London Fashion Week 2011: New Power Studio

As the queue snakes down the stairs and along the corridor, I have to say I was rather pleased to be near the front of the line to catch a glimpse at the NEWGEN Men's sponsorship winners New Power Studio as they present their inspired SS12 installation.
Since 1993, NEWGEN has provided an internationally recognisable programme that seeks to scout and identify the brightest new talents before offering them the invaluable sponsorship necessary to crack the London scene.  With the scheme’s previous success leading it to become a key draw for the international fashion media and having supported such names as Alexander McQueen, Mary Katrantzou and Meadham Kirchhoff in the past, it seemed only a matter of time before it branched out. And branch out it did as in 2009 a younger project was started – Newgen Men –  which is supported by Topman and has recognised emerging menswear designers to provide similar support.

This year’s presentation winners, New Power Studio, took to the Portico Rooms at Somerset House to showcase their SS12 and truly couldn’t have done it anywhere else. Fundamentally site-secific, the SS12 menswear installations drew inspiration from the history of the house itself using its previous use as a registration office for births, deaths and marriages to full effect.
The Portico Rooms, a function room for the best part, for one night was turned into a ‘dysfunction’ room in which, by way of three individual real life installations, the chaos and absurdity of family life was explored. Lit under greens, reds and blues, three sets made entirely of paper and cardboard depict the most pivotal moments from the womb to the grave.

As two grooms attempt to marry one masked and pregnant bride, two small and angelic children look on offering no explanation to confused spectators. Everything is surreal and undoubtedly absurd.

Moving on, cast in a red hue, four men sit amongst the rubble playing a childish game of connect four. It almost seems as if this is the bridge from the duo of birth and marriage before an ultimate death, a snapshot of the mundane.

In the final corner, a double suicide leaves two men in a single open coffin basking beneath the blue light, adding to the cold rigor mortis of the scene.

It may have been truly bizarre but it was an unquestionably thought proving installation that really drew upon the location and atmosphere of what took place right in the very place we were standing all those years ago.

London Fashion Week 2011: Oliver Ruuger

Set in the stunning upper gallery of the Freemason’s Hall, Vauxhall Fashion Scout present Oliver Ruuger’s SS12 range. A graduate of the London College of Fashion, Oliver Ruuger’s MA collection of umbrellas, sculptural saddles, briefcases and hats is a result of a personal design exploration that turns the everyday accessory on its head with stunning results.

Specifically choosing materials that would convey emotion to all who set eyes upon the pieces, ritualistic materials such as leather and horse hair play a key role . For Ruuger, it was paramount to his collection that he make everything himself, as these pieces would not fall prey to accompaniment and act as an accessory to something else but have a place in their own right.  A spectacle in themselves, each accessory possesses an Avant-garde twist, from curled and spiked handles to waterfalls of blonde, brown and chestnut horse hair. With oversized yet understated black brollies skilfully hanging above our very heads, it was  hard not to feel that the collection exuded the Magritte painting of quintessential Britishness, the missing bowler hat only to be located on the opposite side of the room complete with detached hairpiece. Now, it’s common knowledge by now that the ponytail is the must have hairstyle for Autumn and Winter, but on the end of an umbrella? Elements of the surreal were accentuated by the Father time-esque figure, posing with each piece, mounted upon the walls . The typicality of a lowly umbrella and stereotypically English bowler reach unusual heights in this curiously innovative collection leaving the bowler on my very own head feeling a little bland!

London Fashion Week 2011: Ada Zanditon

Disclaimer: All pictures are my own and to be creditted if re-used

Dubbed the greenest rising star at A/W11 fashion week back in February, eco warrior Ada Zanditon is back once again to impress with her signature geometrically sculptured and innovative designs.

Studying at the London College of Fashion and previously working for Gareth Pugh, Jonathan Saunders and Alexander McQueen, Zanditon has all the fashion credentials to impress even the most purist of audiences. In an industry where ethical clothing can often hold bland connotations, Ada revolutionises the term to create dynamic designs embodying the most unusual of inspirations.

In an unexpected twist, the show begins in the queue as two out-of-this-world inspired models parade the corridor. An amalgamation of monochrome curves and spherical layers, the two girls glide past onlookers sporting flushes of almost alien metallics to compliment the cosmic, double-layered crown poised on their heads at precarious angles. They're a vision of surrealist calm amongst the hustle of press going in and out of doors, stopping in confusion at the ethereal creatures passing them by.

Previously revealing her SS12 influences as “Seahorses, Greek goddesses and Haiti Kanaval.”, the seemingly abstract become all the more clear as Ada unleashes a screening of a film inspired by her collection, “Poseisus”. Created in collaboration with film makers Andrew and William Ho, the film depicts the heroine, Poseisus, transposed through the urban landscape. Moving from flashes of monochrome, the maiden explores the vibrant urban ocean as her elegant movements and sinuous sheer fabrics reflect the ebb and flow of the tide.

Transposing from citrus oranges to piercing blues, pinks and purples, the striking, other worldly visage as seen on the physical models just prior to the show adds a touch of elegant mythicality to focal character. Simply put, I am in love. The film captured the attention within an instant and held the audience, and myself, captivated until the last frame.

Short but sweet, Ada’s collection most definitely did not disappoint.