Rebel Magazine - Issue 1

Spring Summer 2010

Rebel Magazine Issue 1 Spring Summer 2010 www.rebelmagazine.co.uk

Editor Namal Lanka Published by Rebel Magazine Published twice a year. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without written permission is strictly prohibited. all prices correct at time of going to press, but subject to change. For submissions, general inquiries, advertising, and press email: [email protected]

A big thank you to all the designers, Liv, Natasha, Ami, Onye, Jenny, Preena, Hannah, Nilupul, Adam from titimadam, Mat from Boyhood, Chris from Squink, and Emily from OOPS! Thank you to our writers Lauren, James, Clair and Sarah. Special thank you to Andy, James, Vicky, Mark all the models and everyone else involved in everyway.

www.rebelmagazine.co.uk

www.rebelmagazine.co.uk 4 Rebel Magazine Spring Summer

Many photo shoots, emails, phone calls, post, cups of tea, grilled cheese sandwiches, rooms full of the most amazing clothing, shoes and accessories later, here we are with the first issue of Rebel Magazine. I have always had a love hate relationship with Lady Gaga. However despite my views her talent is unavoidable. Thus she indeed is our first Rebel Icon. She is very current, inspirational to many, unique, creative and definitely a Rebel. On the 11th of February we lost the greatest of the greatest creatives: Alexander ‘Lee’ McQueen, an inspiration to many with his work. It makes us look into how fast the fashion industry moves. Sadly I my self am already planning my Autumn Winter wardrobe as I’ve been checking on all the shows at this year's fashion weeks around the world, and it’s only the start of spring. Fashion is about the moment, about one's attitude and expression of one's personality. Fashion is personality. With our first issue we bring you some unique creatives expressing just that. Bringing all this together has been the most amazing rollercoaster ride and we have enjoyed every single moment of it!

namal

Editor

www.rebelmagazine.co.uk Rebel Magazine Spring Summer 5

EDITOR’S LETTER

Features All things rebel to watch out for this spring summer

10 -15

McQueen A beautiful tribute to a man who’s creative genius and rebellious personality has inspired many of us.

16

Your space or

Mine? A look into the rise in the popularity of unsigned bands ad how they get there.

20

Icons: Lady gaga A series of icons who inspire us creatively and in their own right are Rebels

18

DIY? Mass market sheep or individual rebel? The new age of clothing using the old.

22

Super T-shirts On of Rebel’s favourite bands showcasing two individual t-shirt collections.

24 - 35

Accessories The most unique accessories that we love.

36 -43

Bloggers take

over! The fashion bloggers new presence in the fashion industry, how important are they?

42

Fashion stories A total of eight unique collections by eight different and unique designers all with a fashion editorial of their own.

43 - 115

CONTENTS

By day, Claire Bicknell is a communications and public relations specialist – by night, she writes about music, film, entertainment and popular culture. Having been published in many magazines her obsession with music started aged 11 when she became a fan of Bros but thankfully, aged 15, she discovered the Manic Street Preachers, white jeans and eyeliner. Her current loves are film, especially quirky/alternative/independent cinema, Lady GaGa (“Fashion icon! She is doing what Madonna did in the 80s/90s”) & True Blood (“I’m an Eric Fangbanger!”) www.bickolife.blogspot.com

Born and bred in Edinburgh, James Andrew Cunnin-ham is a high school student who’d rather be studying Burberry over Bismarck and Armani over Algebra. “I’ve got big hopes because no one dreams anymore”. A true fashion worshipper and a full-time blogger, James would like to further his career and hopes to apply to London College of Fashion later this year. See James’s take on the new breed of DIY designers on page 24-25. www.jackstyle.com

Originally from Dundee, reared in Hull and now living in the Big Smoke, Lauren is a fashion intern on a shoestring budget. Destined for fashion from a young age (after such hand-me-downs as a pair of iconic yellow Versace skinnies emblazoned with images of Betty Boop); Lauren loves nothing more than making a pot of Chai tea in her golden Royal Jubilee teapot, trawling the many markets of London and saying yes to every opportunity that arises, ‘You haven’t seen anything until you’ve seen everything’.

