Amelia’s Magazine | Little Shilpa: London Fashion Week S/S 2014 Presentation Review

Little Shilpa S/S 2014 by Slowly The Eggs

Little Shilpa S/S 2014 by Slowly The Eggs

Little Shilpa is the eponymous label of Mumbai born milliner and accessory designer Shilpa Chavan, and this was her first ever Fashion Scout showcase during London Fashion Week. I have recently been rather obsessed with eastern religions’ goddess iconography and images of Green Tara, Shakti merging into Shiva or Hathor crowd my desktop, so attending Little Shilpa’s ‘Grey Matter’ presentation was a welcome gift indeed. The five figures standing in front of us looked like five fantastical deities, delightfully adorned with dramatic headpieces and jewellery whose forms had obvious eastern influences. Their bodies were clothed with equally theatrical textile assemblages, some of them referencing the sari and including tulle, brocade, silk and lace. In both her accessories and garments, Shilpa Chavan holds tradition close but gives them a modern outlook. For example, underneath the deconstructed saris she used men’s shirts, and instead of ornamental jewellery being made in gold metals it was presented in perspex. In fact, according to the designer, this indecision between the traditional and the contemporary was behind the title of her first London Fashion Week outing – I hope there will be more!

Little Shilpa S/S 2014 by Claire Kearns

Little Shilpa S/S 2014 by Claire Kearns

Little Shilpa S/S 2014 photo by Maria Papadimitriou

Little Shilpa S/S 2014 photo by Maria Papadimitriou

Little Shilpa S/S 2014 by Daisy Steele

Little Shilpa S/S 2014 by Daisy Steele

Little Shilpa S/S 2014 photo by Maria Papadimitriou

Little Shilpa S/S 2014 photo by Maria Papadimitriou

Little Shilpa S/S 2014 by Lynne Datson

Little Shilpa S/S 2014 by Lynne Datson

Little Shilpa S/S 2014 photo by Maria Papadimitriou

Little Shilpa S/S 2014 photo by Maria Papadimitriou

Little Shilpa S/S 2014 photo by Maria Papadimitriou

Little Shilpa S/S 2014 presentation. All photography by Maria Papadimitriou

Categories ,accessories, ,Claire Kearns, ,Daisy Steele, ,Fashion Scout, ,Goddess, ,Grey Matter, ,Headpiece, ,jewellery, ,LFW Presentation, ,Little Shilpa, ,London Fashion Week, ,Lynne Datson, ,Maria Papadimitriou, ,Mumbai, ,Perspex, ,Sari, ,Shilpa Chavan, ,Slowly the Eggs, ,Tradition

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Amelia’s Magazine | Baartmans and Siegel: London Collections: Men S/S 2015 Catwalk Review

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Baartmans and Siegel S/S 2015 by Gabriel Ayala

Baartmans and Siegel certainly know how to put on a show. This year they’d taken over St. George’s of Bloomsbury, an 18th century church which sits right opposite the Old Sorting Office LC:M venue. The church is a bit of an undiscovered gem in the heart of the city; a grand staircase and Georgian columns make up the façade. The recently renovated interior is clean and bright and less imposing than some of London’s other ecclesiastical architecture.

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All photography by Matt Bramford

There were three sittings and I’d bagged a ticket for the first, which was a little low on numbers but I can only assume that this was because a show had just finished across the road. Without much fuss, models descended from the church’s balcony; the aisle became the catwalk and press and buyers filled the pews.

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This ‘Platoon‘ collection followed on nicely from A/W 2014′s offering. Mixing quintessential British influences with sportswear, S/S 2015 had much to offer. Inspiration had come from sports teams and leagues, translated through masculine sportswear with emphasis on the quality of fabric and finishings. Bomber jackets and coats appeared in dark greens and blues, worn over layers of shirts and t-shirts. The idea was to combat the mess that is the British summer, with lightweight waterproof jackets with removable hoods and luxurious overcoats that don’t sit heavily.

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Layered shorts are becoming a bit of a B&S staple and these appeared numerous times, teamed with crisp tailored short-sleeved shirts and long, light coats. Retro-inspired sunglasses shapes, headbands and athletic socks balanced the ultra-modern cuts of clothing. Pleated, tapered trousers offered a smarter aesthetic. A collaboration with Kickers saw models wear leather ankle shoe/trainer hybrids.

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Models formed a group at the end of the nave where I presume the altar would be, framed by a dramatic sculpture at the altar. This reinforced the key themes that made this collection so coherent and exciting.

