Art-iculate: Reconstruction, Cultural Heritage and the Making of Contemporary Fashion

Workshop group outside the Bangladesh National Museum

Last week I went to Bangladesh to conduct a two-day fashion journalism and blogging workshop to run in conjunction with the British Council’s ground-breaking exhibition Reconstruction: Cultural Heritage and the Making of Contemporary Fashion.

The British Council is the UK’s leading cultural relations organisation, with creative arts forming the focus of many of its global projects. Through collaborations between institutions and designers across multiple disciplines the British Council aim to explore the industries and skills in countries across the world looking in particular at people’s understanding of British culture through a strong educational program.

Working with over 100 countries the work the British Council do is crucial to open a dialogue and create a communication of ideas between the UK and the wider global community.

Sophia Kokosalaki

On the first day of the workshop I took the attendees on a field trip to the Bangladesh National Museum to view the display first-hand with an aim of critically analysing it the following morning by way of a group review.

Celebrating the work of seven of the UK’s most prolific London-based designers; Hussein Chalayan, Vivienne Westwood, Osman Yousefzada, Peter Jensen, Sophia Kokosalaki, Marios Schwab and Paul Smith, Reconstruction examines how they distil elements of their past to create clothes with a strong narrative. Drawing on personal circumstance and experiences such as religion, travel, cultural heritage and emotion, these seven designers express themselves without restraint, weaving a tapestry of their lives with fashion as their medium of choice.

Emdad Hoque

Also exhibited are three designers of Bangladeshi origin Emdad Hoque, Ruby Ghuznavi and Manjulika Chakma, who each contributed two garments to the showcase. All visually exciting for numerous reasons, the skills displayed were second to none, in some respects putting the globally acclaimed British designers to shame with their acute attention to detail and the evident time and labour put into each and every hand-stitch.

Ruby Ghuznavi

My favourite of the three is award-winning designer Manjulika Chakma who displays strong tribal references and techniques mixed with a modern twist throughout her designs inspired by the rural communities of Chakma, Khayang, Khumi, Lushai and Mong. Bursting with colour and texture Chakma specialises in weaving, vegetable dying and embroidery.

Manjulika Chakma

Juxtaposed with the display of Eastern and Western garments is a collection of traditional Bangladeshi textiles and cloths taken directly from the National Museum’s own collection. Discovering the rich history of craft and in particular exquisite fabric production in Bangladesh put me in great stead to analyse the contemporary Bangladeshi fashion designs, looking at how the use of fabric has evolved through centuries and generations, and how traditional weaving, embroidery and embellishment techniques continue to flourish. The fine silks dating back to 19th Century and the Jamdani were of great significance, epitomising the root of Bangladesh’s great weaving heritage.

 Archive Jamdani examples (above anbd below)

A renowned centre of textiles, the earliest evidence of fine transparent cotton cloth made in Bangladesh dates back to the 3rd Century BC, with cotton cloth appearing on stone sculptures from the 10-12th Centuries. No textile is better known that the Jamdani, renowned for its intricate patterns and as the most expensive fabric created on the Dhaka loom.

What intrigued me, perhaps most about the exhibition, was the response from the local community who by and large seemed to wholeheartedly appreciate the opportunity to see such fine craftsmanship in their home town. The workshop attendees explained to me that if it wasn’t for organisations such as the British Council they would have to travel to Europe to see such a showcase and would rarely have an opportunity to get so close to designers by industry heavyweights such as Vivienne Westwood and Osman.

Osman and Peter Jensen

From our workshop discussion with regard to what the attendees would change about the exhibition, everyone was unanimous that the Bangladeshi designers were not given enough of a spotlight. They recognised that it is indeed hard to find the right balance on a touring exhibition; however they would have liked to see the curation be a bit bolder, seeing seven Bangladeshi designers showcased to match the seven Brits represented, by way of displaying unity and equality, reinforcing to a wider audience that Bangladeshi and British fashion can and should be held in the same esteem.

