The Nike Way.

      Nike, which began as an import/ export scheme of made-in-Japan running shoes and does not own any of its factories, has become a prototype for the product-free brand.[1] Taking advantages of low wages and high technology in Asia, Nike has moved out all production to overseas, with consequences on ourselves; '45,000 US apparel workers lost their jobs in 1997 alone'.[2]

With labour costs dropping and retail prices rising, Nike are raking in the evergrowing profits. Freed from the chains of production, the company has newfound time and money to focus on 'brand image', and less on the needs of their workers, ensuring that Air Maxs are the only shoes we consider buying. Competing brand, Adidas quickly took a leaf out of the Nike's book in 1993, turning over its operation to former executive at advertising giant Saatchi and Saatchi, who promptly shut down company-owned factories and moved to contracting-out in Asia.

"Nike, Adidas, Puma and Umbro were among the firms examined in a drive to crack down on sweatshop labour, called 'Play Fair at the Olympics'. Sports manufacturers broadly welcomed the Play Fair campaign and said they were working towards improving and safeguarding conditions for workers. Nike said it welcomed the report and was working with independent groups to improve working conditions. Adidas said it already had a code of conduct in place which requires its suppliers to comply with core labour standards."[3]

[1] & [2] Klein, N. (2000) No Logo, Canada, Knopf Canada.

[3] http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3531625.stm

P R A D A

         There's one thing that Miuccia Prada does better than any other designer; she gives women what they didn't know they wanted. We have learnt not to forecast as each season she surprises us with unexpected shapes in colours we had forgotten existed. A/W 2011 sees Cardin/ Couregges-esque coats, shifts and furs in retro colours that suddenly felt new. All accompanied by big buckled and buttoned belts, bags and shoes, provocative sheer fabrics, python skin and sequins were made to feel innocent. Models' heads were adorned with hats which seemed to give me, 'aviator goes for a swim in the sixties' and red tinted mono-lens sunglasses which I predict to be the most re-blogged look of the season.

As opposed to last winters collection which celebrated a womanly form, Miuccia presented a straight up and down silhouette reminiscent of flapper girls or sixties dolly birds. There is more to a Prada collection than meets the eye. It's in the twists, the boots made to look like mary janes in python skin socks and conservative fronts with flirtatious exposed backs. Katie Grand, who styled Prada shows in the early and mid-Noughties says, "She (Miuccia) loves those naughty elements. Once she was standing in the studio in this very prim, calf-length, pleated white dress, you could see straight through it to her electric-pink underwear. That mixture of being very sober and then adding something quite shocking is totally Prada".[1]

Watch full show video.

Images from  http://www.style.com

[1] The alchemist, British Vogue, March 2011, p320.

Video from YouTube

MEN IN SKIRTS

'A woman shall not wear anything that

pertains to a man, nor shall a man put on a

woman's garment; for whoever does these

 things is abomination the Lord your God.'

 Deuteronomy 22.5

Togas. Frock coats. Kilts. Sarongs. Kaftans. All items traditionally worn by men. But what is acceptable male attire in today’s society? As long as there is fabric between the legs we’re happy, and comfortable? For many men, their female connotations are too potent to overcome their fear that by wearing a skirt, their gender identity might be brought into question.[1] Fashion designers, Jean Paul Gaultier, John Galliano, Walter Van Beirendonck and Yohji Yamamoto continue to campaign against connotations of mens dress by presenting men looking entirely augmented and masculine. Photographer Mark Lebon comments, ‘The look (being men in skirts) was not intended to threaten a man’s masculinity, it was intended to enhance it’. [2] 

[1](From, ‘For many men’) Men In Skirts, V&A Publications.

[2] Interview with the author of ‘Men In Skirts’ by Andrew Bolton, V&A Publications. 

[3] Image, Tommy Hilfiger advertising campaign, Autumn/ Winter 1997-8. Photograph by Mike Toth.

"White is the absence of colour, but black is the presence of all colours" -Yohji Yamamoto

     Japanese fashion design has left a big impression on dress and attitudes towards it over the last 30 years.

Barbican hosts the first exhibition in Europe telling the story of contemporary Japanese fashion with designers such as Yohji Yamamoto, Rei Kawakudo and Issey Miyake at the forefront of this revolutionary movement. 

'Future Beauty: 30 Years of Japanese Fashion' explores in depth, 'the unique sensibility of Japanese design, and its sense of beauty embodied in clothing'. [1] Organized by The Barbican and the Kyoto Costume Institute, the exhibition features video presentations, specialist publications and items not seen in any other collections worldwide.

