Clothes Are My Religion

Eco Brand Goodone

As anyone who also reads my other blog will know for the next 30 days I will only be buying second hand clothing or garments made by eco conscious brands in an attempt to discover whether I can change my buying habits to a more ethical way of shopping.

One of the eco brands that's at the top of my list is GoodOne

Goodone is an independent fashion label that follows ethical guidelines in the way they produce their clothing. They create highly stylish but wearable designs by upcycling. They use reclaimed fabrics to produce fashionable but eco conscious designs and they have exhibited at London Fashion Week and won awards for their brilliance. They've worked with Topshop and Puma and been awarded mentorship from the British Fashion Council. Not only that but their designs are surprisingly wearable.

J'Adore!

Images that inspire, excite and motivate me!

 

 

Pinar Eris - Gothic Princess

Pinar Eris is a Turkish boen designer now residing in the US. Gaining artistic experience through a background in poetry, jewellery and painting she eventually discovered where her talent lies - Fashion Design. She fuses avant garde edgy designs with a touch of romanticism  fairytale fantasy. She finds new ways of mixing fabrics and textures to create truly awe inspiring clothing. Her garments are reminiscent of an Alice in Wonderland-esque land where gothic design is prevalent but in a completely feminine manner. Her designs are completely unique and display her love of fashion but fused with a sense of individuality and standing out from the crowd. Pinars wonderfully constructed garments are anything but boring and of no use for shrinking violets but they have a punkish edge to them which is perfect for a rebel like me.

 

How amazing are these photos? I'd have them up in my house If I could.

All her designs can be bought here

Opening Ceremony X Levis

I'm crushing hard over the Opening Ceremony X Levis spring summer collaboration. The freshness of the collection is exhilirating with its summery hues and lightweight materials. I could really imagine myself taking a nice stroll along the beach in those peach coloured roll up trousers. Don't you just love clothes that stir your imagination, clothes that you can visualise yourself wearing?

 

These Shoes are the Future

How utterly amazing are those shoes? I discovered this designer completely by accident while reading Susie Bubbles blog (she was wearing this designers shoes in an outfit post). As you've probably realised I'm crazy about arty looking shoes. These fit the bill perfectly - not only are they artistic but they are futuristic looking which fulfills the sci fi nerd within me. 

The designer responsible is Canadian footwear marvel Anastasia Radevich. She's of Belarussian descent and trained at the London College of Fashion (training ground of the legendary Jimmy Choo). She currently splits her time between Canada and the UK and has formerly worked for Aldo, All Saints and Alexander McQueen. These shoes are made for the forwad thinking 21st century woman who loves fashion (moi?). She cites her inspiration as 'Freedom and Exploration' (sounds like a trekkie to me). 

Some of the shoes in her collection contain LED lights to create a kind of artistic design on the side of the shoe, they eveb contain a hidden on/off switch. How futuristic is that? The heels and the platform under the soles are what really make her footwear unique. The question is though - would these shoes be able to support my weight? I'm not sure but I'd really like to find out.

 

Roll up! Roll up!

I was cruising the information freeway known as the internet yesterday like I do most days and i happened to stumble onto LouLous Boutique. It's an interesting site full of fashion, art and music by little known artists. Along the side of the page under designers a name caught my eye - Mlle Yoko. Of course I was immediately drawn to it due to the Japanese sounding name so I figured i'd check it out. In reality she's actually Brazillian.

I'm so pleased that I viewed her gallery though. Mlle Yoko creates the clothing I'd wear if wearability and comfort weren't an issue. My eyes were immediately drawn to a pair of black high heeled boots. They had a 70s feel to them due to their massive platform but they also remind me of ballet shoes with their sharply down-turned toes.

 

 

 

I think it would be a real balancing act to walk in them but I'd happily risk it to don these little beauties. All the footwear stirred similar feelings in me but her footwear isn't the only thing that's special about her collection. Most of the clothing is quite wearable but its the more extreme pieces that really attract me. They have an almost clown like aesthetic but in a modern avant garde way. I'm drawn to these pieces in a way that's hard to describe. They just feed my inner child I guess, with the clown-like scalloped collars. They don't sell them on the site but a trip to London to see them first hand is in order I think. Now the see through body isn't for me as I'm not a fan of showing my body parts in public but the rest of the collection - Yes please!

