ISSUE 07
03
gutter credit
RUBRIC
02
gutter credit
RUBRIC
03
gutter credit
RUBRIC
RUBRIC
FEATURES
meet the helsinki based designer taking LFW by storm.
40 FIBER FLORALS
danial aitouganov talks colourful prints and utilitarian details
54 ARTY BISON
how artist anna is transforming the discarded and obscure
SPRING 02
62 COZY SUMMER
garments inspired by childhood memories of lunch and play
gutter credit
30 RISKI BUSINESS
03
gutter credit
RUBRIC
RUBRIC
SOPHIE BITS 16 IDEAS
garments, pillows, and bags that we love.
18 SHELF HELP
the season’s best tips, movies, books, art, and more.
step inside the world of deathcore girl ALANA.
24 TRY THIS AT HOME
eight uses for vodka that don’t end up in martinis or hangovers
26 SOULFUL SUNDAY
what you need for the perfect soulful sunday. an essentials guide
68 PIN AND BEAR IT hottest lapel pins of the season.
2017 02
gutter credit
20 MIXING GENRES
03
gutter credit
RUBRIC
IDEAS
A BURGUNDY TO WINE ABOUT Hand dyed in Melbourne, the Burgundy Top is rich in colour. The process creates slight variances throughout the fabric, which beautifully and subtly highlights the journey of dye throughout the fabric. What is so excellent about this garment is that you can mix and match it in with other items in your wardrobe. Because it is such a rich colour you can colour block, and have fun getting a few different outfits out of it. You get mileage with separates. If your torso is a bit too long for the jumpsuit, you can still get that over all look by wearing it with the Burgundy Pants, or the Burgundy Skirt. It is Linen so is breathable for summer and easy to layer for winter. SHOP Loose Line Onsen Collection. Melbourne textile designer Tara Whalley; $120 tarawhalley.com
A PILLOW TYE-DYE FOR If your furniture persona is defined by ebony or bleached or unfinished wood, elevate your space with an accent pillow or tapestry, that blends pinky and blue shades, recommends interior designer Kelly Wearstler. “You need to allow these colors to be the stars in a sea of neutrals.” SHOP Oyster Linen Pillow (18”x18”) Eskayel; $157 eskayel.com
16
Kate Bolton is an Australian expat living in Mexico City who’s fallen a little in love with the arts and crafts of her new home – so she’s decided to share them online. Scouring regional markets and meeting local artists in search of handmade goodness, Kate stocks all her best Latin American finds (like this woven laptop bag from the little town of Tepoztlan) over at ohmexicoshop.com, and we have four $50 vouchers for some lucky readers to nab a few Mexican delights of their own. To win, email your details to giveaways@sophie.com with Oh Mexico in the header and wish with all your might.
TARA WHALLEY Shot by: An Architect, Photographed My Undies
OH MEXICO
03
gutter credit
RUBRIC
SHELF HELP
LOVE IS A BATTLEFIELD We Prepared a Top 5 Break-Up Movies To Watch List Especially For You! FIRST WIVES CLUB
First Wives Club is the perfect movie to watch when you are feeling resentment towards your ex. The movies tag line “don’t get mad, get even” says it!
BLUE VALENTINE
Sometimes when you are going through a break up you just need to lie in bed and simmer in your own depression. Blue Valentine is the perfect movie to accompany this backdrop. It will have you feeling there is no hope in love or life.
SID AND NANCY
This movie will make you feel loads better if you think your relationship was shit! Goes to show other people are far worse off than you are!
HE’S JUST NOT THAT INTO YOU
HOW STELLA GOT HER GROOVE BACK
The true embodiment of a feel good movie! How Stella Got Her Groove Back will make you feel optimistic about doing you WITHOUT a man! Text by Indiana Roma Voss
18
BEAUTIFUL YOU Chuck Palahniuk describes Beautiful You as “a book I could only write with both my parents dead,” and there is a reason for that: Part apocalyptic fiction and part erotic romance, the novel follows the genesis of Beautiful You, a sex-toy line that is set to wipe womankind off the map by getting them addicted to the toys to the point of hikikomori and self-inflicted starvation.
Photo: Allyson Gutchell
Obsessing over your ex? Questioning everything about your relationship? Watch the movie He’s Just Not That Into You and listen to the many wise lessons this film has to offer!
