers he regularly receives to star in his own reality show. All those baying for the screamingdrag-queen archetype have most definitely been disappointed. As married to extremity as his extraordinary, media-ensnaring looks may be, it’s the meaty, messy world of real life (and its infinite, fascinating and often hidden characters) that pushes Lismore’s buttons. Paraphrasing American writer-musician Gil Scott-Heron’s famous poem, he calmly reminds me that ‘the revolution will not be televised.’

DANIEL LISMORE on Manette Street, by DAMIEN FROST at HARMONYHALO

THIS PAGE Georgie wears: Dress FYODOR GOLAN Hat STEVEN JONES OPPOSITE, FROM LEF T India wears: Dress GILES Skirt CHARLIE FOXTROT VINTAGE Fishnet bodystocking LEG AVENUE Alba wears: Nightdress ANNIES Georgie wears: Jumpers SHAO YEN Shorts VIVIENNE WESTWOOD Fishnet bodystocking, as before Billy wears: Shirt with latex SHAO YEN Embroidered skirt HOLLY FULTON Latex bra ATSUKO KUDO

BEFORE

TOMORROW HAPPENED Photography: SANDRA FREIJ Fashion: EMMA MACFARLANE

THIS PAGE, FROM LEF T Marieke wears: Dress, waistband, tights MEADHAM KIRCHKOFF Shoes MICHAEL VAN DER HAM

India wears: Collar, dress, bra, heels TOGA Tights DIOR Headdress, necklace PEBBLE LONDON

Georgie wears: Dress, shirt, belt ANNE SOFIE MADSEN Bodystocking LEG AVENUE Necklace PEBBLE LONDON Necklace (in hair) SHOUROUK Gloves ROKIT Shoes SOPHIA WEBSTER

OPPOSITE Georgie wears: Dress THOMAS TAIT Headdress, stylist’s own

OPPOSITE, FROM LEF T India wears: Fishnet bodystocking LEG AVENUE Skirt HUISHAN ZHANG Leather apron ANNE SOFIE MADSEN Shoes SOPHIA WEBSTER Georgie wears: Dress MICHAEL VAN DER HAM Fishnet bodystocking LIV CO Shoes SOPHIA WEBSTER Necklace (in hair) PEBBLE LONDON Billy wears: Collar, jumper, skirt, shoes TOGA Fishnet tights DIOR Gold earrings, necklace JF Bracelet CATERINA ZANGRANDO Rings PEBBLE LONDON THIS PAGE India wears: Jumper RICHARD NICOLL Skirt ANGELS Shorts TOGA Fishnet tights CHRISTIAN DIOR Shoes SOPHIA WEBSTER

OPPOSITE Imogen wears: Corset VIVIENNE WESTWOOD THIS PAGE, FROM LEF T Georgie wears: Dress JUST CAVALLI Top PHOEBE ENGLISH Tights JULIEN MACDONALD INDIA wears: Shirtdress PALMER HARDING Socks FOGAL Cuff, necklace PEBBLE LONDON Marieke wears: Dress EUDON CHOI Cuffs PEBBLE LONDON Photography assistants: ROB BILLINGTON OLIN BRANNIGAN RYAN STAMATIADES Fashion assistants: MORGAN CHARLES VERITY MAY LANE NADIA RYDER Set designer: LOUISE PORTER Hair: TRACEY CAHOON using Bumble and bumble Hair assistants: CECILIE HILDEBRANDT, JORDAN LEIGH Make-up: ANNABEL CALLUM using CHANEL Models: IMOGEN BYRON, ALBA FRIEJ, INDIA GROVE, GEORGIE HOBDAY, MARIEKE VAN DE BRAAK at PROFILE; BILLIE TURNBULL at SELECT

RESTORE Photography: NICKY DE SILVA Make-up: LINDA ÖHRSTRÖM

OPPOSITE Lipstick in Classic Red MARIA ÅKERBERG THIS PAGE Lip tint in Goddess KJAER WEIS

