Having worked at my internship at London Ethnic during LFW I got to walk around and see a bit of the streetstyle around the venue. As you can see most of the pictures they are quite blurry and seem to be taken in a rush which I think is an accurate picture to paint of anyone's time at LFW this year. Brewer street was busy, buzzing with photographers, bloggers and streetstyle stars. It was cramped and I barely had the time to look around to what was going on around me. The best time and place for observing the vibe of the city was when we were sitting in a restaurant across the street from the actual venue. It was like window shopping for new style inspiration, sitting there looking at all the cool kids and insiders walking by. Here's a few photos that I hastily snapped on my iPhone whilst running from one place to another; I hope they demonstrate the plethora of interesting styling techniques and people that were around London during the week.
Yesterday I felt motivated and ready to explore new hip areas. I felt like I was reborn in my brand new squeaky clean white Mango sneakers, my Absolute Vintage jumpsuit and second hand Missoni top. I was in an artsy mood and so I thought; what a perfect day to go out to explore the galleries at Gillman Barracks, and I wasn't wrong. A perfect back drop for a mini fashion shoot with its white buildings with intricate detail and lush forest surrounding it. I feel like I do have to admit something: I'm quite an art gallery junkie. I cannot think of many other situations where I feel as content as I do whilst scrolling through photography, sculpture and painting, soaking in the visual thrill and discovering the meaning behind it. It must sound lame to a lot of you but oh boy do I enjoy it. The ironic humour in some of the art pieces and the pure eye candy amused me the most. After walking around seeing art from countries as far flung as Italy and Afganistan, we went to have a bit of a coffee and ice cream break. A satisfying little Sunday walk about that ended with a peaceful Yin Yoga session; what more could I ask for.
© Katharina Laube
I'm sure all eco-conscious individuals
have considered the waste clothes create already, and possible ways
of going about reducing that waste. Therefore this isn't coming as
news to any of you, but reusing clothes is one of the easiest ways of
minimising your carbon footprint. What I talk about here are clothes
swaps, flea markets, your grandmother's closet and charity shops. I
rediscover the charm of second hand clothing on quite a regular
basis, namely everytime I go back to Finland. The sheer amount of
options for finding used clothes in the smallest towns baffles me
every summer. I mean just think about the fact that on a casual
fleamarket crawl I stumbled upon a vintage Missoni top for 2 euros. 2
EUROS. The last place I thought I'd find a Carrie Bradshaw-esque
skirt is a Red Cross shop but that's exactly where I found the
perfect one. Never overlook the value of second hand you young,
broke, fashion students!
In a sea of fashion brands using a variety of ways to be ethical and ecological, it is hard to distinguish the one's that are truly making a difference, and not just doing it for show. I bring you the company tonle; a Cambodian based, truly ethical online shop that ships worldwide. This is a brand that not only recycled every last thread in their clothing, but also employs Cambodians and pays them a salary that is way past the minimum. To find out more about what exactly it is that tonle does, here's an interview I did with Kaitlyn from tonle a while back.
What's
next for tonle? Are there any upcoming projects, collaborations or
campaigns?
It has
been an exciting year of growth for tonlé. We recently launched
online retail in Australia and will be launching in the US this
month in time for the holidays.
What kind of innovative fabrics has tonle created and how?
Where
and how are the materials sourced for your clothing?
Each
week our sourcing team goes to the remnant materials markets to
source fabrics for our production runs. It is a difficult job as
they need to scour through piles and piles of factory cast offs to
find quality fabrics that are the correct color, material, texture,
and weight needed for production. More information can be found
here.
What is
the design team for Tonle clothing? What is the design process like?
Rachel
Faller, tonlé's ceo and creative director, is the brand's lead
designer. She creates the concepts for each collection and then
works with a team of Cambodian technical designers to turn the ideas
into wearable garments.
Where
is Tonle headed? What are some long term goals you are hoping to
achieve?
We are
excited to expand our international presence with more and more
worldwide wholesale clients and online distribution. We want to keep
growing so that we can employ more people and make a larger dent in
the piles of factory waste produced here each day.
How did
you decide on basing the company in Cambodia?
Rachel
Faller came to Cambodia in 2008 on a scholarship to study the fair
trade business model. She fell in love with the people and the
culture and felt inspired to start her own workshop and fashion
label.
