Iris van Herpen: Future of Fashion
When we take a look into the near future of Haute Couture and Fashion we definitely have to name Iris van Herpen as one of the most promising designers. Although she is only 28 years old she is on the way to become the most inspiring and mind changing new artist since the appearance of Alexander McQueen in the 1990s. By using new materials and state of the art production methods like 3D printing she creates and manufactures unique garments which each of itself can be considered as an object of art.
Thus it is no surprise that the Groninger Museum presents the first large-scale solo exhibition of the work of Iris van Herpen, an overview of her oeuvre from 2008 to the present. We strongly recommend to visit the exhibition which lasts until September 23rd and for those of you who want to take an immediate look just visit her portfolio site where you can see the latest collections and a special video section containing the runway shows and artistic short films.
Just the beginning of e-commerce
Jacques-Antoine Granjon on Vente Privée´s philosophy
Jacques-Antoine Granjon is the inventor of the online flash sales model, which he launched in 2001 under the brand name "vente privée". Since this time dozens of followers copied his idea and established copy-cats all over the globe.
Quite in contrast to all his followers Granjons puts the focus not on the business to consumer model but on establishing a long time relationship with top fashion brands for whom he creates an exclusive sales channel versus a closed group of fashion enthusiasts.
"I have been speaking with brands for 28 years. I know what matters to them: the protection of distribution, the quality of the shopping experience and the maintenance of their image. We look after the brand, because it is our first customer. And if we take care of it well, there will be a good discount, a good service and a good image and the customer will keep returning.", Granjons about his business philosophy.
And the figures confirm his strategy. Today vente-privée sells 41 million products per year to it´s 14 million members which results in an annual turnover of almost one billion EUR and the numbers are still growing. According to the founder we only have seen fifteen years of e-commerce and the best is yet to come.
If you are not a member of the club take a look at the "Le désir" great video below directed by photographer Erwin Olaf and you´ll understand Granjon´s philosophy immediately.
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Lena Hoschek wins Vienna Award
Best Newcomer Award goes to Shakkei
For the 4th time the Vienna Awards for Fashion & Lifestyle were given in twelve categories. Lena Hoschek received the Award for Austrian designer of the year and she really deserved it. Her unique style characterized by a rare mix of retro looks and folkloristic elements already received a lot of international attention especially during the last two Fashionweeks in Berlin.
The Award for the best newcomer went to Gabriel Baradee and his label Shakkei. His clean and avant garde style is particularly interesting due to the fact that he focuses completely on organic material, sustainable products and production processes.
To see highlights of the designers new collections slide through the images below or visit their respective portfolio sites by clicking on the images below.
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Somarta AW 2012 Collection
Highlight from Tokyo Fashionweek
The 2012-13 A/W edition of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Tokyo is on their way and the first highlight was the new collection by Somarta.
The brand was created by Tamae Hirokawa, the former creative assistant of Issey Miyake, in 2006 as part of her design firm Soma Designs. Already in 2007 she received the prize for "Best Newcomer" at the Japanese Fashionweek and since this time she became one of the upcoming Japanese Fashion designers to watch.
The actual collection shows a mix of ultra-feminine looks with avant-garde elements which remind us of Sarah Burton´s Alexander McQueen line. You also have to take a look at the outstanding Somarta footwear that Lady Gaga helped to make famous.
To see more of the new AW collection we strongly recommend to take a look at the runway video and for details about the brand just click on the picture in our slideshow below.
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Peter Pilotto Prints for Summer 12
Peter Pilotto and Christopher De Vos surprised both fashionistas and fashion industry experts with one of the Top Collections for the Spring Summer 2012 season. Inspired by a trip to Indonesia and Java they created a perfect blend of rain forest and Avatar look alike themes, mixing new neoprene swimwear style with some neoclassic cocktail looks and above all showed us the marvellous prints the guys are famous for.
To find one of this very special pieces for Summer 2012 just click on we recommend below and you´ll find your favourite one.
