MAX VOLUME PLEASE…

Two Weeks label came about this AW10 in order to represent both our design aesthetics, my background in jewellery/accessories and Kath’s in clothing design. We’re loving menswear just as much as womens and both our own styles are kind of sporty(occasionally slutty but our remade label serves that purpose well) so we decided to do a Unisex collection – we also just wanted a pair of tracksuit bottoms we could throw on and still look cool(guess it’s a bit lifestyle).

I met Gabriel Gettman several months ago and we had a brief chat about fashion and film. I’d brushed shoulders with him a few times since and hadn’t really followed it up until we decided to shoot a film with 2 days to pull it all together. I don’t really see our film as a lookbook and I don’t think a film can replace a lookbook as it serves a different purpose. We wanted to cross-over art and fashion, to create something dynamic, slightly sinister, a mood, a texture as a backdrop to our collection. I approached Gabriel to make our film with ideas on opposites black/white, male/female, light/dark and I knew there was going to be paint bubble or splatter involved – I just didn’t realised quite how much(80 litres in total).

We love a good challenge and work best under a stupid deadline – it’s just not exciting unless someone’s rolling their eyes and exhaling heavily(but smiling a little bit too)!

We managed to pull together a whole cast of  models, hair and make-up, cameraman, studio manager, art director in two days and shot a film that we’ve watched time and time again.

Big thanks to everyone involved and especially to our models Miguel Dare and Jade Mc Sorely(who you might recognise from Britain’s Next Top Model) for letting us cover them in paint in a freezing cold studio on Valentine’s Day. Super big thanks to Gabriel who realised our vision to perfection.

We’ve already got SS11 ideas and we’re stepping it up again – possibly not with a 2 day lead – how about Two Weeks?

]]> http://blog.bitchingandjunkfood.com/2010/05/two-weeks-our-new-uni-sex-label-and-film/feed/ 3 http://blog.bitchingandjunkfood.com/2010/03/elephant-dung-shoes-by-wah-nails-and-insa-chris-ofili-tate-britain/ http://blog.bitchingandjunkfood.com/2010/03/elephant-dung-shoes-by-wah-nails-and-insa-chris-ofili-tate-britain/#comments Sun, 28 Mar 2010 17:01:03 +0000 M http://blog.bitchingandjunkfood.com/?p=3276  

Chris Ofili inspired shoes by WAH Nails and INSA

A few weeks back I blogged the Chris Ofili Exhibition at Tate Britain. By now Londoners should be well familiar as you’ll have noticed the posters all over the underground.

I wrote about potential fashion inspiration for the 90’s tribal look coming through at the moment – we’re loving everything nineties, I guess it’s the era grew up in so culturally it resonates more than any other era. I’ve never really understood the whole 40’s and 50’s thing. I don’t dip into eras to which I don’t belong.

It seems the show provided a shit load of inspiration for Wah nails owner Sharmadean Reid and Graffiti artist INSA. And yes, pun intended(I’m full of puns and cliches at the moment) becuase INSA created some elephant dung heels WAH worked on some not elephant dung nails for visitors to the show – and no I’m not shitting you(damn there’s another one, on fire.)

All my friends know that I have a little ghetto nail obsession so when I heard WAH was involved my ears pricked up. Before BITCHY, I managed to work as a Jewellery designer with 2 inch talons which were regularly spray painted all shades of neon – as Dolly Parton says, if you can’t do it without nails it’s not worth doing. Does that meant the last year of my business has not been worth it – they had to go, I just didn’t have the time to keep them looking nice but I loved them. They’re another little canvas for me to doodle on, an extension of my creativity. The joy of discovering they glow in UV! Too much fun. So I must pop over to WAH, I’ve been meaning to for aaages although hopefully there won’t be any dung adornments. 

It’s really nice to see Tate stepping out of traditional Art Show protocol and just making it fun. I think that’s the problem with so many galleries, they just don’t know how to reach out through contemporary cultural associations and make art accessible. Personally I think the Underground campaign could have reached even further if the the shoes and some of the fashion/beauty events as well as the work of the artist had been featured. I’m just not convinced it conveyed the pop-culture, hip-hop FUN element involved and that as well as the work of the artist of course is what’s made this exhibition a success.

Afrodizza(second version) 1996
Acrylic, Oil, Polyester Resin, Paper Collage, Glitter, Map Pins and elephant Dung on Linen
243.8×182.8
Courtesy Victoria Miro Gallery London

New year’s resolution – get out and see more art shows(beats all that gym nonsense and spending less) so I’m starting with this one. An RCA graduate, Ofili established his name through exhbitions at Charles Saatchi Gallery in North London and has also had numerous solo shows during the nineties including the Serpentine Gallery. In 1998 he won the Turner prize and was selected to represent Britain at the Venice Biennale last year. He is counted as one of the UK’s top artists. 

