My Blog List

Sunday, March 27, 2011

India's Model accuse fashion Industry of Racism?

Indian top models are saying that the fashion designers in their country now prefer pale skinned models to them. Pale skinned models in their country make more than they do and they are referring back to the British colonial rules. They are complaining about losing out on some of the best jobs in their countries because of the pale skinned models that have come from Russia, Brazil, etc, to model in their country. Is this fair? I think models should be treated equally regardless of their skin colour and what they look like, even in their own countries. For more information on this article, visit:

The Golden Age of Couture

The Golden age started in 1947 by Dior celebrating the end of war and the birth of new era. The exhibition looks at the artistry and glamour of haute couture, focusing on Paris and London, and includes the work of the most significant designers of the 20th century, such as Dior, Balenciaga, Balmain and Givenchy. These outfits show sophistication, class and glamour in my opinion. They are made to fit the human figure perfectly and it captures the essence of a woman.



Hats: An Anthology by Stephen Jones













This display of hats was at the V&A museum in spring 2010. Stephen Jones is a talented designer, as you can see from the photos above. He explores the world of millinery from a hat designers point of view and interprets it in his hat designs. The exhibition highlighted the cultural, historic and decorative properties of the hat, displayed. His display was based on four main themes which were Inspiration, Creation, The Salon and The Client. He tries to bring his hats to life in a thematic way. I find this very inspiring because it shows that one can change the look of fashion accessories to make them look edgy and daring. His collection has made me think of the accessories I would use for my final collection.

Yohji Yamamoto Exhibition














This is a designer that plays with different fabrics and shapes to get different outcomes. His display at the V&A shows his different masterpieces. Well as featuring Yamamoto’s designs, the main exhibition space features a mixed-media timeline showing a mixture of excerpts from his fashion shows, films and performances, graphic material and select photographs which help contextualise his wider creative output. All the fabrics he uses in making his clothing are made to his specifications by different craftsmen but he never fails to pull out an outstanding outfit.


Gallianos Greatest Catwalk Costumes













Still a hot topic...though John Galliano was laid off from Dior, I don't think it makes him one of the worst designers. I admire his work because of his exaggeration and style. He has made some of the best designs in fashion history. His ideas are unique and that is what draws people to his work.He may have passed a bad comment but it does not stop him from being one of the best designers. The images above are some of the costumes he designed for his various catwalk shows. to view more you can click on the link below.

Prada Spring/ Summer 2011





















These are images from the spring/summer collection. I like the fact that Prada chose different colours that would stand out. The combination of colours are unusual as well but in a way they do look good together.
From the looks of this collection, seems like the trend this summer is stripes.




Pradas 'flatform' shoes sold out!

A mash-up of a traditional leather brogue and platforms, Prada's striped-soled hybrids are the hottest flatforms for spring, despite their rather fugly appearance. Many editors wear them during fashion month, and, of course, The Waiting List. The Old Bond Street store sold out of its initial deliveries of the shoes, which are made to order and cost £510, last month.
They are very unusual alright but would they be comfortable and easy to walk in considering the fact that they are flat?


Pradas 'Madras' bag


This bag is the latest bag in town now. Pradas new 'Madras bag has caught the eyes of many celebrities and this is the new 'hand candy' in town. With its tangy orange colour it would definately catch eyes on the street. Definately a classy bag. Would love to own one.







Ideal Job Description

My ideal job description would be to work in all the sectors in the fashion industry first by receiving a month of training, especially if that is the field you would like to work in for a certain period of time.

Designing and Retail buying are the two main sectors I am interested in. I would like to learn everything there is to know about buying and selling clothing to stores. Also how the meetings are planned each season.

I did a bit of Retail buying when I worked with Billabong in May 2010. It was a fun experience and I would like to learn more about the post. I think doing both Buying and designing would be my ideal job.

Job description for Merchandisers

This is the job description for merchandisers;




Merchandising jobs are crucial in fashion – the behind the scenes staff who combine the creative ideas with commercial business objectives.

Fashion Merchandisers and Planners work alongside the Buying and Product teams forecasting and analysing sales. Whether you’re applying for a Merchandising Assistant or Management role, these fashion merchandising jobs involve a fantastic attention to detail, great commercial acumen and strong analytical skills.

Essential fashion merchandising job requirements & candidate qualities:

  • Previous experience in fashion merchandising
  • An analytical approach
  • Commercial awareness
  • Planning and forecasting experience
  • Excellent communication skills (written and oral)
  • Strong computer skills, particularly MS Excel
  • Enthusiasm, self-motivation, flexibility and the ability to work in fast-paced environments
  • A love for fashion and creative flair

Submit your CV or register with Four Seasons Recruitment, and we’ll do the searching for you.

