Artist Profile:Fred Butler

Fred Butler

 This particular image is from SS13 collection of Fred Butlers. Here is a small quote from Elle Website about his work.

"Accompanied by a buzzing soundtrack (literally), eccentric accessory designer Fred Butler's SS13 collection was inspired by the humble bumble bee.

'I wanted everything to be gold!' says Butler's, and that it certainly was. Intricate patchwork rucksacks, bum-bags, gilt chain metal belts and oversized vizors were adorned with irredescent daisies.

Floral clusters were seen growing out of statement high wedges, honeycomb shaped head phones were high shine and box clutches were hexagonal.

After three seasons on schedule, Butler's off the wall, up beat accessories have secured her a cult celebritry following. We foresee her stellar cast of fans, Lady Gaga, Nicki Minaj and Beth Ditto making a bee line for the collection!"

Again, it was thanks to the theory 'curating an exhibition' peer presentations that introduced me to the work of Fred Butlers

London Based designer who has worked collobratively to create props for fashion stylists,including creating various headpieces for Lady Gaga.He has also collobrated with Photographer Tim Walker.

Alumni from University fo Brighton, studying Fashion Design, Fred Butler had emerged on the fashion scene in very recent years, and could become very well be the next big thing.

I Like her work because she is very similar to Petra Storrs in the sense of shape interest,however Tim Butlers work is also very colour orientated, which is very exciting and captivating.

Artist Profile:Petra Storrs

Petra Storrs:

Set and Costume designer

Petra storrs is a contempory designer who works on film,music videos,set,costume,and advertising design.She was brought up in oxfordshire and is now living in Hackney.

 It wasnt until today, after attending other student presentations that i was knowledgable on this artist.Her work caught my eye straight away because i feel some of her work is very similar to Oskar Schlemmers, due to the exaggerated use of shape.Moreover having previously done a workshop based on paper dress making, her work was inspirational in showing how current practisiing artists are also using materials such as paper to develope qand push their designs further.Moreover, i think her method of costume/set design is very like the work that i would like to create, it is very modern,innovative and quirky.After having visited her website, i found out that she has been in many recent newspaper articles as an upcoming designer to watch, due to her popular and unique work. She has worked with many big figures, such as Florence and the Machine,Paloma Faith and Lady Gaga, alongside exhibiting work for the V&A fashion week Anniversary show.After researching her further, i am going to include her into a project i am currently working on as inspiration. I think it will encourage me to develope shape within my work and use alternative materials to explore my ideas and help with sample making.

She has inspired me to reconsider how i work and i think she may now be a predominant influence in alot of my work.

Extract from We Heart:Lifestyle and Design Magazine.Interview with Petra Storrs

"Do you think location affects creativity?Being in London puts you in the right place at the right time,

 to take up the many work opportunites that are unique to London. It’s super competitive and every one 

is pushing, and struggling to succeed. I think after a while it can be too much though, and it’s important to

 get away from it regularly so you can miss it and come back.

     Is Britain’s creative industry too London-centric?It would be nice for it be a little more spread out. I have heard there are hot spots… Falmouth, Nottingham, Brighton, Somerset… perhaps the BBC moving out of London will have a positive effect.

The Swinging ’60s, punk, Hacienda-era Manchester… is there one period of intense British creativity that you’d like to have been a part of, and why?I think I’m more arts and crafts movement – William Morris – than Swinging ’60s, punk, or the Hacienda!

Are there any quintessential British traditions that inform your work?Most recently the tradition of Afternoon Tea, I just completed a tea project, Camellia and the Rabbit with performance artist Rachel Snider, a fantastic London-based performance artist and theatre maker. We collaborated with Rachel to design the props and costume for her solo show, developing a collection of otherworldly objects to enhance her captivating performance, as she tells stories from her life threading them together in a celebration of Afternoon Tea.It was an exciting project for me as we where able to work with lots of crafts people to get some really amazing items made, like an armour-maker in France who handmade the metal strainer outfit and giant tea spoon from steel. The show is now ready, with its first unveiling coming soon.

Quentin Tarrantino

Having recently seen the new Tarrantino film, Django Unchained,i struck up an interest in researching his method of work.

I have never previously had much interest in Tarrantino films, until seeing this one. It was insightful as i enjoyed it much more than expected, and the costumes caught my attension more than i expected also.After research into reviews, it has been said that it is one of Tarrantinos best films yet, and it was a long overdue attempt at a spaghetti western film.However i dont think it can be said that its most famous feature in being a tarrantino film is the costume, but instead the comical voilent nature of the film.

