Pioneering sustainable fashion platform Ecoluxe London collaborated with the Rainforest Foundation UK for the fourth Ecoluxe London showroom, which took place this week. Held biannually during London Fashion Week, the showroom features a range of ethical luxury, UK brands and UK based manufacturers, and is open only to the press and buyers.
“This season we’re helping turn the fashion world’s eyes to the endangered 1.8 million square kilometre Congo Basin rainforest,” says Stamo, co-founder of Ecoluxe London. “This is the second largest rainforest in the world, yet it gets little attention.”
Every year an area of rainforest the size of England and Wales is cut down, according to Rainforest Foundation UK, which was founded in 1989 by Sting and Trudie Styler after they saw first-hand the impact that the destruction of the Amazon rainforests was having on the Kayapo Indians’ way of life. Petra Fleischer, the foundation’s head of fundraising, says: “The Congo Basin is home to millions of people dependent on the forests to provide shelter, food, water and medicine, as well as being home to thousands of rare and endangered species. We hope that some of the light that will be shining on the exceptional ethical design talent on show at February’s Ecoluxe Showroom event can also bring attention to the Congo Basin rainforest’s indigenous communities and their ancestral homes.”
EcoLuxe directors Elena Garcia and Stamo.
Fashion continues to be a powerful platform for raising awareness of global issues and activating consumers. The two-day Ecoluxe exhibition – which is supported by UK Trade and Investment, the European Regional Development Fund and London College of Fashion’s Centre for Sustainable Fashion among others – included interactive fashion parades featuring the exhibitors’ collections, hair and make-up space and a silent auction. Brands include Andes Fashion, Anna P, Arabel Lebrusan, By Stamo, Casa Kiro, Elena Garcia, Etrala London, Izzy Lane, Maiya, Posh Graffiti, Sanssoucie, Selina Cheong and Sew Last Season.
The days of making friends with your local tailor are back and the tailleur de choix in London right now seems to be Gresham Blake. Renowned for his “Savile Row style tailoring with a rock star twist”, Blake’s bespoke, made-to-measure and ready-to-wear clothing and accessories have generated him a cult following.
A-list aficionados include Norman Cook, Christian Slater, Plan B, Jimmy Page and Nick Cave. Will.i.am has also recently been added to the list with a commission in the pipeline. Earlier this month, modern day dandies and stylish cognoscenti gathered to celebrate the launch of Blake’s Shoreditch emporium, the third in his portfolio.
(From left to right): Tim Wade, Ray Winstone, Gresham Blake and Steve Coogan.
Actor Ray Winstone, event co-host and long-term fan, was joined by an eclectic ensemble of stars including Steve Coogan (sporting long curly hair for his role as Soho property tycoon Paul Raymond in an upcoming film), who declared that it was his first outing in London following the Leveson Inquiry. Winstone’s daughter Jaime stopped by to show her support and discussed getting a Gresham tweed shooting jacket – a stylish must-have in my opinion. Other guests included Channel 4 presenter Krishnan Guru Murphy, Agent Provocateur creative director Sarah Shotton, and Tim Wade, who will soon play Marvin Gaye in an Idris Elba produced film.
Blake, who was taught to sew by his mother when he was just four years old and launched his first tailoring outfit in 2000, has been successful in his aim of reinvigorating classic British tailoring to appeal to younger and edgier audiences, putting him at the forefront of the “new bespoke movement”. The Brighton-based tailor blends fine British milled materials with contemporary cuts, adding quirky and distinctly urban features.
If bespoke suits aren’t normally up your street, it’s worth remembering that a well-made “whistle and flute” will last for years and there’s sharp investment potential. Gresham Blake’s new London shop is at 143 Commercial Street, Shoreditch, London, E1 6BJ.
Have you ever wondered how certain celebrities appear on the red carpet with drastically longer “natural locks” overnight? It is of course thanks to the multi-million pound human hair extension industry.
Where this human hair actually comes from is the bigger question – and one that mostly results in blank stares, until I was introduced to a company that is leading the way with ethical sourcing and transparency. Great Lengths obtain and process human hair in a way that ensures the extensions are “100% Ethical & Traceable”. Their recently launched Setting Fair Standards Stamp provides a mark of ethicality for both stylists and consumers.
The product is sourced in India from temples where people have volunteered their hair as part of a Hindu ritual. A fair price is agreed and revenue from the purchase of the hair is channeled back into the community to be spent on medical services, schools and other charitable causes.
Inanch Emir, an award-winning hair extensions expert whose London salon is on the speed dial list of a number of famous names, says that a guarantee of quality, ethicality and traceability helps to reassure clients. “Both ethicality and quality are important factors for our discerning clientele.”
Great Lengths are seeking to introduce a certification system which will be enforced to raise standards and transparency throughout the industry. UK managing director Philip Sharp says: “We would like to see a UK standard created and upheld which could be likened to the Soil Association’s nationally recognised organic standard…. By creating a clear definition of what ‘ethical’ means and calling for companies to meet those criteria, consumers could then make an informed, educated choice.”
Hair, hair! Let’s hope the rest of the industry follows suit.
Wolf & Badger must be one of my favourite boutiques, online or offline. And they also know how to throw a great party. Designers, journalists, bloggers and customers braved the cold this month to celebrate the lifestyle brand’s second anniversary and welcome an assemblage of new designers to the boutique.
