Sat 11th April: Super Nova

Last night I ran down to the Southbank to catch thecocknbullkid perform at the free afterparty for the Ether Peaches night. She rocked the ballroom of the The Royal Festival Hall to an audience of the city's jazzieslty coiffed and finest attired Circus tranny set. But she took to the stage in an outfit that showed them all up and carried the gauntlet of Peaches costume changes from the previous performance. The seamstress behind both act's stage outfits is the one and only Nova Dando. She really is a Super Duper Nova, making specialist pieces for many musicians alongside her own womenswear line, styling work and art direction. So I was thrilled when she showed me this on her camera phone! Last week she called in some of my archive pieces for the new La Roux video. Here you can see that she used my necklaces to full effect integrating the clothes to the set, the waistband on the chair and the cummerbund pinned deftly to Elly's t-shirt (teamed with a Fleet Ilya belt). You can also see some green in the background which is a giveaway of what is to come..............the set for the video was designed by Alun Davies and is apparently going to go under some lengthy ingenious CG..............can't wait to see the final edit!!!!

Friday 10th April: Profile: Sophie Gittins Part 2

Do you collect footwear paraphernalia? (vintage lasts etc?)

I have lots of vintage lasts (including one that has been turned into a clock), shoe horns and an old fashioned glass shoe repair sign. It’s nice to be surrounded with objects like that to act as a reminder that it’s an old-fashioned craft.



Who would be your dream client?

I would love to design for Thandie Newton as she doesn’t confine herself to one ‘look’ and isn’t afraid to experiment.



Do you collaborate with other designers?

I recently did some shoes for New Gen designer Hannah Marshall which was exciting. I also briefly dabbled with silversmithing when I was younger so in the future would love to work with a jewellery designer to come up with some interesting buckles and fastenings.



In your opinion who is doing the best footwear right now? (high end or high street?)

I think the craft that is going into high end footwear now is leaving the high street behind to some degree. The construction techniques which are being applied are failing to be copied successfully in detail to a high street shoe, which is a good thing for the Industry. In terms of designers, I love Pierre Hardy as every season he instills his shoes with originality and wit.





Thanks to Sophie for taking part in this interview and sending such lovely photos.............who needs theselby?!!!
For more information go to : http://www.sophiegittins.com/

Friday 10th April: Profile: Sophie Gittins

What were your favourite pair of shoes when you were a child?

Funnily enough my favourite shoes weren’t actually my own - I endlessly coveted my mum’s wedding shoes which were buttersoft pale cream/nude leather with plaited straps from Bally. She gave them to me as soon as I could fit into them and I save them for special occasions.


Are you are footwear fetishist like Imelda Marcus? (ie. do you have a large collection of your own?)

Not as much as people would probably expect. I have some beautiful shoes that I love but I don’t buy many pairs any more, I have to really want a pair and it has to coincide with an event so I can justify it to myself!



What is your favourite shoe design of all time?

There’s a shoe by Andre Perugia which was inspired by Georges Braque which takes the shape of a fish – it’s such a fantastic style even though it was designed in the 30s it still looks avant garde today. (I’ve attached a photo – he’s a genius!)



How do you design? Do you sketch first or play around with materials?

I tend to do a mixture of both – I’ve always sketched first but you can come up with more interesting shapes, folds and details when working with materials that it’s too hard to visualize when sketching.

Friday 10th April: Good Foot Friday

As the deadline for "Fashion Fringe" applications is looming (May 1st) I wanted to just announce the 1st year of a new Accessories section to the award, supported by Jimmy Choo's Tamara Mellon. The scheme set up by Colin McDowell is one of Britain's initiatives to find and fund new fashion design talent. Last year was the launch of the special shoe section to the sponsorship program. One of the finalists has just shown her 1st collection at fashion week and her name is being touted around the industry as the "one to watch". So I have followed in just those very foot steps and hunted down Sophie Gittins.