Ok so that’s the serious art stuff out of the way but why should you really go to see the show and how can you relate to it? Ofili draws on many contemporary insiprations as well as primitve cave paintings. Themes referenced in his work include blaxploitation films and gangsta rap which he uses to question racial and sexual stereotypes in a humorous way. Lyrical content is very important in his work and he regularly uses hip-hop titles in his work e.g Pimpin Ain’t Easy by Big Daddy Kane.

He also has a personal top ten most influential tracks so if you feel like having an art inspired playlist download the following(maybe you can download and use it as your the Theme tune to your gallery visit – now there’s an idea Tate Britain): 

1. Notorious BIG – 10 crack commandments
2. Common – Heaven somewhere
3. Method Mad – Bring the pain
4. Public Enemy – Public Enemy number 1
5. Erykah Badu – The Healer
6. Snoop Dogg – Gin & Juice
7. Wu Tang Clan – C.R.E.A.M
8. Jay-Z  – Blueprint
9. A Tribe called Quest – The low end theory
10. The Roots – Clones
11. NAS – Illamtic
12. Mos Def  – Black on both sides
13. Talib Kweli – Reflection eternal
14. Dizzee Rascal – Jezebel

 

Personally I just love the energy exhibited in his work. There are elements of Pollock and elements of high-school doodles in the painting above but the energy is more controlled and the meaning more tangible. The patterns also provide plenty of fashion inspiration(we regularly look to art to inspire what we do) and tie in with the whole 90’s hip-hop/tribal look that’s trending strong at the moment. 

Pictures and internet don’t do his work justice so go out and see it yourself. Nothing puts a Spring in your step like a great art show(or a pair of oldschool Reebok pumps). 

The show runs 27th of January to 10th of May, special £5 concession for those under 26. Even better catch it late at Tate on the 5th of Feb for a whole evening of entertainment including a fashion show and you can even have a few beers too! We’re going. Hope to see you there.

Cot would be replaced with modular corner sofa.

 Today the trail of Fashion blog reading has lead me on to architecture, not something I’ve ever blogged about before, nor something we even have a category for(so it will go under art for today). Having spent the last year living in a warehouse I’ve developed a little bit of an obsession with loft and warehouse living and, more specifically, mezzanines. There’s something quite grandiose about the two ZZs but apart from that mezzanines are a great way of creating extra space without dividing into compartments. Slightly reminiscent of  treehouses and bunkbeds, mezzanines awaken my inner child. My dream home, pictured above, was created by L. Comber architects in a 700sq feet loft in Canada. A little on the austere side, I’m not sure where all my paintings, candles, books paintbrushes and magazine tears would go. Presumably there is some walk-in-wardrobe concealed behind a glass panelled door. I imagine that the person living in this loft has a rack of clothing lifted straight out of 10 Corso Como. They probably also have at least two of everything. They are not driven by fashion but form, functionality and lifestyle. Distinct possibility that they are slightly OCD and I imagine shoes would not be allowed indoors. Wonder how aforementioned people deal with baby puke.

Anyhow, for now I’ll make do with a 3 bed period flat(with endearingly crooked walls, creaky floors and draughty windows) and dream of what might be one day(if I was tidier, less eclectic, chucked out all my clothes and became a bit more serious). I probably would also need to straighten my hair.

Ever since receiving the red sequined edition for my birthday in January ‘09 from a vodka-loving aunt, I’ve been hooked on this suited up vodka bottle trend (if not the alcohol itself…) and have decided to start a collection. Had to pick this up in Duty Free on my way back from a short stint in Trinidad last week…Absolut Rock, whose tagline should be ‘as if the studded trend hadn’t already reached critical mass…’. But I couldn’t resist!

If you haven’t read it, you’ve probably all seen a tattered copy gracing the dusty shelves at your local library as a kid. And if you’ve never laid eyes on Maurice Sendak’s popular children’s book Where the Wild Things Are (and that’s weird, mind you), then there’s no doubt that by now you’re more than familiar with it this year because of all the movie’s surrounding hype.

When major director Spike Jonze got his hands on the movie rights, he let all his friends on for the ride. And I’m sure, like me, if you knew that some of his friends on board for the project were Christian Joy, Karen O and the Opening Ceremony massive (to name a small few), your ears would’ve instantly stood at attention like a… trend-alert-equipped feral being…or something.

I just so happened to be in Los Angeles to witness some of the madness surrounding it (but not long enough, alas, to catch the movie on Oct. 15th). Here are some photos I grabbed at the Opening Reception for the movie’s Pop-Up Store in the massive Urban Outfitters at Space 15 Twenty, where some of the stars were present.

I’d heard about the jewelry and clothing lines, but a fort building competition to win a custom design WTWTA Xbox 360? Clearly I hadn’t seen the half of it. You’ll see what I’m talking about when you head over to We Love You So, the official blog compiling all the countless influences that helped make the movie a reality. Otherwise, stay tuned! In one of my next posts I’ll give you a run-through of my favourite WTWTA ‘hypephernalia’ that’s sure to have you just as pumped to be in the cinemas come release day, in case you weren’t planning on it. I assure you, this isn’t just for kids.

