Next up in our backstage series is Michael van der Ham. Twin sent Sophia Aerts to capture the stunning autumn/winter 2015 designs about to walk the catwalk in the grand salon of the Tate Britain.

michaelvanderham.com

Tags: AW15, LFW, Michael van der Ham, Sophia Aerts

During London Fashion Week, Delfina Delettrez launched her first store in London, on Mayfair’s Mount St. Collaborating with Rafael de Cárdenas of Architecture at Large on the design, the new space continues her exploration of materials and shapes, combining traditional Italian design is with a futuristic aesthetic. “I like the element of distortion, the illusion of floating stones, projected on floating windows, and the malachite trompe l’oeil,” says Delettrez.

The store showcases the full collection, including the Italian jewellery designer’s signature ‘Piercing’ rings and earrings, in her original use of figurative surrealism and natural iconography including, eyes, bees and lips.

Delfina Delettrez is located at 109 Mount Street, London W1K 2TR

delfinadelettrez.it

Tags: Delfina Delettrez, jewellery, london, Mount St

Helen Lawrence presented her playful knitwear collection for AW15 at the Chelsea College of Arts this Fashion Week. Twin sent photographer Sophia Aerts to shoot all the action.

helen-lawrence.co.uk

Tags: AW15, Helen Lawrence, LFW, Sophia Aerts

Fashion may be having a 70’s moment, but JW is pushing for a change of decade – the 80’s to be exact. We sent Sophia Aerts backstage to capture the designer’s AW15 London Fashion Week show in all it’s glory.

j-w-anderson.com

Tags: AW15, JW Anderson, LFW

Margaret Howell presented her AW15 collection during London Fashion Week yesterday. Photographer Sophia Aerts captured the collection backstage, where we found all the elements of Howell’s signature designs, including that masculine meets feminine aesthetic.

margarethowell.co.uk

Tags: AW15, LFW, Margaret Howell

London Fashion Week starts tomorrow, and with it comes a host of shows, exhibitions and events, all in celebration of the season ahead. In preparation, we’ve gathered together four key products that will prove to be rather handy over the next five days.

It’s as though all sense of routine is thrown out and a diet of Propercorn, caffeine and alcohol becomes the norm. To hide the effects of dehydration, we’ll be applying Aesop’s Elemental Facial Barrier Cream at every chance. Lord & Berry’s Twistick will provide our lips with ample moisture, while leaving a sheer yet pigmented colour. For fragrance we’ve turned to UÈRMÌ, a new line inspired by fabrics such as denim and silk, so now our scent can reflect our sartorial choices. And to keep our hands and body ready for the long days ahead, we’ll be calling upon Rodin’s Luxury Hand and Body Cream.

Lord & Berry Twistick, £13, selfridges.com & Rodin Luxury Hand and Body Cream, £64, goodhoodstore.com

Aesop Elemental Facial Barrier Cream, £37, aesop.com & UÈRMÌ OH ± Denim, £105, roullierwhite.com

Tags: Aesop, LFW, Lord & Berry, Rodin, UÈRMÌ OH

Native Youth started three years ago as a brand creating quality yet affordable menswear. For SS15 the British label is expanding it’s offer to include a womenswear line, one inspired by art, photography and contemporary culture.

The debut collection is full of casualwear staples that are androgynous in silhouette and minimal in style. We decided to speak with their womenswear designer, Penny Armstrong, to find out more about brand, their new line and their international influences.

How did Native Youth came about?
Native Youth was founded in England by a small team of creatives and has since grown to global success. Native Youth represents a no-nonsense look at British fashion combining inspiration from around the world.

Describe the aesthetic in three words…
Clean, considered, cohesive.

Why did you now decide to venture into womenswear?
The collection stemmed from the menswear line and has been on the cards for a while now. We decided that Spring/Summer 15 was the right time to launch and spent time refining ideas, and gathering inspirations and fabrics for the perfect debut collection.

How does the womenswear line differ from the mens?
I think it was very important to keep the handwriting of the mens collection. However, we didn’t want this to be too literal and therefore used fabrics and prints in new ways to suit the feel of the collection. This concept is something that will evolve further for AW15, as keeping the balance between androgynous and feminine is something that we see as integral to the Native Youth womenswear collections.

Was your creative process different?
As I design on the menswear line also, the thought process was really similar. But I loved sourcing fabrics for womenswear and obviously it allows for a bit of my personal tastes and preferences to sneak in too!

