• M.i.h Jeans / Denim A - Z Project

    Written by Meghan Scott

    Pimping your jeans is here to stay. Today, M.i.h Jeans brings to life their world of denim and the spirit of the brand with the launch of the Denim A – Z. The Denim A – Z Project captures with every letter, the words and values that make us who we are. Choose letters or word(s) that means something to you. A creative collaboration with stylist, Celestine Cooney -  creative consultant and stylist based between london and New York - together with a cast of London-based creatives. Shot by photographer Alice Neale, she shows her fashion via realism approach to the project and captures the fun and irreverence of a day spent in a London park with eight creative women. The cast are a group of cool, creative girls led by Lili Sumner, who brings her attitude, quirkiness and sense of fun to the shoot. The rest of the cast are all local London girls; Poet, Lily Ashley, Model & Artist, Marina Ontanaya, Artist, Louise Oates, Photographer, Tegan Williams, Model, Melanie Smith-Torres, Artist & Designer, Tiger Chadwick and Jewellery Designer, Gala Colivet Dennison.


    The girls have co-created with M.i.h by customising their favourite pieces with words and messaging. From our London shoot, Marina Ontanaya and Lily Ashley have personalized their denim with words and messaging to bring to life what they stand for.

    An addition of global creaitives have joined the project; Australian stylist Chloe Hill, Norwegian buyer & stylist, Annabel Rosendahl and German editor, Stella von Senger and last but not least Stockholm's own Swedish, fashion editor & stylist, Hilda Sandstrom

    The Denim A – Z capsule of personalized pieces will be available to buy as ‘Made to Order’ styles on mih jeans.com and farfetch.com from 1 November 2017.

    The existing M.i.h Jeans Custom Denim Service will be re-launched alongside the capsule with new season styles and updated personalization options. Denim girls can choose to have their initials embroidered on the front or back pockets of their jeans as well as more quirky placements such as one initial on each knee. 

    “Expressing our brand and everything we stand for through a Denim A to Z felt playful and creative. The project offered the perfect mix of collaboration and co-creation with our favourite creatives as well as continuing to offer our customers the opportunity to personalize their denim and create unique products.” - Founder and chief creative officer, Chloe Lonsdale.

    M.i.h Jeans is the London girl’s denim brand. At the centre of the brand’s ethos is a drive to capture the spirit of denim culture rooted in their 70s style heritage; an inclusive, non-conformist, free-spirited attitude called blue-jean spirit. Under the direction of Chloe Lonsdale, daughter of London’s Jean Machine founder and ‘Blue Jean King’, Tony Lonsdale, and goddaughter of the original owner of Made in Heaven jeans, M.i.h Jeans draws inspiration from its vintage archives, Chloe’s childhood surrounded by denim, and her youth spent immersed in the street culture of London. With an attitude and authority built on five decades of denim experience, the London-based label is known for its cult jeans and confident, lo-fi ready-to-wear - a uniform for the modern girl.

    I caught up with Stockholm's Hilda Sandström and asked her a few questions about her contribution to the collaboration:

    What made you choose to have Mom & Dad on one of your custom jeans?
    Since they're the best! I actually wanted to write my initials from the beginning but that wouldn't work that well for everyone so instead I wanted to add my favorites on my pants. Like a tattoo, without getting hurt.

    Could you tell me a little story behind your decicion for the left/right jeans?
    I was super happy when they asked me to do this creative collaboration but also a bit terrified since I'm the worst on writing captions (prioritizing emojis on Instagram). Afraid of writing something to cheesy I went for these words.. For days when you're confused and don't know which side is left or right ;)

    Which M.i.h jeans style that is your favourite, if you have others than the styles you have for your your customs?
    I love my black Lou Jean. Perfect fit and extremely comfortable.

    Tricking out your jeans is being seen more and more these days, do you think we'll see much more of this next spring/summer?
    I definitely think we'll se more logos and embroideries. Love it since it's a cool and personal detail!

    out all the styles and get your faves here. 

  • Acne Studios SS18

    Written by Linnéa Tjörnevik

    As expected, Acne Studios presented an original collection with some interesting point of views in their SS18 collection at Paris Fashion Week. Founder and Creative Director, Jonny Johansson explain that the vantage point of the collection is his own feeling of always feeling a bit apart from the system. “An outsider way of being”. 

