So Carianne only spent a few years in Sydney but that old adage, ‘quality not quanity’ rings true for our argument. Case in point: can you imagine stepping foot in a new city - on the other side of the world no less - and being whisked away into the carousel of whimsy and drama that is Dan Single and Ksubi? The timing was perfect. Ksubi were notorious in the early noughties for their fashion shows (remember the rats?) and Carianne’s showpieces fit perfectly with their rebellious, attention-grabbing antics. Several seasons working with Kirrily Johnston, on ready-to-wear collections and catwalk collaborations, cemented her behind-the-scenes place in Australian fashion folkore. So surely this means she’s one of us?

If only! Carianne’s heart and design sensibility is most certainly in London. Just like the words we wrote only last week on London’s fashion, there’s a real spirit and energy to this collection that suits the city. This season is a continuation from summer’s success. With subtle changes to colour and material Carianne is building the brand’s signature style. Which is a statement in geometry. And slightly sci-fi. But in a more optimistic way, similar to that 60s ideal of fashioning for the future. The collection is divided by design: woven chain, hand-smocked leather and sculpted sinamay. All adorned in Swarovski crystals. Made by leather craftsmen, and with a clear precision for traditional techniques, Carianne’s pieces are for those that are drawn to well-formed design.

CANVAS: Odd Blood is a record that’s much easier to dance to than its predecessor All Hour Cymbals. What prompted the move in this direction?

YEASAYER: We have always been a band that was interested in exciting rhythms, and cool sounding percussion, and the idea that a song is easily defined by its beat. On the last record, we definitely played around with beats in much the same way as Odd Blood, but we lacked the production know-how to make the beats really come through as a prominent part of the overall mix. This record we were a bit more knowledgeable about arrangements and recording techniques, and we had greater resources at our disposal, so the beats and the bass were able to come through more, so you’re left with a much dancier record.

Did you consciously try to retain a ‘Yeasayer sound’?

We didn’t really worry about retaining a ‘Yeasayer sound’. We just sort of figured that it would come through despite any production changes, by our voices, and song-writing style. We like to try to stay out of any clearly defined boxes.

How has the experience of becoming an internationally-acclaimed band fed into Odd Blood?

With Odd Blood, we were no longer working in a little bubble in a basement in Brooklyn. We were reacting lyrically and musically to living on the road for a year and a half. We were more conscious of that fact that most of our lives were spent touring, so we wanted the record to be exciting for us to play live, night after night.

Has anything surprised you about fans’ and critics’ reactions to the album so far?

Well, you’re always surprised when certain aspects of the making of the album are picked up, but that’s part of the fun of putting something out there for fans and critics to enjoy or tear apart.

Your single, Ambling Alp, is about a famous Italian boxer. Where did you first hear this story and how did the song evolve from there?

These are Chris’s lyrics mostly. I think he was reading about Joe Louis in a book about Malcolm X.

You did an amazing job of recreating All Hour Cymbals live despite the fact that it was basically recorded with a microphone into a computer. How challenging is it to replicate Odd Blood live - with the added pressure that some believe Yeasayer sound better live?

We just go out there and try to put on as good of a live show as possible, try to sing in tune, give off good energy to the crowd, and stay on the beat.

Which part of touring the album are you really looking forward to?

I’m excited to go to places I’ve never been, warmer places like Rome and Madrid.

With its blogs, file sharing and hyperbole, is the internet Yeasayer’s friend or foe?

The internet has always been Yeasayer’s friend, giving us much needed exposure. Even if some blogger hates the album, they’re still taking the time to write about us for some reason, so that’s still good press as far as I’m concerned.

What three songs by other artists are you enjoying at the moment?

Jealous Man by The Impressions, Three Babies by Sinead O Connor and In Your Own Backyard by Dion.

Finish this sentence. “Odd Blood is the ultimate record for…”

Eating salted liquorice.

For tour dates and details visit Yeasayer’s MySpace site.

Currently showing in Paris, Eluise presents a very concise, almost capsule-like collection for winter. Similar to what was shown a season before the collection again flirts on the edge of femininity but Eluise really makes her mark this season with the draping of silk. It’s strategically placed in her dresses from the shoulder, through to the hips and finally to hem to lend a little sensuality. A subtle shoulder trend is softly exaggerated leading the collection into a more masculine turn, where strict tailoring and sharp edges give the collection a change in expression.

There is a real maturity of fashion here, despite only having a few seasons under her design belt. We talk frequently about Danish fashion being functional but with Eluise it doesn’t seem to be the first idea to enter into her style lexicon. It is about fashion, rather than function. And if a comparison had to be made to an Australian counterpart it would most certainly be to Little Tailleur. Similar to Little Tailleur’s winter collection that also had a dual personality, Eluise has that same incredibly chic, simple and effortless, but look.

