160g’s team is happy to announce our collaboration with the launching UK designer label Red Vatican.

I approached the Lucian Freud exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery with much anticipation, having lapped up the absorbing “Man with a Blue Scarf” by Martin Gayford, who sat for the artist and wrote about the experience.

It didn’t matter at first that I didn’t know where to start looking at the exhibition, if I was approaching it the wrong way round (sure enough I did, starting in the middle, heading out to the end and then back through the middle to the beginning). The paintings exist in their own time, you peer at them and start to feel the passage of time that each one encompasses. The Benefits Supervisor who’s been posing so long she has become one and the same with the straining couch there to support her. Her large pillows of flesh echoing the creases and bulges of the upholstery.

The exhibition covers seven decades of his work and as I went back through time I felt I could not give these immense and intense works the concentration they deserve. As the cramped gallery space filled up with fellow peerers, bobbing about trying to catch a glance, I was reminded of something someone said of the exhibition lately: they weren’t all meant to be seen hung together.

Now, away from it all, I am questioning the usefulness of massive retrospectives such as this. There’s never a lack of blockbusters, crowd-pullers, and they are always ‘must-sees’. However, would not a slice, just one decade or two, be more representative of the intensity of Freud’s vision? Or if seven decades are to be represented, edit each one, and tell the story in a way that flows along through time, instead of presenting such an overwhelming volume of work without any real narrative.

There remains no doubt, however, of the strange intensity, life and power of these works, and for that reason alone this exhibition is a(nother) must-see.

In 1986, Madonna released the album ‘True Blue’, inspired by vintage 50′s and 60′s aesthetic. Personal experiences, a more mature look and a lot of famous singles took part of this record: from ‘Live to tell’ to ‘True blue’, from ‘Papa don’t preach’ to ‘Open your heart’. Jean Baptiste Mondino, the fashion photographer and music video director, worked with Madonna for the first time in this project, where the diva and young male model Felix Howard dressed up in grey suits, a closed shirt and a hat. Vogue UK recently launched its June issue, showing a ‘London Pride’ editorial by Alasdair Burns, with Ian McKellen, Vivienne Westwood, and Edie Campbell among others. One picture features Pixie Geldof and Rafferty Law, son of Jude and Sadie, both dressed as Madonna and Howard on the now classic music video.

Snow White is in the air: the movie Mirror, Mirror, with Julia Roberts as the stepmother, the less colorful approach in Snow White and the Huntsman, starring Charlize Theron and Kristen Stewart and the TV series Once upon a time with Ginnifer Goodwin as the fairest of them all.

However, four years ago, and ahead of a global trend, one of France’s most successful choreographers, Angelic Preljocaj, created an award winning dance adaptation of the Brothers Grimm’s fairytale.

Performed by a company of 25 dancers, it came to London, to the Sadler’s Wells Theatre, at the beginning of May this year. With a dark and poignant atmosphere, stripped of any sweetness, the production had an emotionally charged lighting by Patrick Riou and a haunting set design by Thierry Leproust that worked together to perfection. The score was set to Gustav Mahler, with added electronic strokes by 79D. As for the costumes, Jean-Paul Gaultier designed them all: bondage attires, corsets, fringes and straps, and kinky black leotards.

Preljocoj’s characterically physical choreography bridged from classical to contemporary, finding its identity towards the second half of the piece. The mirror scene was masterly achieved, both with the set design and the performances. The romantic softness of Virginie Caussin as a graceful Snow White was full of virtuosity. The aerial entrance of the seven dwarves, the awakening kiss duet and the warped dance sequence around the poisonous apple stood out as the most arresting scenes.

For further information please contact:
anna@160grams.com

To view examples of her fashion illustrations feel free to visit: www.annablachut.com

Cari Marsden’s Graduate Collection 2011

‘The designer role is changing,’ says LCF graduate Cari Marsden, ’the consumer is increasingly participating in the design process’. This statement proves true, since Nike ID there has been an increased demand for a development in product uniqueness and customisation as well as memorable shopping experiences. Co-design operations, however, are still seen as a niche and as difficult to develop into brands. “The concept is innovative and consumers are intrigued, but the fashion industry so far has been rather reluctant of utilising it as real objects of consumerism. As a designer, you need courage to be open with your consumers and let them translate your products. I’m very interested in the outcomes co-design can achieve”.

