Twin’s 12th edition is all about attitude. Edie Campbell talks to fellow model Saskia de Brauw about finding friendship and surviving the fashion game. Photographer Liz Collins explores the new rules of beauty (the good news is, there are none). Skinny Girl Diet, the London band with big ideas and a brilliantly bad attitude, let out a rebel yell. We get up close with talented multi-hyphenate Miranda July as she shares her singular views on middle age and motherhood. Then step inside the Milan studio of Nathalie du Pasquier, the French-born painter of Memphis fame, who extols the freedom of later life. Then another inspirational image-maker, Roberta Bayley, recalls Manhattan’s Seventies punk scene—the perfect accompaniment to 74 pages of scintillating summer fashion.
Much has been said about the Teddy Boy subculture that emerged in 1950s Britain, defined by their unlikely sartorial combination of Edwardian dandy and American rock and roll. However, their female counterpart—the Teddy Girl—was all but forgotten until the recent discovery of a box of negatives from late filmmaker Ken Russell. His striking photo series, Last of the Teddy Girls, offers a rare glimpse into the lives, style and attitude of this retro girl gang—one of the first known female subcultures. Preceding feminism’s second wave, the Teddy Girl was a product of post-war Britain when young working class women took up more positions in the workforce, giving them a greater amount of disposable income than ever before. What money they earned went into their iconic looks—tailored jackets, rolled-up jeans, and flat shoes playfully paired with boater hats, brooches and clutch bags. Rejecting the social expectations for women of that era, Teddy Girls roamed in gangs; attending concerts and dances with boys in tow, and collecting rock and roll records and magazines.
Inspired by their rebellious spirit, photographer Boo George, stylist Caroline Newell and model Edie Campbell teamed up to create ‘Fine and Dandy’ for Twin issue 12—an ode to the swagger and style of original Teddy Girls.
Martin Margiela may be the most elusive figure in fashion. Never has he given an interview, or been photographed in regards to his designs, however now he is the subject of the YOOX Group’s first documentary.
The Artist is Absent, directed by American writer and director Alison Chernick, reveals the vast, groundbreaking impact of the Belgian creative genius who changed the way in which fashion is seen and the enigmatic mind behind some of the most exquisite creations of the two last decades.
This intriguing narrative tries to unveil the true essence of Martin Margiela’s deconstructivist revolution. He becomes real through the images of the documentary, frames of his creative path, and interviews with some of fashion’s greatest names who have been part of his incredible life, including Raf Simons, Jean-Paul Gaultier and Suzy Menkes.
In the latest chapter of A Model Moment with Sophia Aerts, we meet Charlotte Richman, 21. Originally from Dorset, she moved to Brighton at 18 to do an art course and after one year moved to London to pursue modeling.
On London
My favourite place in London is Love Walk around Camberwell, where I often go to the Love Walk Café with my housemate. Sometimes we have Malibu on the rocks at an inappropriate hour in the morning and walk all the way to Herne Hill market, eat burgers and sit in Brockwell Park smoking and laughing at passersby.
I also love the Grant Museum of Zoology, which is full of weird and wonderful things, such as taxidermy and jars filled with bugs.
On style
My style completely changes week to week. Sometimes I’m very tomboy and punky and kind of scruffy, at other times I love to look 60s with shift dresses and jackets and heavy eye makeup with little shoes.
The last thing I bought was some blue and white big striped jeans from Mango in Istanbul. They remind me of a shirt my mum used to were when I was little. Designer-wise, I love Paul Smith.
You’ll aways find milk and diet pepsi in my fridge for tea and hungover mornings, plus ham and halloumi.
I absolutely hate it when people say ‘emotional roller coaster’.
Sneakers and running shoes have been an unexpected trend that has spread like wildfire in both the fashion circles and on the high street, and it seems that many consider them to be well and truly here to stay. Well, that’s what lifestyle retailer Pam Pam thinks, at any rate.
Last week, they launched the first women’s only sneaker store in the UK, 1,500 sq foot space located in Bethnal Green, featuring 10 footwear brands including adidas, Reebok and New Balance. Not limited to just footwear, the store will be home to accessories and clothing from a wide variety of expertly curated, well known and independent labels, including the Australian brand Vanishing Elephant, Bethnals and Penfield.
The store’s founders, Bethany Heggarty and Rio Holland, hope to enrich women’s lives; aside from their tightly edited selection of clothing and accessories, they will be providing different opportunities, such as yoga classes, workshops, music sessions and cultural events.
Trainers, clothing, yoga and female empowerment – a fashion and lifestyle concept that’s not just for kicks.
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.
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.
