London streetwear brand Aries recently launched their partnership with British luxury brand Hillier Bartley on the creation of a one-of-a-kind charm jewellery collection released earlier this week. The capsule collection is composed of 7 different charms to be worn on Hillier Bartley’s 14K gold plated paper clip earring or co-branded necklace. References from both brands are featured in the collection like an Aries Roman Column, pentagram, ket, throwing star among others . For the partnership the two brands took the opportunity to invite students from City and Islington College for a 3 day multidisciplinary arts workshop in February which spoke to branding, product development, fashion communication, art and photography and each student presented their creation in a variety of formats including film , painting, graphics , clothing, accessories and more. Throughout the process, the sessions were filmed and the students captured in their creative elements by photographer and Aries collaborator Clare Shilland. All of the imagery from the workshop is also set to be included in a book designed by Art Director Jonny Lu and made into a short film directed by Jeremy Pollard.
“This will be our second collaboration with Aries. What we love about collaborating with Sofia is the community that gets involved.. Our last collaboration really was both teams exploring and making and creating.. both HB and Aries teams have played a huge part in the collaboration process .. I think the work with the students was a really special part of this project, and has inspired us all.. The act of collaboration is often simplified, but pared back it’s what business is all about.. co-ordinating together to create new ideas, trust and an appreciation of a diversity of ideas.. we are really proud of this wonderful project…” commented Katie Hillier, Co-Founder, Hillier Bartley.
Italian streetwear label GCDS recently embarked on a new venture of branding introducing their first beauty line called The Bag Essentials. The line is set to feature a collection of products which hints at the brand’s playful ironic aesthetic while still minting it’s high end Italian quality. The first drop of items which launched at the beginning of November included a series of four lip products: Hype — a fresh mental transparent lip balm with deep idratation, Blinghoe — A flirty sparkling pink lipstick with a plumping effect, Marijuana — A green ph reagent that turns into a blushing tint with a natural cherry shade when applied on the lips and Velvet D.I.C.K — a rough red lipstick with a matte finish. The beauty line is set to expand on a wider scale in 2019 with a series of launches always to be accompanied by the brand’s twist of irony.
Last Saturday evening, creative director of Milan based label GCDS Giuliano Calza brought forth a show which in fact might have lent truth to the components of the aptly-comprised acronym — God Can’t Destroy Streetwear. Out of all the shows of the season, this was a gathering of the most diverse group of audience members, that which included fashion editors, journalists, all types of hardcore streetwear enthusiasts along with a few Italian celebrities . All surrounded by GCDS branded vending machines , accessories and signs , all apart of the inspiration behind the SS19 collection labeled The Futuro Beach.
Upon initial sighting, the first few pieces which strutted took some getting used to. They left a taste in one’s mouth which made you unsure of wether it was a collection to enjoy or one to scrunch your face at in disgust. However upon further analysis, that taste began to simmer and one began to realize that it is nothing but vodka, and that this, was a party.
The designer aimed to give forecast on a new era, one where he says is not only about aliens and plastic material, but quality and craftsmanship. “I wanted to talk to young people and to get them thinking about the future, plastics water shortage and the environment. Full sustainability is impossible and I wanted this show to be a wakeup call.”
Three breasted women in midriff tops, transparent vinyl dresses, highlighter pink hair, telephone handsets and fruits which hung like jewellery were all ornaments which complemented a collection of streetwear. The brand’s collaboration with Pokémon inspired animated sandals, character appliqué which strung a fun cartoonish feel throughout the collection. Although streetwear might have been rumoured to be dead earlier this year, Giuliano’s ability to put on a show might have just landed him the title of the ringmaster and at his feet sits quite a roaring audience.
Famed for their innate understanding and reflection of youth culture, it’s no surprise that Dr. Martens have teamed up with cult streetwear brand Stüssy to release a new capsule collection. Not only are both brands emblematic of rebellion and the underground scene, but they both also emphasise quality and clothes made to last.
Available in stores now, the collaboration sees classic Dr. Martens silhouettes remixed with signature Stussy vibes: think cheetah print panels, pebble grain textured leather uppers and a mega combination of independent spirit. Get ’em while you can.
They say you should never stop learning. Irrespective of age and experience, the theory is: there’s always room to grow, and subsequently, improve. And that seems to be the ethos behind the new Mastered series, which connects some of the creative industry’s biggest names with a network of knowledge-hungry self-starters.
From Tim Blanks to Nick Knight, Val Garlands and Fraser Cooke – who will mentor specific courses in writing, photography, make-up and streetwear, respectively – the Mastered initiative bills itself as an online talent program, which aims to connect those looking to take their career to the next level, with the people capable of doing just that. Thanks to its online platform, it is education on a global scale, and offers access to some of the greatest minds, mentors and all-important contacts books of some of the various industry’s superstars.
