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.

SS10 PRESS DAYS: Part One

This week I’ve had the good fortune of being invited to lots of press days in central London and discovered many great brands and designers some of whom were completely new to me. Over the next few days I’ll be posting some of the highlights....

Whilst not at all what I had expected to find at a fashion press day I completely fell in love with the floral installations of Melissa Riva. Located in the entrance of the spacious basement showroom Melissa’s arrangements could have come straight out of a Tim Burton film. Having set up her own brand aged 22 Melissa now literally caters for any occasion and likens her custom-made arrangements to couture fashion as no two bouquets will ever be the same.

A Dutch milliner who caught my eye is Irene Bussemaker whose quirky range of SS10 hats are simply amazing. Absolutely loved her vintage inspired designs from the beautiful multi-colour patterned silk through to the more individual monochrome styles– cleverly showcasing her diversity which she probably attribute to her stint as Phillip Treacy’s apprentice.

Inspired by world travel and the spirituality of Yoga and meditation luxury jewellery brand Satya create items using only sterling silver with some being dipped in gold. Really like all of the gold chains– and love the mannequin’s look of wearing them all together– a trend I might be following next summer if I can source the cash that is.

Another great designer who didn’t disappoint is Qasimi who’s beautifully coloured ancient spiritualism of the Byzantium era inspired collection featured many a big shoulder creating a beautiful line and silhouette embellished to the hilt with Swarovski crystals, studs, stones and antique materials all hand sewn. Drawn was I like a magpie to shiny objects, I’d simply love to play dress up in these show stopping pieces.

A controversial designer whose work I had never seen up close and personal before was Charlie le Mindu. Yikes! is the only apt word that describes his collection. It was amazing to see and examine the detail and quality of his pieces from skirts with poker straight then crimped hair down to his flesh coloured PVC bodysuits.

What was most shocking to me and at the same time most appealing was his travel bag which in addition to human hair featured a pair of antlers as decoration for the handles and the four feet of an animal (perhaps the same deer?) to prop it up. Absolutely an astonishingly amazing design which was clearly painstaking executed to perfection. Whilst I respect the immense skill and innovation of his work I can say with great certainly that I am not Charlie’s ‘target’ consumer. I mean, what would PETA say?

A stand out favourite of the showcase for me was the collection of Omer whose pleating skills are absolutely phenomenal. From the polyester statement piece situated near the entrance made to look like newspaper or the highly wearable and sexy silk dresses, his collection is vibrant and kooky with mass appeal.

What I love most about Omer’s collection is his ability to fuse ideas by juxtaposing features of different periods which is reflected in his elegant shift dresses which feature luxurious silk pleating around the shoulders and Pop Art-esque belts printed with exposed camera film– genius.

Other stand out pieces include the Madonna circa the Immaculate Collection pleated silk corset , which was displayed in its two colourways with a plastic chicken hanging upside down between them. Whilst a tad on the kooky side there was thankfully a very plausible explanation for this; chickens were the inspiration for this collection.

What I admire in Omer’s work is his clear attention to detail and coupled with his neutral colour palette of flesh, cream, grey and black his designs are both classically chic and timeless.
Another designer who caught my eye at the Blow press days was Keko Hainswheeler, whose work I recognised instantly as he was the best model for his wacky embellishments whilst on season three of Project Catwalk. After unfortunately being voted off in the second round Keko has gone from strength to strength producing handmade commissioned pieces for numerous publications such as i-D and Dazed.

What I liked about Keko’s pieces was the fact that they’re so personal to him and reflect his personality. Expect lots of bright acid colours, ethnic beads and stones and plenty of embellishment. Reminds me ever-so-slightly of a young Judy Blame– one of my great fashion icons!

A designer whose sense of humour I absolutely loved was that of Norwegian Fam Irvoll. Her knitwear collection titled ‘I Love Gays' featured lots of cute and flamboyant accessories which included strawberries, bananas and cherries on necklaces, alice-bands and brooches.

Stand out pieces were her beautifully constructed sweaters which had large embellishments around the shoulders keeping in theme with several designers who opted to carry over statement shoulders for another season.

From strawberries to the cutest little mice Fam’s statement shoulders inject some much needed humour and wit making her dramatic garments knitted masterpieces. A personal favourite for me was the white ruffle detail strapless dress which had a large red headed soft doll attached to the front, which pretty much took over the whole dress. Brilliant for those who like to dress with LOTS of personality, but not to be worn by shrinking violets for fear that the doll might take possession of more than just the dress.

For those who like their purchases to be functional yet flamboyant London Undercover is a witty new brand specialising in injecting some life and much needed humour into the old British staple, the umbrella. Designed by British graphic designer and founder Jamie Milestone, this kooky debut collection of umbrella’s come in a variety of shapes and styles including a cafe table cloth with full English breakfast and Fish and Chips wrapped in newspaper.

Having already collaborated with London Underground and acquiring Paul Smith as such a fan that he’s stocking them in his own stores, I believe this is one young London label that is going to be huge! Absolutely love it and can’t wait to get my full English umbrella.

Last and by no means least I would like to introduce you to the work of J Smith Esquire and his eye-catching collection entitled ‘Light’. Comprised of both couture and ready to wear pieces each are made with personal treasures and beachcombed relics which are then woven together using subleached blond threads.

Themed around the idea of Shipwrecks this beautiful collection has an underlying nautical theme using lots of rope and antique lace to create truly unique and iconic statement pieces.
I’d also like to really briefly mention the work of Dean Sidaway who has created some show stopping embellishments for shoulders. Focusing on the strength and vulnerability of the shoulders Dean has redefined their role upon the body by creating innovative organic shoulder-pieces from naturally sourced and inspired materials– such as they keys piece (pictured). Each piece is aimed to serve as a pocket of memory, with romantic wings evoking the nostalgia of the past.

Introducing CAMP TERROR by Buckstyle

A few days back an intriguing Halloween inspired YouTube clip appeared in my inbox so getting into the festive spirit I thought I’d take a sneak peek. Part gore fest part fashion extravaganza CAMP TERROR is brought to us by the lovely people behind Buckstyle. Showcasing the latest winter apparel from brands as varied as Paul Smith, Woolrich, Topman and Asos, this fashion short is a cross between (a much better) Blair Witch Project and an illegal rave in the woods with lots of guests turning up impeccably groomed only to run into a meat-cleaver wielding maniac– giving it quite an impact!

Whilst on the subject of Buckstyle I remember going to the launch party around this time last year so all that remains to say is: Happy 1st birthday Buck!