DESIGNER SPOTLIGHT SS15| One to Watch Cassandra Verity Green

Capturing the eye of press like Dazed & Confused, i-D and MTV, knitwear designer Cassandra Verity Green takes inspiration from personal experience, emotion and memory. 

Named one of our Ones to Watch this season by an industry panel which included stylist Rebekah Roy, Hilary Alexander and Phoebe English, Green uses colour and cut to put together an aesthetic that's playfully innocent.

Known for the manner in which she included her goldfish within her bags, she's gained experience under the likes of Craig Lawrence and Leutton Postle before launching her own label. Graduating from Central Saint Martins in 2013, she has already won Grazia's Fashfactor competition in collaboration and gained sponsorship from Spinexpo and Santoni Shanghai. 

Presenting as part of our Ones to Watch showcase tomorrow at 13:30 alongside Keiko Nishiyama, Min Wu and Youjia Jin, Green's technical, hand-crafted pieces and meticulous work ethic are sure to be a definite progression from her debut 'Neptune's Daughter' collection. 

Be sure to check back to the blog throughout Fashion Week for exclusive Fashion Scout coverage, as well as follow our Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Images, courtesy of Cassandra Verity Green. 

SS15 PREVIEW| One to Watch Keiko Nishiyama

Womenswear designer and London College of Fashion graduate, Keiko Nishiyama, creates highly ornate fashion and textile design which combine unexpected and philosophical elements of Europe and Tokyo. Favouring bold digital prints within her work, Nishiyama has been named a One to Watch by this season's Fashion Scout judging panel. We caught up with her ahead of her SS15 catwalk showcase to find out what we can expect to see this season.

Fashion Scout: What has inspired your SS15 collection?

Keiko Nishiyama: This season I have predominantly been inspired by Aquariums. I was also inspired by Wunderkammer, a collective culture also known as ‘Cabinets of Curiosities’. This interesting, if slightly quirky culture, looks to the idea of museums and rooms being filled with historical relics and antiquities with each room being produced by peoples different curiosities, I have combined these two themes for my SS15 collection. The model's aesthetic within this collection is mermaid-like and is inspired by the film ‘Night and Tide’ as directed by Curtis Harrington.

FS: Can you tell us about your design aesthetic?

KN: I am intrigued by beauty and fantasy. When I see women I look to their personal and individual charm rather than just seeing their immediate aesthetic beauty. When thinking about my design and print work, I strive for it not only to look aesthetically beautiful but also to have a somewhat bizarre element of intrigue to it. I like it when things look slightly mad! To me this is beauty. When I design, I always think about the combination of the detail and the fabrics that I use as I like them to clash in an almost unexpected manner in order to achieve my desired unconventional aesthetic.

FS: What fabrics and techniques have you used to help to create your vision in your SS15 collection?

KN: I am dedicated to the use of digital print, yet I have also opted for hand drawn print for SS15 as well. This season I have definitely favoured more delicate fabric choices and a deeper toned colour palette.

FS: How does it feel to be named a One to Watch?

KN: I am very pleased and excited to be named a One to Watch! It is an amazing opportunity and I will be showing my first collection since graduating from LCF in 2013 so I am very excited to be doing so as a One to Watch.

FS: What can we expect to see from your brand in the future?

KN: I feel that the strongest and most unique point of difference for my brand is my print design so I intend to continue to develop upon that in future collections. I am always keen to portray a feeling of madness and obsession through my print design. With this in mind, I am aware that the appeal of my work does depend of consumer and commercial taste, however, I do feel that my printed garments can also be added to more minimally styled outfits to provide an accent to each individuals own personal style. I am also designing a fashion accessories line, with garments such as tights which can be easily integrated into any look. As a woman myself I always consider and take into account how a garment can be worn and styled for everyday life.

FS: What are you excited about us seeing in your new SS15 collection?

KN: I am excited about you seeing the evolution from my first collection which looked at obsession through floral design. For this season, my fundamental concept is similar however I am going to convey another dimension of obsession. You will see the same direction within my print design but with a new, fresh and just as wacky twist to it for my SS15 collection.

By Charlotte Muscat, Contributor, (CharlotteLM9).
Images, courtesy of the designer.

