Lucy & Natasha

LUCY and NATASHA BACK SOON!!!

Tue, 30 Aug 2011 16:18:23 +0100

We are sooooooooo sorry we have been very busy and disappeared. We will be back soon with some Super cool Knitting and all kinds of creative energy and madness

Best Regards

LUCY and NATASHA xxxxxxxxxxxxx

PHAT KNITS!!!

Tue, 30 Aug 2011 16:16:57 +0100

PHAT KNITS!!!

SAMANTHA MCEWAN

Fri, 10 Jun 2011 18:04:34 +0100

Samantha McEwan has recently completed her BA in Fashion. What we love about her collection, is the street wear, slightly masculine and super cool work. Wonderfully punchy and screams out to you with great zest and humour! This girl is selling herself to the patterned and colourful devil. With characterful Monsters and zero tolerance for compromise. This is our kind of Artist/ Designer!

We recently met up to talk to Sam about her work, ideas and what the future may hold…….

1.Now tell us a little bit about yourself and your recent collection.

I have recently graduated from the BA(Hons) Fashion Design course at Heriot - Watt University, School of Textile and Design. My graduate collection “Voodoo Zumbies” is a series of unisex garments for spring/ summer 12 that translate the importance of preserving the physical character, costumery and rituals of the voodoo religion whilst projecting the idea of a fierce personal identity into the designer market. After spending part of last summer in Cuba i became fascinated by the roadside shrines that were frequently appearing particularly in rural areas and the elaborate dress of some cubans sitting next to these shrines. I began to question locals as to the reason for this and was soon told it was part of the common practice of Voodoo also known as Santeria. It was not until later when i got home and researched this further that i discovered that over 60% of Cubans still openly practice voodoo alongside catholicism and voodoo is in fact viewed as the main religion running throughout the Caribbean. The fact that people still practice such a bizarre religion completely fascinated me and i wanted to capture this sense of personal identity and fierce optimism running throughout the religion, translating this into a wearable street style collection for future generations.Focusing on the idea of optimistic clothing the collection consists of entirely wearable, durable yet delicate pieces that mirror the creativeness of the Haitian / African people combining the idea of Fashion and performance that intertwine modern materials and symbolic gesture with baggy oversized printed jumpsuits, lazer cut bombers, hand dyed silk t-shirts with embroidered voodoo faces made from raffia, chunky knit and an eclectic clash of other textures.

2. You clearly love Voodoo and Zombies. Does this make you a massive horror fan and if so, which horror films do you love and which character would feature in your next collection?
I wouldn’t say i was a massive horror fan however all my past collections have had a fantasy element to them and i love the idea of designing characters. All my fashion illustrations turn into people wearing some kind of monster suit and i feel this may be becoming a recurring theme within my designs. My fascination with colour and texture when designing often goes beyond a normal every day wearable garment and i often then have to go through a process of diffusing down the design until it becomes commercially acceptable. I would love to have the opportunity to really go all out on a next collection and create something mind blowing without any boundaries.

3. If you could dress one dead famous Icon and one alive today, who would they be and why?

Oh i really can’t pick one icon alive or dead. There are certain people i would LOVE to dress: MIA, Karen O, Jaime Winstone, Nicki Minaj, Lovefoxx, Grace Jones, MC gaff E, Peaches, MS. Fitz. All basically performers and people who don’t give a shit about what their wearing and can make anything work. I would love to get into designing tour outfits and stage clothes for performers. Watching people working your designs on stage would be amazing!

4. What floats your boat?

Bright prints, Embroidery, chunky knits, JCDC, Paris, Andrea Crews Collective, Romain Kremer, Bernard Wilhelm, LA, TOKYO, Christian Joy, Paul Klee, Aldo Lanzini, Gary Card, photography by Phylis Gallembo who has been a HUGE inspiration for this collection, Original African Prints and Batik, Brett Easton Ellis, Voodoo, the Awa, masks and ritual.

5. If you had the opportunity to collaborate with one Designer, one film star and one Musician, who would they be?
I would love to collaborate with Walter Van Beirendonck the skills you could learn form him would be endless, i have always been a fan of the Antwerp Six and have always fancied the masters course at the Royal Academy but i really don’t think i would get in! Just being around him for one day would be so inspiring. His AW11 collection is probably the best collections i have seen this year!

As for a film star i’m not sure. I would love to work on anything Jonas Akerlund is directing as his films and music videos are always so bight and vibrant it would be great to be a wardrobe stylist on one of his sets.

And a musician would have to be M.I.A as the styling opportunities would be endless and i could really see her wearing half of my collection.

6. What do you predict for the future and what goals do you have?
For the short term future i am planning on expanding my current collection i feel that i am not quite finished with it yet and there is so much potential within the collection as well as certain garments that didn’t get carried forward into the production stage. I have been lucky enough to have buyers interested in some garments form the collection so i will be following this up over summer. I also have a couple of collaborations in the pipeline which i can’t really talk about until they are set in stone but they involve some tour outfits and will be MASSIVE! As for goals i would love to launch my own label in the next year if i can get some financial support so fingers crossed!