Co-Lab, The Bateke 000 worn with Co-Lab Perspex Collar

Therefore, for her MA project in Digital Fashion, Cari Marsden hopped on the train to re-create the design process. Taking traditional knotting and threading techniques into the future, Cari founded Co-Lab, where designer and consumer merge and co-design as one brand. Inspired by body modification and surgery, Cari researched tribal biomedical interpretations and with her skills in garment construction and digital processes came up with surprising silhouettes. The traditional shapes are contrasted with sterile looking materials and a clinical colour palette of whites and blues as taken from the hospital, yet creating a fresh look. Her research allowed her to analyse and interpret historical forms of interaction in tribal history to modern day situations, where consumers are communicating online. In her MA paper it reads: “Digital consumers are beginning to customise apparel, using the internet as an efficient interaction tool and becoming personalised product creators”.

 Co-Lab, The Bateke 000 worn with Co-Lab Perspex Collar

Co-Lab, The Bateke 000

Cari developed her idea from a previous project of laser cutting holes in fabric and threading through cords by morphing ideas from contrasting areas of research, such as medical tubing, tribal jewellery, face decoration, body manipulation, pill packet patterns and surgical operations. Furthermore, when studying the work of the Italian artist Maurizio Anzeri, who stitches coloured threads over his drawings, the designer became increasingly interested in the manipulation of the face. She took inspiration from tribal masks of healing and biomedical statuesque interpretations and explored the influence illness has on a body’s silhouette and how she could portray this by manipulating and creating an illusion around the body’s shape. Cari was also inspired by the way human interaction is encouraged through illness when carrying out operations or remedies and used this as inspiration for the tactility needed in the collection.

Co-Lab, The Rarotonga 0

“My realisation of the toiles was affected by my fabric sourcing and selection”, the graduate recalls, “instead of selecting fabric first then working with the properties, I decided to make shapes first and then create an infrastructure to hold this. This is not a typical process to follow and upon reflection I feel it cost me time and effort. However it did force me to source innovatively, for example I used a flexible yet rigid medical tube inserted into heat sealing tape which acted as a strong structure for the garments to mould around. I also had to be creative with my finishes. I used the thick binding with concealed zips on open seams as finishing, but also as hidden thickness and added structure in the seams”. Creating those strong shapes, Cari recalls, she had difficulties when toiling in different fabrics to production, which caused her finishing and time management to suffer a little, but through smart prioritising she managed to achieve her aims as set initially. The thorough toiling she produced allowed her to work on gaining a balance in the garments of structure to hold shape, as well as volume and flexibility for laser cutting and cords to be put through.

Co-Lab, The Bateke 000 worn with Co-Lab Perspex Strings

Co-Lab, The Bateke 000 worn with Co-Lab Perspex Belt and Perspex Strings

Cari talks me through her sketchbook, of which she thinks it records old and present research, a process she needs in order to explore her design identity further in terms of layout, imagery, typography and the process of design development. She aims to now commit time to producing a digital presence such as a blog. “I feel this would enrich the design process through interacting with other people”. A blog could also create a Co-Lab experience before production as well as being a selling point through her website. “The Co-Lab digital interface creates an environment where the Co-Lab community can experiment, design, select and facilitate’ Cari explains. By splitting the brand into sub brands (Co-Collection, Co-Select and Co-String), it became an open brand, interacting with consumers whilst managing the brand identity.

Co-Lab, The Co-Lab String

‘I am proud of the digital skills I have developed’ Cari tells me, and she has definitely raised her profile to start her digital fashion career. Throughout the project she considered whether to put her name within the brand, however, as the label would not feel personal to the consumers she wants the label to connect with, she decided not to in the end. Now she seems pleased with Co-lab as the brand name as it relates to many other terms related to the brand such as collaboration, co-label, co-operation, laboratory, community, co-design, communicate. Co-Cari! ns

Co-Lab Perspex Collar

Co-Lab Perspex Collar

Erevos Aether ‘s Look Book ”M45 Pleiades”

So as to celebrate Erevos Aether’s one-year launch, the brand proudly presents their new collection that caters exclusively to women. This season, Erevos Aether travelled as far as the middle of our Galaxy to meet the Seven Sisters, the Pleiades as well as the daughters of Atlas. A galactic voyage through the stars that incarnates their seven looks for the Autumn Winter collection 2012/13.

