‘Make-Do and Mend’ embraces resourcefulness, strangeness and redemption, celebrating with the unconventional beauty and spirit at the heart of the beloved Christopher Kane brand.

The SS17 campaign features model of the moment Jean Campbell, with photography by Alasdair McLellan; its story telling pictures show the figure of the outsider, an idea of a new primitivism and the transmutation of clothing – making something out of the humble and discarded, but with a throughly Kane kinda elevation.

“Combined with the resourcefulness of the forties, that feeling of ‘Make-Do and Mend’ and in that movement from the city to the countryside, there’s also an element of the supernatural and the ancient – from the sophisticated to the spiritual. This reminded us of where we grew up, just down the road from Carfin Grotto, the Roman Catholic shrine that is the Scottish version of Lourdes’’ said Christopher Kane of the new campaign. Perhaps it’s that same enduring, mystical element of Kane’s vision that has rendered his version of crocs so seductive… seriously. Whatever his magic touch is, with Kane you know you never have to compromise.

Tags: Christopher Kane, Christopher Kane SS17, Twin Issue 15, Twin issue XV

At a time when liberal values are being challenged and questioned in the West, the story of George Montague‘s campaign is timely. In November 2016, George, a 93-year-old gay man, marched on Downing Street to present Theresa May with a petition signed by 16,000 people. The petition demanded an apology for the discrimination against homosexuality and the abuse that gay men endured under the Criminal Law Amendment Act of 1885. Before homosexuality was legalised in 1967, the act often culminated in arrests and criminal records for men persecuted for their sexual orientation.

George, who was convicted of gross indecency in 1974, brought the case to the Prime Minister on behalf of all gay men who were forced to suffer shame and embarrassment as a result of the Act.

A new film from Hilow Films invites viewers into George’s life as he embarks on his journey to No.10, celebrating his activism, sense of humour, loving nature and commitment to securing the ‘sorry’ that gay men of his generation are yet to receive. You can watch the new film exclusively below.

The Hardest Word from Hilow Films on Vimeo.

Tags: gay rights, George Montague, political activism, Twin Issue 15, Twin XV

Olivia Bee started taking pictures in her early teens, one of those rare precocious talents who already had the basics nailed before most of us had figured out how to make our lava lamps work. And when I say basics, I mean being commissioned to shoot commercials for Nike and Converse by the time she was 17.

Having emerged during the peak Tumblr years, Bee has continued to carve a name for herself with candid photographs that capture the intensity of youth; the fragile nexus of love, and the yearning for the wild. Her photographs are often situated within nature, away from the obvious limitations of the city and the responsibilities that lie therein.

With a knack for powerful juxtapositions, Olivia Bee’s photographs have a corpuscular quality that capture individual moments in time but which together weave a wider narrative about the transient nature of youth. With a beautiful new tome, Kids in Love, out now, Twin caught up with her to talk hanging out in Oregon and the future of the Internet.

Starting with Kids in Love – your photographs embody a fantastic energy. What’s your process when shooting?

Kids In Love came about because I was taking pictures of the world around me — I wasn’t really trying to make anything in particular, other than the things I gravitated towards. When it was finished, I knew, and I knew it was a show and a book. The energy in Kids In Love came from the universe that I existed in and made for myself when I was a teenager. I was observing that universe.

What was it about the camera that you were originally drawn to?

The ability to create and make art simultaneously; to directly document your experience.

What I like about Kids In Love is that you immortalise the transient state of youth through movement and these wonderful juxtapositions with the natural world. Was this an aesthetic that came naturally to you? How did your style develop?

I mean this just came with living in Oregon, living in nature but being around kids my age and exploring that universe. In Oregon you just go to the river and to the mountain and to the beach and to the forest, that’s what you do for fun and that’s where you get drunk. it was just part of every day. Green was my studio.

You started working professionally when you were pretty young, did you ever feel that this inhibited your ability to develop creatively? Was there less freedom to make mistakes, experiment etc.

I always kind of did what I wanted and didn’t think much about it. There were times I’d get feedback from people who were selling my work saying what i was doing was less marketable, but i’d just be like, “dude. i’m just documenting my world.” It was (and is) a natural process for me to document. I still experimented and made plenty of bad pictures.

