Grazia previews the Ones to Watch!

The girls at Grazia have given this season’s Ones to Watch designers a right royal seal of approval, with a sneaky preview of the what to expect from the talented group.  With a low down of past Merit award winners and their celebrity fans, this is a perfect, whistle-stop tour of the VFS Ones to Watch initiative.  Click here to check out the article!

Posted by Fiona Anderson

Image: Ones to Watch designer Askh

A man and his mouse - David Longshaw and Maude

There’s a mouse in the house over at David Longshaw, with the reign of his murine companion, Maude the mouse.  “I made her out of cashmere that Richard James of Savile Row gave me” explains the Ones to Watch designer.

Stitched together during his CSM years, Longshaw’s cuddly creation appears to be carving a career of her own, with two articles for Disorder magazine.  Longshaw, hidden behind the miniature guise of Maude, has written, illustrated and produced all the photography for the articles, resulting in a brilliantly dreamed up fantasy interview between Maude (and her troop of fabric friends, the Maudettes) and the designer himself. Click here to read the full interview over at Disorder.

Longshaw’s gin-swigging, attitude-packed, beady eyed alter-ego doesn’t stop there.  She’s also interviewed designer, Timothy Lee, for her second instalment at Disorder magazine and featured in Volume Magazine with her friend, and Charles Anastase fan, Mildred the penguin.

With the confidence of Paxman and the ease of Parky, Maude the fictional fabric mouse is set to take over the world.  To hear more from the chicest rodent in town, check out her blog What Maude Wore Next and to find out more about Maude’s online magazine, Maudezine, see http://www.davidlongshaw.co.uk/.

Longshaw’s natural talent for illustration as well as designing sets him apart and it’s refreshing to have playful fun injected back into the industry. We’ve heard Maude will be lurking around over fashion week, so keep your eyes open.

Emma Drinnan & Fiona Anderson

David Longshaw SS10

Iris Van Herpen collaborates with avante garde accessories designers to style her AW10 collection

Iris Van Herpens’ three-dimensional garments resemble art or sculpture rather than fashion. Her incredible imagination, combined with the use of unusual fabrics and materials, has gained the Dutch fashion designer an enviable reputation within the industry, even though she only graduated in 2006.

This season while showing with Vauxhall Fashion Scout she is collaborating with some impressive artists. The models will strut down the catwalk wearing hats and headpieces designed by Irene Bussemaker and shoes by the United Nude label.

Milliner Irene Bussemaker also experiments with unusual shapes and materials including leather, feathers and even plastic. She divides her designs into categories including Dareables (for those who dare) and Wearables (easy to wear). She is inspired by things around her, especially nature.

The innovative shoe brand United Nude has established itself with concise concepts and elegant designs. It is distributed in over thirty countries worldwide, including the fashion capitals of New York, London and Shanghai. Designed by a selection of creative minds including architects and photographers, you can see how the experimental style will work with Iris Van Herpen's collection. 

And with James Brown and his team doing the hair backstage it looks set to be an exciting show.

Posted by Emma Drinnan

Prophetik in the press

As Jeff Garner, the man behind Tennessee-based sustainable men's and womenswear brand, Prophetik prepares for his show Southern Shores on the 19^th February, he is fast gaining interest by the press. Well, he does do dresses painted by elephants…

At Spoonfed Tom Jeffreys writes:

One of Jeff's philosophies is “The Sustainable Journey”. “This means,” he explains, “that a meaningful analysis and evaluation of any product's relationship to the environment must include a broad array of criteria including low-impact production, low-impact maintenance, and its classification as recyclable, reusable or incineratable. Primary considerations are low impact on plant and animal life, conservation of limited resources, and waste minimisation.”

But this is also a fashion label, and the look is just as important as the philosophy. Luckily, for both men and women, Prophetik is both ethical and seriously cool. And they even do dresses painted by elephants! “Designing for both men and women becomes a story, as the collections have to complement each other. I actually have a lot of pieces that are unisex as well. For menswear we blend organic silk, hemp and organic cotton for smoking jackets, trousers and waistcoats and for the womenswear we do pieces like organic silk dresses, two-toned hemp cardigan dresses, and organic cotton day dresses. The colour palettes always reflect and play off each other.