Latest jobs

2 result(s) found
Page 1 of 1


Salary , Job type Permanent, Location United Kingdom
Reference JS034924_983028
Description My client is a well established English Luxury accessories brand with a wide portfolio of elegant, sophisticated and uniquely distinctive products, unsurpassed in quality and design for home and living...
Salary , Job type Permanent, Location United Kingdom
Reference JS034923_982946
Description My client is a well established English Luxury accessories brand with a wide portfolio of elegant, sophisticated and uniquely distinctive products, unsurpassed in quality and design for home and living...

Job description of Retail buyers

Here are a few jobs I found on some of the websites I look on for jobs. I am mainly into retail buying and merchandising. I aspire to begin my own clothing line one day so it is essential that I have work experience in all the sectors in the fashion industry if I want to prevail.
What I like about this site is that it lists the jobs after it explains what the job entails. That way it is easier for one to find his field of expertise or the field they are most interested in and gain experience from it.

Four Seasons Fashion Buying division specialises in recruiting high calibre individuals with the gravitas and commercial awareness to make a difference to a brand. We recruit for all levels from Buyers Admin Assistant, Assistant Buyer, Junior Buyer, Senior Buyers right through to Buying Directors and Head of Buying. Our clients include leading High street retailers and luxury fashion brands across all sectors, Menswear, Womenswear, Childrenswear, Footwear and Accessories.

Typical Fashion Buying Jobs:

  • Buyers Admin Assistant
  • Assistant Buyer
  • Junior Buyer
  • Buyer
  • Buying Director

As a Fashion Buyer you must understand your target market, be self assured, persuasive and prepared to take risks when interpreting and predicting fashion trends. Imagination, creativity and a flair for fashion are essential for people looking to get into fashion buying. You must have strong negotiation skills, good commercial awareness and the ability to make quick decisions to be a successful fashion buyer.

If you’re an experienced buying professional, then we want to hear from you. Not all Recruitment Consultancies are the same – find out why, Submit your CV or register with Four Seasons Recruitment and we'll do the searching for you.

Latest jobs

6 result(s) found
Page 1 of 1


Salary , Job type Permanent, Location United Kingdom
Reference JS035162_081790
Description My client is a highly successful global lifestyle premium brand, who is currently recruiting for a Menswear Buyer/ Junior Buyer. This role is primarily a selection role for building a solid range...
Salary , Job type Permanent, Location United Kingdom
Reference JS035131_821614
Description A young and trendy leading independent retailer of branded fashion is looking for an enthusiastic Menswear Buyer to join their team. You will report to the Head of Menswear Buying; working amongst a team of Buyers and...
Salary , Job type Permanent, Location United Kingdom
Reference JS034831_442190
Description A young and trendy leading independant retailer of branded fashion is looking for an enthusiastic Assistant Buyer to join their team. You will report to the Buying Manager; working amongst a team of Buyers and...
Salary , Job type Permanent, Location London and South East
Reference JS034456_372476
Description My client is one of the UK's leading high street fashion retailers, they have an exciting opportunity for a multi-product Junior Buyer to join their team on a maternity contract basis...
Salary , Job type Permanent, Location United Kingdom
Reference JS035004A_674301
Description A young and trendy leading independent retailer of branded fashion is looking for an enthusiastic Buyer or Junior Buyer to join their team in West Yorkshire. You will report to the Head of womenswear buying; working...
Salary , Job type Permanent, Location United Kingdom
Reference JS035003_673845
Description A young and trendy leading independent retailer of branded fashion is looking for an enthusiastic Buyer to join their team in West Yorkshire. You will report to the Head of womenswear buying; working amongst a team of...


Burberry Job Placement.

Recently I applied for a job with Burberry and I got accepted. Basically you can work in any sector of the company that you wanted. There is training but it would be ideal if you have had previous experience. Details of the job are below:

THE BRAND

Founded in 1856, Burberry is a luxury brand with a distinctive British sensibility and strong international recognition. Headquartered in London and listed on the London Stock Exchange Burberry continues to create new opportunities for growth and development.


THE ROLE

A number of exciting 2 week work placement opportunities are available in all departments in our London Head Office, including Design, Fabric Development, Womenswear, Menswear, Supply Chain, Visual Merchandising, Marketing and Communications and Finance.
These placements provide students or recent graduates the opportunity to gain real-world work experience, learning from the industry’s experts.

Please note all placements are full time. Travel and lunch expenses will be reimbursed.


THE PERSON

The ideal candidates will have:
  • A flexible approach to working
  • An interest in fashion
  • An ability to use their initiative
  • Strong organizational skills
  • A creative approach to problem solving


From the moment that you join our team we aspire to make your employment experience a memorable and engaging one. Our people are passionate and proud of Burberry and our product; this energy, attitude and spirit define us. If you are energetic, hardworking and thrive in a collaborative and fast paced environment then please apply with a CV and covering letter, stating your salary details and notice period.


Fashiondex

This is a good website especially when looking for fabrics. It has a list of fabric and trim suppliers.

