WHEN ART MEETS FASHION | THE INTERNATIONAL FASHION SHOWCASE 2015

London is truly the hub for global fashion and this showcase was a testament of that.

First of all, I think the fashion crowd in town for the London Fashion Week will agree with me when I say yesterday was not the weather for fashion. Also, I wish I had foresighted that or even bothered to check the weather forecast —side note, do people do that?

I always love a good excuse to dress up, especially when it involves going into the city. I always feel like Carrie Circa 1980 on her way to NYC for her internship at Interview Magazine. Just like Carrie, I plan my outfit days beforehand. This aids me to always have a mental picture of what I’ll be wearing, in some cases an extra or two options.

But I imagine unlike Carrie, I rarely factor in the weather. This was the case here. I wore my TOD’s Suede Flat which complemented my chic outfit perfectly, only to go out and see that it’s raining.  Being the optimist I often am, factor in my silly wish that just because it’s raining here, doesn’t mean it’s raining in London.

WRONG! Any Londoner will tell you to never trust the weather and to always be prepared. Because the roads were slippery and I almost fell down more times than I can recall and my shoe needed some TLC by the end of the day.

 

This collection reminded me off a TV Show I used to watch on Nickeledeon called Prometheus & Bob. It has a caveman meet alien feel to it and I like. I see myself rocking this.

 GETTING LOST IN LONDON

It was later I realized I had to walk 10 minutes to the Car Park where the global fashion exhibition was taking place. Now I was in a familiar part of London on an unfamiliar street, dreadful weather and people who don’t seem to know where I want to go. Add a confusing Google Map. To be honest I almost gave up when out of nowhere I found the massive sign that read ‘Brewer Street Car Park’.

At first glance it didn’t at all look like a venue for a fashion show. But if you look to the right there is bound to be a man dressed in a suit who will guide you to the 3rd level and then the show begins.  There’s fashionable people walking around this ‘far from fashionable’ venue but that is what makes it marvelous. I came to the global fashion event to see the Nigerian exhibition. However, was delighted to see the numerous countries showcased, I picked up a guide and set about exploring.

The Global Fashion Displays

The detailing on this dress caught my Eye and I could not just  help but  love it.
It is designed by Zofia Ufnalewska, a polish designer as part of her diploma collection 2014.
It exudes elegance and class in a simple way which was what Zofia was aiming for.
This is a closet must have if I say so myself.
I love the dramatic nature of the pattern, gives it a bit of character.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The exhibition was categorized by country and designer. Each country has a section and there’s a placard somewhere for the details of the designer’s and a little blurb about the clothes and designs. My favourite curation is by Poland and it is called Warsaw Calling. The picture below is a collection by KAASKAS, it is drawing inspiration from a famous photographers, William Eggleston and Saul Leiter.

I made my way round the room like I was on an adventure, moving from one country to the next. You could see the difference in aesthetic and style with each country you visit. It was like stepping into an artwork of sorts. Each piece of clothing from the fabric to the style told a story of the country, I imagined it laced in every stitching. Take for instance,Tanzania below, I smiled when I stepped into the space. For starters, the ankara is representative of Africa and the heavy emphasis on the beading reminds me of the continents flare for the dramatic and bright patterns.

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The pictures below are a curation of some sort, showing you my favourite pieces from the global fashion Showcase. There’s an unexpected delight in one of the pictures, and I have a feeling you will gasp in awe as I did when you see it. Have a guess as to what I am referring to and I’ll reply in the comments 🙂 Grab a drink and peruse through the works of the emerging bright minds in the world of Fashion starting off with Colombia below..

COLOMBIA

This body con-esque pieces may be from Czech Republic…I forget but I Looove!

PHILLIPINES

What you see her holding people is a handbag made of wood and painted over with oil paint.
She is the designer Michelline Syjuco from the Phillipines and she has got a stunning talent!

This futuristic piece is curated by Miguel Bento for the Portuguese participants.
The pieces rotated and gave a 3 Dimensional view and right behind it is a rack of clothes
that will have you mentally adding things to your wish list.

MORE DISPLAYS

                                    Is it just me or does this jacket remind you of Gaga’s meat dress 4 VMA’s ago. But unlike the meat dress, I am so feeling this work of Art. It does look like menswear, but the lines of fashion are blurred these days so really who cares!

It seems the little ones are not left out. If I do have kids someday, I hope they are as quirky as me to want to rock this!!

 

This Irish number below had me stop in my tracks. Now I may have a flare for the dramatic, but I tend to navigate towards the simple things that have a hidden card to wow you! Now to me this is it, that green ivy —as I like to refer to it—has the Irish charm written all over it. People we are passing by Ireland!

Hola from spain with this piece of Art below. It has a renaissance sculpture in a dress. That was my first thought when I saw it!

I have found a new side to Philippines, I had one story for Philippines before this, and it is that of the friends I know from there. It is interesting however to explore a new side, the folklore and mythical side of the country. The theatrics sure does get your mind moving and it was curated to stimulate your imagination. LOOVE!! And can someone send me the bag in the middle, I have the most gorgeous dress to go with it!

NIGERIA

The first thing I saw when I walked in was the outfit at the beginning. It is referred to as Agbada, in the Yoruba tribe of southern Nigeria. I felt a sense of pride wash over me. The designers spoke about their pieces and explained to me that the tape is part of the exhibition, it plays on the issue Nigeria has faced recently such as Ebola that people are cautious about. This indicate that they don’t need to worry and that the clothes have been sterilized and are perfectly safe.

Another theatrical piece from the Phillipines!

Spotted this on my way out and for some reason I took it upon myself to name it the lone rider, don’t ask I have no idea where that stemmed from. It did remind me of a scarecrow. in a good way. I saw a picture of a model wearing it and it did look good on her.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MY THOUGHTS ON THE GLOBAL FASHION SHOWCASE 

This brings me to the end. I enjoyed this global fashion exhibition thoroughly and it was nice seeing how different people interpret fashion.  Through using the influences from their sorroundings, culture and even other people. I was a little bummed to see that Japan and Korea where exhibited in a different venue. Because I was looking forward to that. Good news though is that their exhibited for longer so I’ll try and find the time to go have a look.

If you’re interested in seeing this interesting curation, check it out the details below. Unfortunately the global fashion showcase ends tomorrow. To read more about it check this out!!