THIS PAGE PureGloss lip gloss in Black Cherry JANE IREDALE OPPOSITE Custom-made basting pin headpiece SĂ˜REN BACH Natural Active Eye Power pencil in Black TROMBORG Organic lipstick in Bellatrix TROMBORG

OPPOSITE Custom-made headpiece SØREN BACH Bodystocking DSTM Eye pencil No 101 in Black COULEUR CARAMEL THIS PAGE Custom-made mask SØREN BACH Nail polish in Scandal and Queen KURE BAZAAR Stylist: SEBASTIAN MACHADO Hair: SØREN BACH at TOMORROW MANAGEMENT Make-up: ORGANIC BEAUTY LINDA ÖHRSTRÖM at LINKDETAILS Models: MARI and LILY SWAN at SCOOP MODELS COPENHAGEN

OPPOSITE Coat, dress LUCAS NASCIMENTO Shirt STELLA JEAN Earrings MARIA BLACK

C

RA

SITE

SH

THIS PAGE Coat MIU MIU Dress, skirt, trousers TOGA Sandals AMMERMAN SCHLÖSBERG Ring TAT TY DEVINE

LOVE Photography: KATJA MAYER Fashion: SABRINA J HENRY

THIS PAGE Shirt, dress, tracksuit bottoms MEADHAM KIRCHHOFF Sandals TOGA OPPOSITE Jacket, dress, skirt LUCAS NASCIMENTO Sheer skirt BARBARA CASASOLA Trousers KIT NEALE Tights MEADHAM KIRCHHOFF Sandals Y-3 Earrings MARIA BLACK

THIS PAGE Dress CHALAYAN Skirt TRAGER DELANEY Sandals RAF SIMONS for ADIDAS Earrings MARIA BLACK OPPOSITE Knickers (worn as hat) MEADHAM KIRCHHOFF Cardigan OSMAN Top AMMERMAN SCHLOSBERG

OPPOSITE Jacket PAVANE Shirt, tracksuit bottoms, LIAM HODGES Dress DRIES VAN NOTEN Sandals ROBERTO CAVALLI Ring TAT TY DEVINE THIS PAGE Coat E-TAUTZ Bikini top AMMERMAN SCHLÖSBERG Skirt PREEN Trousers PAUL SMITH Mules NATASHA ZINKO Earrings MARIA BLACK Ring, as before

Fashion assistant: KYANISHA MORGAN Hair: JOSE QUIJANO at D&V MANAGEMENT using L’ORÉAL PROFESSIONAL Make-up: NATSUMI NARITA using MAC COSMETICS Model: ALEX LOUIS at IMG MODELS

THE

RISING

COMME

A

matriarchal bastion of fashion innovation, the Comme des Garçons family has fostered several world-class designers since the Eighties and continues to fearlessly send its children out into the world, confident

in the knowledge that they will not only survive but succeed.

Text JASON LEUNG Has anyone else noticed that Comme des Garçons has become a fully fledged family? Sixteen years after the birth of the Junya Watanabe label came GANRYU and then, just four years later, came noir kei ninomiya.

Admittedly, it’s hardly blink-and-you’ll-miss-it stuff, but, with its underthe-radar approach to marketing, this is news to anyone other than the most eagle-eyed followers of fashion. It has also stealthily taken emerging Russian designer Gosha Rubchinskiy under its wing. In keeping with the familial theme, this relationship can best be decribed as that of foster parent and child.

Junya Watanabe became the label’s ‘first-born’ in 1992, eight years after joining the company. Up to this point, there was no suggestion that the company was pursuing a multi-brand strategy; all subsidiary labels were subtitled with the parent denomination: Comme des Garçons Noir, Tricot Comme des Garçons, Comme des Garçons Shirt. Even the Junya Watanabe label was branded as Junya Watanabe Comme des Garçons, so the launch of GANRYU, unencumbered by the Comme des Garçons tagline, seemed to indicate a subtle change of direction.

