GILES TALKS PREFALL!

Posted by Fashion Editor at Large

Got a call from Justine Fairgrieve (the founder of Relative): "Giles has invited you over for a cuppa and a look at his pre-fall, fancy it?" Prefall is a current working obsession. Giles is funny, charming and a very smart designer who never takes himself too seriously and yet has a very serious business creating collections for his own line GILES, new client Ungaro and various other projects. I was there.

Giles thinks his data bend print maxi dress is "a bit Eva Beadle in Little House on The Prairie" (She was the school mistress). I think its beautiful - Giles, consider this a personal order!

Why the prefall obsession?  Fashion consumers desire for frequent deliveries on new product has made the inbetween collections pretty major. So these days while the runway shows are designed to create media buzz and set trends, pre sets the agenda for how we will actually dress and offers a hint of what might come in the mainline.

Did you know we are in fact far more likely to end up wearing"pre" collections for our daily working and social lives. Why? Because its what the stores buy most of! Tom Chapman the co-owner of Matches recently told me pre collections constitute the majority of their buy.

Evidence of how the pre category has vaulted to high importance status was demonstrated last week when several of the world's eminent fashion editors and designers congregated in New York to view/show pre-fall collections. Alexander Wang, Proenza Schouler, Balenciaga and Celine presented in showroom. Lanvin even had a pre-fall fashion show. You can view them on American Vogue's website, or better still read this precis by the lovely Sarah Mower at Vogue.com, then view.

The week after next the Haute Couture shows will take place in Paris. For the average busy fashion editor there are six significant Couture shows to attend, but for the first time I can remember an equal number of hours will be spent viewing the pre-fall collections from labels ranging from Chloe to YSL.

Along the pre-fall rail at Giles cavernous new studio in The Truman Brewery

Three years ago the Giles pre-fall collection comprised ten dresses. Now it is a 70 piece collection (above) and the stores spend almost as much buying into it as they do on his runway collection. That also tells you how times they are a changin.

"Pre collections can't just be nice basics anymore," he says while flicking through the rail of blouse dress, maxi dress, draped day dress, cropped jackets, jazzy flared trousers and some applique chain detail Miss Haversham evening dresses. I see a lot of GILES best silhouettes reworked in stricter proportions, and a few new ones too like the eye-poppingly intense violet cerise blouse dress below.  

The blouse dress in cerise silk crepe and silk satin

GILES collections tend to have one of two moods; playful or strict. This one is veering strict. "Yeah its stricter, tighter, more austere," he says, though there is techno fun to be found in his data bending print. "Data bending is when kids mess with the binary numbering of pixels within photographs. I don't get what they do, but my print designer Rory Crighton ran with it. I think this was achieved by lifting the scanner lid..."  

Ooh trippy! The data bend print again. I shook the camera a tiny bit for effect.

"You need workness. It can't be boring. Really, I see this as setting the agenda for how I move forward on the runway collection."

All Giles hangers have the little goggle eyes. So cute!

Then it's time for tea and we discuss the inspirations for his runway show, (to be revealed later) and he shows me the venue for his Ungaro show in Paris on March 7th. It is a government building that has never been used for a fashion show, and it took 11 years of asking for Ungaro to be allowed to use it. Judging from the pictures the ambiance of the Ungaro show will be utterly magical.

The Katie Grand styled lookbook images getting laid out for running order.

Pre-fall hits shops at the end of June. For more pre-fall check back Monday when Fashion Editor at Large picks her personal top ten from the collections so far, and Fashion Junior at Large picks her top five. 

HAVE A GOOD WEEKEND! 

THINK WEARING FUR IS OK? READ THIS FROM PETA

Posted by Fashion Editor at Large

I've long been an advocate of the anti-fur movement. Though increasingly I get the sense that concerns such as PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) are fighting a losing battle against fur-loving fashionistas. I was reassured that they haven't given up the fight today when the below email arrived from Mandy Carter of PETA. The video footage linked below is harrowing but neccessary viewing.