Having graduated from Cordwainers with 1st class honours and experience at Chloe, Sophie was shortlisted for the Fashion Fringe award and hyped by Vogue. Since this time she has put together her debut collection and collaborated with Hannah Marshall for her A/W show (which you can see in this snap from the factory).
The other 2 images are from Sophie's mainline of architecually accented feminine heels inspired by "Weiner Werkstatte". This also flows through in graphic print and even the name of each style taken from a different designer of the original movement. Each shoe is also embossed with a bumblebee logo chosen by Sophie as an emblem of achieving the impossible.............like all of us new designers embarking on entering the luxury market at a time when it is classed a discretionary purchase! But it looks like Sophie is on exactly the right path so this motto will no doubt ring true in time...................

I have asked her a few questions so these will follow in a couple more posts...............

Thurs 9th April: They're Nice

One of my favourite blogs (and I'm not alone!) comes out of the creative hub of HudsonBec who are a prolific duo that have instigated up a number of obscenely successful projects. Like two circus clowns juggling plates on sticks, these guys run an art direction studio, curate exhibitions, run workshops, videocasts, produce prints & publications and have an online shop with commissioned merchandise. Not content with this slasher balancing act, they earnestly set up "ifyoucould" - a platform for designers to come together and collaborate. Here I have opened a couple of pages of the new diary from the project, which features artwork by a different illustrator on each page. As usual, the visual concept is to answer the question "if you could ....." with the theme of this latest offering being ".......do anything tomorrow, what would it be?"
Well if I had to answer that question, I would like to invest £10 on the first hardcopy version of their blog, which they have put together to feature highlights from their past posts with additional in-depth interviews and articles. To accompany the book launch this week, the blog has been redesigned to house the archive. Here are Alex and Will at their Redchurch Street headquarters. I always plague people to send me an image of their workspace as an insight into their world, and unsurprisingly most practitioners are not always forthcoming! But luckily this conscientious couple answered my request so you can all see who the busy bees are behind the enterprise. Its very cute that their poster says "We've Been Good" .............. that's quite evident but they are probably too busy to see the unconscious irony of the words they chose to pin up!

Weds 8th April: Piece of Pocket

The auction took place last night raising the bar to 9k which will be betted against when it travels to NYC for a 2nd bid in the Summer.................good going for the nominated charities!

Tues 7th April: BARBIE @ DSM

For anyone that didn't go (er.......me) to the preview of Mattell's Barbie madness at Dover Street last night.........here is a little snapshot of the installation by Hillman Studio..............
After the Marque quilt auction, I headed to the Uniqlo event at Somerset House (thanks to Odd design for the invite) and literally 80% of the London fashionistas there, were carrying a Barbie Doll goody-bag...............I think they should set up an website for them to do swaps............Im sure not everyone was content with the distribution of thier designated design..............?





Barbie’s 50th anniversary celebrations continue with the opening of a dedicated space in Dover Street Market curated by Henry Holland. Adjacent to the main storefront and visible through the windows, a play on proportion sees an oversize sculpture of Barbie applying her lipstick, seemingly coming out of the floor, reduce the enclosed adult Barbie merchandise to appear miniature. It is only upon entering the space, you realise the true dimensions. Figurative sculptor Martin Smeaton is working as part of the team from Andy Hillman Studio to design and bring the window element to life.

“A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous.” Coco Chanel, Barbie by Assouline

Tues: 7th April: In Vogue!

Got home last night to the new Vogue on my doorstep complete with my patch in the news section...........score! Shame the picture editor didn't credit it but heh, im not complaining, the colours have reproduced so well.........you can even see that its fluorescent which usually gets totally lost in print..........yeah! Lets hope the auction goes well tonight...........

Mon 6th April: Piece Of Mind

Tomorrow is the auction for the "Piece of Mind" quilt project which I first blogged about in December when I made my section for the assembly. Last week I was asked about why i did it for DazedDigital.com. I wish I had looked up my original post and used that, as it is far more articulate than what I actually came up with for the interview question! Since I was initially asked to contribute, a whole hearty 85 other artists have supplied a square so i can't wait till tomorrow to see how it has all been sewn together!

To learn more about the event, here is my blog post from Dec 04 (and my Dazeddigi entry with accompanying image from the site).