Created by Harry Lunt

The first of a two -part post,  an epic tale of warehouses, fashion shoots, graffitti, cold, sewing, blogging, tweeting, partying – or maybe just a little rant.

We’ve not been hear a year yet and it’s sadly come to an end. As Bitching and Junkfood expands we move to new studios by  Broadway Market at the end of the month. We’ve felt it for a while, started with Chloe(fine artist friend), then Martin(another fine artist) then the Dubstep producers next door and, last week, Nick IDM. I was going to wait a couple of weeks before I bid my fairwell with a final blog post but I guess that what I witnessed today underlines the end and pretty much puts a full stop after it too. The is the Hackney Wick Argmageddon and this time it’s not a fashion trend.

When Bitching and Junkfood was a Swarovski-size glint in my eye I decided that Hackney Wick(an East London Warehouse District) was the place to get the little Bitch off the ground. This time last year  we started looking for studios – I googled “Warehouse Hackney” and up popped the most amazing space I’d ever seen – a huge warehouse, empty and draughty , the kind of space you’d ususally find a B+Q or maybe even a Tesco. Six of use came together to make this our studio and moved in on the 22nd of December. I flew back from Dublin on the 28th to work 12 hour days with a team of 7 people to build our studios and I mean build – we built the floors, ceilings, stairs, walls. It was probably the most challenging thing I’ve done so far – it was -5 degrees inside and we worked day and night to get the space ready.

Lovely Summer's Day on the canal with some charming graffiti vandals

For those who don’t already know Wick is right beside the Olympics – our studio is in the shadow of the massive stadium that’s being built, each newly erected skeletal rib intimating the end. We all knew it was coming – like the weather, it’s the common conversational topic with other wickers “when are you getting evicted? When are the council coming round your space? What’s your landlord been saying today? where we gonna go next?”.

It’s been the location for countless fashion shoots, videos and even short films – over the Summer we’ve see the Gallagher Bros shoot here and even had a visit from Jay Z. There’s a huge art festival(Hackney Wicked) of which we we part of this Summer – all studios open their doors, we had some tourists visit ours and stand analysing a table with rolled up socks on it thinking it was an art installation(ah the joys of modern art). I guess the one defining feature of Wick apart from concrete is the graffiti, a hypercolored collage of energy splatterd across a drab urban landscape. We’ve been lucky enough to meet some of the boys involved charming chaps that they are. Wick boasts work by Blu, Mighty Mo,Ornamental Conifer, Banksy, Sweet Toof,  Stick and countless others.

Well today London says “No” to graffitti. I was on my way back to the studio and literally had to fight my way through what can only be described as an army of neon coated lemmings scrubbing some of London’s finest work off. I stopped to ask why they were doing it and they answered “cause it’s ugly”.

The Lemmings - neon was sooo last season. High vis is hot for SS10 tho. Kudos guys.

Very happy with the work they’ve done – it appears they’ve decided to create an impressionist masterpiece, much more appealing on the eye. Created using a very fine technique involving a kitchen scrubber and some sort of chemical – genius!

Pre-LDA-Impressionism - ugly apparently

Post-LDA-Impressionism - masterpiece don't you think

Pre-apocalypse

Post-apocalypse white-out

Personally I’m not mad about the shade of white – I would have preferred Magnolia, ties in with the colour scheme of the warehouses. There are still two legal Graffitti walls in the area – maybe the Magnolia would look good on these to match the drapes? 

Did a quick whip round to give a glimpse of what’s left. You should pay a visit before Hackney Wick self-combusts in a cloud of glittery, Olympic firework smoke.

91 Whitepost Lane - location for countless shoots

By Scum on benefits spending the benefits on cans. Beats crack tho.

Under the Bridge

91 Whitepost Lane - also location for one of the best outdoor parties East London saw this Summer.

Little Monsters - popping up all over Wick

I actually feel genuinely sad about what I’ve seen today(like proper wipe tear sad) – I’m glad I’ve experienced Hackney Wick but I don’t think “the next Hackney Wick” exists. I guess it’s like a big party with the last few stragglers left in a room having fun, 7am – if you leave and go somewhere else, it’s still the same people but the atmosphere changes.  

Next post in a few weeks time – parties and fun – so long fare-well, auf-wiedersehen, good-wick.

Regular cross sign...

The one that caught my eyes was slightly different:

How to cross a street?

The little piece of art was up for weeks, if not months, before the original rules were brought back and order restored.

I am not sure how many people walked past it without noticing its ingenuity, but hopefully it woke a few peoples minds up, even before the latte kicked in.

This fairly insignificant street art made me wonder how many things we must miss each day just because we are too grumpy, too tired, or just too much on the phone too actually pay attention to the world around us? Beautiful buildings, Great outfits, amazing jewellery and smiling people? Good thing there are so many great bloggers out there keeping their eyes open!