Sarah Doyle graduated from the University of Northampton in 2008 with a degree in Journalism. As well as her degree, Sarah has built up her experience in the field by doing extra voluntary work including an internship in the USA, work experience at BBC West Midlands and hosting her own show for Walsall Hospital Radio. Sarah is currently studying for NCTJ qualifications and one day would like to work for a magazine, in Public Relations or on the radio.


CONTRIBUTORS

Mia Mai brings us a stunning S/S 2010 vintage range. ‘Día De Los Muertos’ is a hot and spicy collection to get you ready for the balmy Summer nights inspired by the Mexican ‘Day of the Dead’. Hand picked vintage pieces are customised, adorned and printed onto using original artwork designed by Ami, the girl behind Mia Mai. Featuring the heavily decorated gypsy girl skulls and flowers, the artwork is reminiscent of old tattoos, a common theme in Mia Mai’s work, and is playful and feminine yet also dark. The colours behind the collection reflect this battle behind light and dark, life and death, whilst dirty colours are thrown in to compliment the ‘old’ influences and the history of the inspiration. The collection is made up of one-off garments, making every piece a work of art and an original item of clothing. All items are available to buy through the Mia Mai website www.miamai.co.uk.

Hannah Catherine is an individual label created by Sheffield based designer, Hannah Lord. After graduating from the University of Leeds and finding inspiration working in London, Hannah has returned to her home city of Sheffield to make a name for herself working under her own label. The label is designed to incorporate unique innovative design with high quality fabrics and finishing, creating one-off pieces that not only look stunning but feel amazing to wear. Hannah Catherine offers a bespoke design and dressmaking service in which one-off garments are designed and cre-ated specifically for the individual.

Selected collection available at ‘Each To Their Own Unique Clothing Boutique’, Sheffield. www.hannahcatherine.com


FEATURES

Oops! is a small, independent fashion label set up by Emily Bosence in 2008. All pieces are designed and hand made in the Oops! studio in the North Laine, Brighton, UK. Whilst priding itself on offering comfortable, wearable and flattering garments, Oops! is quirky, sexy and fierce and is not for the faint hearted. Combining traditional tweeds and jerseys with bright limited edition African prints and vintage fabrics, each piece is designed to be multifunctional, be it adjustable in length, a reversible cape, or a cowl neck that becomes a hood, you can guarantee there will be more to it than meets the eye! Whilst stocking the UK’s coolest, most interesting and unique boutiques, Oops! is constantly working on collaboration projects including styling music videos. Oops! also takes on commissions where the customer can choose their own style and fabric. www.oopsfashion.co.uk

Juggling a student lifestyle with A-level course work plus exams and running a business is everyday life for the team of self made fashion cult Reptiles And Wedgies. Making a name for themselves through self promotion and growing interest have created an apparel brand with influence of their own personalities. "We love what we do so much, we have such a amazing time". We like their positive can do attitude of “any dream is achievable, any dream is reachable”. www.reptilesandwedgies.com


New talent to watch out for is illustrator Sarah Tompkins. She has loved drawing since she was little; sitting on the floor of her great Aunt's house and sketching animal figures given to her to play with. The idea to become an illustrator, however, only really came to her in the last year of her Graphic Design degree. Having graduated at Sheffield Hallam University, Sarah carries on the style which was inspired during a live brief in a recent brief for a new bar opening in Sheffield. Since then her computer-aided illustrations have been seen in 'Acquired Collective', 'New Sugar' magazine and a string of private commissions including wedding invitations and posters. Taking great pride and enjoyment in her work, Sarah's latest course is fashion which includes printed T-shirts.