I have been able to put my patchwork penchant to perfect use with a new charity project for Shelter, UK and Bowery Mission, NY. Graphic design mavericks Marque have requested cooperation from international creatives to come up with a square to contribute to a complete work of art. Quilts assembled from each "piece of mind" will be exhibited and then auctioned with the profits going directly to the cities respective charities tackling homelessness. What a fantastic idea, to get the creative community collaborating by hand-making an artwork. To put love into each piece and extend this positive energy by financing solving a global epidemic that we are each powerless to change on a personal level. I'm so chuffed to have been asked to get involved. Here is my square which was painstakingly sewn and painted by my latest placement student Laura Gostling who has finally finished her 9 weeks. Laura, you have been an absolute star and will be sadly missed!



Dazed Digital ask some of the designers and artists involved in the project "What they contributed to the quilt and why?"

Fred Butler
'A 3-Dimensional patchwork made of 16 tiny squares that are joined by flaps. It is a black satin base with multicolour and iridescent painted sections. Its a cheery fun thing, like all my work. I walk past the same homeless man every morning on route to my studio. It depresses the hell out of me. I can't believe he gets through each winter night, living open to the elements. That's just London, New York has a much harsher climate (where the Bowery mission is based). f I can put positive energy into making something for this project, hopefully it will transmit that vibe out to the greater unconscious. (I sound like a hippy here but heh, patchwork blankets are quite hippy so please let me off!)




Private View and Auction of
A Little Piece of Mind

A Little Piece of Mind
Tuesday 7th April 2009
6pm—9pm
Auction at 8pm

Show open to public
10—15th April 2009
1—4pm

Londonewcastle Project Space
28 Redchurch Street, London E2 7DP
www.alittlepieceofmind.org



404Design / Airside / Alexia Cox / Alice Rebecca Potter / Amy Butler / Westminster Fibers / Andrea Kornhes / BCMH / Begg / Bettina von Kameke / Boudicca / C.P. Company / Caroline Broadhead / Cath Kidston / Christian Bradley West / Daisy de Villeneuve / Damien Poulain / Davy Jones / Eley Kishimoto / Elton & Jacobsen / Elvis Robertson / Frauke Stegmann / Fred Butler / Gavin Turk / Giles Deacon / Graeme Black / Hector Pottie / Homework / Hussein Chalayan / IIona Marx / Janine Trott / Jean Paul Gaultier / Jo Wood / Jonathan Ellery / Jose Manuel Hortelano / Kaffe Fassett / Westminster Fibers / Kate Moss / Katey Jean-Harvey / Kinder Aggugini / Lenard Smith / Liberty / Lisa Smith / Lizzie Finn / Luella / Marc Jacobs / Marcel Zyskind / Melissa Price / MTWTF / Myla / Natasha Marshall / OK-RM / Oliver Spencer / Orla Kiely / Paul Smith / Peter Stitson / Poppy de Villeneuve / PPQ / Pringle / Rachel Speed / Rankin / Remi/Rough / Richard Nicoll / Richard Shed / RMJM / Ross Phillips / Rupert Sanderson / Russell Bell / Sarah Blick / Sibylle Stoeckli / Silberfischer / Six Eight Seven Six / Slow and Steady Wins the Race / Sophia Kokosalaki / Squint / Stella McCartney / Stephen Jones / Stone Island / Swarovski / Temperley / Timothy Everest / Tom Dixon / Topshop / Troika / Urban Outfitters / Value and Service / Village Green / Vivienne Westwood


Here is my square as modelled by Arhcie the Whippet when he was in residency at our studio. Photo Chloe Bell

Sun 5th April: Sunday Silliness

Thanks to Petra Stores for reminding me how mind-blowingly joyful this video is with costumes by Bryony Birkbeck (who also waves the Brighton graduate flag). Its from 2007 and looks as fresh as the blossom on the Spring tree outside my window today..........ENJOY!

