Emerging Fervour

I’m new to the Emerging Fervour collective and before I jump in with William Austin, I’ll give you a quick introduction. I’m Mara, a student doing a human biology degree, a wife and mother of 1.3 kids. Science has it’s ups, but I’m really into art so when Emerging Fervour suggested I write for the blog and use this outlet for my suppressed creativity, I jumped at the chance. There’s only so much creativity you can have in finger painting

I decided to write my first post about emerging artist William Austin, who at only 24 has 12 exhibitions under his belt with a BA in fine art. His work is created with inspiration from the masters of impressionism and landscapes, which he then channels into abstract form. The titles given to his paintings are left quite loose to let the viewer make their own understanding of the pieces.

< Cause and Effect

One of his paintings for sale, this one feels somewhat eerie and the drip association here is glum, a contrast to the painting below.

I really love to discover music. Often it’s just music, which is pretty fine, but sometimes it’s more like a chain reaction where I discover much more than only new tunes. In the case of Ramona Falls, I have to tell the whole story. So, here it is.

A few days ago I discovered a director/animator called Stefan Nadelman. He does a lot of short films and commercials often stop motion and photo animations. Absolutely amazing, you should check out his site and have a look.
Anyway I saw a video he has made for Ramona Falls (this project is named after a waterfall in Oregon, USA), which is this one:

So after this I had a look at the myspace site and was thrilled by the music. A Lo-Fi sound mixed with sort of celtic folk elements, rough rock guitar hooks, piano tunes and on top you smell blues and wave. I’m running out of genres here, so let’s keep it this way (better than calling it indie…).

I saw Simon Ekrelius during LFW at On|Off and had to get in touch with him for a piece on his latest collection. His AW 2010 women S T A R D U S T collection has been labeled an ‘architectural odyssey’ at On|Off…impressive

Stark cut silhouettes of textured silks. New collection features ‘star buy’ awarded signature pieces, strong tailoring and the expressive prints are what make this collection.

Materials used for this collection are a combination between silk marocaine, silk organza, yarn silk and signature prints designed on silk interlock and a couple of others.

To visit Simon’s website, go to www.simonekrelius.com or you can contact him on sales@simonekrelius.com

We met Rik and Kim from 21DGRS – 21 degrees at the Margin tradeshow event we went to. The both live in Bali and use locally sourced material to create these pieces. Have a look at their latest collection…I’m especially into these sequin trousers.

21dgrs was born in late 2009 as the brainchild of designers Kim Krismann and Rik Fiddicke as an extension of their already existing surf and streetwear label Faith21. Before Bali, the both of the lived and worked in Germany, Amsterdam and Cape Town, where they finally settled in the island off Indonesia.

Of their label, they say

“the first 21dgrs flagshipstore opened its doors on Bali in December 2009. Being part of a young travelling generation, we started 21dgrs as a core label to convey our own lifestyle through unique and intelligent products. Todays travelling generation seems to be more in control of their careers and choice of lifestyle. The genre of people has a strong entrepreneurial drive, lust for adventure and the believe in this lifestyle is the motor behind 21dgrs. Therefore 21dgrs promotes confidence, personal stength and creativity”

April 9th 2010 at 7pm

I’m so there to support Chima’s launch of his album New Day. Kid Fury (our blogger, Franklin) will be there, providing us with a DJ set that’s sure to blow us away.

I can’t wait! Make sure you get your tickets well in advance from the Barfly site, or www.ticketweb.co.uk

Some of us wear it as a political statement, others as a fashion statement – but what’s the story behind the keffiyeh?

image taken from adlicious.wordpress.com

Well, blogger Vicious Babushka reckons it’s just ‘perfect for that Israel-hating, Jew-bashing screaming, chanting, demonstration of solidarity with the scum of humanity’, however most of us are slightly less inclined to bash jews and more interested in having a pretty scarf around our necks, which happens to be pro Palestine…so the fuck what? There’s so much controversy linked to the Keffiyeh, that even Urban Outfitters had to pull it from their concession line. Oh and Dunkin’ Donuts discontinued an online ad featuring Rachael Ray wearing a paisley-patterned scarf after columnist Michelle Malkin claimed that the scarf resembled a keffiyeh. What the hell? That’s as unfounded as pulling bagels from Tesco’s.

