H & M Searches for the Next Big Thing

H&M has been on the hunt for Europe's next big design talent, looking at the work of students in the UK, Denmark, Sweden, Belgium, Holland and Germany, not to recruit new employees, but to support talented young designers. The H&M Design Award is an opportunity for one lucky student from one of six top fashion design schools in Europe, such as Central Saint Martins and Artesis, to win 50 000 and a a chance to present their collection during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in Stockholm. The winner will be announced February 1st, 2012.                  

Photo: H&M

Isabelle Lundh is a personal favorite because of her bold use of color and texture. Most of her work is modern, with very clean lines, but she manages to avoid bland minimalism with her unusual hues and mix of colors, as well unexpected touches of shaggy knitwear. Learn more about Isabelle and the other designers at the Design Awards website:  http://designaward2012.hm.com/

Follow the journey from the beginning on vimeo

EP1: HMDA2012 INTRODUCTION from H&M Design Award on Vimeo.

This Week's Most Wanted

Ngathe Nene necklace, £18.00, made.uk.com

This curved brass and horn  necklace was designed by Sarah Andreasen in collaboration with Made, a fair trade workshop that crafts handmade jewelry and leather accessories in Nairobi, Kenya.

For more information, and to see the entire collection of accessories please see the Made website: made.uk.com

Berlin Fashion Week Fall 2012- Patrick Mohr

Designer Patrick Mohr describes his design aesthetic as "sophisticated streetwear" and that is exactly what he delivered for his Fall/Winter 2012 collection presented during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in Berlin. In the past, Mohr's more avant-garde styling choices, such as sending female models with bald caps and beards down the runway, have distracted from the elegant simplicity of his minimal designs. In his Fall/Winter 2012 show it was the clothes that took center stage with the accessories pulling together looks made up of very wearable pieces.

Photo: Image,net

      


The opening look set the tone for the show, a mix of vintage, street and glam. It was also a nod to Berlin style: the camel cape edged with leather piping over a belted knit dress topped with a statement necklace and a handbag in the crook of the models' arm, was a look put together of items, most notably the cape, that are popular with the city's most stylish inhabitants. Other elements of Berlin style in the collection included chunky knitwear, over-sized scarves, hoodies, utilitarian jackets, and beards (reserved for male models this time), but all were done in a grown-up way, more hip young professional than starving artist, including the beards, which were groomed and one even topped with a handlebar moustache, á la Patrick Mohr himself.

Photo: Image.net

Photo: Image.net

Photo: Image.net

Berlin Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2012- Eva & Bernard

Fashion Illustrations by Sabine Pieper

A Man's Story- The Story of Ozwald Boateng

The Same Ten Dollars

"If you produce, I don't know, five thousand pairs of jeans, you probably make, like, ten dollars for every pair of jeans. You're using so much resources, so much gas, to transport it, to make it, and then so much hassle to sell it. Then it might not fit well, so it might sit in the warehouse. So all that and I thought, 'Why should I produce waste?' when I could offer the pattern, share the design with people and they could find a way to make it for themselves in a way that fits them, the fabric they want to use, and I would still make the same ten dollars."
Designer Lika Volkova (see video)

This Week's Most Wanted

Carmina Campus clutch, 275 euros, yoox.com

Carmina Campus is an ethical fashion project based in Kenya which uses reclaimed materials and transforms them from waste into stylish products. Most of the materials are unconventional;  salvaged tents, blankets and leather  become jewelry, handbags, furniture and more. This clutch is made from recycled vertical blinds.


For more information, or to shop the collection, please visit: Yoox.com

Karl Lagerfeld for Orrefors

Orrefors by Karl Lagerfeld from Orrefors on Vimeo.