A deluded young sophisticate with her mink fur and a Babycham

Dear Melanie,
I am writing on behalf of PETA UK – an affiliate of PETA US, the largest animal rights organisation in the world, which has more than 2 million members and supporters. As someone who reports on fashion, you play a vital role in keeping your readers informed about all aspects of the fashion trade, including the ethical implications. In an attempt to sell more of its products, the fur industry spreads a great deal of misinformation about conditions for animals raised and killed for their fur. With London Fashion Week approaching, we hope you will allow us to share some information that we believe will be useful in offering your readers a truly balanced account of the fur business.

Most people are aware of some of the suffering that animals endure at the hands of the fur industry, but the reality is often even crueller than the image they hold. The fur industry promotes the idea that European fur farms have higher welfare standards, but animals on these farms suffer fates just as terrifying and agonising as animals elsewhere in the world. Indeed, new video footage captured during an investigation into Swedish fur farms has exposed the horror inflicted on animals in Europe. Please note that this video was not taken on isolated, rogue farms; the footage from Sweden was filmed during visits to 20 per cent of that country's mink farms, while a similarly shocking video was shot at 30 separate farms across Finland.

For the last London Fashion Week, singer Natalie Imbruglia narrated a video for PETA about the fur trade, showing how animals killed for their fur are commonly skinned alive, how mother animals who become caught in traps in the wild often chew off their own limbs in a desperate attempt to return to their babies and how 2 million cats and dogs are killed for their fur every single year in China.

Although these videos are difficult to watch, I implore you to take a few moments to do so, as they will help you provide a more complete portrait of fur industry practices to your readers. As on other farms on which animals endure intensive confinement – often driven mad by isolation and frustration – fur factory farms are designed to maximise profits at the expense of animals' well-being. Because fur farmers care only about preserving the quality of the fur, they use slaughter methods that keep the pelts intact but can result in extreme suffering for the animals. Small animals may be crammed into boxes and poisoned with hot, unfiltered engine exhaust from a truck. Engine exhaust is not always lethal, and some animals wake up while they are being skinned. Larger animals have clamps attached to their bodies or rods forced into their mouths or their anuses, by which they are painfully electrocuted. Gassing and neck-breaking are other common slaughter methods on fur factory farms.

Public opinion polls consistently show that the vast majority of people are strongly opposed to wearing animal fur, and a 2010 survey by the RSPCA showed that 95 per cent of the public say that they would never wear it. The list of stylish women who shun fur include Hollywood A-listers such as Eva Mendes, Kate Winslet and Charlize Theron; first ladies Carla Sarkozy and Michelle Obama; the music industry's biggest stars, including Leona Lewis and Pink; and teen favourites Fearne Cotton and Kelly Osbourne.

Top fashion designers including Stella McCartney, Vivienne Westwood, Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger refuse to use real fur in their collections. And from large department stores such as Harvey Nichols and Selfridges to fashionable High Street retailers such as AllSaints and Topshop, more and more compassionate retailers are implementing fur-free policies.

I have taken the liberty of including some answers to commonly asked questions about fur,

Is vintage fur OK?
Some people have been misguided as to the ethics of vintage fur. All "vintage" means is that the animals were killed long ago, but whether animals suffered and died yesterday or 50 years ago, all fur sends the same unacceptable message: that it is OK to torment animals and rip the skin off their backs in the name of fashion.

 Marlene Dietrich wearing the real deal.

Isn't real fur better for the environment?
Real fur is environmentally unfriendly. Toxic chemicals are used to preserve and process the skins, and waste from processing plants and fur farms poisons rivers and streams. It also takes 20 times as much energy to process a coat made from animal fur as it does one made from fake fur! And fur coats are not biodegradable – they are coated in chemicals to stop them from rotting.

 Topshop do brilliant faux fur (£100)

Is rabbit fur a by-product of the meat industry?
The fur industry likes to tell the public that the rabbit fur used for outerwear, trim and accessories is a by-product of the rabbit-meat industry. The truth is that the rabbit-fur industry demands the thicker pelt of an older animal. Rabbits who are used for meat are usually killed at the tender age of between 10 and 12 weeks; this means the rabbits who are raised and killed for meat are not the same rabbits who are killed for their fur. Our undercover exposé shows how these gentle creatures scream during slaughter.