7. Finally, do you have any advise for creative people out there

I can’t really give advice as i am so early on in my career having just graduated however i would say don’t alter the way you design too much to fit into commercial briefs. I know it is important for collections to be sellable but it is important not to lose your creative drive and your personal design aesthetic. Never compromise your ideas.

Samantha.j.mcewen@hotmail.co.uk

Photography- Barker&McLean http://barkermclean.com/

Many thanks Sam. Good luck with future proects and we can’t wait to see and hear more from you!

Lucy & Natasha xxx

ROYAL COLLEGE OF ART MA CATWALK SHOW 2011

Thu, 02 Jun 2011 10:22:00 +0100

2011’s RCA show was well presented and there were some wonderful details.

The standard of techniques and craftsmanship was high. On the whole, the collections were pretty safe and actually not as crazy or expressive as we had thought. Having said that, there really were some beautiful highlights. The stunning soft plastic and rubber, liquid looks from Designer Itziar Vaquer, not to mention the stunning shapes and sublime soft colour palette this talented Designer incorporated.

Some fun Knitwear, especially on the Menswear side. Animals and giant bulky fringe seemed to be a theme here with fun, street style Knitwear from Cherie Newing and Hannah Taylor.

Many beautifully tailored designs approached the catwalk and tiny important details that simply made you want to drag the model off that catwalk and rip that clothing off to touch and drool over those pretty details.

Some brilliant millinery that I am sure Lady Gaga is clawing her way to right now, and some fabulous fur pieces!!

Our ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE Designer was Philipp Schoueller. The colours, the plastics, the sheer Fluro colours layered in light weight and edgy designs. Also the coolest accessories. This Designer’s collection was HOT!

More images from the press shows to follow soon……

RUTH GREEN

SAYAKA KAMAKURA

BENNET LOVEDAY

ITZIAR VAQUER

HANNAH TAYLOR

HAO FENG LI

ANNA SCHWAMBORN

CHERIE NEWING

ALEXANDRA GOLD

ABNIT NIJJAR

HELEN TURNER

PHILIPP SCHUELLER

AMELIE MARCIASINI

YEJON PARK

PAUL STAFFORD

NICOLA MORGAN

SARAH SEATON-BURRIDGE

CONVEX CONCAVE THE HOUSE OF RAVE is Lucy’s most recent...

Mon, 16 May 2011 12:22:00 +0100

CONVEX CONCAVE THE HOUSE OF RAVE is Lucy’s most recent work. Focused around a collection of fun, surreal and circus characters. It is full of POP and loud but stunning imagery! It’s a FUN HOUSE!!!

To see more, and to see the entire book layout-

http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/invited/1700093/f7d1b069459061bde877a12221f2f9f1

Julie Brooker- Dulwich Art festival 2011

Mon, 09 May 2011 07:38:00 +0100

On Saturday 7th May 2011, Myself (Lucy) and my friend Clara visited The Dulwich Art Festival. A wonderful day of Local Dulwich Artists, opening up their homes with all their creative works to the public.

Art Therapist JULIE BROOKER had a lovely concept behind her art. The concept of collecting found objects from, watch parts, old maps, circuit board pieces,old rusty nails,( and the list goes on…)

Then combining these found pieces into modern art. Julie also asks people to send her found items so that she can use these in her work. Love the idea that each item has a story behind it. This makes the art more nostalgic and meaningful with a sense of history! There is a sense that many pieces of Julie’s art weave a tapestry of cultures and different times.

There was also a wonderful exchange area in the exhibition where you could pick out an envelope with a surprise item (Mine was a rusty bolt) and write down what you found with the promise of sending something to Julie. Now that is a sweet idea!

For more info and how you can purchase and see Julie’s art, Contact-

julie.art@btinternet.com

www.juliebrooker.net (Coming soon!)

KWANGHO LEE

Fri, 06 May 2011 18:32:00 +0100

KWANGHO LEE is a Korean artist working in various materials and using innovative techniques to produce furniture, lighting and other things. We especially love all the rubber and plastic tubing, knitted items. Just so cool!!!

http://www.kwangholee.com/

BLESS this ' Fat Knit Hammock'

Thu, 05 May 2011 10:18:45 +0100

Bless Berlin are genius. They really push the creative boundaries with their amazing conceptual approach to fashion, Interiors and product design. A favourite of Lucy and Natasha. BLESS this incredible Fat knit hammock!’

For more info-

http://web.me.com/blessberlin/BLESS_new/News.html

FORYNJA

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 10:35:00 +0100

Sara Forynja ”Colourful clothes hand printed in our workshop. We make everything from bed linen to dresses. We stock our own designs as well as goods from local designers. Forynja is located on the main shopping street in Reykjavik.”

In 2005 Sara María opened the shop Naked Ape in Reykjavik and quickly gained recognition for her colorful street wear and loud prints. Her workshop, attached to the shop, became very popular for young creatives to come and experiment with Sara and her crew. Naked Ape was greatly missed after it closed earlier this year, but Sara has now returned with her own label Forynja.