07
gutter credit
RUBRIC
MIXING GENRES
Facing the genesis of New Wave, Nu Metal or Ska Punk leads to the fact that mixing different genres and experimenting with various sounds and subjects, can create interesting new subcultures and trends. Deathcore girl ALANA, who is known as the keyboarder form Californian Band “Winds of Plague”, is a perfect example for such crossover music. In her upcoming single “BAD”, she created with producer Khris Lorenz, ALANA presents a curious mélange of 90s visuals, dark and mysterious elements from her death core origins and new playful, girly pop-moments. The fusion firstly refers to the supernatural horror movie “The Craft” which was created by the 90s
20
director Andrew Fleming and secondly to a real life experience ALANA had with a guy, she fell in love with. “I was seeing this guy and he stripped me from my morals”, she describes the situation, which bases the content of “Black Magic”. In the video the antagonists of dark and bizarre content clash with the colorful light scenes and ALANAS preppy outfits – we are reminded of Avril Lavigne, Kesha or the girl group “The Veronicas”. These comparisons imply expectations to ALANAS next projects – her first Solo EP, which she would love to produce in a collab with her idol “The Weeknd”. Text by Clara Becking
Photo: Dana Pennington
DEATHCORE GIRL ALANA RELEASES HER POP DEBUT “BLACK MAGIC”
03
gutter credit
RUBRIC
TRY THIS AT HOME Photo: Alyssa Hoppe
In Good Spirits
eight uses for vodka that don’t end up in martinis and hangovers. (sorry.) words by sophie kalagas
MAKE AN ICEPACK
Yeah, we know–vodka doesn’t freeze. But blend it with a couple of cups of water in a zip lock bag and you have yourself a pliable ice pack, not unlike the texture of a semi-solid Sunnyboy.
CLEAN YOUR GLASSES
For streak-free specs, pour a few drops of vodka on a soft cloth, then start dabbing. It’ll clean off the caked-on grime, dust and fingerprints and leave you with sparkling vodka goggles, so to speak.
DIY MOUTHWASH
This will test your willpower: put vodka in mouth but do not swallow. Instead, mix nine tablespoons of cinnamon to one cup of alcohol, leave to brew for a couple of weeks, then swill around liberally and spit.
FRESHEN UP YOUR DUDS
It may seem like spritzing vodka on your clothes would attract a few suss looks from passersby, but
it’s actually a handy and scent free way to remove nasty smells. (Avoid a laundry catastrophe by spottesting first.)
MAKE GIN
Like water into wine, vodka can be transformed into gin, which is pretty miraculous, don’t you think? Soak in spices and other flavours like juniper or coriander, then strain through a funnel and some loose-weave cloth.
KILL WEEDS
Brain cells aren’t the only things that vodka can destroy: it’s also rather nifty at eradicating weeds. Fill up a squirt bottle and give those pesky plants a boozy shower. Some added sun will help wipe the out quick smart.
DIY HAIRSPRAY
As Mary Poppins once sang, “A spoonful of vodka keeps your beehive in place.” Mix it with one-and-ahalf cups of water, two tablespoons of white sugar and 10 or so drops of an essential oil, then spritz.
TREAT A JELLYFISH STING
Pouring a dose of vodka on your throbbing jellyfish wound seems more appealing than weeing on it. The drink will disinfect and ease the pain (and it couldn’t hurt to knock some back while you wait).
03
gutter credit
RUBRIC
Riski Business We stumbled across Helsinki based designer Liisa Riski at London Fashion Week last season, we were instantly drawn to her graphic prints and safari inspired summer pieces. Words by Charlotte Jacklin. Photography by Liisa Riski
30
Honey Comb Jacket. Classic Linen Jacket style in lovely honey coloured linen with subtle honeycomb all over woven design, $266.72.
