The Official Brighton Fashion Week blog has moved. Residing in it’s sleek new quarters at http://www.brightonfashionweek.co.uk/ the new look blog gives you access to all your BFW goss, the latest fashion news, this year’s Digital Schedule, Designer info, purchase tickets and much much more!
Click here to be redirected…
Tell us a bit about your collections, your influences, your muses (if you have any), your background?
studio_805 is a progessive menswear and unisex design label named after the flat I lived in during the final two years of my degree at Leeds College of Art & Design. My graduate collection titled 9T° provided the grand finale at the college’s end of year show, and was inspired by an eclectic mix…gaffer tape, World War I dazzle pattern warships, 90° angles, an über-masculine physique, two of the most powerful colours in the universe – red & white – and was propelled by a mantra derived from the 3 main principals of camouflage: Conceal! Distort! Deceive! I graduated in Summer 2008 with a First Class BA (Hons) degree.
I relocated to London in Winter 2008 to begin my calculated exercise in sartorial fun. I honed my pattern cutting skills whilst on placement at Vivienne Westwood and have since developed a signature style fusing cunning cut, clever colour and choice cloth. studio_805 launched at London Fashion Week in February 2009 as part of Vauxhall Fashion Scout’s first ever ‘Ones to Watch’ initiative.
Collection number two, titled top shelf glamour…second shelf cou
ntry casual, stole a sinister sexual slant and was preoccupied with confusing classic gender roles set within a Hogarth inspired landscape. It was presented on 10 live sex dolls at Vauxhall Fashion Scout’s first ever menswear showcase in September 2009. For Autumn Winter 2010/11, studio_805 imagined a world devoid of any warmth, hanging motionless at zero degrees Kelvin, drawing inspiration from all physical manifestations of frozen water. Presented once again at Vauxhall Fashion Scout’s Menswear showcase in February 2010.
Label promotion has so far included a short film shot at a desolate Barbican Centre, a style shoot featured in Disorder magazine and a wild vogue-off show at London’s Dalston Superstore. Collection pieces and private commissions are currently made to order in house.
What gets you out of bed in the morning?
A burning desire to do something a little bit different
What was the first thing you did when you woke up this morning?
Hit the snooze button!
Sum up your style in three words.
Cut, Colour, Cloth
If you were a piece of clothing what would you be and why?
Action Man’s blue underpants because I have always wondered what’s underneath them…
If you could have anyone, who would you want to model your collections and why?
Marky Mark, for obvious reasons…and Grace Jones, because she’s still got it!
New York, Paris or London?
London forever
You are given the opportunity to redesign the Police uniform, what would you do?
Put them all in straight jackets and bondage trousers
Favourite thing about the fashion industry?
Total creative freedom
Worst thing?
Complete financial insecurity
Best moment in your life so far?
My graduation show, and the realisation that I could actually do this!
Top fashion designer?
Alexander McQueen R.I.P.
Who’s the best dressed person you’ve ever met?
Vivienne Westwood
Favourite thing about Brighton?
Close friends
Most prized personal possession?
My mum’s Pfaff sewing machine which has never, ever let me down
Where do you see yourself in five years?
Happily paying my own handsome wage!
The trials and reputations of Tabitha Talbot-Jones: wanton student stylista
When I told Daddy I wanted to study fashion he nearly choked on his panini; he had been harbouring hopes of me doing some absurdly fusty and old-fashioned degree like History or Law. Can you imagine? Me, in a Laura Ashley beige twinset, or worse, like a frigid old librarian decked out in polo necks and tartan kilts (and not the Pringle variety)? No thanks. I don’t want to hole myself up for the next three years with a load of books and essays to write – my complexion already suffers terribly from vitamin D deficiency, with every moment of spare time devoted to Poseur, my online magazine.
I think I made a strong case to Daddy, I gave an emotional speech about freedom of expression and asked if he really wanted to throw away my obvious talent for style. He quickly came round and agreed to fund me for the next three years – I think he was keen for me to sit down because I was embarrassing him in front of Uncle Ginger with my demonstration of how my clothes represented my personality. God, he’s soooo repressed.
So here I am in Brighton – via St Martin’s, but that’s another story – studying my lifelong love: Fashion & Dress History. Just little old me and Felix, the dear old puss (well I couldn’t very well leave him alone with Mummy and her boisterous Great Dane Bruno, he’d have ripped him to shreds by now). And so a new chapter in the life of Tabitha, a new home, new experiences, new people, and my first time living solo (apart from India of course). Admittedly my new digs are a touch on the bijou side and I share a bathroom, but Daddy insists it’s good for character building.
