Thomas Tait Speaks Live to SHOWstudio!

Head over to Show Studio for a live interview with Fashion Scout designer Thomas Tait now!  Click here. 

This is a live event that has finished.  The complete interview is available for a limited time on-demand here.

EXCLUSIVE | FASHION SCOUT ANNOUNCES SADIE CLAYTON

Fashion Scout are thrilled to announce Sadie Clayton will be joining our Pop-Up Exhibition this February as part of the Fashion Scout live event. The designer, who appeared on the influential Not Just A Label this week, will be showcased alongside the brightest UK/international graduates and emerging designers. Taking place on the 23^rd of February, this will be the place to see the next big names in global fashion. We caught up with Sadie to discover her inspirations, creative process and future aspirations ahead of the upcoming exhibition:

What are your goals for 2015?

To continue to create copper inventions whether it be wild or wonderfully tailored. Continually, make people smile and feel excited.

My ultimate goal in life is to see Grace Jones in one of my pieces - she is forever my muse, so that's my goal for 2015 onwards :).

Could you tell us about this collection’s inspirations?

Lately, as crazy as it may sound, crystals and tumblestones. I am in awe with my crystal collection which my step father kindly sent me. I have been researching into them, activating them and carrying them. They are used to heal and protect. I aren’t going to talk too much about them as people begin to think I am going crazy (laughs), I have started using them and I am going to see where it'll take me! Watching my aw15 presentation will reveal all the inspiration which all stemmed from one little conversation. I’m recently obsessed with glitter and cactus’s too.

Do you have a specific research process when you start a new collection?

Yes I always have a colour palette first way before the season has even arrived – I then riffle my way through fabric shops, being inspired by textures is what leads me to my design process. My concept appears and I begin sketching, I always tend to go wild with my silhouettes then start reigning it all back in!

How do you balance creativity with commerce?

I seem to build two collections in one, always focusing on my key signatures - copper and structure. I am all about creativity, I have been since day one when studying, but the more you become emerged in the industry the more you realise you have to begin understanding how to create RTW to maintain a cash flow! So sad but so true! I can't live off making my copper metal sculptures - unfortunately!

Do you feel there’s a significant interest in young designers at the moment?

Yes for sure, there always is, there are always exciting new brands appearing. It's so difficult for us to fight against the beasts but that's the exciting part - the challenge!

How do you feel you have evolved as a designer since last years A/W collection?

I feel I have come on leaps and bounds simply because of my amazing supporters, I am so grateful I guess when you get one order you begin to realise the excitement and see what people really do want to wear of yours and then you move down into a whole new path.

I feel I have refined my sense of design and I am beginning to understand what my customer wants to wear, yet I'm still juggling both the ready to wear and the show pieces. I will never stop creating my copper inventions as that is part of me but the more I evolve the more I incorporate ready to wear.

How would you describe your design aesthetic in three words?

Power, Diverse, Copper

Where do you want to be in five years time?

I'd love to be where I feel I am now BUT with more exciting opportunities around me with more stockists and actually a real studio, working from my spare room at home isn't exactly ideal!

For Sadie's Not Just A Label, click here.

By Lewis R Waters / Leeomigh Dolan

Follow us on @fashionscout

#FashionScoutAW15

EXCLUSIVE| PINGHE SS14 After Party

 

Following the impressive PINGHE show last night, Freemasons Hall later played host to quite the afterparty. The star-studded front row were all in attendance along with a string of press, models and designers alike, all celebrating Ping’s remarkable craftsmanship. Whilst flutes of champagne and mouthwatering canapés floated amongst the guests, Mary Charteris spun an eclectic mix of house and pop-music tracks, sure to please all in attendance.

Whilst the dance floor was thriving, Ping herself spent the party mingling with her many fans, stopping to pose for photographs with fashion royalty, Poppy Delevingne, who earlier told us how impressed she was with the talent Fashion Scout is able to showcase each season. Of course, the striking designs we saw on the catwalk were not forgotten as the drinks flowed, with the models still dressed and made-up to perfection, showcasing the collection on various podiums dispersed through the party venue.

We hope there aren’t too many sore heads this morning for Day Two of London Fashion Week!

By Brooke McCord @BrookeMcCord 

Photographs by Asia Werbel

BACKSTAGE| Exclusive Imagery from behind-the-scenes at Pam Hogg

Fashion Scout gives you an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at Pam Hogg backstage at London Fashion Week. The First Lady of Fashion didn't disappoint with her incredible latex full body catsuit and conceptual headwear. 

Be sure to check out the full catwalk images on the Fashion Scout blog, bringing you every look from the runway as it happens as well as unique imagery and interviews you won't find anywhere else. 

Images by Asia Werbel 

EXCLUSIVE| Merit Award Yifang Wan & Chinese Artist Aiweiwei

After the success of Fashion Scout's Merit Award Winner Yifang Wan's catwalk showcase, Fashion Scout has exclusive imagery of the designer herself with China's best known living artist- Ai Weiwei.

Having attended the Beijing Film Academy and the Parsons School of Design in New York, Ai Weiwei has received an honorary doctorate from the Faculty of Politics and Social Science, University of Ghent, Belgium (2010), as well as winning many awards, including the Skowhegan Medal (2011) and the Chinese Contemporary Art Award (2008). 

Blending his work, including sculptures & photography with political influences and messages, Ai Weiwei challenges and embraces contemporary chinese political and social issues. 

His work has appeared in major exhibitions at Kunsthaus Bregenz (2011); the Victoria & Albert Museum, London (2011); Asia Society Museum, New York (2011); Tate Modern, London (2010); São Paulo Bienal (2010); Haus der Kunst, Munich (2009); Mori Art Museum, Tokyo (2009); and Documenta XII (2007). Ai Weiwei lives and works in Beijing, China.