But what if you could bring a little of that personal anarchy into the workplace, replacing that staid, boring work uniform with something more delicately disheveled, something more like the real you? Dress Up’s winter collection, Dovetailed, encourages it. Another season again governed by emotion, this time the resistance to the ideals of a white collar career, this selectively concise range is a way to rebel against the work place, sartorially speaking. Almost like a great big “—- you!” to the establishment, without the political undertones.

Cuffs are slashed open, collars starched. Flesh is exposed at the waist and hemlines shorten. Give them something to talk about at the water cooler. And the colours! Rich, luscious plums. Warm dijon mustards. Shining sky blues. Delicate greys. Certainly more interesting, youthful and seditious than the usual black-and-white suiting requisite. It’s a modern, conceptual approach to soft tailoring - creating slight shifts in everyday garments - a really kind of  blasé, effortless cool that we’ve come to expect with each Dress Up collection.

For the next installment in Canvas’ Editor’s Pick series we have analysed and edited the collections shown recently on the runway at London Fashion Week and selected six designers who understand how important uniqueness is in fashion today, who have a boldness in their beliefs, and who we feel best represent the diversity of London’s scene.

Richard Nicoll
How exciting to claim Richard Nicoll as one of our own, given his stature on the London schedule. After eight consecutive seasons on the runway, he’s practically a stalwart of the sartorial scene. Renowned for clean tailoring with a distinct masculine approach, Nicoll has a democratic attitude towards design and each season presents something that is more inventive, more convincing and definitely more wearable.

Necklines plunged, waists were draped to exaggerate shape, and every look was layered to give a modern vision of 70s Parisian chic (a trend clearly noticeable in many of the pre-fall collections). The collection moved beautifully from soft dove greys to white-wall creams, through to burnt oranges and striking teal blues. It’s interesting that a few fashion journalists and bloggers described Nicoll’s season as ‘casual chic’ because there is nothing casual about this collection. Chic, most definitely. Sophisticated too. Relaxed, maybe, but only because of the drape and slouch of the fabric. Rather, it’s an exciting approach to soft tailoring, carried off with confidence.

Hannah Marshall
If there’s anarchist amongst this group of designers, it’s Hannah Marshall. Her look is synonymous with tough-girl dressing and overt sexuality, all in celebration of the female form. With an underlying hint of a rock and roll edge, each season is engineered with precision and control and always in a palette of black.

Winter is a clever nod to the cross-dressing movement of the 80s music scene, pioneered by the great Grace Jones. It’s a severe look with square-cut, angular lines that certainly fits with Jones’ androgynous tone. The clothes are quite simple to look at - leather trousers, flocked velvet jumpsuits, structured, boxy jackets - but the sharp cut-outs, amplified proportions and interesting fabrics are modern and stop the collection just short from being a complete and an all-too-literal homage to Jones.

Maria Francesca Pepe
MF Pepe’s collection is perhaps more macabre than most, although it is not necessarily easy to assume at first glance. Inspired by the cycle of life - birth, growth, life, death, decay - Maria’s winter collection is about reshaping the body and adding volume where needed. The clothing remains the frame for the jewellery which continues as the main focus of the collection, replete with animal teeth, religious symbols and bondage style chains. It’s a little less fluid than summer but their are hallmarks of design - namely the draping - that are carried over. By no means is this Maria’s best collection, but her concept of evolving accessories into clothing, or jewellery wear, is a very avant-garde approach to design.

Louise Goldin
Up until a few years ago there was a stigma attached to knitwear. We all know the misconceptions, that it’s reserved for the more mature generations, shall we say, who prefer to create something that is more inspired by flora than fashion. And it’s usually hideously itchy. Fortunately Louise Goldin is the kind of designer that takes chances with knitwear. No longer is it deemed old-fashioned!

The tactile play of fabrics is an important element of Goldin’s work, as luxurious yarns are fused with traditional methods to create body contouring that defies traditional knitwear structures. It is in no way an easy collection, to sell or to wear, given the exaggerated proportions through the hips and the space-age military theme, but her sensibility in creating futuristic patterns makes her work all the more exciting.

Mary Katrantzou
Much as been made of fashion marching into the digital age - particularly this season with the streaming of live fashion shows in 3D - but one designer has been making digital waves of a different kind. Mary Katrantzou’s dramatic, mulit-coloured trompe l’oeil prints have been a standout on London’s catwalk for the last few seasons and are a defining, technology-based signature of her work.