For more information & additional material please contact:

www.erevosaether.com

info@erevosaether.com

press@erevosaether.com

T. +44 (0)20 798 798 64

M. +44 (0)79 756 544 90

Baltimore duo Beach House

Beach House are a dream-weaving alt French-American pop duo, and Bloom is their next tour de force, expected for release 15 May. After reading that Alex Scully, the American half of the band, describes the album as “a huge crystal, spinning in a cave with Star Wars figurines.” I immediately knew I had to find a leak. Had to.

The duo has been a force to reckon with in the indie-alt scene for years. Their first release, a self-titled exploration of chilly, relentless beats from a drum machine, and Victoria Legrand’s incomparable vocals, is the least accessible and most experimental of their albums. The albums to follow, 2008’s Devotion and 2010’s Teen Dream are saturated with radio-play-ability. This sort of pattern begs the question, is the music off Beach House intrinsically what the band intended to create, but fell off their path for the sake of commercialism and the No. 17 spot on Rolling Stone’s 30 Best Albums of 2010? Or have Beach House simply perfected their sound, naturally attracting a fan base including both Jay-Z and Beyoncé? (Remember that time the two of them were spotted at a Grizzly Bear concert?) Relax, there’s no more need to extrapolate! 2012 has marked the release (or, leak) of Bloom, the band’s fourth studio album, and there is much to discuss.

Beyoncé and Jay-Z Tastemakers of Coachella, via Brooklyn Vegan

On 8 March, the band poked and prodded their massive following with a single-track release. I found myself on my daily one-hour commute with this song, “Myth”, constantly on repeat. It is one song amongst many in their repertoire that immediately leaves the listener wondering how merely two individuals can produce such a full sound, and more importantly, how on earth do they pull this off live? It opens with what we would expect- a tinny beat that, in my opinion, is worthy of their first album. Ethereal arpeggios take over, followed by Legrand’s hazy and breathy vocals, and suddenly, the track sounds like Teen Dream! I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love Teen Dream. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve listened to Teen Dream (I just opened my itunes, and it seems I’ve listened to Teen Dream a solid 800+ times). However, I would equate this to the sort of filler tracks of Teen Dream, which are few and far between. Let’s just say, it’s no “Zebra”, which begins as a simple riff, paired with introductory sighing from the two, and builds to crashing cymbals and bending vocals. “Myth” is Teen Dream lite. At this point, it seems that Beach House have found their equation for success, and they’re not afraid to use it.

I can remember vividly the first time I listened to the second track, “Wild”, because I felt such a strong sense of disappointment, and almost embarrassment. One of the most unique vocal techniques that Legrand uses is “vocal bending”, mentioned above in reference to “Zebra”. This involves making a half or hole tone step up or downwards extremely obvious, emphasizing all tonal steps in between. Usually, this technique is awesome, and used in unexpected ways. It’s like a welcome shock to the ear, which simultaneously demonstrates vocal prowess. However, as part of the new Beach House equation for success, this technique appears once every two bars of each verse in this track. Bummer! Definitely overdone, definitely obvious, definitely not cool.

Track 3, “Lazuli”, begins with electronic arpeggios, something a little different, which comes as a pleasant surprise. But then, the vocal sighing begins, this time almost identical to that of Teen Dream’s “Norway”, more evidence that Beach House have become accustomed to what works for them. I don’t mind the recycling, but what I do mind is the lyrics to this piece that literally make me cringe.  Remember that introductory survey art history course you took? An that lecture, during which you learned about blue pigment coming from Lapis Lazuli, which was mined from a single cave in Afghanistan, thus, the stuff was worth more than gold! I’m pretty sure I told everyone I knew, thinking this was intellectual gold (or Lapis Lazuli? Did I really just go there?). Because, as we all know, “There’s nothing like Lapis Lazuli”. Seriously, Beach House? Pure disappointment here.

