My article on Papercut Magazine (part 1)

"My favorite has to be Samantha Tyler's article My Generation, so loved that we split it across this issue and the next -read the first half, you'll love it too." Hayley Maybury, editor of Papercut.http://papercutmag.com (click on "Expand" to read it ; or, see the screencaptures in the Who's Sam section at the top of the blog. )

http://issuu.com/papercutmag/docs/papercutmag_may_2011_issue/63

Go to page 62 to discover the said first part of my article on the new generation of designers, artists and fashion leaders of today and tomorrow. I hope you would enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it ...   

In order of appearance, you will meet : 

• French designer Yiqing Yin, who is about to launch her first collection at next Semaine de la Couture ( http://www.yiqingyin.com ). You can also see a special article on her here : http://samsensibility.blogspot.com/2011/04/interview-yiqing-yin-perfect-harmony.html
• New-yorker Blogger Saroya Norris, who launched her own online jewelery shop, Rich&Rebellious (  http://www.sariandcompany.com and http://www.richandrebellious.com )
• Italian designer Sara Battaglia, whose bags are already famous around the fashion world ( http://sarabattaglia.com )
• British designer Victoria Rangayah, whose brand Z Mode is taking Britain by storm ( http://www.zmode.co.uk and at online retailer http://www.youngbritishdesigners.com )
• Miami-based photographer David Benoliel, who graced the last Miami Art Basel ( http://www.davidbenolielphotography.com )
• Swiss contemporary painter Saul Zanolari, which last painting Echography for a change - Lady Gaga and Julie Andrews shows once again his talent and cheeky eye on today's world ( http://www.saulzanolari.com )
• Bonus interview of Los Angeles designers of DimePiece, only on my blog : http://samsensibility.blogspot.com/2011/05/interview-dimepiece-welcome-to-paradime.html

Thor actress  Jaimie Alexander is also gracing the cover, and there are great photoshots and articles you will certainly like to see ! Happy Birthday Papercut, you're the cutest one-year old baby I've ever seen ! ;-D

Interview : DimePiece, Welcome to Paradime

 There's still a fortnight before the release of my article on young designers, and I thought that another teaser would please you. This interview  was supposed to be included in the article, but unfortunately arrived too late. I thought it was unfair for the two adorable girls who have taken the time to answer, with a lot of humour and freshness, so I've decided to make it as a 'bonus'.
DimePiece is one of those brands, like American Apparel, which are very proud to sell products entirely manufactured locally. At its head, two "chicks on pills" (one of their recurring pattern), Laura Fama, 24 and Ashley Jones, 26, both graduates in Fashion and "dwelling in the colourful and adventurous garment district of  in downtown Los Angeles", who want to fight the reign of the foreign-made clothes and its quality and human damages. "We design and manufacture all our garments and accessories here in Los Angeles. We favour this decision in working domestically with our contractors so we can watch exactly how our garments are assembled day to day. It feels good knowing that our sewers, graders, patternmakers, etc are all getting paid fairly without a middleman. Plus it helps create more jobs domestically and stimulates our economy. Win-win." The label is their baby, and they handle everything from scratch. Their products are incredibly trendy and desirable, a mix of rock aesthetic and Californian bohemian lifestyle.

“Each season’s line is expressed by modern pop art-themed prints and t-shirts with the cheekiest and most feminist of phrases, along with hoodies, sweatshirts, leggins and tanks. Now in its tenth season, the young designers add another solid installment to Dimepiece, and go from strength to strength as trendsetting Fergie, Nicki Minaj, The Kardashians, Amber Rose, Juliette Lewis, Pink, M.I.A., Katy Perry and Estelle have emerged as fans.”
Indeed, L.A.'s A-list has quickly integrated their list of clients. Their prices, though, are still affordable, but I strongly regret that their delivery prices for Europe are mostly equals to the price of their garments ... Of course, it is a detail in front of the quality the girls offer and their philosophy. Their soap box ? Women empowerment. "That’s always been what we’ve stood for, and always had a positive response from, and so we’ve never felt forced to translate it through our designs. Women, power, and how the two interconnect was originally the motive that our brand was based on and so it works its way into each season naturally. We use most of our graphic tees as a way of communication to state our opinion on various things. This is a passion of ours and so it’s important to us that we keep creating statement tees with each collection."
The picture of a spitting cat, with this catchy statement on, "One Pussy you can't fuck with" : the message is clear enough ... But you can't reduce the label to provocation and feminism.

