A day with Louise Gray

In the short time I had in London I was determined to fit in some experience to complete what has been a very interesting summer of placements.

When hearing I would be working with Louise Gray at her catwalk show, I only just managed to remain composed, ok I didn't. I have followed Louise's career closly from the beginning as her work is incredible and she is flying the flag for the Scots in the Industry.

Working for Louise Gray meant spending a day at the Topshop Space. The venue was exactly how I had imagined a show space to look with large white tents containing numerous tall rails, tall models and tall lattes. I was not nervous once I had arrived as there was too much to see from hair and makeup artists working like machines eight to a model and the huge dress bags being arranged by busy interns.

What I was not expecting was how calm it all was. Perhaps Louise and her team were just organised but there was none of the screaming, throwing or swearing- if I am honest this was slightly disappointing.

Louise appeared from behind a rack, running orders in hand and walked straight towards me. You can imagine my astonishment when I smiled and she smiled back before asked me if I would help her with something.

team Louise

 Following her out onto the catwalk I felt as though I was dreaming, as she explained the task to be done I struggled to listen and not think about the fact that LOUISE GRAY was talking to me and calling me hun!

 Some say you should never meet an idol as you will only be disappointed but Louise Gray proved this theory to be wrong as she is one of the nicest people I have ever met, furiously thanking us for our help with organising the catwalk display. Being out front pre show also allowed me to witness the lighting, sound and run through checks. How do these things happen to me?

Louise was so professional and friendly even minutes before the show that she had worked tirelessly on for the past season; I do not think I would be breathing standing in her position with the world press and fashion heavy weights eagerly waiting on the other side of the catwalk.

When the lights went down the action picked up, models ran from rail to stage with one being sliced out of a dress. The team were focused and I appreciated how important it was for team members to be capable and confident during this time.

 The collection was sensational, with 90s mash ups and Barbie influences.

Within minutes the show was over, the appreciation ear shattering and the press furiously flooding back stage for an interview.  It was a great opportunity to experience the planning, organisation and detail that is put into the short show. Within minutes all social media was inundated with pictures, quotes and reviews.  There is a short and intense period of time where the Louise Gray collection is top of fashion then the models grab their suitcases, the press run and editors disappear to the next show, the next big thing and leave Louise and her team to pack up six months of work before celebrating the huge success of the collection.

Heading home happy.

 

Obviously the collection will receive attention for some time but for the design teams it is history, when Monday morning comes around this amazing collection will be old news moving onto the next exciting project that will no doubt continue to capture the hearts of the industry once again.

I felt incredibly lucky to be part of the event, Louise is still part of Topshop’s  Newgen project but when she is a fashion legend, which I know she will be I will look back and remember every second of that day. As a communication student it will be interesting to follow the press and upcoming editorial on the collection and see what garments are picked up and what trends are sustained throughout the season.

Reflecting on my time with Louise Gray I feel I learnt three important lessons; leave your nerves at the door, be proactive in your approach and don’t blink or you will miss it.  

In the street at LFW

One of the areas we were instructed to cover during our LFW project was Street Style. Documenting this is a great way to learn how the trends from the cat walk are interpreted on the street. In a time when money is tight wearability is key to any brand wanting to survive.

It is also a great way to judge the direction of fashion, we are continually reminded of the importance of customer awareness and how knowing what your customer wants will assure you deliver and sell.

I had a lot of fun doing this part of the project once I had got over the nerves of approaching everyone from possible 'VIPs' to stylish students to photograph them. I think it is the only place where posing is not judged but expected.

There is a really interesting dialogue occurring in the industry at the moment with a mutual respect between the street fashion and all fashion magazines, glossy included. Here is ten of the street style photographs that were part of my project. Key trends on the street were neon, sport luxe and hats but I decided not to limit myself so went with a general accessories theme as a focus.

London Fashion Week

The second week of term brought London Fashion Week and the logistics of the trip meant it was not until I was actually standing outside Somerset House, camera in one hand The Daily in the other that I had a chance to really consider where I was.

At the age of about eleven I decided I was going to work in fashion at the time it was as imaginative as if I had said I wanted to be a power ranger (yellow obviously) yet as each year goes by I am amazed at this reality possibly drawing closer.

My course was sent to London to complete a project brief of research, styling and photography work as well as to visit various exhibitions with the advice to use our time to get inspired, get focused and not shop.

