Royal Mail are releasing a special issue of first class stamps on May 15th - the ‘Great British Fashion’ stamps collection.
Britain is world famous for the creative vision of its fashion designers, its refined Savile Row tailoring, its shoemakers and milliners, and its fine wool fabrics and yarn. Since 1945, fashion has grown to become a major national industry. Today it employs about a million people and contributes some £21 billion to the UK economy.
This colourful collection highlights some of the iconic Britsh styles of recent years from the 1940s elegance of Hardy Amies, through to the genius of the late Alexander McQueen. Other designers and boutiques represented include Vivienne Westwood, Paul Smith and Zandra Rhodes.
Row 1 - Hardy Amies, Norman Hartnell, Granny Takes A Trip, Ossie Clarke by Celia Birtwell, Tommy Nutter. Row 2 - Jean Muir, Zandra Rhodes, Vivienne Westwood, Paul Smith, Alexander McQueen
Swiss light artist Gerry Hofstetter projected pictures of the Titanic on a giant iceberg off Greenland to mark the 100th anniversary of its maiden voyage.
IKEA has once again teamed up with photographer Carl Kleiner to create a lovely new creative campaign for its kitchenware. Following up on his stunning IKEA cookbook Homemade is Best, Kleiner, in conjunction with stylist Evelina Bratell, has elevated simple kitchenware, into beautiful works of art.
Our world is about to become a lot more vibrant according to Pantone. The Pantone Colour Institute has named “Tangerine Tango” a luminous red-orange, as the colour of 2012. The colour experts have been steadily steering towards this hue over recent years. Turquoise was the chosen colour in 2010, meant to help us escape from the everyday troubles of the world and it was Honeysuckle in 2011, a colour to lift our life spirits and instil confidence. As we struggle on through turbulent times, the powers that be have opted for a bold outlook to this coming year. Pantone has turned to the “spirited reddish-orange” hue to “provide the energy boost we need to recharge and move-forward”. Orange not only signalises vitality but also urgency and strength.
“There’s an element of encouragement with orange” said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Colour Institute. “It’s building on the ideas of courage and action, that we want to move on to better things.”
The colour of the year selection is a very thoughtful process. Pantone searches the world for colour influences across the entertainment industry, films currently in production, travelling art collections, hot new artists and popular travel destinations.
Will it be a feature colour in our lives in 2012? It’s too early to say yet, but this vibrant shade is already starting to appear on catwalks of Alexander McQueen, Oscar de la Renta and Céline, to name but a few.
So which brands have already seen the future and adopted tangerine tango as their own? Here’s a short selection…
Our congratulations to Emma Cowlam, a friend of Bloom, who is now showcasing a range of hand stitched illustrations inpsired by the London Fashion scene, at the V&A shop.
A graduate of Chelsea Art School in textile design, Emma designs and produces beautiful illustrations using unique combination of illustration and sewing techniques.
Our very own Jemma Golby’s knitting talent knows no boundaries. Recently it has been brilliantly showcased as part of the new Converse X Footlocker campaign. Yarn bombing is an innovative trend whereby urban landscapes are decked out with woollen delights; cuffs and cosies for street furniture including lampposts, trees, fencing, bicycles and even scaffolding.
This concept was created for a viral ad from the streets of Berlin.
Jemma’s hard work was also featured in flagship stores in London and Milan. Below are images from Oxford street last weekend.
It’s a lovely way to bring textile arts and crafts together with the outdoor space all tied in with a branded experiential campaign.
We recently featured a series of exciting uses of merging light projections and buildings which were played out to amazing effect. This giant lightsabre which lit up the London sky last night is another great example. Created to coincide with the Blu-ray release of Star Wars: The Complete Saga, London’s BT tower was transformed for one night only… ‘The force is strong with this one’.
As part of Vivid Sydney 2011 Festival of Light, Music and Ideas in June, the Sydney Opera House sails were bought to life through a stunning and immersive light projection. The show uses the iconic forms of and structure of the Opera House to great effect.
Light projections are an increasingly popular channel for experiential branding and are a beautiful way of connecting landmarks, open space and creative content. Here are few examples from the big brands that have done it well. Enjoy.
Last week we posited that one of the reasons for Habitat’s demise was that its futuristic furniture was no longer to the public’s taste. Increasingly in design we’re noticing a trend for reviving the old and making it relevant to the present.