 The girls are quoting Alexander McQueen, Jean-Charles de Castelbajac and Vivienne Westwood as fashion models, designers who also tried to convey social messages through art and insolence. They took risks, and the girls praise them for that : "People nowadays are weary what others may think or judge them if they step outside of acceptable guidelines.[They] took risks in their designs in the infancy of their careers… The industry finally embraced it and favoured [them] for their unique style and vision." Three appealing destinies which won't stop making imitators, but Laura and Ashley are now wishing to follow their own path, with the risks induced. Ashley told me : "There is a quote [which] has always stayed with me, “Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.” [we are owing this gorgeous sentence to actress Judy Garland] Innovation is key, as a brand we take pride in doing what we feel, we try to do only what we like and what we think is ‘us’. In turn it keeps the brand innovative and fresh, it preserves our own ideas that make us independent from older legacies."
The influences of the two ladies can be found in our modern society : model Agyness Deyn, for example, is one of their muse and T-shirt's pattern, and more generally, we can feel a true respect for contemporary artists, especially streets ones.

 But Art, like Love, doesn't pay the bill (another of their slogans) : "Aesthetic is important, but sometimes we just want to say how we feel and put it on a tee." These girls are level-headed and you would not loose them into the game of Art for Art. They describe themselves as businesswomen, but that doesn't mean that they've lost their sense of humour ... "Finding a balance between art and trade would be incredible but we have to work hard towards that perfect symmetry. In general though, fashion should be closer to art, of course. Fashion is in itself art. It’s creative and fun. Trade is money, consumerism, business! commerce! AH GET ME OUT OF HERE!"
This sense of reality also allow DimePiece to stand independant and unique, while other young labels have already lapsed into exorbitant pricing and mainstreaming. The girls are really proud of their freedom : "we lean more towards a democratic point of view but overall we are a liberated brand that is self-governing." But they are still prudents. Crisis have affected the young label, and many of their shops were forced to close. Luck has nothing to do with it : indeed, talent has been stronger than difficulty, and now, they can breathe easier. Not surprising with such a motto : "Always making a way when there was no way" ...
Internet is also a strong weapon for Laura and Ashley, who own a very attractive website. It allows them to go deeper in their thirst of experience. "It’s interesting to watch designers and artists release work into the internet world and see how quick and easy it is to receive an emotional response from someone, good or bad…via Facebook, Twitter, Google, etc. I think it’s encouraging for designers like us to share our new collections and art projects with the masses to view, especially on a worldwide/global scale. Blogs and web-zines have opened a new chapter when trying to reach new consumers and shoppers from around the globe. Click, click, scroll and you can watch someone’s art or project unfold right in front of your eyes, it’s so instant, so much information at your fingertips and a lot (to say the least) to keep you encouraged."

If they are aware that their American aura is what makes them so attractive worldwide, they also confess an attraction for Europe and Japan. "We’ve spent time in both [countries] and think there is a dynamism there that the U.S. doesn’t understand. There’s a unique sense of vigor for art, fashion and creation. Tons of personal style, people who take risks, and innovators that are more open to being unique. I can’t get enough of that." says Ashley. It is maybe the dream of the ladies of DimePiece, but it is definitely ours : more DimePiece stores on the other side of the Atlantic and the Pacific ... That would resolve my delivery's issues ...  Meanwhile, you can shop their sexy dresses, terrific collars, graphic bags and cheeky tees on http://www.dimepiecedesigns.com/store ...

