one small seed » Alexander McQueen | one small seed

MASTERS OF SKULLS incl. video

one small seed — Mon, 13 Oct 2014 21:59:17 +0000

Legendary fashion house Alexander McQueen and infamous artist Damien Hirst celebrate the Skull Scarf 10th Anniversary in 2013, by creating 30 once-off scarves. one small seed magazine / Issue 27 / Digital 02: “Big Brands and Famous Artists” Issue, in partnership with PUMA

Nick Knight | Haute Death

one small seed — Wed, 06 Nov 2013 06:15:50 +0000

Since his first foray into fashion photography, Nick Knight has ignited the industry with his re-conceptualisation of beauty. His bold looks and daring techniques have shaped him as one of the pioneers of modern photography. Knight’s entrance into the photography world has seen him flash through the editorials of Vogue, Dazed & Confused, W Magazine, i-D, and Visionaire, and his works have been commissioned by some of design’s most extravagant names including Christian Dior, Alexander McQueen, Calvin Klein, Levi Strauss, and Yves Saint Laurent. Knight photographs fashion in theatrical displays of fantasy. Haute Death is a roll of imagery that combines high fashion with the nightmarish dream-scape of dark fairytales and the opulence of Parisian sophistication.

Image: © Nick Knight

Appearing in the pages of W Magazine, Haute Death is a whimsical homage to the shadowy, sinister illustrations of children’s literature. Using his trademark exploration into contrasts, Knight juxtaposes the delicate beauty of model Karlie Kloss into the eerie sketch of a Brothers Grimm fairytale. The result is an avante garde photo-shoot that mixes fashion and children’s fantasy. Kloss was styled by Edward Enninful into the couture designs of Dior, Givenchy, Chanel, and Iris Van Herpen to name a few. Haute Death is another example of Knight’s continuing challenge against the conventions of beauty and the re-imagining of fashion.

It is very tricky now to really, honestly call yourself a photographer because a lot of what I do doesn’t adhere to the rules of photography. For example, with the introduction of digital technology and the more frequent use of that in the creation of the image, you are really not following the rules of photography any more.

Image: © Nick Knight

Images: © Nick Knight

Here’s to the Dreamers: A closer look at 2013s imaginative fashion

one small seed — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 14:56:07 +0000

Many designers have been focusing on ‘functionality’ lately, on making clothes that can easily be incorporated into a person’s preexisting closet. That, however, is not the objective of all ateliers. For the 2013 collections a number of designers presented opulent collections that created fantasy worlds and played with one’s imagination. The following are four collections that demonstrate that dreaming isn’t only for children.

Alexander McQueen Fall 2013 Ready-to-Wear

Image: Alexandermcqueen.co.uk/alexandermcqueen/en_GB

Alexander McQueen was known for the strong imagination and the dramatic elements that each of his collections held within their seams. Since Sarah Burton took over in 2010 those elements haven’t been lost.

For fall 2013 she brought history into the 21st century by way of a collection that would have made women of Shakespeare’s time coo. Catholic angels, the Virgin Queen and popes throughout the ages were points of reference although the collection still felt modern in part due to metal waist-cinching belts and studded boots. Each model wore a pearl-encrusted cage over their head and the garments were all carefully decorated with thousands of pearls, delicate lace details, and a neck ruffle that could easily make modest dressing trendy again. The ensembles were of another world through and through, but are they truly ‘ready-to-wear’? Perhaps not but Mrs. Burton showed us, yet again, that her fantasies can be far more fun, and better looking, than our real world.

Image: Vogue Australia

Image: Graziadaily.co.uk

Valentino Spring 2013 Haute Couture

Image: Style.com

‘We really wanted to create a dream, something really fantastic, magic, fairy tale. Couture is a dream, and we love to dream. Why not?’ These are the words of Maria Grazia Chiuri who, along with her design partner Pierpaolo Piccioli, took over the collections at Valentino in 2008 when Mr. Valentino Garavani decided to retire. She was describing the idea behind the spring 2013 haute couture show of the Valentino house for which gardens, both formal as well as secret mazes and classical floral paintings, were the inspiration. The collection started with a dress decorated with raised red detailing that spoke to the wrought iron gates that guard the garden held within. By the end of it, though, there were no hints of anything protective; each dress seemed to have the weight of a cloud and was adorned with soft floral arrangements. The collection was filled with elegant dresses that spoke to the powers of diligent craftsmanship and acted as a stunning proclamation for what a woman can be. It was exactly what Ms. Chiuri wished for it to be: magic.

