Graduate Fashion Week 2013

As a student coming to the end of my first year, I can’t even begin to imagine how fashion graduates are coping as Graduate Fashion Week speeds towards them.  Excited, anxious, tired, nervous, elated – probably each of those emotions and more within the space of each hour – I mean, it’s not quite the same as having a deadline for an essay, is it?

We, the lucky viewers, however, can just look forward with excited anticipation, to see the results of their hard work, be inspired and perhaps be there at the moment when a great, new, world class talent is discovered.

Earls Court is hosting the event from Sunday 2 - Wednesday 5 June.  More than one thousand students will be showcasing their work and hoping to attract sponsors and investment to put themselves, their skills and designs firmly on the fashion world map.

Over 20,000 guests will watch 22 catwalk shows and visit exhibitions at more than 40 universities.  The scale of Graduate Fashion Week is amazing.  These are the places where designers such as Alexander McQueen and John Galliano were ‘discovered’ by the industry and the moment experienced by their contemporaries.  Exhibition tickets cost £10.50, catwalk shows between £17.50 and £25 for each individual university.

Universities showcasing their work include Ravensbourne, Bath Spa, De Montfort, UCA, Bournemouth, Kingston and Manchester Metropolitan.  All information on the event can be found at http://www.gfw.org.uk

Not to be missed!

Take 5, Weekly Inspirations.

1. MOVE - A beautifully made feel good video.

2. A good guide on how to work better. By Fischli/Weiss (1991).

3. Fun street art to make you smile.

4. Paul Smith is right, you can find inspiration in everything if you open your eyes.

5. Everyone likes a thank you, heres some cute postcards I found online this week.

Rich List continued

Adding to my previous post you may have noticed that three sportswear companies made it into the top ten of the fashion millionaires rich list 2013.  Surprising, eh?  I hadn’t considered where sportswear brands would fall in terms of income generation.  I know there seems to be ever increasing tide of runners  and cyclists all over the country appreciate that the Olympics was incredibly inspiring and know that going to the gym still figures highly in many people’s worlds but has this sector of the market always been so busy?  Do these figures represent an amazing growth in fitness pursuits, or are we all wearing more sportswear as fashion items?  Certainly trainers can be pricey and have long been essential fashion items for many fans, but please, please don’t tell me that we’re heading back towards everyone and their parents slopping around day and night in jogging bottoms again.

//Photography by Street Peeper and Jak&Jil

The Fashion Millionaires RIch List 2013

The Sunday Times Rich List 2013 shows us just how much money revolves around clothing outlets and the individuals or families that own them.  I was frankly amazed to see the ratings for the fashion millionaires:

1. George Weston and family - Selfridges, Primark, £6.65bn.

2. Sir Philip and Lady Green- Arcadia Company  £3.88bn.

3. Sir David and Sir Frederick Barclay - Littlewoods, £2.35bn.

4. Mike Ashley - Sports Direct, Sportsworld, £2.3bn

5. Bernard Lewis and family - River Island, £1.25bn

6. Stephen Rubin and family - JD Sports Fashion, Speedo, Berghaus, £1.12bn

7. John Hargreaves and family - Matalan, £1bn

8= Richard Caring - International Clothing Design, £700m

8= Christina Ong and family - Mulberry, £700m

10 David Bromilow - Adidas, £650m

Primark, Littlewoods, Matalan?  Who would have guessed – certainly not me.  Does this mean that the consumer continues to purchase cheap disposable fashion, choosing quantity over quality, or do most of us have so much less in our purses that there seems to be no option?  I have never understood how Primark has managed to produce clothes at such low costs and in such quantity.  Stock definitely turns around quickly and I wonder what happens to all those garments that aren’t purchased?  And how will the terrible recent factory collapse in India impact on the company?  Will they be investing more positively in the communities which supply their clothing and, if this means an increase in price point, will the customer continue to support them?  I was equally astonished to see Selfridges alongside Primark – this seems an incredible contrast in markets and quality of goods.

I WANT TO BE BEYONCE.

The Mrs Carter show – How lucky was I to see Beyonce on one of her five nights at the 02 during her world tour?  It was an incredible concert, just incredible, there’s not much more I can say: take her insane voice, the lighting, graphics, dancers, band and costumes and this was a truly inspirational performance.

The Crowd:

Beyonce’s presence won them over in a heartbeat.  For one moment, as she rose up through the stage, the crowd fell silent and time momentarily stood still.  Then deafening applause as everything kicked off.  This woman is so skilled at interacting with her fans; one woman’s reaction to Beyonce touching her hand was five full minutes of hysterical jumping up and down and screaming – which those around her  (including her boyfriend) seemed to feel entirely justified!   

The lighting and graphics show:

Dare I say that even on mute the concert would be fabulous?  The theme running throughout the show was of Beyonce being crowned queen, losing her identity and re- finding it, using amazing lighting and graphics, with fashion angles that could have been taken straight from a professional shoot.  In one of my favourite routines, Beyonce and her dancers stand in front of an LCD screen so you only see their silhouettes.  Behind them, black and white patterns are screened to emphasize their dancing and, as the pace of the music increases, this is matched by the graphics until it builds to a crazy fast finale!

New life goal= Be Beyonce:

Beyonce’s power to inspire, her confidence, determination and passion is truly empowering – my new life goal is to be Beyonce.  Okay, so I won’t get a weave or sing my heart out in front of millions, but I wasn’t the only one to come away from that concert feeling that I had experienced something more than the music.

Trust me – those of you with tickets are in for a treat.

//Photographs from google images