Archive for April, 2010

This week’s style musing comes from the ever inspiring styled streets of Tokyo, Japan. Our look of the week lady oozes casual chic in a cutesy monochrome polka dot jumpsuit which is given a military edge with gold double breasted button detail. Flat shoes and a soft cardigan relax the look while her tamed, sleek locks exude groomed precision.

Our male style sighting carries off a versatile look which wouldn’t look out of place in both the office or in a trendy bar. A smart minimal white shirt is relaxed with an open top button, pendant necklace and lightweight cardigan. Tailored harems provide a harmonious juxtaposition of structure and draping paired with scuffed pink lace-up shoes.

Click here to see Mpdclick’s full male and female Tokyo street style report.

The evening of Thursday 29th April proved to be a truly exciting time for Mpclick, as we were in attendance at the ‘Business of Fashions’ first ever Fashion Pioneers event. We were delighted to be a part of the intimate audience of no more than 50 fashion press, friends and fans for an exclusive interview with publishing maestro and personal hero Jefferson Hack, Editorial Director of the Dazed Group. Founder and Creator of the highly esteemed Business of Fashion (BoF) blog Imran Amed plans to grill a number of the industry’s most influential ‘pioneers’ in this new endeavor with the quest to provide essential insight and inspiration to fashion creative’s, business professionals and crucially the entrepreneurs bringing new innovation to the scene, Jefferson Hack proved a perfect choice for the debut.

We arrived early at the fittingly fashionable venue, central London’s lavish Sanderson hotel and mingled with the waiting guests including superstar bloggers Style Bubble’s Susie Lau and Steve of Style Salvage. Eventually the guests were lead into the small but achingly cool Billiard Room for the anticipated interview. Those who are not part of the 70,000 strong Dazed & Confused readership may not be familiar with Jefferson Hack, but in the magazine world he and his co-publisher, Rankin Waddell are something akin to royalty.

The pair launched their first publication together while studying at the London College of Printing, with the evasive name ‘Untitled’ the black and white fanzine evolved into the inspirational full colour monthly publication ‘Dazed & Confused’, launched in 1992. The unique magazine brings together the best in art, fashion, music and film focusing on new ideas and emerging scenes. The fact that it has retained it’s phenomenal following despite the recession, that called time of death on so many fashion publications stands as testament to Hack’s incredible vision and business prowess. Dazed, as it is lovingly referred to, was the first magazine to be created entirely through desktop publishing and naturally was the first to go online with ‘Dazed Digital’ in 2006. As a product in its own right Dazed Digital has its own Editor in Chief, team and unique content available worldwide for free! Alongside this Hack is the founder of Biannual’s Another Magazine (2001) and Another Man (2005.)

Speaking with passion and very obvious knowledge the mogul exclaimed his initial desire to “curate content to inspire” setting out not to be the most successful but the most influential editor. When asked to pinpoint the turning point of Dazed from fanzine to magazine Hack quipped that “the first issue that wasn’t stapled” was the marker and spoke of his surprise when told that Bill Clinton (then US president) slammed the magazine for the so called glamorization of drugs and the much sought after 1990’s ‘heroin chic’ look. Always testing boundaries and encouraging debate we were reminded of the publication’s 1998 ‘Fashion-Able’ issue that questioned perceptions of beauty and disability and according to Hack is the most requested back issue to date.

Moving on to more poignant business orientated topic’s interviewer Imran Amed asked the all important question “how did you survive recession?” a simple answer informed us that it never really proved an issue for the Dazed Group. The appeal of Hack is that he is extremely no nonsense, and doesn’t subscribe to the big budgets and glitz that characterizes his industry, simply put he is man with a message who will overcome any set back in order to get that message heard. “In a time of global uncertainty, financial crisis, war and disaster people feel a connection to content with meaning and authenticity”, was Hack’s explanation for Dazed’s ongoing success.

It was clear on the night that the ethos was ‘move with the times’ either keep up the pace or ‘become a dinosaur’, much was made of the digital revolution and the need for multi platform media. One such example of this is recent collaboration with actress Tilda Swinton, not only was she Dazed & Confused’s May cover star but appeared in an exclusive short film for Dazed Digital whose fans and readers where then given the opportunity to attend a special preview of Swinton’s new film ‘I Am Love’ at London’s Curzon cinema, offering a complete multimedia experience. We were also lucky enough to be the first to hear about the Dazed Group’s brand new initiative: satellite blogs. Ever encouraging creativity, Hack wants to provide a platform for the talent emerging from more obscure fashion destinations like Berlin, Sao Paulo, Reykjavik and Mumbai. On a separate site from Dazed Digital, creatives will be given a blog with the esteemed Dazed endorsement allowing them to put their idea’s out to a mass audience, once vetted by Dazed they will have complete editorial rein! Look out for this exciting project, set to launch in September this year it will no doubt be a fantastic source for inspiration.