Interview : Yiqing Yin, the Perfect Harmony

No, I didn't disappear since the beginning of April. My apology for the absence of articles. I was concentrating all my energy on my work of freelance editor and I had the opportunity to get many interesting articles. One of them was a report on the young generation of designers. For it, I have interviewed many of those young talents, but one has particularly striken me : fashion designer Yiqing Yin. So, I really wanted to introduce her to you. 

"To me Fashion is not only about a garment but also striving to create an emotion, to tell a story and to relate to others."She states.

Yiqing is a twenty-six years old young woman from China who grew up in Paris, France. Of her two cultures, she had formed a very personal universe, made of natural elegance, grace and harmony, in one side, and of prestige, magnificence and details in the other. This mix is also present in the work of Madeleine Vionnet and Madame Grès, two French classic designers she quotes as her inspiration. Madame Grès is, incidentally, honoured by an exhibition at the Musée Bourdelle, in Paris. We can find this legacy in Yiqing's work.

Yiqing decided to launch her own label after the International Festival of Couture of Hyeres, in France, where she was a finalist. Since then, the success was always here and she won the Great Prize of the city of Paris and has been exhibited in a gallery. She will soon show her first collection in public, in July.

"I have a very sculptural approach to garment and couture, which i try to modernise by reinterpreting various techniques based on pleating draping, cording, smocks ... It s a sensitive and instinctive approach. My main focus and starting point in creation is the encounter with the fabric, its texture and its movement." She says.

Her catchwords are quality, emotions and moderation, and thus, she rejects trends, fast fashion and consumerism. She is proud to make products of quality, of an extreme luxury, even if it means that she would only sell to an elit.

Already spotted by famous magazines (Vogue, for example), the young woman is yet easy to access and she has answered my questions with politeness and concern, which is always very remarkable in the Industry. It is also very rare to see someone that young being that wise, able to think about big issues and to have a very philosophical and sensible view on the present and the future. A pearl in that world of celebrities-obsessed designers. Yiqing never quotes an actress, she dresses real women, like you and I ( if we can afford her creations of course !). Sure, he is not famous herself yet, but her vision of her work should prevents her to get a big-head :

"I love my job so much because of the reality behind it, the notion of intimacy to a person and the absolute necessity that is intrinsic to the very idea of clothing."

"The stylistic directions of my design are very personal, but I never had the feeling that I had to compromise creatively, quite on the contrary people from the industry and the public have always encouraged me to dig deeper into what I instinctively desire. I m not interested in proposing a vision that everyone likes, it wouldn’t be “honest”, and again it’s all about emotions and I much rather have people hate it or love it."

Let's hope that she will get the attention she deserves, without losing this integrity which is so refreshing in that world of attention-seekers. For the moment, her website is a bit empty, but if you want to take a look, click here : http://www.yiqingyin.com/

For the rest of Yiqing's interview and those of the other designers, you will have to wait for the publication of the article. I will keep you updated.

Interview with : Kay Weston of Push It Magazine ( part 2 )

Ann Demeulemeester - Nilupul Hettaiarachchige

 If you haven’t read the first part of this new segment, I advise you to do it. You will learn more about an inspiring young person named Kay Weston, the Contributing Print Editor of Push It magazine, who has a lot to say about fashion journalism and the industry in general. This second part will incidentally be devoted to Kay’s view on fashion and to her personal favourite things.

In some previous articles, I have already questioned a particular phenomenon of fashion, that is to say the comeback of past decades in nowadays’ collections. So I have asked Kay if she thought that fashion was constantly repeating itself or, instead, if new things were genuinely created. “With fashion, you can’t reinvent the wheel completely,” she answers. “In a certain sense, fashion is quite cyclical. The same trends do keep coming around, but there’s always a different ‘take’ on it each time it re-emerges.”
She also slips in that the trend of vintage has somehow changed the deal, “it’s not so much of an issue if you do wear something from a previous season. It’s becoming a lot more relaxed. It’s not so much what you wear, it’s how you wear it.”