I am proud to say all of the above were achieved in five hectic days and I even managed to fit in two days of work experience with Louise Gray and Fashion Fringe.  Posts to follow.

 

I am surprised at how quickly I felt at home in London, riding the tubes and navigating my way about, though the iphone must take some of this glory. However it took longer to feel at home in the venues I have only known from the pages of Vogue. Wandering the cobles of Somerset House it took all my concentration not to fall never mind look as though I belonged among the cluster of the fashion familiars heading for the next front row, ipads in manicured hands.

By the third day I began to find my feet, and even relaxed enough to allow my canary yellow dress to attract some photographers. After several days of approaching stylish strangers as part of my Street Style project I found it hysterical and very odd to be on the other side of the lens, though cannot say it wasn’t fun; what dress doesn’t enjoy a bit of attention?

 

There is a lovely feeling of celebration at London Fashion week, whether you are a student, famous blogger or icon everyone is there for a common purpose and the fun emanates from this. Thanks to the wonders of social media we found ourselves at one of the Fashion Scout shows. These shows are always particularly exciting as the designers are new and fresh and the audience are willing them to be the next big name. We were at Tuhir Sultan’s show which was beautiful.

I didn’t know what I would take away from the slightly surreal experience. At times I felt I was looking into a world that was not quite real, as Kelly Osborn hopped from a blacked out car and Alexandra Shulman squeezed through the crowd darting into the Topshop Unique show- at times though it all felt very ‘ordinary’.

The most obvious thing about the event was its purpose. As I had only ever read coverage the press image was all I was aware of. The glamour and fun is definitely there but the press focus on this to attract and generate more publicity and build on the brand. When you strip back the cameras and late night private parties this is ‘a ‘military slick’ run event that attracts thousands of press and buyers from hundreds of countries assuring the nourishment of the thriving British fashion industry.

 

It is all too easy for the cynical (or just the unstylish) to dismiss it as a false or materialistic but what these five fabulous days do is reinforce the identity of the British Fashion industry.  The world that is responsible for maintaining the reputation for creative excellence, driving new and innovative talent and technology while also contributing £21 billion to the UK’s economy. It is brains and beauty at its finest.

London was undoubtedly still basking in the glory of games and the atmosphere was infectious. I visited the Tate, V&A and the Textile and Design Museum as well as iconic shops including Liberty, The B Store and Browns before finding the new McQueen store which was intimidating cosy, friendly and chic- as expected.

Feeling slightly drained I headed back on the train to Scotland, I didn’t want to leave but uni called and my feet had surrendered. The people who work in the heart of the industry work hard and the realisation of this hit home as a scrolled through the editors tweets about early morning flights to Milan. I had barely made it through five days and they do this for a full month twice a year. Do not think this has put me off, far from it. I now have fresh determination to work harder, learn faster and walk quicker – heels are no longer an excuse.

New term, new brief, same issue.

A short post to make excuses, introduce 2nd year and consider the horizon.

The first six weeks of second year have gone by in a flash of briefs, late night library sessions and weekend shoots leaving me with little time to blog. I regret this as I also attended London fashion week which naturally provided me with endless blogging material.

Sadly projects had to take priority and I would be lying if I said there hasn’t been a little hysteria among the gala girls as the realisation of the pressure and time scales begin to hit home and sleeping drops to the bottom of the extensive ‘to do’ lists. I would also be lying however if I said I don’t love it.

The environment we are working in is realistic to the industry and though you often doubt your capabilities nothing feels better than when all comes together for the deadline.

 Now studying wholly communication the pressure is obvious, especially for the self confessed perfectionists among us. With a course of only twenty there is little room to hid and no one wants to be the one to crumble in their presentation on cry during their crit (both likely to occur next week- stay tuned)

 The result of this however is getting to witness some incredible work being produced in a short time and seeing yourself beginning to respond quickly to the industry like pressure created.

 London Fashion Week really helped to focus my mind on where I am going while also scaring me slightly to death.  After spending a week working in a world where the pressure is fat, tolerances is thin and swear- words regular punctuation you leave feeling hugely intimidated yet exhilarated. The world manifested by the press exists in full ‘Devil wear Prada’ pride but behind this is a core of very talented, focused and hard working, dare I say normal people.

The threat realised is not will I be glam, thin or fabulous enough to get into the industry but do I have the talent to bother knocking in the first place? I suppose one can only wait to find out and first term of second year is as good a place as any to get started.