This season’s print was inspired by 18th century portraiture; the colour and expressive, confident brushstrokes of the Rococo spirit. Romantic shapes were draped with cascades of chiffon. Structured shift dresses in delicate floral prints were edged in lace frills. Having only graduated from Central St. Martin’s in 2008, Mary is still evolving as a designer. While there were a few pieces to the collection which seemed out of place there is a definite aesthetic and visual language that can only be considered Katrantzou.

Krystof Strozyna

Another student to pass through Central Saint Martin’s, Krystof Strozyna started his eponymous label after winning funding from the British Fashion Council’s New Generation sponsorship scheme. His signature: short dresses with precision cuts and graphic panels. Winter is a continuation on ideas left over from summer; figure hugging dresses with geometric lines but this season added a futuristic element to his classic silhouette.

In a palette of predominantly nude and black, Strozyna worked a little with draping to give his girls a bold look with a hint of sci-fi (that seemed to be a recurring theme for some designers during the week). References were diverse, from the mystic of the Aurora to the terrestrial beauty of an orchid. Body-con dressing has hung around for a few seasons, courtesy of the Leger-inspired bandage dress that kicked the trend into full gear (as well as an avalanche of copies), but Strozyna is more considered than simplistic. You can see he’s careful about how the dresses will work, from the direction of the drape, to the precision of each panel; will it flatter? Sure, runway girls have an advantage of being a little skinnier than most but you know these dresses can look good on girls who don’t fit the model mould. And that’s a tough challenge to meet.

Catwalk images courtesy of Vogue and Style.

Shying away from typical Americana sportswear, and that other mainstay on New York’s catwalk, minimalism, and far away from any kind of fast fashion, Risto’s new season is a New-Age fusion of eastern ethnicity and western sav. It’s a kind of gothic, and slightly dangerous style. Albeit one that’s cosy. Winter sees a return to Risto’s indigenous roots, where folk-inspired elements of craftmanship (east) are mixed with digital print technology (west). As with previous collections, tactile textures abound as delicate, hand-crafted knits, that draw parallels to an arachnid’s web, dominate the silhouette. Prints were inspired by Nicolas Sassoon, an artist who specialises in animations and bit-maps images. His series, Until The End, seems to have been perfectly adapted for the catwalk and this is the kind of collection that has a perfect balance between nostalgia and tradition, and reverance to the future.

We’ve spoken about Katie’s designs previously on Canvas, after the presentation of her summer collection last September. Gallagher’s work is very dramatic and rocker-like but Katie’s winter is slightly more space age (although still keeping with a metal-like expression). Futurism in fashion is nothing new - it’s a trend that has been treading the catwalks lightly in seasons past - but Katie gives it her own definite sign of approval. Fabric is draped, tucked, ripped, layered. Stark mini dresses and cut-outs, mesh panels and shiny leggings are put together sculpturally, esoterically.

Clever seaming follows curves across a minimal aesthetic and there is a focus on non-traditional cuts that elaborate the line and proportion of the garment, exaggerating personality. But how many personalities are in this collection? The Heart of The Woods and What I Found There seems to draw on a duality in design, irrespective of the colour palette, a natural conclusion to purity and deceit. The fabrics lend fragility, the shapes dominance. It’s not so much as yin and yang as just being able to show a different face for a different day.

The last eight months, however, have marked a change for Won Hundred. Ultimately in the hands of designer and founder Nikolaj Nielsen, Won Hundred have proved too popular with local fashion enthusiasts, as they expand from a denim range to a more sophisticated fashion. Hence the need to find a new head designer to direct the brand. Enter Kelly Konings. With a degree in fashion design from the Arnhem Institute of Arts, and experience working in avante garde and commercial fashion, Kelly has encouraged a new direction for Won Hundred.

Entirely responsible for designing both the mens and womens basic as well as ready-to-wear lines, plus shoes and accessories (which have been extensively ‘appropriated’ by the local market), Kelly is creating a clean, sophisticated look with a strong nod to the label’s inherent masculine aesthetic. To start work in a new envrionment, with a new design team can be difficult. Trying to keep a singluar vision while differentiating a brand’s product line is tough too but Kelly seems to instinctively understand the label. Kelly and Nikolaj have developed a similar temperament when it comes to designing. There is still a language that is identifiable as Won Hundred but it’s better. It’s sharper. There’s an edge. An element of androgyny that is kind of girl as boy.

Inspired by straight lines and hard shapes, in reference to the Cubist era, the new Won Hundred winter questions what it means to be modern. The Cubists were the first to cut up and rearrange, to forge new relationships with objects seen and experienced. Won Hundred have translated this, in a not-too-literal sense, into the collection so we see an emphasis on structure, borderless, genderless forms, multiple viewpoints found hidden beneath layers. It’s as much maximum as Won Hundred’s minimalism gets.

