EXHIBITION| One's to Watch Charlotte Simpson S/S13

Featured in prestigious publications Elle, Vogue and i-D, Charlotte Simpson, winner of the Zandra Rhodes Textile Award, seduced the Ones To Watch audience as her understated designs graced the SS 13 catwalk. Vauxhall Fashion Scout spoke with the British designer after the show to gain an insight into her inspirations and developments.

Your current collection shares the same inspiration as your ‘Biological Dimensions’ show, what made you continue in this direction?

I still get a lot of inspiration from the same imagery, there’s a lot of interesting microscopy photography out there so there was still a lot for me to explore, and there still is.

Will we see this inspiration transpiring into future collections then?

Probably a development of, but in a different direction.

What initially attracted you to researching biological images?

It was research when I was at university into a specific subject – the imagery really caught my attention.

Can you talk us through the beautiful colour palette you have chosen to work with?

Yes! The colour palettes are based on scientific imagery as well so there’s a lot of … well.. they take the photos in black and white and then add the colours afterwards so it’s normally quite vivid. So that’s why the pastels and quite bright citrus come in.

How do you feel you have developed as a designer since studying at LCF?

My last collection, my MA collection, was specifically done for show purposes so it wasn’t really that feasible. Now I’ve had the chance to do a collection I’m really gearing towards sales.

How have people reacted to your collection?

There’s been really good feedback - a lot of people come to the VFS shows. It’s been really positive so far, everyone seems to have really like it – which is great!

How do you feel about being a Vauxhall Fashion Scout Ones To Watch designer?

It’s been really great; I’ve really enjoyed it. It’s been wonderful to have the show and to gain that experience and to get the exposure. I was really pleased to find out I was a Ones To Watch designer, it was really great to get the chance to show.

What can we expect to see from you next?

Hopefully another collection! A development on but with a similar aesthetic. But it won’t be the same thing!

Freya Hill (@Freyahilltalkin)
Images by Rebecca Andrews

EXCLUSIVE| Designer Interviews at the launch for Vauxhall's new supermini- Adam

  

Vauxhall have teamed up with three of Britain's most innovative designers to create three customised cars for the launch of their new supermini, Adam. Available in three trims, the Adam car blends your own sense of style and taste with classic Vauxhall detailing and top-of-the-range components. 

Fred Butler, Louise Gray and Vauxhall Fashion Scout designer James Small worked with mentors and the designers at Vauxhall to designer three one-of-a-kind cars to celebrate these individualised cars. Vauxhall Fashion Scout caught up with the designers at the launch party of the Adam car & exclusive behind-the-scenes film. 

Fred Butler

You collaborated with Vauxhall this season on designers for their new ADAM car; how did you find the experience and what drew you to take on board the project?

I've never done a car before and I don't think i'd ever get the opportunity to do it again so it was amazing. I love trying out different things, anything that comes my way.

What was the experience like?

Brilliant because it was very free- we could do whatever we wanted. I really enjoy doing origami so that is what I did, and then I made it big.

What do you think of Vauxhall Fashion Scout , have you managed to see anything this season?

Brilliant, yeah really exciting. I haven't because I was finishing my own collection but I came to Pam Hogg yesterday after my show.

We caught up with Fred again later on after the premiere of the new Vauxhall ADAM film and advert.

What did you think of the film?

I think it's fantastic, the mentor side of it; it's captured that forever. I don't think anyone necessarily would have been able to get all of those people together so yeah.

What was it about Diane (Pernet; Fred's mentor for the project) that inspired you?

Just her really; always being so open, friendly and supportive.

James Small 

What drew you to the project initially and what was your experience working with Vauxhall like?

I've worked with Vauxhall for many a season and they've been very supportive and they're very open minded. They don't really put any pressure on us to change our designs or our viewpoints and they're very creative in their own way. I went over to Germany and met their whole design team and they're an amazing bunch; very creative and we all got along.

Words by Madeleine Ayers (@MadeleineAyers)

NEWS| Vauxhall Fashion Scout, the Home of New Talent; scouting the next generation of British Design Talent

Merit Award Winner Heohwan Simulation

Raffaele Ascione

Zeynep Tosun 

Manuela Dack

Leutton Postle Backstage

Leutton Postle 

Sabina Bryntesson

Sabina Bryntesson

Myrza De Muynck

One's To Watch Designer Hellen Van Rees

Phoebe English

Phoebe English

Supporting, nurturing and showcasing new talent is what Vauxhall Fashion Scout is all about; bridging the gap between mainstream media, press and industry and emerging, new and even graduating designers. 

Hand-selecting designers each season, and scouting the Graduate Showcases from across the country make VFS a personal and intimate showcase to be a part of. With help from esteemed members of the industry- including Vogue.co.uk, Browns, Avenue 32, Not Just A Label, Selfridges and POP magazine, S/S13 saw an amazing array of new talent for our off-schedule London Fashion Fashion Week. 

The Vauxhall Fashion Scout One's To Watch showcase is always.. well, one to watch, however this season Hellen Van Rees, Charlotte Simpson, Hana Cha and Ming Pin Tien brought a series of collections that produced a wave of appreciation for the sheer magnetism of new talent in the industry. 

Last season's Merit Award Winner Phoebe English brought in the crowds, including Front Row Guests from The Shop Bluebird, Dover Street Market, CSM & Susie Bubble- who also visited One's To Watch designer from last season, Myzra De Muynck, backstage and Manuela Dack who has been featured many a time on Stylebubble.com. 

Long standing Vauxhall Fashion Scout designers Leutton Postle are often featured in mainstream media and press, impressing the industry with their attention to detail and use of bright and vivid colours to produce an eye-catching, slight tongue-in-cheek but completely wearable collection; a stark contrast to this season's Merit Award winner Heohwan Simulation- who's sharp lines and clean aesthetic are some-what of a calling card for his unparalleled blend of menswear tailoring and femininity in his collections.  

