2018年01月23日
Young Christchurch fashion designer
From the back room of his Christchurch flat, Steven Park slowly stitches the finishing touches on a jacket made from a woollen blanket he found at an op shop.
"Anything to do with my hands I've always enjoyed, you know, like making origami horses, that was really fun," Park said.
The 25-year-old designs clothes, shoes and accessories under the "6x4" brand name. Park's point of difference? He does everything himself.
"I sew everything, I cut everything, if I'm going to dye the fabric I'll try and dye it myself, so make the natural dye too."
Avocado stones lie drying on his doorstep. Nearby a tray of walnuts are almost ready, both destined to form a dye for Park's garments.
"It's very labour intensive and not many people do things that way nowadays, so I guess that's why my garments are different," he said.
Park studied at the Elam School of Fine Arts in Auckland and spent a semester in New Jersey, in the United States. He graduated with honours in 2015.
While at university, Park became frustrated by the waste from fine arts projects and set out to create clothing and art people would use. His company 6x4 was born.
He travelled to Paris in 2016 to work in "the centre of the clothing industry, to see what it was like for myself".
"I wanted to make sure that I was happy making clothing . . . there are a lot of things that I find problematic in the garment industry, both socially and ethically, and I wanted to see if that was publicly addressed in any way in the fashion system."
After a year working at various fashion companies, including three seasons at the acclaimed label Comme Des Garcons, Park said his concerns "weren't really addressed or talked about at all – it was quite disheartening".
"It was just a quick turnover of seasons, designers burning out, those sort of things."
Park will talk at the Centre of Contemporary Art (CoCA) at 1pm on Saturday about impractical art and the environmental and ethical difficulties of the fast fashion industry.
Deciding to make everything himself was "empowering", Park said. Alongside fashion, he is a painter and woodworker, producing furniture and wooden artefacts.
"You get to understand what the process is like, and how hard it is, you know, how hard it is to dye fabric when you're just using walnuts or whatever.
"I try to use stuff that is waste anyway, but it's really labour intensive and takes a lot of knowledge about chemistry, which I don't really have, so it's a lot of trial and error."
Park's work is for sale at the Ng Clothing Boutique on Madras St, as well as stockists in Wellington and Auckland.Read more at:year 10 formal dresses | cheap formal dresses australia
2018年01月17日
Bad Beauty Habits You Should Avoid Definitely
We have zeroed in on some of the worst skin care habits that should be avoided at any cost. These habits can have long-lasting negative effects on the overall appearance and health of your skin. Just make things easy for your skin by breaking free from the below-stated habits.
1. Sleeping With Makeup
On Most of us have slept with makeup on at some point or the other. However, this is one of the worst skin care habits that should be avoided at any cost.
2. Over Cleansing
The Skin As per skin care experts, cleansing is a must-do skin care step; however, overdoing it can do more harm than good to your skin.
3. Picking Or Squeezing Pimples
Picking or squeezing pimples may seem like an easy way out. However, this can cause severe infection and lead to unappealing breakouts and stubborn scarring.
4. Ignoring The Area Around Your Eyes
The skin around your eyes is thin and sensitive. Despite that, most women forget to pay enough attention to this area, thereby leading to dark circles, puffy eyes and even wrinkles. Break free from this skin habit to make sure that the area around your eyes looks refreshing and youthful at all times.
6. Using Too Many Products
This is another common skin habit that can wreak havoc in your skin’s appearance and health. Using too many products can do more harm than good to your skin. It can strip your skin off of its natural moisture and shine. So, instead of using too many products, just use a few essential products to make sure that your skin stays healthy and glows radiantly.
7. Using Harsh Cleansers
Facial cleansers that are infused with harsh chemicals can adversely affect the health and appearance of your skin. The chemicals present in such cleansers can rob your skin off of its natural moisture and leave it feeling dehydrated.
8. Not Moisturizing The Neck Area
A majority of women these days make the common mistake of not moisturizing their neck area. This causes the skin on your neck to display premature signs of ageing and at times look darker than your facial skin.Read more at:formal dresses | cheap bridesmaid dresses australia
2018年01月09日
Pashmina is posh again
A decade ago, shawls were seen as heirlooms that were worn only on momentous social occasions. They’ve got a stylish makeover now as everyday wear rather than as a protective layering in cold wintry weather.
Texturally too, shawls have changed to become less shimmery and are not as heavily decorated with embroidery as before. From heavy hand-woven shawls like the Kullu variety, they have become almost wafer-thin in their modern update. The lighter look has made shawls more popular with young wearers.
Pashmina wool (‘soft gold’ in Kashmiri), has now become an easily accessible product. The wool itself is sourced from four distinct breeds of the Cashmere goat commonly found in Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Nepal and parts of Pakistan. Pashmina mufflers, stoles, and shawls are all part of the modern middle class wardrobe these days.
Bridging the gap
The popularity of these shawls can be seen from the fact Jaypore, an online brand, recently curated a pop-up at its outlet at Garden of Five Senses in Delhi, where the star of the show was the Kani Pashmina shawl. Made by weaving coloured yarn wound on small wooden sticks called Kani that serve as the weft, they are made to pass through the warp as per a written code.