But. I digress. The point is, Amber Toms is responsible for my fashion abandonment. It’s been a while since Canvas has found a local fashion photographer with a new perspective, one that doesn’t attempt to mimic or copycat. Sydney based and signed to no one, Amber is starting to build an interesting body of editorial work. Her pictures are soft and ethereal, poetic and pensive, and high-fashion with an edge. Followers of Australian fashion will link her work with Gary Bigeni and Gail. There must be some sort of symmetry in thinking though between Amber and Gail because I think Amber’s best ideas are produced when the two work together. Aside from several campaign shoots for the Gail Sorronda label, the duo have collaborated on a new project, Desire (a shot of which is shown exclusively here), as part of an upcoming exhibition that will tour both the Sydney and Melbourne Fashion Festivals.

The season’s presentation of The Slippery Spiral Situation was a mind trip. Figuratively and literally. The models, as they walked down the runway, replete with wire-frame spectacles and ghoulish wooden ‘brains’, had a presence that drew parallels to Mr.Book from cult sci-fi thriller Dark City. Vibskov’s choice of music sounded like a David Lynch soundtrack and only added to the eerieness of the show. The collection itself was, as always, a hybrid of ideas: a wee nod to Scottish patriotism and the rugged outdoors; boiler suits, British knits and a bit of Inspector Clouseau, in a colour palette that was more cheerful than one would expect from winter.

Australian boutiques introduced Vibskov to Australia via his menswear but his womenswear has progressed in seasons past to the point where it has become more interesting than the mens. There was less to work with in this collection in terms of styling (for the women) but the silhouettes are more adventurous, the prints are more dramatic.

** All images courtesy of Copenhagen Fashion Week

Both Vilsbøl de Arce and Barbara I Gongini presented collections in Copenhagen where the approach was more artistic than fashion would normally allow. Restructuring the body with curved, draped and asymmetrical silhouettes blossoming around the body, their designs demand notice. They’re edgy but wearable. We’re part of a generation where fashion represents personal style, something to separate one’s self from everyone else. In this heightened age of self-consciousness the clothes we wear make a statement. Vilsbøl de Arce and Barbara both seem setting the same challenge: if we’re going to consume less, then why not buy better? Besides, didn’t Oscar Wilde say that the true mystery of the world is the visible, not the invisible?

** All images courtesy of Copenhagen Fashion Week

In the weeks leading up to Spon Diogo’s Winter 2010 show Rui and Mia invited Canvas to spend time with them in their atelier, a small studio space tucked away in the heart of the city. Given their home life is also physically joined to their working space, Spon Diogo literally live and breathe fashion. But their idea of fashion is not about ‘what is fashionable right now’ nor are they concerned with creating popular trends. Rather fashion is their medium for expressing an idea. There is an intense intellectualism inherent in each collection that is matched entirely by their technical abilities, despite neither having studied a formal approach to fashion design. Their dedication to design is overwhelming and not something we had anticipated, seeing the collection evolve, and it certainly separates the work they do from any other designer in the city. This is the most innovative, edgy and well thought collection produced by Spon Diogo to date.

CANVAS: Rui, both yourself and Mia, independent of Spon Diogo, have worked for many years in fashion. Even though Spon Diogo is only four seasons old, there seems to be a bit of history behind the label.

SPON DIOGO: As I have mentioned before, Mia has a classic tailoring background. She has two tailoring degrees. I have worked in the fashion industry for years. I used to have a shop and gallery in Iceland, in Reykjavík in the late 90s.  I used to have Danish and American designers. So of course we’ve always touched fashion. Mia always wanted to be a fashion designer. Back in Reykjavik I also did a lot of projects, I began working on a small line, so we were always in designing. I come from a background in industrial design, furniture primarily, and I think this to a certain  extent…it’s all very interconnected somehow. And at that point Mia was working on some projects that were more graphic design based and I was doing some similar graphic design projects as well. So we started working on some projects together and it developed from there. We found that we worked well together. We had sort of the same [ideas], this idea of conceptualising. We have the same rhythm.  When you start working with people you don’t necessarily work the same. Some people like to go into work immediately and then figure out afterwards what went wrong. But we really like to study whatever we’re doing. We go, ‘ok, this is what we’re doing [for the season], let’s go, full force on this’. I think the way we work together is very much based on temperament and in that sense we connect really well.

The organisation of space is a principle of both fashion and architecture and your aesthetic has been described as constructional, architectonic. Is this a reflection of your industrial design background?

To some extent. It’s not necessarily aesthetics but it’s more the way of looking at a garment. The whole understanding of an object is more about the feeling of an object in space. I see it as something that is able to stand alone and not refer to anything else. We love this idea of an object being self-referential. It’s autonomy, really, in an object.