080 Barcelona Fashion
Highlights of the AW 12/13 Shows
The ninth edition of 080 BARCELONA FASHION just took place between January 25th to 28th. The aim of the Fashionweek is to turn Barcelona and Catalonia into a benchmark for creativity, innovation and both design generation and projection in the fashion industry, in the broadest sense of the word.
This year we have seen again the typical Catalonian way of fashion, a delightful combination of casual style with avant-garde elements, a mix of new materials with knitwear either in rather shaded earth tones or in very positive and colorful looks.
The Fashion Award went to Alexis Reyna for his somber and apocalyptic creations. In contrast our personal favourites are the collections by Aldo Martins, Manuel Bolaño, Celia Vela and Sololaverdadessexy which you can see by sliding through the images below.
We have to admit that we have become a fan of the Catalonian top designers and we are sure that their style will not only inspire people in Barcelona and Spain but will influence fashion looks all over Europe in the upcoming years.
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Is there a German Fashion Style?
Yesterday we saw the opening of the Mercedes Benz Berlin Fashionweek for the AW 12/13 season. For the next three days German fashion designers will present their new creations and once again there is a question coming up: Is there a German Fashion style?
In the past we saw brands like Hugo Boss, Escada or Joop representing German fashion with a rather formal formal and classic stlye, now it´s time for new designers to define a unique way of German chic.
If we look at the collections presented yesterday unfortunately we did not get the impression to see a new style - while some of the designers at least underlined the classic German way (like Alexandra Kiesel, Lena Hoschek or Escada Sport) the other collections lacked independent style or were just plain boring.
Unlike the creativity we see on the streets of Berlin or at fairs like Bread and Butter the German fashion designers still are looking for a unique style, perhaps we will be surprised in the days to come but our guess is that the new German style will rather derive out of creative streetstyle looks than from glossy Berlin runways.
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MUUSE promotes Fashion Talents
Top independent design in limited editions
We already presented to you new ways in fashion production and distribution for upcoming fashion designers when reporting about LOOKK (the former Garmz) or useabrand.com.
Now we have to show you MUUSE, a company from Copenhagen, Denmark. It´s mission is to bring the work of the most talented independent fashion designers to people who love design – without filtering by retailers or policing by trend forecasters.
They are selecting and promoting the creative output of young upcoming talents in fashion design, most of them are still in well-know fashion schools or just have graduated. Visitors of the MUUSE website show their interest in different items by rating them and subsequently the most loved garments are produced in a limited edition. Finally potential buyers place an order and within 6-10 weeks they receive their unique fashion piece.
In fact an excellent way to promote young independent fashion designers like Thidarat Kaha, Caterina Ciuffoletti, Lulu Liu or Sayaka Kamakura at the beginning of their careers in fashion business and of course a business concept to be supported.
Take a look at the selected works in our slide show or see the complete MUUSE collection on their excellent website by clicking on "we recommend" below.
Stine Riis rising Star from Denmark
AW 11 Collection: Decadence & Decay
Stine Riis just finished her studies at the London College of Fashion and was selected by Italian Vogue to be one of "The Best Student Worldwide" in the September issue.
The young Danish fashion designer runs her studio in London, her A/W 11 collection named "Decadence & Decay" is an investigation into the inter-relation between form and decay and proves Stine´s exceptional creative talent. Her clothes are not created for the moment of time but rather stretch to illuminate the passing of lifetimes.
We like her timeless style, the clean cut and forms and the fashionable color mix. To see more of her collection just watch the slides below and take a look at her portfolio site. You´ll like it too.
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art point - Russia meets Vienna
The label
Some of her Collections resemble those of Japanese designers while others seem to be an artistic twin of Belgian avant-gard Style. The actual AW 11/12 collection is named Trace, like a synonym of Fashion itself as a persistently elusive trace of time or as Lena Kvadrat explains: Once a particular piece of clothing becomes part of one's own wardrobe, it turns into a symbol of individual time, of a certain winter, summer, encounter, love, separation ... It becomes the repository of memories, of traces of the past which we either want to forget or preserve.
To see more of art point´s new collection take a look at the Brand´s site and for those of you coming to beautiful Vienna, don´t miss the opportunity to visit the art point shop in Neubaugasse 35 in Vienna´s trendy 7th district.
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