NEW TALENT: LEUTTON POSTLE

Posted by Bethan Holt, Fashion Junior at Large

Sam Leutton and Jenny Postle at FEAL HQ

This post has been a long time coming. Ever since the autumn, Sam Leutton and Jenny Postle have been regular visitors to FEAL HQ,  coming to show us how they were progressing with their AW12 collection and getting advice from the FashEd who always loves to see what new designers are up to.  We've seen the evolution of their ideas from experiments with their quite astounding textiles techniques, into the formation of the collection which was shown at Vauxhall Fashion Scout on the very last evening of London Fashion Week.

A FEAL favourite- the reverse appliqué jacket

The Leutton Postle studio where knitters are constantly hard at work

I'm only in my second season working in fashion, so it's been great to see young designers at every stage from initial thoughts and experiments to showcasing the finished collection in the VFS showroom in Paris. They also helped me out with a talk I recently did about knitting, and how young designers like themselves are pushing the thinking about what can be done with what is sometimes seen as a 'traditional' technique. In fact, that's what Sam and Jenny are all about- they use crafts and look at making them new and right for now. They are sort of the antithesis to the girls who hand knit vintage 1950s patterns of cutesie little jumpers and cardigans.  

Up close: the reverse appliqué technique which runs through Sam and Jenny's work. 

Another of the techniques used by Leutton Postle: E wrapping

For AW12, a face motif became the anchor of the collection. There were 3D knits, with chunky plaits popping out and cascading towards the floor, as well as more abstract reverse appliqué dresses and trousers. On close inspection, you see the faces peeping out at you, and it's a little bit haunting and very clever. For the show, some of the models even wore face masks, just to hammer home the strong theme.  On a visit to their studio a month before the show, Sam and Jenny showed me the mood boards they were working with. There were images of tribal crafts and patterns, face painting as well as colour palettes and scraps of hand knitting experiments. Among their 'inspirational women' were Princess Diana and Camilla Batmanghelidijh. Camilla would look amazing in a piece of Leutton Postle. 

Mood boards in the Leutton Postle studio

Shoes by Chris Delapena for AW12

The face masks used in the show, which was styled by Ellie Brown (image from www.retoxmagazine.com)

Leutton Postle AW12 (image from www.retoxmagazine.com)

Leutton Postle AW12 (image from www.retoxmagazine.com)

The absolute best thing about what Leutton Postle is the creative potential of their pieces, which makes them perfect for visually stunning editorials. If we were doing shoots, we'd be calling in Leutton Postle knits, trousers and dresses all the time. As the images below show, the tufts of wool, beautiful fabric combinations and off beat decoration (we loved that they combined gold tinsel and pom pom yarn in their AW12 knits) photograph fabulously. We're pretty sure that all the coolest, most creative women in London will be wearing Leutton Postle before too long.

This image and above from Idol magazine SS12

Leutton Postle in Phoenix, March 2012

Leutton Postle in Bstore magazine

 Browns obviously think the duo are onto something too because they've bought pieces from Leutton Postle ever since Jenny's graduation collection from the Central Saint Martin's MA course a year ago. If you're not sure about going all sugar sweet, girly pastel for SS12 then Sam and Jenny's super bright, hand crafted pieces could be a just the cool alternative you've been looking for...

Hand crafted applique trousers £415 at Browns

Knitted top £355 at Browns

Knit dress £1,245 at Browns

GARMZ: A FASHION DESIGN REVOLUTION?

Posted by Fashion Junior at Large

I can safely say that I had never encountered Garmz.com before the Fash Ed pointed me in the direction of this relatively new website, which claims to be revolutionising the fashion design industry. That's a pretty big claim, so I thought I would have a nosey around to see what was going on.

The homepage, which explains the Garmz process.

At first glance, it does seem like a pretty nifty idea, and one that will appeal to an army of shoppers sick to the back teeth of the same fashion items, in the same chain stores, across the globe. 

Garmz offers anyone (no qualifications, work experience, internships etc necessary) with a smidge of design talent to submit their designs to the public website. Then registered users can chew over these designs, vote for the best, and voila! Garmz produces the most popular garments and sells them via the online store: giving the designer unprecedented profit and exposure in a massively competitive industry. Shoppers get to buy something slightly more unique and special, and can sleep soundly in the knowledge that they are helping a fledgling designer on their way to global domination.

I continued my research with a look over the products that have already made it through the judging process and into the online shop. There is a very limited range, with only three items for sale, a few for pre-order, and a few that have just been selected as winning designs. All are elegant and interesting, with clean lines and nice details (a turned up cuff there, a faux-fur collar there) but none are completely groundbreaking. Put it this way, Gaga won't be shopping at Garmz.