I tend to view your idea of fashion as “common sense design” in that kind of Bauhaus way, where superfluous features tend to be taboo.  Would you agree?

I could to a degree. I appreciate Mies Van der Rohe and some of his methods for the detail. For instance, in early times [of architecture] you had detail in a pillar [of a building] and you would have the detail grow out of a meeting point. For us, as with Van der Rohe, he would take that detail and also make it the embellishment and make it the language of the whole building. In modernism, as with Van der Rohe and with us maybe, that detail is where everything comes from but it’s minimalised so the construction comes out as simple as possible. This is the key to modernism, really.

Germano Celant said “to cut is to think”, that the cutting of a garment represents a new way of seeing the body. When I look at your clothes, particularly last season, I think it’s a very apt description of how you design.  Do you consider yourselves a minimalist?

Yes.

Do you think your aesthetic is very Danish?

No, I think it’s a very European way of designing but also, to some extent, a very Japanese way of designing. Even though the aesthetics are very different I see designing, the method of designing, as a way to construct, to build a language.

Is their a distinct Danish style, or is it something influenced from and by other cultures and countries?

Denmark has matured a lot in the last few years and has developed a language which is very Danish. Even though a lot of the young, creative designers, the successful ones, have studied abroad they are very personal in their work. They have their own sensuality and own style. No matter how experimental or how avant garde it is, it always comes back to being functional and beautiful. No matter how different the designers are there is something which binds us together. And I think we [Spon Diogo] have it to a certain extent as well. Even though we want to work with something [an idea] we are always a little bit careful not to overdo it. It may be a lack of maturity, but it also may be a Danish thing.

How has the financial crisis affected Danish fashion? Do you think it’s changed people’s perception of luxury and how they approach fashion?

I don’t think so. The Danish fashion industry is very, very young so fashion is not deeply founded as much in Denmark. So the normal Danish person would choose big brands, luxury brands rather than ‘fashion’, and big brands are often luxury brands that aren’t necessarily fashion. I think this is still the case, even with the crisis. I do see people shopping and buying Jil Sander and Chanel, although they’re not shopping as much. And not necessarily because of their perception of luxury. What is luxury? I think time is more of a luxury. I think it has shifted from a material thing to an immaterial thing. So I don’t think Danish people perceive fashion in a different light I think they perceive their whole lives in a different light.

Has it changed the way you approach your design?

We haven’t changed really. We are in a process of still trying to establish our name and to establish trust in the industry. It is very much a matter of trust [with the buyers], to see if you can survive, if you can deliver. We haven’t changed our approach but we’ve learnt a little bit about how to build a collection. To design a collection is quite easy, you just do what you do. But to build a collection, for different body types and as such, this is a little bit more difficult and we haven’t really thought of that before [when designing]. We’ve learnt a lot about how to make our stuff sellable. So we hope with this collection there is more to choose from in terms of silhouette. This is one of our main focuses [for the season].

How do you share the design process? Do you designate specific roles?

In the design process we don’t have any roles. But of course to start off we discuss what we want [for the season]. This happens because we live together, we work together, we do everything together. Even now we are discussing what to do for our next collection.  And so when one collection is finished we almost already have the themes for the next collection. But we still have to do the research. We put some things down [on paper] and we discuss some problems that could arise. Strategic problems or otherwise. And then we start designing, but we start designing together. We always sit opposite each other and draw for weeks, from morning until night. Hundreds and hundreds of drawings later, we just sort of just work through the better ones. Sometimes we steal each other’s drawings and copy them and say, “I like this element, I’m going to work with that”.  And then it’s really a selection process. We have to cut [designs] from what we’ve drawn. And Mia, of course, takes care of the whole technical side and I take care of everything else. I work on press and I work on producing the [catwalk] show.

What was your inspiration for winter? Did it come from a single idea?

It was really more of wanting to develop elements that are not close to our culture, to find beauty elsewhere.  We’ve studied how animals use their fur or their skin or whatever to show their muscles and their power. Like a crocodile, it’s belly is light but it’s back, arms, face is dark. It’s a way to camouflage. Some animals tend to accentuate parts [of their body] to seem bigger, to intimidate. And this idea we integrate into the collection; which parts do we want to accentuate? And then you simply start cutting up and looking at which parts of the body [to accentuate].

Isn’t that a little bit like Darwin’s survival of the fittest?

No it’s just a theme really and a dialogue around this. You know, we really like this idea of finding beauty elsewhere. Nowadays you can sit in front of your computer, you can read books and you can actually be everywhere and you don’t need to travel. We really like this idea. Everything, all information, is within your reach. And the same with beauty, or the sense of beauty.

What is your idea of beauty?

