FILEP MOTWARY

Branko Popovic Reports: International talent encounter at FASHIONCLASH Maastricht 2013

    

Dear Filep and iDEALS,

Last weekend FASCHIONCLASH celebrated its fifth anniversary by means of a spectacular program with shows, exhibition, performances by more than hundred designers from all over the world. To celebrate its fifth edition FASHIONCLASH had extended the program to nine days until the 9^th of June, with so many things explore around the city of Maastricht.

Next to the traditional, scheduled program with fashion shows, exhibitions and performances there is a extensive side program consisting of pop up stores, workshops and presentations featured on several locations in Maastricht. In addition there was a new exhibition taking place from Wednesday the 5^th of June on, titled FASHIONCLASH @ MUSEUM AAN HET VRIJTHOF, which has already been presented here, a few days back.

                      
FASHIONCLASH Maastricht shows and exhibition

FASHIONCLASH Maastricht was opened on the 31^st of May with shows of regional top talent Tom Van der Borght, a performance of Dennis Vanderbroeck and Sarah Tulp, the Clash project and FASHIONCLASH film ‘Aspire’ made by Strictua. Thereafter, people  could enjoy the collections of Bona Kim, AJ METS, Marta Miljanic, Franziska Michael and an extra-ordinary performance called 'The Purple Jester' of Uta Bekaia & The Ideal Glass NY.

  

Next to the show program, an exhibition in a particular décor made by Studio Stad, where the art of fashion spoke to imagination with the work of amongst others: Ellen Sampson, Esther Boskaljon, Thomas van der Jeught, Gerda Postma, Jivika Biervliet and Milan Stamenovic.

    

On the second day the celebration proceeded with shows consisting of amazing collections of Dioralop, Petra Ptáčková, Pierre Antoine Vettorello, Ima Mad and Maddalena Mangialavori. Beautiful male collections by Jose Francisco Ramos, Amit Baruch and Likeme_n of Gertjan van der Linden were shown as well. In between the shows the public could enjoy interdisciplinary presentations of Sophie Mantel who in collaboration with choreographer Jan van Opstal and designer Lena Berens designed the performance ‘Vall collection’.  Theatre maker Nina Willems showed ‘VerWeven’, a special project in which she made video presentations of a several people after which she contracted a collaboration with five designers.

      

Day three several shows were planned again with magnificent collections of Young @ Squat, label2, Jef Montes, Emre Tamer, MC FOOL by Malou Fool and Tata Christiane.

For more information about the side program and impressions of the shows, go to: www.fashionclash.nl

Reported from the Netherlands by Branko Popovic

Pictures by Team Peter Stigter

Text by Branko Popovic

SEAN SANTIAGO REPORTS: NOT by JENNY LAI x *FRUITPUNCH

 
Dear Filep and iDEALS, the other week I popped over to independent designer Jenny Lai's apartment-cum-atelier to talk about her line, NOT, and play dress up. Armed with a duffle bag of some of my ensembular essentials, we excitedly devised ways to take the line, which is solely "women's wear," and see how I could make the pieces my own. We ate dumplings while listening to Macklemore and xxyyxx and chatted about what it's like to develop and manage a brand.

Lai has an apparel degree from RISD, though she grew up studying music and has a diverse fine arts background. She interned for houses in London and Amsterdam and even designed jewelry in Rwanda before launching NOT right after school.

"It was really important to me to experience the industry from a lot of different viewpoints, not just from the high-fashion side," she tells me. "I didn't feel daunted by the idea of starting my own business...I'm not learning on anybody else's dollar, but I still feel this is my route."

Production and manufacturing for NOT is entirely based in NYC, and all fabrics are sourced here as well. "It's important to work with a very stable set of people that start to understand how you like your clothing produced," says Lai. "A lot of my clothing is produced in an untraditional way, and it takes time to teach someone how to do that." The techniques are also developed in the city, such as the laser cutting used for her Spring collection. "I would encourage anybody and everybody to understand a little bit better the process behind creating clothes."

Lai describes a busy work schedule that requires a precarious balancing act: concepting next season's collection while monitoring the current season's production while maintaining a strong PR presence and trying to attend educational lectures and talks.