What is it about intimacy that interests you as a subject matter?

It is so innately human.

Instagram has bought this generation a whole host of really exciting creatives who otherwise might not have had the capacity to promote their work to a global audience, but do you ever feel that sheer scale of the platform – and its millions of contributors – might come to negate the power of a singular image?

I’m getting less and less satisfied with the internet. It’s all controlled by money at this point and our information is getting sold so that companies can market for our demographics. It’s terrifying. We have to fight back and play that game to our advantage. My work belongs in galleries and in books and in theaters — not just the internet. I get depressed when my pictures I love are just on the internet and then they’re gone or stolen because people think the internet is an equal playing field and ownership is lost.

Also with the internet, people skip over movies, books, tv shows, people, and minimize them into one single image on their tumblr when they haven’t seen that movie, tv show, read that book, or researched that celebrity. Everything is aestheticized. Even the notion of “liking” or “loving” something or someone has been aestheticized. Authenticity has been aestheticized. People have to remember what’s real and I really do think a big part of that is existing in your world and participating and reading and talking to people and watching movies in the theater and on tv and going to museums and being in nature if these kinds of things are available to you. That shit will keep you human.

Who and what are the major influences for your work?

My life and my emotional experiences. The wonderful people i surround myself with. Nature.

What do like to listen to when working?

Right now I’ve been listening to a fuck ton of Leonard Cohen. I just discovered Emily Eeo when I was in a coffee shop in Portland and have been playing that over and over. The Lemon Twigs are wonderful too.

What’s your favourite camera to work with?

That’s a secret 😉

What’re your plans, concerns and hopes for 2017?

Time is a marker that we created — it doesn’t actually exist. It’s fluid. So I don’t always believe in setting goals for certain periods of time but I do feel that with 2017 and the upcoming Trump presidency it is especially important to stand up for the things you believe in. I want the people I choose to be in my work, especially in fashion, to be more diverse, and I want to write a book? Or a movie? I want to quit low balling and I want to stand up for myself and the ones I love more! Also establish some sort of place to live in the future in nature.

Tags: cool female photographers, Olivia Bee, Olivia Bee photographer, Petra Collins

Fans of insightful feminist photography should stay tuned for the release of artist Lina Scheynius’ new book, 09. 

Featuring photographs taken between 2013 and 2016, this new self-published and beautifully curated book sees Lina present a series of unplanned moments. This spontaneous style results in an intimate and personal collection of work which celebrates the beauty and mystery of ordinary life. Twin was lucky enough to be given a preview, see the images below.

Tags: feminist, feminist artist, feminist photographer

Started by Vanessa Carlos of Carlos/Ishikawa, Condo Art Fair sees 15 London-based galleries host 21 international galleries, joining together to create collaborative exhibitions across the city. Although only in its second edition, the fair has already almost doubled in size, adding prominent galleries such as Sadie Coles and Maureen Paley to its line up this year, alongside emerging galleries, such as Emalin and The Sunday Painter.

Londoners have a month to discover the spaces alongside each other, more than enough time to revel in the wide range of artists exhibiting in one city. The refreshing unification and generosity between the participating galleries allows for an enjoyable community atmosphere but also embraces individuality, with every artistic alliance creating an entirely distinct and original experience. Consider your new year cultural schedule sorted.

Condo runs 14 Jan – 11 Feb 2017. Find out more here.

Tags: Art, Art Fair, Condo, London Art Fair

The world waited unabashedly for Maria Grazia Chiuri’s first Haute Couture collection for Dior, and it did not disappoint. Drawing inspiration from the motif of the labyrinth, the collection embodied Chiuri’s journey to the heart of Dior’s design story.

It was a collection alive with nature: woodland flowers, moss and  ferns made up the set and informed the collection in equal measure, inspired by Christian Dior’s statement that: “After women, flowers are the most divine of creations. They are so delicate and charming, but they must be used carefully.”

Silhouettes referenced the original founder of the house too, with cinched waists imbuing ethereal lace dresses and mysterious midnight velvet gowns with an easy elegance. Powder pinks and blues were married with inky blacks, allowing for the full spectrum of characters to be imagined and rendered in Chiuri’s magnificent modern fairy tale.