www.sarahtompkins.co.uk

Sarah Tompkins



Liv Grogan is a talented Textiles for Fashion graduate

from Northampton University with an eclectic sense of style. Her graduate collection took inspiration from current concerns about rising sea levels and the mythical city of Atlantis. Whilst in her final year at University Liv’s work was selected for the Clothes Show London 2009 and is due to be on the catwalk at Alternative Fashion week in April. Her style combines a mix of different inspirations from nature and the environment and she particularly enjoys drawing inspiration from her travels especially from the scenery of the beautiful south coast. Liv currently works on her designs in any spare time she gets and hopes to pursue a career as a print/fashion designer. When she is not spending her time designing she loves to explore the outdoors to find new inspiration and regularly enjoys adventure sports such as surfing and kayaking. Liv currently has capsule collections of designs for fashion and accessories which are sold through her website and at local art markets. www.livgrogan.tk Wild Badges 99p each, Floral Pocket Mirror £2.99, Camper Tee £12.99, Camper Hoody £21.99, Cards £2

God save our gracious McQueen, God save our noble McQueen!

Last month the fashion world united in mourning after the tragic death of the great Alexander McQueen. Acquiring a global reputation as the ‘bad boy’ of fashion, McQueen was admired internationally for an intoxicating mix of chillingly sinister concepts, religious iconography and traditional romantic ideology. McQueen’s short but impactful career saw us fall in love with the cockney rhyming East End brute who kept us guessing as to what he may/may not have chalked on the inside of Prince Charles’ suit during an internship with Saville Row’s finest tailors, before enrolling as a student at Central Saint Martin’s. Typically thriving on shocking audiences through performance based shows that captivated the mind; his final collection, a short sixteen piece show of garments completed before his death, paid tribute to his amazing talent and stripped back to the basics of McQueen’s utter brilliance. McQueen’s Autumn/ Winter 2010 collection of-fered an opportunity for him to reconnect with his art, concentrating implicitly on showcasing a collection that displayed his true craftsmanship and reflected his twenty-something years in the industry. Unveiled in an intimate country house in Paris, the collection exposed the traditional feminine tailoring with which McQueen had become synonymous and exploited his consistently romantic and rich colour palette. Just over a month after his tragic death, the brand, which is 51% owned by the Gucci Group is already seeking a replacement for Alexander McQueen, but for such a young and unique brand, it will be hard for any successor to drive the company in a positive direction- particularly so close to the death of its founder.

McQueen’s career may have been short but his unique creativity and wild imagination will no doubt continue to influence and inspire the fu-ture of fashion long beyond his reign. God save McQueen ■ All of Alexander ‘Lee’ McQueen’s work can be seen on www.alexandermacqueen.com Words Lauren Davidson Images, this page McQueen Press, opposite Claire Roberts

Alexander ‘Lee’ McQueen

1969 - 2010


Alexander McQueen using Swarovski Elements on his SS09 collection.

ICONS

Lady GagaLady GagaLady GagaLady Gaga GAGA…OOH LA LA! Welcome to the first of Rebel’s ICONS; a regular feature which celebrates the great and the good in popular culture/entertainment who have that extra ‘edgy’ edge which appeals to Rebel and our readers. In this issue, we celebrate the wonder that is LADY GAGA.

It’s hard to believe Lady GaGa is just 23 years old; no, we’re not regarding how she looks at her age, but talking in terms of what she achieved and packed into her life so far. A year ago, GaGa became hot property having released her album The Fame and having mega hits such as Just Dance, Poker Face and Love-Game. The Fame” was followed by The Fame Monster which was regarded as a second

studio album on its own rather than a re-release of The Fame due to the fact that it had its own concept and body of work. She is now world renowned as the hottest property in music, entertainment and fashion; a source of Inspiration for designers, an artist to collaborate with in the music industry and the person that everyone is talking about. GaGa (who took her name from Queen’s Radio Gaga) is an ‘old-

fashioned’ pop star in terms of her routes of progression - open mic/club nights in NYC, networking and self promotion - but there is nothing dated about her; she regularly ‘shocks’ in raunchy outfits (designing and making most of her stage outfits), has witty retorts to criticism and ‘those’ hermaphrodite ru mo u rs a n d i s c o n s i s t e n t i n re-inventing herself and bringing fresh new ideas to use. She reminds Rebel of Madonna in the 90s – overtly sexual and clever, playing with different im-ages and at the top of her game. Lady GaGa is, in fact, Stefani Germanotta, born in 1986 to a good Italian New York family. In private, does Stefani actually go back to being, well, one of us?