A blast from the past
Since the mass fashion market exploded in the mid 20th century every decade has had its own particular style – hippie in the 60’s, rockers in the 80’s, grunge in the 90’s. This century has certainly had its own style notes – leggings sadly being a defining feature – but increasingly fashion brands are reinventing the past for the present. Prada has done an exceptional job of this in their S/S 2011 campaign. They’ve done more than just take influence from the 70’s, they’ve fully embraced the decade to create a retro collection that really stands out from the crowd. Modern Classic
Christian Louboutin has chosen to recreate a number of 17th C portraits for his Fall collection. In doing so he has created a shorthand for ‘classic’, a statement that his shoes, a hallmark of the modern age, will stand the test of time. The age of ingenuity
Whether influenced by the Doctor Who revival or the imminent arrival of the final instalment of Harry Potter, we’re not sure, but Steampunk has become a thriving cult movement. Embodying a kind of neo-Victorianism Steampunk has spawned a whole culture, influencing everything from architecture to music to fashion. The movement’s appeal seems to stem from its roots in counterfactual history, which encourages followers to use their imagination and consider – what if? Author G. D. Falksen, wearing a steampunk-styled arm prosthesis by Thomas Willeford, exemplifying one take on steampunk fashion.
The Golden Age
Despite many consumers having to tighten their purse strings, the upper echelons still have plenty of cash to splash. However in an era where superstructures are a dime a dozen and 3D tvs are the norm it can be difficult to impress the jet set. Yet the past is rarefied and can therefore form a compelling reference point. The fog of time has a tendency to preserve only the most glamorous features, making the memory all the more precious. To this effect Van Cleef & Arpels have recently created a Bals de Légende collection of jewellery. Consisting of 160 unique pieces, the collection has been inspired by five of the most extravagant balls of the 20th C. Today equivalent events aren’t nearly as exclusive and many have been commercialised, making a celebration of a bygone era is even more fantastical for its rarity, you almost can’t help but be impressed.
A simpler life
The last couple of years have also seen growing support for The Prince of Wales’ rejections of modernist architecture and a long waiting list to buy a plot in Poundbury, his New Urbanism development on the edge of Cornwall. Again this seems to stem from a desire to return, not to the extravagances of the past, but to a time when things were simpler and communities were smaller.
Breathing new life into an old brand
Brands are also tapping into the past. The most recent example is the Little Chef redesign, which has leveraged one of the brand’s biggest assets - nostalgia. The simplification of the marque helps the quirky chef to stand out even more. Meanwhile the bright modern colours prevent it from looking dated, giving it greater longevity than the Hovis packs, which have arguably gone too far down the nostalgia route and now just look a bit dated.
The past can be used at all price points in a multitude of ways - to inspire, excite and engage. Furthermore it provides a short-hand of associations, meaning you don’t have to re-educate the consumer. It’s not suitable for every brand, but get it right and a strong emotional connection with the consumer will be your reward.
We are always looking for new perspectives, so this week we're featuring images that make you think. Although art, distinct from the commercial realm, these works have a lot to teach us about how objects can be used creatively to make the viewer reconsider its potential. Brands can learn a lot from these artists about how to catch the consumer's eye.
Artists have been getting more and more creative in how they surprise passers by.
Humour makes this urban art that bit more memorable.
For a few years now Converse has featured artists and musicians on their blog, solidifying their place as a brand that encourages creativity. Recently they filmed Mentalgassi, a trio of German artists whose work brightens and beautifies urban spaces. Their work is clever but you can't help but think that brands are missing an opportunity to be clever with where they place their ads. They could learn a lot from Mentalgassi. It's time to think beyond the billboard.
Mentalgassi also created a piece for Amnesty International. The portrait, fittingly depicted on iron bars, is of Troy Davis a man that Amnesty believed had been wrongly accused of murder. It's an innovative way of catching people's eye and making them think.
Reverse graffiti is another emerging trend that's having a big impact on our streets. The most prolific exponent is Moose, a British born artist whose most famous work is San Francisco's Broadway Tunnel. He used a power washer to remove the extensive dirt build up and create an image of indigenous flora and fauna. Moose says that his work is primarily about beauty but he can't help but encorporate an environmental element and make people think about how dirty and polluted our urban spaces are. Brands have also latched on to the potential of reverse graffiti to infiltrate the urban space.
