1 Granary - By the Students of Central Saint Martins

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02March2015

THE ACCLAIMED NEW YORK TIMES FASHION JOURNALIST AND AUTHOR REFLECTS UPON THE PARALLEL DOWNFALL OF TWO OF THE MOST IMPORTANT DESIGNERS OF OUR TIMES, AND DISCUSSES THE CORPORATE REALITY AWAITING THE FASHION DESIGNER-TO-BE.

In her new double-biography Gods and Kings: The Rise and Fall of Alexander McQueen and John Galliano, American fashion critic and author Dana Thomas draws several images – not only the personal demises of two of our times most iconic fashion designers, but of a particular era of a fashion industry pre-globalization, with all its players; the students, the club kids, the wonder-children, the writers, and in the horizon; the corporate billion-dollar industry and its all-devouring conglomerates such as LVMH and Gucci Group. We read so many different features about this book; from Alex Fury reviewing the book for the Independent (in which he openly loathes the book), to others highlighting the importance of showing what the industry’s pressure on designers can lead to, in worst-case scenarios. For these reasons, we wanted to ask Dana our own questions, and show some of our own opinions, as we feel the industry’s

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27February2015

SEDUCTION IS A DANGEROUS GAME / SOMETIMES YOU MISS THE BEND-AND-SNAP ATTITUDE YOU GET FROM CLOTHES WITH SEX APPEAL / A PLEDGE TO GOD CAN BE DIFFICULT: THE FASHION INDUSTRY SPEAKS ABOUT THE AW15 COLLECTION OF CHRISTOPHER KANE

In almost every review of Christopher Kane’s AW15 collection, you’ll find mentions of the ‘Lover’s Lace’ or of bodies intertwined: Everything hinted and glinted at what happens when two becomes one — Silhouetted naked bodies were a recurring motif; those outlined in black and rendered in lace in risqué clinches proved that the Kering investment has done nothing to temper his inner provocateur. Can the embrace of the Lover’s Lace resemble the new relationship with Kering? During the SHOWStudio panel, the Group was mentioned in the sense of Kane now being part of a family, where he’s got the assurance that there is a healthy exchange of ideas, and that his plans are executed. Executed very well, that is. No worries of production being on time, no worries of the show having flaws. And with this newfound family relationship, there seems to be a balance and mutual respect — Kane doesn’t need to compromise; he is

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26February2015

POST-SHOW WE SPOKE WITH CHARLIE PORTER, MENSWEAR FASHION CRITIC FOR THE FINANCIAL TIMES, AND FLORENCE RAMBAUD, GROUP CREATIVE TALENT ACQUISITION MANAGER AT LVMH, TO HEAR THEIR THOUGHTS ON THE MA FASHION SHOW OF THIS YEAR.

Florence, what is your take on this year’s CSM show? I thought the MA Fashion show was really good! A lot of energy, a lot of fresh ideas, talent, and following what I told you the other day about the visual impact of the show: I think that was very well done. What stayed with you particularly, in terms of visual impact? With womenswear, everything was very much connected to art, material transformation and a splash of energy. The menswear was giving another tempo of fashion; it was more about slow luxury with a zest of humour. Both were expressing two different spirits. It was the last class of Louise Wilson, so I would like to send all my best to Fabio Piras, who replaced Louise. He is now having this MA class in his hand, and I wish him the best of luck to select the best ones and

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25February2015

THE LEGACY OF LOUISE WILSON IS IN EVERYONE THAT WAS TOUCHED BY HER, EDUCATED BY HER AND AFFECTED BY HER AND I DO BELIEVE THAT FOLLOWS DOWN THROUGH GENERATIONS, SAID SARAH MOWER, AMBASSADOR FOR EMERGING TALENT AT THE BRITISH FASHION COUNCIL. AT THE CENTRAL SAINT MARTINS MA SHOW 2015, WE WITNESSED THIS EXACT LEGACY IN THE LAST OF A LONG LINE OF HER GRADUATES. TODAY, WE APPLAUD THE REMARKABLY STRONG WORK OF FABIO PARIS AS THE NEW MA COURSE LEADER, AND CELEBRATE THE STRONG BELIEFS OF LOUISE; HER STANDARDS AND HIGH EXPECTATIONS, HER FIGHTS FOR SCHOLARSHIPS AND BURSARIES EVEN IN BLEAK TIMES, THE IMPACT SHE HAS MADE ON THE ENTIRE INDUSTRY, AND HER CONSTANT PUSHING FOR THINGS TO BE BETTER; AND BETTER; AND BETTER.