So after all of that, it’s nice to see established designers, like Balenciaga embracing and evolving the keffiyeh into something as beautiful and fashion-forward as the scarves below. I want one!!! Although this is near impossible as they’re a few collections old…but still!

So the story behind the Keffiyeh is as follows…

Traditionally worn by Palestinian peasants years ago, it became a symbol of Palestinian nationalism and would later on be worn by the late Arafat…it was his trademark thing. He took a different take on it and instead wore it draped down his shoulder in a triangle shape, to resemble the outlines of Palestine. When Israel imposed a ban on the Palestinian flag being flown or displayed in 1993, the meaning of the Keffiyeh grew to also symbolise the Palestinian struggle.

Fast-forward to now, and China has practically monopolised the Keffiyah making business and has driven decade-old factories in Palestine to close down, with China producing at a cost of 40% less, there’s no competition. Check out the video below from Monocle, which looks at the last standing keffiyeh factory in Palestine.

My other obsession which got fed at the LFW are shoes!! My oh my what lovely pairs walked around, here are a few of my favourites:

When?: 8 March 2010 12:00 pm -  11 March 2010 6:00 pm
12 March 2010 : 12:00 pm -  5:00 pm

Craft Central wants Londoners to discover the relevance of craft and design to their city. And what better way than organising this event? The Exhibition of Emerging New Talent is a group showcase of new work by London-based ‘design stars of the future’ – a public chance to experience the freshest craft and design talent at Craft Central’s London gallery. The multi-disciplinary show is a celebration of ‘home grown’ talent and reflects the creative excellence of London’s emerging designer makers.

Admission: Free

Venue: Craft Central, 33-35 St John’s Square, London, EC1M 4DS

Dates:
Open Mon-Fri 8-19 March, 12-6pm (last day Friday 19 March 12-5pm)
Special Launch Night – Monday 8 March, 5-8pm
Behind the Scenes Studio Tours – Thursday 11 March, 12-5pm
Meet the Maker Artist Talk – Thursday 18 March, 6pm (Booking required, Cost £5)
Weekend Opening – Saturday 13 March, 11am-4pm

When?: 12 March 2010 9:00 am -  13 March 2010 7:00 pm

Yes we are!!! And it’s another one we can all go to – we like those

Fashion Fushion is opening its doors next week to showcase a mix of current collections, samples and past seasons’ stock. This exhibition of both young designers and high street favourites offers a unique opportunity to snap up some of the hottest bargains. Discover a diverse mix of styles, cultures and traditional dress.

Watch catwalk shows for ideas on dressing down and dressing up. Clothing, shoes, accessories and one-off pieces you won’t find anywhere else. At prices you can’t afford to miss.

After seeing lots of Autum/Winter10 collections you can’t get your hands on, this is just what we need!

Website: www.fashionfusionexpo.co.uk

Admission: £10 – buy your tickets online

When? 12-13 March 2010

Where? Old Truman Brewery at 91 Brick Lane, London E1 6QL

Who’s there? Julia Smith, Stamo, Nikolo Bertok, Ahsan Design Studio, N’kya Designs, Side Effects, House of Bunor, Embellished Truth, Trousers London, Choolips, Asake Agoro, Andaluss, Nobelafrik, Ceci, Juzi

Sitting at the Trends Show on a Thursday night at Somerset House for LFW was a treat to say the least! The crowd of beautifully chic or fabulously dishevelled ladies made my ‘I have an actual day job’ clothes feel dull and uninspired! It’s definitely true that women only dress to impress other women! I was totally over excited!

Candy Rock ∨

The first trend to come out on the catwalk called Candy Rock was pretty much personified by an amazing iconic Hervé Leger dress in a soft baby blue. There were pastel shades, soft frills and gentle waves dominating this trend which really brought to life the sweet element of all the pieces. This trend is very wearable with simple styling which I really like!

Swallows & Amazons ∨

As far as trends go, the introduction of Swallows & Amazons as a trend struck me as a strange one… but what a fabulously strange one! Literally a smorgasbord of micro-trends all on one catwalk – from breton to double denim (yes we are back in the 80’s!) and underwear as outerwear. This was more eclectic and generally a bit random but brilliant!