Sat 4th April: We Are In Progress

"We are in progress" is the title of the exhibition at the Dray Walk Gallery this weekend in Brick Lane. That is the most modest title possible. The final year graphics students from Bath have taken it upon themselves to fundraise and set up an exhibition in London just 2 months before their finals. What mentalists. Not only is the work on display crazily good but its well hung, has its own website, poster, pamphlet, identity and font (see pic). I should have been able to tell from the exquisite invite that I received from my ex-helper Lucy Aebischer that it was going to be special.
Here is the promotional still-life they shot which is made up an item contributed by each exhibitor to sum up thier work which was based on the concept "progress". Lucy's signifier is the slinky which also featured in my lovely birthday message (see below) and also formed the structure for an amazing typeface that has she designed. Here is also a picture of her business cards which she screen-printed with rainbow ink............mmmmmmmmmm.
The beautiful pamphlet of info is printed on a thin paperstock entirely from purple ink which immediately reminded me of the worksheets at primary school (pre Xerox!). Lucy didn't even know what I meant as she is too young to have been handed the blurry, smelly copies for her homework. So I looked it up. Turns out this prehistoric printing was from a machine called a "Spirit Duplicator" (Trade name "Ditto") and used 'Mauveine' which was the 1st synthetic organic dye. How very "Ghost" to have a machine called "Ditto"! That's a whole other exhibition..........
Guests invited to the preview last evening wore purple to fit the theme which i missed the heads-up on, so looked like a miss-placed strawberry (a red day) in a blueberry punnet. Mauve was made fashionable in 1862 when Queen Victoria wore a silk gown to the opening of the Grand Exhibition................. so lets see if Bath College of Design have sparked a similar purple trend with their very own Great Exhibition.................. its on to the 6th so get down to Brick Lane..........if not for the art, they have pop-corn in their own printed paper cones!

Friday 3rd April: HIT

The 2nd product on the HIT list has been released today and it happens to be designed by me! Its polkadot parcel tape to use like a danger tape to build up and make crazy patterns on all your correspondence. Its £6 for 66m. For anyone that doesn't know, I collect tapes and so this was a natural choice of product to play with. Here is my shelf with some of my various tapes accumulated over the years from different cities.
This has been such a fun project to work on. Richard Sloan has curated his top choice list of collaborators and let them run riot with ideas to come up with something totally unique and off-the wall (but still comercially viable). I wish that I could divulge all the inside info because I'm bursting to share the delights that are destined, but I can't break the contract or ruin his fun! But trust me, the dream-team guests and their preposterous products are going to get very interesting indeed! Next up is Julie Verhoven..............your guesses may not be too off track!?

Thurs 2nd April: Just Woke Up

After falling victim to his label closure, MC Rup didn't let Captain Credit Crunch get the better of his album release realisation. Instead he has worked with homegrown Hackney label "Hear Today" to put out a collection of 10 tracks and took to the local streets to shoot the artwork. Literally, photographer's Mishkin shot him on his street but in his bed. None of that trendy Conde Nast concept its inside, but outside shenanigans...........its just that if you can't get the boy out of the bed, get the bed out with the boy still in it. Here you can see how it happened with producer Steve Clear on hand masterminding the proceedings (probably acting as health and safety officer diverting traffic rather than checking Rup's hair wasn't blowing out of place..............merely my own musings from previous experience of his high-alert tendencies!)

I'm a big fan of this record (especially vocals by Parisian Moocha and Copenhagen's Naim) but as I'm really not the best person to try and decode the press-release to explain why, here are snippets which sum up their honest humour which I love and runs thru everything they do:


'Hip Hop from the UK’ are a dirty collection of words in many music circles right about now. It could be argued that releasing an album by an MC from Camberwell called Rupert is perhaps not a fantastic idea…

• There’s a tune about being a fox.

• George Clinton is a family friend and offered to do a remix, which never happened.



But to find out why more precisely, check out the definitive and delicious website designed by resident artworker Luke Tarpey to hear the beats and read more ridiculous ramblings.............:

http://www.heartodayrecords.com

Weds 1st April: 02

The bonus of sharing my studio with other friends who are set designers is having a work space that looks like a cross between Saturday Swap Shop and the inner chasm of Lewis Carroll's mind's eye. Another bonus is that we can keep each other company when we are working ridiculous freelance hours when the rest of the working world are sensibly tucked up in bed. One such night whilst i was finishing my collection, Hillman Studio were unwittingly getting high with solvents, working like Dozers constructing a small plastic street scene. They had to snap laser cut sheets of components they had designed to fit together to make up a blue post-code row of houses. Tiny tiles were applied to the rooves and wind screen wipers added to cars and vans. All this preparation took place overnight in making the separate parts so that the shoot day prep could be spent lighting each window and street lamp. This precision prop styling might have given Nick Park a run for his money! Thanks to Alex Cunningham for taking time to give me these work-in-progress images of her handiwork.