I have to answer this personally because Mia’s idea of beauty may be something different. For me it may be something which is a little bit off, to some extent. It’s something you cannot forget, like a trauma. A trauma is something you cannot forget.  An image that is really powerful and it can be either ugly or beautiful. And for me, it’s about the effect that it has on you. So my idea of beauty is not specific, it’s more a feeling of something. And beauty can be anywhere.

Would you consider introducing prints into a Spon Diogo season? It’s not something we’ve seen from you yet.

Yes we thought about print for this collection but we decided against it. Maybe for summer. The whole idea of colour, and this is really personal also, is more than an aesthetic. I like colour that is more than an application. It’s something in itself. You know, you paint a wall and it becomes an application. And we don’t really like that and we haven’t seen that yet [in fashion] because everything, for us, is done from the inside. That’s the way we work. The detail has to come from within. That is the story of the design. So colour would have to be applied in the same way, rather than as an application of colour on top of the fabric which has a natural colour in itself.

I like what a lot of other designers are doing with print. I just think we would rather take up colour rather than adding colour. We are using red this season but we don’t see it as red, we see it as just another black. Even the blues we’re using are not ‘blue, blues’ because they’re a little bit darker. We do love colour but the colour has to work [with the collection], it’s an integral part of what we do and how we want to use it.  We love it [colour], but it’s not important for us at this point. When you are doing a lot of construction, as we do, colour can sometimes come in the way because people’s focus would have been on somewhere else, on the colour. And when we design we want colour to be secondary, or tertiary.

The winter schedule seems fairly light. A lot of labels I had anticipated seeing based on last seasons schedules aren’t showing. Do you think it’s encouraging a lot of young labels, like yourself, to put on a show in place of where the bigger brands might have been?

No, I don’ think so.

So you would have done the show regardless?

Exactly. We always wanted to do shows, of course. We started doing the show last season but we waited until we were quite ready. We don’t really get any [financial] support, all we really get is our name on the official schedule. But I don’t think we’re perceived as a small label, we’re perceived as something that’s going to be here [long term]. Not something that passes by, which is good. Last season there was almost twice as many shows. There were a lot of Swedes showing here but they’re not showing here this season, which I think is a pity, because a lot of them can’t afford it, so you see some of the bigger brands moving into smaller venues.

Fashion shows now deliver something akin to performance art. It’s almost as if these parades have an autonomous position of their own; the spectacle of the show runs parallel to the clothes. Do you feel that it’s a necessary way for Spon Diogo to sell clothes?

Our shows are not that extravagant. I think we really like the idea of a presentation more than a show. The show, to some extent, must present the feeling of the collection and we have a lot of tools to use to be able to convey that feeling and the ambience of the collection. Of course you have the London shows that are very much about performance and a lot of the Danish designers comply to this but we don’t follow that tradition. I think we follow the French presentation where it’s more like a salon. Our show is not that dramatic, but it’s going to be a little more dramatic than last season. We’re working with a fantastic team, the best stylists, hair and makeup in Copenhagen. Very talented and very progressive.

Your debut runway show was Summer 2010, you present in Paris and are eventually hoping to show in New York.

New York is a really important market and everything is happening in New York so we’d like to go there and ‘meddle’ (laughs). I think we would be perfect to show in the American market.

Does it help to have some level of success in Denmark before being successful in other countries?

No, I don’t believe so. As I said, Denmark is such a small market. I mean obviously if the press don’t want to touch it, if you’re not getting press in your own country, well of course… but the buyers are much more practical than that. They are very much like, ‘Will this sell on a hanger? Does it look like someone will buy into it? Is there hype surrounding these designers? Does it have a good fit, is it well produced, can they deliver on time?’ In that sense the buyers are really old fashioned. They’re not like us. They’re not philosophers, they don’t go into the philosophy of design.

So where do you want Spon Diogo to be in twelve months?

Exactly the same place, just in more shops. And in a bigger atelier. Three or four times the size.

MiniMarket’s show at Copenhagen was one of the best. The recurring theme in their winter collection was about taking extremes and pushing them together – masculine and feminine, tailored and street, luxury and thrift. Mock crock was mixed with 80s neon. Youthquake silhouettes drowned in Native American references. With so many shapes, colours and print ideas thrown together into one collection it can be a bit of a struggle to make something that is conistent and cohesive, but MiniMarket created the kind of look that appears cool without trying too hard. It was cute but not saccharine, alternative but not self consciously so. It’s wearable and every piece has an idea. How come only one Australian luxury boutique has been savvy enough to pick up on this?