Does
Cambodian lifestyle or culture affect or inspire the design or the
process of making the clothes in any way?
Many of
tonlé's screen printed designs are inspired by the natural beauty
of Cambodia. Cambodian culture is woven throughout the brand from
our logo and designs to our packaging. tonlé clothes are wearable,
comfortable and versatile and encompass elements of Cambodian
culture with their colorful prints and patterns.
One of the best parts of the exhibition was how it had everything from Satu Maaranen to Sophie Sälekari and 1950s Marimekko. One of the highlights was at the part of the exhibition they called with Justus K and his paper dresses and 100% recycled pieces. The fact that the space was divided into eras such as Folk, Modernism and the Economic Boom was uselful in understanding the situation the designers were in and what resources they had; you could really see how the times influenced them in their designs.
Here are some of my favourites from the exhibition so you can tap into the fantastical world of Finnish design and if you do have the chance, I suggest you go see the exhibition because there is a lot of interesting things to learn about the course of fashion in Finland over the years.
Every year fashion and design students from universities around the country put up displays and shows exhibiting their final major projects. As this was my first year seeing an exhibition by graduate students I didn't know what to expect. However, the central Saint Martins foundation degree show didn't disappoint. A few weeks later I also got to see all of the fashion graduates portfolios at Graduate Fashion Week as well as the University of Lancashire catwalk show.
Often times the work of students and young creatives is overlooked; not only by employers and industry specialists but our peers alike. Students from the same university or even somebody studying another course don't show an unwavering support system to their creative friends like they perhaps should. As a fashion journalism student I feel as though this is of the utmost importance, and as a part of this peer group we should understand their struggle, and acknowledge the pure talent that they demonstrate through their work.
As a first example of supporting them, just being there and attending their showcases is very important. When you display your pride toward the work of students at your university you create a supportive community and an atmosphere of goodwill. And when the time comes, I'm sure they would be more than happy to return the favor.
Whenever you can, talk about their work to your friends, recommend their skills on Linkedin or simply like their page on Facebook; just a bit of support can go a long way. We are always reminded of the importance of networking but at times we cease to remember that these are the people we will be working with in a few years. These are contacts that in a few years will be quite valuable.
And this doesn't only apply for everyone studying something in the creative field; when students from other courses bring attention to your work it brings a whole new audience and the amount of support increases immensely.
Lastly, the university's or student union's efforts to advertise the graduate shows have been miniscule from what I've seen. Posters of the shows should be put up around the university as well as around the town centre. There should be a Facebook event as well as the show promoted around the various groups for students. This year there was barely any visibility for the graduate shows which is a shame, because I am sure a lot of students would love to attend.
With this being said, I must admit I could do better with supporting my peer's work and collaborating with them. Going to the CSM showcase just reminded me how much talent there is out there and how unfortunately much of it goes unnoticed by the majority of people. Here are some of my favourite pieces from the exhibitions for you to indulge yourselves in and hopefully realize how professional student's work at universities are.
www.tranoi.com is a good website for finding out the latest news from recent fashion graduates or other blooming talents in the industry. It's also a good idea to check universities' websites and youtube for the latest shows.
From yoga sessions to the global picnic at my high school to brunches with friends, the trip back to my asian home was everything I hoped it would be. Getting to wear shorts and tops again, seeing my cat, family and friends again and experiencing the swell nightlife of Singapore was everything I hoped it would be. I've never seen Singapore the way I did now; it used to just be my home where I was lucky enough to live but it was just the place where I did normal everyday stuff like go to the grocery store and school. Now it seems all exotic and it's like an escape from everything that is "everyday" to me. I notice things that I haven't before and appreciate the little things, like the way shop assistants bow a little to show respect to the customer and how somehow, there is always sun and how you can find delightful asian food in any corner of the country, wether it be a luxurious restaurant or a little hawker centre. I felt so privileged to be able to come back and have the machine at immigration say "welcome home Jennie". I took every opportunity I got to wander around, be in the sun and enjoy every bit of this lovely garden city and I hope you enjoy this little glimpse to my holiday there.

































