1AM Issue 24 'Just Be'

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just be

m a 1 PUBLISHER STATIC MOVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR GLENN HUNT SALES DIRECTOR STEVE RICHARDS WRITERS BARNEY MCDONALD SARAH VICKERY PHOTOGRAPHERS DAVID K SHIELDS ALI NASSARI BONNIE HANSEN KAY SUKUMAR MARGO REGAN BARNEY MCDONALD

S R O T U B I R T N CO

FASHION CHRIS LORIMER JANAI ANSELMI NICOLE ADLER KATE LAWRY

CLICK SUBS TO CRIB E to 1A M

MAKEUP & HAIR JOHN KOPAE SAMANTHA PATRIKOPOULOS MARGO REGAN HILARY HO Advertising and marketing enquires: Steve Richards 0467 668 888 steve@staticmove.com Editorial enquires: 1am@1am.co.nz www.1ammag.com © 2015 1AM Magazine. All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced without prior consent of the publisher.

ABN 7681 586 2568

COVER STAR AMBERLEY COLBY @ RED 11 PHOTOGRAPHED BY DAVID K SHIELDS wears dress JARRAD GODMAN over knit dress SILENCE WAS…, lip ring MEADOWLARK. STORY PAGE 14

1AM ISSUE 24 CONTENTS 04) 1 AM FINGERTIPS 08) 1 AM HOTSPOT HO CHI MINH 14) 1 AM CLOSER 32) 1 AM FERNANDA 42) 1 AM DANGEROUS LIAISON 58) 1 AM GLIMMER OF HOPE 60) 1 AM BRIA 74) 1 AM MONTANA

N I F M A 1

S P I T R GE

Claire Knight is DJ/pop artist FINGERTIPS. She’s been a force in the Sydney scene since 2010 and now in 2015 is beginning to make waves internationally. Who said white girls can’t rap? Hell, they were so wrong.

Fingertips is a unique home-grown talent who believes in human connection over status. Colourful, fun and authentic, she’s one to find on all your social media platforms and press the “follow” button. Catching her slam dunk a gig is an unforgettable experience, trust me, I’ve witnessed the lady in action. You’ll find her regularly DJing at the Beresford, World Bar and Newtown Hotel and hosting monthly parties at Tokyo Sing Song. With a tight EP A.D.D City under her belt and a new single on the way, this diva has her sights set on international success. You better catch her before America claims her power-pop hot ass for themselves!

BY

SARAH

VICKERY

PHOTOGRAPHY

&

FASHION

BY

MARGO

REGAN

t-shirt BLACKBIRD, sunglasses ONKLER, jacket her own.

SARAH VICKERY: Hey Fingertips, tell us what your music is like for the deprived folk who have yet to experience it?

FINGERTIPS: I’m all about pop music, dance-hall, punk, electronica and rap, which is a huge outlet of expression for me. I want to send a message with my rapping, though I wouldn’t classify myself as just a rapper, I do other stuff as well. My newest stuff is way more melodic.

SV: I would describe you as a confident mother-fucking pop-punk-queen with a dusting of sweetheart. What do you think of that?

FT- Ha ha! A dusting of sweetheart, that’s cute.

SV: How do you compare yourself with other female artists in Sydney?

FT: As a female artist you are expected to do a certain thing in this climate where Triple J (radio station) make the rules. All the female artists are whimsical, non-offensive folksy artists.

That’s just not me. I want to get loud and scream about shit, jump around and have fun.

SV: So you’ve recently returned to Sydney from a successful stint in the United States. How has it been since you’ve been back?

FT: Sometimes it’s like, my brain doesn’t work...sometimes I’m surviving on less than four hours sleep a night.

I’ve been living a double life since I’ve been back from Los Angeles, working as a journalist by day and DJing at night. I was so happy when I was in the States, because I was just there to be creative, everyday, in a big way. Which is awesome, but it doesn’t always translate into dollars even though you are recording in places that have Grammys lying around and shit.