“Right from the full-scale coded drawing of the design, called a talim, made by the naqqash to meticulously recording the pattern for further designs, a Kani shawl is so complicated, that it can take up to a year for two weavers working together. The motifs and colours in these shawls are inspired by the Chinar tree,” says Radhika Chhabra, Head of Clothing and Accessories at Jaypore.
Shruti Sancheti’s upcoming collection of Pashmina shawls will be unveiled at Who’s Next in Paris. She has given an international look for the discerning fashion lovers in the West.
Sancheti says: “In Paris, I will showcase Pashmina as a lightweight and luxury accessory which can be worn according to the season.” Trying to show its versatility, Sancheti will draping Pashmina wear in different styles on her models. “Using lace with wool makes for a more dressy shawl since it gives a dash of feminine detail and touch of elegance. Metallic fibres such as lurex give a metallic shine, and make it ideal for evening wear.”
Natural colours
As a designer, Sonal Verma believes that she has the power to narrate a beautifully woven narrative through Pashmina. “New embroidery has changed the look and feel of the traditional shawl. The traditional heavy borders have been replaced with geometric motifs or contemporary patterns like embroidered bugs,” says Verma.
Verma uses a blend of Pashmina that ranges from 12 to 15 microns. “Whenever I can, I stock up on these shawls in natural colours. And then add value by surface ornamentation in leather.”
She also uses wool, silk and cotton thread embroidery to create fast fashion pieces. “Many silhouettes are being experimented with shawls. There are asymmetrical shawls, jacket shawls, overlapping shawls, stole sizes also turned into ponchos, and a Kimono-style open shawl. We do a blend of silk and wool, wool silk and lurex,” says Verma.
But there are still fashion industry stalwarts who want to resuscitate Pashmina in its original avatar. One such personality is Varuna Anand, who recently promoted high-end embroidered Pashmina shawls at The Splendor of Kashmir at Hotel Imperial. And she is euphoric that youngsters are aware of the kind of worksmanship that goes into it.
“They are indulging themselves in Pashmina as it has more detailing and their curiosity to know every little detail means that it has a future,” says Anand, who showcased the work of artisans from Srinagar at her show.
These shawls are very different from the ones seen on ramps. “We still have fantastic craftsmen in Kashmir. These shawls are traditional, which you don’t get to see in Delhi. I don’t do any blending of wools and educate people that these are labour-intensive products.” A textile expert and founder of The Splendor of Kashmir, Anand got enlightened about Pashmina after getting married into a Kashmiri family. “It was an eye-opener for me and I have been working with local weavers in the Valley for the last eight years,” she says.Read more at:cheap formal dresses australia | long formal dresses
2018年01月03日
Meet Trenna Seney
Cardi B may rap about her love for Saint Laurent and Christian Louboutin, but she also has a heart for up-and-coming designers. Just a few weeks ago, she obsessed over the newest addition to her jacket collection on Instagram, courtesy of Trenna Seney, the 26-year-old behind custom clothing brand, 1 of 1 NYC. “I love this,” Cardi said on the photo-sharing platform.
The budding fashion star first caught Cardi’s attention on the set of the TV series that kicked off the rapper’s career, Love & Hip Hop: New York. “The makeup artist for the person I worked for on the show also did Cardi’s makeup and she introduced me to her on set,” Seney tells Billboard Style. “From the show, to back when she was dancing at the club, Cardi has had the same makeup artist, and I’ve always been friends with that person. One day I told her I wanted to make something for Cardi, and she was actually the one who encouraged me to do it.”
Seney never thought she would be a designer. She has only been making custom clothes since she quit her jobs at the Apple store and jeweler back in January 2017, so she was unsure at first of what to make for the standout artist.
“I’m still new at this,” she confesses. “I love how humble Cardi is, she really is the nicest person. I don’t ever want her to change. I channeled this sentiment and made a leather jacket for her with the phrase ‘Just A Girl From THE BRONX’ hand-painted on the back. I elevated it by placing 231 gold studs above the words, which took me a good four hours to complete.”
Since finishing the look for the "Bodak Yellow" breakout star, Seney has been caught in a whirlwind of adventure. “I have a funny story about how I got the jacket to Cardi actually,” she says. “The week before she posted it on the ‘gram, I dropped it off to her makeup artist in Harlem. I get it there, head back home and three minutes before I reach my house, I completely run out of gas on the highway. My dad had to bring me gas, and it was a mess -- but I was thinking that at least the jacket was on its way to Cardi. Then a week later, she was wearing it.”
The hip-hop sensation from The Bronx isn’t the only artist who gave Seney a seal of approval. 2 Chainz was the first to notice and wear her designs on his Pretty Girls Like Trap Music Tour. Over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, Flo Rida flaunted the camo jacket she designed for him that said “Hola” on the back in honor of the name of his newest single featuring Maluma. The young creative is all about the hustle of getting her name out there and is even expanding her clothing line into accessories.
"I pride myself in my brand," Seney explained. "Like it says in the name, when I make clothes for you it’s going to be one of one. I paint everything by hand, so I’m never going to be able to do something exactly like I did before and that’s what makes it special.” You can also catch some of her items in person at Bulletin, a store located in SOHO which features a unique array of clothing you can’t get anywhere else.Read more at:bridesmaid dresses | formal dresses