Continuing in his praise of digital media Hack heralded ‘a new era of digital beauty’ and gave us yet another scoop; Dazed is creating an iPad app which is planned to be made available in July for the August issue. So excited about the venture, Hack passed around his own iPad to the eager audience, giving us a chance to demo the prototype and it looked fantastic. We were suitably impressed by the incredible quality of the photographs and easy functional appeal. While he made no secret of his adoration for the practicality and possibilities offered by the ‘digital revolution’ he was quick to assure us that printed media is not on its way out. According to him “web is about the moment” while a magazine is a collective memory “a souvenir of a culture that’s moving fast in front of us.”

Hack was keen to tell us that he couldn’t predict the future but celebrated the importance of creativity and change, sending out an inspiring message to up-coming and established creative’s that you can be and achieve whatever you want to. In his mind it is “far better to be a flamboyant failure than a benign success.”

Tuesday night saw The Hoxton Factory in trendy Shoreditch, London play host to Felicities Press Reception. Felicities, is a boutique agency supporting the up and coming in fashion, music and creative industries. The press reception showcased the best in new and emerging fashion design in womenswear, menswear along with jewellery and accessories.

The venue was the optimum choice with silver stairs leading down to the event with intriguing fashion photography lining the walls. Once in the event we headed to the bar (there’s nothing quite like networking with a tasty cocktail in hand). Once we were suitably refreshed it was time to work our way around the stands. Felicities represents Ada Zanditon, Alice Palmer, Anya Wilkinson, CC Kuo, Darkest Star, Emesha, Harriet’s Muse, Heidi Mottram, Imogen Belfield, Jacob Kimmie, Kamola, Lako Bukia, LALL London, migh-T, Orschel-Read, Rakish Heels, Saffron Knight and Snake and Dagger all of which were showing on the night.

Front runners came from Ada Zanditon and migh-T designer, Kumiko Watari. Watari’s art background shines through in her designs with hand drawn, imaginative prints being the focal point throughout the collection.

Heidi Mottram’s unique eel-skin bags were beautiful. Cross-body bags, mini clutches, purses and oversized envelope clutches all came in a variety of bold, statement colors and adorned with ruching or intricate stitching.

An interesting mix of structure and draping came from the collection designed by Lako Bukia. Detailed pleating and folds created impact over chiffon and silk with zip trims seen in a stand out palette of monochrome.

From the menswear sector one designer stood out hugely; Orschel-Read. Avant garde and bold designs dominates the collection. Tailoring is key with structured shoulders and lapels created out of suede and leather making the collection distinguished. Sports luxe also features in the collection with graphic printed harems and panelled letterman jackets also featuring.

The calibre of design was impeccable and the uber stylish crowd of Shoreditch lapped up every piece.

Main image: © Darkest Star

© Alice Palmer

© Ada Zanditon

© migh-T

© Heidi Mottram

© Orschel-Read

© Orschel-Read

© LALL London

© Darkest Star

© Imogen Belfield

Sportswear giant Adidas have introduced a performance concept Runbase store in Tokyo, Japan. Here customers can drop into the store, rent sportswear and a locker and try out the high technology equipment or even hit the street for a jog. In other words Adidas have combined the idea of a gym with a traditional sport shop outlet to create the ultimate shopping experience.

Centrally located close to the Imperial Palace, the most popular area known for joggers, the Runbase store offers an exciting alternative to expensive gym memberships and takes advantage of the great outdoors.

Office workers are one of the main consumer targets; the store is open for 7am-10pm making it easier for even the busiest people to fit in a work out before or after work. The store also provides shower cubicles that enable customers to freshen up before heading home or to work.

Runbase staff are always on hand to share their knowledge about equipment and clothing that best suits individual customer needs; acting as both gym experts as well as sales assistants.  In this way, Runbase offers an interactive service with an emphasis on individual health. These new and exciting facilities encourage and inspire consumers to exercise and as the name suggests, it also operates as an active base for runners.

Tokyo is Adidas’s first test store location, however this innovative approach to retail service indicates that Runbase stores will be cropping up in other major cities such as New York and London and no doubt path the way for other sport outlets.

Image source: www.trendwatching.com

Innovative and intriguing are two words which come to mind when describing luxury knitwear project ‘Lemuria’. Produced in Italy, the quality of the garments is simply outstanding, which is unsurprising considering the company had been producing knitwear for many of the leading Italian fashion brands until recently. Lemuria decided to take the leap into running their own independent brand after top fashion houses had to radically cut their budgets and decided to take their business abroad, leaving them to apply their expertise into a brand new experiment.  