One of the most interesting courses on offer, is the aforementioned streetwear program, who recently held a series of panelled-events in London, Berlin (with New York and Tokyo next on the list) – connecting industry experts with those passionate about, and working within, streetwear. It is also one of the only programs still accepting applications for places. So, with that in mind, we had a chat and took some photos with London panelist Carri Munden – in-between her working with Skepta on his new video – to find out what streetwear means to her.
OK firstly, can you tell us exactly what your involvement in the Mastered project is?
Mastered invited me to be on the panel for the London launch alongside influencers from Cottweiler to Gary Aspden. I will also be part of the Streetwear: Mastered programme, giving feedback as an expert to the brands participating.
How would you describe the other people involved as mentors – and why are they important within the realm of streetwear? Fraser Cooke is someone who has universal respect across streetwear, fashion and creative industries. He is also someone who has been something of a mentor to me. He wisdom is incredible and he’s calm and kind.
What do you think the term streetwear means now? How has it changed – if at all – over the years? For me streetwear is style – it is connected to but not defined by fashion. It is above all connected to culture.
What is your earliest memory of streetwear? As a teenager I never fitted into a particular subculture but I was drawn to brands, whether than was Stussy (cult for me growing up), Kappa or even a Metallica logo. I don’t think I was even conscious that they were brands but I was aware of their differences and what they signified.
What was it that drew you to it? I like graphics so I was always attracted to streetwear. I also love music and streetwear is always connected to music. I didn’t listen to Hip Hop, I only learnt about streetwear’s connection to Hip Hop when I moved to London. I grew up on rave, jungle and metal. Stussy for me was part of rave culture but also connected me to the skater boys I always fancied but who thought I was too weird or too chavvy (lol).
Historically, it was considered perhaps a more democratic way of being able to express yourself – be it politically or socially – through your clothing. Do you think that holds true today?
Yes I agree and disagree. I do not care about fashion I care about human connections and style. Style – what you wear and most importantly how you wear it – will never be erased. Humans will dress themselves in whatever they can access and it will alway be about personal expression, communication and status. What has changed now is how we communicate – i.e. the internet and social media. Clothing is still crucial but is now just a part of a constructed identity of “who you are” or more importantly who you want others to think you are.
Why do you think Mastered chose you to be involved in the project? I hope because I have an individual voice. I think I’m in quite a unique position as a creative who has worked across high fashion, sportswear and streetwear; and I didn’t want to draw focus to it but other people have been mentioning it to me, but yes I am a woman…
Are there more women involved in streetwear than people realise? Or is it still a predominantly male-centric field? There are a lot of women in streetwear actually, but I would change that to there are a lot of women in sportswear, in both Nike or Adidas for example there are incredible woman at all levels right to the very top. I have noticed this less in streetwear and I not sure why but as I mentioned in the panel discussions at the London Mastered event, there is something about the very nature of streetwear that is both very formulaic and very masculine – its obsession with one up man ship, whether that is a limited edition collectable piece or a detail on a jacket or a reference in a graphic that only an insider would recognise.
Streetwear is also a culture that has been inextricably linked with music in the past…again, is it still? And if so, are there any particular artists that you feel inspired by – or can see a lot of inspiration being drawn from – right now? The last year I have been working with Skepta, his style is so British / european and so personal to him, it has been exciting for me seeing the influence of that globally. And absolutely artists like Kanye, A$AP Rocky – to be honest they have unprecedented influence when it comes to streetwear and style. It is powerful. We discussed this a lot at the panel discussion – how streetwear and fashion have changed and how they have and can influence each other. Artists like Kanye or Rocky are crucial in this discussion. But for me a lot of – at least within Hip Hop – artists’ connections with clothing or brands goes back to the one-upmanship I mentioned. I like weirdos – artists for whom style is a pure extension of the music and there are no boundaries or definitions when it comes to creativity.
How do you think something like Mastered benefits the people taking part in it? It’s absolutely unique in that you would never have access to these people outside of this program. It’s also unique in because it is online is accessible to any one in the world. This is powerful to me, as I really think to be progressive we need to think outside of these same cites and centres of culture and industry.
Do you think it still rings true – to an extent – that it’s about who you know not what you know? Yes absolutely your network is key, but it is not everything because if you have access to incredible people or connections it is nothing with out something to bring to them. Hard work and most importantly good, unique work is what will get you success.
What are you currently working on? I am not doing collections or showing seasonly with Cassette Playa – I love designing clothes but it will be for other people or I will do collaborations or limited edition drops. I am enjoying being creative in other ways – I’m currently working on creative direction, styling and graphic projects.
To find out more about Streetwear: Mastered and the other courses on offer, visit mastered.com.
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