Isn't fur carrying the "Origin Assured" label OK?
The fur industry's "Origin Assured" (OA) label is a shameless attempt to make consumers feel good about buying an inherently cruel product. The labelling in no way translates into acceptable treatment of animals who are killed for their fur.
In the US, which is one of the countries included on the OA list, not a single humane-slaughter law protects animals on fur farms. This means that after spending their entire lives in tiny wire cages where they often go insane from confinement, animals on these fur farms can have their necks broken, be gassed or have rods forced into their anuses through which they are painfully electrocuted. Compassionate consumers know that the only truly ethical fur is faux.

Don't we have an excuse to wear fur in this cold weather?
This is one of the most ludicrous of all the fur industry's arguments. When mountaineers climb Mount Everest, they don't do it in mink coats! There are countless modern, human-made fibres which are warmer, lighter and more weather-proof than fur. The fact is, some people advocate the killing of millions of animals simply because they like the way it looks. With all the chic, cruelty-free options available, there's no reason to steal animals' skins in order to keep warm.

Woolrich: keeping  Editors snug during cold fashion weeks

Very sincerely yours
Mandy Carter
Special Projects Coordinator
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
Tel +44 (0) 20 7357 9229 ext #244

THE AW11 FASHION EAST LINE-UP

Posted by Fashion Editor at Large

It is a little known fact that way back in 2000 when Fashion East was still a great idea without a name, it was little old me that came up with the name"Fashion East". I was at a meeting with the PR's of The Truman Brewery, and being a die-hard east london fashion girl about Hoxton (we didn't call it Shoreditch then) it seemed only right that if the publishers of The Face called themselves Emap East then this should be called Fashion East.

Back then it was the Truman Brewery's owners, the Zeloof brothers, specifically Ofer Zeeloof, who wanted to help some of the talented young designers lliving and working in the area. Many of the designers rented space at the labyrinthine Truman Brewey and it was Ofer Zeloof and his then girlfriend Lulu Kennedy, (now queen of Fashion East), who were the driving forces.

I was on the selection panel for Fashion East for a few years back then, and have always been immensely proud of the designers it has shepherded from obscurity into the limelight. These include Jonathan Saunders, Richard Nicoll, Roksanda Ilincic, Michael van der Ham and Gareth Pugh.Sticking around long enough to seeing these guys and gal grow from stressed out first-timers into internationally known designers is one of the joys of this job.

Lulu announced the new Fashion East line-up today, and its looking real good. Simone Rocha, yes she is John Rocha's daughter, has been a confident and impressively professional designer from her St Martins days and is dedicated to her craft.  Judging by the pedigree of the other two designers, catwalk newcomers both, this show will be a home run. Check them out, below.

Elliot Atkinson SS11 collection

Atkinson gained a BA in womenswear at Edinburgh College of Art, where he received the Waterman Fashion Illustration prize. Atkinson describes his signature as “tough but feminine, sexy yet nonchalant” and his debut collection was snapped up by Browns Focus. Tailored clothes use fine, luxurious materials; delicate fabrics are punctuated by tougher textures such as metal fastenings, hardware, leather and shearling. For AW11, eclectic influences include ritualistic body piercing, Native American culture and the Scottish Highlands.

 

Simone Rocha SS11 collection

For AW11, Simone has been inspired by her Portuguese family portraits from the 1920's, and Louise Bourgeois’ metal and textile sculptures. She is exploring new textures and fabrics and introducing knitwear to her collection for the first time. Her AW11 show will be styled by Celestine Cooney, fashion director at Twin.

James Long SS11

Long is launching his new womenswear line at Fashion East. This decision follows the high demand for his menswear pieces from buyers and female fans. His debut collection fuses gypsy and grunge with Arran style tasselled knits, layered to create a punk mountain style look. Ecru, camel, chestnut and midnight base notes are injected with sharp colour accents. 1970s gowns are teamed with alpaca knitwear, boucles with macramé detailing.

Long debuted in 2007 at MAN, the Topman and Fashion East menswear initiative, to glowing reviews and support from leading figures Alister Mackie, Creative Director at Another Man and Style.com’s Tim Blanks. Long has gone on to become a NEW GEN‐MEN award favourite and consultant for leather specialist Jitrois.

The bio information has been kindly supplied by Fashion East

Fashion East has been sponsored by TopShop since 2003.