Maude´s Visit to VFS Paris Showroom

Maude, journalist extraordinaire - named as a  "cult creation"by  Vogue (September issue), visited Vauxhall Fashion Scout Paris Showroom. A much appreciated visit regarding her busy agenda.

David Longshaw (creator) and close close friend of the glamorous Editor-in-Chief of Maudezine,  had already tipped us off about her imminent visit, telling us about all details we had to have in mind to make her visit the most fashionable and pleasant fashion experience. Champagne, flowers, and chocolates would not be enough for her.

Finally she got to meet the 16 designers who are being showcased, seeing their collections and getting the opportunity to explore their personalities, she even blushed when the guys from T.Lipop, down in their cave, inundated her with thousand of compliments.

She got to try some of the best pieces of some of the collections she liked, and her personal photographer took gazillions of pictures.

Read about her fabulous life at her tumblr, click here.

Rendez Vous with Doychinoff

VFS: Hi guys, how are you?
D: Quite well!

VFS: Are you enjoying Paris?
D: Yes we are, wonderful city, and amazing weather!

VFS: What are you expectations from Paris?
D: Meeting interesting people  and make new PR, press and buyers contacts

VFS: What is the concept behind you SS12 collection?
D: Books themselves are our concept. Part of our collection represent the cover of old books the outside. the other part is the inside.

VFS: Are you getting inspired by any other designer in the showroom?
D: The others designers are great, other showrooms are more commercial, here it is  a bit more conceptual. It is good to see how others use fabrics, the quality or the techniques.

VFS: Which stores are you aiming to be selling at?
D: It could be good to get colette, because selling at Paris could be great and start building our international presence.


VFS: What are the highlights of the season?
D: Hey! it is not over yet, but so far Vogue Italia listed us in Vogue Talents and we met buyers from Hong Kong and Vancouver.

Also we have realized, through meeting people that for example America is not ready for a collection like ours.

VFS: Why you think is that?
D: They are more commercial, more comfortable, not so conceptual.

VFS: What is your favorite thing to do in Paris?
D: Walk around, get inspiration, and see the romantic side of Paris; Montmartre, Sacre coeur....

Getting To Know Anne Sofie Madsen.

VFS: What are your expectations from Paris?
A.S.M: We have a showroom in Copenhagen, and we decided to come to Paris to check out the big scene, to see if we can work with international PR agencies and find stockers. We wanted to go outside Denmark as it is a small country. We wanted to be around, see around and compare what others are doing.

VFS: What is the concept behind your collection?
A.S.M: We found our inspiration for this SS12 capsule collection in the legendary Japanese Hayao Miyazaki animation film, Princess Mononoke (1997).

Mononoke is a general term in Japanese foe spirit or monster. The duality is expressed in the contrast between the etherial and solid garments in the collection. Techniques and fabrics from classic European ballet costumes meets craftsmanship and silhouettes from the late Muromachi period of Japan and unveils a world of the contradictory and the complimentary. It is as a meeting between a mechanical ballerina and a graceful samurai.

VFS: Are you getting inspired by any other designers in the showroom?
A.S.M: Yes definitely, we don´t do knitting and being near to Alice Lee, who does purely knitting, makes you feel attracted. It is great to see what others can do.

VFS: What shops are you aiming to be selling at?
A.S.M: we would like to be selling at few shops with international presence, understanding the volumes of our collection and understanding our story. What we will be interested on would be in not as much as a store but as a brand ambassador.

VFS: What are the highlights for this season?
A.S.M: We opened Copenhagen Fashion Week, which is a big thing. Usually they pick someone well known, and the fact that they choose us, as new designers, is quite important for us.

Also, the show was a complete success, Dazed and Confused, Vogue Italia, Vogue America, The NY times, Love magazine, POP magazine, Style.com, among others, attended.

VFS: What is your favorite thing to do in Paris?
A.S.M: Be in the sun, which is one of Paris Highlights for this PFW, and walking around.

Little chat with Manuela Dack

VFS: Hello Manuela how are you?

M.D: Good thank you

VFS: Are you enjoying Paris?

M.D: I always love being in Paris during PFW as you get to see a different side of the city, plus the weather is amazing.

VFS: What you expect from Paris?

M.D: Hopefully get new stockists, particularly international stockists and interesting press, so I hope this happens here.

VFS: Tell us a bit of the concept behind you SS12 collection?

M.D: My origins are part of the inspiration. I grew up in the Caribbean, in Cayman Islands. You can see that in the colour selection, the embroidery, like the lobster or the squid, and the faux stingray printed leather. All these textures, colours and techniques are inspired by my background, as well as the 19th century drawings of Ernst Haeckell, a German zoologist, who illustrated his discoveries. Actually for this season, S/S’12, there have been a lot of designers who have referenced sea life and aquatic inspiration, so it’s great that a collection that is so personal to me seems to really fit the current mood.

VFS: So, is it pure coincidence or are you following trends?

M.D: It is purely accidental, I started gathering information and visuals and researching when I found a book of Haeckell’s drawings in an amazing shop in New York. I had been thinking for a while about doing a spring summer collection inspired by where I grew up and I knew I was going to exhibit with VFS,  so it seemed to be the perfect time to do it. My work is largely autobiographical so I don’t really consider trends, but it is nice when things coincide.

VFS: Are you getting inspired by others designers at the showroom?

M.D: Yes definitely. It is really interesting to see so many different designers in one space. For example my collection it is conceptual but in a sophisticated minimal form. The pieces are very wearable while still retaining all those elements of creativity and technique. Then you also have amazing designers like Leutton Postle, who are next to me in the exhibition, who are coming from a totally different angle using completely different materials to me and in a very different way. I work mainly with silk and leather, so seeing all the knitwear and the amazing things that this seasons designer are doing with it has been really intesting.

It has been great to meet designers who specialize in different techniques. For example, I didn’t study embroidery and this season has been the first time I have used it in a collection, but from working with embroidery this season it has already given me so many ideas for new collections, and how I can take that further, so it has been really interesting to talk to designers like Natalie Rae who specialize in embroidery. 

VFS: At what shops are you aiming to sell?

M.D: I am currently stocked at The Shop At Bluebird for Autumn/ Winter. I personally love the store, and we are already talking about future seasons. I also try to get in contact with shops I personally like and like to shop at. Selling at Liberty would be great, and Open Ceremony which I know quite well as it is really close to Alexander Wang’s studio in New York, where I used to work.

VFS: What have been the highlights of the season?

M.D: In terms of press Bethan, from Grazia Magazine, wrote a review on me and my collection, for the Fashion Editor at Large blog. I was really flattered that she liked the collection so much and it was great that my passion and enthusiasm came across and that was something she picked up on.

It has been great to get an immediate reaction from everyone. So far the reaction has been great, especially to the leather, which is quite an unusual texture and I think that if people ask to touch and try on your clothes that is the best compliment you can get.

But a big highlight of the season has been meeting personally, Susie Lau from Style Bubble. She has written about me a few times and has been a big supporter of my label from the start but we had actually never met. So it was great to meet her and show here the new collection.

VFS: What is your favorite thing to do in Paris?

M.D: Sit in a bistro, having an espresso and a plate of great food, while watching all chic men and woman passing by.