New Year, new you; the old adage that you will commence your healthy, happy new life once the hangover recedes on New Year’s Day is something that we all secretly hope for. This time, however, Opening Ceremony will be helping you get your 5-a-day in the form of its Pre-fall 2015 collection, inspired by everyday fruit and vegetables. Symbolising refreshment and regeneration, the collection will be made up of a supermarket spectrum of colours and textures. Think shades of beet, kale, blueberry and grapefruit, with fabrics reinterpreting the texture of banana peel or Swiss chard.
Standout items include the Cabbage Outline Multi Twist Dress in green apple, with its pattern echoing silhouette of an apple cut in half. The embossed organza Laser Cut Fruit Shell Top and the Fruit Jacquard dress feature striking cutouts of a tossed fruit salad, while staples like a shirt dress, a boxy coat, and a straight leg pant are reinvented in digitally-printed banana skin. The theme is carried into footwear and accessories, featuring black cabbage stamped suede and ‘fruit sticker’ patches.
A fresh, fun new take on spring fashion, Opening Ceremony’s latest collection is sure to tantalise – whether you keep up the healthy diet or not.
An elegant woman storms down a corridor; the sound of her footsteps resonating against the floor creates a sinister heartbeat, drumming out the rhythm of a dramatic love triangle that ends in tragedy. This short film, Terminal 3, is Philip-Lorcia Dicorcia’s realisation of Dior’s stunning Cruise 2015 collection, inspired by Hollywood’s Golden Age.
London-Los Angeles denim brand FRAME has added to its series of shots inspired by Andy Warhol’s iconic screen prints, entitled GIRLS IN FRAME. Devised by Jens Grede and Erik Tortensson, the project was intended to celebrate the launch of its t-shirt for autumn/winter 2014.
The latest model to join the series is Australian model Phoebe Tonkin. This recent instalment accompanies the release of FRAME’s resort collection, launching in stores now. Grede and Tortenssion hosted a star-studded dinner to celebrate, with Karlie Kloss, Elin Kling, Tali Lennox in attendance, to name but a few.
FRAME’s chic, minimal style has already garnered followers including Cara Delevingne and Rose Huntingdon Whiteley – this creative campaign is sure to secure them a place at the head of the pack.
Mary Katrantzou has gone from strength to strength since her arrival on the fashion scene just a few short years ago, and her latest collaboration with sports favourites Adidas is no exception.
Hitting stores November 15th, the collection sees apparel and footwear transformed by abstract florals, stripes and laces. The inspiration behind the zip-up dresses, neoprene tops and kaleidoscopic footwear was feminine strength at every age.
‘This collection has encouraged me to push the boundaries of what is possible technically,’ says Katrantzou, ‘That’s something I will incorporate into future collections.’
Ukranian by birth but Italian by adoption, Svetlana Taccori developed a passion for making dresses for her dolls from a young age. Heavily influenced by her family of knitting fanatics, she decided to use the pieces in her closet as the basis for setting up her own knitwear label, and Tak.Ori was born. Her debut collection of knitwear has already been snapped up by Browns, Colette and ModaOperandi, and her AW14 collection will be available from Net-A-Porter and Matchesfashion.com
With knits on the horizon as a key winter trend, Twin chats to Svetlana to find out more about recasting fashion’s idea of the traditional woollen jumper.
What kicked off your love for wool? I grew up in a cold country so I know the challenges of being well dressed and warm. Knitted items were always in my wardrobe and from a very early age I developed a passion for the softness, the volume and the warmth that comes from it so I suppose I’ve always had a love affair with wool even if I was unaware of it.
What is your favourite kind of wool? I love merino and cashmere for their softness but in general I like experimenting and mixing the different types of wool. I’m constantly trying out new techniques, which will allow me to mix different wool fibres and colours together to create pieces which are easy to wear and that don’t react badly when washed.
Do you know how to knit? What kind of techniques do you use and which are your favourites? I grew up in a household of knitting fanatics! I was eight when I had my first knitting classes and that’s when I learned how to turn a heel and make mini socks on five needles. I prefer to knit smooth surfaces using different colours as though I am painting on a canvas. In fact, I would have loved to be an artist and that’s partially due to how much art and literature combined to influence me while I was growing up, but my career path always seemed as though it would involve a needle and yarn. My love for fashion won out in the end!