 

 

 

 

 

Images source here

Laura Theiss - Knitwear for the 21st Century

Knitwear has changed a lot in recent years. Gone are the twinsets and jumpers that look like they've been knitted your gran, they've been replaced by truly exquisite designs with an artistic flair. This is partly thanks to the new breed of knitwear designers. Laura Theiss is one such designer. Lithuanian born but raised in Germany. Laura is a graduate of the prestigious London St Central Martins College where she majored in Fashion Design. Her designs are truly innovative utilising techniques such as folding and layering to create unusual and unique shapes. She has a penchant for extreme colour combinations which she uses to great effect to create feminine but artistic pieces of knitwear. Designing knitwear was always a path she was destined to follow growing up in a house hold surrounded by hand knitted or crocheted items.

She designs for the feminine, modern woman who takes a hold of her self empowerment. Her signature details are tasselling and pleating and they run through all her collections. She accomplishes the mean feat of not only making creative, artistic garments but also making them wearable. I love the structure to her knitwear and the uniqueness of her designs, her clothes really do make a statement and make me wish winter would last forever.

 

 

 

 

 

Images source here and here

Charlie Le Mindu - My Saviour (NSFW)

In amongst the blandness and recycled designs ever prevalent at London Fashion Week (yes Burberry I’m talking about you) came along my saviour. Charlie Le Mindu the wig designer showed off his newest collection of headwear in the way he does best - by shocking us. Blood, pigs screaming and the designer emerging looking like an abbatoir owner, this guy is fabulous. This is the show I wish I had attended. It may have been too much for some of the stiff upper lip brigade but I love it when designers go against the norm and really put on a show. Last season he paraded his models down the catwalk completely naked and there was some nudity this season but not to the same extent. It reminded me of one of my favoite films ever - Carrie and that is definitely a good thing. Charlie thank you for reminding me that fashion shows don’t have to be bland and boring.

HUSAM EL ODEH: JEWELLER EXTRAORDINAIRE

Husam El Odeh creates extraordinary jewellery. He started off as a fine arts student but was encouraged to start designing jewellery by his ‘muse’, none other than the fabulous Mario Schwab. Thank goodness he took Marios advice. He’s formerly collaborated with fasion powerhouse Acne a collection that I’ve been lusting after for quite some time. 

His designs are visually arresting - simple but also edgy, avant garde and stunning in a unique way. He utilises vintage materials like pearls and metals - hard meets soft, masculine meeting feminine. This fusion creates pieces that are timeless. His work is influenced by the art form of sculpture and in particular sculpturer Anish Kappoor. 

His designs can be found at Sefton Boutique in Islington, London and i’m definitely stopping by next time I’m in London.

Fashion Obsession - Thomas Wylde

Thomas Wylde is my newest fashion obsession. The S/S 2011 collection really blows my mind and makes me want to let rip and unleash the sex pistol in me.

The label is the brainchild of former model who began her rise in the fashion industry when she was scouted in 1984. One year later she was playing a bond girl in the 1985 film. For the next 10 years she played the modelling game until a chance meeting with Julian McDonald at a fashion show - they were introduced by none other than fashion icon Isabella Blow. They became friends and business partners but later parted company. In 2006 she launched label Thomas Wylde and since then her label has gone from strength to strength. Its now stocked worldwide and collections have been exhibited in New York and Paris.

Her clothes are edgy, rebellious, punk but supremely feminine. A combination that can be difficult to successfully pull off but she manages it with apparent ease. Leopard print and leather are fused with ruffles and rips to create a collection that appeals to the modern woman who craves originality and statement pieces but doesn’t want to lose her femininty in the process. Thomas Wylde I salute you!

For more info on Thomas Wylde visit http://thomaswylde.com