On a positive note, “Other People” has the really amazing riff that is reminiscent of something from a John Hughes movie- not Ferris Bueller, but something with Molly Ringwald. Its closest reference in my mind is Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time”, which is really great. One feels immediately transported to some American prom in the mid-80′s which, come on, is where you want to be.

Following a bunch of filler tracks, including the likes of “The Hours” and “New Year”, comes a single saving-grace, a follower of the success-equation, but different enough to elude that sense of emotion that we’ve been waiting for, “Wishes”. The introduction to this song is so soft and celestial, that upon listening, it always summons an image of oneself, flying. Go on, close your eyes and listen to it. Eventually, the guitar gets a little harder in this song, then soft again, and its this dynamic variety that is unique amongst the other Bloom tracks.  Success is followed by another success, “On the Sea”, which begins with a tiresome piano riff that is reminiscent of seasickness and restlessness. This song is like a welcomed sanctuary in its simplicity, a sort of calm before the storm that is the last track, “Irene”. This is the sort of epic outro one would expect from some progressive rock-opera album. The repetition of the phrase “It’s a strange paradise” is not only tiresome, but it comes across as mantra-esque, as if the listener needs a moment to calm down and reflect upon what they have just experienced. But is this really necessary?

The issue with Bloom is what the band have created versus what fans expect from them. I suppose all of the positive feedback they received for Teen Dream must have triggered something, whether consciously or not. To refer once again to Alex Scully’s own description of the album, a huge crystal, spinning in a cave with Star Wars figurines, I suppose I would have to disagree because, not only are there zero Star Wars references, but this is also definitely not worthy of one huge crystal. Maybe several, small crystals. In a desert.

Fear not, Beach House fans! Believe me, as much as I can pick out problems with this album, I’ve still been listening to it regularly. The light at the end of the tunnel is, of course, the duo’s massive tour coming up! Having opened for the likes of Grizzly Bear (there they are again!) and Vampire Weekend, Beach House have honed their live act to perfection. With Scully sitting down, managing his guitar with his hands and pedals with his feet, and Legrand, master organist and vocalist with her massive hair in her face, usually accompanied by some sparkly prisms, followers know that if they cannot rely on their newer tracks to be as innovative and fresh as their previous work, that their live act will be as energetic and moving as it has always been.

L-R: Alex Scully, Sparkly Prism, Victoria Legrand

Beach House will be performing at Village Underground 24 May, and Roundhouse 2 November.

“Art is the ultimate expression of beauty and somehow it is our muse.”

The designers presenting their FW12 collection

We have often featured A-Lab collections on 160g: their designs are way ahead of the average Italian fashion scene and stay exciting season after season. We had the pleasure to meet the designers Simona Costa and Alessandro Biasi at the Vogue Italia Party during London Fashion Week. Read what they have to say about fashion, art, their latest collection, and shoes…

“We believe that symmetry represents balance and perfection, which are the basis of our research and our work.”

-Why the name A-Lab? 

The A is the initial of Alessandro, who had the idea to create and develop this project. “Lab” stands for “LABORATORY”, which is the world of A-lab, a place of creations, meetings and confrontations, but above all human relationships.

-What are your backgrounds? How did you become fashion designers?

We have two very different backgrounds and perhaps this is what makes us strong. I went to a high-school specializing in artistic education, while Simona went to a tailoring schol. We met at university and together we developed our passion for fashion.

-Can you share with us how you do your research – in other words what are your iconographic approaches?

The research always starts from a suggestion that invades everything: a book, a movie or a painting. Then we analyse it from different points of view, from the history of costume to photography.

-You often work with sculptural shapes, yet they always are not only elegant but also sexy… how do you avoid the sense of coldness/frigidness that can derive from minimalism?

There is a kind of fusion between the elements of masculine tailoring and feminine tailoring of the 50s that helps us finding the right balance.

-What is your definition of style?

Style equals personality. It is the way you wear clothes, the way you are performing them, the way you make them your own.

“The world we are living in goes faster and faster and the image is easy to read.”