This can be further evinced through the support Rubchinskiy receives from the Paris office. Comme des Garçons produces his collections and provides retail support in its Dover Street Market stores in London, Toyko, Beijing and New York. This new outlook, together with the creation of GANRYU as a standalone brand, has given Comme des Garçons a new outlet to a younger market, while supporting independence within its designers.

After graduating from Tokyo’s venerable Bunka Fashion College in 2004, Fumihito Ganryu was employed by Comme des Garçons to work as a pattern cutter for Junya Watanabe, whose influence he describes as ‘immeasurable’, and, to this day, Ganryu still moonlights for his mentor.

Ganryu’s eponymous label was launched in 2008 as a menswear line and is firmly aimed at the youth market. However, Ganryu bristles when his designs are labelled as ‘streetwear,’ preferring to describe them as ‘forward-thinking casual wear’. At the same time, he is happy to admit they are aimed at the street, which may seem like a contradiction, but it’s all about nuance for him.

Another seemingly contradictory statement, ‘how to design what is not to be designed’ is initially baffling, but, chewing it over, one comes to the realisation that this is e’er what the kids have done. There’s that sense of nuance again. By nature, the street adapts what already exists: the skater uniform is an appropriation of American sportswear, adjusted for the street by mixing its oversized shapes (all the better to cover that protective gear) with workwear, bought deliberately outsized, to match. ‘I wanted what is complete and incomplete together at the same time,’ is the next Sphinx-like tenet volleyed my way in order to help me understand his process. Cue more rumination, then the Eureka moment.

Ganryu’s desire to stay true to the roots of his inspiration acts as a limitation for him to rail against. His ability to create functional and complex constructions within the confines of accessible codes is what makes his designs both unique and desirable. Unlike other Comme des Garçons labels, Ganryu does not tamper with silhouettes and lets his ideas run amok within these restrictions. So shirts and jackets are hybridised with parkas, varsity jackets are finished off with morningsuit hems, and shirts are collaged with outerwear pockets and tailored jacket sleeves. The use of contrasting fabrics and colours in all this, coupled with raw edges and unfinished hems, conveys the sense of ‘incompleteness’ that he is striving for.

For spring/summer 2015, Ganryu has taken the concept even further by using calico as the primary fabric with which to explore this conflict that is fundamentally inherent to his conception of any garment.

‘Unbleached, undyed fabric in an untouched condition is its most natural state,’ he explains. ‘But by processing it, using our techniques, concepts and patterns, we actually destroy the material in order to highlight its good features. When you work with a raw material, you feel the care and human warmth, but when the material is worked on, this means nature

An overview of the whole collection betrays a palpable impression of an internal battle feeding into his work. Ninomiya read French literature at Aoyama Gakuin University, before studying fashion at Antwerp. On the evidence presented, I wonder why he chose fashion over architecture or product design. He has no explanation and says that fashion just seemed to be a calling – and there is a real sense of tension in his grapple with the feminine/masculine paradigm that is also at the heart of Comme des Garçons. It is a conflict that started with Coco Chanel and has occupied Kawakubo ever since.

has been intervened with and, in a sense, broken.’ The use of calico – traditionally used only in the initial design stages before using the ‘real’ fabric to make the sample – adds another layer to this narrative, with the garments seemingly not having reached the final stage.

Working within limitations also seems to be the starting point for Kei Ninomiya, as his chosen medium is the colour – or, rather, non-colour – black. ‘I chose black because it’s a strong and beautiful colour,’ says the Antwerp Royal Arts Academy graduate, but from the evidence of his fledgling label, noir kei ninomiya, established in 2012, the word linitation has its, erm... limitations. A close encounter with one of his designs guarantees one of two things: either a gasp, or a single utterance of ‘Wow!’ – but most usually both of these, in that order.

Like Ganryu, Ninomiya started life at Comme des Garçons as a pattern cutter, but for the flagship label. ‘When I started [in 2008], I thought my job was to surprise Ms Kawakubo,’ he says. Indeed, she has always insisted her staff have a thorough knowledge of the fundamentals of cutting, believing that one must first have a total understanding of the basic principles before one is able to subvert them. She has been quoted as saying, ‘I want my people absolutely not to do things the way pattern-cutting is taught at school’ – which is presumably why designers are initially hired in this capacity.