Guests were served rum and citrus cocktails by the Lonsdale team, while listening to DJ Erol Sabadosh’s aural delights. Here’s a small taster of the party:
Clockwise from top left: George and Henry Graham; Prince Cassius; Samuele Serreli, Josh Castro and Sarah Ho of Sho Jewellery; Birgit Marie Smith and Sofus Grey of Smith Grey
Founded by brothers George and Henry Graham, Wolf & Badger was selected by Walpole in 2010 as one of its “Brands of Tomorrow” and has continued to make an impression on influential stylists, fashionistas and retail buyers. It provides a gallery for outstanding homegrown and international design talent – whether this be cutting-edge fashion, striking accessories, one-off jewellery pieces or exquisite homeware – and also offers guidance on marketing, branding, pricing and manufacturing to emerging designers.
Whether you’re after a foolproof Valentine’s gift, a meaningful birthday present or you just feel like spoiling yourself, shopping here ensures a certain je ne sais quoi.It’s another internationally appealing great British brand that we can all be proud of.
The “biennale” is an international concept initiated in Venice to promote art and local tourism. About 200 biennales take place annually across the globe. It is possible to travel everywhere following the dates of the international contemporary art biennales: Venice, Sao Paulo, Sidney, Havana, Istanbul, Lyon, Berlin, Shanghai, Singapore, Athens to name a few.
Now, it is Ukraine’s turn to launch its first one. The Inaugural International Biennale of Contemporary Art – “ARSENALE 2012″, named after the art complex in which it will be shown – will open in Kiev on 24 May 2012 at the National Cultural Art and Museum Complex, Mystetskyi Arsenal. This is the Old Arsenal building, which was constructed in the late 18th century for the Kiev garrison.
“Mystetskyi Arsenal”, Exterior View, Photo: Maksim Belousov
To launch this great project, the Ukrainian authorities have selected British curator David Elliot as the Artistic Director. Elliot organised last year’s Sydney Biennale.
The title chosen for this inaugural year is “The Best of Times, The Worst of Times, Rebirth and Apocalypse in Contemporary Art”. Its central theme is the cyclical nature of contemporary art, exploring how it relates to our lives today and to our continually changing perspectives of the past and future.
In terms of the range of artists, the biennale will bring together contemporary art from all over the world, including Ukraine and the CIS States. It is a great opportunity to explore the Ukrainian vibrant contemporary art market and, in particular, the new generation of contemporary artists previously exhibited at the Venice Biennale and Art Basel.
Ilya Chichkan is a good example of the artists who began producing important works in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Born into a family of artists in Kiev in 1967, he learned to paint with his grandfather, Leonid Chichkan, an art professor and classicist of Socialist Realism, and with his father Arkady Chichkan. A painter and an author of installations, photo and video projects, Ilya Chichkan also founded the “New Wave” Ukrainian Artist Movement that developed in Kiev in the beginning of the 1990s.
“Illya Chichkan and PSYFOX”, Saatchi (2011), Photo: Maksim Belousov
“Part of the ‘Back entrance to the Museum’ project by Illya Chichkan and PSYFOX” (2011), Photo: Maksim Belousov
Nowadays, great attention is also given to the new generation of Ukrainian artists that emerged during the Orange Revolution and who are interested in political activism and “critical” art. One emerging young artist who falls into that group is Nikita Kadan, the winner of the PinchukArtCentre Prize 2011, a private initiative which each year selects 20 nominees under 35.
Born in Kiev in 1982, Kadan graduated from the National Academy of Art and Architecture. He is a member of the artistic group R.E.P. (Revolutionary Experimental Space) and of the curatorial association Hudrada. He is a painter, graphic artist and an author of installations.
“Pedestal. The practice of repression”, Nikita Kadan (2011)
The Arsenale will run from 24 May to 31 July 2012 at the Mystetskyi Arsenal, 10 Lavrska Street, Kiev, Ukraine, 01010. http://artarsenal.in.ua/
The relaxing and intimate ambience created by low lighting, comfortable leather sofas and private rooms at Eight Club – a private member’s club situated in the heart of the City – make it an ideal venue for Willie Christie’s unseen, seminal photographs by British style icons. Guest blogger Elvira Patruno, MvF Managing Curator, gives us an insider’s perspective.
“Limited Edition Collection”showcases a selection of groundbreaking works across fashion, music and film during Christie’s decade as a fashion photographer. A tribute to polished 70s romanticism and emboldened 80s glamour, the show includes, among others, intimate portraits of Christie’s former spouse and one of his favourite subjects – Grace Coddington.
A former Vogue photographer who captured a generation, Christie’s “Limited Edition Collection”signals the first time the photographer has delved into his personal archives to showcase work that has not been displayed for more than three decades, having been rediscovered after 30 years of lying in a drawer.
The glamour and intrigue of film removed him from the world of photography in 1982 and he subsequently started writing and directing commercials and music videos. Musical legends captured by Christie are being showcased at this exhibition, including portraits of David Bowie and Bryan Ferry.
Today a director and screenwriter, Christie has a passion for Hollywood sets and film noir that remains palpable throughout his work. Although his works focus on celebrities and glamour, they invite the viewer to question reality, identity and artifice. Some shots are sexy, polished and subtly sinister; others are sepia-toned and tender with an experimental edge.
(From left to right): Tim Wade, Ray Winstone, Gresham Blake and Steve Coogan.
Clockwise from top left: George and Henry Graham; Prince Cassius; Samuele Serreli, Josh Castro and Sarah Ho of Sho Jewellery; Birgit Marie Smith and Sofus Grey of Smith Grey
“Mystetskyi Arsenal”, Exterior View, Photo: Maksim Belousov
“Parasol”, 1977 © Willie Christie