Read the full story (and all about the elephants) here

And over at Drapers Online stylist and Vauxhall Fashion Scout favourite Rebekah Roy writes:

“I respect London and the UK in their drive for sustainable and ethical fashion.  I’m looking forward to doing and all-sustainable catwalk show at Vauxhall Fashion Scout. I’m hoping it will set a marker for the future of the industry and that I can be catalyst to encourage other companies and individuals to get involved in sustainability.”

Read the full interview here

Posted by Hannah Kane

The winners of The Fashion Scout illustration competition

Over the last few weeks we’ve been running a competition in conjunction with the fantastic students at the London College of Fashion to find the best new writers, photographers and illustrators to come and join us on the blog team at the upcoming fashion week. 

The illustrators were judged by Daisy de Villeneuve - one of the country’s top fashion artists who has illustrated for British Vogue, Topshop, Moët and Chandon, the V&A, Elle Decoration, Nylon, Nike, Browns Focus, Boots, Random USA and UK, and the Fashion and Textile Museum among others.

The winners are:

Louise O’ Keeffe, 1^st Year BA Hons Fashion Illustration, LCF

Daisy says: “Louise's illustrations were stylish, colourful with good added detail to the clothes”.

Kelly Sheppard, 2^nd Year BA Hons Fashion Illustration, LCF
Daisy says: “Kelly's illustrations were strong and bold, giving the characters she'd drawn attitude in which the clothing came alive”.

Hana Termanini, 1^st Year BA Hons Fashion Illustration, LCF
Daisy says: “Hana's illustrations were quirky and fun, I liked her use of colour and line throughout”.

They're a talented lot this bunch! Keep checking back over fashion week (19th -24th February) when they'll be drawing AW10's collections live from the front row...

Posted by Hannah Kane

Images: top: Louise O'Keeffe, middle: Kelly Sheppard, bottom: Hana Termanini

AW10 Menswear Designers

The boys are back in town and set to bring down the house this season.  Beekay, Komakino, Orschel-Read, Braille and studio_805 make up our menswear designers, and have already got our juices flowing with their refreshing, super modern perspective on 21^st century menswear.  For Pakistan born Beekay, tough, punky masculinity will be the order of the day.  A powerful, confident aesthetic dominates the brand, mixing tough, rebellious leather with lighter, more flexible fabrics like denim and lycra. 

Husband and wife team Komakino (pictured above) take elements of classic menswear and rough it up, slashing fabric, ripping off sleeves and featuring frayed edges and exposed seams.  Fusing military influences with classic tailoring, the design duo use leather and fabric manipulations to create a clean, modern view of masculinity.

Over at Orschel-Read, expect suped up, futuristic boys to rule the pack, as innovative, new generation tailoring and sci-fi style lines are at the centre of this brand.  Already worn by Ga Ga herself (unperturbed by the fact it's meant for men), and shot by photography gods Hedi Slimane, Nick Knight and David Bailey, Orschel-Read take couture fabrics and make them wearable and exciting. 

Now, despite all this macho talk, every girl needs a gent from time to time, and Braille will deliver just that.  Providing a fresh, crisp and upbeat look, Braille employs a smart, classic silhouette in natural fabrics like hemp and wool.  Coupled with a soft, flattering colour palette, the brand expertly transforms the traditional suit and tie aesthetic into a clean, modern, relaxed look.

For something all the more surprising, studio_805, created by Leeds Collage of Art graduate, Andrew Bannister, takes mainstream menswear and administers a much needed dose, actually, make that a triple dose, of fun.  Chocka-block with neon colours and bold, graphic patterns, expect a collection that’s a feast for the eyes from start to finish.

In a world when the girls always seems to get first dibs in the style stakes, this season it seems the lads are going to be spoilt for choice.  Yes, men, throw out those ill fitting polyester suits and comedy socks, this season, you are about to be well and truly styled up.   

Posted by Fiona Anderson

An the Oscar goes to... Vauxhall Fashion Scout Film Club! Do you have a fashion film to show at London Fashion Week?

Here at The Fashion Scout we love fashion film. The way it encapsulates a designer’s collection in a more conceptual way. Music and the pace of the video set the tone, and being able to see garments moving on a model really captures our imaginations.

Now you can keep us (and the rest of the world) occupied, if only for a few minutes, by producing more fashion films. Vauxhall Fashion Scout is proud to be presenting The Fashion Film Club during London Fashion Week. Designers can submit fashion films to be shown at the film event.