Normally, the winter season is full of monochromatic offerings ranging from conservative to the notoriously boring and staid. Grey, black, white, and the odd navy or business blue. But Birgens dared to play with pattern, texture and colour. Knit upon knit, layer upon layer. It looked like a mix between Bobby Brigg’s wardrobe as well as Grandpa’s, but for the working man. It was cosy and soft and the classic silhouettes kept a masculine appearance. It seems like it’s a style for the man has too much sense to be bothered by a dress rules yet still manages to look cool.

** All images courtesy of Copenhagen Fashion Week

Today Canvas met the fashion equivalent of my argument, Jean-Phillip, designer of  homme couture label Jean/Phillip. He has taken this idea of androgyny, which has traditionally been reserved for women’s fashion, and given it a man’s perspective: how do you emasculate menswear without giving it a silly marketing label (e.g metrosexual) or frou-frou colour (e.g pink)? In the same way we spoke about style becoming borderless, Jean-Phillip is creating a fashion that is genderless. Not to confuse, this is a mens collection but it’s definitely pushing the boundaries of traditional mens fashion. It’s a little bit avant-garde, a little bit subversive, a little bit like Rick Owens in that glamour-meets-grunge way. But his want to change the way men, particularly Danish men, consider fashion is subtle. It takes a certain level of courage to wear sequins, even as a woman, but Jean-Phillip has taken an approach with this collection that treats it more as armour than mere adornment. And in that respect, when you see the pieces put together, complete as Jean-Phillip’s vision, you can see how it will appeal to everyone.

** All images courtesy of Copenhagen Fashion Week

My first thought was an installation piece that challenged the idea of fashion as art but Noir surprised by exhibiting a live salon experience, where models, in various states of undress, presented the collection by literally dressing up. And dressing each other. It was slightly erotic and mesmerising, watching the garments come to life. The collection itself was a combustion of ideas and references, from victorian gothic to 50s rock, fetish mixed with romance. There was volume, print and layering mixed with leather, lace and silk. Naturally only offered in black.

What is interesting and thus appealing about the clothes is that Noir is fashion label with a conscience. There has been a massive cultural shift in thinking by fashion consumers in the last decade, one that centres around the issue of ethical and environmental clothing. It’s one thing to think big, but it’s another to act big. And Noir is aimed at both the fashion and social conscience shopper by creating clothes that support sustainable business practices in Third World Countries. It has led to the creation of Illuminati II - a cotton that is certified as both organic and fair-trade. It’s political activism under a veil of sophistication and sex appeal.

** All images courtesy of Fashion Week Live.

Winter in many ways was a continuation of Louise’s summer collection, albeit with a darker and more rebellious vision. Inspired by dystopian French fantasy film The City of Lost Children, her silhouettes were at times repressive and controlled; skirts hugged the body tight, layers revealed new shapes and bare skin only when necessary. It was post apocalyptic neo-grunge and in many ways symbolic of the film’s underlying reflections on contemporary society.

Whereas summer was reflective and focused on the shoulder, this season Louise was interested in exaggerating and defining other, less agressive parts of the body. Sleeves were curved from the shoulder to elbow; hips were draped to give an unforgiving, yet fashionable shape. You can see the influence of London on her work. London designers push the envelope with digital prints and textile design. The use of print seems quite reserved in Danish fashion but Louise works and takes risks with dramatic prints like no other local designer.

* All images courtesy of  Copenhagen Fashion Week.

Although Germany is one of Europe’s biggest markets, it is hardly known for its high fashion. The fall of the Berlin wall more than 20 years ago created a fresh fashion identity, albeit one with a dual personality. Big business in is streetwear and commercial fashion, particularly high-end luxury brands like Escada and Hugo Boss, but its fashion is also characterised by independent and unusual creations, like that from Vladimir Karaleev, a Bulgarian born, Berlin-based designer. His clothes are sculptural, complex, conceptual. Canvas spoke with Vladimir after the presentation of his winter collection, Pro Forma.

CANVAS: You have said your designs are influenced by art but I also see your work as architectural. What is your view on the relationship between fashion and art and architecture? Do you consider yourself a philosopher of design?

VLADIMIR: Well, in all three: art, architecture and fashion there is similar process of creating that is common. It’s about forms, shapes, composition, colour and if possible, a concept. The purposes are different. Above all of them, architecture is most practical, in its purpose. It  has to combine functionality with design in most of the cases. Then comes fashion I think, having the aesthetic purpose on the surface, covering the body, but at the same time having a function of protecting it. It is very variable, dependable and subjective. And finally, art is something which has no purpose in the end. It exists for itself, it is not meant to be a decoration, but it’s not meant to have function either. I guess it’s another dimension. But the question of the relationship between fashion and art: I realised there is only a kind of fake visual relationship, because I think fashion could LOOK like art, but it cannot be as radical as art in its core… and on the other side both are mirroring a certain “zeitgeist”, which makes both social.