‘My experience from those days has been very precious,’ reflects Ninomiya.

‘I learnt a lot about how to make garments, and about the way I think of what clothes are’ – two important elements of Rei Kawakubo’s mission since the beginnings of her label in 1969. Kawakubo’s undertaking has been to question the Western ideal of a woman, redefining the relationship between clothing and the body by eschewing conventional forms. Cue Ninomiya’s attempts to interpret these edicts. Kawakubo approaches design in the purist sense, replacing any ideas of fashion with her insistence on ‘starting from zero’ for every collection. It conjures a wayward restlessness.

Ninomiya’s reaction to this is to create seemingly rigid 3D forms engineered with a spatial ingenuity that is normally associated with cutting-edge architecture. One signature technique uses strips of fake leather or wool, suspended around the body to resemble topographical contours. Another uses wool, laser-cut into Escher-esque patterns to conjure an elaborate carapace and held together with either metal rings and eyelets or studs.

This tells only half the story, though. To this masculine yang of armour and mathematics, there is a whimsical, craft-led, feminine yin that encompasses nylon tulle, hand-woven satin lattice-work and silky flounces. In the spring/summer 2015 collection, pearls separate sinuous strips of fabric that snake around the body in a most sensual way. Faux leather is cut into daisies for ornamentation and also cut into rectangular strips that are then articulated into a concertinaed lattice construct – something that will scream out to collectors of, to use the modern fashion vernacular, ‘pieces’.

A recent article in Japan’s fashion daily, Senken Shimbun, has also shone a light on the relationship between Kawakubo and her protégés. She feels that ‘the designers seem to struggle to overcome the gap between what I want to make and what they want to make’. This is perhaps understandable, given her contribution to fashion is considered to be immeasurable. Her opinion is that ‘all the brands [within her company] end up becoming like Comme des Garçons in one way or another,’ and to help her designers flourish inside the larger label, she recognises that ‘it is my responsibility to provide a lead’. This probably explains why the recent output of the mainline label has been challenging ‘what clothes are’ more than ever, sending very little down the catwalk that could be construed as a garment in the traditional sense. A useful analogy would be the lioness that rejects her offspring, so they can learn to fend for themselves. What may seem like an impenetrable gesture is actually a gift of extreme generosity to help unshackle her acolytes’ imagination.

As an outside observer, the expansion of the family has been justified.

Ganryu speaks to a younger audience, which will only broaden the company’s profile. Meanwhile, Kei Ninomiya seems to be the perfect foil to Kawakubo, his perfect geometry spurring her obsession with imperfection. Perhaps this new role as a concerned mother suits her, as it seems to have re-energised her fearless approach to design.

Well done, boys!

ABOVE Fumihito Ganryu BELOW Kei Ninomiya

NOIR KEI Photography: JOHANNA NYHOLM Fashion: JASON LEUNG

All clothing NOIR KEI NINOMIYA Socks TABIO Shoes UNDERGROUND

NINOMIYA

All clothing NOIR KEI NINOMIYA Photography assistant: ANDY CARSON Hair: CHER SAVERY using Catwalk by TIGI and CLOUD NINE irons Make-up: LOUISE O’NEILL using CHANEL S/S15 and CHANEL Body Excellence Model: BRONTE COATES at NEXT MODELS

GANRYU

All clothing GANRYU

All clothing GANRYU Photography assistant: ANDY CARSON Hair: CHER SAVERY using Bumble and bumble and WAHL Make-up: LOUISE O’NEILL using CHANEL S/S15 and Hydra Beauty Micro Serum Model: KESSE DONKOR at PREMIER

THIS PAGE Shirt MEADHAM KIRCHHOFF Trousers PAUL SMITH OPPOSITE Jacket HUISHAN ZHANG Jewellery, Val’s own