"I begin by writing a lot and experimenting with tactile stuff, not necessarily fabric," she says. "I’m always very present when I’m designing the collection. It’s a very personal thing that I’m hoping people will respond to.”

“I’m creating for a woman who’s very creative and versatile...like a million people in one," says Lai. "Every collection is a new language or a new part of my personality."

We get to discussing the pressures the fashion industry puts on young designers. “The danger of following the seasons is that they come and go so fast, you don’t have time to question what you’re doing and why,” laments Lai. “Some of the big brands are coming out with 12 collections a year, which I guess is what people think they want from a brand.”

For young designers preoccupied with longevity and versatility, it can be difficult to find a foothold in the marketplace. “I don’t understand why something I created last season doesn’t have value now," notes Lai. "For me, it’s just as relevant…I’m trying to create pieces that will always be relevant. It’s really timeless in the sense that it can always be reinvented.”

“What I strive for in continuing to design is that I want to be excited about what I’m doing or else I don’t need to do it…it’s really hard for me to make something that I don’t care about.”

reported by Sean Santiago

Branko Popovic reports: The art of fashion at FASHIONCLASH Maastricht Expo 2013

Dear Filep and iDEALS, an industrial factory was temporarily turned into an exhibition where one can enjoy various disciplines and visions on fashion. The scenography was created by Studio Stad team.

             
Participants: D10119 (Greece / Uk), Atelier Milada by Ann Boogaerts (Belgium), Bona Kim (South korea / Uk), Daniellekeller (Israel), Dennis Vanderbroeck (Netherlands), Ellen Sampson (Uk), Esther Boskaljon (Netherlands), Femke Agema (Netherlands), Hana Frišonsová (Chech Republic), ikkai – Gerda Postma (Netherlands), Jana Wassong (Germany), Jef Montes (Netherlands), Jivika Biervliet (Netherlands), Jolijn Pasmans (Netherlands), Jolka Wiens (Netherlands), Judith Jans (Netherlands), Julie Menuge (Belgium), Juliette Bogers (Belgium), Karel van Laere (Netherlands), Lidewij Corstiaans / Ugo Tonneijck (Netherlands), Linda Maissan (Netherlands), Lisa Klappe (Netherlands), Lisa Rutten (Netherlands), Lonneke van der Palen (Netherlands), Lucie Houdková (Chech Republic), Marije Hellwich (Netherlands), Marko Marosiuk (Serbia), MILIUS Milan Stamenovic (Italy), Mike van der Ent Pasarella (Netherlands), Nadja Wering (Netherlands), NEANGA (Lithuania), PUTPUT Ulrik Martin Larsen & StefanFriedl (Denmark), Studio Andreea Mandrescu (Romania / Uk), Thomas Van der Jeught (Belgium / Austria), Yvonne Laufer (Germany)

  

For more information about the side program and impressions of the shows, go to: www.fashionclash.nl

         
Reported from the Netherlands

by Branko Popovic

Pictures by Team Peter Stigter

SEAN SANTIAGO REPORTS: THE CRAFT OF PHILIP CRANGI

Dear Filep and iDEALS, yesterday I had the pleasure of stopping by Philip Crangi’s atelier-cum-office to view the Giles & Brother S/S13 men’s and women’s collections. Crangi and his team moved into the space three years ago and in that short time they’ve managed to craft a beautifully articulated little Crangi-verse that speaks directly to the layered aesthetic of the brand. Every surface has a patina; plants and stacks of books and magazines sit atop tables and shelves; the furniture is a mishmash of eras and nationalities. There’s something of old New York in the building and I don't mean just the hand-hammered tin ceiling and uneven floors; it’s as handsomely weathered and winsome as the burly, bearded Crangi himself.

A somewhat newly minted style icon in the world of #menswear, Crangi has been on his grind, so to speak, along with his sister and business partner, Courtney Crangi Giles, for over a decade. In 2008 they won the CFDA Swarovski Award for Accessory Design. To make a long story short, these two are pretty well killing it.

This spring saw Crangi melding the seemingly disparate worlds of 18th century court costume with Stevie Nicks for his women's collection. “So like if Fabergé was going to be designing the costumes for a Fleetwood Mac tour,” he laughs.