Your models stood still during your A/W presentation.  Is it important to present your ideas as a performance piece?

I like the atmosphere of a static presentation. It’s a kind of 3d magazine spread, and has of course something theatric, and also something of an exhibition. Which make the clothes look a bit abstract!

You have described your winter collection, Pro Forma, as neither functional nor decorative.  Are you trying avoid the commercial business of fashion by making clothes that appeal to a very niche market?

I like when people find things interesting because of the design itself and not because of the label, or the hype. That’s why also the title “pro forma”, for the form (shape), because of this certain unknown form, and not buying things pro forma. Commercial fashion happens pro forma, its always spring/summer or fall/winter. I don’t want to design pro forma, but FOR the form /shape itself. My clothes are still very wearable; its about getting use to a “new shape”. I like to see something new as a shape (form), and with time, getting use to it. It is also how the big fashion business works. First there is something that people don’t really accept but after a couple of years the same thing goes mainstream.

Avoiding definition and focusing shape on different parts of the body is reminiscent of Kawakubo in her ‘97 collection Body Meets Dress Meets Body. Is the avant-garde approach of the Japanese designers an influence on your work?

Yes definitely. I guess it was my personal awakening as I first saw Kawakubo’s pieces in the ‘90s. I come from Bulgaria, a land with a very poor cultural background, in which there were nothing except mainstream fashion (which was actually also bad taste). Things always had their stereotypes: food makes you full, form follows function, fashion has to be practical and wearable and art is a kind of a decoration, which it’s purpose at first was political, then it turned only into decoration. And then I saw Comme Des Garcons, and I discovered a whole new perspective for myself (well I was 14 at that time, but it impressed me so much, I guess it followed me all the way).

Have you always lived and studied in Berlin? Is there an energy in the city that keeps you there?

I moved here 2001 at the age of 19. It was a key moment in my life and as you say “energy” is the right word, that keeps me here. I feel free here. Free to work without having financial pressure for example, because Berlin is so affordable. And there is a huge art scene, and in general so many scenes and so many people going through Berlin. And in another way, it is sometimes so quiet and empty. I work often till very late at my studio and take a walk home. My studio is in the commercial “city” of Berlin, which is very busy in the daytime. At night it is beautiful, like an empty stage with no actors and no audience!

What is your feeling of the fashion scene in Berlin? For me, personally, I associate the city with a strong art scene, rather than fashion.  Is there an ‘underground’ scene to speak of in fashion -  a lot of independent labels like your own?

That’s a good question. And yes, your feeling is right, the art scene is much bigger and more interesting in its own way. Often a lot of artists move to Berlin because they don’t want to have the financial pressure of New york or London, where they have to make art, which has to be sold so that they can pay their rent. Therefore there are a lot of small galleries which are quite interesting, showing unknown artists. As for the fashion scene, it is a bit different. In the last ten years Berlin got its status as a creative, underground platform for fashion, but it mutated in some strange direction. At the beginning, all the DIY stuff was very interesting, and there were a lot of small labels popping up but they soon disappeared, which was kind of annoying for a lot of buyers, editors or stylists coming from outside because nobody knew if there would be there next season. And the other thing is this identity problem. Nobody is really sure if there is a real Berlin fashion, and if there is, what is it? I don’t want to sound rude but often it is something in between. [It's both] commercial and underground, [but there's] not enough concept to be independent. The fashion week turned in a strange direction [this year], I’m afraid. Last time there were shiny catwalks, pseudo-fancy after parties with wannabe local celebrities, and the fashion was a background of it all, and above all there was fashion without any identity; some old German brands, mixed with student fashion, mixed with fur coats, mixed with some kind of fetish… does it makes any sense to you? And again, I don’t want to sound pretentious, yes, there are a few small good labels, which I consider very interesting, but there are not enough to create an independent fashion scene.

Made to measure fashion is a such small market in Australia, and in Brisbane more so. Lack of high society aside, the kind of skills and couture practices that one associates with Parisian houses are generally not part of fashion’s education and training programs in Australian institutes. And it’s not just about the degree of detail in design, but the availability of high quality fabrics. Restructuring of the textile and manufacturing industry over the last three decades forced a lot of production offshore and encouraged imports, creating a shift in consumer thinking.

Struggle as some might (and have), the change encouraged designers to focus on niche-markets. In George’s instance, he’s adding a touch of glamour and the feel of haute couture to his already established ready-to-wear line. Originally launched at Brisbane’s MBFF fashion festival, the collection is a little reminiscent of Valentino, in that way of mixing opulence, extravagence, drama and sophistication. Having known George for several years, it’s clear he has a passion for old-craft techniques and what drives the collection is that dedication to construction, to create something that is avant-garde but also very wearable.