I travel a lot to Asia and also parts of Europe and take inspiration from everywhere I go. I’m always inspired by Japanese street style and culture so this played a huge part in the design process.

You have quite an international stockist list, where else would you like to see the brand?
We’ve been amazed by the reception of the brand globally and this has been amazing to see. I’d love to see the collection sold in Japan alongside the menswear line.

Your about to launch your own e-commerce site with your own blog. What features will we find?
The blog will give a behind the scenes look into the life of native Youth as well as the small team behind the brand. We come up with our own lookbook concepts, ranges and styling and its amazing to be part of such a creative team.

What can we expect from the SS15 collection?
Soft colours, bold silhouettes and more of our amazing fabrics. It’s an exciting time for Native Youth.

native-youth.com

For the last three years Barbour have been photographing people, capturing their personal stories and showcasing them in a series of short videos that delve beneath the Barbour to reveal their unique and varied styles. They give us a great insight into the human condition; how personal style evolves and takes shape.

Meet Emily, a London-based artist, and the latest person to be featured. The short video sees Emily discussing her creative process and what attracts her to people in the first place.

To see more of the project head to barbourpeople.tumblr.com

Tags: Barbour

South London songstress Jessie Ware is back with another visual instalment from her latest album, Tough Love. Directed by Chris Sweeney, the video for Champagne Kisses shows Ware trapped in a waiting room within a television set, circa 1960, and features plenty of images of pills, golden telephones, and Rubik’s cubes. Psychedelic, indeed.

Watch the video below.

jessieware.com

Tags: Jessie Ware

Finery is the new high street label from Caren Downie, who worked at both Topshop and ASOS as Fashion Director and Buying Director respectively. The brand set out to provide design conscious garms at accessible price points. “It’s about putting the love back into the product again. I want to give our customer something that excites her, makes her feel good and that she can absolutely treasure from season to season,” states Downie.

This week they launch their first pop-up in Covent Garden, The Finery Fitting Room. Essentially an online brand, this is your chance to try Finery on for size.

The Finery Fitting Room is located at 35 Monmouth Street London WC2H 9DD until 23rd February. 

finerylondon.com

Tags: Finery

Jewellery designer Jessica de Lotz is hosting a Valentine’s Pop-Up at The Corner Shop at Craft Central this week. Her designs are inspired by antiques, collectibles and cherished possessions – perfect gifts for the loved ones in your life.

As well as discounts on intriguing jewels, you’ll also find stationery brand Studio Sarah and Kibitz, a company that specialise in luxury intimate kits, taking part too, making this your one-stop-shop for V Day.

Jessica de Lotz Valentine’s Pop-Up opens today until the 15th February at 21 Clerkenwell Green, EC1R 0DX. Stop by on Friday for a Valentine’s tipple from 5-8pm. 

jessicadelotz.co.uk

Tags: Jessica de Lotz, valentine's day

One spring/summer collaboration we cannot wait for is Whistles’ latest with Stutterheim. Together with the go-to Swedish brand for rainwear, the British high-street label will be creating unisex, handmade rubberised cotton coats.

“Whistles collaborations are about finding experts in the market and working with them to produce beautiful, functional, carefully crafted exclusive pieces,” states Jane Shepherdson, Chief Executive Officer of Whistles. “Stutterheim was chosen because it produces the highest quality rain-wear and its simplicity, functionality and timeless style perfectly complements the Whistles aesthetic.”

The Whistles x Stutterheim Raincoats will cost £235, and will be available from March in two colourways. 

whistles.com

stutterheim.com

Tags: SS15, Stutterheim, Whistles

Hailey Baldwin has been announced as the face of Topshop’s SS15 Denim Collection. Styled by Topshop’s Creative Director Kate Phelan, the campaign was shot in London by highly acclaimed fashion photographer and Twin girl, Harley Weir. Baldwin can be seen jumping about in each of the styles, including the new Binx and Jamie Flare fits.

Phelan commented that “The Topshop denim collection is perfect on Hailey, she has an energy and vitality that shows the collection of jeans and the different moods and personalities; the sexy Leigh, the tomboy Mom and the fashion girls favourite Baxter. Hailey is all these girls, she is street smart, stylish and most importantly individual.”

topshop.com

Tags: Hailey Baldwin, Harley Weir, Kate Phelan, Topshop

Parisian label A.P.C., known for its hipster-meets-chic aesthetic, is to open it’s latest store in London’s Soho. The new space features a simple storefront with clean displays that parallel the brand’s minimalist designs. You’ll find both men’s and womenswear collections, as well as shoes and accessories such as bags and belts split over multiple floors.