STRANGER IN BLUE SUEDE SHOES Photography: REN ROX Fashion: KATE RUTH

THIS PAGE Coat VINTAGE SAINT LAURENT from HOUSE OF LIZA Glasses ANDREA POMPILIO

OPPOSITE Jacket THE COSTUME STUDIO Glasses LINDA FARROW for ERDEM Jeans, jewellery, Val’s own

OPPOSITE Hat STEPHEN JONES THIS PAGE, MAIN IMAGE Suit VIVIENNE WESTWOOD Scarf RELLIK OTHER IMAGES Shirt RELLIK

OPPOSITE Coat, trousers BURBERRY Vintage scarf HOUSE OF LIZA Jewellery, Val’s own THIS PAGE Coat PAM HOGG Vintage shirt HOUSE OF LIZA Jeans, Konan’s own Hair: BENJAMIN MOTH using L’ORÉAL Make-up: JAIMEE THOMAS using ILLAMASQUA Models: VAL BIRD at D1, KONAN HANBURY at MODELS 1

BRONTE Photography: JULIAN MARSHALL Fashion: CYNTHIA LAWRENCE-JOHN

OPPOSITE Turtleneck RALPH LAUREN THIS PAGE Coat MACKINTOSH Trousers MARGARET HOWELL Body FALKE Socks AMERICAN APPAREL Shoes ACNE

THIS PAGE Jumper FOLK Body FALKE OPPOSITE Jumper WOOD WOOD Body FALKE Trousers CASELY-HAYFORD

OPPOSITE Jumper ACNE Body FALKE THIS PAGE Turtleneck ARMANI Trousers RICHARD JAMES Socks AMERICAN APPAREL Shoes ACNE

THIS PAGE Coat MACKINTOSH Shirt MARGARET HOWELL Body FALKE Trousers COS Socks AMERICAN APPAREL Shoes ACNE OPPOSITE Jumper WOOD WOOD Body FALKE

OPPOSITE Turtleneck JOHN SMEDLEY THIS PAGE, ABOVE Body FALKE Glasses HOOK LDN LEF T Coat MACKINTOSH Body FALKE Trousers CARUSO Socks AMERICAN APPAREL Shoes ACNE Photography assistants: SCARLET T AICHROTH JOHN GRIBBEN ALESSANDRO RAIMONDO Fashion assistants: ROCHELLE BAMBURY ISABELLE GOESSENS GRACE ROOKS Set designer: DORA MILLER Set designer’s assistant: ROXY LEE Hair: MARCIA LEE at CAREN using KERASTASE Make-up: JULIA LAZA using MAC PRO Skincare: 111SKIN Model: BRONTE COATES at NEXT MODELS Thank you to: DICCON WRIGHT for the use of his home

DEREK

TRAVIS Nelson 48 Navy trouser ANJA Carla White t-shirt, Otis 8 Navy silk men’s boxer ALL DEREK ROSE

ROSE Photography: CHAD + PAUL Fashion: CYNTHIA LAWRENCE-JOHN

THIS PAGE Verona 26 blue silk gown, Brindisi 2 blue silk boxers OPPOSITE Plaza 21 navy nightshirt ALL DEREK ROSE

THIS PAGE Star 5 blue hipsters OPPOSITE Daisy 1 navy silk pyjamas ALL DEREK ROSE

THIS PAGE Daisy 1 navy silk pyjamas OPPOSITE Basel navy hoodie, Basel navy trousers, Band 13 navy hipsters ALL DEREK ROSE

OPPOSITE Nelson 48 navy trousers, Band 14 coral hipsters ALL DEREK ROSE Hair: CLAIRE ROTHSTEIN using VO5 Make-up: LUCY BRIDGE at JED ROOT using ELIZABETH ARDEN Eight Hour Cream skin protectant Models: TRAVIS SMITH at Supa ANJA KONSTANTINOVA at Premier Models Fashion assistants: ANGELICA MANDY DANIELLE WESTWOOD All clothes DEREK ROSE SPRING/SUMMER 2015