Yasamin Zafar's "Rites of Passage"

Trudging deep into the steamy jungle, near the rivers of Borneo, is where a young Dane designer, Yasamin Zafar, fell intrigued by the indigenous native tribe, the Ibans. What would become the inspiration for her latest collection, “Rites of Passage”; their way with the world – the spiritual world- would become the source of creativity for the creation of a Ready-to-Wear collection for AW12.

 

Image Courtesy pof www.artsthread.com

“Rites of Passage” symbolises a young Iban’s journey between childhoods to adulthood. Reputed for their traditional practice of headhunting - now a thing of the past - their engagement with the spiritual world is still at the forefront of their ancestry and is very much at the heart of their existence. The collection is a visual interpretation of their customs and rituals and a reflection of her moods and feelings of her journey through the jungle, as she watches and studies their communication with the spiritual world, to protect them from evil spirits and prepare them for a world outside the one they live.
 

Image Courtsy of www.flickr.com

Inspired by working with different materials, the textile design graduate of The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, School of Design, has juxtaposed simple silhouettes dominated by a monochromatic printed catsuits, a laddered knitted gown and a bodice bearing a soft shade of sand teamed with a white sheer layered fabric to create a soft and simple aesthetic, all of which possesed intricate details illustrating their strong connection to the land of mysterious Gods, legends of the forest as well as posing Borneo tribal tatoos.

 

The designers interpretaion of tribal tatoos are prevalent throughout the collection. Images of mythical creatures, in abstract and reality, are ubiquitously the main attraction. Used for cultural identity, standing within the community and protection from the evil spirits in the forest; common designs take form in the dog, scorpions, tigers and  other images depicting nature.
 

 

Image Courtesy of www.muuse.com

Each piece tells their own story of being born into a tribe of warriors showing strength and resilience when protecting their territory; the mysterious might of the wilderness; the rituals of death in which the model wilts, exemplifying an emotional and crushing pain one feels when one goes beyond this world but to the spirit world and the three stages of life - birth, child to adult and death.
 

Image courtesy of www.pimawards.com

 

The strength of a woman is a flowing theme throughout this collection.  A woman with a daring personality, who isn’t afraid to stand out from the crowd, is what a Yasamin Zafar woman is.

Stephane Rolland's SS12 Couture

Nominated for the prestigious Melier awards, Stephane Rolland can truly bear the label as an Haute Couture designer.
 

 Image Courtesy of www.firstpost.com

The Frenchman studied at the Ecole de la Chambre Syndicate de la Haute Coutre before taking his position at Balenciaga at the tender age of 20 as Creative Director of menswear until he joined the Haute Couture fashion house of Jean-Louis Scherrer as Artistic Manager where he remained for a further ten years.

However, now, he has created pieces of art of his own for his own Haute Couture fashion house of Stephane Rolland. In the illustrious surrounding of the Cite de l’architecture et du Patrimoine at Tracadero Place, it seemed befitting for the French designer to present a show of floor-sweeping gowns encapsulating the sophistication and elegance of Paris and its history for high fashion, during the Haute Couture Paris Fashion week.
 

 Image Courtesy of www.belleabouttown.com

Inspired by the kinetic art of the late French artist, Michel Deverne, whose fascination to reinvent public space with art whilst working with a variety of materials to create shapes that play with light were a clear explanation for Rolland’s  visual interpretation and attention to detail of architectural space. Taking defined shapes of spiral creations and fragmented scales on broad shoulders and sleeves - often created when playing with cellular characteristics; these shapes were signs of the Deverne’s creations but Rolland’s exquisite craftsmanship.
 

 Image Courtesy of www.styleftw.tumblr.com

The strong colour palette of pearly whites, fiery reds and lustrous blacks with hints of pistachio greens represented a colour palette to be adorned by the beauty and strength of a powerful woman. Beautiful gowns skimmed the models silhouettes, elongating the body in every way, wore a series of plunging necklines, accentuated shoulders and cinched waists. The French designer’s deliverance of elegant fabrics of silks; gazar, chiffons, organza and a cascade of ostrich feathers, daring cut-outs with gold accents, leather gloves, only covering their fingers, took precedent throughout the collection as a display of chic sophistication.
 