The deadline is Saturday February 13^th 2010 - there are a few requirements including that the maximum duration is 4 minutes. For further information and enquiries please contact Mail@LaraFerros.com.

Posted by Emma Drinnan

Fashion Film by Can Evgin from Visions on Vimeo.

Theatre de la mode from Visions on Vimeo.

Fashion Film Neurotica from Visions on Vimeo.

Fashion Film Milena Silvano from Visions on Vimeo.

Showtime: The London a la Mode pop-up showroom

London a la Mode is a pop up showroom held at Liberty House, introducing British brands to domestic and international buyers, press and stylists.  Running from the 2^nd-26^th February, this uniquely collaborative showroom, owned by the brands it represents, includes an exciting mix of British talent, including Vauxhall Fashion Scout's Viking Wong, Ada Zanditon and Harriet’s Muse.   

Brit designer Alice Palmer will also be presenting her new diffusion line ‘AP’ to independent buyers.  Inspired by Batman, this knitwear line features minimalist garments in blacks, greys and teals, in short jackets and body con silhouettes.  Previously stocked by ASOS and Topshop Oxford Street, AP is set to conquer the independent retailers too, with her modernist, clean aesthetic.     
Having already notched up a loyal following of celebrities, stylists and press, the featured designers are the crème de la crème of design talent.  Expect the room to be a-buzz and reams of industry insiders queuing around the block.

To find out more, click here to view the London a la Mode website.

Posted by Fiona Anderson

Esprit de Corps (HORACE ready to wear)

This season sees the design team behind the minimalistic, androgynous and deliciously edgy label, HORACE, present their new ready to wear collection, Esprit de Corps.  Oozing with lashings of classy, understated sex appeal and contemporary, feminine chic, Esprit de Corps (by HORACE) is sophisticated, sassy, and a new, grown up direction for the design team.  Will they pull of another show stopping collection?  We reckon so, with bells on.

The current Horace line can be picked up at Kokon to Zai in London, or if you’re across the pond, Seven New York.

Posted by Fiona Anderson

Image from Horace mainline SS09 collection

Vauxhall Fashion Scout announces Exhibition designers

We can now announce our exhibition designers! The talented bunch exhibiting their collections this season are:

Beekay

Braille

Charlotte Taylor

Chelsea Rebelle

Dean Quinn

Felicity Brown

Lidjia &Dejan's

Silja Manninen

Viking Wong

You’ll get a second chance to see some of our catwalk stars, too, as they’ll also be exhibiting their collections. Hot off the runway, the designers are:

Doii

Jcob Kimmie

Ones to Watch:

ASKH

David Longshaw

Eudon Choi

Florencia Kozuch

Merit Award winner: Hermione de Paula

Keep your eyes peeled for more info coming soon!

Posted by Fiona Anderson

Image: Chelsea Rebelle

Spotlight on the Ones to Watch: Eudon Choi

All big hair and red lipstick set against a vibrant urban backdrop. This beautiful photo shoot showcases Ones to Watch designer and rising star Eudon Choi's SS10 collection. Asymmetric paneled dresses mixed with soft, elegant silk tie ribbons.

Eudon Choi studied menswear at RCA before finally turning his talents to womenswear. Not only was his graduate collection stocked at Dover Street Market he went to design at All Saints and Twenty8 Twelve before starting his new label.

His incredible knowledge of pattern cutting as well as the female form is showcased through detailed construction. His figure-hugging, sensuous designs with a high fashion edge have already attracted Sienna Miller and Jade Jagger as fans.

The collection was inspired by Joan Crawford in Mommie Dearest, watch the trailer below and you will see the muted hues and power shoulder.

Posted by Emma Drinnan

BODYAMR SS10 Film

Fashion Scout has an incredible schedule this season and there are so many designers I am already a fan of. London based fashion designer Amr Ali is one of those, he set up the BODYAMR label whilst studying and is now well known for his feminine designs in vibrant colours.

At the end of last year BODYAMR produced a beautiful fashion film to showcase their SS10 collection, premiering it at Somerset House. Sunlight bursting over barren landscape and flashing lights in a bustling city, the gorgeous backdrop is set against eerie music.

Fashion photographer Emma Summerton who stars in the film also shot and directed the video with Tony Notarberardino. Summerton’s gorgeous red lips and long windswept hair look stunning styled with the fluid, silhouette-enhancing collection. I hope there’s another collaboration this season, I don’t know about you but I want to see more.