SV: How do the gigging vibes in Sydney compare with LA? FT: It’s totally different. In Australia it all comes down to the fact we are a huge patriarchy, and years behind in musical culture. Australia’s market is so much smaller so we are governed by a select few media outlets. Also women in the queer scene don’t have a big voice here. I mean we have a great queer scene – and I say queer, as in I identify with being queer, not just identifying with being gay which I’m not but I still consider myself part of the queer culture. It’s my world. I don’t consider myself mainstream, what I do is kind of queer. In the States there’s just more freedom to express yourself in whatever way you choose and you don’t have to try and fit in. In fact they like it when you don’t fit in, they praise that there.

SV: Do you think the Australian music scene categories artists?

FT: Yeah, totally. That’s why I’m always going overseas to the US or Japan because it’s a boost, an ego boost – people there give me the confidence to do what I do. Here I don’t often feel like people know what I do or care (laughs cutely).

SV: Who would you say are your audience?

FT: Girls and gays mainly.

SV: So do you think you will end up overseas permanently?

FT- Yes, that’s the plan. I’ve just got to save my dollars I guess and try not to waste them on going over there for just a month and going all YOLO about it.

SV: Did you record your single in LA, the one that is coming out soon?

FT: Ummm, that was actually something I worked on in New York a while ago and it’s on the EP. It’s called ‘Play Nice’. I wasn’t planning on releasing it as a single but it took off on it’s own online. It was the one track that was blogged about without myself or a publicist plugging it. It just happened organically. That track then got me to LA after a few people contacted me about it. One of them being Jason Derulo’s A&R who were like ‘Hey girl!’ So I went over, met up with them and did some writing for them.

SV: You could end up writing songs for other up-and-coming artists by the sounds of it FT: Yeah, totally. That meeting was about me coming on board and writing for their label, which ahhhh...that would be pretty cool. I had quite a few meetings with various people who I could potentially write for including Mau5trap, Deadmau5’s label and a band in New York called Designer Drugs.

SV: You recently compared yourself to Tinkerbell on twitter, explain.

FT- Ha ha! That’s just my A.D.D. I identify with Tinkerbell because she needs attention or she dies.

SV: Who’s your Peter Pan then?

Because that’s who Tink needs attention from.

FT: You know what, I think I have to replace the word attention with connection. That’s what I strive to do, just in every day life and relationships that I’m in. When I’m in situations when I’m around high profile people for example, I’m not into getting a photograph or autograph from them.

I would much rather just have a chat and make a connection. I don’t see the point of taking a selfie and posting it on Facebook, that’s not going to leave

any lasting impression. It comes down to connecting with humans – human beings are amazing, I love them. Who they are and where they come from.

SV: So you work as a journalist for a celebrity gossip website, does that influence your music at all?

FT: I hate how people put celebrities on a pedestal like some kind of deity and shit. With my writing I try and bring it down to earth. I wrote an article the other day saying can we stop diva shaming Cate Blanchett, it’s just sensationalizing shit. Celebrity culture annoys me, it’s fascinating but at the same time it’s all bullshit.

SV: Would you say that with your music, your political mantra would be to demystify that kind of shit that people think is real in the world when in actual fact it doesn’t exist at all?

FT: Yeah, I mean people get upset when Kanye West wants someone to hurry up with his damn croissant. Well, you made him into that you know! A good thing about Australians is they are so down to earth. In the States I went to Jay-Z’s club in New York when I was on this Rhianna tour I did and they had the after party there. There is just levels and levels of VIP, it’s all about status over there. Which really threw me because it’s not like that here.

SV: Do you think as an artist it’s about creating a brand?