This season, however, saw the celebration of the Graduate designer. With Kingston University showing their MA collection as part of of our off-schedule line up, and debut catwalk collections from Sabine Bryntesson and Zeynup Tosun- the industry can't get enough of these fresh and young-minded designers. Having received attention from Vogue, Sabina Bryntesson's collection did not disappoint, with Zeynup Tosun being highlighted by Susie Bubble as a highlight for the season.

Vauxhall Fashion Scout, unparalleled for the appreciation and support of next generation designers, showcase every season with a new line-up of hand-picked emerging designers. For more information on VFS and the designers themselves, head to the new-look website- www.vauxhallfashionscout.com

NEWS| Style.com feature Vauxhall Fashion Scout as "hot spot for new talent" with Susie Bubble

Susie Lau, more commonly known as blogger Susie Bubble, has written a piece for esteemed Fashion site- Style.com, featuring the importance of emerging designers and their place in 'Off-Schedule' Shows during S/S13 London Fashion Week, focussing emphatically on the role of Vauxhall Fashion Scout. 

Describing Vauxhall Fashion Scout as a 'hot spot for new talent', Susie looks specifically at VFS S/S13 designers Merit Award winner Heohwan Simulation, former Merit winners Leutton Postle and Phoebe English as well as Zeynup Tosun and Myrza de Muynck (Susie pictured above, backstage at Myrza this week). Susie focuses on the importance of Vauxhall Fashion Scout as a springboard for new and innovative design talent and our 'impressive off schedule'. Read the full blog post  here. 

We loved seeing Susie at some of our shows this season and we even caught up with her on the last day of our S/S13 showcase which you can read here  

By Cass Gowing, Editor

Images - screenshot from Style.com and photograph of Susie backstage at Myrza de Muynck by Abby Gurney-Read. 

PRESS| Sabina Bryntesson joins Vauxhall Fashion Scout and attracts the attention from British Vogue

The penultimate show of Vauxhall Fashion Scout was from Sabina Bryntesson, a CSM graduate who was tipped at one of the top 5 MA grads this year. The show attracted a lot of attention after Jessica Bumpus, Fashion Features Editor at Vogue.com, identified her as a designer to watch out for when Vauxhall Fashion Scout interviewed her for the Browns Blog in August this year. Jessica came to Vauxhall Fashion Scout to see the show today and seemed to be very impressed by Sabina's most recent work.

The designer told Vogue about the SS'13 collection, describing how she is “interested in how people dress depending on what religious beliefs they have and how important colour is for the imagery in these groups and the impact of strictness and conformity”. Jessica was right to anticipate Sabina's success, the collection was slick, intelligent and refined.

Text by Katie Agar (@katie_agar)

HIGHLIGHTS| Full collection of highlights from Vauxhall Fashion Scout S/S13

Pam Hogg presents her S/S13 Collection

Supermodel Alek Wek walks for Das Collection

Backstage with Toni & Guy

Vauxhall present their new 'Supermini' Adam

Hilary Alexander visits The Graduate Showcase 

Heohwan Simulation presents his Merit Award Collection

Vauxhall Fashion Scout London Exhibition

SNOG - Official Sponsor for Vauxhall Fashion Scout

London Exhibition & International Reception for Press & Buyers

The Body Shop with Vauxhall Fashion Scout

Backstage at One's To Watch- Ming Pin Tien 

Exhibition Space & International Reception at Vauxhall Fashion Scout

Vogue Italia Editor Sara Maino visits Vauxhall Fashion Scout 

Backstage with Lan Nguyen-Grealis & The Body Shop

Images by Dani Farrow, Hannah Wilson, Asia Werbel, Rebecca Andrews & Kevin Chesnais

HIGHLIGHTS| The Final Day at Vauxhall Fashion Scout

Myrza De Muynck Presentation

Sabina Bryntesson Catwalk/Presentation

Leutton Postle Presentation

Toni & Guy Trends Backstage

Sabina Bryntesson Presentation

Nova Chiu Backstage

Leutton Postle Backstage

Backstage Model Line Up

Beach Blanket Babylon Pop-Up Bar, Media Centre

Sponsor Goody Bag & LFW Survival Kit

Images by Hannah Wilson, Rebecca Andrews, Dani Farrow, Lauren Marsh

COLLECTION| FAD - Fashion Awareness Direct S/S13

 

The concluding show of Vauxhall Fashion Scout was FAD, ‘Fashion Awareness Direct’; a presentation of 25 teenagers from inner-city areas of both London and Manchester.  Selected from over 100 entrants, the final 25 had been hand-picked by a panel of industry professionals.  Each piece shown in the show had been created in the intense time-frame of 5 days; the result of an intensive summer programme.

Designers were given a common theme of Great Britain, with a task to embody their interpretation of the theme within their pieces.  The collection as a whole was united in a patriotic defiance; mirroring the punk scene that epitomised Britain in the 1980s.  The colour-scheme adhered to a controlled palette of red, white and blue; maintaining an element of uniformity, despite the differing styles of each designer.  

At the conclusion of the show, the winners of the prestigious awards and special mentions were announced.  This is the list as it was announced:

Sketchbook Work (special mention): Ezoe Robinson

Illustration (special mention): Robyn Yang

Creative Pattern Cutting (winner): Toyosi Salvador

Commercial Awareness (winner): Denea Joseph

FAD Junior Award Winner 2012: Serife Niyazi

Vauxhall Fashion Scout would like to congratulate all of the designers on their wonderful creations, and once again give praise to FAD on their continuing diligence and important work in promoting the work of these young, talented individuals.     

Photography by Rebecca Andrews