Friday 20 February 2015 marked a historic moment for fashion. Ten months after the passing of Professor Louise Wilson, a memorial was held at St Paul’s Cathedral, the first time the historic London institution has opened its doors to the fashion industry since the untimely death of Alexander McQueen in 2010. Upon arrival, the 1000-strong congregation was welcomed by the striking sight of a lone horsewoman sitting side-saddle on a calm brown horse outside the cathedral. Dressed in head-to-toe mourning, comprising of an equestrienne skirt, jacket, stock-shirt and veiled top hat, it was a powerful image that nodded to the life of a truly powerful woman. The horse stood still and the elegant equestrienne sat silently, both unabsorbed to the bustling crowds desperate to get a photo for Instagram. The moment was remarkable and unbeknownst to those stunned passers-by, it was a fittingly grand visual tribute to one of the fashion

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25February2015

THE THING I FIND INTERESTING AND BRAVE ABOUT HER WORK IS THAT IT IS SO DEEPLY PERSONAL AND SHE PUTS IT OUT THERE, AND THAT IS REALLY QUITE RARE FOR A FEMALE DESIGNER. - LOUISE WILSON ON SIMONE ROCHA

A lot has been said about Simone Rocha’s new collection for FW15: ‘Simone Rocha has been killing it the past few seasons’, ‘Simone Rocha sent out her most accomplished collection to date’, ‘Rocha’s collections are collectable for generations of women’. We were interested to see how all these different thoughts and opinions would work together as one, and decided to break down a handful of different reviews on her last collection, and piece them together with fragments of interviews, and excerpts from a talk between Anna Wintour and Suzy Menkes, in which Simone sat in the audience and also opened up about her experiences in the industry. In between these (clickable) quotes, you will find traces of our own thoughts. What follows is a review of reviews: a new way of reviewing? Backstage after the show will be the very moment the international press dive back to grill her about the collection. “Yeah,

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20February2015

LAUREN BOWKER HAS BEEN CALLED AN ALCHEMIST, BUT INSTEAD OF CREATING IMAGINARY PHILOSOPHERS STONES, SHE TURNS BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL MATTER INTO MATERIAL.

“In the future, we’ll run a sort of made-to-order service where people can have their item in their life customised with our technology. It’s not just fashion companies, but cars to sportswear and lifestyle companies as well,” said Lauren Bowker from The Unseen, a Somerset House Vault-based collective who ‘blend biological and chemical matter into materials’. “We’ve got a good mix, which we think are the brands for us. We’ve worked with them because we like them and we like their story. To create a product, fashion is only one strand of our material.” What’s the balance between mass market and made-to-order customisation? What do you think about mass marketing? We’re creating things that we believe in on a small scale. If there’s an opportunity to create a product that can really change the way people view materials (incorporating our technology), we would hope to work with someone who isn’t

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19February2015

ANNA REKAS TELLS US HOW SHE MADE FURNITURE COME ALIVE FOR THE WHITE SHOW

We weren’t worried when Anna Rekas told us that she would refuse to bleach her eyebrows for a great internship as she proved what creative peaks she can ascend with her design for the White Show. Replacing needle and thread with wooden sticks and string, she injected life into the inanimate body of a chair. Wrapped in extravagant drapery and pleating, her sizeable creation was a confluence of structure and volume. It might be her first term in BA Womenswear, but her meticulous craftsmanship and forward-thinking innovation will stand her in good stead.

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18February2015

A LOOK INSIDE THE CSM FASHION STUDIOS, SHOT BY 1ST YEAR BA GRAPHIC DESIGN STUDENT OLLIE VANES

Johanna Maria Parv – Womenswear Anna Baumgart – Womenswear Nuri Oh – Fashion Diploma Wang Songru – Womenswear Florence Lamy – Knitwear Zhuohang Song – Womenswear Photography by Ollie Vanes Related Jessica Denyer: Architecture student at Central Saint Martins BULGARI X CENTRAL SAINT MARTINS: MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN Bulgari x Central Saint Martins: Connie Lim’s Golden Ratio approach to ‘BVLGARI BVLGARI’ Bulgari x Central Saint Martins: Anita Hirlekar’s Monete Grace Coddington at Central Saint Martins In Central Saint Martins’ disclaimer: thou shall not rest