Or does Stefani no longer ‘exist’? Despite her front, Lady GaGa seems to be an extremely private person; in a recent interview with Lynn Barber of The Sunday Times, the journalist hints that her closest

friends are the HAUS OF GAGA, her treasured creative/production team who have been with her from the start, and that she has no time for personal distractions. She is also a ‘Daddy’s Girl’ following the ill health of her father. She is an incredibly talented artist who is beautiful, iconic and out there… yet grounded, down-to-earth and ‘normal’ really. Can you think of another pop star who would be as comfortable laying with a skeleton in a burnt bed, performing in a giant bathtub or shooting sparks out of her breasts on-stage? This girl knows how to put on a proper show – we all know how

disappointing it can be to buy an expensive ticket for a concert and to feel that you haven’t got value for money. GaGa’s live shows are

electrifying, bizarre and thoroughly entertaining; and she can actually

bloody sing! That alone is a rarity in our music industry today.

GaGa – Rebel salutes you, your ability to shock, inspire and awe and

the fantastic HAUS OF GAGA. Don’t go changing! ■

Lady GaGa is currently on

her Europe leg of her Monster Ball Tour.

The Single Telephone featuring Beyonce is out

now.

www.ladygaga.com

Words Claire Bicknell

Images courtesy of Universal Music


It seems today like the world has new bands coming out of every nook and cranny, with countless numbers of genres and sub-genres. It is hard to keep up with the amount of emerging talent coming out providing us with these bizarre new sub-genres, but what has spurred on this rapid surge in performers? There was a time when becoming a successful band with credibility needed sheer determination, persistence and a sprinkling of luck. That isn’t to say that bands today don’t have these necessities but it could be argued that it’s a bit easier to gain such fa-vourable outcomes. So what is the key to success for a band yearning recognition in the 21st century? It is safe to say that the internet plays a substantial role. We are now living in an era dominated by the internet and this is often seen as a window of opportunity for unsigned bands. Social networking websites enable bands to market themselves to the public with ease. These websites and many alike, help keep a bands music fresh in a persons mind. Think about the amount of gigs you have attended and enjoyed, then promptly forgotten the band as soon as you’ve got home. Stars like Lily Allen and Kate Nash used MySpace to promote her work and gained a big fan base, putting them into the spotlight and landing record deals. The web however is not the be all and end all. Gigs are still played, self recorded CD’s dis-tributed and hard graft is still required; the groundwork still has to be done to gain the recognition. This is something that highly influential bands such as The Beatles, Black Sabbath and more recently, The Artic Monkeys are more than familiar with.

A look at the recent explosion of unsigned bands and how the internet has contributed to this

I spoke to two unsigned artists hoping to one day be as influential as the great bands just mentioned. Guitarist John McLinden from Scottish, indie-rock band The Deals and singer Tom Stubbs from Northampton indie band The New Cassettes helped me gain more of an understanding about the struggle to be heard and how the internet can lend a helping hand. I asked the guys how they go about getting their music heard and their band known, to try and establish whether the internet is heavily leaned upon. John explained ‘I think the best policy for getting music heard is basically just playing live as often as possible, in front of as many people as possible. We also send demos of our music to try and get it heard but playing live is what we do best.’ Tom added ‘mostly it’s been word of mouth for us, flyering like mad, dishing out CD's and badges to start then when the singles came out we got a lot of play on Radio 1 and XFM which helped no end, as well as online media with fanzines, blogs and the obligatory MySpace page.’ So it

clearly a mixture of the two, the internet and general hard work – there is to be no slacking in this music business! John mentioned that gaining recognition is getting harder and harder, “Gaining recognition can be difficult without any external help from management or the likes, so our next goal is probably to try and get a manager to do the dirty work for us!’

