11th May 2012
Yum, Yum, Yum love the vibrant shades in the Thakoon for Nars collection. Inspired by Indian spice markets these high impact hues will get you in the mood for summer (even if the sun isn’t quite shining yet!)
I’ll be getting the Anardana, Ratin Jot, and Lal Mirchi not sure I can work Amchoor but it is gorgeous.
10th May 2012
A few piccys from the gloriously sunny and ohhhh soo beautiful Capri and Amalfi Coast! Three days just wasn’t enough
For the best handmade loafers and sandals in Capri head to Antonio Viva’s, his little workshop/shop has made it in to Vogue, Elle and Harpaar’s Italian shopping guides!
03rd May 2012
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Dareen Hakim’s clutches they are the perfect fusion of chic silhouettes with a touch of Middle Eastern flavour. I caught up with the creative force Dareen to get more of an insight into the oh soooo beautiful brand.
Describe the brand in one sentence?
Chic. Bold. Unexpected.
What’s the story behind the label?
The story started about 2 years ago, after a career on Wall Street in finance and general management. I had just finished an MBA at Harvard Business School and was anxious to pursue my goal of starting my own business one day. My father is an entrepreneur, my mother is an entrepreneur, and I always wanted to create something of my own. My true passion has always been in design and fashion. I love it, I live it and I breathe it… it makes me happy and takes me to a world of beauty and creativity. And I wanted my business to be centred in this world, so that I would wake up every day excited to start work, never get bored, have resilience and sustenance, and therefore the strongest drive and chance of success. The Dareen Hakim Collection is my own creative outlet to explore and express all of my passions and inspirations.
From the inscriptions on some of the clutches it’s clear your Lebanese heritage is integral to the brand’s aesthetic. Please expand on its importance to your work.
My culture is a big part of who I am and a major influence on my designs. Growing up in Lebanon, I was surrounded by Lebanese culture and history, ancient traditions, sensual poetry, music and art, yet at the same time experiencing the interlaced impact of modern architecture, contemporary design and concepts, freshness and openness to introductions of Europe. This mix was and has been so inspiring, along with the “live life to the fullest” attitude that embodies the lives of the Lebanese people, which is another attitude to living and experience new and unexpected things. It’s motivating and the energy behind my designs as well as the inscriptions. This is embodied in the signature Le Icon Collection, where artisanal inscribed metals are set against modern luxury leathers to create a unique piece of art you can wear.
Describe your design process
I am always looking for new inspirations to expand and mould my brand aesthetic. As a designer, you have to continue to come up with new ideas and find new inspirations, to create drama and complexity throughout your designs. We are supposed to introduce beauty in a new way, in a way that people have not seen before. That is what I love to do. I am inspired through so many outlets; such as strong, independent, female style icons, my travels all around the world, the metropolitan lifestyle of NY, etc. It is not always at one time or place, it really does occur at the most random moments…I search for things that resonate with me (shapes, memories, colors), and those that stick with me somehow always tie back to my heritage because that’s what’s most instinctual. As I recording all these nuggets of inspiration, the design comes together in my head and I sketch away for hours sometimes… just watching the combination of the silhouette, the leather, the metal, the message and the creation blend together. It’s so satisfying!
What have been your personal highlights for the brand so far?
There are many challenging moments when starting your own business. But it is also those challenges, and getting over the bumps, that is so thrilling and keeps me going. Seeing the small wins, and then the bigger wins, and knowing it all stems from personal drive, hard work and passion, is incredibly motivating. Of course, being in our 5th season, distributed across 30 countries and carried by celebrities such as Eva Longoria, are all wins for the brand, but my personal highlights: I love my team… they make me want to wake up to their happy faces every morning. And importantly, there’s really nothing more I love than hearing, reading or seeing a smile from a customer who’s enjoyed one of my bags! It’s precious to know that I’ve touched their day in the smallest way and brought them “happiness” “laughter” or a smile, for which the world will smile back at them … as per my handbag inscriptions.
What are your future goals for the brand?
I would like to continue to evolve the line and bring our statement handbags to women across the world, making them feel chic, strong, deep and boldly beautiful! We are expanding into new silhouettes, both smaller and larger, and interpretations of our concept to build on the signature pieces such as our Le Icon and Le Capri. I am also looking to expand into new categories, but when it’s the right time and the right place. I’m really enjoying this phase for now!