Tags: Christian Dior, Dior, Dior Couture

Tags: Dior, Dior Couture

The Whitechapel Gallery plays host to a seminal new exhibition about the female form, bringing together exhibits from the National Museum of Women in the Arts of seventeen artists. The exhibition depicts women in constructed and natural environments through a range of photography and film. Through this examination of the female body, audiences are invited to join in scrutinising and empathising with new narratives around women; seeing the flux and mysteries of  gender in new light.

The exhibition continues a conversation started by the late Franca Sozzani last year, that of subverting the idea of the gaze, and inviting a radical approach to the female perspective, both creator and subject. With work from artists including Marina Abramović, Rineke Dijkstra, Anna Gaskell, Nan Goldin, Charlotte Gyllenhammar, Justine Kurland, Nikki S. Lee and Hellen van Meene, audiences can again expect to be challenged and engaged – a must see exhibition in London this winter.

Marina Abramovic, The Hero, 2001.

Daniela Rossell, Medusa, 1999.

Nikki S. Lee, The Hip Hop Project, 2001

Nan Goldin, Self-Portrait in Kimono with Brian, NYC, 1983.

Terrains of the Body:Photography from the National Museum of Women in the Arts runs 18 January – 16 April 2017 at the Whitechapel Gallery. 

Tags: Female Gaze, Feminism, feminist artists, London Exhibition, Whitechapel Gallery, women artists

From today Hales Gallery will play host to Virginia Jaramillo’s first solo exhibition outside of her native US. Entitled ‘Where the Heavens Touch the Earth’, the exhibition will display her work from the 1970s, which is striking in its underlying geometry. Bringing together a selection of large-scale canvases and the series Visual Theorems, the work crosses boundaries between painting and drawing, and canvas and paper, creating a tangible materiality.  

Virginia Jaramillo’s career has spanned almost six decades. Born in El Paso, Texas, she spent her formative years in California, before living briefly in Europe and then relocating to New York City, where she still lives today. She is focused on expressing cultural constructs and sensory perceptions of space and time through her work, and draws inspiration from widely varied sources, including science fiction and Celtic and Greek mythologies. We spoke to Virginia about her work, New York in the 1970s, and her artistic influences.

The name of your exhibition “Where the Heavens Touch the Earth”, lends itself to the notion of boundaries and transcendence. Where does this title come from and how do these themes feed into your work?

The title stems directly from Teotihuacan, an ancient archeological site several miles outside present day Mexico City. Teotihuacan symbolizes and alludes to, “the place where the heavens touch the earth” and “the place where the gods were born.”  This place, aligned so precisely with cardinal points and certain star systems, has played a large role in my work.  Since childhood I’ve been fascinated and intrigued with why people and cultures believe what they do, and how their myths of creation are transformed into truths. What happened for this belief system to take hold?

Virginia Jaramillo, Untitled, c. 1973

How does your work play with the structural patterns we use to interpret the world and the flow of space and time? 

My work is an aesthetic investigation of the sensory matrix we superimpose upon our environment, our lives, and our cultural myths, so we can comprehend and survive in the world around us. I believe that the fabric of time and space is inextricably interwoven into every civilization that has ever existed.  

Your choice of materials has developed since your celebrated ‘Black Paintings’ that were made in California. What drove your selection of medium at that time?

The ‘Black Painting’ period was a time of extreme financial and political hardship, socially and artistically. If I wanted to paint, I had to use any material that was readily available at our neighborhood hardware store. I began preparing my own rabbit skin glue and gesso from scratch and using cheap black and dark brown paints that I grew to love.  The journey with the black paintings, which began from a period of financial need, was a blessing in disguise for me as an artist. It gave me a voice.     

Can you tell us about your year spent living in Europe in the 1960s, how was that formative for you?

California is a very special place, and its beauty had a tremendous effect on my formative years and still feeds my sensibilities as an artist. But coming straight from California, Europe, and specifically Paris, was an eye-opener. Europe was truly an alien planet. Everywhere I walked or looked, there was a sense of the historical, and I was present and a part of it. Everything was ‘art’; the food I ate, the shop windows, the paintings hanging in Le Louvre. It was a visual and sensory feast.  After living in Europe, I never looked back. I knew I could never survive as a creative being in an art environment where so much was closed to minorities. 

