• VICKY LAWTON: 360 APPROACH WITH ACTION, ENERGY AND EXPERIMENTING

    Written by Ksenia Rundin

    Behind every fashion and music video or any TV commercial there is always a significant extent of creativity. Vicky Lawton is a ‘visual fanatic’, who has directed a number of those boldly intriguing photo and video stories for such brands as Chanel, Elie Saab, Jil Sander and a few others. Belonging to a new wave of female directors, Vicky was already prestigiously nominated for Best New Director at the 2015 Shots Awards and also won a Silver at the 2016 Young Director Award in Cannes. However, the award list is long and Vicky was also praised with the Creative Circle award for Best Up and Coming Female Commercial Film Director 2017 and appeared on the cover of Pitch Magazine's 'Winners' Issue. Thus, she is one of the ‘architects’ of the magnificent and faceted world, consisting of directors, photographers, strategists, producers and editors, which is known to us under the name FASHION. Odalisque Magazine together with Vicky Lawton has made an attempt to give our readers a peak into that magnificent and demanding reality of Vicky’s professional life.

    Please tell us about your recent film project and your next exciting project in photography.
    Recently I shot an Agent Provocateur campaign - film and stills, which was a really amazing experience working with Creative Director Sarah Shotton and featuring the incredible Eliza Cummings. A first person perspective film which delved into little moments between Eliza and her lover - some quite adventurous, some very naughty.

    Now I am working on a personal project at the moment called ‘Self Love’ which is an exploration into learning to accept and love yourself and the skin you are in. It is both stills and film and the casting is all about inclusivity - collaborating with those in the fashion industry as well as friends, family and a call out to anyone who wants to be involved.

    What came first, passion for film or love for photography?
    Tricky question… I fell in love with cinema first, music videos and then I became obsessed with fashion magazines: Vogue, Elle, The Face. I would rip out the pages and tape them up on my walls like wallpaper.

    What fashion brand (you have not worked with) would you love to work with in photography and/or in film and why?
    I would love to work on projects that I can really sink my teeth in from start to finish - collaborate creatively, create the photography campaign alongside the TV Commercial. To bring a new 360 approach to everything. I LOVE action, energy and experimenting with different camera rigs. Working with brands who are on the same wavelength would be incredible.

    Which male politician and female politician would you like to photograph? How could we expect to see them portrayed in your photographs? (I mean if you would like to create a certain image for the person or put him/her in a special environment)?
    I would love to photograph women who are actually making a difference. Women who are starting conversations, standing up to put important message out there and putting actions in place to encourage the next wave. When I get the chance to work with Reese Witherspoon, Emma Watson, Katherine Bigelow, Patty Jenkins, Reed Morano I’ll make sure they are portrayed as the bad-ass, awesome individuals that they are.

    Do you have any female photographer/-s whose works have been a great inspiration for you?
    I have always been a big fan of Annie Leibovitz and Ellen von Unwerth. Leibovitz has a portfolio of incredible portraits and really seems to understand her subjects. Ellen von Unwerth has such a distinct style and I really admire how playful her images are.

    How does artificial intelligence (AI) affect/improve your work in film and photography? Does it become easier or you have to learn more and adapt yourself to new digital conditions?
    Robots are going to become photographers and directors…and then I will be out of a job!

    When you create a fashion video, who usually decides what the plot/theme should be, you or the fashion brand?
    The creative concept comes from the agency on TV Commercials - but on fashion films I have created through Hunger Magazine, I usually have created the concepts alongside my team at The Full Service.

    What media do you think fashion will use in 20 years? Will Instagram survive taking new AI-forms?
    I think we will have a new incarnation of Instagram, it will involve into something new - not sure what yet! Film is dominating the platforms, with digital taking precedent over stills in some cases clients are asking for moving image more often.

    How do you, working with soft intelligence called creativity, where you constantly judged by audience, defeat you fear or insecurities connected to that?
    You cannot be precious about your ideas. They have to be shared, and that is the way they grow! There is always a bit of nervousness when you put out a piece of work, but good or bad feedback it is all a learning curve.

    Do you think we ever will be able to see a new sustainable era of fashion, where sustainability is not just merely used as a marketing strategy?
    I hope so, I think big companies are realising that it is a necessity to have strong solutions in place to enable better sustainability. There’s no time to waste…no pun intended.

  • PERRET SCHAAD X Silhoutte - Design with Passion

    Written by Meghan Scott

    As we immerse ourselves in the abundance of fashion from the Autumn/Winter 2018 collections, we contemplate which pieces will reign supreme for the fashion set, watching the shows in each city and drooling over our favourite wares. And then comes that alluring moment, when we come across a “see-now/buy-now” opportunity. This concept is tricky for most designers showing runway collections, the means just aren't available just yet. There has been an interesting alternative to keep us connected to the collections before they hit the stores and Berlin’s hottest fashion design duo, PERRET SCHAAD have realized this for this season.

    As consumers become increasingly educated in their purchasing habits as each day passes, and keeping up with the fast-fashion cycles can be dizzying, it has become a trend that the average shopper tends to invest in a collaboration piece or an item from a capsule collection from a brand, especially before the main collection is available. The luxury Austrian eyewear brand Silhouette, a household name in eyewear, known for their minimal lightweight frameless designs has collaborated PERRET SCHAAD creating a collection named Tital Minimal. The Icon. Johanna Perret and Tutia Schaad share the commitment for reduction, and unique and functional design, which is the DNA of this collaboration. The duo has been compared to the likes of Jil Sander, and have incited Berlin’s fashion scene to the forefront of the current circuit.