Lina Österman - Hannah Marshall

But, Miss Weston definitely believes that the industry is moving forward. Personally, she is not the kind of person who likes to reflect on the past in terms of fashion, and she doesn’t think that a time period or a country should deserve more attention than another. She is rather thrilled by new designers and she praises initiatives such as those of NEWGEN, Fashion East and the Vauxhall Talent Scout, who are “so important in launching the careers of designers who perhaps otherwise wouldn’t have had a chance to bring their designs to the masses.”
Kay is confident about the future of United Kingdom in this area. “I do think that the UK has some impressive and diverse design talent, and both London Fashion Week and Graduate Fashion Week really demonstrate this.”
Speaking of young talents, she is glad that they are receiving more support and media coverage, “as it can be incredibly difficult to make your name as a designer, especially right now with the recession.” I guess that she gives her approval to the website ‘Young British Designers’, another initiative that proves that the British fashion industry is looking to the future.

Rick Owens - Laura Theiss

 “What marks out a good designer is [his] ability to take something that has been done before and put [his] own stamp on it”, she says. “The really great thing about emerging designers today is that they are utterly unafraid of pushing boundaries, experimenting with ideas and challenging people’s perceptions of fashion.”

Her favourite young designers all fit that description, and she jokes about how her goth roots influence her picks, who all work incorporate darker elements into their designs. “They’re not exactly ‘new’, but I love Viktor and Rolf for their innovation,” she starts. Following the Dutch famous designers is a list of the rising stars of the moment. Gareth Pugh, of course, and Belgian designer Ann Demeulemeester. The other names may be less known for you: there are the avant-gardists Lina Österman and her rock’n’roll rag dolls’ silhouettes, Californian Rick Owens, known for his subversive point of view, the London designer Hannah Marshall and her sharp and aesthetic creations, and also the Finnish designer Heikki Salonen, who mixes a certain solemnity with boldness.

Derek Lawlor - Gabriella Marina Gonzales

 “I love knitwear too,” she continues, “so I’m going to say Derek Lawlor, Laura Theiss, Craig Lawrence and Mark Fast.” She insists on Markus Lupfer’s name being added to the list, even confessing that her dream is “to own one of his sweaters, I’m obsessed with them.”

I can’t help saying that the creations of Lawlor remind me of the liquorice rolls of my childhood, which is not necessarily negative. The sweaters and dresses of English designer Lawrence are truly Dantesque, with some likeness with Sandra Backlund (you can read my article about her ). His fellow-citizen Mark Fast is more obsessed with transparency and crochet. It is pointless to introduce Theiss and Lupfer, well-known in the industry for their cunning and vivid creations, considered as fashion statements. In Kay’s list, there are also the fascinating newcomers Katie Eary and her love for Vanitas ( another of my article you can consult ), plus Cuban-American and London-based futuristic designer Gabriella Marina Gonzalez.
Also quoted : Ziad Ghanem and his ‘creatures’, the promising yet tongue-twister Nilupul Hettaiarachchige, shoemaker Atalanta Weller and Swiss-German Stefanie Biggel.

“That’s loads, isn’t it?!” laughs Kay. Don’t worry- the more, the merrier, and I mean it. The Contributing Print Editor is not skinflint with her answers, and her passion is visible, which is very pleasant to see !

Ziad Ghanem - Katie Eary

Since we were talking of clothes, I took the opportunity of asking her some tips for a warm and classy winter : “Winter is actually one of the best times of year to experiment with your look,” she tells me. “Layering up to keep warm means that you can work several trends at once, and add in extras such as over-the-knee socks, patterned tights, hats and scarves to brighten up an outfit.” Obviously, she is obsessed with knitwear, which she says “is also great for playing around with textures. There’s no rule that says you have to stick to boring jumpers. This year there have been a lot of variations available in terms of fabrics, prints, embellishments and cuts.