gutter credit
The collection entitled ‘Safari Rhino Dreams’ drew inspiration from Karen Blixen’s book Out of Africa, if you’ve not read it yet then add it to your summer read list–you won’t regret it. The collection is drawing influences from the African landscapes and wild animals and we particularly are enamoured with the vintage inspired safari theme that runs throughout. The Liisa Riski handwriting is clean, feminine, yet colourful and vivacious. All of the beautiful cottons and linens of this collection are carefully sourced from high quality suppliers from Europe and Japan. Whilst manufacturing in Finland and Estonia is done to cherish the design and the skills of people making the products happen. Whilst it might not be just the weather for it yet, we are dreaming of of summer holidays where we’ll hopefully see much warmer (and dryer) days perfect for this collection. We love the heavy linen dress playsuit which we could happily wear all summer long. The use of fabrics and classic style knits are well suited for the safari in the city. Just put on the little Safari dress and a pair of Safari boots and you are ready to see how the cats turn into lions. Liisa Riski is showing SS 2016 collection Safari Rhino Dreams in Who’s Next Paris open until September 7th, 2016 (hall 3, stand F07). If you don’t have chance to visit in Paris you have another chance to see the new collection during LFW where it can be found from designer showrooms. The trade shows and private showrooms of New York are located on 775 Washington St.
RUBRIC
03
gutter credit
Palm Tree Jacquard Cardigan, $261.42; Palm Tree Jacquard Sleevless Top, $176.75; Rhino Check Linen Skirt, $324.93.
gutter credit
RUBRIC
With an elegant blend of Africa, retro cuts, simplicity of materials, alongside original animal prints, the purified pieces of this Finnish brand, makes you dream at first glance. Spirit “Out of Africa” for this Spring/Summer 2016 collection. Liisa aims to create simple, feminine, and long lasting women’s wear that is shaped by positivity, joy of life, and love. Her design house is based in Heisinki, Finland. Each season presents a new exciting theme–story, which is told through the use of fabrics, specially created prints and knits that are designed ‘in-house’ in her own studio. All items are created with kindness and understanding. Fabrics are carefully sourced from high quality suppliers from Europe and Japan. Manufacturing in Finland and Estonia is done to cherish the design and the skills of people making the products happen. Liisa Riski pieces are sold through selected stockists that share the same vision and hold similar values to the brand. This ‘Safari Rhino Dreams’ collection can be found on her online store, which also includes some previous off-season gems as well. We think the Rhino Check Linen Coat might just be thing to wear for summer celebrations so go on over and check it out!
Windmill Cotton Top, $128.91; Mermaid Cotton Blend Shorts, $155.58. Opposite page: Sea Side Cotton Linen Coat, $342.29.
RUBRIC
“There’s always a humorous element to my work.”
From the 20th to the 24th of February 2015, Liisa showed her roupes Marinieresbranded SS15 collection at London Fashion Week. Over 180 designers–more than ever before–showcased their AW15 collections at the Designer Showrooms. The showrooms are located at Somerset House and will run throughout London Fashion Week. It’s less about selling there; that’s what Paris is for. For London, the aim is to get noticed, meet the press, network, and enjoy the vibe. Reindeers feature a lot in Riski’s work. The Finnish-born designer was inspired by a school trip to Lapland, and by nature and Finnish fauna, for the collection she’s currently showing at London Fashion Week. She explains the kooky reindeer designs: “There’s always a humorous element to my work.” This is Riski’s second fashion week: “It’s really nice to exhibit here. The British Fashion Council is very supportive for small businesses. You have to be a fashion business running for less than three years to exhibit in this area, but the council are really committed to promoting new businesses.” Riski has lived in the UK for 10 years but did her fashion MA in Helsinki: “I wanted to design and make a fashion label I could stand behind 100%.” She thinks the fashion scene is quite tough at the moment thanks to the recession, especially in Finland: “Buyers are being sensible so independent designers are not getting as much interest as we should be.”
Square Jacquard V-neck Top, $124.62; Square Jacquard Skirt, $143.15. Opposite page: Palm Tree Jacquard Sleevless Top, $176.75; Rhino Check Linen Skirt, $324.93.
03
gutter credit
RUBRIC
Under the Sea Dungarees, $213.45. Opposite page: Troupes Marinierès Boat Neck Top, $71.57; Mermaid Cotton Blend Shorts, $156.57.
02
gutter credit
RUBRIC
03
gutter credit
RUBRIC
Rhino Check Linen Coat. Relaxed linen coat with all over Rhino Check print, $503.80.