Vivienne Westwood

Also a better cross section of designers would have better seized the opportunity to promote - to the UK and wider world - how varied Bangladeshi fashion is. Certainly, after seeing the diversity of fashion on the Apex Life is Beautiful catwalk that evening, on reflection the Bangladeshi designers selected for Reconstruction sadly are overshadowed by the demi-couture garments on display by the likes of Westwood and Chalayan.

 Marios Schwab

From a personal perspective I feel that any exhibition of this kind is a big step in the right direction and it was a delight to see the Bangladeshi designs in context with the heritage fabrics chosen for the exhibition. The only query I have is related to the balance of designers from opposing nations and the lack of menswear representation across the board.

Paul Smith

The first ever exhibition of its kind, Reconstruction has proved hugely successful and presents a unique opportunity for cultural exchange between Bangladesh and the UK, providing a foundation on which to build future exhibitions of this scale and larger, seeing designers and curators collaborate further to achieve the best representation of Bangladeshi fashion possible, unashamedly spotlighting and raising Bangladeshi designers to the lofty heights of the established and revered Western designers they are celebrated alongside.

Reconstruction opened in Kazakhstan in April 2011, and will have toured Russia, Uzbekistan, Bangladesh, Pakistan and India by the end of 2012. Catch Reconstruction: Cultural Heritage and the Making of Contemporary Fashion in Dhaka until 11 February.

Art-iculate: Catwalk to Cover – a front row seat

 A couple of weekends ago I ventured down to one of my favourite Central London spaces, the Fashion and Textile Museum to see the exciting new exhibition Catwalk to Cover – a front row seat. Looking back from the first ever globally reported ready-to-wear catwalk show to the recent SS12 shows, Catwalk to Cover – a front row seat documents the magic of the fashion spectacle; with fashion week street style, intimate backstage snaps of models, a guide to who’s who of the frow – from editor to blogger to celebrity – and the resulting production streamed to millions of hungry eyes the world over.

A relatively modern phenomenon, the catwalk show can be dated as far back as fashion parades that took place in Paris couture houses in the 19th Century, however it will come as a surprise to many that designers didn’t really consider going it alone and showcasing en masse until the early ‘90s, with NYFW being the first collective stage established in 1993.

Spotlighting an exclusive and aspirational sphere, this fly-on-the-wall exhibition aims to shed some light on the inner-workings of the fashion machine, conveying the heady combination of chaos and creativity, paying particular attention to how it is marketed and presented to the world, detailing what happens behind the scenes and which opinion formers make a designer’s collection global news.

Featuring over 1,000 high-octane images from the most prolific catwalk photographers of our time, this sprawling display also features some breath-taking archive samples from the most famous names in their field: Christian Lacroix, Osman, Lanvin and Vivienne Westwood to name but a few.

What is most compelling about Catwalk to Cover – a front row seat is that it simultaneously dispels several myths about fashion, with one crucial misconception being that designers are among the most influential and envied creatives’ in the world. The truth is that designers have to work to extreme deadlines, rely on the talents of the team around them: creative directors, models, hair stylists, make-up artists etc. and the support and endorsement of the influentials: fashion editors, top tier bloggers and celebrities.

Over the past five years there has been a slight shift seeing bloggers and photographers increasingly relied upon to interpret the designer’s message and play a pivotal role in the distribution of imagery via social networking sites and blogging platforms.

Offering all fashion enthusiasts and professionals alike an opportunity to experience the view from the front row, Catwalk to Cover – a front row seat is a captivating insight into the inner-workings of what is one of the world’s most successful and glamorous industries.

Catwalk to Cover – a front row seat is showing at the Fashion and Textile Museum until 26th February 2012.