What tips do you have for any budding designers establishing their own brands?
Although it’s a hard road to travel down, it is worth every minute of it. Not every day is easy, or a success, but I truly love what I do and don’t consider it a “job”. It’s those small successes that drive me each day … a husband asking me to send an inspiring note to his wife with her bag, a fan across the world telling me she saw my bag on 3 people at a wedding she attended, a proud parent telling me “you did it” … each little win is a step forward in this journey, and the bigger wins are just the cherry on top. My best advice is to follow your heart because that’s what you’ll be best at… and to find people who support you unconditionally. With those two elements, you can do whatever you put your mind to.
And finally which handbag is on your arm today and what’s in it?
The newest addition to our line, Le St. Tropez in Lavender, with its beautifully embossed Ostrich leather and signature gold hammered metal. I love this color. It’s a neutral but with a fresh hint of spring, and goes with absolutely everything! Today I’m wearing it as a shoulder bag, but later on I’ll tuck in the chain and use it as a clutch for dinner with the girls.
What’s in it? … My life, haha! My Blackberry (sorry no, not an iPhone!), wallet, makeup, keys, sketch book, sunglasses, receipts, gum, business cards, band aids, a little sunglass tool kit (!) … it just keeps getting more random. Most importantly, a picture of my baby girl Mila, who keeps me strong and positive & brings me happiness and good luck every day!
Many Thanks to Dareen and Katie!
(There’s free shipping on all on-line orders before 13th May!)
02nd May 2012
Some fashion shoots are timeless and this series by the late Norman Parkinson still looks as fresh and exciting as it did in 1956! ENJOY
Images Tasveer Arts
30th April
Well it might have been cold and miserable last week but nothing was going to stop me (or it seems the other hundred plus attendees!) from attending the Industry London’s talk with Tom Chapman.
Frances Card (Matches COO) interviewed Tom and guided the conversation through the history of the company from the first store in Wimbledon to the thirteen shop portfolio of today. Tom recalled some humorous early buying experiences with the spirited Diane Von Furstenburg and an appointment with Dolce & Gabbana. The talk then focused onto the running of the business and how the retailer has succeeded and continues to succeed.
The core strategy for Matches he explained is to always keep a strong brand mix of independent labels alongside the big names. Tom’s other message was that to continue to grow, the retailer had to always think ahead and to always maintain its point of difference. He gave several examples of how the company has done this including launching Freda, opening 23 Welbeck St, global pop-up shops and by working on exclusive lines with designers (Jonathon Saunders capsule collection is their latest yum collaboration)
Image of the Freda range, Matches’ exclusive in-house brand which retails at 20-30% below main-line brands to offer basics to work with the mix and to keep it unique the brand is not wholesaled.
Images of 23 Welbeck St. A multifunctional space that is used for personal shopping appointments and a place to host press events.
The talk concluded with Tom’s future plans for the company- where he focused on talking about Matches key area for growth (it contributes to half of all sales) the online business. Half of all sales are within the U.K and outside of that Matches top three international markets are the United States, Australia and Japan. With this in mind the team need to react and adapt to the changing market shares and to also offer product relevant for the time of the year in each country. The company will be investing further into the site by offering a digitalised magazine and into more customer profiling and personalisation of the on-line service.
Image from the Jonathon Saunders capsule collection.
The evening gave an interesting insight into one of the country’s retail success’. Thanks to the team at Industry London for organising a fab talk!
25th April 2012
How stunning is Anita Dongre’s new showroom? Get me on a plane now!!! I’ve really been struggling to find all my Bridal outfits (the Hindu ceremony is with the capable hands of Mira Taylor but the rest I’m just CLUELESS about!) I’ve picked up the latest issues of Asiana and Viya and I liked NOTHING- well I liked bits and pieces but nothing made me think wow- that’s the one I want. Overall I just found the styles featured a little too bling tastic for me and going to India regularly has spoiled me as a lot of the U.K stores are a little slow in catching up with the new trends. Saying that I probably haven’t scratched the surface of what’s out there and I just need to go visit some more stores – or better still get on a plane! (the reason I’ve been a little reluctant of buying Bridal wear in India is that – ready wear doesn’t always work for me, I’m 5’9 (A giant in Asian girl terms!) and I think if I were to get something made I’d want to be there for the full duration in order for fittings and basically to chase the designer to get things done on time and correctly! (I’ve worked in fashion with Indian factories and learnt the lesson ages ago that to get things done you have to chase, chase, chase!) Well looking at the pics I may just have to go over for a few months- such STUNNING pieces!!!
