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OF THE MOMENT
TEXT BY REEME IDRIS AND CONI LONGDEN
DAVID KOMA
Winner
of the 2009 Harrods Design Award, following in the footsteps of the likes of Christopher Kane, his collection then focused
on a skin-tight silhouette, in flesh-tone and black, embellished with metallic chain details, Koma has taken strides since
his MA graduation that same year from Central Saint Martins. Speaking
in a recent interview with Hilary Alexander, "Metals, tubes and glass are used to translate my feelings... to create
some new textures". With a design ethos ‘Everything comes from the great book of nature', David refers to geometric
shapes found in organic and architectural structures as well as Minimal Art inspired forms.
The 25 year old designer who grew up in St Petersburg before moving to London,
has Stateside icons such as Megan Fox and Lady Gaga to thank for turning the heat up on his structured, body conscious pieces,
not long after which Beyonce adorned a commissioned piece from his newly found Clerkenwell studios to wear for her MTV Europe
Music Awards appearance in Berlin. This wasn't before however Cheryl Cole's styling team scooped up a similar sexy,
‘industrial chic' design from the South Molton Street Browns Focus.
Koma continued to explore his concept of the powerful, sexually-confident woman with his spring/summer 2010 collection,
keeping true to his ethos of "sculptural shapes, heavy embellishment and a perfect fit." which was shown during
London Fashion Week in September and won the Vauxhall Fashion Scout ‘Merit Award'. Speaking to Dazedigital.com,
Koma references his preference for natural fabrics such as wool, leather, satin and silk to help maintain that strong silhouette,
influenced by Spanish Catalan architect, Antonio Gaudi and the arts and crafts themes of the Modernist Style of art nouveau.
Not at all bad for a boy who grew up designing for his Barbie doll, ‘10' being the number Koma states as his
lucky numeric, we look forward to seeing what this year does indeed bring for the talented young designer.
HOLLY FULTON
Scottish
born Womenswear designer Holly Fulton, graduated from the prestigious Royal College of Art in 2007, débuting her first
independent collection two years ago and is clearly relishing in the creative power and independence that establishing her
own label has given her. ‘I confess I've been selfish since I started showing on my own, I've done what I like
and I feel pretty lucky that other people seem to like it too'.
Her selfishness
has paid off and Fulton has enjoyed critical acclaim for her innovative yet chic take on modern classics. Her latest collection
is a potent cocktail of graphic prints and sharp silhouettes, inspired by a psychedelic New York and Art Deco architecture.
‘I never start out with a specific plan in mind; I just let the collection take its own course once I get started.
I like strong graphic line, that is what attracts me to research sources'. Holly's interpretation of a sixties
Big Apple has caught the attention of influential New York fashionista Patricia Field, Fulton's work is now joining the
likes of Chanel and Halston on the set of Sex and the City 2. Earning such a coveted position is likely to not only
raise Holly's profile in the States but could also lead to more exciting collaborations in the future. ‘I can't
wait to do more in the US, I had a lot of interest from there after my last show and it is my aim for 2010 - to get over there
and do some business'. With the seal of approval from the glitterati of New York, Holly Fulton is surely destined for
fashion greatness in 2010.
MARY KATRANTZOU
‘Blown
glass on acid' is how Katrantzou describes the mood of her S/S 2010 collection. The designer, whose prints are inspired
by icons of luxury, received cheers from the crowd as her first look went down the runway during September's London Fashion
Week.
Greek born, having completed a BA in Textile Design at Central Saint
Martins and going on to graduate with a distinction in her MA Fashion from the same institution, the designer has made her
mark with bold and graphic prints, the latest having a disco feel thrown in the mix. ‘Every season is linked back to
art/design, or the object of the craft itself.
First it was the oversized jewellery and the perfume bottles and
now it was blown glass. SS10 was similar in its thematic approach to past collections but the prints were more abstracted,
it was more about the colour and the energy of the prints.' Not satisfied with just the illusion
of giant neckpieces in her AW08 show, Katrantzou ventured forth to the realm of jewellery which she continues to produce pieces
for up until her latest collection.
Working under Sophia Kokosalaki and selling samples
to Bill Blass has armed the designer with the kind of insight and the bravery to turn concepts such as the use of the female
form in perfume bottle design on its head, instead letting the refractive quality of glass inspire her.
When asked what her key piece from S/S 10 would be Katrantzou replies ‘I think it's a combination of the
Fan dress and the Paradiso dress. Paradiso is a simple cap sleeve silk dress with a graphic print that's very representative
of the blown glass theme. The Fan dress follows the lines of a fan and although quite literal I think it also embraces the
theme of freeform blown glass. It's just a bit more daring.'
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SPRING/SUMMER 2010
TEXT BY ED THOMAS
2010 will be the year when things soften up. As
hopes of a rebirth for the economy or at least boredom with revelling in the gloom of the recession creep in, warmer colours,
softer shapes and above all an overriding sense of lightness and translucency will take over.
In
womenswear this lightness played itself out on the catwalks from Chanel in Paris to Louise Gray in London via Marios Schwab
and Fendi in an array of chiffon and organza. In menswear this search for the sheer also reared it's silky smooth head,
expressed through the nylons of Tim Soar, the ultra thin Indian khadi-like cotton shirts of Dior Homme and Calvin Klein and,
more predictably, the paper-fine jerseys of Rick Owens. One things for sure: this year lightness is a universal obsession.
Perhaps unsurprising, as it works in such synergy with the trend for transparency,
is a rediscovery of exposed underwear for women. We saw boudoir-wear from Dior and lace at Preen and Galliano. Meanwhile,
with the forties feeling their presence felt in various places, Hussein Chalayan condensed his appreciation of the period
into one single trope: the pointed bra poking through everything from flowing dresses to the jackets of trouser suits.