20 Rebel Magazine Spring Summer www.rebelmagazine.co.uk

The internet seems to help unsigned bands get noticed but people tend to gradually loose interest. Tom said ‘people are getting fed up with having to sift through the 2 million bands or the 10 million pages from bands that don't exist anymore. On the whole though it helped us no end and hopefully will some more in the future.’ John backs this comment and

feels the net has been a mixed blessing for music. ‘MySpace is obviously a great tool for artists; you can promote your music for free all over the globe. If your music is being streamed for nothing online, it also makes it difficult to make any money from your music.’

Which is more beneficial and important in getting your music heard; playing live or having your music accessible on the internet and whether gigs are hard to come by, to which Tom replied ‘I think in the end its a little bit of both these days. Without the radio and internet to show off your music people tend not to go smaller gigs any more, unless Zane Lowe, NME or Jo Whiley tell them so and in the end a fuzzy crackly video on YouTube is never the same as a band at full pelt in front of you.’ John explained that getting the chance to play gigs is easy, “but opportunities for playing good gigs where people aren't merely after a quick buck are not so plentiful. We're now trying our best to bypass 'the promoter', our busiest and best gig to date was organised by ourselves so I'd encourage others to do the same!’ New Cassettes front man Tom has different views, ‘putting together a tour on your own back but still playing decent venues is becoming tougher and tougher.’

I asked our artists what advice they would offer other people wanting to start a band and Tom explained you should just get on it, ‘if you've got an idea go with it and put it in people’s faces. Stick to your guns and don't worry if you get knocked back.’ Whilst John added ‘people starting bands should be absolutely resolute in playing the kind of music they want to play and not get caught up in writing songs that they think other people might want to hear. If you write a song and you like it, chances are other people will like it too.’

The internet seems responsible for the birth of a great deal of unsigned bands and does contribute in some senses to their rise as it gives them an extra outlet to get their music heard. Despite this however, it is not as influential as some members of the media would have you believe. The key aspects helping an unsigned band rise remain the same as they have always been. The internet will help establish your band but, don’t forget the net won’t help you with the three key elements to succeed - motivation, dedication and talent. ■

Check out New Cassettes at www.myspace.com/newcassettes and The Deals at http://www.myspace.com/thedeals.

Words Sarah Doyle Photography first Kimberly Smith, second via New Cassettes, bottom two namal

D.I.Y or simply D.I. .. by someone else?

What do you think of when you imagine ‘Do It Yourself?’- a middle-aged man in dust covered overalls? Carol Smilie beaming at you from your television set, circa 1998? This tragic, dread-inducing picture is, thankfully, reversed when the term is connected with fashion and style. Fortunately, I’m not going to ask you to bring out a pair of scissors and some fabric- but you’d be in good company if you did. Making your own clothes and wearing your own creations is amazing and I really wish I could do it myself. It’s still a great way to get noticed and is perfect in terms of cost, environmental impact and originality. However, if, like me, you can’t draw, sew or cut, what are your options? Thousands of people are buying from unheard-of independent designers and are sourcing vintage clothes from small stores and charity shops up and down the country, forming an individual look and not being enslaved to the ‘they’re-wearing-it-too’ culture of popular retailers. The result? Creative freedom over your personal style and an amazing outlet for self-expression. The idea of going out of the blanketed comfort zone of the high street and into the not-so-dark, not-so-scary world of emerging designers and vintage shops is becoming more popular. Alison Preuss, owner of The Frockery- a boutique in the north-east of Scotland, says ‘the appeal is now much more mainstream’, and she’s right: drifting away from the shopping centre is surely becoming part of the norm. For a lot of people, there’s a genuine concern about the treatment of the workers who produce clothes- whilst the beckon of cheap, throwaway clothing is undoubtedly appealing, it’s hardly ethical and won’t win you any points on the ecological front. Wearing second-hand garments or buying items that have been designed and assembled locally is practically guilt-free when compared to the air miles and sweat that shame the high street.