Love, love, love the peach and pink lenghas!
24th April 2012
I don’t even want to do a massive intro to this post as the imagery speaks for itself – STUNNING. Meera’s work is bold and powerful. She is a master of colour and pattern and her skills are wonderfully displayed in the Firangi Rang Barangi (colourful foreigner) collection. The collection in her words explores ‘the relationship between femininity, dress and hybridity. By combining Eastern and
Western textiles, garments and jewellery, I re-imagine identity across borders. These large acrylic paintings exhibit a fearless use of colour, bold pattern and finely rendered detail. Each is layered with cultural history and personal style. While the surface of these works draw us in, the bodies
that they adorn are barely revealed – an inversion that suggests the role of sartorial expression in creating a sense of self, particularly one rooted in a diasporic, transnational experience.
All images www.meerasethi.com/
22nd April 2012
Super talent JJ Valaya celebrates twenty years in the industry this year. He started designing in a time when people were only starting to get used to the idea of buying designer wear. At a time were there were limited retail outlets and fashion media and no fashion weeks at all. Fast forward twenty years the fashion landscape has changed dramatically and the JJ Valaya couture line has been successfully joined by JJ Valaya Muse, Valaya Base, Valaya Quantum and Valaya Home. My way of celebrating his anniversary in the industry is to share images from his stunning Decoded Paradox book. His talent extends through the visual arts and his photographic body of work is hauntingly beautiful. He is a true creative force.
Images from www.artofvalaya.com
18th April 2012
Isharya was founded in 2004 by Radhika Tandon and sis-in-law Gauri. They describe their yum pieces as Bollywood glamour meets California cool- a perfect description for this stunning costume jewellery line. I love the S/s 12 collection so much that I had to narrow it down to my favourite earrings only (otherwise the post would have had 50 odd pics!) Celeb fans include stuning Eva Longaria, Drew Barrymore and Cameron Diaz.
Prices start at £50
17th April 2012
A few weeks ago I posted ‘Mumbai street adventure with Manou : Guardian’ a short film sharing an insight into the fashion scene by Wearabout blogger Manou. Since viewing the film I’ve poured over the delicious posts in Manou’s blog. Why? Because Manou’s streetstyle blog is diverse and democratic, its not just the young pretty things at fashion week that make it into his blog it could just as easily be a street hawker.
I was lucky enough to get a 5 min interview with the man.
Above a pic of Mr.Wearabout and the following images are from my favourite blog post of his – Tashes and Turbans in Jodhpur.
What does the term Indian Fashion mean to you?
Never really thought about it. Fascinating maybe?
Above and below are pics from the Cobra ad.
Which designers do you think are at the forefront of Indian design (doesn’t have to be just fashion) and why
There are many. Abraham & Thakore Paromita Banerjee. Good aesthetics. Attention to details. Streets and working class people inspired.
What are you’re top three favourite pics posted on your blog and why?
I really have no favourites.
Outside of your blog, I know you work on select collaborations. I really love the Cobra ‘Train’ adverts and the series of short vts you were involved in. The ad recently aired in the U.K and show India in a very different way. How did the collaboration come about? and what was your involvement?
I got an email one day from a London based producer talking about the project and asking if I’d be interested in collaborating with them. They were going to make a film on 3 collborators(music/fashion/food) from India for The Guardian featuring their work. Later I got involved in the TVC. I did street casting for the TVC and bit of general consulting.
Finally, what projects are you working on at the moment?
I’m sorting out images for an exhibition I’m a part of Design India Now at V&A, London. At present, I’m taking a break from all things online. I’ve been writing offline. Have not really taken any projects. Have not even blogged for 25 days. But I’ll be getting back to it soon.
Thanks Manou!
(I’ll be posting info of the upcoming Design India Now at V&A shortly)
And for anyone that’s missed it Cobra’s train. (and no I haven’t been paid to promote it I just like the ad!)
the asian fashion journal 