FT: Yeah, I mean look at Beyoncé, she’s well spoken and never says a swear word off stage but on stage she’s Sacha Fierce you know. When I DJ and I’m gigging I have a hard edge and I’m more ballsy. Fingertips is a creative outlet for me to say shit that’s going on in my head, or anything, or just being fun. Fingertips is just a fun vehicle, born out of that bad bitch philosophy which was bubbling up back in 2010-2012 with artists like Iggy Azalea, Rhianna, Beyoncé and Peaches for example. All these female pop stars claiming shit. They might not be these empowered women in their everyday lives maybe, but they brand empowerment. I very much want to join the ranks of these empowered female artists. itsfingertips.com facebook.com/itsfingertips instagram.com/itsfingertips

t-shirt BLACKBIRD, sunglasses ONKLER, jacket and rings her own.

TIN A N I C S A F S ’ , IT E M S ” T I OY H N S N L A L E U R B U L T L L A U S C ’ T Y I T I E IM BR T E L E E M C “ SA E H T BU T AT

G

Koios Le wears DEAR DESIGN

Ngoc Võ wears MIN LIB

H N I M I H C O H T O P S T O H M 1A For a colourful collective of young Vietnamese designers in Ho Chi Minh City, a beautiful 19th century building has inspired them to set up shop and a lifestyle revolving around the things they love.

TEXT & PHOTOGRAPHS BY BARNEY MCDONALD STYLING BY KATE LAWRY ASSISTED BY CAM TÚ MODELS NGOC VÕ, KOIOS LE, TRA THI THANH THUY, LE VIET QUAN, PHAN THI NHAT HOAI, CAM TÚ LOCATION 14 Ton That Dam, Nguyen Thai Binh Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Ngoc Võ wears KIDO’S

Ngoc V천 wears MIN LIB

Le Viet Quan wears OWLFOX

Xinj wears DEAR DESIGN

Phan Thi Nhat Hoai wears OWLFOX

Xinj wears DEAR DESIGN

Phan Thi Nhat Hoai wears OWLFOX

“THE BUILDING HAS BECOME ONE COOPERATIVE WITH SIX FASHION SHOPS, SIX CAFÉS, TWO STUDIOS AND THE NUMBER KEEPS GROWING”

Ngoc Võ wears MIN LIB

Koios Le wears DEAR DESIGN

Le Viet Quan wears OWLFOX

Cam Tú wears BUI’S VINTAGE HOUSE

Cam Tú wears BUI’S VINTAGE HOUSE

Building a fashion empire usually starts with a few designs, a little ambition and a business model. While each of these elements holds true to some extent for a small collective of designers in Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City, it seems the actual building they’re in is proving to be the model base for their business.

Built in 1886 by French firm Brossard et Maupin, also responsible for building the city’s famous Ben Thanh Market in 1912, this atmospheric, crumbling, predominantly concrete structure is now home to at least half a dozen designer boutiques, including two second-hand clothing stores, and a number of very chilled cafés that veer in style from mild to wild.

Located in the city’s central zone, known as District 1, the building is just a couple of blocks from the Mekong River, several major boulevards, the aforementioned Ben Thanh Market and, perhaps most importantly, the new train depot currently under construction between the beautiful opera house and the waterfront. Given the new buildings in the area and the huge site cleared for the train network, it’s a wonder the building hasn’t been demolished. And given its dilapidated condition, which still includes families living in tiny apartments on virtually every floor, it’s a miracle anything thrives amidst its few floors, let alone cool shops and cafés.

her work with making friends and socialising.

Judging by her easygoing interaction with other designers in the building and the cute cosplay girls running The Other Person, she’s found her niche. And it’s in a building that time forgot in a city formerly known as Saigon before falling to the North Vietnamese communists in 1975.

“Beauty is honoured and artistic judgment valued,” she says of modern HCMC. “My vision is to reach out to the fashion design world from Vietnam.”

Xinj believes her gem of a building at 14 Ton That Dam in Nguyen Thai Binh Ward is unique to HCMC, while Nguyen Minh Man of Min.Lib believes that Nguyen Hue, Ton That Thiep and Ly Tu Trong are other buildings in the city offering similar environments and experiences. Alongside partner Nguyen Thi Thu Hang (Lib), Minh has been operating from the building for over half a year, designing and selling unique pieces that prioritise angular cuts and sixties-inspired prints.