    This was manifested at the presentation by a translucent shower curtain surrounding the catwalk as the first models came down. Creating a feeling of being an outside observer looking in. 

    The collection is a mix of colors, like out of a bowl of sugar pastel pastilles. A lot of details such as fringes, sparkly sequins, silky satins and starch treated jersey fabric gave the garments a lacquered finish. Every look had their own story and main theme.

    Silhouettes were shifting from oversized suits and jackets to more slimmed crochet beach dresses, all with a conceptual vintage vibe. After the show, Jonny summed up the collection with the words “Thrift shop on acid”.  Spontaneous pieces mish-mashed for the fun of it. 

    Altogether the collection breathes Miami Vice with a 70's silhouettes twist meets a Diner Girl in a Saturday Night Fever scene, all fused together in a somewhat cohesive look based on separates. 

  • The Return of the Original

    Written by Fashion Tales

    The past years have seen a strong revival of analog instant photography,“ explains Oskar Smolokowski, CEO of Polaroid Originals. “This growing demand goes beyond nostalgia. In today’s fast-paced, digital world a tangible object outside of your phone screen becomes a valued artifact. It’s also completely unique and impossible to reproduce.“

    Polaroid Originals is launching a new analog instant camera, named the Polaroid OneStep 2. It is a proud successor to the original Polaroid OneStep, the camera that democratized instant photography 40 years ago with its ease of use. Priced at $99.99 // £109.99 // €119.99 and with the same point-and-shoot usability as its predecessor, the OneStep 2 invites everyone to join the revival of analog instant photography. With a powerful built-in flash, easy USB charging, long-lasting battery and a self-timer, the camera is designed for today.

    Polaroid Originals simultaneously introduces a new generation of original format instant film, with color, black & white, and a range of special editions to choose from. The new film features the distinct dreamy aesthetic that Polaroid is famous for. It is available for modern analog instant cameras like the OneStep 2, as well as for key vintage Polaroid camera formats. Dedicated to keeping the legacy alive, Polaroid Originals also sells fully refurbished vintage Polaroid cameras.

    “When it comes to capturing a moment and bringing people together, there’s nothing quite like a Polaroid photograph,“ Oskar Smolokowski summarizes the motivation behind the Polaroid Originals brand.

  • Perfection is Boring

    Written by Fashion Tales

    While the web pursues #flawless, Diesel celebrates imperfection in their new campaign GO WITH THE FLAW 

    Diesel has always stood to challenge conformity. Today conformity is the chase of perfection, look at your social channels: perfect holiday, perfect pictures, perfect life, fitting in with the status quo. It’s going with the flow. It’s time to GO WITH THE FLAW. That’s right, we said FLAW. Not flow. Be unordinary because #flawless is forgettable. Roll with what you’ve got, even though it’s not ideal. Embrace what you can’t control. Find a little bravery to wear your flaws with pride, take a front seat and enjoy the ride. It’s time to go with mistakes, go with remakes, go without knowing if you have what it takes. GO WITH being reckless, megalomania, compulsive shopping, being lazy, forgetfulness, being nosy.
    Even your sunburns.

    “I was fifteen years old when I made my first pair of jeans by hand. Of course they weren’t perfect. But that made them special – and unique, like everything we have done across our history so far”, says Diesel founder Renzo Rosso. “I have always been more interested in imperfection because it stands out from the crowd.”

    A film by François Rousselet, the French director François Rousselet who has created videos for Snoop Dogg, Madonna and The Rolling Stones, is the centre of the GO WITH THE FLAW campaign. During the mini-movie Edith Piaf provocatively sings ‘Non, je ne regrette rien’ as the cast embrace the uncomfortable of their everyday lives – and rise above, laughing.

    Always late? You’ll make a big entrance. Secret snorer? Your lover has a soundtrack? Bad dancer? You’ll be a YouTube sensation. Lazy? You won’t waste energy. Style your shortcomings into something extra – because success lives outside of conformity. Perfection is overrated. “Being unique is much more beautiful than being perfect,” explains Diesel's Artistic Director Nicola Formichetti, whose casting approach finds incredible looking people with interesting features, affirming the message of self-love. “Change the way you look at things so even the bad becomes positive, overcoming obstacles and fears. You’ll have the best life possible.”