    The dynamic shape juxtaposed with a print on the lens in an array of colours that reflect the AW18 collection, give us a full-frame modern sunglass look. Four strong combinations of frame and lens colors that allow them to see the world in their own way: copper with orange-blue, brass with mint, dark red with gray and gold with caramel. 

    ‘Working with Johanna and Tutia was very inspiring, and we quickly found common ground as designers,’ explains Roland Keplinger, Silhouette’s head of design. ‘It was interesting combining the fashion side of things with our technical know-how, which was a key factor in making this extraordinary piece of eyewear.’

    At the show, in an intimate atmosphere, the models were arranged in a “Last Supper” arrangement, socializing quietly and subtly taking turns taking a stroll towards the audience. A colour blocking palette of pastel pinks and green, mixed with greys, browns, purples, and accents of iridescent orange, blues, and purples in a mix of satin silks, chiffons, light wools and jersey were draped in structured a-symmetrical contrasted with symmetrical figures. These elements created a perfect ambiance for the sunglasses to shine. Archive pieces were added throughout as they usually bring back selected pieces in their collections. When asked about the inspiration for this collection, they told me that it was intuitively; a special feeling in the air they felt together. They also told me that they feel good working with Silhouette, because it is a family run business and that they are produced in Austria and Germany, sourcing materials from France and Italy. 

    This is the fourth collaboration that the CEO of Silhouette, Jan Rosenburg has participated in. ‘PERRET SCHAAD focuses on individual people just like Silhouette does, and this principle informs their functional, yet perfectly-formed designs. Silhouette’s iconic “Titan Minimal Art – The Icon” shares the same DNA.”

    The sunglasses are currently available and we can adorn our face with PERRET SCHAAD while we enjoy the summer days and when the season changes, we will be ready to wrap ourselves in our favourite runway look. Shop here.

  • photography by SABINA OLSON
    clothing by FO PHAN
    make up & hair ANGELIQUE CARLSSON
    stylist MARTINA AXTELIUS
    model KLARA JÄMTERUD /MP Stockholm

    Designing Emotional Sustainability

    Written by Ksenia Rundin

    This is our last interview in the designer-student series and we meet a young, curious and diligent student of Beckmans College of Design Fo Phan, who dares to question both himself and contemporary times. His design discovers an emotional string in the textile and connects it with the flow of the created forms, granting a wearer an outstanding luxury of the craftsmanship and a feeling of an inner strength. He skilfully plays with aesthetic disruptions, unintentionally creating an own sensuous bricolage of Western culture and Eastern philosophy.

    Tell me about your recent work. What theme does it have?
    Recently I worked with emotional interpretation of the word “waste” in my design through questioning my close relationships within the LGBT-community. It is a way for me to investigate my own behaviour and my own fears and insecurities. I have bared my feelings creating a monologue by means of my design, where I have manipulated the textile. Looking the denim threads being released (ripped up) in an act of self-disruption, baring its soul and reviving by creating motions, reminds me of human feelings.
    Furthermore, it is also a way of pondering the role of social media in our choice of clothes. We go to the gym and work out in order to be able to fit the tight silhouettes we are forced upon by the influence of social media. Well, it is more or less a way of searching for freedom.

    Who are you designing for?
    Changes within the fashion system and availability have raised many thoughts about the time I am living in. I question the existed ideals and want to shape garments that give spiritual strength to a person wearing those.

    Do you think that the designer as such has any obligations towards the customer?
    The obligation is to be including using your design. There are a lot of changes happening in fashion right now. Vetements’ designer Demna Gvasalia is one of the prominent examples, where he tries to change the fashion system. I would say it is about questioning the consumer’s quantitative choice as much as it is also a new way for fashion to make money.

    Who inspires you in fashion design?
    One of my references is Martin Margiela and his way of deconstructing the beauty.

    Do you think that haute couture and fast fashion can learn something from each other?
    It is such a big contrast between those two. However, I think that the accentuation should be on the craftsmanship for both. Fast fashion could win a lot there.

    What is your strength concerning design and how does it help you in your creating process?
    My strength is my courage to experiment with forms and to dare to play with textile to achieve the result and the form I have in mind. Thus, it is about a challenge.

    Your fashion city?
    It is Seoul with its statement looks people wearing, its mix of culture and technology. In other words, all its multifunctionality the city invites you to become a part of.

    Your favourite designer?
    It is South Korean designer Juun J, who is a master of classic tailoring but applying his skills in a very modern way by playing with forms and in a revolutionary way restructuring habitual silhouettes. In other words, he dares.

    Do you integrate any thought of sustainability into your design? If so, how do you do it?
    I think sustainability should start on the personal level, by deciding how you as a designer can work in a sustainable way and contribute to the future of sustainable fashion. For me it starts with an emotional sustainability in a garment, where I give the textile new life that through its motion connects to the global thought of sustainability. In the first place, it is not about striving for to become sustainable but about making your mind sustainable.

    If you started your own brand today, what three key qualities would it have?
    It is difficult for me to answer because I have not thought that far. Considering that I am still a student I would rather like to work for some brand in order to learn more about the field, what would also help me as a designer. Nevertheless, it would be something edgy and multifunctional.

    Does Fashion Week (FW) serve its purpose? Would you like to change the concept?
    FW as such is good to have but the question is what purpose the latter should serve. I think it is about the time to question what fashion really is and FW could take the lead in the issue.

    Tell me about identity and authenticity in your design.
    My design narrates about how the world I am existing in has infringed my integrity. My starting point is the issues I deal with both within the LGBT-community and outside the latter. These are issues concerning peoples’ integrity. The identity of my design is about to justify different images around that field. In a certain way, the world has permeated into our human integrity, what I can clearly see in the works of today’s fashion designers. They have apparently been affected by the consumers.

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