LFW Diary AW11: Osman

Imagery throughout courtesy of Catwalking

One of my all-time favourite designers, whom I think of as the king of respectable hemlines, it was an absolute pleasure to attend Osman Yousefzada’s AW11 catwalk show last Sunday afternoon. My first to witness in person, the atmosphere was electric inside the BFC tent. On superb form as one would expect, the audience were treated to Osman’s signature architectural cuts, once again emphatically demonstrating why he is the go-to designer for the discerning modern woman.

Deriving inspiration from the 2002 Turner Prize nominated artist Catherine Yass’s recent series of light-boxes titled Decommissioned, Osman infused the deep blue slick of colour used in this series as the starting point for his AW11 collection. Taking his minimal-luxe aesthetic one step further, trademark silhouettes were present throughout the collection in a combination of textured winter fabrics such as cashmere, quilted brocade - which looked a lot like quilted seersucker from where I was sat - matelasse, nappa leather and alpaca wool.

With capes and floor-sweeping coats featuring heavily, it was the softly structured dresses that really stood out, deftly utilising the zip detailing present throughout the collection to transform the garments into multi-functional pieces – enabling them to be converted into separates of differing lengths, further enhancing this truly versatile collection. Demonstrating a mild foray into print, the rich colour palette consisted of fuchsia pinks, strong oranges, bright aquas and vivid greens blocked with cream – perfectly styled to compliment Osman’s signature shade of blue. Clean lines and fitted bodices sat atop impeccably tailored trousers and soft bell-shaped skirts, culminating in a range of sharply tailored and elegantly draped separates, chic enough to be dressed up or down depending on the occasion.

Key garments included a cute panelled calf-length A-line skirt in peach sorbet and a variety of tops which were finished with thick bands of leather in fluorescent greens and pinks to accentuate the waist, also repeated on elegant strapless dresses. With spat detail peep-toes complimenting the collection perfectly, heels were - perhaps predictably - on the chunky side, with stacked-heel loafers making an appearance in what looked to be the softest of leathers and pony skin. Adding to the drama of the occasion, models wore sharp black bobbed wigs - bearing close resemblance to Victoria Beckham’s now infamous 'Pob' - hinting that this could once again become the must-have hair cut of the season.

In sum, a timeless and classically beautiful collection from Osman that will once again see his stock rise further on the trajectory to fashion infamy.

LFW Diary SS11: A week in invitations

AW10 Press Days: Part Nine

There seem to be way too many good press days this season - in comparison to last - but I'm guessing that this may just be because I didn't attend as many as I'd have liked back in November. Anyhow I've been going to so many that I'm failing to report back fast enough so get used to more photographs and less words, which may well be music to your ears.

At Bryan Morel PR I loved the colours and sophisticated cuts from Maria Grachvogel, and I have to say publicly that the lunch spread was wonderful:

Naturally, as you'd expect John Rocha's collection was a cracker! Close-up I loved the quality that shone through with all of the fabrics weighing a tonne.

I thoroughly enjoyed the chic silhouettes, digital prints, and of course Swarovski crystal numbers present in the Osman collection.

Mostly as a reminder to self, I've included this cute bear face bum bag from Mango... will be used in a shoot very soon!

At Iroquois PR I only took a couple of noteworthy snaps. First up was is one of favourite ethical designers - Lu Flux.

Another firm favourite, held in high regard by everyone (I'm taking into account that if a designer is BFC/ Newgen backed then they should be considered 'good stock' by the fashion pack) is Christopher Raeburn, whom as we all know by now uses re-appropriated military fabrics and parachute material.

Truly great brands were on display at the H PR press day - a land I had not had the pleasure of visiting before!

I love these playful garments designed by Elizabeth Lau, which will be going in my forthcoming clown shoot.

I loved this woven suede and leather laptop case.

One of my new favourite brands discovered at the press days is Paul and Joe Sister. I loved the cuts, the textures and also the prints.

Tba was another new brand, whose collection I was pleasantly suprised with.

Paul and Joe's collection was also lovely and the floral blazer in particular caught my attention.