The pieces have a definite Southwest flavor that smacks of the early 70’s, gypset decadence and free love. “I have a lot of nostalgia for that moment,” says Crangi. “My parents were hippies…we used to spend a lot of time driving around the Southwest from one campground to the next. We had a VW van that was orange, of course, and friends who had a green one and they had a silversmithing thing in the back and they would go places and set up.

“I love that that’s so inherently American…like it really could happen nowhere else. Giles to me is about a kind of American vernacular and mixing that with these ideas of a more high-end European grandeur, and what happens when those two things come together.”

Crangi cites Mexican screen diva María Félix as a constant inspiration. “She, to me, is decidedly new world, but really glamorous at the same time. I like those kind of eccentric, jewelry-obsessed women.”

The men’s line is a bit more understated, as expected, and Crangi tells me he is preparing to launch another facet of this collection that’s very personal and very wearable. “Right now we’re in the middle of evolving these new pieces. I think it’s getting a little bit more elevated in the materials; we’re going back to some more classic shapes like ID bracelets and chains. One of the challenges to doing such a huge seasonal collection, though sometimes it’s really rewarding, is creating all of these levels and textures organically—except it happens all at once. It’s a challenge, but it’s fun.”

While the individual pieces are decidedly less bold than their female counterparts, that doesn’t mean they’re any less unique. Case in point: one of my favorite pieces in the collection, a necklace of antique African beads mixed with nuts and bolts.

TEXT AND PHOTOGRAPHY SEAN SANTIAGO

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SKYLAR WILLIAMS: LEAVING HOME

Dear iDEALS, I met Skylar just a few minutes before the Rick Owens show at Bercy. A young American guy, whom you probably know from his work for Purple magazine.

At first I asked whether he would like to share some of his catwalk photography and post them on my blog. On second thought, I suggested if he has something different to show. Here are some wonderful shots he did, while leaving home.

  
All photos by Skylar Williams ©

SEAN SANTIAGO REPORTS: IN GOD WE TRUST

Shana Tabor is owner and founder of Brooklyn-based label In God We Trust. She's funny, down-to-earth and talented - and maybe the first person I've ever wanted to legitimately describe as "rad."

After buying one of the brand's shirts (seen here in last week's outfit post) and talking a little bit to the sales staff about its 'Made in the USA' tag, I decided to set up a tour of the IGWT studio. Because if this blog is about anything, aside from pushing my gaymo agenda, it's about pushing my liberal hipster agenda where I shop locally and try to convince you to do the same or else all the whales will die. Shana was obliging enough to let me stop by her label's Greenpoint, Brooklyn storefront-cum-studio to find out how it all gets done, who's behind it and what's in a name.

Shana went to school for jewelry design and used to work as a wholesaler. In a sort of "reverse-scaling" move, she started In God We Trust small - really small. “I’d make like, three of one dress and when we sold one I’d replace it.” That's changed now, but the company still produces on a tiny scale relative to the production standards most of us are used to.

"In the garment district, in New York anyways, it's still kinda hard to find people that will work with small runs," says Shana. "To go overseas to do production you need huge quantities...so I knew that wasn't even a possibility." All of IGWT's materials are sourced in the city, and all of the metals used for castings are recycled. They work with different sources in New York to find textiles and have everything that's not produced in Greenpoint produced in the garment district.

The company moved into their current space in Greenpoint in 2009. “We found this studio space and moved over here from working in a 9x9’ room. We got to a point where we couldn’t internally grow anymore.” The work environment is hands-on: every facet of the business is buzzing about in the studio and Shana has a part in it all.

As we sit down to talk she notices a shirt for which she finished the pattern just the day before. “I can’t wait until you leave so I can check it out!” The benefits of doing everything in-house are easy to understand. “Being able to play with a pattern…and then two hours later being able to turn around and the sample’s sitting there and you’re able to fit it with someone who’s actually sewing it."

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BRANKO POPOVIC REPORTS: Queueing for the last day of the exhibition 'The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier - From Sidewalk to the Catwalk' at Kunsthal (Rotterdam)...