Posted by Emma Drinnan

The Darlings of Disney: Anika Noni Rose and William Tempest at the premiere of The Princess and the Frog

Hurrah!  Disney’s gone all fashion on us since the news that William Tempest has designed a dress for the leading lady of new animated movie, The Princess and the Frog.  Disney’s latest star, Anika Noni Rose, whose character is the beautiful Princess Tiana, wore her specially made dress to the film’s premiere last Sunday, and earned the talented Tempest a mention on GMTV where the actress was interviewed.  The hyper-structured, origami inspired dress is a far cry from the usual bows and frills of Beauty and Cinderella; this is a gown fit for a thoroughly modern day Disney heroine, and we love it!

Posted by Fiona Anderson

Vauxhall Fashion Scout announces the Ones to Watch

Finally the announcement we have been waiting for - the Ones To Watch. This February, Vauxhall Fashion Scout will showcase four AW10 collections by Askh, Eudon Choi, David Longshaw and Florencia Kozuch. Ones To Watch has for the past two seasons launched the careers of many emerging designers including Dean Quinn, Alice Palmer, Ada Zanditon and this season merit award winner Hermione de Paula.

Ones To Watch has already had coverage in all the right places including FTape, Vogue and Grazia even saying that they "absolutely blimmin’ love Vauxhall Fashion Scout... We can’t wait to go along to the show and try our hand at identifying future Alexander McQueens!" I don’t know about you but neither can I. See you there.

Click here to  view the coverage on: Grazia | Vogue |FTape 

Posted by Emma Drinnan

Fashion Scout chills with Mr Hudson and Paloma Faith at Vauxhall Ice Skate

Paloma Faith and Mr Hudson hit the decks

Sugar and spice and all things ICE. Last night the Fashion Scout team spent an enchanted evening in North London’s P3 venue hosted by Vauxhall. Snow covered surfaces, a shadowy forest and moon lit ice skating rink, all completed with Russian vodka and a gingerbread car.

Following on from their successful roller disco event last season and being a free invite only event, the tickets were quickly snapped up, even before the confirmation of guest DJ’s Paloma Faith, Coco Sumner, George Lamb and Mr Hudson.

All in all a night to remember, well done Vauxhall, for the first time since Christmas the winter wonderland lifted my January blues.

www.vauxhalliceskate.co.uk 

Posted by Emma Drinnan

The venue

Fashion revellers on ice

Tempest at The Enchanted Palace...

Lovers of all things beautiful and whimsical may rejoice as, from the 26^th March 2010, the rooms of Kensington Palace will be temporarily transformed into The Enchanted Palace for a show-stopping, eyes-on-stalks, multisensory exhibition, and our very own William Tempest will be taking part. 


Accompanied by legends like Vivienne Westwood, Stephen Jones, Boudicca and Aminaka Wilmont, Will’s in good company for this extraordinary exhibition-come-art installation.  Brought to you by the theatre company Wildworks, the event will use the Palace’s sordid and juicy history as inspiration for interactive theatre, film projections and stunning fashion installations (Aminaka Wilmont has created a ‘dress of tears’ for one room). 


Tempest, inspired by the young Queen Victoria’s sudden new-found freedom and independence, will create an avant-garde, period dress packed with optical illusion as it appears to vanish and merge into its surroundings, before your very eyes!  It all sounds very Mad Hatter to us, and we can’t wait!


Posted by Fiona Anderson

Salon 13th January 2010 - PUBLIC RELATIONS

There’s no such thing as bad publicity, right?  Well, tonight, we are out to show our bevy of designers that PR isn’t all air kisses and champagne-fuelled press nights.  It’s targeted, strategic, militarily planned and takes a sharp business brain. 

With our speakers, Nell Trotter, Accounts Manager at Blow PR and Jessica Bumpus, Fashion Features Editor, Vogue.com, poised on their stalls and ready for interrogation, here’s their whistle-stop tour of getting onto a publication’s radar, dealing with PR agencies and mastering the art of self promotion.

Approaching a Journalist

·       Pinpoint specific publications and make your approach highly targeted and personal.

·       Know the publication and its lead times: is it daily, weekly or monthly?  Are they working 3 months ahead, 6 weeks or can they publish information within a few hours?

·       Consider who the reader of the publication is; are they your target customer?