Sure, this era of ‘disposable fashion’ is difficult to resist, but wearing something that you can trace the origins of is another world. Think about organic food: we know its good for us, and we eat it and brag about it, knowing that it has been produced in a proper way. So, why aren’t we applying this same idea to clothes? “People are brainwashed by the high-street”, says Rowan McIntosh, the designer behind Rowanjoy and a graduate of Edinburgh College of Art. ‘People need to explore and become aware of other options’ she goes on to say, suggesting that ‘the work of grass-roots designers is often similarly priced to stores like Topshop and Zara... people just need to open their minds’. On that note, give thought to these designers- check out their stuff, see if you like it. Hit one of the endless vintage shops & charity shops that await you, and help to make fashion individual again. ■ Rowenjoy www.rowanjoy.co.uk The Frockery www.frockery.co.uk

Words James Andrew Cunningham Photography Paul Marr for Rowenjoy


Who better to model our t-shirts spread than the lads from Superhands. With completely individual personalities and an amazingly good EP, ‘Styrofoam Cups’, they always manage to bring a crowd to their gigs where ever they play. Currently shortlisted to play at the Camden Crawl, the lads are: Jake Hollis - Bass James Grady - Lead vocals Patrick Grady - Drums and vocals Dan Lenton www.myspace.com/superhands

24 Rebel Magazine Spring Summer

T-SHIRTS


Squink

Raised in a small deserted town in the United Kingdom, Squink! grew up on a diet of popcorn, candy, and 'Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors'. Qualified as a graphic designer but also a keen painter from a very early age, he became a toy collector with the launch of the Toy2R Qee, which eventually led to customising everything he could get his hands on! A head filled with characters in need of being set free finally had an outlet. Heavily influenced by Japanese culture and 80’s cartoons, he claims to put a little bit of his soul into each character he creates, giving them all a unique personality, fueled by coffee, good smelly cheese and shoegaze. Taking motivation from the toys he surrounds himself with, and the natural beauty of ...well...nature.. Squink! has more recently branched out into canvas paintings and also limited edition screen printed t-shirts. All t-shirts from archive. Weeping Coffee Bear T-shirt currently available for sale at £15 in limited numbers on squink.tumblr.com



Boyhood was created in 2009, a lifestyle business focusing on clothing, art and design. Based

in Liverpool, Boyhood merges urban street trends, fashion and pop art to produce limited edition contemporary apparel. “Through our creativity and imagination our goal was to inspire and like our boyhood days we just want to have fun!”. All t-shirts and more designs available for sale on their website www.boyhood-dream.com




Graduating in ‘Silversmith, Goldsmith and Jewellery Design’ at UCA Rochester, Sian Bostwick’s passion for design shows through her work. These quirky, individual, dreamy and playful handcrafted pieces are very fashion focused and inspired by illustration, fairytales, myths and dreamscapes. Her collections include detailing of butterflies, Saturn, flowers to twitter inspired birds. Sian also does commissioned pieces, creating the clients' ideas as inspiration to make unique pieces for them. www.sianbostwick.co.uk www.sianbostwick.folksy.com


Made by Lucy Farfort is a cute find of accessories including bags and pouches made from limited edition vintage fabrics and illustrated embellishments. Lucy, who’s first love is illustration, also makes accessories including homeware, prints, t-shirts and even stationery. All can be found a t L u c y ’ s h a p p y p l a c e www.lucyshappyplace.com

ACCESSORIES


Simply Priceless A rare little find ‘You’re Priceless’ a unique cool gift

with a deeper meaning from Love and Patience. The little pendant which could be used as a necklace or as a bracelet was shortlisted for ‘Gift of the year 2008’ by the Giftware Federation. What better way to say thank you...‘You’re Priceless’ to me. A simple hallmarked silver blank price tag for him or her to wear as a symbolic reminder of your love, friendship or simply a token of appreciation to anyone. Uniquely packaged in its trifold card, senders can write their own personal message in the card that is then ready to fold back up and post to that amazing person in your life. Something simple yet beautiful with meaning amazes us in how it can say so much with no words. This makes a perfect gift to someone you love, care about or even your self to remind you of something special. Available from www.loveandpatience.com and other selected retailers (RRP £19.99)