NEWS| Helen Lawrence Announced for Fashion East SS15

Fashion East have announced their SS15 designer roll call, including previous Fashion Scout One To Watch Helen Lawrence (pictured). 

This is Lawrence’s second season with the initiative, setting her hot on the heels of Fashion East alumni Henry Holland, Roksanda Ilincic and Katie Eary.

Lawrence showed a cool colour palette of soft grey, mint and monochrome for AW14, knits made modern with bare midriffs, skirts more seductive with thigh high splits. Scribble stitch embroidery is a Lawrence signature, complementing PVC textures and undulating hemlines. This collection was more sedate that SS14, which featured lime knits and powder pink PVC. It’s clear Lawrence has a talent for mixing materials in her sculptural designs.

Lawrence graduated from Central Saint Martins in 2012, after completing a textile degree at Chelsea College of Art & Design. She then worked with classmate Craig Green on his men’s knitwear, also spending time at Mark Fast and Alexander McQueen. With V magazine, i-D, Vogue and Style.com keeping track of the Tyneside native, Lawrence’s fresh approach to textiles is set to cement her status as a fashion innovator.

Read more about Helen Lawrence and other Fashion East designers HERE.

By Isabella Silvers, Contributor, (@izzymks). 

Images by Jamike-Latif, (@JamikeLatif).

NEWS| Myrza de Muynck featured on Style.com

Myrza de Muynck Autumn/ Winter '13 images via Style.com

Think back to February of last year, and as distant as it seems, the 'One to Watch' picks for Autumn/Winter have proved there's truth to that claim with the successes following their inaugural showcase. 

The most recent to be featured online is Dutch-born Myrza de Muynck, whose subversion of classic silhouettes, and conventional qualities of the 1980's ubiquitous shell-suit has earnt her a steady-following of revered professionals.

Adding to coverage from the BBC, Because magazine, and several posts by Susie Bubble, a conceptual short supporting de Muynck's Autumn/Winter '13 collection now features as part Style.com's Video Fashion Week.

Watch the film here, and find our exclusive interview with behind-the-scenes images here.

NEWS| 'Schlep Suit'- Myrza de Muynck on Style Bubble

Myrza de Muynck has racked quite the fan base since her inaugural showing with us back in February. Labelled 'One-to-Watch' for Autumn/ Winter, and featured by the BBC, and Italian Vogue, Muynck has clearly fulfilled- and exceeded- any expectations of a design talent worth watching.

Having tided alongside fashion's emerging throughout the early stages of their careers, one factor remaining constant, and at the crux of a designer's success is just that- remaining "constant"; consistently presenting innovative ideas. 

So, consider it a mark of success that Dutch-born Myrza de Muynck has again been featured by Style Bubble's Susanna Lau in her two season run. Having previously profiled Muynck's delicate reinterpretation of the ubiquitous 80s shell-suit, Lau goes on to detail the designer's developments for Spring, and justifies our previously ascribed 'One to Watch' tag. 

Read the piece in full here, and let us know what you think via Twitter.

INTERVIEW| Myrza de Muynck

Myrza de Muynck is known for collections that have fascinating starting points and an intelligent approach to fashion design. She does something really different to other designers, approaching the presentation of her collection in a unique way with juxtaposed musical beats and models gracefully floating, almost dancing, in and out of the room. VFS caught up with Myrza after the show to find out a little more about the collection and the show.

VFS: Hi Myrza, we saw the show and loved it! What was the starting point of the collection?

Myrza: It was a continuation of what i've been doing before so I saw a book about Holland mania and I thought it was interesting to have that 'mania' about something. In the 1920's it was Egyptomania so there is some Egyptian things in there with the embroideries because in the twenties a lot of the references were Egyptian so I put that in there. That was combined with sort of casuals and sportswear influences.

VFS: There was a really interesting juxtaposition with the music, where did that come from?

Myrza: I wanted it to slow down and be a bit awkward, less fast and sort of combining old with something new, being sort of nostalgic but in a new way.

VFS: What fabrics were you using for the collection?

Myrza: I used a lot of linen, and cotton, towelling and tulle. Summery fabrics basically.

VFS: So how have you found Vauxhall Fashion Scout as a whole?

Myrza: It's really really great. They support you and they've been wonderful. And the venue is beautiful! It's been amazing.

Interview by Katie Agar

Image by Rebecca Andrews