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.
These visually stunning animals are more than just cute – they are the latest of 20 visual series’ from Issey Miyake’s legendary Pleats Please. Taku Satoh’s models include pandas, cats, horses and other animals. Designed to highlight concerns for the environment and natural ecosystems, the 3D figures also underline the unlimited potential of the Pleats Please fabric, which is light in weight and easy to wear. These animals follow on from last year’s flowers series, which has received accolades such as the Gold Prize in the design category at the 92nd New York Art Directors Club.
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.
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.
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.
The model has become a figure of fashion myth and legend, always perfect, always stylish and with an instinct for what to do, what to wear whilst doing it and whom to be seen doing it with; a kind of ‘cool compass’, if you will. Social media has lent their off-duty hours an aura of cool, a time when these chameleons are being their own beautiful selves, doing their own beautiful thing. They suddenly develop a personality, a style of their own, and become all the more enticing for it.
So when the international carousel of shows, shoots and castings stops for a brief instant and comes to rest in London, where does the model spend her time? In a new series, Twin, in collaboration with photographer Sophia Aerts, has hand-selected up-and-coming models and shot them at their most beloved place in the city, giving you an insight into their lives and loves.
Meet Avery Tharp of Next Model Management. A 22-year old hailing from California, Avery has a captivating blend of wide-eyed innocence and sultry pout. She has a youthful energy and determination, but nevertheless maintains a certain mindfulness that comes across in her work. Twin catches up with her after a four week stay in London.
On London
My favourite place in London is the walk from Borough Market, through Southwark Cathedral, along the river, past the Tate and over to St Paul’s. If I’m really in the mood I’ll walk all the way home [to Old Street]. I love being by the river – it’s so relaxing.
Walking enables me to be independent and I can go where I want to; you don’t often get to do things for yourself when you’re a model. Sometimes I just want to do what I want to do, and when I want to do it.
Another great place in London is Camellia’s Tea House, near Carnaby Street. It’s a tiny café, hidden away on the third floor, with a whole wall of teas. I love all kinds – chai, earl grey – and I’m going to take some with me when I go back home.
On style
I’m very relaxed when it comes to style. I like to think I dress in a way that is simple, easy and chic. The last thing I bought was this leather jacket from Neiman Marcus in New York. At the end of the day, it’s about looking nice but feeling comfortable, a balance between finding something you like and something that suits you.
I do have some staples though: I would never be able to give up my coat in winter, and in summer time I can’t live without my favourite pair of shorts, which are white cotton with blue stripes.
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.”
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.
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.”
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.
Inferno: Alexander McQueen is to be released in March 2015.
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.
January 15 saw the launch of AC for AG – British it-girl Alexa Chung’s collaboration with the luxury denim brand. The 21-piece collection was feted by an event at the Selfridges flagship on Oxford Street. A pop-up in the Denim Studio saw guests shoot hoops with Chung, while an ‘AC for AG’ instaprint machine enabled fans to get their photographs taken with the style icon. Chung curated an upbeat playlist for the event, where CÎROC Vodka and Haig Club cocktails were in full flow. Within the next two weeks, the collection of jeans, dungarees and skirts (pictured, £295) will be launched at Bergdorf Goodman in New York and Neiman Marcus in LA.
Gio Forbice doesn’t think of himself as a designer. He customises things. More specifically, he customises shoes and the shoes he’s known for go by the label Forfex.
Forfex shoes are as refreshing as Gio’s perspective on the way in which he designs. He doesn’t subscribe to the usual designer mentality, which may explain why his work seems to go far beyond usual and deeply into innovative, refreshing, creative and completely, entirely unique. Twin caught up with the man behind the brand to find out more.
Can you tell me a little about your line and how it was born? It was born around six years ago now, in Italy, but I had started to customise jeans, jackets and shoes before then. And then a friend from Saigon gave me the opportunity to produce shoes there so that started all this.
What is your background as a designer? Is it something you always wanted to go into? I am not a designer. I think I started to customise things because I was bored and my parents have run a clothing store for a long time; I was born into it. I can remember well that when I was little, I normally slept in the basement on some Valentino, Armani, Kenzo, Versace, Gaultier or other fancy clothing. My dad wanted to kill me all the time but it was good for me to see all that.
Is there anything about footwear that makes it more appealing as a designer to you than other branches within the fashion industry? I think shoes are more of an object. Today everything is the same, so it’s difficult to make something special to me. But yes, I think I prefer to see a girl just with a pair of big boots on.
What other designers do you admire? I like Hedi Slimane or John Galliano. All the designers from the past are incredible. They built different imagery. I think Shayne [Oliver from HBA] is brilliant. Also Gosha Rubchinskiy.
And which artists of other mediums inspire you? Music, photography, etc.
I listen to movie soundtracks. But always I’ve liked different kinds of music from classical music or church music to Rammstein, Darkthrone, White Zombie or all the 90’s classics; Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana or some Italian 90s dance music. Everyone listens to the same shit… I like to associate music to images. I think it’s the best to watch Twin Peaks because the music is perfect or For a Fistful of Dollars and the other spaghetti western movies, with music by Enio Morricone. They are fantastic so I think that’s art too. Oh, and the music in the classic porno movies. It’s like the music you can listen to in a fancy hotel so it’s nasty to me when I hear that music in hotels. It makes me think of some hardcore scenes right there on the piano of the hotel reception.
Can you describe the Forfex aesthetic in one sentence? It’s a bizarre story.
So little time, so much to love – Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen’s Pre-Fall 2015 collection is filled with lust-worthy items for your autumn wardrobe. The twins have created a statement collection using their trademark pared-back luxury. This year, zip closures, zigzag stitching such as is found on wetsuits, and fabrics backed with scuba material are all a subtle nod to 50s and 60s Californian surfing culture. Favourites include a high-necked navy dress over matching slim-cut trousers, paired with sandals; a cream tunic over a knee-length skirt; and a camel ensemble consisting of culottes, shirt and masculine-style coat. Cool, understated perfection.