Atalanta Weller for House of Holland - Markus Lupfer

 And a good coat is an investment, so choose something to see you through several seasons. Faux fur or feathers are always a winner.” Kay seems incidentally to have her eye on a specific coat : “a gorgeous faux fur coat from Miss Selfridge !” she confesses. Now we’ve got the picture !
I am really glad that Kay Weston took the time to answer my questions in so much detail. I hope you have found this first interview as interesting as I’ve found it. There will be more to come hopefully, if I meet people as open and nice as Kay!

Miss Selfridges

http://www.anndemeulemeester.be/
http://www.linaosterman.com/
http://www.rickowens.eu/
http://www.hannahmarshall.com/
http://www.heikkisalonen.com/
http://dereklawlor.com/
http://www.lauratheiss.com/
http://www.craiglawrence.co.uk/
http://www.markfast.net/
http://www.katieeary.co.uk/
http://gabriellamarinagonzalez.com/
http://ziadghanem.co.uk/
http://www.atalantaweller.com/

Interview with : Kay Weston of Push It Magazine ( part 1 )

Kay Weston

 Who are those people who will make the fashion of tomorrow? You, me? It is a bit vague, isn’t it? So, I have decided to create a new segment in my blog, dedicated to the persons who are acting, either in the limelight or backstage, to shape the future ofthe fashion industry.

Kay Weston caught my eye, not only for our many mutual interests, but also because of her inspiring career and her smart view on the industry. At only 23, Kay has got an impressive curriculum vitae. “I still find it difficult to believe that I’ve done so much, yet I only graduated from university this year!” she admits.
And yet, she grew up very far from the world of fashion: “Growing up, nobody I knew was into [it] or even reading [...] magazines, so I was never surrounded by it or particularly interested in it. Fashion was of little relevance to me.” Mainstream fashion, perhaps, but the Brit girl already had her own style: gothic, with “the whole black hair, black lipstick and white face look”. She seems to apologize for the “dubious things” she wore, “all of which I did eventually grow out of”, but she doesn’t have to- most of the present fashionistas have roots in the underground fashion : Leigh Lezark, Daphne Guinness ... Not to pretend that I can be featured in that prestigious list, but at 16, I looked like Siouxsie Sioux and was devoted to the 70s punk clothes. Those influences enrich someone, and are still part of Kay’s current style. “I still love heavy metal music and there are a lot of rock-chick elements on my look”, adds the blond beauty, who can easily be seen with “loads of black eyeliner” and her Doc Martens, even if she admits that “on the whole, it’s quite casual”.

Now that you could recognize her on the streets, it is time to tell her adventure, which started at the University of Sheffield, a culturally dynamic city in the north of England. “I loved words and was always reading and writing, even from a very young age. I knew that I wanted to do something with writing.” That’s the reason why she opted for a degree in journalism, but also teamed with one in German, due to a passion for foreign languages. “Learn another language”, she advises. “Being fluent in a second or third language will put you miles ahead of anyone else looking to get into the industry and give you a better understanding of how your own language works.” University was an important time for Kay. There, she explains that she “had the time and guidance to really develop [her] writing skills.” She also started to freelance, from student media to independent magazines, she soon reached national and international levels. Her real first encounter with fashion journalism occured when she started to work with AGENT2, an ambitious digital magazine created in 2009. This first apnoea in fashion was a revelation. “I found that I enjoyed it and was fascinated by the industry and designers, so I started to move more and more into that field until it became a specialism.” She went from Fashion Editor to Director. Soon, things were quickening for the Sheffield student. She wrote for British newcomers Fault and Push It magazines, but also for the website of the famous British newspaper The Independent, and the American fashion magazine Chaos (which might have seduced her because of its metal inspiration, as it recently chose a song by German band Rammstein for its introductory video). She also lived and worked as a writer in Germany, writing in her second language.

