Royal College of Art Fashion MA 2009

Backstage at the graduate show for the Royal College of Art's Master's in Fashion 2009 program held this June.

The fruits of the RCA fashion MA students' labor were finally revealed and Dazed Digital was there to capture the collections backstage at the show. Earlier in the month we got a preview of the students' work with sketchbooks and inspiration images and here are the final results of what are the beginnings of great things to come.

The Tortoise and the Hare

I became obsessed with New York label Slow and Steady Wins the Race as soon as I saw this pair of sunglasses..

SSWTR is a clothing label presented as a bimonthly clothing diary, whose mission is to "push and produce interesting and significant pieces from the simplest and most inexpensive fabrics and materials". So far, they've covered 20 themes including the white t-shirt, bags, shirts, shoes, evening wear, sunglasses, etc.. Only a hundred piece of each items is produced, which ends up in an impressive range of limited items at affordable prices.

So far, they've came up with several bright ideas but their latest addition is a collction of "rainwear" gear in collaboration with shop Stand Up Comedy. For more on SSWTR and Stand Up Comedy along with an interview, check the story on One Perfect Morning.

Rockett Mansion Vintage

Rockett Mansion vintage sheer & beaded dress.

Verse Chicago 773.486.4434

Model Corry Law

Stylist Dezmond Omega Fair/Melanie Lyke

Photography Dezmond Omega Fair

Fresh Retro: Listen Up! (In Spanish)

Combining an new-age retro aesthetic, Eskuché presents itself as a combination of both design and performance. With their LR Soundsystems, the headphones recognize the need to properly balance sounds for the best in listening pleasure. The vintage aesthetic is evident with some brilliant metallic finishes as an added contemporary touch. For more information, check Eskucheme.com.

source: eskuche blog, hypebeast

Three Are Better Than One

Interactive art was all the rage at the 2009 Venice Art Biennale last week, and not just the marquee installations showing on the main strip at the Giardini. Set in a beautiful old palazzo off the beaten path was Ukraine's offering, titled The Steppes of Dreamers, where Ukrainian artist Ilya Chichkan collaborated with Japanese fashion designer Mihara Yasuhiro to produce a dreamlike setting, complete with a sand-filled entrance hall. (Not since Hussein Chalayan for Turkey last year has a fashion designer represented a country at the Biennale.)Upstairs in the palazzo, a labyrinth of smoke-filled dark rooms lured one in with an interactive system of noises and half-human kinetic installations that moved or made sounds upon entry. Themes such as travel and consciousness were examined, looking at the past, present and future of the Eastern European landscape through various cinematic metaphors inspired by Ukrainian film director Kira Muratova. The installation was made all the more spooky by the palace's grand fireplaces, flock wallpaper and huge chandeliers with multi-colored bulbs. But stranger still, the piece was curated by Volodymyr Klitchko, Ukraine's world champion boxer!

A Cake Walk

Before and backstage pics of Justin White's F*ck, Let Them Eat Cake held at Heaven Gallery in Chicago.

More pics on the way. What a beautiful beginning.

First Clue: Teamo Tee

Amazing Teamo Tees feature sketches of icons as Courtney Love, the Olsen twins and Vincent Gallo.

Available at New High (M)art.

Dutch Oven

At the opening of Arnhem Mode Biennale a couple of days ago, Haidee Findlay-Levin of Hintmag had the opportunity to meet some of the 43 international and national designers whose work was on display, with the show's artistic director Piet Paris as her guide. One of the young designers she met was Mattijs van Bergen, whose current summer collection—under the single name Mattijs—already sells at local concept store Coming Soon, alongside other Dutch designers such as Klavers van Engelen, Orson+Bodil and Lucas Ossendrijver of Lanvin Homme. Here's what he had to say...

Haidee Findlay-Levin: Your work tends to be quite elaborate, with a lot of embellishment. Why did you choose to exhibit garments made from plain cotton calico and decorated with a simple biro pen?

Mattijs: As with many young designers at the moment, I am struggling with my financial situation. Even though I am selling in certain places, for my recent collection, which inspired this installation, I wanted to be creative and challenging, and create something quite elaborate without going over budget. I start a garment in calico and from there I work on the shape and form. The biro becomes the embellishment. There is a lot of work, because it's all hand-drawn. In the end, it looks like embroidery. It's almost like a couture way of working.

Calico has a starched quality that breaks down the shape with wear. Was this the effect you were going for? Firstly, I like its weird off-tone color; this color looks good on everyone. The fabric wears, changes and evolves when you wear it. You can't wash it or even dry-clean it.

So it has a limited lifespan. Exactly. You can only wear it for a moment, really for no more than a few events. There is a beauty in its limited lifespan.

You studied in Holland and London, earning your BA in Arnhem and your MA at St Martins. What did you take away from each? Arnhem is more about technique and how to build a garment. At St Martins, it's more about the image, about the woman. It's more about the idea of fashion, the dream. The combination has worked well for me.

Is it true that you work with your mother on your collections? Yes. My mother does all the pleated metal pieces. It started at St Martins. The director, Louise Wilson, commented on a brooch I was wearing, something my mother had made. She said, "If you have a mother this talented, why don’t you work together on something.” This way I get to really spend time with her.

Is your mother based here in Holland? Yes, she lives close to Arnhem. My parents met here. My father is a painter and they both met at the Academy. Initially I didn't want to study here. I didn’t want to be the baker’s son who becomes a baker. But it was unavoidable.

First Clue: Sandra Backlund

Perhaps because it's officially beer season, these Rorschach-like images of Swedish knit queen Sandra Backlund's fall '09 collection—in collaboration with Italian knitwear company Maglificio Miles—remind us of beer cozies, but for the body. As in, snug yet springy. Besides, Sandra knows how to keep it cool...

photography Peter Gehrke @ Adamsky

styling Naomi Itkes @ Link Details

hair Peter Andersson @ Mikas

make-up Kajsa Svanberg @ Mikas

model Tilda L @ Stockholmsgruppen

art direction Sandberg&Timonen

retouching Matchmill

The 30 Day Challenge

Blogger Sarah of Public Personae loves her Rockett Mansion.