Virginia Jaramillo, Visual Theroems, 11, 1980

During your transition from West to East coast, how did your painting develop, and how did your relationship to abstraction shift?

I have always been concerned with abstraction. My involvement with a particular spatial construct allows me to look beyond the literal, which the canvas creates. It becomes deep sensory space.

Whilst in New York City in the 1970s and 80s, you were involved with various feminist organizations, including the celebrated Heresies Magazine and legendary A.I.R. Gallery. Can you discuss this moment for women artists and your place within it? 

To be honest, at the time I was not as involved as many women artists of the period. Being married to a black artist, raising two children, being a Mexican-American woman artist, and squeezing in time to do my work was difficult. Dealing with the racial bias of the time could defeat anyone. My life was a political statement. During this period I worked with the staff of Heresies Magazine for their ‘Third World Women’ issue, which was very gratifying. Being on the board of advisors of ‘The Feminist Art Institute’, and helping to organize a successful benefit auction for a scholarship fund for women artists is something I’m very proud of. As is being part of ‘Women Artists of the 80’s’ at A.I.R. Gallery in New York City, which was curated by Corinne Robins.

Virginia Jaramillo, Visual Theorems 18, 1979.

This will be your first solo exhibition outside of the US. What’s next?       

I’m excited to be participating in two major museum shows later in the year; ‘We Wanted a Revolution: Black Radical Women 1965-85’ at The Brooklyn Museum in New York and ‘Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power’ at the Tate Modern. In May, Hales Gallery will feature several of my Curvilinear paintings from the 1970s in the Spotlight section of Frieze New York art fair.

Virginia Jaramillo: Where the Heavens Touch the Earth, will be on display at Hales Gallery between 20th January and 4th March 2017.

Tags: exhibitions in London, feminist artist, Hales Gallery, Virginia Jaramillo, woman artist

From the 19th to the 24th January, a space on Rue Notre Dame de Nazareth in Paris’ trendy Marais neighbourhood will be transformed into the London in Paris pop-up. The shop, overseen by sister duo Gemma and Annabelle Phillips, and in partnership with the Department for International Trade (DIT), will provide a platform for London’s young designers and emerging brands during Paris’ busy fashion week.

Housing SS17 ready-to-wear, as well as accessories, jewellery and shoes, the pop-up will feature some of the capital’s most exciting new brands. They include Florence Bridge and her stunning patchwork shearling jackets, and Clio Peppiatt, whose bold designs have garnered the attention of a troupe of celebrities, including Kylie Jenner and Adwoa Adobah. Other designers, like Bonnie Fechter and denim brand I AND ME, will showcase their innovative seasonless and unisex collections, which reflect wider trends within the industry. Sustainable clothing lines like Elliss and Neoss, and sleek monochrome designs from Habits will also be available to buy. Beyond the bounds of a fashion store, the pop-up will also stock London-based magazines Ladybeard and Orlando, who have both recently released their second issues.

The London in Paris pop-up will be open from the 19th to the 24th January between 10-7 at 68 Rue Notre Dame de Nazareth. There will be a launch event on the 21st January between 6 and 9pm.

Tags: Adwoa Adobah, Clio Peppiatt, Fashion, I AND ME, Kylie Jenner, Paris Fashion Week

Paris based, Swedish artist Linus Ricard uses film and photography to capture and explore the relationship between the human body and the space it occupies. By focussing on the ordinary, unseen moments of the everyday, Ricard invites audiences to re-examine their surroundings and their position within the environment. Twin caught up with Linus to find out more.

How did you get into photography?

Studying styling at the Marangoni in Milan I collaborated with photographers and quickly realised I wanted to hold the camera.I still loved the clothes but the magic and interaction with the subject was stronger.

Your photographs & films are pre-occupied with movement – what is it about motion that interests you?

Motion creates emotion. My first, unanswered, teenage love was with a dancer. I used to go watch all her performances. She completely rejected me but my love for dance and movement stayed.

What’s your process when you’re working?

I keep the subject moving, I love to catch that in-between moment, that you can never pose or control.