Helsinki, Finland. The land of unforgiving cold snaps and sunny, alpine snowscapes. What to wear there? Local Liisa Riski’s hand woven cardigans, charming collared dresses, and retro print polo-shirts. Riski mostly sources her fabrics in Europe but also works with fine yarns from Japan. Her idiosyncratic label with an air of nostalgia will appeal to lovers of the naive Parisian look. Liisa is particularly attracted to the ‘60s and ’70s aesthetics. Vintage nuances appear as well in her Troupes Marinieres-branded SS15 collection. The collection forms a language: style housing dresses from the 60’s, high-waisted short pants and A-line jackets. In addition, the collection includes a few simple college and knitted garments as well as delightful squared knits that are reminiscent of a bygone era classic tennis outfits. The collection prints are all selfLiisa Risk. She planned this spring’s color scheme in subtle pastels. Too bad that these lookbook images–not described in the collection–is one of the primary colors: mint green of the sea, which the designer herself, calls mermaid color. All those with a matte surface texture are also available in a beautiful minttuisessa tone, which you may want to check out. ▲
41
RUBRIC
fiber florals danial mixes colourful prints with utilitarian details to create a playful juxtaposition
02
gutter credit
words by caity hennessey. photography by carly jacobs. styling by imruh asha.
03
gutter credit
RUBRIC
02
gutter credit
RUBRIC
B
orn and raised in Tartastan, Russia and Amsterdam, Danial grew up in a multicultural environment and enjoyed an eclectic culture clash. Being surrounded by design and art, creativity has influenced him from an early age and inspired him to become a fashion designer. Before studying fashion at the Amsterdam Fashion Institute, Danial studied graphic design. His study as a graphic designer is still relevant for Danial when designing his unique prints. After the graphic design studies that did not fully fulfil Danial, he finally found his true passion at AMFI where he was trained to become a fashion designer. What fascinates Danial about fashion is the encounter of art and the zeitgeist-as a designer he aspires to make sense of the world we live in and create a vision that progresses the way we dress. Starting off designing menswear it was quickly visible that he has a unique sensibility and talent for fashion. Having the wish to deepen his commercial understanding and learning what its like to be a designer in the industry, Danial went to New York to be trained as womenswear designer at ALEXANDER WANG. With his first womenswear collection, Women’s work Danial laid down the foundation to what his aesthetic identity is now. The outstanding collection was awarded with the Lectra prize for Fashion Design. Continuing the conceptual base of this collection Danial then worked on his graduation collection The Second Sex Vol. II. The collection was awarded with the prestigious dutch Lighting award 2016. An annual award for the best graduation collection from The Netherlands. Danial was invited by the Embassy of the Netherlands in Prague to showcase his collection at the Prague Design & Fashion Week 2016. He is also one of the 10 finalist of the Fashion Competition at International
Festival de la Mode in Villa Noailles Hyeres. From April 2017 on Danial will work and live in Paris where he will be supporting the team of CHLOE, under the new creative direction of Natacha RamsayLevi. Danial won the Lichting jury prize in July 2016. This week it was announced that he’s been appointed Junior Ready-to-wear designer at Chloé. Last November, SophieMag sat down with Danial Aitouganov to talk about what it means to win a major fashion award. “At the moment, I’m still getting the question, ‘what are you going to do now?’” said Aitouganov back then. It is, of course, a legitimate question for such a promising young designer, but one that put a lot of pressure on him. The AMFI alum’s clear answer was that he wanted to start out by learning. “What I’d really like to do now is go work somewhere, get some experience in a fashion company,” said Aitouganov last November. “I’m also looking into working abroad. My dream would be to work for Marni.” Now, just a few months later, it’s clear that his dream of working abroad for a major company is becoming a reality. This time, though, it’s not for Marni, but for Chloé. “Marni was my dream, but making contacts in the international fashion world isn’t easy,” explains the designer. “After Miss Consuelo Castiglioni left Marni, I wasn’t sure if I still wanted to focus on them. I had some conversations with Céline, as well–another one of my favourites, but isn’t it everyone’s? Chloé embraced me with open arms and I felt at home straight away.” It was a long application process, but Aitouganov says the process energised him, particularly the conversations.