Ein Traum in Erdbeerfolie (2009)

 Her travels are also a very important part of her personality. “Travelling has influenced my views on fashion, because when you’re exposed to other cultures it does leave you more openminded, and not just about style. When I lived in Germany, I went to a press screening of a Marco Wilms documentary called ‘Ein Traum in Erdbeerfolie’, which was about the main protagonists of the underground fashion scene in East Berlin before the wall came down. I loved that for these people, fashion became a form of escapism. Even under an oppressive regime such as that [of the German Democratic Republic], creativity thrived and fashion brought people together. I found that really inspiring.”
She has got a lot of those anedoctes you have when you explore the world. For example, she remembers a trip to Macedonia where, she says, the disparities of wealth are startling. “I remember being on a bus in Macedonia, travelling three hours from Ohrid to Skopje, and driving through what could best be described as shanty towns. It was obvious that the people living in them were very poor. But when the bus reached Skopje, I remember looking out of the window and seeing a huge billboard advertisement for Miss Sixty in Macedonian. It’s quite surreal.” But Eastern Europe still holds much appeal for her because of its speed of development. “I’d like to spend more time over there. Armenia, Kosovo and Georgia are next on my list.”

Push It Magazine

Now settled between London and Birmingham, Kay is working as a Contributing Print Editor for Push It Magazine (digital-only at first, it is now a rapidly growing, internationally-distributed print magazine), one of the most promising contemporary publications of this decade in Great Britain. The main goal of Push It is to bring you luxury, a unique perspective on fashion and arts in general, and a sneak peek into the forthcoming trends.

From this enviable position, Kay is now able to give us some tips for success. “Fashion writing is generally regarded as the lowest form of journalism, so be prepared to have to fight hard to prove yourself,” she says. “You need to have an awful lot of patience too. It takes a long time to break into the industry and there are no short-cuts to success. Absolutely nothing will be handed to you on a plate, so be prepared to work hard and work for free.”
She adds that journalism, especially fashion journalism, is not the gold mine we tend to imagine. But don’t be disheartened, she has got some good advice. “The only way to succeed is to intern, do work experience, write for websites and magazines and prove your passion as much as you can. Even when the rejection letters are piling up, persevere. Resilience is crucial in this industry. Put yourself out there as much as possible and make sure people are aware of your work.” She also insists on networking, which is, according to her, a good way to become known. “So much depends on who you know, so talk to everybody, never be rude to anyone- even if they are rude to you- and ask for help if you need it. More importantly, actually listen to feedback and act on it. It’s the only way you will improve. And learn to write properly. So many people are tempted to get into fashion journalism for the freebies or glamorous lifestyle, but the truth is that if you can’t string a sentence together, you won’t get anywhere. Editors don’t have a lot of time on their hands and are under pressure to get jobs done quickly, so we don’t want to have to be spending hours correcting grammar or spelling errors, or having to constantly fact-check details. We also like people who have a steady stream of interesting and new ideas. For aspiring writers, it’s important to devour everything and keep your ear to the ground. Read fashion magazines and blogs, always be on the lookout for exciting new designers, keep on top of trends and get to know as many people in the industry as possible.” Words of wisdom!

Now that we know Kay Weston better and that we have all the insider knowledge to try to steal her job (don’t be afraid, Kay, I am joking!), it’s time for an in-depth conversation on modern fashion. But, in order to read it, you will have to wait for the second part of the interview !

http://www.pushitmagazine.com/
http://www.agent2magazine.com/
http://www.chaos-mag.com/

Featured ! Read my interview on Papercut Magazine

 I had the chance to be interviewed by fashion blogger and editor Christine Mastrangelo for her article on fashion blogging. The article is really excellent and I recommend you to read it, and not only because I am in it !
The questions Christine asked me were very pertinent and interesting, and I hope my answers made the grade ! My only regret is the fact that I misenderstood one of her questions ( South of France is where I was born, not where I live now ) but aside from that, I am really thrilled by the result !
Here are photos of the magazine, you can see my blog on the first and the second is the little introduction Christine did for my interview. To read the rest, you can go there : http://papercutmag.com/index.php/emagazine/

Photos http://papercutmag.com/