Being inspired by the simple things around them, titiMadam believe that design should not be taken too seriously. In addition to the unique jewellery that they design, titimadam also produces unique homeware including animal shaped mirrors and clocks. “We are sure that the person who owns a titiMadam product has a personal relationship with it. Therefore our playful jewellery and funky home collection has been made with love. Not forgetting that humor should always be part of our lives. We want to make simple things in life more fun!” titiMadam was established in 2007 as a result of two creative minds. Tiina Hakala comes originally from the snowy forests of Finland. Adam Rowe is from the wet streets of London. The company started as a fund raising project dur-ing their studies in furniture design. All titiMadam products have been named after their friends. titiMadam products have been mainly designed by Tiina and Adam but they like to support young creative people and have a few guest designers working with them. www.titimadam.com


Necklaces: dirty Harri skull, Snowhite Pen-dant, Johnny Wayne skull, Zuzanna the zebra, all £25, Birds cage and cuckoo clock, price available on request. Previous page: rings £6 each.

Necklaces: dirty Harri skull & Johnny Wayne skull both £25


Necklaces with large pendants £12, Necklaces with small pen-dants £8. All rings £8

This season, more prominently than ever before, the fashion pack felt the presence of bloggers at the Autumn/ Winter 2010 collections. New York, London, Milan and Paris: bloggers Suzy Bubble and Bryan Boy among others became official members of the fashion elite and prominent features at an array of front rows, much to the

annoyance of many industry professionals.

This season saw a massive 33% of all media and press accreditation passes at London Fashion Week being handed to this new social media gen-eration of bloggers, an increase of over ten percent

in 6 months.

But why is there such a hostile and negative atti-tude towards bloggers from the fashion press? Since the dawning of the ‘new-age’ fashion blog-ger, there has been an unhealthy rivalry between fashion industry professionals and pioneers of the

digital wave.

Caught at the forefront of this fashion’s own war is the young, imaginative ‘POP’ cover girl, Tavi. Whether you believe the words come from the 14 year old fashion darling or you think she’s the mascot for a particularly clever marketing ploy, did ever it become right for a drab, thirty-something,

career-hungry woman to personally attack a child?

I’m talking of course about the Tavi vs. Paula Reed showdown at John Galliano couture in February. How immature, not to mention completely unprofessional to dictate what, in an industry so creative, one should (or should not be) wearing. By practically shouting this from the rooftops of Paris, Reed managed only to publicly humiliate herself by admitting that after her “pivotal” career the young trendsetter had a better seat than her. I imagine if Anna Wintour had rocked up wearing that very same bow in front of Reed things would have

worked out quite differently.

But the blogger is far from a saint in all of this chaos as they are accused of selling their souls to the highest bidder in a new advertising platform for

product promotion…

Whatever happened to freedom of speech? More and more of these ‘independent thinkers’ are falling under the spell of endorsement strategies set in place by corporate brands; allowing them-selves, their thoughts and, most importantly for the fashion blogger, their credibility to be bought in a bid to satisfy their hunger for power. Now, I have no objection to accepting a free gift (or two) but allowing your opinions to be bought by companies officially revokes the blogger’s unique selling point. Brands need to respect the fact that any decent blogger will not be bought and that they should instead offer partnership, exciting opportunities and a chance to interact with the company and its

products.

Swarovski’s AW10 social media campaign did exactly that. Inviting a hand picked selection of bloggers, the brand offered a chance to live stream Swarovski sponsored shows directly onto blog sites as and when the action was happening. The company, in its 15th year of fashion sponsorship, gave their chosen partner bloggers the opportunity to attend shows and granted them permission to air exclusive ‘making of’ backstage footage and interviews from designers. Swarovski are committed to strengthening their relationship with these select few bloggers consistently offering new and exciting opportunities to get involved with the

brand.