I entered the exhibition space not knowing quite what to expect. I found myself confronted with a minimal setting divided by immaculate, floating muslin sheets, perfect for displaying the often intricate and colourful creations. The journey started with early Yamamoto deconstruction. Progressing through to 'Flatness' and the creation of 'Ma', the space between the wearer and the clothes, delightfully illustrated by Issey Miyake's 'Pleats Please' and Rei Kawakubo. The ground floor expands into sections named, Praise of Shadows, Tradition, Innovation and Cool Japan, whilst the upper level hosts individual spaces dedicated to each designer. Video projections are also shown throughout the exhibition showing rare and fascinating footage of fashion shows and short documentaries.

                                

                              

Kate Bush, Head of Art Galleries, Barbican Centre, said: "The great Japanese designers – Rei Kawakubo, Issey Miyake and Yohji Yamamoto – changed fashion forever in the 1980s. The tight silhouettes of Western couture were jettisoned for new fluid shapes. Out went the magnificent ornament and extravagant techniques of the post-war tradition and in came a stark, monochrome palette and an entirely new decorative language – holes, rips, frays and tears – emerging from the stuff of fabric itself."[2]

These clothes really need to be examined in the flesh to be fully appreciated making this exhibition a must see for any design enthusiast. This is an influencing and inspiring exhibition which left me little bit starstruck...

          

All event information can be found at the Barbican website:

http://www.barbican.org.uk/artgallery/event-detail.asp?ID=10771

[1] http://www.barbican.org.uk/artgallery/event-detail.asp?ID=10771
[2]http://pichaus.com/design-fashion-barbican-exhibitions-@77bf44e25e8b662829108635a90c5231/
All images, Google

GIVENCHY @ No. 28

     New Givenchy boutique opens at 28 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré in Paris. Store reflects the modern vision of Givenchy, designed by architect Jamie Fobert in collaboration with Riccardo Tisci, head designer of Givenchy collections. Fobert says, "Riccardo and I share a passion for contemporary art. From the beginning, our dialogue centered on an art-based approach to design".[1] 

The shop floor is divided into five pods, illustrating the Givenchy story and creating personal shopping spaces in which to display the clothing. The room sized boxes differ in design, featuring signature elements of Givenchy's history. One interior is decorated with the same white plaster moulding as is found in the couture salon on the Avenue George V, another in contrast, sculpted in grey plaster capturing the urban, functional tone of recent collections. 

"Together we experimented with materials, looking for surfaces and textures to alter perceptions and trigger memories that would be contemporary but emerge with a subtle romanticism" [2] Fobert is familiar to induvidual shopping environments, designing one of the six salons of Selfridges shoe room. Tisci admits, " I wanted the design to look as much as possible like an art gallery"[3] The, sometimes minimal space provides the perfect showcase to experience and appreciate Tisci's darkly romantic designs. But for the time being, a gallery is all this boutique can be to me, unfortunately. 

[1], [2], [3], Quotes from Givenchy New Boutique Press Release.

All photograps http://forums.thefashionspot.com/f81/shop-design-displays-5425-40.htm

BALENCIAGA.NICOLAS GHESQUIERE

     1997, Twenty-six year old Frenchman, Nicolas Ghesquiere appointed creative director, to inject new life into the once notable couture house of Balenciaga. Since, he has transformed the ghost of glamour into an ultimatly desirable brand. Each season the Balenciaga image evolves by virtue of Ghesquiere's fashion forward designs. True to the works of the late Christobal Balenciaga, renowned for his radical creations, Ghesquiere focuses on silhouette, fabrics, detail and finishes, often reinventing classic Balenciaga shapes such as the 'cocoon', 'balloon' and 'sack dress'. He designs for the present and the future, for what Balenciaga means today. As a "child of the eighties", his designs could be described as his fantasies of future fashion, often an eclectic mix of science, technology, history and romance. In the fourteen years under his direction, he has resurrected the house of Balenciaga, creating two womenswear and menswear collection each season, and picking up awards along the way; In 2000, the Vogue/VH1 Avant Garde Designer of the Year Award, followed by The Womenswear Designer of the Year title in 2001. Ghesquiere has gained an array of celebrity clients of the likes of Kate Moss, Nicole Kidman, Chloe Sevigny, Charlotte Gainsborough and editor in chief of American Vogue, Anna Wintour. When asked, who he has in mind when he designs, he answered, "Any girl who puts on Balenciaga is a muse. I don't like to think of one particular when I'm designing".[1] What's interesting about Nicolas is that despite his success he shies away from the limelight, as did his predecessor Christobal, keeping the mysteries locked behind the noble maison doors. For the present Ghesquiere plans on developing the house further, with no news of his own label, to the disappointment of his loyal followers.

[1] Fashion Now 2, Taschen. All images, Google. Video, Youtube.