LCF launch SHOP

Necklace by Michela Carraro

Shoes by Xia Xiao

 Peter Pan collar by Emma Hamshare

Lasercut leather shawl by Natalie Brown

Last week I was thrilled to be invited down to the launch of the LCF pop-up space in central London’s Kingly Court, quirkily and simply titled SHOP. The first ever retail venture of the illustrious fashion university, the SHOP will be open until 28th September. Stocking exclusive and one-off creations by the soon-to-be and internationally famous alumni, the labels on the racks were rather surreal in that they reminded me of a top independent boutique – credit to LCF’s superior teaching and knack for mentoring some of British fashion’s brightest young things, and those of the future.

Artwork by Cecelia Ku

 

Shoes by Aase Hopstock

When myself and two fellow bloggers arrived, the space was sparkling, and funnily, smelt of paint fumes, but in the good way where you get a slightly pleasant head rush and enjoy the newness of a pristine white space. Too many great designers are stocked to mention them all: the ever-lovely Ada Zanditon was giving an interview while we perused – William Tempest, Beatrice Boyle and Hasan Hejazi, to name but a few.

 Pleating by Ewa Kajana

Xia Xiao / Michela Carraro

Laid out rather like a gallery space, student illustrations give the walls some creative impact, while shelves are dotted around cleverly enabling you to walk around them giving two angles to each product. Much like series of art works, each design sold in the SHOP has a unique item number and is signed by the designer and also comes with a statement of authenticity (this reminds me slightly of the concept of Tracey Emin’s bonds – kinda.

 

With special events running throughout the month, celebrities vying to get involved and surprisingly reasonable prices (SHOP canvas print bag £10, free with purchases over £50; many items are between £100-£250, with prices starting at £20 for student work).

LFW Diary AW11: William Tempest and Mechante

DIA ANNA from Egelnick and Webb on Vimeo.

Entitled Dia Anna from William Tempest and Mechante, this short film stars Amber Le Bon and whilst it's a slow starter, once it gets going, it's great!

LCF present their ‘Stars of the Future’ for 2010 at the Dairy

A few weeks back I was deligfhted to attend the London College of Fashion ‘stars of the Future Show’ which showcased the work of their Fashion Design and Technology BA course. Held within the brand new warehouse venue, The Dairy in Bloomsbury which  takes its name from the former use of the site, I have fond members of all the milk floats from when I was a kid as I used to live about ten minutes away.

Many celebrity fans were in attendance including: Chairman of the British Fashion Council; Harold Tillman, Jane Shepherdson, William Tempest, Remi Nicole, Radio One DJ; Edith Bowman, Faithless, 2009 X-Factor contestant Diana Vickers and Mr Hudson.

As well as the aforementioned celebrity supporters in attendance, rather excitingly viewers from all over the world were able to log onto the LCF website to watch the show LIVE, marking a first for a fashion college worldwide, propelling the graduates to the same lofty heights of established brands such as Giorgio Armani, Alexander McQueen and Louis Vuitton.

As always we were treated to a stunning show with the emphasis on women’s wear. Interestingly a few designers included overage models in their line-up, which was really refreshing to see and put a different slant on the wearability of the collections.

Highlights from the 26 collections encompassed spider web crochet, pleats galore, exquisite felting, beaded footwear, and laser-cut Perspex accessories. As you’d expect from such a large showcase there was a lot of variety on display ranging from pared down minimalistic menswear through to acid brights and eye-catching prints.

The first award for Fashion Textiles was won by Karishma Shahani (from India), who opened the show with her stunning and vividly bright women’s wear collection.

The second award of the night was for Design and Technology which went to Yelena Loguiiko (from Belarus), whose collection featured lots of fringing.

The biggest award of the night: Collection of the Year was won by Nattaphon Sampataphakdee (from Thailand) whose tailored menswear collection inspired by French photographer Henri Cartier-Breeson was unanimously selected by the judges.

for the first time this year saw a fourth award, The Barnett Lawson Trimmings Award for Best Use of Embellishment was presented by Caroline Marx of Barnett Lawson Trimmings to Vilvin Sabu, from India for her beautiful Mayan and Aztec inspired ethical collection made of bamboo silks and natural dyes.

Images courtesy of LCF. From top to bottom: Harold Tillman and Colin McDowell (of the Sunday Times); Mr Hudson, Diana vickers and Edith Bowman; William Tempest and Remi Nicole - all courtesy of Morgan O'Donovan. Karishma Shahani and design, Yelena Loguiiko and design, Nattaphon Sampataphakdee and models and lastly Vilvin Sabu's design all courtesy of Chris Moore.

Supermodel Kate Models Malaria Net Dress in aid of Sport Relief

Supermodel and fashion icon Kate Moss has shown her support for the Sport Relief 2010 campaign by modelling an intricate one-off dress designed exclusively for Sport Relief by one of the UK's established young designers; William Tempest.

With the unique dress being made partly from recycled mosquito nets, to highlight Sport Relief’s commitment to tackling malaria, this is one ettical design that will hopefully raise a lot of money for a great cause! Both the supermodel and the designer are urging the UK public to get involved and raise money for Sport Relief which could be spent on a life saving fabric you won’t see on the catwalk – long-lasting, insecticide-treated mosquito nets, one of the easiest and most cost-effective methods of preventing the spread of malaria.

The dress has been sculptured and corseted in William Tempest’s signature style with individual panels sewn together for a mosaic effect inspired by architecture set against the skyline - shimmering in the sun.

Of her involvement Moss said: “I was shocked to hear that one child dies from malaria in Africa every 30 seconds, that’s why I was happy to be involved in this important project for Sport Relief. William Tempest’s dress, which incorporates recycled malaria nets is absolutely gorgeous, I loved wearing it and working with William. It’s a great way of raising awareness of the seriousness of malaria, a disease which is both preventable and treatable. Donating just £5 can pay for a net which helps protect from potentially fatal mosquito bites that spread malaria.”

Tempest added: “I’m really proud and excited to have designed a dress for Sport Relief with the serious message of highlighting the power of the humble mosquito net as a lifesaving tool against malaria.To help raise awareness I designed a structured dress which incorporates layers of a malaria net in panels. Kate looks amazing in the dress and I hope its auction will raise lots of money and bring awareness to such a great cause."

To find out more about how you can help visit the official Sportrelief website.