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Christopher Raeburn

Christopher Raeburn

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DESIGNER NAME: Christopher Raeburn

BACKGROUND: Raeburn graduated from the Royal College of Art nearly four years ago. He freelanced mainly as a pattern cutter before setting up his own studio, and later his label. He comments, “I knew that I wanted to do my own production and because the label’s remade nature is fairly specialist, it’s taken a while to grow to the point I’m at now. I’m excited about the next steps”.

SIGNATURES: “Innovative, functional and fun.”

IDEAL CLIENT: “I think my customer changes a lot but I’d like to think they are looking for something different, ethically intelligent and proudly remade in England.”

TRADEMARK PIECE: “The Pop Out Parka. I take the iconic and trademark shape of the parka and re-develop it into two jackets that can function together or separately through their innovative cut and technique.”


Christopher Raeburn won the Emerging Talent – Menswear award at the British Fashion Awards 2011

Caroline Charles

Caroline Charles

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Caroline Charles has been invited over the years to be a design consultant to major Brands such as Burberry and Marks and Spencer as well as having design collaborations with major accessories and textile companies.

Carolyn Charles has been a very popular designer for many years since. In 2002, she received an OBE from the Queen, for her services to British fashion, which is very well-deserved.

Bora Aksu

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BORA AKSU

DESIGNER NAME: Bora Aksu



BACKGROUND: Originally from Turkey, Bora has been based in London for 15 years. Bora set up his label upon graduation from his MA at Central Saint Martins.



SIGNATURES: “My signature style is based upon finding the balance point between contrasts. It’s romantic with a darker twist.”

IDEAL CLIENT: “She defines beauty in her own way. Tori Amos captures this for me.”

TRADEMARK PIECE: “The cocktail dress.”

THE COLLECTION: “Diane Arbus’ photo of identical twins has always fascinated me but it really struck a chord for this collection. The way the twins are dressed and the energy they give off in this iconic photo has become a real inspiration source.”

CULTURAL INFLUENCES: “I believe fashion constantly interacts with other creative fields and that’s the only way it renews itself. Fashion is part of our lives like music, art, literature or architecture so it’s only natural to me that they would all resonate with each other. I have been listening to The Wild Youth recently which has touched my soul and taken me in a certain direction. Also Charles Dana Gibson’s illustrations and his muse Evelyn Nesbit are a real influence on my work.”

PLANS FOR 2013: “2012 was a good year so we aim to build on that. My ultimate goal is always to carry on doing what I love doing, designing!”

AW|13

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Astrid Andersen

Astrid Andersen

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DESIGNER NAME: Astrid Anderson

BACKGROUND: Astrid graduated from The Royal College of Art in 2010 and went on the win the Brioni Creativity and Innovation Award and the River Island MA Student Bursary Award designing three looks for the high street retailer.

SIGNATURES: “To create a look that is masculine, using street attitude and hip-hop references whilst playing on more feminine materials and colours.”

IDEAL CLIENT: “Confident above all.”

TRADEMARK PIECES: “The cropped puff jacket and the basketball tank.”

THE COLLECTION: “It’s inspired by a collection of crystals I saw in Florence last summer and the idea of how people have given them powerful purposes, such as healing power or good luck charm. From there, it was an investigation into the superstitious rituals of athletes and the hype they get from these before a match. Ultimately, the clothes are meant to hype my team of men and I love the idea of creating good luck ‘garms’ for them!”

IMPACT OF LONDON COLLECTIONS: MEN: “It is now providing a unique platform for my brand that truly makes my business present in a very international context which is also reflected in our customer.”

FIRST PIECE OF MENSWEAR DESIGNED: “I remember my brother desperately wanted a pair of rose-printed leggings like Axel Rose in the mid-90s, so we found the fabric, drew around him and had my mother stitch them together. We were both very proud!”

 

Ashish

Ashish

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DESIGNER NAME: Ashish Gupta

DESIGN SIGNATURES: “Sequins, glamour, sportswear and more sequins.”

IDEAL CLIENT: “Fun-loving and sexy with a sense of humour. She likes to make an entrance.”