Weds 1st April: WOW

Here is the beautiful Teo Connor who is one half of the graphic empire "No Days Off".
She is in line to be featured on W-O-W which is Maxmara Sportmax Code’s spin-off website to promote the work and experiences of creative women today. Its a webzine of interviews, image galleries and videos aimed at presenting an authentic portrait of young women operating in the current international field of arts and design. The archive is steadily and satisfyingly increasing with great profiles on the likes of Lizzi Bougatsos, Kinga Burza, Ami Sioux, Hvass & Hannibal. Can't wait to see Teo's page! Big shout-out and respect to her for calling in one of my caterpillar necklaces to wear for her portrait!




Portrait: Will Morgan

Tues 31st March: Birthday Prezzies Part 1

Here are just 2 of my awesome birthday presents.

Case 1: T-Shirt illustrated by Maki Lou Lou. This funny feline extends round the side to a cute tail at the back, decorated with bow brooches. I love Maki's mental illustrations, its a peak into the characters that preoccupy and roam her magical mind!

Case 2: Cocktail cigarettes named "California Dreams" in holographic gold box from Elisha. These really jazzed up my smoking enjoyment of the birthday party but I now can't bring myself to finish them!

Mon 30th March: Bonkers Birthday

Being of a somewhat shy creature (ie incurably socially unskilled), I tend to gloss over birthdays for fear of any attention or fuss. But this year I was 29 on the 29th of 2009 so something had to be done. But I wasn't quite prepared for what I found when i arrived at The Railway Tavern.............a congregation of familiar faces...............not familiar faces of friends but different versions of my own face! Yes I was experiencing my very own surreal Chris Cunningham "Come To Daddy" moment courtesy of Kim and Alex's mask making and distribution. Great work girls! It was truly trippy in the most bonkers way! The icing on the cake was then a "ring a ring o' roses" type dance with a pair of rainbows. Brilliant! My dreams come to life!
I did question myself on becoming self consciously "fashion" dishing out serial comments of how well dressed each person was. I never normally compliment on attire as I find it a bit cringey but I really couldn't control myself. After a good while it dawned on me what was going on! Guests had been forewarned to dress in one-colour but I was to confused to actually cotton on! Der! All my best friends, dressed in their best brightest clothes. Can't think of anything better. THANKS GUYS! The streets of Hackney had a little one night colour invasion.

Sat 28th March: South by South West

Thank God we had a miraculously sunny Spring week in London when I heard news from the sunshine and partying going down in Texas at South by South West music festival. Otherwise I would have replied with some choice words of furious abuse and outright jealous indignation at the sheer mention of 24hr music & margaritas. As it was, I had my own party of drinking a can of Guinness on a park bench to celebrate St.Patrick's day with a fellow designer (who will remain nameless as not to tarnish thier integrity by hanging out with me at such an auspicious occasion) . But here are some out-takes from Elisha Smith-Leverock's documentary photography of Esser whilst they were living it up Cowboy style in the Lone Star State.









VOTE for Elisha's newly edited Esser "headlock" video which has been added to the mtv 2 myspace chart by going to:
myspace.​com/​mtv2
choose 'full list' from the voting widget where you'll find ESSER then just click on 'vote'

Friday 27th March: SHOWing out

No its not Mel 'n' Kim but rather more Laura 'n' Alex of SHOWstudio have spent the last couple of months orchestrating the relocation with military precision. The final schlep took place yesterday with the events monitored on the site's twitter feed whilst the usual webcams were down. I asked Laura to get some snaps of the event and true to her word here are some beautiful shots capturing the turning of the page onto the next chapter. Here are some of the 80+ boxes that have the previous 9 years correspondence archived - where else would you get Massive Attack, Bless and Brad Pitt in the same stack?! Once everything was out the Ironmonger residency it looked somewhat like this..............and the new Mayfair dwelling with the iconic dollar sign finding its feet in new soil. So either hook into the twitter for up to the minute details of the final unpacking today or check the site next week when the cameras are rolling and the exact territory disclosed.