 Image Courtesy of www.constancezahn.com 

 

Image Courtesy of www.saintnn.blogspot.com

But, it was Rolland’s show stopping finale that had the audience is total awe of his amazing exhibition of skilful craftsmanship. Wearing a fierce some red dress, weighing more than a 100 pounds, former supermodel Yasmin Le Bon, escorted with two smartly dressed assistants, is a stature of grandeur in this skilfully crafted open-back gown embellished with a sequin of blood red detailing streaming the front and expansive trail trailing behind her, artfully displayed as a work of art, brought the show to a satisfying end of radiant glamour.
 

Image Courtesy of www.flutteryonby.net

Image Courtesy of www.heleiastyle.blogspot.com

'Back to Black' by Shinsuke Mitsouka

 

Image courtesy of www.grthink.deviantart.com

A dark invention of free will, ‘Liberum Arbitrium’ is the spring-summer collection 2012 from couture designer Shinsuke Mitsouka. Based in Paris, the graduate from Nottingham Trent University presents individuality and creative flair of London to the couture influences of the city of Paris to a futuristic look to a gothic inspired collection. The entire collection is dark and mysterious; models are motionless with only their piercing eyes to absorb and create an edgy dramatic atmosphere.
 

 

Image courtesy of www.the-coterie.net

‘Back to black’ is a term that should be used loosely throughout this collection of sheer fabrics and leather - heavily laced with exposed zip lined trims on structural tailoring -  the use of soft fabrics made to look harsh and menacing upon the eyes. Clear influences of Japanese culture, the flight of a ninja takes to the catwalk in a long draped jacket with high collared neckline covering the face but rests just above the tip of the nostrils, of the assassin, with no more than a glare sharp enough to cut through the deepest and darkest of steel covered in vertical zip detailing to add a fashion-edge.  Clearly this is a woman to be feared and not loved.
 

 

Image courtesy of www.blowpresents.wordpress.com

Sheer fabrics carefully laddered uncovered exposing bosoms left untouched or dressed with draped jackets, and the freedom of soft fabrics were accessorised with laddered arm braces. A structured shouldered dress took the catwalk embellished with exposed zips pannelling the silhouette of the model like armoury as the protective measure from instruments of death. 

But it was the handkerchief dress that stole the show. The transparency of the sheer sleeved laddered top unveils the face and unveils the suppression of all human emotion. 

 

Images courtesy of www.blowpresents.wordpress.com

Inbar Spector SS12

Israeli-born designer, Inbar Spector's vision of destruction and devastation is an unique explosive take on the dimensions between 'Nightmares' and 'hell'. In her dystopia, we are exposed to the truths behind growing up in conflict.  Violent images of terror swept through the collection, ever exposing us to the war torn images we are so used to witnessing in Israel, formed foundation to her eponymous showcase of intricate skill and craftmanship for SS12.

Image Courtesy of www.alexloves.com

A graduate of Isaraeli's Shenkar College in 2004, Spector's journey has been a euphoric trip to international acclaim from France to Japan to capturing the imagination of London's cutting edge as a finalist of Vauxhall Fashion Scouts  'One to Watch'.

Spector's jaw-dropping visual art sets off with metallic oversized brocade jackets coupled with carefully constructed crinoline skirts and beautiful corsetry, and amazing concertina detailing creates a dream-like world of ruffles, in total contrast to that of hell. Cleverly finding a fine line between the realms of heaven and hell, in actual fact, the collection is somewhat an angelic tale as oppose to the demonic references, one usually associates.

Image Courtesy of www.areyoudressinguporareyoudressingdown.blogspot.com
 

Renown for her monochramatic look, Inbar Spector's SS12 delivers a heavenly palette of soft pinks and pastel mints, gold metallics notwithstanding her trademark black and white; staying forever true to her signature style of transparent sheer mesh fabrics taking us further to the depths of a gothic inspired collection. 

 

The operatic sounds adds a dramatic atmosphere as we draw closer to the end of an enchanting tale where the crowd gasps and the cameras chattering in the background as two poignant pieces grace the catwalk: a model engulfed in waves of white ruffles with a sparkle of gold corsetry and a gold straight jacket with a lantern-like base takes to the catwalk leaving the crowd applauding with great intensity.