 This term is arguably the creative aspect of the course with modules covering photography, styling, and studio work and fashion film. The fashion film is based on Topshop which has been very exciting but more on that later.

 Next term we shall move onto my preferred areas of the course with business modules on promotion, advertising and journalism. This is not to say I have not enjoyed the artistic aspects so far and all the briefs are commercially focused.

 The first day back also saw our first hand in, yes fast off the mark high heels or not. It was a portfolio of artistic awareness work, including some challenging themes and course work research. The second part of this portfolio was 30 reviews and critics of fashion films, I will not share this but it is worth mentioning as a really beneficial way to prepare us for the work we are covering in Fashion film this term.

 Here is some of the work I produced for this portfolio, it explains some of the directions I am taking with course work and also will no doubt highlight a contrast with later work, post photography tutorials.  

The themes covered were shine, decay and wet. The photographs were not to be fashion focused so they are quiet random though in context do develop the appreciation of a theme. They also helped to get the creative juices flowing after a summer of Scottish rain and Kardashian trash. Enjoy.

An evening with Christopher Kane at the FFRoadShow

When the news broke a few weeks ago that Christopher Kane was going to give a talk at the Edinburgh Art Collage there was more than a few squeals from the students here at Heriot-Watt University. Not only is Kane from Scotland, Glasgow to be specific, but he is one of the most successful designers to emerge in the last 10 years. His business built entirely by himself and his sister Tammy (A graduate of Heriot Watt- Woop, woop!) is constantly expanding with the recent launch of his menswear line.

Excitedly awaiting Christopher Kane (myself centre, Tatti left, connie right)

Who was responsible for this exciting event I hear you ask, well it was thanks to the Fashion Fringe Road show which is taking a number of designers including Gareth Pugh, Mathew Williamson, Julien Macdonald and Erdem to Universities all round the UK over the next month. The tickets were completely free as long as you were a student.

The Fashion Fringe is an award platform that helps emerging designers launch their labels in London through mentoring and financial support.

The Edinburgh Collage of Art was busy with students when we arrived and the event was held in one of their small lecture theatres creating a very intimate atmosphere, and when Christopher Kane entered the crowd showed their appreciation with rapturous applauding. My friend Sarah who is a ‘die-hard fan’ nearly fell of her seat and it took all her self control not to scream, or cry for that matter. The conversation was lead by founder of the FF Colin McDowell, before the audience got a chance to ask questions.

Kane was so endearing and very Glasgow (if you have been you will understand) He was so humble and very honest about his journey and those who have helped him along the way. He started by telling us about his education at CSM and the fond memories of that creative experience and loving everything about it, even the smell. He is right though all art schools have the same smell- the smell of years of blood, sweat and tears mixed with paint fumes.

He left Glasgow only eleven years ago making his acheivement even more impressive. It was interesting to hear him speak about the production side of the design business, something I think young designers forget about, he discussed how he learnt about budgeting and business plans and how even to this day each season is a struggle. There are only four people evolved in his design process, one of which is Tammy. I was interested to learn that they do not buy any fabric off the peg, every piece is designed, made and patented by them and everything is based in the UK including the manufacturing of all their garments.

He spoke a lot about Tammy and her talents as well as their close family bond, something he says is crucial to his productivity. Growing up surrounded by strong, encouraging women is something Kane says helped him achieve his dream.

Kane then went on to talk about his experiences working with Donatella Versace and his shock and bewilderment when first being asked to work for her. He spoke of her fondly and even revealed she can now speak ‘Scottish’ thanks to him...though he can still not speak any Italian. Kane’s main piece of advice from his experiences was that 'if you are driven, you can go places' which was very positive coming from an industry that is constantly reminding us as students how difficult it is to cut it in the business. This was also what he emphasised when talking about interns; they have to be good and work hard. The subject of interns was raised by a member of the audience and it is a very current subject as many believe interns are exploited, but Kane though agreeing they are used highlighted that it is invaluable experience.

Sarah living the dream!

Colin then asked the question that we were all thinking "Do you have a life?" After all Kane does produce ten collections a year. But he assures us he finds time for fun, telling us about his chill time in Paris and how he loves nothing more than reading a gossip magazine over some poached eggs-this is all he can cook. When asked about the future Kane was unspecific mainly due to that fact that he is very happy at the moment. He did say however that film and theatre was something he would love to explore if timings and work suited.