A.P.C. Soho is located at 48 Lexington Street, London, W1F 0LR and is open now. 

apc.fr

Tags: A.P.C., london, soho

Acne Studios is probably the most well-known brand under the ACNE umbrella, which was founded in 1996 as an international creative collective. Their latest project, Curater, is a digital exhibition system that showcases artworks from internationally renowned artists, in your own home.

Using high-definition, purpose-built, wireless and ultrathin LED-canvases, users can experience the artworks on their own wall, turning their living room into their own gallery. With a closed subscription based system, you’ll be invited to join (but can sign up on their website), however their is an initial distribution of a maximum of 500 users. 50 of which, will receive Curater screens at random when the launch takes place, sometime in the next 12 months.

So if you fancy your own personal art experience, sign up to be one of the first enthusiasts in the know.

curater.com

Tags: Art, Curater

For their SS15 campaign video, Creative Directors Humberto Leon and Carol Lim once again called on the talents of Toilet Paper Magazine, a collective composed of artist Maurizio Cattelan, photographer Pierpaolo Ferrari and art director, Micol Talso. Set in a graphic and modern cityscape, we find ourselves emerged in an optimistic utopia, where nothing is what it seems.

“For us, TOILETPAPER were an obvious choice for us to work with on this project,” stated Leon and Lim. “The strength and impact of their work is often in the most subtle visual tricks which become more powerful the longer you are exposed to them.”

kenzo.com

Tags: Kenzo, SS15, Toiletpaper

Alexander McQueen’s autumn/winter 1996 show, titled Dante, took place at the run-down Christ Church in London’s East End. It was this presentation, and it’s collection, that would cement his place amongst fashion’s most innovative and exciting designers.

Now, nearly twenty years later, exclusive raw, unseen photographs from the runway and backstage, including the garments, the models and Lee himself, are released for the very first time in this sumptuous and revealing new book. Inferno: Alexander McQueen by Kent Baker and Melanie Rickey, takes a look at the shows use of digital print, crudely bleached denim, lace and chiffon embellishment, and the couture meets club-culture ideals, a mix of high-brow and low-end – all themes we are now accustomed to seeing in everyday fashion, proving just how important McQueen’s collection really was.

With contributions from Suzy Menkes, Katy England and Andrew Groves; as well as words from the models, stylists, designers and creatives that all participated in the making of the legendary event.

Tags: Alexander Mcqueen, Kent Baker, Melanie Rickey

TLC ruled the 90s, and still hold the spot as highest-selling girl group of all time (in the US). Their hits Unpretty and No Scrubs still fill us with teenage nostalgia. When Lisa ‘Left-Eye’ Lopes died in 2002, TLC fans around the world morned as if it was a personal tragedy.

Today, Tionne ‘T-Boz’ Watkins and Rozonda ‘Chilli’ Thomas are calling their fans back into action. The two of them have launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund their fifth and final album, offering a host of rewards in exchange; everything from a handwritten list of their top 15 favourite songs of all time to a movie date with one of them.

Chilli and T-Boz stated that “We are recording our last and final album and we want to do it with YOU, our FANS”.

kickstarter.com

Tags: Kickstarter, TLC

Dior is the latest fashion house to curate a space at the infamous Dover Street Market.

Designed exclusively for the Mayfair boutique, the new area is located on the first floor, housing a careful edit of Dior ready-to-wear pieces designed by Raf Simons. The collections kick off with their Resort 2015 line and you’ll also find key accessories from the brand such as the new Diorama and Be Dior bags.

dior.com

Tags: Dior, Dover Street Market

Monday saw Paul Smith present his latest creation, A Suit To Travel In during London Collections: Men. Made from high-twist 100% wool yarn, the AW15 travel suit is constructed with quick recovery crease-resistant cloth that also repels water. Put to the test, Olympic medal-winning athlete Max Whitlock and artists from the National Centre for Circus Arts performed gymnastic sequences to show us what this ensemble can really do. And what a performance it was, we witnessed splits, backflips and many unthinkable moves.

The suit itself has a contemporary fit (called The Soho), that looked just as good on the female gymnast as it did on the men. A limited preview selection of the new Paul Smith Travel Suit is available to purchase from Paul Smith No. 9 Albemarle Street as well as online now, and will be available worldwide from May 2015. Time to start shopping in the men’s department we think.

paulsmith.co.uk

Tags: AW15, LC:M, paul smith