New brands in the UK


Three new brands have been introduced in the UK by Valerie Demure. Autumn/winter 2011 sees the UK launch of jewellery brands Maryam Keyhani, Lito and J Lynch belts. Maryam founded her brand with no formal jewellery training. Fine jewellery designer Lito Karakostanoglou creates her pieces by caging real preserved scarabs in cage necklaces and earrings. J Lynch founder Jaci Lynch is based in London; she founded her label with her husband Ian in 2009.

Fashion Monitor shows upcoming designers and also shows their work. They also introduce new designers into the fashion industry by promoting their work.
These are links to the new designers websites to get a closer look into their work.

Maryam's work amuses me the most, shown in the photo. I like how her jewelery is structured, looks architecture inspired. This is something I could link to my final project.

Next seasons Style predicted


From the Louis Vuitton A/W 11 catwalk show, it has been predicted that next season style is blazers and coats that have the stiff, round-shoulders, patent leather jackets, sheer skirts exposing suspenders and bottom-revealing cashmere onesies with stick-on Peter Pan collars, cashmere-backed sweater and fake fur skirt. His show must have had a number of clothing items that are also ready to wear and not just for the catwalk. I think this ollection could make it on the streets.

PPR Brings sustainability home!!!!


A group which owns Gucci, Balenciaga, Stella McCartney, Alexander McQueen and other exclusive brands, signals that sustainability-focussed fashion has migrated from the fringe to the luxury mainstream. Sustainability has arrived. They are trying to make the world better. In doing this, they hope that other designers would see the good they are doing by taking this step and also follow in the long term.

Louboutin says NO to foot friendly shoes!!

Christian Louboutin a top designer in footwear has decided that calling footwear comfortable is inappropriate. He says it is similar to saying 'Well, we're not really in love, but we're in a comfortable relationship'. He is against foot friendly shoes. He would rather have his shoes referred to as 'sex on heels'. Every woman would like to feel comfortable in her shoes, in my opinion. Beauty is pain, yes, but it would help if we were alot more comfortable in what we wear. We wear clothes we are comfortable in, why shouldn't be the same with shoes? As a headliner in Elle magazine, I think that women do have a right to feel comfortable in whatever they wear otherwise there wouldn't be a point in wearing them if you are going to feel pain.

Jessia Simpson new scuba wear!!!


Jessica Simpsons has some new ideas for scuba wear. She has designed some footwear for scuba diving but will these get far? Wearing flipper heels wouldn't be as comfortable in water as heels are walking on the ground. Her ideas are unique but will people actually take this and apply them in life? People hardly walk underwater but if she feels it would get far who are we to crash her dreams.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Colour Inspiration and Structure

I like Mary Katrantzou's choice of colours. She is not afraid to experiment. Her inspiration came from interiors and exteriors combined together. I decided to take a closer look at her colours because the fabric I intend to use for my collection is just as bright and eye-catching as hers is. By her choice of colour and print, her 3 dimensional outfits look like actual objects and it looks like the models are emerging from them; in my opinion. I think this could be a change in high street fashion. It would give a different feeling when one is in the clothing.



























Mary Katrantzou's New ideas

For this particular collection she 'wanted to put the room on the woman, rather than the woman in the room'. She'd been looking at the highly stylized seventies photography of Helmut Newton and Guy Bourdin when she realised that the interiors in the pictures were just as important as the models. She has a point. People rarely focus on the surroundings around models so she has combined them both so that everything is captured....including the surroundings. Hussein Chalayan attempted something similar a couple of years ago, but his pieces were elements of a conceptual performance, while Katrantzou's were desirable clothes to be worn. The fact that they were also surreal masterpieces of the digital printer's craft only made them more seductive.

Here are some images of her designs:











More of her designs and collections can be seen on the website below:

Fashion inspired by architecture



Marchesa's fall/winter 2008 collection was meant to be a tribute to Queen Elizabeth I. I like this collection because even though it might not look exactly like the building structure, it has the essence of the building.




















More of her work can be seen on this website:

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Collection

These are my final outfits for my end of year project. In designing them, i intended to blend my culture with that of the western world and also got further inspiration from architecture. As an African woman, i intend to put in the cultural element by the use of African prints and fabrics to make the outfits. This i believe will fill in the need in the industry for different colour blends that show vibrance and creativity. This particularly would appeal to the younger generation in my opinion as well as those who want to relive their youthful days.
The designs below depict a blend in the twos cultures because I feel both cultures have to experience each other. In the same way, the architectural element in the designs are shown in the additions to the outfits. The spikes in the jacket on the third design and in the trousers of the first design aim to show the confidence in a woman and dominion. The other parts also aim to show pride. Above all every african print has some significance in its cultural context and this i hope to explicitly illustrate through the designs i make in the future as well with respect to the particular fabric i use for it. I hope this stimulates your mind to look forward to my display of creativity as i bring these designs to life. Hope you like it, Thanks!