Image: Glamour.com

Image: Style.com

Givenchy Fall 2013 Ready-to-Wear

Image: Style.com

Having grown up as the youngest of nine children and the only boy, Riccardo Tisci understands women. The collections he presents as the creative director of Givenchy speak to the layers that create a human. Balancing the hard with the soft, the rock ‘n’ roll with the romantic gypsy, he makes clothing that can speak to any woman’s sense of style and self. The ready-to-wear collection for fall 2013’s pairing of black with fierce floral prints and floor length skirts all brought about thoughts of grunge hippies. His Catholic past influences Tisci as well as the religious history of his home country, Italy, and the collection seemed to show models who had come from heaven but had the edge of a sinner. There was also air throughout the collection, emphasized by Bambi prints and sheer skirt infusions. And finally a new vision of heaven was shown, one that is affected by original sin yet still holds the grace of saints – a heaven that any girl would want to live in.

Image: Style.com

Rick Owens Spring 2013 Ready-to-Wear

Image: Vogue Italia

For his spring 2013 collection Rick Owens, the Paris-based designer who hails from Los Angeles originally, said he wanted to soften things up. Usually known for his use of black, leather and clothes that can have a general aggressive feel, this was a departure. He chose to title the collection ‘Island’ and the gladiator sandals and frizzy, winged hair hinted towards a retreat to a much simpler world than the frenzied one we inhabit. The colour scheme complimented that, spanning the spectrum of white to ash to glossy black. Breathy layers flowed over the body, each looking to be an extension of the model’s body. The collection acted as a pleasant reminder that our lives can always use a good dose of the ethereal.

Image: Style.com

Image: Vogue Italia

Images: Style.com, Alexander McQueen, Vogue.it, Vogue.com.au, Glamour.com, Graziadaily.co.uk

Words: Emma Remington

ALEXANDER MCQUEEN PRE-FALL 2013 COLLECTION

one small seed — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 12:10:12 +0000

Pre-fall lines are the more understated of all seasons; not as striking and whimsical as a summer line, nor as heavy and elaborate as a winter range. Practicality is key, when one takes to making clothing for commercial, day-to-day purposes rather than creating elaborate designs that make a statement. Or is it? Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen begs to differ with this pre-fall line for 2013.

Burton turned to ‘the low church, puritans, nuns, and popes’ as inspiration for the collection and WWD tells us that it was ‘the innocence of novices and the humility of the Amish that was Sarah Burton’s vision for pre-fall’.

According to VOGUE, the designer ‘had the basement in the McQueen headquarters in London’s Clerkenwell laid out as a showroom, with tables groaning under piles of accessories (stained-glass window jewelry; brass-buckled pilgrim shoes, and boots, dozens of bags) and the racks packed with clothes whose elaborate detailing and stately shapes can at times rival the output of Paris couture houses.’ With plenty of drama, flair, and Gothic undertones, this line certainly makes a statement. A perfect balance of both practicality and charisma!

ALEXANDER MCQUEEN PRE-FALL 2013 COLLECTION

Find more from the collection, here

source: vogue.com, trendland.com, WWD

Treading Finite Boundaries: Art as Fashion and Fashion as Art

one small seed — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 07:40:57 +0000

In an industry where the emphasis has been on economy of cost and efficiency of production, it is utterly refreshing to find someone who flagrantly disregards both. Imbued with dollops of style and brain in equal measure, Jacqueline Nurse is setting the foundation for a new school of thought through her latest endeavour called The French Seam Project. Classy, sassy simultaneously vulnerable and iconic, this ‘old-world dressmaking endeavour’ creates an identity all on its own.

Designer 'Nelle' & Photo by Caren Wiid

Still in its formative stages, Miss Nurse can be found after-hours with paintbrush in hand; lovingly refurbishing her space in the predominantly high-end dining quartier, looking onto the courtyard of the Cape Heritage Hotel in Cape Town. The building built in the 1780’s, has been declared a national heritage site making it the ideal location for Jacqueline’s brainchild.

‘Although there is a long waiting list for the space for tenants who would like to use it (I imagine)toward culinary ends, the landlords were quite keen to keep the creative vibes flowing from the space. My project seemed to fit the bill, and it was an opportunity that I couldn’t turn down.’

The project’s name finds its origins in the French seam, which is a labour-intensive method of enclosing the raw edges of fabric by sewing them together first on the right side and then on the wrong. This process Jacqueline describes as an analogy for what she is attempting to achieve; a slowed-down and more considered approach to clothing as a whole. The French Seam Project’s website advocates attention to detail and a return to the sophistication and class that was the defining characteristic of times gone by.

‘…a slowed-down and more considered approach to clothing as a whole.’