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-You come from Italy: what is for you the most positive thing about your country, and what is its major downfall?

The most positive thing about Italy is the traditional tailoring, the quality of fabrics and the way they are used, everything that makes the made in Italy famous throughout the world. Unfortunately, the product often becomes more important than any creative idea or style.

-You told us you would like to move to London – what inspired your decision?

In London, we like the approach to barrier-free imagination. The creativity expressed in a pure way. Beyond their talents, British designers have more possibilities to express themselves freely.

-Why did you choose to work mainly with prints? Is it the future of artisanship?

Because the print is the most direct and easy way to express a concept. The visual image is playing an increasingly important role. The world we are living in goes faster and faster and the image is easy to read. Furthermore, in this period of history, people need positivism – that is what we aim to give them through prints and colours.

-Your prints have a very kaleidoscopic quality – what makes symmetry so important for your designs?

We believe that symmetry represents balance and perfection, which are the basis of our research and our work.

-Your collections have ranged on a variety of subjects and aesthetics – still lifes and vanitas, book scribbles, tropical prints, lately Japanese-inspired imagery – all of these without being cliché, as some designers do with such hyper-determined references; you also create monochrome pieces and ‘simpler’ dramatic shapes. What then makes the unity of A-Lab, whose products are so easily recognizable?

A-lab dresses hide a strong personality determined by the cuts and details that are most noticeable in monochromatic pieces.

-Your latest collection, A-War Couture, was the perfect mix between Japanese imagery and 40s shapes, something the characters from Blade Runner might wear for an autumnal vacation… is it more dystopic or utopic?

We believe that the world of Blade Runner is about the allure of decadence: although it may seem scary, it is seductive as well.

-Where does your interest for Japan come from? Why the 40s?

Since the Japanese art has a vital role in our prints, we were fascinated by the simplicity of the graphic artists, opposed to the Japanese attention to detail that we feel close to our style. The 40s have been a very difficult period for our society and as in all periods of crisis, creativity was essential. It is in bad economic times that people bring out their talent: women reworked the masculine wardrobe and fought the deep crisis with blows of scissors and fabric.

-The collection also marked the introduction of shoes in the A-Lab répertoire… can you tell us more about it?

We have collaborated with two young British designers from London, Diana and Woo, who created a shoe based on our concept of combining a retro style with a contemporary and strong design, much like our cuts. It was an experiment…we like to create synergies together with other young creative minds. it is always inspiring for us.

-As I was preparing these questions, I realized that all your creations have something paradoxical: they are strict yet sexy, rigid yet in very ‘decadent’ colours, you make the most beautiful LBDs yet they are anything but basic pieces… this time, while your materials and your shapes seemed more feminine than usual, you counterbalanced them with unexpected details (such as blown-up lace motifs and mini-turbans). It also looked like a very calligraphic collection, yet it is based on prints. How can a designer find a balance between such contrasting elements? 

The main goal is to try to always do something new, not to repeat ourselves but at the same time to maintain our strong identity. Whenever we are faced to a dress we are always wondering: “Is it A-lab?”

-Similarly, how do you strike the right balance between fashion and art?

We combine two worlds that we consider paradoxically opposites. We start by art to create fashion. Art is part of our DNA. While we are not making art, we start by decomposing it and giving it a new form. Art is the ultimate expression of beauty and somehow it is our muse.

-What are your upcoming projects?

We have many projects and one of them should be realized really soon but you will have to wait until June to discover it…

Thanks again to the A-Lab team, we cannot wait for your next collection!
Photos F/W12 courtesy A-Lab, illustration by Anna Blachut.

Eva Riccobono wearing A-Lab on Rai2, 31.04.12

Claire is a restless creative, who, having completed fine art training in Cornwall, spent some years trying to concentrate at being an arts practitioner. Nowadays, however, she would rather delve into the artwork of others than talk about her own attempts and thus blogs on the subject of museums and galleries. Her practical knowledge of drawing, collage-making, printmaking, photography, painting and book-binding lends a solid basis for her observations.

Claire has been based in London for the last six years and divides her time between working for the Parliamentary Art Collection and the Imperial War Museum. She is also working towards her Associateship of the Museums Association.

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