Many people regard wool as quite casual and traditional – how would you dress it up? I agree, knitwear was traditionally considered casualwear and at the beginning of the last century, it ended up in our closets because it was comfortable and cozy, making it a redundant textile in high fashion. But that’s an outdated concept for me. Wool is sustainable, renewable and eco-friendly, it’s also one of the most versatile yarns out there and it needs to be celebrated. I want to show that high fashion can be both beautiful and comfortable. I want to use its wholesome and pure image but add a rebellious and seductive element that’s both elegant and fun. In a way, I want to revolutionise the fashion knitwear scene and this is my way of rewriting the story of wool by showing that even an evening dresses can be knitted and look amazing. Wool pieces give you a freedom of movement that you don’t always get with other fabrics.
Who are your style icons? I’m inspired by a bygone era of bold, outrageous women. Women who were intelligent, bright, charming and eccentric, yet elegant and chic at the same time. No doubt this is because we don’t really know them personally, and don’t see them in everyday situations which means they can’t disappoint. Today we seem to live in a society that favours exhibitionism over substance – I call it the Herostratus effect! My AW14 collection is influenced by the Marchesa Luisa Casati. She had a strong personality, she was charming, shocking and had a certain je ne sais quoi that made her the most fascinating and fashionable woman in Europe at the turn of the 20th century. I also love Nan Kempner. Her style is timeless but also very appropriate for today.
Where did you learn your craft? Have you worked with other designers? At thirteen my grandfather gave me a sewing machine for my birthday. My parents had mentioned to him in passing that I was hand-sewing dresses for dolls. Every time I was given a doll, actually, the first thing I would do was to rip the clothes it came in off and make new outfits for them. So when I received my sewing machine there was no stopping me, and I moved on from making clothes for dolls to making clothes for my mum, sisters and school friends.
What prompted you to start your own label? I’ve spent the past 15 years working in the fashion business for some of the most well-known luxury brands in the world, but I always felt it was inevitable that one day I would set-up my own label. Since my teens, I’ve been collecting hats and scarves everywhere I go (I have over a hundred hats and seventy scarves). It was after a trip to Cortina that I finally found the courage and felt that the time was right to go and do my own thing.
What inspired your SS15 collection? As I mentioned earlier, knitwear and jersey came into our lives and into our closets in the 1920’s and this was a time of major change for women. I am intrigued by the way the suffragettes used their clothing as placards to fight for the vote. I wanted to dedicate my collection to that era and I wanted to celebrate and thank those women who made the freedoms many women enjoy today possible. These women were bold and, if you like, revolutionaries. So for my spring summer 2015 collection I wanted to create a modern interpretation of their strength and femininity as well as a contemporary view of the clothing worn by them. By using knit and jersey, which at the time were considered second-class fabrics and used solely for underwear and sports clothing, I feel it embodies the spirit of the suffragettes.
Are you influenced by your dual nationality? I think we’re all influenced by our environment but our childhoods no doubt have the strongest influence. I can honestly say I feel very comfortable wherever I am. I love exploring the traditions and history of all the countries I visit – I will read the literature, listen to the local music, visit the art galleries, watch the movies, look at the colours and talk to as many people, young and old, as I can. I feel this willingness to learn helps to influence me in creating collections that appeal to people from different countries and continents. Of course it’s inevitable that I am also influenced by my Ukrainian roots and Italian adoption and, although I don’t rely on these elements for direction, I think you can see the bold, vibrant but traditional Ukrainian fused with the well cut, urban Italian chic in my designs, but luckily I’m a fan of dualities.
What can we expect from you in the next year?
I don’t know what to expect from myself! My main objective will be to continue to create contemporary, luxurious and innovative garments, and my fascination with fabric and wool technology knows no bounds. My fascination with experimentation helps push me creatively, especially during our spring summer collections as I have to focus on delivering wearable and interesting luxury pieces that are breathable and comfortable. We have big plans though and, I definitely want to improve my English!
This year at the Venice Film Festival on 30 August, fashion giant Miu Miu screened its Women’s Tales project, paying homage to talented women of the silver screen. The series of eight short films were directed by up-and-comers like Zoe Cassavetes, Lucrecia, and Miranda July. These fashionable featurettes, with their wacky but pensive subjects, are all accessorised by beautiful clothing and fabrics from Miu Miu (of course).
The latest instalment is Somebody, by writer, filmmaker and artist Miranda July. July wrote for the first issue of our very own Twin magazine, and has been going from strength to strength ever since.
Somebody accompanies the release of the eponymous app, a new messaging service that enables you to say something difficult to someone you love. Her ironic, witty and touching short film includes a tragedy featuring a sick mother, a devastating break-up, and a bizarre ménage-a-trois between two prison guards and pot plant named Anthony.
This quirky analysis of society’s hunger for communication and technology feels fantastically surreal, but with a striking element of truth.
