SWEAT ISSUE±13 THE LAST SWEAT OF 2011 WRITTEN UNDER A VERY UNLUCKY NUMBER ON THE EVE OF MANY A DRUNKEN NIGHT SPENT IN COSTUME. HERE IS SOME BEAUTY TO HELP EASE YOUR ACHING MIND INTO THE WINTER MONTHS. YOU’RE ON OUR CHRISTMAS LIST. cover & interview PHILIPPE DEBONGNIE clowns SARAH WINSLETT spring/summer 2012 & hipster game page JESS BUNYAN
PHILIPPE DEBONGNIE
Our cover artist this month is an extremely talented illustrator all the way from Brussels. Philippe Debongnie is very much a member of the new school when it comes to his craft, effortlessly mixing techniques to create images that in his own words, makes the viewer ask, “How did he do that?”. With the sheen of digitalization and the warmth of a hands touch. The composition of his work is equally as important as how it was made though, using a collage style to mash images and produce thought provoking, aesthetically complex pieces that leave your eyes jumping around failing to be disappointed by anything they see.
Don’t be fooled though, he is not a fan of the style of sites like tumblr where we are bombarded with imagery and asked to chop up and choose our inspiration from someone elses work. In fact he finds the internet somewhat of a distraction. As we all might if we were party to the intricate and obsessive brain behind these wonderful images. Here he’s created four brand new images just for SWEAT exploring songs, lyrics and um, Steve Jobs. I also did an interview with the man himself which prompted some of the most intriguing replies this zine has ever seen. Enjoy.
SWEAT: Do you remember the first drawing you ever did? PHILIPPE DEBONGNIE: Not really. I won’t tell you I was always drawing or doodling when I was a kid. This would not be true. What I do remember though is experiencing the pleasure of drawing lines in an ordinate manner for the first time. When I was 8 or 9, we learned to draw in perspective and I spent endless hours drawing buildings, objects and even people in perspective. I found it fascinating. Another time, we learnt to draw solely with a compass and a ruler. Again, I spent hours and hours drawing all the different shapes I could come up with. There is still an obsessive edge to my illustrations every now and then.
S: Do you listen to music when you work? PD: Yes, always. Music is one thing I could not live without. I work in a studio space shared with 7 other artists and we mostly listen to the radio, but when I do get to choose I always go for jazz with the eventual classical and some French singers, some Rock, and even some electro at times. I said it before, a bit of everything. But never silence, makes me nervous when I work.
S: Are there any themes you find yourself returning to a lot?
a handmade look but also to bring more to it by digitally retouching it. The feeling I want PD: Portraits. I find the human to convey with these images is figure to be so full of something like:”great, he drew everything, I could draw faces that, well done, but how did he for the rest of my life and not get that look? How does that be done with it yet. As a matter work?” Handmade yet slightly of fact, I think one could draw disturbing in the end. the same face for an entire life and still not be through with it... But, well, even I am not that S: Where do you find your obsessive. The way people inspiration? think, behave, dress, talk, sing and all they do inspire me a PD: I find it just about lot and that really makes me anywhere, looking at my little want to portray them. Then, of girl, walking around the city, course, I bring a lot more to it reading a book, even when I than just the face or the figure, am shaving. One place I really but it always comes from it do not go to look for inspiration and from a certain feeling that is the internet. There is far too one person brings out in me. much and no structure to it at And most of the time, I’ll place all and inspiration is more of a some typo somewhere in the feeling, a thought process to illo to make it more readable me. For it to come, I have to be for everyone. really calm, balanced and, well, happy. At those times, S: What techniques do you inspiration just flows. Not prefer? when I am surfing on the net. I wanted to make this clear since PD: I draw, paint, doodle, I see loads of people saying sketch and paste it all together they find their inspiration in Photoshop trying to keep surfing. I don’t.
S: What are you working on next? PD: Two projects in the workings. One exhibition that’ll take place in a city called Stavelot during a jazz festival (for more: jazzanddraw.com). If all goes according to the plan, I’ll exhibit six or seven big size portraits of jazz musicians. Blaise Dehon (calmeville.blogspot.com) will be showing his work at the same time, he was actually the one contacted by the
organizers and he asked me to join him on the show. The other project is a collective book about handwritten letters, another thing I love to draw. S: Light or dark? PD: Light, always. I never understood what it was about dark that fascinated people. Maybe I’ll have to read the previous issues of your zine to get the start of an answer to that.