I ( LUCY) visited this colourful and patterned store in Reykjavik during The Iceland Airwaves festival last October 2010. I was happy to purchase a beautiful Poncho cape jacket made from angular pieces of printed and colourful jerseys. It was a patchwork made in style and super cosy. People always comment on how much they love it and I would recommend buying from them for a truly inspiring garment and one off design.

You can buy online at-

http://dontbenaked.com/

Here are some images from FORYNJA’s recent collection..

Amaya Arzuaga- A/W 2011

Tue, 05 Apr 2011 10:20:14 +0100

Absolutely loving Amaya Arzuaga’s Winter 2011 collection. Especially enjoying the sculpted shapes with simplicity of colour and then the black, sheer aspects. Very nice work!

http://www.amayaarzuaga.com/

JENNY POSTLE- 2011 CSM MA

Tue, 05 Apr 2011 09:43:00 +0100

Jenny Postle’s MA collection from CSM 2011, shows wonderful creepy creations using stunning techniques of patchwork, knitting, embroidery and traditional craftsmanship. A very tight and interesting collection.

(Images from catwalking.com)

TAKESHI IN THE EYE!!!!

Sun, 03 Apr 2011 22:19:27 +0100

Lucy has made her first ever Animated GIF….It is a miracle, thanks to her hunkster boy, Chris MacP!! And here it is, starring Takeshi the cat….Meow!

Anika Lori

Sun, 27 Mar 2011 11:27:00 +0100

Anika Lori uses lovely collage, patterned techniques both in 3.d and flat form. It is dreamy and POP. Liking this mix…

http://www.v1gallery.com/artist/show/7

ALDO LANZINI

Sun, 27 Mar 2011 11:15:17 +0100

Aldo Lanzini’s crochet creepy faces and almost costume pieces are fun, bizarre and very beautifully made. Loving it!

http://www.aldolanzini.eu/

Katie Eary- A/W 2011 collection

Sun, 13 Mar 2011 00:13:54 +0000

Katie Eary has constant colour, humour and style within her work!

A/W 2011 is a sort of creep crawly, Frankenstein meets a Psychedelic creature situation. Now that is a fun and lighthearted mix that you just can’t help but smile at. Nice work!

For more information-

http://www.katieeary.co.uk/

ALICE PALMER AW 2011- Black and white Brilliance!!

Thu, 10 Mar 2011 20:41:04 +0000

ALICE PALMER AW 2011- Black and white Brilliance!!

ANNTIAN - Another stunning Collection

Thu, 03 Mar 2011 22:07:03 +0000

As you know, Lucy & Natasha are really into our menswear right now. Anntian (Berlin Fashion supreme) are doing some incredibly sensitive and fun work. They always make such beautifully, cosy and stylish clothing that seems to be equally as gorgeous for Men. This is quite an achievement and we are loving this fine collection…..

http://www.anntian.de/

Lucy & Natasha Knitwear for EFTERKLANG!!!!

Mon, 14 Feb 2011 13:52:17 +0000

Natasha and I met Efterklang back in March 2009 when we decided to go see them play live at The First Unitarian Church, Philphie! What a performance they gave. Drumming on the floors, pounding beats then suddenly soft and delicate, They were on fire! Such energy and beauty rolled into one, we had to see them again…..

We decided we really wanted to talk to them and did not imagine that it would lead to making Knitwear especially for the band and becoming friends. Lucky for us, Casper (lead vocals) told us that he LOVES sweaters and so this really was the beginning of a beautiful thing. From there, Natasha and I collaborated with the boys and we took inspiration from Hvass & Hannibal’s artwork, (they create most of Efterklang’s artwork for their albums) And we came up with these fun, graphic, Intarsia Sweaters.

Many thanks to Efterklang, Hvass & Hannibal and also to Antje Taiga Jandrig for the stunning photography in Reykjavik, October 2010.

Casper, Rasmus, Thomas and Mads.

To hear more-

http://www.efterklang.net/

http://www.hvasshannibal.dk/

http://www.myspace.com/antjetaigajandrig

Patricia Field’s V-day ball with Olek, crochet...

Sun, 13 Feb 2011 16:21:08 +0000

Patricia Field’s V-day ball with Olek, crochet artist

ETERNAL CHILD

Sat, 05 Feb 2011 17:24:53 +0000

Eternal Child is an Istanbul based collection, particularly renowned for highly creative knit design. The collection uses an innovative mix of knit structures and contrasting textures.
Elegant and modern intarsia and jacquard techniques create its signature style.

Each season features signature all over jacquard print, and also has some woven and leather pieces that complement the knitwear and complete the look.

The collection consists of fine wools, mohair, linen, cotton and cashmere blends, and other luxury yarns knitted in a variety of gauges from super-fine pieces to chunky knits.

The brand’s studio is located in the exuberant Pera district of Istanbul, Turkey. The vigorous energy of this international metropolis keeps Eternal Child on the cusp of emerging fashion.

http://www.eternal-child.com/