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.
John Galliano’s First Maison Martin Margiela Collection
Yesterday saw John Galliano present his first collection for Maison Martin Margiela. Showing in an office block near Buckingham Palace, at the end of London Collections: Men and not in Paris during couture week – which is fast approaching – could have been his attempt to lure fashion editors and avoid going head-to-head with Dior.
Designers Alber Elbaz, Christopher Bailey and Manolo Blahnik were in attendance, as well as photographers Tim Walker, Nick Knight and Craig McDean. Kate Moss also arrived to show support and see the collection, as did Anna Wintour who has been a long time champion of Galliano.
There were intricate, gold-encrusted gowns of course, but it was the black suits that really caught our attention. We can’t help but think that although stunning, the clothes will end up taking a back seat. No one can forget the controversy surrounding the designer for what happened almost four years ago, and there will be those who are less than happy with his return. However, his talent for design cannot be overlooked.
It’s the start of a new year, and, to be frank, the post-festivity slump can get a little boring. Twin has picked the best of what’s on offer in across art, fashion and new openings for the next six months so you can get planning the year ahead from the safety of your sofa.
Knitwear: Chanel to Westwood
Until 18 January 2015
This major retrospective is nearing its end, which is all the more reason for you to head over to the Fashion and Textile Museum as soon as possible. Charting over 100 years of knitwear history, it explores not only the developments in style but also innovations in technology, from the first crocheted designs by Chanel in the 1930s to Westwood’s 20th century incarnations. Not to be missed are the rare Chanel cardigan suits, 1930s swimwear and vibrant Missoni patterns as well as conceptual garments by Comme des Garçons, Vivienne Westwood and Julien MacDonald: perfect winter wardrobe inspiration.
Warhol is undoubtedly one of the most influential and notorious artists of the 21st century, which is why this revelatory exhibition at the Tate Liverpool, providing a new insight into Warhol’s artistic processes, as well as the social, political and aesthetic implications of his work, is a must-see. Warhol was one of the first artists to span art, media, music, fashion and celebrity, and in doing so, redefined society’s accessed to art and culture. See the iconic Marilyn Diptych alongside his television commercials, fashion illustrations and his pioneering celebrity mag, Interview. An artistic all-rounder indeed.
The most hotly anticipated exhibition this spring, the V&A’s Savage Beauty will showcase the dominant influences and concepts in the late designers’ work. Featuring 10 sections, it will span McQueen’s womenswear, starting with his MA graduate show in 1992 and finishing with his last fully realised collection, Plato’s Atlantis (SS 2010) – widely thought to be his greatest achievement. A chance to understand more about one of fashion’s most legendary personalities, the display will attract more than your average aficionado.
April: the days will be longer and lighter, and summer will be just a breath away. Time, then, to start shedding jumpers and blankets, and trade in your sofa for a bar stool – preferably with a view. The Sky Garden at the top of the Walkie Talkie will span three floors and afford its visitors uninterrupted views over the city skyline. With a cocktail terrace, bar, restaurant and open air terrace set alongside lush landscaped gardens, we predict that this will be summer’s hotspot.
The Fashion and Textile Museum’s exhibition (the first ever) on design pioneer Thea Porter is a perfect celebration of the fashion world’s current crush on all things 70s. The figurehead of boho chic in the 60s and 70s opened her iconic shop on Greek Street in 1966 and immediately attracted a following from the likes of Elizabeth Taylor and Barbara Streisand. Highlights from the exhibition include the Abaya & Kaftan; the Gipsy dress and the Faye dress – you might be surprised to find similar silhouettes in your own wardrobe, testament to the influence Porter has had on several generations of fashion.
Readers stateside will surely have gotten wind of the Björk retrospective at MoMA. For those not in the know, the exhibition will showcase the adventurous projects of Iceland’s wonderfully quirky export. It will be presented in a narrative format, co-written by Björk and fellow Icelander Sjón, and culminates in a brand-spanking-new immersive music and film experience in 3D.
American author, novelist and essayist, Joan Didion is the latest to be featured in the Celine SS15 Campaign. Looking effortlessly chic, the 60s Vogue writer is lensed by Phoebe Philo favourite Juergen Teller, and is accompanied by Marie-Agnès Gillot, the French ballet dancer and choreographer and Freya Lawrence, the British model.
The queen of understated cool will also have a documentary made about her soon. We Tell Ourselves Stories in Order to Live, is the fruition of her nephew Griffin Dunne’s Kickstarter campaign. Dunne will also direct the project. More on that to come.
Topshop has once again teamed up with fashion golden girl, Cara Delevingne, to bring us its SS15 collection. Styled by Topshop Creative Director Kate Phellan and shot by Alasdair McLellan, this is will be the third campaign that the British supermodel has done for the fashion giant.
The shoot itself focuses on clean lines and a pared-back aesthetic, featuring 15 key looks from the collection. Accompanying the shoot is a video of Cara’s kooky antics on set – expect a whole assortiment of musical instruments, alongside lots of jumping and dancing.
For spring summer 2015 Linda Farrow invites us into their wanderlust themed world. The new collection features molten metallics, frosted pastel hues and glossed frames, all created in hyper-luxe materials, with an extraordinary finish and attention to detail Linda Farrow has become renewed for.
With the help of set designer Gemma Tickle and photographer Kate Jackling, the SS15 still life campaign highlights the new colours and styles, emphasising the quality and impeccable design of the collection.
Shop a preview of the collection online and at the Mount Street location, as well as their Selfridges concession.
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