Both fashion graduates of the University of Architecture HCMC in 2013, the pair previously worked for other fashion companies but found that “uncomfortable”. Now they’re part of a slowly yet steadily burgeoning fashion scene in HCMC that offers an alternative to knock-offs and global brands.

“It’s an energetic, creative environment,”

cannot have a lot of wandering guests. But since these days young people in Vietnam really enjoy shopping online, it’s become trendy to shop anywhere, as long as they love your designs.”

Giang thinks the building is one of the oldest in the country and has been a location in a number of Vietnamese films. “Some couples getting married choose the place to take photos for their wedding album too,” she says.

Like the designers behind Min.Lib, Giang’s experience working for other fashion companies is an important indicator of where the current wave of young, edgy designers is emerging from in Vietnam. A level of grounding in an established business, especially after studying fashion in one of the country’s many universities, is an ideal base for starting a business of one’s own. For Giang, it continues to underscore her creative practice.

“I started working for Scavi as a fashion designer when I was 20, right after I graduated from college,” she recounts.

“And then after two years, I decided to take a job as a manager in a printing company in Hué province. After working for one year I came back to HCMC to open my own business. It was a great opportunity to work for my previous companies. I’ve learnt

14 TON THAT DAM IS AN OASIS AT THE HEART OF ONE OF EAST ASIA’S MOST CHAOTIC CITIES While Banksy café contributes a concerted bohemian style to its reverence of the British graffiti provocateur, Things café is populated with a plethora of interesting objects d’art and The Other Person café is Alice In Wonderland meets Tokyo’s Ganguru girls, the building’s genesis as an arcane slice of contemporary paradise results from a famous Vietnamese MC opening a café in the building four years ago. A place to invite friends who could sing or play instruments to perform, Mockingbird café’s success encouraged residents of the building to lease out space to other new cafés. Then the fashion designers came. Now some of them even live and work in their shops, utilising a mezzanine or curtains for private space.

“The shop selling secondhand clothes came first,” recalls Tra Thi Thanh Thuy (aka Xinj), who runs Dear. “Now the building has become one cooperative with six fashion shops, six cafés, two studios and the number keeps growing.”

Xinj says she lives for fashion, it’s what she loves, from designing and styling to running Dear Store and modeling her own clothes for shoots. The 22-year-old has been operating in the building for a year and says her ideal customer is… herself! Her favourite job is business and fashion and she loves combining

enthuses Minh. “And now business in old buildings is trendy in Vietnam, especially in HCMC. Most people who come to the building are young people, teenagers.

Moreover, photographers usually take photo shoots at weekends here because of the beauty of this old building.”

A new addition to the building is Owlfox, a sharp, modern store selling original t-shirts with illustrations of… you guessed it… owls and foxes, amongst other graphics.

“I love the feeling of creating something that is accepted and loved by someone else,” says owner/designer Tran Giang Chau. “To see people wearing one of my designs is the best feeling ever.”

Entry to Giang’s shop is across a concrete causeway at the back of the building, taking the visitor outside momentarily before depositing them inside a streamlined, airconditioned space dominated by polished concrete, glass and metal; a little slice of Soho or Surry Hills in the middle of the hustle and bustle of one of Vietnam’s economic powerhouses.

“We’re well known already before we actually open the shop,” she explains, referring to a market where she sells her designs twice a month. “We know if the shop is located inside such a building like this, we

a great deal about everything related to fabric, compositions, factory, printing and management.

“Therefore, I use all my knowledge to make Owlfox become a unique local brand, specialising in woven fabric. Every graphic design on my t-shirt must be my own design.

And of course the printing quality is the most important thing since I require best quality for my clothes. Low quality ink on t-shirt can be cheaper in price compared to other shops but that’s not our concern since the feeling of bad ink is no good and of course sometimes it can affect your health.”