 This badly named yet pretty jacket is the most expensive item on the site. It's faux fur, and inspired by a hunting jacket (which is clearer in the original design, below)

 The price range ranges between 49 and 279 Euros, which immediately turns me off, because there is an awful lot of polyester listed in the product fabrication. However, there are happy customer reviews under each garment, so there is obviously a loyal Garmz following already (nearly 3000 'Likes' on Facebook, that universal resource for true customer feedback.)

The press have been raving about the site, especially in Europe and the US - even Perez Hilton got involved. I'm sure it's about to get a whole lot bigger here too, but I am genuinely concerned about who is actually going to be profiting from this 'fashion revolution'. As highlighted by Miggy of Miggy Loves The Internet, read the small print and it states that designers will receive 5-10% of the profits if their design is successfully sold. In monetary terms, that means if a garment sells 100 times at £100 a pop, the designer will get £500, whereas Garmz pockets £9500. Something about that doesn't sit quite right, in my humble opinion. Maybe Garmz isn't sticking it to the 'big fat fashion industry', as it claims, and instead, is just another great business idea designed to capitalise on fresh, inexpensive talent.

What do you think? Has anyone shopped at Garmz.com? If so, what was the experience like, and how do you feel about the company's mission? 

All images: Garmz

LONDON FASHION WEEK DISCOVERIES

Posted by Fashion Junior at Large

One of my favourite things about fashion week is exploring the exhibitions. You get the opportunity to speak to up and coming designers (with their lovely infectious enthusiasm and perma-smiles) and fondle the pieces to your heart's content. My discerning eye spied these beauties this season, I hope you like them too:

PROSE

PROSE is the label of German designers Sabine Egler and Mirian Lehle. Their AW10 collection 'Blurred Vision' stays true to their slightly avant-garde off-kilter signature style, which I love!

'PROSE garments are a challenge of the senses, sculpturally draped and fluent. The textile prints have an artistic and manual aspiration and the surface is reflected by innovative knitstructures, textures and material experiments.'

Their collection is stocked at Topshop EDIT (an in-store boutique showcasing a collective of new design talent) at the Oxford Circus flagship.

MERLE O'GRADY

The lovely Merle started her own label in 2008 and has had tons of press interest since (when I met her she told me the Grazia girls are all fans)

'Rough natural semi-precious stones are mixed with sleek, almost futuristic Perspex shapes while chunky vintage chains sit alongside delicate Swarovski crystal detailing. With a genuine love of craftsmanship, the juxtaposition of machine-made Perspex elements with London-based handcrafted assembly is an important factor in Merle's design process.'

I love that her designs are capacious and intricate yet utterly lightweight. The day before I'd been wearing huge heavy earrings and my lobes were still sore. Merle has created a solution to one of my biggest fashion problems! Thank you! 

The Kinetic Pendant (above) will be available from July priced at £180. If you can't wait that long head on over to Kabiri and snap up her current collection.

SIMON EKRELIUS

Simon Ekrelius' latest collection 'Stardust' is so beautiful it immediately caught my eye at the On/Off exhibition. He uses several types of fine silk in his work, and his attention to design is meticulous (how does he get the sleeves of this jacket to envelop the arm so effectively?)

His entire collection was made from start to finish in the UK, and you can buy it at My Sugarland in Islington.

PETER LANG

This bracelet reminds me of a piece I found at an antiques market in Brussels.

Peter Lang is a well established name in Australia, but this season he's trying to break into the UK market. His vintage inspired pieces have appeared in tons of films including The Matrix, Australia (of course) and Moulin Rouge. Lets be honest, he's not going to find it difficult to secure a stockist is he? 

 LEYII

I'm so excited about this collection! Seriously, every single piece, without exception, is beyond amazing. SeungHee Lee is a London based CSM Womenswear MA grad (but of course!) with serious talent. Her blend of 'constructive technique and draped silhouettes' is what fashion is about right now.

I couldn't get hold of anyone with regards to stockists but keep an eye on the website for more info.

VIKING WONG

Viking graduated from London College of Fashion last year, and this season exhibited at the Vauxhall Fashion Scout venue where I spotted his work. I'm really feeling his modern brand of tailoring.

'His eastern upbringing and western lifestyle fuse to create new conceptual shapes, challenging the confines of androgyny with a new elegance. The introduction of detail and embellishment to the preservation of traditional tailoring is intrinsic to his avant-garde signature.'

Viking is currently looking for a stockist for his first collection. It won't be long I'm sure!