Django was set prior to the Civil war, and has context of slavery, which is bluntly and heavily portrayed within the film.Some would say that it is insensitivie but others would say that at no point it becomes an overwhelming feature of the film,but instead becomes a background feature to a comical western in the style of tarrantino.

After watching Django, i decided to watch another, Inglorious Basterds. And again i was suprised to be so interested in the context of the film, the costume work and the historical references within the film.What i like most about the film is the contrast between national army uniforms, next to the glamourous gowns worn by the female roles. 

Designer Profile:Sandy Powell

Designer Profile:Sandy Powell

British Costume designer who, has been nominated 10 times for an Academy Award.
Alumni of Central St Martins, yet she left before completing her degree.

Her work includes, The Tempest 2011,Hugo 2012,Shakespeare in Love 1999,the Other Boleyn girl 2008,Gangs of New York 2002, and many others.

"But even if the silhouette and cut are historically correct, no period costume can ever be 100% accurate, because fabrics and techniques have changed. Clothes would have had tiny hand-stitching instead of machine-work" Sandy Powell, speaking about gwyneth paltrow's costume in Shakespeare in Love.

"Gypsies, a book of photographs by the Czech Josef Koudelka. I've still got it: it comes out on nearly every job I do because there are shots in there I love, especially two of young men. The photographs are mostly from the 1960s, but they seem timeless; you could transpose its subjects into any era. I used one as the basis for Leonardo DiCaprio's character in Gangs of New York." Sandy Powell, discussing her method of inspiration.

"For each job, I put together a reference book over a few weeks before doing any actual designing. Then I go fabric shopping. I'm looking for colour, texture, weight." Sandy Powell.

"Hugo could crudely and incorrectly be described as a ‘costume movie’. It is period (Paris, 1931 then flashback to early 1900s), fantastical and populated by kooky, literally colourful characters"Crhis Laverty.Clothes on film Online review.

Sandy Powell excellently worked on a chidlrens film, Hugo, where the costumes were designed perfectly. She choose predominant blues in the first half ot the film, with the brightest being a Police officers, as a method of highlighting  that specific character.This particular film allowed her to create a diverse costume range,this is particually due to the  predominant railway station scenes. These allowed for an assortment of backgrounds,characters and inspirations to come into play.

In Shakespeare In Love, i like Sandy Powell's stylized approach to the periodic fashion. For example,she choose art deco lace for Gywneth Paltrows collar rather than using authetic Elizabethan Lace.

Lisbon 2013

Lisbon 2013:Study Visit

   I have recently just returned from a 5 day visit to lisbon, as part of a college study visit.

I was amazed by how inspired i was by the architecture. It was very european in the sense of plastered walls rather than exposed bricks like that in England. However there were also alot of patterend tile decorated buildings which were jsut exquiste. Being very interested in texture, i was particually interested in the decay, the neglect and obvious age of most of the buildings. 

My particular focus in lisbon was texture,fabric and colour, which is what most of the photographs are capturing.

Therefore i took alot of colour inspired photographs aswell as close ups of buildings and pavements.

Lisbon was very inspiring as it had alot of run down areas but then i also had the opportunity to visit a little fishing village and to visit the strip of designer shops, such the inclusion of Chanel,Mui Mui etc.

Going in the middle of January was perfect because the weather was cool enough that the long exploring all day didnt get too hot and tiring, yet it was warm enough and lacked rain. Therefore still plenty of opportunites to eat in the sunshine.

Above are some of my colour inspiration snaps.

I would love to visit lisbon again for the simple fact that there are so many lovely cobbled streets,patisseries,fish and exquistiely run down architecture. 

Designer Profile:Michael O'Connor

     Designer Profile:Michael O'Connor

 Academy award for best costume design

BAFTA award for best costume design

Satellite award for best costume design

Michael O'connor is renowned for his Academy award for the film The Duchess, in 2009.However he has also worked as assosiate costume designer on Harry potter and the Chamber of secrets and also the Last King of Scotland. Aswell as other minor British films.

His work came to attension to me due to my love for the film the Duchess. The use of millinery to create a persona fo Georgiana is a fantastic and originial method in which to design costume. The periodic costumes are exquitely designed and seem authenthic to the setting and the script.

Duchess of devonshire was seen to be the most influtential female figure in british society, therefore the costumes for this character had to be much more elaborate than the others.She set the trends.

The focul point of the film was the stuggle Lady Georgiana( Duchess) undertook in a bid for her husbands love.She is an important figure in political history as she was influetnail in shaping the beginnings of thr Whig Party. She was an english arisocrat. And was at the same period as Marie Antoinette, The 18th Century.