Image Courtesy of www.frumpytofunky.blogspot.com

Image Courtesy of www.taskpr.com

Image Courtesy of www.thecoolfashion.com

Georgia Hardinge S/S 12

True to form Georgia Hardinge's S/S 12 collection 'Cubed' exudes excitement and movement. Winner of the A/W 11 Merit Award, her S/S 12 takes inspiration from the dark nature of cubo-futurism, this sophistaced look of the modern woman is a triumphant exploration of free movement and control of severe lines and smooth silhouettes.

Sculpted to form, geometric prints use a grey and tan colour palette with the key colour for season - burnt orange. Diamond panelling are dominate and placed in the most important area - the optical illusion creates constriction to mimic the silhouette of the model wearing it.

 

Image Courtesy of Meet the Designer 

The fluidity of silks and chiffons reveal the soft and clean modern lines of the feminine form. The free flowing fabrics of capes coupled with mini playsuits emulate curls of waves and maxi dresses laced with sheer fabrics present the fresh and light air of the collection.
 

In contrast, with cube skirts that accentuate and flatter the female aesthetic and two-piece cropped tops topped with flared trousers, breaking up the proportion of the aesthetic in bold colour blocking, nipped in at the waist to emphasise the young designer's fathom with architectural shapes and scultpture transforming avante garde vision of art into a wearable collection for the masses.

Image Courtesy of www.runaway-fashion-images.com 

Sveta Sotnikova

Entitled, "De Fabrica", Sveta Sotnikova's final year project, and her first brand collection inspired for S/S 12, is a fascination with the construction of the human body. Set the difficult task of using leather; an unforgiving texture with very little room for error, but a welcomed challenge; she explores her fetish for leather, yet more importantly, demonstrates the skilful craftmanship of the London-based designer and delves into a world of darkness to produce cutting edge designs.

Using blue prints - to assist with the pattern design - to construct the hand-crafted pieces is a daring attempt at juxtaposing femininty and the fragility of the leather in search of inner strength and power, notwithstanding the beauty and emphasis of quality. The manipulation and tangible layers of leather gravitates to exposing the most intimate images of restructuring the human form. Forever an unconvetional form of applying architectural design to fashion, this collection's stringent attention to detail appeals to the unconventional woman whose strength is not for the fainthearted.

Images Courtesy of Spindlemagazine.com

Already snapped up by POP PR for her architectural spin on the construction of avant-garde designs, the newly graduate of London College of Fashion is fast heading in the direction of her own inspirational designers of Ricardo Tisci at Givenchy and the new generation of greats for their take on couture like Gareth Pugh and Christopher Kane.

A Flurry of Colour is Malene Oddershede Bach

Image courtesy ofhttp://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lrrnniwDK61r1vcveo3_500.jpg

Winner of Vauxhall Fashion Scouts, ‘Ones to Watch’, Malene Oddershede Bach’s colourful rendition of Spring/Summer 12 is a captivating collection of excitement and energy.

Born in Denmark, the young Dane moved to the UK almost eight years ago to study fashion at Middlesex University. Having firmly settled in the creative and cultural scene, that is London, the flourishing designer’s talent has not gone a miss in the industry, and subsequently gained fashion credential as Assistant Fashion Designer at Preen by Thornton Bregazzi to move on to create a brand that has everyone talking.

Inspired by neon-lit nightlife of Tokyo at the heart of Gaspar Noe’s, ‘Enter the Void’, Malene’s 14 piece collection magnifies a flurry of exquisite colours – electric pinks, canary yellows and opulent turquoise with a flash of black throughout. 

 Images courtesy of blinklondon.com

With a strong focus on textiles and textures, invisible to the naked eye, the obtrusive use of psychedellic prints - from the scales on a butterflies wings, were clear influences of nature and surrounding environments.
 

Image courtesy of malebeoddershedebach.com

What has become her signature looks of unusual cut-outs, digital prints and leather pieces with sculpted shoulder and misplaced arms were a direct link with science fiction horror film ‘Videodrome’ by David Cronenberg.
 

Image courtesy of pushitmagazine.com

Image courtesy of retoxmagazine.com

Image courtesy of businessoffashion.com

With a vibrant vivacious colour palette, unusual cut-outs and digitised prints,  the London based designer’s signature style has already gained a strong following from celebrities alike.

Image courtesy of Malene Oddershede Bach facebook.com

Between freelancing as a pattern cutter and working full-time in the city of London, as a Creative Consultant, Malene work ethic is something to admired and clearly inspired by the different environments she finds herself in.

To take a closer look at Malene, please visit www.maleneoddershedebach.com