Dividing her time equally between The French Seam Project and consultant to project and gallery spaces within the fine art arena, Jacqueline has honed her thought-processes, which have always been informed by the world of fine art and utilised them as a point of departure for her foray into the ever-evolving and transient world of fashion. Her aim in this latest venture is to illustrate to designers, textile-lovers and connoisseurs of fine clothing (I give the term ‘fashionista’ here a wide berth)- alike that ‘normal’ clothes are worthy of the equivalent thought, attention and love that is devoted to the magnificent run-way creations of Alexander McQueen, for instance. Says Jacqueline of her intention:

‘My love for particular and complex aesthetic, with a keen interest in the processes of fabrication and the narratives that inform any construction of an identity have paved the way for my new venture.’

Classic fabrics coupled with off-beat intricacies

Perhaps the most provocative aspect of Jacqueline’s approach lies in the way she views fashion. To her, clothing is not merely something that subscribes to trends and the obvious utilitarian slant; it is something to be treasured- each piece is an objet d’art;she tellingly refers to one of her collaborator’sdesigns as ‘constructions’. Through The French Seam Project, Jacqueline is marrying the idea of using gallery space as a platformto exhibit accessible, lovingly crafted, high-quality street-wear. Harbouring strong sentiments on the role of clothing in shaping one’s identity, and not much of a trend-follower herself, Jacqueline describes her own personal style as eclectic. Structure in a garment is of paramount importance as is her love of things that ‘…do not immediately make sense.’

The curator hard at work

Although Jacqueline currently orbits the periphery of the fashion world, she is well-aware of the cyclical nature of the industry and recognises its reflective nature:

‘In the same way that art will mirror the time in which it is being created-either through overt statements or pure aesthetic-so it is with fashion.’

The French Seam Project sees the collections of two Cape Town designers, Nelle and Suzie Diamond as its initial ‘exhibitions’. Both have made fine fabrics, one-off designs and quality craftsmanship their primary focus resulting in timelessly wearable pieces of art. Jacqueline has hopes for her own collection in the near future and is currently in discussions with other potential collaborators in the form of an artist and textile-designer as well as a milliner.

Swingtags designed by Jaco Haasbroek

This twenty-something Capetonian is one to watch.Hoping only to attract like-minded people, Jacqueline’s world echoes that of her approach to clothes: peaceful and purposeful. And one in which everyone is well-dressed.

Words by Leanne Davis

Björk’s “Biophilia” – A preview by Gary Hartley

one small seed — Thu, 26 May 2011 08:39:24 +0000

‘Who is that creature?’ asked my dad after seeing the Icelandic performer in her usual outlandish garb for the first time on SNL a while back. A description I thought was rather accurate coming from one of the most un-pop-cultured people I know (he once thought Whitney Houston was Oprah). Indeed ‘creature’ seems apt considering the otherworldliness of Björk, at 45-years-old she barely looks like she’s hit puberty, her genre-defying back catalogue is simply unfathomable and her sartorial choices range from the family Anatidae to collaborations with Jeremy Scott and the late visionary Alexander McQueen.

So for her latest project and staying true to her penchant for the avant-garde – Björk poses the question ‘Where do music, nature and technology meet?’ Ask any little monster and they’ll be sure to answer: ‘The Haus of Gaga,’ but, of course, to those who prefer the transcendent to the topiary, the answer lies in Bjork’s 7th studio concept album Biophilia. The project is said to be inspired by the grandeur of the solar system and will set out to explore the infinite expanse of the universe, from planetary systems to atomic structure.

How you ask? Well, much like director James Cameron designing new gizmos to bring his colonized Na’vi to life, the ‘robusto’ soprano will make use of a range of specially conceived and crafted instruments, among them a bespoke digitally-controlled pipe organ; a 30 foot pendulum that harnesses the earth’s gravitational pull to create musical patterns; a bespoke gamelan-celeste hybrid; and a one-off extraordinary pin barrel harp.

Additionally, an award-winning Icelandic choir (or a hydra-Bjork, if you like) as well as frequent collaborator auteur Michel Gondry will lend their expertise to forge the multimedia spectacle that will be Biophilia. As the artist herself explains, ‘for me the project is a continuation of Volta, and where as Volta is more about anthropology, this is kind of without the humans. Both swimming out, like the planets, but also swimming in, into the atoms. And, in that way aesthetically, sympathizing with sound and how sounds move and the physics of sound. And how notes in a room behave; how they bounce off walls and between objects and is kind of more similar to how planets and microscopic things work.’

There are also reports of her working directly with Apple to build apps which accompany the live show and forthcoming album. A song composed by Björk already appears on the Solar System iPad app. The project has also been called the world’s first app album and will certainly give Radiohead a run for their fan-filtered money in the ‘innovative- album- distribution’ department.

Biophilia will be unveiled and recorded at the Manchester International Festival as part of a three-week residency starting on June 30^th. The experience will comprise six intimate shows in the Campfield Market Hall. No word yet on the album’s actual release date, but latter 2011 is circulating on the Net and you can keep up with the development of the project on www.bjork.com. To hear what the enigmatic lady has to say about the album, click HERE.