Do you have a favourite photograph, that you’ve taken?

No, it tends to be more and more about the process than the result, enjoying the moment and the making.

What are your influences?

Anything. At the moment I’m into going for long walks, I find it very inspiring and zen. I think Kierkegaard was onto something – “If one just keeps on walking, everything will be all right.”

Tags: interview, Linus Ricard, photography

Mesmerising and inspiring, FKA Twigs has long been a Twin idol thanks to her surreal, boundary breaking style and extensive, highly vibey musical talent. This month, the singer has teamed up with Nike as creative director for their new Nike Zonal strength tights.

This recent collaboration invites a new appreciation of sportswear, and FKA Twigs has used the campaign to delve into ideas around  the power of modern movement, using the new items as a means to consider wider societal issues – while also creating a seriously beautiful new advertising campaign. With full creative control, from original concept to casting, through to the finished product, FKA Twigs asks viewers to see sports as a means of self expression, a more empowering way to embrace new year resolutions. As to the collection itself, expect a palette of maroons, earthy greens, rich blacks and a collection of crop tops you’ll want to wear every day.

Of the campaign Twigs said: “People don’t always see dancers as athletes, but we are. Through dance, I’ve met young people who work really hard and have dedicated their lives to being active. To me they represent “modern movement,” which I define as exploring any genre of sport without boundaries. As a dancer, I try to embrace my fragility and accept that where I’m at is good enough. Dancers are taught to always look in the mirror, from an early age, to make sure we have perfect alignment. There comes a point when you just have to let go and trust that you’re going to get where you need to be. Overall, dance makes you realize that there’s beauty in the imperfections. I think that’s what can make it most intriguing for people to watch.”

Tags: FKA twigs, Nike, Nike zonal strength tights

Ganor Dominic is the shoe world’s new rising star, known for appealing tothose that have a “penchant for the experimental”. Designs include two-way sequin boots and exaggerated gripped brogues, and with the likes of Carine Roitfeld and Lady Gaga already amongst her fans, you can expect to see much more of the designer this year. Twin gets the lowdown.

What is your first memory of footwear?

It was my grandmother’s collection of vintage heels from 60’s. Every time I visited her, me and my sister would go to the shoe drawer and try everything on.

Describe your aesthetic.

Sculptural, minimal with the emphasis on the 3D elements. I also like multifunctional things and try to implement this in my designs by adding removable details or material that changes colour.

Who do you design for?

What connects all Ganor Dominic customers is passion for avant-garde unusual objects, they love art and what to stand out from the crowd.

Where do you draw your inspiration?

Initially for the debut collection in was classical sculpture. Now I try to develop this theme and experiment with colour.

Do you have a signature style?

Yes, it’s Apollo pumps with 3D printed marble face under the sole.

What is your favourite pair of shoes of all time?

Ganor Dominic Chronos brogues: they come with three removable front panels, so you get 4 different shoes in 1.

Tags: Emerging Talent, Fashion, Ganor Dominic

Tags: Loewe, Ouka Leele

Gorgeously composed, Willy Vanderperre captures the essence of Jil Sander‘s design aesthetic in their new SS17 advertising campaign. Featuring a cast of Natalie Westling and Tillmann, the photographs are perfect style inspiration for the new year.

Tags: Jil Sander, SS17, Willy Vanderperre

Ben Rayner first made a name for himself photographing artists and musicians for Dazed & Confused and VICE, before transitioning into fashion photography. He has since become a regular fixture of magazines like Wonderland and Vogue. His talents have united him with the likes of Bella Hadid, ASAP Rocky and Alexa Chung, but he has always maintained an interest in producing his own personal work. Ben has published numerous zines and several monographs in the past. His latest project is a book made up of casually shot photographs that realise his aims of producing a photo diary of his day. Aptly named ‘Half Day’, the images have been shot in multiple locations and use an array of different formats, capturing fleeting and intimate snapshots of Ben’s life. Twin spoke to Ben about stealing moments, living in New York and the future. 

Tell us about your new book.

The book is a monograph of moments photographed during 2014 and 2015. It’s made up of abstractions, portraits and landscapes. It’s a snapshot of the world as I saw it in those moments. I’m always taking pictures, so after I amass a collection of work I try to put it together in a somewhat coherent way. The book kind of has a fluid narrative of stolen moments in time.