For more Philippe Debongnie head over to his website: philippedebongnie.com
SARAH WINSLETT “I’ve never really though of myself as much of an artist, my art teachers at school always hated everything I did and dismissed it as weird!” Well, for sure the photographic manipulation of fashion student Sarah Winslett is weird, but it’s also some of the radest editing we’ve seen in a long while. A foundation course at UCA left her with a love of image making and because she found her real calling in fashion is allowed her to really play around with photography and editing in a way that makes the images both light hearted and very spirited indeed. Inspired by crazy surreal fashion editorial since the age of 13, it makes sense that her more creative experiments continue the abstract feeling. She explains, “Visually I like it when things have a real impact and don’t just blend into the background.” In the spirit of Halloween she’s created four brand new pieces just for us inspired by the creepiest of all subjects (in my opinion): clowns. Good luck... For more Sarah Winslett check out her blog: madampatty.blogspot.com
SPRING/ SUMMER 2012 Yes, yes, we’re only and Meadham Kirchoff just getting our heads showed how if your clothes around the trends for are good enough, people Autumn/Winter. But here will take you seriously. is a little bit of sunshine Milan saw all the heavy through the winter dark- weights do ok, with Prada ness complete with one (as is the norm nowadays) of the funnest fashion particularly strong with seasons we’ve had in a crazy prints aplenty. And of while. course the death of D&G which with one of Dolce At New York there were & Gabbana’s strongest “TAX THE RICH MORE” seasons seemed like a t-shirts at Libertine and strategic move. But it was Marc Jacob’s highlight of not enough to convince of a show with a see-through their audacity to propose skirt and shirt combo. In the eclipse of London next London we were season. And finally to Paris expecting sportswear where Mr. Kanye West aplenty and instead we prompted Anna Wintour to found the old school deny a comment and the growing up, becoming season closed with Louis more independent with Vuitton and a carousel a more interesting voice. revealing Kate Moss. Now People like Peter Jensen who could ask for more?
NOT SO MELLOW YELLOW One of the most notable colours of the season was yellow. One of the hardest colours to wear but also will become the most statement making come summer. Stick to bright shades for dresses, as seen at Cushnie et Ochs (bottom right). Or even luminous, seen at Nanette Lepore (right corner) is you fancy holding on to some of the garments you invested in last spring/summer Alternatively opt for structure to balance out the primness with some edge. The best yellow suit was spotted at Sonia Rykiel (top) where the runway matched this brightly coloured trend. Tips for the pale amougst you, if like me yellow washes you out I’d advise going for a garment away from your face, trousers or skirts work perfectly.
NOT JUST A NOVELTY
The print trend was also continued with cars at Prada (above) and vegetables at Dolce & Gabbana (left), complete with past earrings; were some of the more stand out ideas. As well as a good old floral to add to the mix, like Mary Katrantzou’s brilliant suit. The only rule is: go big or go home.
GET ON YOUR PEPLUM
Can be a tricky one to pull off but in my opinion this little detail is going to be replacing the pencil skirt as the go to flattering look for spring 2012. There was a sport edge at Peter Jensen (left) and a clean more minimalist take on the style at Celine (below). As we’ve learnt before, what Pheobe Philo says, goes.
BORED HOUSEWIVES
Your style icon for spring 2012 is set to be a bored 50s housewife, maybe the designers are still all stuck on madmen. Whatever it is, this stir crazy housewife was seen in dresses at Jonathan Saunders (left) and headscarves at Rochas (above). An antithesis to that short lived 70s revival perhaps?
UNDER THE SEA
One of the more literal references seen this season, but none the less an exciting one when seen on runways of the likes of Alexander McQueen, Versace (right), Chanel (left) and Armani (below). For subtlety in real life go for textured fabrics over obvious prints and keep the pallete muted in whites and pastels, or all one tone.
HIPSTER GAME PAGE
IRONIC HIPSTER WORD SEARCH FIXED GEAR BIKE IRONY NOT DANCING BLOGGING OBSCURE BANDS HEADPHONES HAT SKINNY JEAN SCARF GLASSES MOUSTACHE BROOKLYN
As this is the last SWEAT before the holiday season, we thought we’d leave you with a page of after Christmas dinner activities. The only twist is that they are based on those very festive creatures: hipsters. For added authenticity play with an nonchalance like you’re really not having fun doing a word search & joining the dots...
IRONIC HIPSTER DOT-TO-DOT Join the dots to find the internet famous mystery hipster hater
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