EXCLUSIVE| Fashion Scout Blog chats to Merit Award Winner A/W13 Yifang Wan

 

A Fashion Scout blog exclusive - we chat to newly announced Merit Award Winner for A/W13, Yifang Wan. Yifang will be joining the names of Felder Felder, William Tempest, David Koma and Hermione de Paula as Fashion Scout's acclaimed Merit Award Winners. Yifang Wan will be showcasing her A/W13 collection at Fashion Scout's home of new talent London Fashion Week home, Freemason's Hall - both on the catwalk and as part of our Exhibition Space. 

Congratulations Yifang - how are you feeling ahead of the next collection now that you have the support of the 'Merit Award' in place? Is there an added sense of pressure knowing all eyes are on you, or are you looking forward to getting preparations for Autumn/Winter '13 underway?

It is such an honour to be recognised by Fashion Scout’s panel of experts as the prestigious Merit Award winner for the Autumn/Winter 2013-14 seasons. To be ranked alongside previous winners, any young designer like me would feel added pressure! But I always enjoy a good challenge. I have been working hard on my upcoming collection, and I hope you guys would love them as much as my ones so far.

Prior to your MA collection earlier this year (in reference to the work you produced for your 2010 BA), your work was comparatively pared down with a palette of duskier pinks and neutrals, and a silhouette dictated by the folds and fall of draped silks. Talk us through the developments that led to the unified duotone, linear cut, and accentuating blocks of Autumn/Winter '12, and Spring/Summer '13.

The starting point for my Autumn/Winter 12 and Spring/Summer 13 collections was optical illusion. At that time I was looking at 60’s minimal art and sculpture, and got excited about the scales, materials and geometric patterns involved. I started to experiment with different cutting.
I always see fashion as a soft sculpture form and I have been challenging myself to combine both soft and hard sculptures together. That is why I’ve introduced the solid belt. Considering the softness of the human body and the structure of the skeleton, belts can be made to twist and sit perfectly on the waist, hip and neck. 

Can you hint at whether the contrast we've seen between the softness suggested by the movement and feel of your fabrics, and the solidity of the blocked belts, and geometric necklines will continue into your Autumn/ Winter '13 Merit Award collection? 

I am excited to say that the design of my Autumn/Winter 13 Merit Award collection is based on a brand new concept. However, I see myself as a designer who cares a lot about shapes and structures, you will still get a feel of simple, clean, minimalist and the contrast from my previous collections with new elements added to it.

And finally, what- if any- are your expectations of the future with the springboard that the Merit Award provides? 

Winning the prestigious award was a very encouraging achievement, especially as it has been a tough journey to get there. I now have a huge confidence boost to continue to innovate and push myself to the forefront of the fashion industry. The sky’s the limit!

Sara McAlpine (@sara_mcalpine) Images by Asia Werbel

NEWS| Yifang Wan named Merit Award Winner A/W13

We are thrilled to announce Yifang Wan as the Merit Award winner for AW13/14. As the internationally recognised home of new talent, we have selected Central Saint Martins graduate Yifang Wan as the winner of this inaugural accreditation. 

Wan showcased her debut collection at Vauxhall Fashion Scout last season following her 2012 graduation from CSM's MA course (where she also won the CSM LʼOreal Professional Award in 2010). 

The highly acclaimed Merit Award is worth £25,000 over three seasons and provides the winner with a fully sponsored catwalk show and exhibition at Vauxhall Fashion Scout during London and Paris Fashion Weeks. Testimonies to the statue of this accreditation are clear through previous recipients William Tempest, David Koma, Eudon Choi and Heohwan Simulation.

This seasonʼs Selection Panel included Hilary Alexander, Jessica Bumpus of Vogue.com, Hannah Emslie of Selfridges, VFS alumni Georgia Hardinge, stylist Rebekah Roy, Vauxhall Fashion Scout Founder and Director Martyn Roberts and VFS Talent Scout Charlotte Gunstone.

Martyn Roberts on newly announced Merit Award winner Yifang Wan:  

“Yifang Wan is set to join the ranks of leading fashion innovators in London. Her square cut shapes coupled with quality fabrics, lends itself to clever draping and sensational design. Her contemporary design aesthetic has been grabbing the attention of leading buyers and won her fans from around the world.”

NEWS| Joe Turvey on Fashion East's Menswear Installation A/W 13/14

It's a delight to hear that former Men's OTW designer Joseph Turvey has been selected to be a part of Fashion East's AW13 menswear installation. Known for their display of the most impressive upcoming talent, Fashion East will bring together the work of London's best menswear designers and put them under one roof in January next year. 

Turvey graduated from the London College of Fashion with a BA in Womenswear Fashion Design before studying an MA in Fashion Design Technology, where he applied his illustrative skills, love of tradition and unconventional texture to menswear. "The Ones to Watch show was such an amazing experience for me," Turvey commented on being selected. "It was the starting point of my career and I am truly grateful to the Vauxhall Fashion Scout's team for their ongoing support."

As always, we tried to get the insider scoop on Joe’s AW13/14 collection and he chatted to us exclusively:

"For AW13 I am collaborating with a very well established brand... and I am super excited to see the finished products. I have moved a lot of my production to Europe and this has opened a lot of doors to new techniques and fabrications. I really can’t wait to be a part of the Fashion East installation... the location is amazing and the other designers are very talented and I’m looking forward to being a part of it."

By Josh Walker (@josh_walker_)

Images from Fashion 156

ANNOUNCEMENT| Official Vauxhall Fashion Scout Instagram for London Fashion Week

Follow us at: 'vauxhallfashionscout' on Instagram  for exclusive backstage & catwalk imagery live from VFS. 

Images By Asia Werbel