Why did you decide to name the book ‘Half Day’?

I wanted to call the book ‘Half Day’ because it sounded optimistic and is a reminder that you still have half a day left.

A lot of your work has maintained a focus on fashion in the past. How does ‘Half Day’ divert from that?

I shoot a lot of fashion, but have always photographed everything around me. This is my fourth monograph and first hard cover book. I have also published countless zines. To me all my work is a reflection of my view of the world. I think some fashion images could have been dropped into the sequence of this book and still would have made sense. I like to steal moments from people and from the world.

Your photos have been described as ‘stopping time’ as opposed to capturing it. Why do you think that is?

I think sometimes I see things that other people don’t see, like a person’s fleeting expression. My aim is to connect with whoever and whatever I am shooting. I love photographing everyone, from famous models like Alice Dellal and Bella Hadid to actors and chefs.

You made the transition from London to New York. Do you think the change is reflected in your work? If so, how?

I don’t think so really. The images in this book are not very New York heavy. I tend to photograph things more where I don’t live. Although, I have been photographing my personal work in New York a lot more in the last few months. 

What’s next for you? 

I would like to do some still life photography, and more fashion stories, portraits and personal books. I have lots of ideas. I would also like to do a lot more video work in the future.

Half Day is available to order now.

Tags: alexa chung, ASAP Rocky, Bella Hadid, Ben Rayner, Contemporary Photography, Fashion, photography

Founded by life-long friends Angelina and Julia the RTW brand, The Nude London exudes a whimsical femininity with a collection that consists of feather-light chiffon dresses, printed blouses and sharp tailoring. We catch up with the friends-come-business partners to chat about launching a new label and the power of female friendship.

Tell us how you first started?

We have known each other since childhood and have always been inspired by femininity and beautiful dresses. Each one of us has lived all over the world: Tokyo, London, Paris, Moscow and have drawn inspiration from there. Eventually, we wanted to create that effortlessly cool feminine look with our brand.

How would you describe your aesthetic? 

Very girly and elegant with a sexy twist.

Where do you get your inspiration from?

Travelling and the amazing inspiring women we meet along the way.

Is there anyone you have in mind when designing?

Our heroine is the modern day woman who is not afraid to express herself, she loves being a woman and dressing in a feminine way.

Who would you love to dress?

Vanessa Paradis and Lily-Rose Depp.

Which is your favourite piece, or pieces, from the collection?

We particularly love the Queen Mary dress, but this season we also branched out into outerwear and the coats are just so cool and comfortable!

Visit more here: www.thenudelondon.com

Tags: Fashion, New Brand, Nude London, Womenswear

Calling all wanderlusters, the leather experts at PRITCH have now launched their latest line, PRITCH Adventures. The new range offers luxe travel wear, consisting of oversized sweatshirts and classic track pants in a colour palette of black, white, olive, baby blue, sapphire blue and deep red. Like the RTW PRITCH London range, this line has thoughtful detailing, which sees the finest leather combined with super-cosy jersey that is perfect for your winter getaways. Perfect for glam, post-holiday lounging.

Tell us about your background.

I was born in Moscow and raised in between Saint Petersburg, Germany, Malta and United Kingdom. At the age of 5 I started drawing and by the age of 7 I started to do fashion sketches. By the age of 14 I figured that I want to start my own fashion brand. Since then I never looked back.

You specialise in leather, what is it about this material that you love?

I feel like leather is underestimated as a material. Not enough is done, possibilities are endless. It is also a very challenging material to work with, that requires attention to detail. You only have one chance with it, as you can not stitch it twice.

How would you describe your brand aesthetic?

Embodying today’s duality between elegance and edge. PRITCH London’s distinctive signature is transformation and the art of combining various leathers and luxurious textures in one piece. Each PRITCH London garment is designed with multi-functionality and transformation in mind, easily layered or transformed with removable elements. Inspiration behind is contrasts and edges.

Do you have a favourite piece from the collection?

I am in love with the Hybrid Bomber from our current AW16 collection for a casual day out or a fancy evening with friends. And my from now on “must travel in” piece is the “Jet-setter travel set” from our newest “Pritch Adventures” travel wear line.