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Categories ,Baartmans and Siegel, ,Fashion Week, ,Gabriel Ayala, ,Holborn, ,Kickers, ,LCM, ,LCMSS2015, ,london, ,London Collections Men, ,Matt Bramford, ,menswear, ,sportswear, ,SS15, ,St. George’s of Bloomsbury

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Amelia’s Magazine | An interview with Sadhna Prasad: Amelia’s Colourful Colouring Companion featured artist.

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Indian artist Sadhna Prasad contributes a vibrant page to Amelia’s Colourful Colouring Companion, inspired by her interest in parallel worlds. Here she shares her colour rich take on life, weaving together a love of dreams, memory and fantasy.

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What is your colouring book artwork inspired by? It’s very intriguing.
I am currently obsessing over the existence of parallel worlds and researching about how the idea of the same came about. The illustration for the Coloring Book is an experiment for this relationship between humans and spaces. It is to define the two worlds which will connect in multiple ways, depending on the person filling the colors in to finish the image.

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How did you come to study at Camberwell, and how does a London education differ from a Mumbai education?
I had researched a lot about the Illustration courses and the course-structure at Camberwell sounded very exciting and challenging. My education in India was under-graduation hence guided constantly by professionals and I was referred to as a student. In London, I was a professional who had taken up a year to finish a particular project, experimenting along the way with the feedback of tutors. That’s the difference. I was moulded into a complete professional.

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Why are you so interested in memories, dreams and fantasy?
I have always believed that my work should resonate with my personality. Memories create that relatable added layer. I am way more expressive when I relate to situations and scenarios personally. Dreams and fantasy is my gateway to edit the existing world.

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Where would you most like to create a mural and why?
I would love to create a narrative-mural at intervals from Kashmir to Kanyakumari in India. It covers the two extreme points of the country. (Kashmir-North India, Kanyakumari-South India). This is an ideal roadtrip journey across India and it would be a story for people to travel through and will also help them travel further. The mural would be spaced on the roadtrip route from Kashmir to Kanyakumari. Now that I have pitched the idea, I am excited to work towards it.

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Can you tell us more about your involvement in the worlds Biggest Student Art Show?
I use Behance quite frequently to look for freelance opportunities or to follow and look at other peoples work. I stumbled upon this competition under Behance’s Job Portal and I thought I should give it a try. Everything worked out perfectly and I was chosen as one of the ten students around the world to be featured in Adobe’s Worlds Biggest Student Art show where each of us got an amazing opportunity to contribute a design piece to be painted on a wall in Brooklyn by Colossal Media. We were given a common theme – ‘to show our unique perspective of the world‘.

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Why do you like entering competitions and which ones have you entered recently?
Competitions keep the adrenaline rush going for me. I love working under strict guidelines and time restrictions. Apart form that, it gives you various opportunities to travel and connect with people form all over the world who illustrate to make a change. I have recently entered two for Film Festival Official Poster Competition and I am working on one due in January for a picture book.

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How are you exploring animations?
I am currently experimenting with a software called Cinema 4D, to see what 3D elements I can add to my illustrations. I intend to start the experimentation with a common theme and small GIFS till I conclude in the form of an elaborate motion graphic video.

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What is you personal project Life’s Little Instruction Book?
I came across this tiny little book at a bookstore in India called “Life’s Little Instruction Book” and decided to pick it up. After reading all the quotes I realised the book is a confusion of emotions by the author, where he is telling you what is right and wrong. After the one year hiatus with work, I decided I would illustrate what the quotes meant to me, literally or satirically. It is the long term project with which I plan to record my work changes.

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You have just been on a road trip across India, can you tell us more?
The roadtrip was one of a kind, because it was a collaboration with 15 other creatives whom I hadn’t known before. Such a surprise the trip turned out with some great collaborations on the trip, painting murals/boats while we travelled and millions of ideation for future opportunities to work together. It also gave me an opportunity to dwell further into the topic of stereotypes and spaces. Moreover it gave me time to think, reflect and meet some amazing people.

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Where are you based at present and why?
I am currently based in Mumbai, India, working as a freelance illustrator as well as looking for other work opportunities while connecting to the illustration community in India and elsewhere.

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Artwork by Sadhna Prasad features in Amelia’s Colourful Colouring Companion alongside 40 other artist, funding now on Kickstarter. Get your copy for Christmas!

Categories ,#ameliasccc, ,Adobe’s Worlds Biggest Student Art, ,Adult Coloring Book, ,Adult Colouring, ,Adult Colouring Book, ,Amelia’s Colourful Colouring Companion, ,Behance, ,brooklyn, ,Cinema 4D, ,Colossal Media, ,Colouring Book, ,Film Festival Official Poster Competition, ,India, ,Indian, ,interview, ,Kanyakumari, ,Kashmir, ,Kickstarter, ,Life’s Little Instruction Book, ,Mumbai, ,Sadhna Prasad

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