For aficionados, fashion is much more than a frivolous indulgence in the latest trends. It is about self-expression, identity and creativity. This is what the major autumn exhibition at the London Design Museum intends to celebrate. Women Fashion Power opens on 29 October, looking at the ways in which women are using fashion to define and enhance their place in the world. Fittingly, the exhibition is designed by Dame Zaha Hadid, the first and only woman to have won the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2004. She herself is well known for her fashion statements, currently sporting pink ombré hair.
It will feature exclusive interviews, an immersive multimedia journey including archive photography and film footage, and historic pieces of clothing to illustrate a timeline of fashion over the past 150 years, from restrictive corsets to Louboutin’s statement heels. There will be an iconic Yves Saint Laurent ‘Le Smoking’ suit, a Mansfield suit worn by Margaret Thatcher and a Jacques Azagury dress worn by Princess Diana, amongst others. To add to the excitement, over 25 contemporary women will be featured in the exhibition, and each of them has donated one of their outfits. Naomi Campbell, Dame Vivienne Westwood, Livia Firth (wife of Colin), Roksanda Ilincic and Natalie Massenet (of Net-A-Porter) are just a few of the famous names.
Fashion, it seems, is growing ever more important as a tool of empowerment, for building a reputation, attracting attention, and asserting authority. You might want to think on that when you plan your next outfit…
Women Fashion Power at the London Design Museum, from 29 October to 26 April.
Dover Street Market, the oh-so-stylish retail outpost from Japanese label Comme Des Garçons, is about to break its conspicuous social media silence with the launch of its Instragram, @doverstreetmarketlondon.
While it is obviously not the first fashion brand to turn to the world wide web for creative inspiration, it is somewhat surprising given that, until now, DSM has been abstemious when it comes to social networking. So what has prompted this move online?
The Instagram heralds a series of celebrations to mark DSM’s ten-year anniversary. Since opening its doors in London on 10 September 2004, DSM has well and truly established itself as a fashion haven, and these festivities will be its crowning moment.The entire store will undergo some exciting changes, and the exclusive collaborations will have fashionistas in a frenzy.
After three days of closure, the store will reopen on September 1, with a completely transformed basement and second floor, while the first floor will be entirely given over to Louis Vuitton for the duration of AW14. The Rose Bakery will be enlarged, as will the jewellery and wallet display on the ground level. The basement will be home to a new NikeLab, to be celebrated by the release of a special edition shoe, and Tokyo’s Good Design Shop (a collaboration between Comme Des Garçons and D & DEPT). There will be event spaces dedicated to different designers that will change each week, and four open days throughout September when these designers will be in store to greet customers.
Perhaps most exciting will be ‘Market Street Dover’, some temporary market stalls that will be set up all through the building selling special collaborations and products celebrating ‘ten years future and past’ of DSM. The stalls will be hawking a bevvy of limited-edition creations from Sacai, Simone Rocha, Rick Owens and Phoebe English, to name but a few.
The festivities will kick off on September 1 with the launch of Pharrell Williams’ GIRL fragrance, as well as the unveiling of an installation designed by Comme Des Garçons’ creative director Rei Kawakubo that will cover the entire building’s façade. A happy birthday indeed!
The Autumn / Winter ’13 showcases may be in full swing right now but here at Twin HQ we’re still longing for Spring / Summer. We’ve been feeding our obsession with the current season with a little help from the Dutch fashion label, Scotch & Soda, who have given us an exclusive look at their latest lifestyle imagery shot by Philippe Vogelenzang in down-town New York.
Scotch & Soda and their sister line, Maison Scotch, have appointed models of the moment, Ashley Smith and Erik Andersson, to present the new collections’ key pieces, consisting of ‘Western’ influenced staples that feature Ikat patterning, fringing, relaxed jersey and prairie-inspired lace details.
As if these super cool shots weren’t enough the Amsterdam-based brand have also created additional content including an insider interview with Ashley and Erik plus behind-the-scenes Polaroids, all of which are available to view on their website now…
Fashion film has become the creative brand’s latest method of communication. This new medium is heralded by established and underground design houses alike. London Fashion Week has become a film festival of sorts, and this week one brand in search of alternative ways to showcase their Autumn/Winter 13 collections introduced an integrated fashion film and image project. McQ’s creative team collaborated with photographer Roger Deckker to devise a mood image series and a film to capture the brand’s youthful aesthetic, rebellious nature and street-inspired heritage.
The film takes inspiration from twentieth-century avant-garde Czechoslovakian and post-war Italian cinema but is set in modern London. Comprised of a series of unlinked vignettes, featuring models Maria Bradley and Botond Cseke, the short is both climactic and ethereal.