Mummy and Daddy helped me move in and we were sitting having coffee in the kitchen, when Harry, my housemate, swanned through wearing spray on jeans and a backless neon yellow t-shirt with a slogan reading ‘The GAY Team’ plastered across it – you should have seen Daddy’s face, it was too funny! I’m fine with gays, god whatever, they’re everywhere these days and Harry is so very good for me – he always tells me how amazing I look, and has the most extraordinary way with a sewing machine. He’s going to be a world famous designer and I’m going to be right by his side yelling to Daddy “I told you so”.
Until next time.
Tabby
Running down Vine Street, way too many hours late – I count the houses in a flustered attempt at finding Garage Studios. Right in the middle of Brighton’s busiest area and sharing the vicinity with some of the country’s quirkiest shops, it made perfect sense to choose this creative hub as the host of BFW’s 2010 Promotional Shoot – all I needed to do now was get there before I missed the magic happen!
Bursting through the door I spot breathtaking Storm Model – Georgina. Tapping pump-clad toes, with face perfectly poised for the sixth hour, she sits patiently as Make-Up Co-ordinator Jez sweeps washes of colour over her brow with effortless perfection.
Photgrapher: Emily Hecht
The huge dressing room mirror is home to a treasure trove of make-up tools and the air has a strong smell of fresh paint, mixed with the cosmetic fragrance of a thousand prettifying powders. It reminds me of being a child, and the distinct aroma of the pantomime auditorium. Smoke machines, four thousand watt spotlights, fantastical costumes, and men and women painted to the brink of Gaga-ism.
I talk to Jez about her career with BFW and beyond. A make-up artist of twenty years and now BFW’s Chief Make-Up Co-ordinator – she is a beautifying oracle. Tall red and flawless she paints and talks – turning Doc Martin loving Georgina into ‘Alice in Brighton-land’, complete with a sharp, piercing, perfectly plum pout. Jez gives kudos to Mac, Dior and Lancôme but states confidently that she couldn’t live without MaxFactor LipFinity. I smile, and find refuge in her recommendation –pleased that her golden tip won’t lure me onto the train back to Selfridges, I mentally plan my next trip to Boots…
I spend the next five minutes fixating on 19yr old Georgina’s long blonde, effortlessly thick locks, sitting nonchalantly on her shoulders. She talks to me about the highs and lows of having your hair done, and re done, and re-re done. I subsequently compare my wind swept ‘flick-fringe’ in the mirror and self-preservation leads me away from the dressing room to take a wander around the set…
Photographer: Eddie Hecht
Shoes. Tall, shiny, incredible, impossible shoes are everywhere. I smile and imagine my average pins dragging those magical contraptions around a photo shoot like some kind of Foot vs. Leg tug of war. Everything in the room is comically oversized. Gigantic paper scissors lean intriguingly against the wall, while a towering cardboard book stands proudly in the centre of the room. I imagine Georgina standing here, with her couture eyebrows, perfect pout and long luminous locks – embodying the artistic essence of BFW.
Model Co-ordinator Megan passes me the concept sheet and advises me that BFW are so excited about the release of the shoot that they don’t want to give too much away. I read the brief and am intrigued about the mention of bubble wrap, oversized cotton reels, gigantic hair bows and mannequins. I begin to get excited. I want to write about everything I see, I want to write about Georgina navigating her way around those huge heart handled scissors in the majestic red platforms. I want to describe the incredible spotlights illuminating Jez’s razor sharp cheekbone creations. I want to quote Kevin Mason’s artistic direction, I want to paint a picture of a thousand camera shutter clicks…and above all, I want to reveal what happened with all those many many umbrellas…
But rules are rules, and I wouldn’t want to spoil the surprise… Watch out for the final masterpiece – unveiled right here very soon!
They launched Lily, elevated Eva and catapulted Kate – now they’re searching for the faces of Brighton Fashion Week. So without further ado, we are proud to announce our official model agency partner for Brighton Fashion Week 2010 is…. Storm Models! Working in collaboration with Brighton Fashion Week, Storm Models will be scouting the event in a bid to discover the next generation of rising stars.
Having “spotted” the likes of Sophie Dahl, Alexa Chung and Liberty Ross, Storm Models will be lending their expertise to Brighton Fashion Week by coordinating our model casting (dates TBC), while looking for the future faces of the agency – so if they like what they see come June, you could be among the lucky girls and guys to be signed!
More information coming soon darlings x
Hello, hello and welcome back for another year of frocked up frivolity courtesy of Brighton Fashion Week – Showcasing Innovation.
It’s certainly been a while since our last installment, but we’re back (and here to stay), and I can reveal that preparations are underway for Brighton Fashion Week 2010. The last few weeks have been hectic to say the very least, with our new website being developed (launch April), confirming designers, planning the VIP launch party, making the promo vid, planning the promo shoot, plus a million other things that the whole of the Brighton Frocks team are working hard behind the scenes to make happen, AS WELL as making plans for this years addition to the event: The Fashion Map which will be your essential guide to the whole event.