And Swarovski is not alone in its strategy:more brands are beginning to take bloggers seriously, setting up initiatives that not only support the company’s prerogatives but allow bloggers to participate with the brand, contribute opinions and

educate their followers.

Once outsiders to an industry that was traditionally enriched with a strict hierarchical system- historically offering luxury through exclusivity- the bloggers have successfully (if a little controversially) infiltrated the dated fashion democracy making high fashion accessible to the masses and allowing a global community to

appreciate the talent of incredible designers.

Like them or loathe them, the fashion blogger is

the future of fashion. Fact!


Evolution / Revolution of the Fashion Bloggers

Words Lauren Davidson


• ..fashion has different meaning to different

• individuals. To us it’s an expression of ones

• personality, a feeling, a mood, but mostly a style of ones individuality. Here are

nine different designers • doing just that.

Rebel Magazine Spring Summer 43 www.rebelmagazine.co.uk

All clothing & assistant styling Hannah Catherine, prices available on request. www.hannahcatherine.com

Models Emma Etherington & Leah Slater Photography & makeup namal Special Thanks to Midas Bar, Rugby





This page, shoes by Onye Tate

All clothing by Jenny Goddard, featuring her Graduate collection inspired by vintage sportswear. Accessories stylists & designers own. Model Ashli Rossetti Photography, styling & makeup namal


cuckoo clock necklace by titimadam, price on request



Snowhite Pendant £25, by titimadam


All clothing by Liv Grogen Models Beth Norman &

Tamara Bezhanova Photography, makeup & styling namal





Día De Los Día De Los Día De Los Día De Los Muertos’ Muertos’ Muertos’ Muertos’ Inspired by the Mexican ‘Day of the Dead’, Mia Mai’s Spring Summer collection featuring remade vintage pieces decorated with gypsy skulls and flowers. All clothing by Mia Mai Styling and makeup Ami , designer of Mia Mai Model Emma Etherington Photography namal





Wild Black Roses

Model Ashli Rossetti Hair, makeup & styling assistant Lucy Bent Photography & styling namal





Urban Rebels

Models, siblings Dan Tindall & Gemma Tindal Photography & styling namal





All clothing by OOPS! Prices available on re-quest Shoes Onye Tate Model Natasha Photography, makeup & styling namal






Creatures of the Water World

Models Ashli Rossetti & Natasha (all shoes modelled by Ashli) All Shoes and Glasses by One Tate Photography & styling by namal

Creatures of the





Tribal Beats

Model Francesca Page All clothing and styling by Natasha Liparoti Photography and assistant styling by namal

Rebel Magazine Spring Summer 111 www.rebelmagazine.co.uk



B Boyhood-dream

[email protected] www.boyhood-dream.com H Hannah Catherine Tel 0114 2474419 [email protected] www.hannahcatherine.com

L Liv Grogan 07999665950 [email protected] www.livgrogan.tk Lucy Farfort [email protected] www.lucyshappyplace.com

M MiaMai

Tel 07896 818806 [email protected] www.miamai.co.uk Midas Bar

49 Church Street, Rugby, Warwickshire, CV21 3PT

N namal 077068 15955

[email protected] www.namal.co.uk

O OOPS! Fashion +44 7739583826 [email protected] www.oopsfashion.co.uk

P Love and Patience tel/fax: +44 (0) 1273411487 [email protected] www.loveandpatience.com

Address Book


R Reptiles and Wedgies

www.reptilesandwedgies.com Rowenjoy tel: 07739114084 [email protected] www.Rowenjoy.co.uk S Sarah Tomkins

07840 287 412 [email protected] www.sarahtompkins.co.uk Sian Bostwick

www.sianbostwick.co.uk Squink

[email protected] www.squink.tumblr.com T titimadam

[email protected] www.titimadam.com Model Contacts Ashley Rossetty

www.ashlirossetti.webs.com Beth Norman www.purestorm.com/bethlouise

Leah Slater

www.modelmayhem.com/slater Natasha

www.modelmayhem.com/Boo16

Documents

Rebel Magazine - Issue 1