45
02
gutter credit
RUBRIC
03
gutter credit
RUBRIC
“Chloé will be getting a new creative director soon, so there are going to be a lot of changes happening within the house. And I’m going to make the most of it, which is so amazing.” And what is he most excited about? “Getting to work! I can’t wait to make clothes that a woman will want to buy! And I want to learn everything, the whole creative and production process from A to Z.” And how does that fit with his dream of eventually starting his own label? That dream is still to gain as much experience as I can and ‘test the waters’ at a few brands to see how they do it, and of course build up a network, contacts are so important.” So it turns out he did have the contacts, and now his position as Junior Ready-to-wear designer has become a
48
reality. alive, but Aitouganov is in no hurry. Wearing jeans or executing “male work” to express female equality is a thing of the past. However, social media, politics, music, movies and print media are still living proof of an unequal society where women have to be perfectly tailored towards cultural expectations in order to be accepted or respected. The 4th wave of feminism is shaped by women who try to fight for their rights in an advanced manner, as individuals rather than mimicking male ideals. They realize that being a woman does not only mean to choose between “well-behaved housewife” and “sexualized rule-breakers”. Instead, individuals deliberately choose to explore the grey zones of being a woman to strive for genuine liberation.
Winner of the 2016 Lichting fashion award, Amsterdam Fashion Institute graduate Danial Aitouganov is creating a uniform for the modern woman to feel empowered. Inspired by the liberation of women in the digital age, Danial mixes colourful prints with utilitarian details to create a playful juxtaposition. The designer’s third collection has solidified his vision of creating garments for women who are free, smart and rebellious. You were born in Russia but raised in Amsterdam, how does your background inform your creative process? In my childhood I was exposed to a different kind of aesthetics. I come from Kazan, the capital of Tatarstan. The place in itself is really eclectic with an interesting mix of ethnicities and religions. So even though I am not consciously inspired by the culture I often realize that certain design decisions are influenced by my background. However, I find it quiet funny to see how brands like Vetements, Balenciaga and Gosha play with East European references. Since graduating you have been awarded a series of impressive titles, do you ever feel pressure when producing the next collection? To be honest I have always felt pressure when I am creating. I am very hard on myself and my creative ideas. But on the other hand, I just really enjoy what I am doing. When things are going in the right direction I am the happiest person to be around. I am always aiming to find a good balance between pressure and fun. In the end I think I need both for the creative process.
50
03
gutter credit
RUBRIC
02
gutter credit
RUBRIC
RUBRIC Your inspiration for The Second Sex Volume II comes from the emancipation of women. How did you become interested in this topic? As a kid I was surrounded by very powerful women so it really shocked me once I realised this was not the norm. After a while the topic was still on the top of my head and I decided to work with it as an underlying theme in my collection. I just believe it is a very current issue, also in the western society and I believe that fashion is an interesting platform to discuss the issue.
Do you think fashion is something that can continue to empower women and revolutionize the fourth wave of feminism? I certainly believe that fashion does a lot to the wearer. I definitely think that fashion can empower the individual, male or female. I often observe how certain kinds of garments make me feel. I believe it’s the same for a lot of women and I want to try to create clothing that gives women the right state of mind that they need in order to move things forward and into the right direction. What advice do you have for young fashion graduates hoping to succeed in producing their own collections? One has to be aware that the actual design process is 20 % of what has to be done. For all the things other than design you better have some knowledgeable people around who are willing to help you out in realising your vision. It’s crucial to understand that you can’t succeed on your own. In 2016 collaboration is more than ever the key to success. ▲
“
I definitely think that fashion can empower the individual, male or female.
”
PIN PALS
1
3
2
4
5 7 8
6
11
9
12
13
10 14
15
Pin and Bear It
step up your pin game with this season’s noteworthy enamel pin badge picks
1. tuesday bassen erase you pin, $10, shoptuesday.com 2. sunset snap pin, $10, valleycruisepress.com 3. bee enamel pin, $10, sleepymountain.com 4. case of the mondays lapel pin, $6, rosehoundapparel.com 5. bomb pop lapel pin, $10, valleycruisepress.com 6. beer umbrella enamel pin, $10, etsy.com/shop/thedailydisco 7. shades enamel pin, $12, greenwichletterpress.com 8. bicycle enamel pin (yellow), $12, greenwichletterpress.com 9. mountain enamel pin, $10, sleepymountain.com 10. blue eye pin, $12.15, etsy.com/shop/coucousuzette.com 11. mint heart lolli pin, $10, shoptuesday.com 12. party cat enamel pin, $10, etsy.com/shop/thedailydisco 13. don’t be a prick enamel pin, $8, gypsywarrior.com 14. strawberry cloisonné pin, $10, shoptuesday.com 15. ugh pin, $10, valleycruisepress.com
68
03
gutter credit
RUBRIC
02
gutter credit
RUBRIC