It was also exciting to see years of dark Gothic hues finally giving way to a
consensus of the benefits of some serious colour. Apart from the climax of the digital print trend best shown by Brit based
Peter Pilotto, Mary Katrantzou and Erdem, there were mirrored/butterfly style prints at Alexander McQueen and tie dyes plucked
from the streets by Proenza Shouler.
But I was more interested
by the cues on the runway at Westwood Gold label and Galliano mens and womenswear. Here rich colours and a confident combination
of textures and patterns reminded me of what we've been missing with our marriage to Gothic and looked romantic enough
to lure us into a new love affair with nouveau-vintage. This time vintage is about fabrics with a reclaimed DIY look: with
Westwood seemingly having raided her curtains and Christopher Kane his table cloths. Walking around the showrooms of Paris
I saw more examples of this filtered down to international labels like Hong Kong's Hidy N G and London's Bolongaro
Trevor.
Even Gothic stalwarts like Gareth Pugh softened things
down and warmed things up showing that there is life after Armageddon. But for those of you who've developed a deep dependency
on your wardrobe of dark layers, don't call your fashion therapist just yet. Superstar designers Christophe Decarnin at
Balmain and Ricardo Tisci at Givenchy both offered more interpretations of dark earthbound looks. And if their collections
are half as influential as recent seasons you can bet we'll see every high street chain in the land serving up their own
knock-offs before the daffodils have given us hope of a Spring recovery.
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GARETH PUGH TEXT BY ED THOMAS
After years spent making
a name for himself as a creator of highly theatrical, sometimes unwearable designs, Gareth Pugh surprised many onlookers by
offering a subtle collection of shades of grey for SS10. Was this a young designer arriving at maturity or a sign that Britain's
hottest young designer was running out of steam? We thought it was time to take a stock check on the dark knight of UK fashion...
Living off modest grants and the support of private patrons for
years after graduation from St Martin's, Gareth Pugh was for so long the big 'will he/won't he make it?' story
of British fashion. Having shown through various programmes like New Gen and On/Off at London Fashion Week, he got his next
big break by winning the Paris Fashion Week's Andam award in 2008. The €150,000 award took him to the French fashion
week for the first time that September where he's stayed ever since and has finally flourished. Under the wing of Rick
Owens and his business manager-wife Michele Lamy, Gareth has now transformed his experimental designs into a marketable brand
selling at a cool selection of stores in Europe and around the world.
In January 2009 he grabbed the international
fashion headlines when he launched menswear with his own show at Paris Men's Fashion Week. This was followed by a combined
men's and womenswear catwalk show last season. For a designer long-associated with a blurring of the gender gap, turning
women into cold androids and men into cloak-covered androgynous creatures, showing the two collections together offers Pugh
an interesting opportunity to further experiment with the minimal areas of gender in fashion. The combined collection also
saves on out-goings until Pugh and Co see what orders come in from the buyers. After all, it's not long ago since Hussein
Chalayan, who's earlier difficult career seemed to foreshadow Pugh's with eery accuracy, made the decision to ditch
his menswear altogether. It'll be interesting to see if Pugh continues to show a combined collection in future seasons,
particularly if the wider trend for androgynous designs diminishes.
So, it's SS10 and Pugh's offering something
new: he's put his trademark black and white outfits in the washing machine together and they've come out all grey.
The looks are also more wearable, less costume and made from fabrics you might expect from a designer reaching his maturity:
chiffon, crepe and lamb's leather. His older fans say this is his coming-of-age, his detractors complain he's sold
out. But perhaps the fact that this all feels safer than his collections he did a few years ago is simply testament to
the fact that Gareth was one of the key catalysts in sea of Gothic and post apocalyptic styles we've been seeing for the
last few seasons. His outfits do indeed look more familiar now, but that's largely due to other less imaginative designers
having studied and copied so much of his style in recent years. At 26 years old, Gareth already commands more attention every
season than many of the biggest hitters do in their 40s. Proof, then, that he has graduated from the great hope of the noughties
London fashion scene to a soon-to-be member of that elite club of British designers of genuine international statue.
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J W ANDERSON
J W Anderson
is certainly one of our favourite menswear designers in London at the moment, and we simply adore his Spring/Summer 2010
collection, from the cuffs to the chest plates, oh and not to forget the tribal grass skirts. We thought we'd grab Jonathan
from his busy schedule to answer our questions.
What's
your favourite piece from your Spring/Summer 10 collection?
The Bag Trousers, Body con top and
Tribal jewelry (Look 5)
What or who
inspires you at the moment?
Friends, Family, Dostoevsky and Joyce.
And love.
Who is your favourite designer
at the moment?
Stefano Pilati.
What are you listening to at the moment?
Phillip
Glass
What's your favourite item in your wardrobe at the moment?
Grey
Melange Sweater
Who was your favourite style icon when you were growing up?
James Dean.
Do you have any hobbies? What are they?
Lovers. Romance.
If you weren't a designer what would you be
doing instead?
I'd be a vet
Favourite film?
Its a toss up between
Sunset Boulevard and Rosemary's Baby.
What
was the first album you bought when you were younger?
The first album
i ever bought was the Burning Heart CD, a compilation of well burning hearts.
Who were your heroes or heroines growing up?
I
think my parents were my Heroes, and my Grandfather.
What one thing cant you live without?
Expresso. Double.
Favourite TV show?
Nighty Night.
In
one word how would you describe the J W Anderson Man?
Adventurer.
If you had a super power for the
day, what would it be?
I would like to be able to fly.
Who was your favourite pin up growing up?
Again James Dean.
Favourite
holiday destination?
Ireland
Favourite scent?
The
Burning wood Diptic Candle
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