Although the designers mention copycat designers, overcrowding and rampant theft as negatives of living and working in HCMC, they universally agree that their building is special, a place where they can work on new ideas, collaborate and make a living on their own terms, doing what they love. With Dan Tran Vintage, Bui Shop Vintage House and Kido’s also adding to the mix, plus a tattoo parlour tucked away on one floor, 14 Ton That Dam is an oasis at the heart of one of East Asia’s most chaotic cities. If you need a few hours’ respite from the six million motorbikes buzzing and beeping about town, a safe haven is simply one, two, three, four, five floors above the madding crowd.

1AM CLOSER AMBERLEY @ RED 11 EVELINA @ CLYNE & FRED @ 62 PHOTOGRAPHED BY DAVID K. SHIELDS FASHION CHRIS LORIMER MAKE-UP & HAIR JOHN KOPAE

t-shirt JENS LAUGESEN stylist’s own, earrings MEADOWLARK.

jacket DEBORAH SWEENEY, jumper SILENCE WAS…, shirtdress (worn as skirt) ITZME, boots LOVESICK, rings MEADOWLARK.

dress JARRAD GODMAN over knit dress SILENCE WAS…, lip ring MEADOWLARK.

jacket COMPANY OF STRANGERS, mesh top SILENCE WAS…, skirt NYNE.

mesh top SILENCE WAS…, harness BLUE BLANK, dress NYNE, briefs JIMMY D.

dress BLAK LUXE, top JIMMY D, trouser JULIAN DANGER, rings and septum ring MEADOWLARK.

long-sleeve t-shirt RAF SIMONS stylist’s own.

jumper STOLEN GIRLFRIENDS CLUB, shorts JIMMY D, boots DR MARTENS.

vest COMPANY OF STRANGERS, rings MEADOWLARK.

harness BLUE BLANK, vest X-PLAIN.

double sleeve t-shirt SILENCE WAS…

double sleeve t-shirt SILENCE WAS…, trouser COMPANY OF STRANGERS.

coat RICK OWENS, jacket & shorts STOLEN GIRLFRIENDS CLUB.

dress JIMMY D, necklace MEADOWLARK.

top BLAK LUXE, dress JIMMY D.

leather coat BLUE BLANK, mesh t-shirt X-PLAIN.

1AM FERNANDA FERNANDA @ PRISCILLAS PHOTOGRAPHED BY BONNIE HANSEN @ SYNC FASHION BY NICOLE ADLER @ SYNC HAIR & MAKEUP BY SAMANTHA PATRIKOPOULOS USING MAC COSMETICS

dress AE’LKEMI, ring PIERRE WINTER.

top AE’LKEMI, PIERRE WINTER earrings.

dress SERPENT AND THE SWAN, PIERRE WINTER ring.

top SERPENT AND THE SWAN, shorts WATSON X WATSON.

bra LONELY HEARTS, pants ALICE MCCALL.

top KHOON HOOI.

dress SERPENT AND THE SWAN.

top CARLA ZAMPATTI, shorts WATSON X WATSON.

top & shorts ALICE MCCALL, earrings from PIERRE WINTER.

MATEJA AND SAM @ JAZ DALY MANAGEMENT PHOTOGRAPHED BY ALI NASSARI FASHION BY JANAI ANSELMI HAIR & MAKE UP BY MARGO REGAN USING ORIGINAL & MINERAL AND ELLIS FAAS

AM DANGEROUS LIAISON

this spread and previous: MATEJA wears dress KATE SYLVESTER, bra LONELY, own jewellery worn throughout, SAMMY wears his own singlet and belt, jeans NEUW DENIM.

SAMMY wears suit H&M, vintage shirt from ZOO EMPORIUM, MATEJA wears dress ZHIVAGO, vintage coat from ZOO EMPORIUM

this page: jacket G-STAR RAW, cami RIVER ISLAND, shorts IRO from THE CORNER SHOP; opposite: dress ZHIVAGO, necklace CHELSEA DE LUCA.