Kirsty Ward is most likely a name you’ve heard of before; if you didn’t catch her interview with yours truly last summer, then you no doubt have previously come across her distinguished statement jewellery and clean considered womenswear pictured on a number of fashion blogs, magazine editorials or even the odd stylish celeb.
When we last spoke to Kirsty she was revealing news about her Spring / Summer ’13 collection, so we thought it was only apt that she’d also share with us her highlights for this season — in particular a unique bag collaboration with fellow British designer, Sarah Williams of Williams Handmade.
“I’ve created several clutch bags in previous collections, however this was something that I’ve always wanted to explore further, so when the opportunity came up to collaborate with Sarah I was super excited,” Kirsty told Twin. “We first met at ITS#9 where we were both finalists in the accessories category but I’ve been a big fan of her work for years now – plus I think our aesthetics work really well together.”
The collection consists of four bag styles in total, all of which feature detachable and interchangeable straps so that the wearer can mix between the colours featured in the chosen pastel palette of pink, blue and grey. Similar to Ward’s own womenswear designs, Sarah’s clean, minimalistic creations form a perfect foundation to the bold signature jewellery pieces that Kirsty has adorned the surfaces and edges with.
The Williams Handmade for Kirsty Ward collection will be showcased along with the rest of Kirsty’s Autumn / Winter ’13 offering at the Vogue Talents Corner, Palazzo Morando, during Milan Fashion Week later this week.
January is beginning to look a bit more cheery here at Twin HQ; the gradual arrival of the new season fashion campaigns that have been creeping their way into our inboxes certainly are keeping us in high hopes for the new year with a subtle reminder that spring is soon approaching.
The latest advertising imagery from Theysken’s Theory is one that has stood out amongst the pack, with a unique composition that merges stylised shots of Wylie Hays with landscapes of the seashore in Knokke Le Zoutte, Belgium captured by himself. Plus, not every campaign can boast that its final polished look is the result of combining the creative minds belonging to three of the world’s most influential Belgian artists: designer Olivier Theyskens, photographer Willy Vanderperre and stylist Olivier Rizzo.
Some say creativity and ambition is a genetic trait – something powerfully instinctive that lies deep within the veins. This perhaps could be the reason why three sisters from Sweden decided to combine their talents, experience and specialties to create their own sibling success story. Sofia Wallenstam, Kristina Tjäder and Karin Söderlind launched their fashion label, Dagmar, back in 2005 after developing three very impressive careers of their own within three very separate areas of the fashion industry: design, retail and PR.
Since then, Dagmar and its three founders have continued to find success both in Sweden and overseas, picking up numerous awards and achievements along the way.
Tomorrow the ladies will be showcasing their latest collection at Mercedes-Benz Stockholm Fashion Week. Twin spoke to Karin, the label’s Head of Marketing and PR, ahead of the show…
You launched Dagmar over 7 years ago – how have things developed since then? What have been the highlights throughout this time?
There have been so many highlights! Every year has been overwhelming, however some of our awards have been the biggest highlights to date; we were awarded with the NewGen Fresh Faces New York in 2007, New designer of the Year by Swedish Elle magazine in 2006 and won Guldknappen in 2011 – Scandinavia’s most prestigious design award. But just to be able to grow and hire people has been a milestone for us. It’s always a great moment when more people join the team every year.
Does working as a family business make it easier or harder? Obviously you all have each other for support but are there times when sisterly squabbling gets in the way?
Honestly there are some times when it does get a bit like ‘this is something that I would never say to any other employee’, but we try hard to work things out when it gets in our way.
Do you all have your own individual roles within the business?
Yes, from the start we split the responsibility between us. Sofia Wallenstam is Head of Sales, Kristina Tjäder is Head of Design and I, Karin Söderlind, am Head of Marketing & Pr.
Describe your signature aesthetic in just 3 words.
Unconventional & sophisticated (even better, I could do it in only two!).
Opening today is Mercedes-Benz Stockholm Fashion Week, where you will be showcasing your AW’13 collection. What’s the inspiration/ concept behind it?
There was a huge Renaissance influence taking over us and so you can detect some of that within the collection. We put a lot of focus on jackets and coats this time with knitted furs, strict wool capes and coats with interesting cuts.
Dagmar is named after your late Grandmother who you’ve stated as being your muse at the beginning. Are there any other inspirational women who influence your work?
We are always inspired by strong women for our collections but not any particular one this season… well maybe Mona Lisa!
Any big plans lined up for 2013?
A lot of things always seem to happen, planned or not! We have huge plans, but more for the long run than specifically for 2013. Short term we are opening a big shop within NK in Stockholm this February, plus we’d like to have more of a presence in London this year… let’s see how…
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