So, I’ll start by giving you a quick update of where we are this year. It’s the sixth year for the Brighton Frocks team, and this year we’re opting for a reformat by replacing the weekend event (there was just way too much to be crammed into one weekend) with a week long affair. This does mean that this year’s event will be the biggest we’ve had so far, so we’ve got new team members, a whole new blogging community and a new look Brighton Fashion Week.
In the run up to the event (June 9th – 13th), we’ll be featuring lots of daily blog fare for you to feast upon, including Street Style (tickets are to be won), Izzadora (our special guest Brightonian who simply loves faaashion), the latest installments from the BFW team, some food for thought from yours truly and our other resident bloggette, Sarah and anything else we stumble across.
So watch this blog space, or follow us on Twitter (or if you’ve yet to get to grips with the world of Tweeting) catch us on Facebook, Flickr and very soon our brand new website. And if you want to get involved in the event, it’s not too late so drop us a line/comment/tweet/Fb etc….
Look forward to hearing from you.
Alex – Marketing Director
Fashion Writer Competition
BFW are launching our 2009 Fashion Writer Competition to discover the next big talent in fashion writing. One aspiring fashion writer will win the chance to work alongside us reporting for Brighton Fashion Weekend 2009.
Christopher Kane AW09
Our competition winner gets privileged BACKSTAGE access to Brighton Fashion Weekend’s main event – The Theatrical Catwalk Show 2009 taking place 22nd May, Hilton Hotel, Brighton.
This VIP pass to style heaven will imbue you with firsthand experience of fashion in motion, afford you invaluable industry contacts and let you affiliate yourself with the BFW brand – all this while your friends go green with envy.
Post-event you’ll shine on our blog as a BFW guest editor for the day with your own fashion spot, giving you the chance to put your name in print. Our loyal readers will look to you for exclusive Brighton Fashion Weekend 2009 gossip and behind-the-scenes catwalk shenanigans.
Your writing will reflect our brand and that’s why we’re looking for the hottest writing talent around. Impress us and we might just ask you back.
What We Want
Choose one trend, outfit, or visual from the recent AW09/10 runway collections that makes you come out with a bad case of label lust and give us the low down on why it’s so covetable.
A fashion reporter must be able to deconstruct and analyse a designer’s complex vision and translate this to a mass audience in an entertaining, understandable and articulate manner – these are vital skills we will be scouting for. We wanna see that you LOVE fashion! See earlier posts about the Fashion Writer Competition, and click the photos to view example entries!
250 min – 400 words max. Entries beyond this will be discounted. Photos are encouraged to support your written work.
Who You Are
You will possess a witty, concise writing style and an obsession with fashion, as well as some knowledge of seasonal trends and hot new designers. We don’t care if you’ve never written before and have zero practical fashion experience, nor do we care where you live or how old you are. We just want you to love fashion.
Email your name, contact number and finished article to Claudia@brightonfrocks.com by May 17th 2009
So today I rocked up to the BFW rehearsals. I turned up just in time to see Charlie the choreographer working with a group of models who have been optioned for Renaissance’s runway turn. Mighty fine they all looked as well. I met Kevin Freeman, the creative force behind Renaissance design. Renaissance are amazing – their creative designs are totally transforming and completely bespoke, designed entirely for the client, one of a kind pieces. Hopefully we can get an interview with Kevin himself soon.
Check out Robbie, our super amazing model coordinator who keeps everything together backstage. No pressure there then!
Next weekend are the last rehearsals before the big dress rehearsal – followed by the big night itself; The Theatrical Catwalk Show on 22nd May. Get your tickets now dudes because tickets are selling fast, like icecream on a sweltering summer day. In demand you see.
Models Rehearsing
Robbie Model Coordinator Genius
Charlie & the Models
Kevin, Renaissance Designs
Sam Hiscox is back with some titilating shots from the 2nd model castings. You lot are so hot you leave us sweating like we’re polar bears lost in the Sahara. Uh-huh. You make us beg for air-con as we dig out our wayfarers. You’re hot like Britney Spears circa 2000. Point taken we hope.
Check out more of Hiscox’s visual stunners:
http://www.dayglo-poster.blogspot.com
Model story: Lisa Coles
Call it luck, fate, chance whatever you like, Lisa Coles was in the right place at the right time. Just a normal brighton student by day and Madame Geisha bar girl by night, our Lisa never imagined that she’d go from cocktail maker to catwalk shaker in a matter of minutes on a Monday night.
The Brighton Fash Team have an eye for talent you see and Lisa’s model look didn’t go unoticed at for very long at our model auditions- we had her out from the bar, admin’d, snapped and strutting in record time.
Bewildered? Yes she was…and excited..terrified..hopeful..and wonderous..we could go on with the adjectives all night, but we won’t. Here’s Lisa’s modern day cinderella story in pictures (sans glass slipper but with a very fine, highstreet heel instead!)
brightonfrocks.wordpress.com 