Dear Filep and iDEALS, the Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier - From Sidewalk to the Catwalk' is the first international exhibition devoted to Jean Paul Gaultier. The exhibition provides a spectacular overview of his extensive oeuvre.

 

Initiated and produced by the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts in collaboration with the Maison Jean Paul Gaultier in Paris and the Kunsthal Rotterdam, the exhibition shows the magical world of Gaultier's with a selection of around 140 ensembles mainly from his couture collections. One can also see pieces from his prêt-à-porter created in 1970 and 2011.

 

Six different thematic sections guide you through the exhibition: The Odyssey of Jean Paul Gaultier, The Boudoir, Skin Deep, Punk Cancan, Urban Jungle and Metropolis.

Jean Paul Gaultier has worked with other artistic disciplines and artists. He has worked with film directors such as Pedro Almodovar, Peter Greenaway and Luc Besson, and in modern dance and music with Kylie Minogue,Tina Turner, Lady Gaga and Madonna.

In the exhibition one can see examples of this collaborations, especially Madonna, the iconic corsets from Madonna's Blond Ambition Tour were exhibited.

Text and images 

by

Branko Popovic

The Netherlands

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SPIROS HALARIS REPORTS: Lost Then Found - Andy Warhol

Dear Filep and iDeals, a unique exhibition opens its doors in New York tomorrow that showcases a series of intimate portraits of Andy Warhol by British photographer Steve Wood.

These photographs, ,shot in the French seaside resort of Deauville in 1981, were never published and have been kept away in Wood's archive for more than 30 years. A view at the groundbreaking artist in a perspective that has never been captioned on camera ever before. Lost then Found: An Exhibition of Andy Warhol Portraits by Steve Wood

345meatpacking, West 14th St, New York City. May 3rd - May 12th 2013.

Open Daily 11am - 7pm www.lostthenfound.info

Illustration by: Spiros Halaris

 

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NILSHD PHOTOREPORTS: AN AFTERNOON AT SAINT LAURENT

Dear iDEALS, Saint Laurent opened its doors for Un nouVeau iDEAL in order to present the Winter collection for 13/14.

As it was not possible for me to attend since I had to be at the Villa Noailles for the 28th edition of Hyeres Festival, I asked my friend Nils Hd to visit on my behalf.

All photos by NILSHD for Filep Motwary

Thank you Maxime Souverain

www.11-13editions.fr

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BRANKO POPOVIC REPORTS: COUTURE GRAPHIQUE at MOTI MUSEUM

Dear Filep and iDEALS, Couture Graphique is the first exhibition ever about fashion and graphic design; an exhibition about the communicative and decorative aspects of clothing and accessories as terms of means of communication. Clothing has become an important means of expression; clothing represents the person who wears it and what he or she wishes to project and communicate. Graphic design plays a role in fashion right up to wearable technologies where clothing is used as interface for communication technology.

The exhibition shows samples of work by Walter van Beirendonck, Bas Kosters, Henrik Vibskov, A.F. Vandevorst, Dries van Noten, Viktor & Rolf, Raf Simons, Paul Smith, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Bernhard Willhelm among others...

In addition, a parallel project by MOTI takes place, "Te[ch]x(t)iles" which is investigating innovation and technical developments in the area of fashion. Ten designers have been asked by MOTI, to show their vision on the future of fashion.The exhibition is open until August 8th 2013.

Text and images 

by

Branko Popovic

The Netherlands

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FANNY CAFFIN PHOTOREPORTS: DRIES VAN NOTEN FW13/14

Dear iDEALS, Fanny just sent me some of her shots from the Dries show to share with you.

NILSHD PHOTOREPORTS: TOTEM PRESS DAYS

Dear iDEALS, TOTEM opened its doors for Un nouVeau iDEAL and NILSHD in order to present the Winter collectins for 13/14, featuring women's and menswear from Alexis Reyna, Allude, From Bitten, Avelon, Louise Gray, Julien Fournie, Manish Arora, Ground Zero, Juun J. , Serkan Cura, Julius, Songzio, Shaun Samson, Batson, Gerlan Jeans, Clarisse Hieraix, Hexa by Kuho...

All photos by NILSHD for Filep Motwary

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