You have launched PRITCH Adventures, what inspired this?

My constant adventures around the world, passion for travelling and lack of comfortable and sophisticated pieces to wear while I travel.

What do you have coming up for 2017?

I’m not even sure where to start. I have collaborations with well-known and up and coming artists, new partnerships, a mens capsule collection, kids travel wear and so much more!

Visit the Pritch London site here: www.pritchlondon.com

Tags: Fashion, Pitch London, Womenswear

REEK is a new feminist perfume brand from created in collaboration with perfumer Sarah McCartney. Designed to make a stand through everyday rebellion, REEK is about empowering women through the commemoration of fierce feminists that have come before. Using the unifying and transcendent power of scent, this is a fresh and exciting take on engendering a conversation around women’s rights and identity. Twin caught up with Bethany Grace to talk badass bitches and what makes REEK smell so good.

How did Reek come about?

In our culture, we don’t memorialise our amazing women, and that means female role models are lost. In the UK only 15% of statues are raised to women, and most of those are to Queen Victoria. So we started thinking of ways we could change that.  Scent is so evocative, it’s also a great means of rebellion.  No one needs to know you’re wearing a scent that stands for something, unless you tell them.

Who are the women that you were inspired by when creating the perfume?

DAMN REBEL BITCHES was named after 18th century Jacobite women, as badass political activists and dissidents they were the right inspiration for our first scent.  The Duke of Cumberland called them Damn Rebel Bitches because they wouldn’t give up on their cause. They were fearless. Jacobean Lady Nithsdale broke her husband out of the Tower of London in 1716 by dressing him in drag. There is no statue of her.

Scent is so individual, what ingredients did you feel embodied a universal sense of heroism, and why?

We work collaboratively with perfumer Sarah McCartney. The scents we picked all pay homage to the women of the 18th century. Blood orange peel was used as a deodorant, clary sage as a herb in women’s medicine and pink peppercorn was the most expensive thing you might have in your kitchen at the time, if you were lucky.  Though perhaps not a universal representation of heroism, these are scents that speak to the real lives of powerful women – women stood up for what they believed in.

What kind of things did you look at to develop the scent – were there any fragrances of the past that inspired you?

It’s not necessarily scents from the past that inspire us but the female pioneers in perfume from history.  The first prominent female perfumer was Germaine Cellier who broke into the industry through sheer determination in the mid-20th century. There was no question that we wanted to work with a female perfumer to combat the sexism in the industry even now.

How do you know when a perfume is finished, what are you looking for?

I suppose we just close our eyes, sniff and rely on our noses. For REEK it is more than just creating the right scent, it’s creating a present-day memorial. We’re currently developing a new fragrance for next year to commemorate a different set of women. Researching and coming to understand who that woman is takes a lot of work.

How do you see scent as a medium for commenting on the role of women today?

As an everyday rebellion. We still have so much to fight for, and we can’t go forward without looking back. So our first scent is about the strong women we admire, whose stories aren’t widely known, and who shouldn’t be forgotten. At REEK we believe that we need role models in order to be role models. Our campaign features women of a variety of ages and sizes, all un-retouched beautiful bitches.  No retouching isn’t a revolutionary concept within the industry but we wanted to reiterate how important it is to combine no retouching with diversity – of race, of size, of age. We could have just taken photos of the perfume and it’s ingredients, avoiding any direct representation of women, but having this medium available to us we took a stand, as we emblazon on our website and t-shirts ‘BITCHES UNITE’.

What do you hope to achieve with the brand going forward?

More perfumes. More amazing women to memorialise. More feminist campaigns. More rebellion.

Tags: femininity, Feminism, feminist, feminist new-wave, perfume, REEK

Having taken over YSL from Hedi Slimane this year, Anthony Vaccarello used his first collection to offer a re-interpretation of the language of the house. The monogram earring, a signature accessory of Spring/Summer 2017, is designed to be deconstructed and put back together again – the perfect emblem of a new creative voice in the house.

Shop YSL here.

Tags: Anthony Vaccarello, Earrings, Saint Laurent, Saint Laurent Paris, YSL, Yves Saint Laurent