The brand name ‘Lemuria’ also refers to a mythical land, thought of in the 19th Century, where the creatures were believed to be pure hermaphrodites, able to shape their bodies using only their mental ability. It is also believed they had to undertake pre-marital tests, where they were stripped of any possessions, and had to produce their own shelters and clothes, which needed to maintain a multifunctional quality. This is a philosophy that the brand ‘Lemuria’ have adopted, whose main selling point is mutating shapes of the same garment to allow an array of differing styles.

The current ‘Libero Arbitrio’ collection, for spring/summer 2010, features garments which have multiple sleeves and swathes of fabric, which can be tied, twisted and tucked to create alien-like designs. The ‘Pantaindiano’, which translates as “Indian pants”, transforms from a voluminous top with long, puffy sleeves to a jumpsuit with a fitted bodice, then finally into a pair of billowing harem pants. With this metamorphosis style, it is of no shock that the pieces have been hailed as “ingenious” and named as one of the top 50 travel essential clothes by UK Newspaper ‘The Independent’, due to the fact that you can “make 10 different dresses so to have an endless array of chic clothing options.”

‘Libero Arbitrio’ translates directly to meaning ‘Free Will’, which is very appropriate to the brand, having the ability to change a garment in a multitude of ways to create something unique, comfortable and functional. All of the pieces in the collection come with a DVD showcasing the technique of creating your own look and model a style that perfectly matches and respects your personality and body. They encourage an expression of each person’s creativity, becoming almost a game between the outfit and the individual.

To find out more about the brand click here to visit the website.

British designer Christopher Shannon is back for round two of his collaboration with sports brand Eastpak after the success of his spring /summer 2010 collection (pictured below).  The range includes an array of iconic Eastpak styles including the ‘Padded Pak’r’ and ‘Pinnacle’ and debuted at Shannon’s runway show during London Fashion Week last year.  The classic shapes are refreshed in colour-blocked summery tints of aqua, shades of grey and navy blue. The glossy, PVC-like fabrics embossed with Shannon’s initials add an appealing retro-futurist/sci-fi edge.

The young sportswear designer is set to launch another collection of sports bags for the brand’s autumn/winter 2010/11 range (pictured main), which again debuted at Shannon’s runway show in early 2010.  The duo, according to Shannon, “wanted to work forward from last season without repeating the range too much… [and] kept a few signature themes but played with colors, textures and finishes more”. To result in a range that “feels softer but still feel[s] sporty” terry cloth-like panels are contrasted with sporty nylon and embellished with the designer’s initials delicately quilted onto tops and flaps.  

The range, which will be released later in the year, features the failsafe ‘Station’ and ‘Padded Pak’r’ styles as well as a bumbag called the ‘Doggy bag’, ‘mini messengers’ and an ‘assault pack’.  The colour palette includes subtle shades of midnight blue and taupe with accents of rose pink and ultraviolet purple.

While the release date of the autumn/winter collection is yet to be released, it is still possible to view and purchase the summer collection on the Eastpak website.   

Hiking and field boots have seen a major resurgence in recent months; street scenesters are sporting bright blue styles (pictured below first) while celebs like Justin Timberlake (pictured below second) opt for classic brown fur lined designs.

A number of boot variations have been spotted at trade fairs and on the runway, with ‘adventure trekker boots’ (pictured below third & main) also featuring in Mpdclick’s autumn/winter 2010/11 trade fair and runway combined overviews, further reinforcing the trend for the season.

In addition the sports market is catering to the active appeal of the boot, opposed to the fashion aspect, presenting the market with hiking boot-inspired sneakers for ultimate comfort. Reebok pays homage to Chicago’s industrial revolution and blue collar aesthetic, teaming up with street brand Saint Alfred to create the ‘Pump 20’(pictured below fourth). Nike present the ‘Nike Zoom Ashiko Hiking Boot’ (pictured below fifth)  inspired by ninja ashiko foot spikes in a vibrant orange and black colourway that sports Flywire and wire mesh technology providing strength and support typically achieved within heavier materials.

With two of the major sports brands getting in on the mountaineering action, this reinforces the significance of the trend that Mpdclick predicts to dominate mainstream fashion lines for autumn/winter 2010/11.

Main image source: dunhill a/w 10/11

© Mpdclick

Justin Timberlake © Rex Features

 © Masons

Reebok ‘Pump 20′ © highsnobiety.com

‘Nike Zoom Ashiko Hiking boot’ © Nike.com

Our gorgeous look of the week gives classic office wear a fashionable shake-up on the sunny streets of London. Layering is key, appropriate for the unpredictable English weather, seen here with an open white shirt, worn over a black vest top with a cropped waistcoat and blazer.

High waisted, voluminous black harem trousers provide a great alternative to the classic tailored pant, as do metallic brogues, giving a much needed accent complimenting her vintage style brooch.  While a shock of short, ruffled blonde hair and rounded sunny’s hint at the approaching summer!

Click here to see the full male & female street reports from London.