Sammy wears jacket and trousers SAND, shirt RIVER ISLAND, sunglasses G-STAR.

leather jacket GEORGIA ALICE, duffel bag RIVER ISLAND.

this spread: MATEJA wears denim jacket H&M, playsuit ABRAND JEANS, sunglasses AM EYEWEAR, bag RIVER ISLAND; SAMMY wears shirt NEUW DENIM, own singlet and belt, pants CARHARTT, sunglasses G-STAR.

SAMMY wears shirt NEUW DENIM, pants CARHARTT MATEJA wears jacket PHOENIX KEATING, bra LONELY, duffle bag RIVER ISLAND.

1AM GLIMMER OF HOPE VALENTINA @ CHIC & ELINA @ VIVIENS PHOTOGRAPHED BY BONNIE HANSEN @ SYNC STYLING & CREATIVE DIRECTION BY NICOLE ADLER @ SYNC HAIR & MAKEUP BY SAMANTHA PATRIKOPOULOS USING MAC COSMETICS WITH THANKS TO ECLECTIC PEOPLE

choker LUCY FOLK, top LUCY MCINTOSH.

bar earring AU REVOIR LES FILLES, bra MOSMANN AUSTRALIA.

ear cuff LUCY FOLK, necklace POMS, bra MOSMANN AUSTRALIA, pants ORPHN.

choker POMS.

earrings & bracelet PETITE GRAND, bangle & necklace ELVIS ET MOI, bra MOSMANN AUSTRALIA.

earrings & choker PETITE GRAND, septum ring MEADOWLARK, bikini top LONELY, shorts ORPHN.

earrings MEADOWLARK, swimsuit LONELY.

earrings ELVIS ET MOI, choker POMS, swimsuit LONELY.

necklaces ELVIS ET MOI (top), and NATALIE MARIE (bottom), stylists own jumpsuit.

1AM BRIA BRIA @ CLYNE PHOTOGRAPHED BY DAVID K. SHIELDS FASHION CHRIS LORIMER MAKEUP & HAIR JOHN KOPAE

mohair jumper DEBORAH SWEENEY, overalls ZOE RADFORD-SCOTT, earring MEADOWLARK.

top BLAK LUXE, skirt MATT HICKMOTT, heels SKIN, earring MEADOWLARK.

top ITZME, dress KAREN WALKER, earring MEADOWLARK.

jacket MATT HICKMOTT, vest KAREN WALKER, earring KAREN WALKER.

jacket COMPANY OF STRANGERS, overalls by KAREN WALKER.

top and pant JULIAN DANGER, jacket MATT HICKMOTT, boots NUDE.

overalls KAREN WALKER, jacket COMPANY OF STRANGERS.

1AM MONTANA MONTANA @ CHADWICK MODELS PHOTOGRAPHED BY KAY SUKUMAR FASHION BY JANAI ANSELMI HAIR & MAKE UP BY HILARY HO USING MAC COSMETICS PHOTO ASSISTANT VICTORIA WIMSETT

crop top RIVER ISLAND, dress DIESEL.

jacket CHRISTIAN DIOR, underpants RIVER ISLAND, skirt ELLERY.

crop top RIVER ISLAND, trousers ELLERY.

Top LONELY, skirt CHRISTIAN DIOR. .

jacket ELLERY, dress G-STAR.

this page and opposite: top H&M, pants SKIN & THREAD.

denim playsuit G-STAR, leather jacket LOVER.

cardigan DIESEL, dress YB J’AMIE, skirt ECHOES OF YOU.

1am

f o e r o M m A for ything 1 s, r w e e v n e g n i , d s u o l e c in ion, vid h d s n a f a s : e i o r t e l o l ga y pics g t r m a o c p . g a m m 1a