THE COLLECTION: “AW13 is a visually ironic take on urban/rural work wear.”

CULTURAL INFLUENCES: “I have always been very influenced by cinema and pop art and fashion. I also find Tumblr very inspiring, it’s like an ever-evolving giant scrapbook of ideas from millions of people all over the world. It’s just an incredibly good source for visual research.”

Anna October

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Anna October is a womenswear designer creating garments with attention to hight quality fabrics and feminine silhouettes.

After 2 years working Anna October was mentioned in number of the best fashion magazines and recently named as one of the most promising fashion designers of Eastern Europe by Marie Claire (US).

Her vision of timeless elegance and modern spirit is evident in her collections. Clear feminine silhouettes shapes the body created through modern cutting, precision tailoring with exceptional quality and a distinctive edge.

Anna October designs has celebration spirit of life and joy of being yourself. Inspired by contemporary culture, colors and emotions her collections are light and sparkling with small touch of irony.

Anna’s background is technical education at College of Technology and Design, Zaporozie, 2008, and fine art studies in Art College, named after M.B. Grekov, Odessa. Her family name was given to her grandfather after The Great October Revolution, 1917.

She earlier took her first steps towards becoming a designer, when as a teenager she drew lots of sketches and doing small collection inspired by contemporary architecture. After one year studying art in Odessa Anna launched her own brand to focus just on designing women’s wear collections.

Always aiming to spread the world with her ideas, not to be just local designer, she was invited by Creative Director of Atelier 1- David Foley to be a part of new project Atelier 1 Collectif for which Anna did a capsule collection and art installation in Kiev based concept store atelier 1. It was a good start, which gave the direction of the international orientation of the brand.

 

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Aminaka Wilmont

Aminaka Wilmont

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DESIGNER NAMES: Maki Aminaka Löfvander and Marcus Wilmont.

BACKGROUND: Maki is from Japan and Sweden. Marcus hails from Denmark. The designers met while working for Robert Cary-Williams. They studied at Royal College of Art, Central Saint Martins and University of Boras.

SIGNATURES: “Sensual, flowing and innovative silhouettes embracing soft, voluminous draping of effortless complexity and avant-garde tailoring.”

TRADEMARK PIECES: “Experimental drape dresses in abstract prints and asymmetric distressed leather jackets.”

IDEAL CLIENT: “Self-confident, serene and sensual, with an appreciation of creativity and pure unconventional beauty.”

THE COLLECTION: “Theory of the multiverse, dimensional layering vs. convergence and artist, Kevin Francis Gray.”

CULTURAL INFLUENCES: “As creatives we aim to produce work that stirs an emotion or reaction in the recipients who view or experience our process, or indeed the final product. Our work is in turn a natural expression of what creative mediums we have been influenced by and have reacted to during the season – such as the music and art we have been surrounded by. To us this is an essential and inseparable dynamic without which we would not be able to produce work with integrity.”

PLANS FOR 2013: “Expansion into targeted markets, new cross-field collaborations and hopefully finally launching AW ‘Untitled’.”

Agi & Sam

Agi & Sam

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DESIGNER NAMES: Agi Mdumulla and Sam Cotton

ORIGIN: Agi is from Yorkshire and Sam is from Stratford-Upon-Avon.

BACKGROUND: Agi studied Fashion Design at Manchester School of Art and Sam studied Illustration at University of Lincoln. While producing print for Alexander McQueen, Karl Lagerfeld, J.W. Anderson, Armand Basi and Carolyn Massey, he learnt the theory of production, colour and fabric. Agi trained at a Soho based tailors, before spending a year with Alexander McQueen working alongside the menswear team. At McQueen, he learned primarily the importance of research, and the extent at which creativity can be explored. He then went on to work for himself briefly before setting up Agi & Sam.

SIGNATURES: “With a strong emphasis on entirely bespoke print and humour, we believe that fashion should never been taken too seriously. We also endeavour to sit firmly in the middle of brands that fear creating something different and those which push collections too far.”

IDEAL CLIENT: “Ace Ventura Pet Detective.”

TRADEMARK PIECE: “Uncompromising colour.”