    The 2017 Fall Winter campaign will be officially launched today (Wednesday, September 6th) with an event in Beijing

    Campaign imagery for billboard and print is photographed by Tom Sloan, whilst the concept is in collaboration with creative agency Publicis.

    Watch the campaign video here: https://youtu.be/aYxG1ASrYKo

     

  • HWYL by Aesop - Something in the Air

    Written by Meghan Scott

    After 10 years Aesop reveals a Japanese inspired fragrance named HWYL. I had the opportunity to visit the Aesop headquarters in London last week for the release. We entered a beautiful raw industrial space with clean lines with all of their ranges uniformly merchandised along a wall of minimal steel shelving and two large wood tables positioned at the far wall, juxtaposed with an island in the middle of the room decorated with fresh moss and rocks, adorned with the essential HWYL bottles. The typical fluorescent lighting fixtures were eclipsed by sheets of earthy muslin; which took down the anxiety that kind of lighting can induce, and covered too where the heating elements, keeping one connected to the natural vibe that was conferred. The team were casually dressed in clothes that give an Ann Demeulemeester circa 97 feel, while the stars of the show stood out with their unique style. The expert duo behind this new scent is french perfumer Barnabé Fillion and Kate Forbes, Aesops R&D Manager and an expert in ingredients and formulations, concocted this special scent with the idea of an ancient temple covered in moss. The temple was discovered by a group of monks, in which they took over leaving the moss as a sort of shrine. The key noses for this fragrance are cypress, frankincense and vetiver, a perennial bunchgrass native to india, but in this case, grown in Madagascar.  Over a period of time involving a new technology, of course confidential, and an extensive formulation process involving distillation and mixing, and with precise timing gives us this authentic and exceptional scent.

    We were met with a warm welcome of hugs, followed by an expert hand wash, yes our hands were washed by an Aesop specialist. Coffee was served immediately, which was perfect and we were encouraged to explore to Aesop HQs and absorb the setting and try the fragrance. Shortly after we all gathered around to hear Barnaby and Forbes speak about their adventures of the inception of HWYL. Capturing the base note from the silence and personal impact of ancient forests of Kyoto with trees that have been on earth for 700 years, getting inspired by the space between the trees and how they embrace. The interaction between elements, was the perfect setting for the perfectionist. Not a simple process, Fillion’s unique nose, tied in compassion and creative freedom, never stopping to look at the trends, compromising on quality was surely out of the question. After 150 trials and special time taken on alcohol tests paired with Forbe’s aforementioned expertise, HWLY was finally born.

    The fantastic social elements of this fragrance are that there were no focus groups, no no social media  updates, no spectacular campaign, just an insular group working on a final goal. Just a small creative team, inspired by the space between the trees, how they embrace, the interaction between elements. A short film was made to compliment the feeling, to give us a sense of the journey, by cinematographer Olivier Sévère, who works a lot with stones and rocks, he filmed in KUSHO, Japan.

    We had a nice chat with Thomas Buisson, the general manager for Europe, and he SCHOOLED us with the brands philiosophy, which reiderated the ideas behind the making of HWYL. Respect for the retail process, the personal interaction with each client is taken seriously, no products are pushed, the client is able to discover products for themselves. There is a personal involvement that involves love, passion and exposure. They resist against the one stop shop and mass consumption, which seems to be the norm these days, a retail revolution must take place in order keep a sense of self and know who you are. Take time and make time.

    As perfume is individual, each person’s skin captures and emits a unique scent, and with the ingredients, this scent is presented as unisex. When I tried it, It smelled quite ‘masculine’ on me, I’m blaming my plunge in progesterone and estrogen (aka pms) that day, so basically my hormone levels deemed me a man that day. It was very interesting to smell the scent on others at the event and discuss the different theories on how the scent reacts to each individual; diet, mood, sweet blood vs sour blood and even the female cycle.

    Hwyl is available now at Aesop stores now and is launching in Sweden on September 25th.

    Shop here.

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