Sending a Press Release

‘A press release should make the journalist think, ‘I get them, I feel like I’ve almost met them’, Nell Trotter.

·       Your press release should be a paragraph of attention grabbing writing that encompasses you, and your brand, completely.

·       Mention price points, where you will be stocked and materials.

·       Keep it concise and provide all the essential facts; journalists are on a tight deadline so the easier you make it for them the better.  Including a good quote and low res images can also be useful.

Dealing with PR Agencies

‘The PR is part of your team and acting as a little version of you, so they need to know you’, Nell Trotter.

·       Consider which designers you like and admire, which PR are they with?  Look on LFW’s website to see the PRs for each designer.

·       Manage your expectations.  It takes time to build a young designer’s profile and patience is key.

·       Question whether you are ready for a PR?  Are you prepared to wait to make this a long term business?  Don’t put the vanity of PR and high profile coverage above sales which, essentially, pay everyone’s wages.

·       Monthly reports from PRs are essential, will show you what’s planned, where your samples are going out and which celebs are being dressed in your clothes.

Building Contacts

·       Get bloggers on your side, email them, compliment them on their blog; if you get featured other bloggers will take note.

·       Set up a Google Alert, it will email you every time your name gets mentioned on the web.  If you get coverage, take the time to send a thank you email or card to the blogger or writer.

·       Befriend the assistants on publications, they are useful to know and may become lifelong supporters of your brand as you both move up the career ladder.

What to Watch Out For: Scammers and Dodgy Dealers

·       Never send out samples to an unusual address, or if the person is only providing a mobile number.  Google the person’s name and if in doubt, don’t take the risk. 

·       Use delivery notes, take photos of your products before you send them and after they are returned to you so if they are damaged, or missing, you have proof of what was sent. 

Be Your Own PR

‘Everything you do can have a hook or an angle’, Jessica Bumpus.

·       Create your own database of contacts, scan, collect and make note of your coverage.  Put it in a press book or up on your own website and make sure you balance old and new clippings from a variety of different press.

·       Be willing to share your inspiration, have an opinion about who’s wearing your collection, and be out there socialising and meeting people. 

In the end, the key to PR success is being confident and clear about what you do and who you are, as well as having realistic expectations.  If you believe in your brand the chances are, everyone else will follow.

Posted by Fiona Anderson

From runway to red carpet - A listers ♥ Vauxhall Fashion Scout designers

When previous Merit winner and rising star, William Tempest, teamed up with Sony to design a gorgeous clutch for the new VAIO P-Series earlier this year, it signalled big names a go-go for the young designer with every celebrity from Emma Watson to Victoria Beckham coveting his collection.  His success seems to be catching as rock chick Rihanna has been seen sporting a warrier-esqe look by our very own Bryce d’Anice Aime in her new video, Hard.  Working Bryce’s s/s 10 collection’s futuristic, cubist shapes to the max, avant garde fashionista Rihanna pulls off Bryce’s power-woman look effortlessly. 

And it wasn’t just Bryce who caught Rihanna’s eye during the Paris and London shows. David Koma’s metallic, industrial-look, statement hubcap dress has been a firm favourite of the megastar. The Georgian designer, winner of last season's Merit Award, first hit the celebrity radar when Megan Fox was styled in a dress from his graduate collection in Wonderland magazine. Then Beyonce stormed the MTV Europe awards in the same creation, and when Cheryl Cole popped up on X Factor in an almost identical dress, the masses jumped on board and Browns Focus sold out of the entire stock.  With a reaction like that, expect the front row of Koma’s a/w 10 show to be a star studded line up.

Unsurprisingly, controversial performer and eccentric style maven Lady Gaga wants a piece of the action too, and has given her stamp of approval for Koma’s collection in a film collaboration with fashion filmmaker Kathryn Ferguson.  Shot during rehearsals for her London shows, this beautifully arty and inspiring short film illustrates the pop phenomenon’s love of design, and celebrates pioneering emerging designers.  Including creations by Koma, amongst others, Lady Ga Ga proves that celebrity endorsement can go beyond film premiers and VIP bashes.  Bring on the A-listers!    

Posted by Fiona Anderson

Research / images supplied by Emma Drinnan

Images

Above left:

William Tempest as worn by Emma Watson and Victoria Beckham

Left:

Megan Fox, Cheryl Cole and Beyonce wear David Koma