I think what came across in the interview was Kane’s quiet self confidence in his own work. Working with a tight group around him in a very private environment has allowed him to really develop his creativity and business. The sky truly is the limit for Kane, though he did confess that he needs to fully conquer his fear of flying first.

After the talk we stayed and were lucky enough to meet him on his way out, he was more than happy to chat and take pictures even asking us if his talk was ok, to which we gushed our approval.

Jaggy Nettle

Last week we were treated to a guest lecture from the owner of cashmere label Jaggy Nettle. Jaggy Nettle is a family owned business based in the Borders of Scotland. It was interesting to learn about the development of their label as well as being a reminder of the exciting things going on in Scottish Fashion (people get so focused on London).

The label is mainly based on Scottish cashmere though has a sister label Jaggy Nettle Japan which focuses on Japanese style salvage denim. What makes their cashmere company so unique is that they print directly onto the cashmere. They have developed this method over 15 years and it is a totally unique but difficult process. This method has opened many doors for experiments and designs with their jumpers- garments that were once thought of as for the older generations who like traditional and dare I say old fashioned styles cashmere companies have become accustomed to producing.

The garments are knit in the mill in Hawick then individually printed using a process of direct screen print before being sewn into the final garment. All pieces are individually checked and signed off to assure perfection.

Many may view cashmere as being something for a more mature market but no, Jaggy Nettle's designs are fresh and young perfect for young professionals with money to spend on something fun and different.

At the beginning of our lecturer it was made clear to us that Jaggy Nettle are very much against conventional forms of marketing, this is what I found very interesting about their success. Slowly but definitely surely Jaggy Nettle have built their brand and I predict they will shortly really take off as there has been a huge move recently back to 'Made in Britain' quality fashion, something that this brand embodies.

With a reputation for quality Jaggy Nettle work with the likes of Johnson of Elgin and Harris Tweed on some beautiful pieces for a younger market, and they appeal to this market through their choice of designs.

Jaggy Nettle has worked with Faber&Faber theLondon based publishing company. They had full access to their achieve and have used designs and typefaces from famous books and plays to develop ideas for their jumpers- genius! Though what I found truly genius what how they used this project as a platform to launch their small unknown label by teaming up with a world famous company (also using their marketing/PR team and industry name to secure publicity) Everyone wins.

I am still dreaming about their SLAG jumper, aw so chic, though at around £400 it is slightly out of my price range.

Jaggy Nettle has some really exciting projects in the pipeline; include the new MADE IN GREY BRITIAN campaign and a WWF collaboration that will hopefully see Jaggy Nettle become an internationally known brand. WWF was interested to collaborate to help raise awareness of the problems that the growing demand for cheap cashmere on the high street is having on endangered species such as snow tigers (their natural habitat is being used to farm goats). They explained to us how important it was for their brand to support these charities but more importantly how having a back story like this really helps them to market the products. People have grown tired of being told what to wear and why but a story to the product catches people’s attention and creates interest in the brand and therefore the product. A lot learnt for a Monday morning!

All images taken directly from Website.

At the end of the lecture we are given a chance to view some of the products which were all beautiful! They are all on Jaggy Nettles website so why not have a look- http://www.jaggynettle.com/ Women's, men's, accessories and home wear available.





'Let the Gala see the Girls'

Last night the Student Union saw a bit more glamour than the average Thursday night galavant, as it played host to a 'Take Me Out' fundraiser. Twenty hopeful ladies took to the stage to compete to win a date with one of our 5 strapping young men...well brave but desperate singletons.

It was a hilarious evening and celebration was definitely in the air. Not only was this one of the first big events held in the newly transformed Union but we were also celebrating the recent news that Heriot-Watt Union has won Union of the year. The event was hosted by Katie Barr out SBC Union President and once again she did not let us down.




The bar was buzzing with terrified contestants desperately trying to drink away the butterflies, as well as the excited audience who enjoyed the complimentary cupcakes and trying out the new sofa area in the union.

Four out of the five men from the evening successfully got a date with one chickening out at the break...poor soul. The crowd were kept laughing by comedian host and all involved fully embraced the game; cringey one-liners and all. The rejected girls seemed unfazed as they clattered out of the union to hit the tiles once the event ended and I think all would agree the night was a success.