CT Magazine - Designer Special

CT Creative Talent Magazine

Hot Right Now

Designer Special Feature

Jewellery by Kate Gorman www.kategormandesign.co.uk My name is Kate Gorman and I'm a jewellery designer. My designs range from large wearable art pieces - which are great for formal or black tie events - to smaller pieces which are suitable for every day wear.

After a long career in accountancy I decided to retrain at Cleveland College of Art and Design where I established my passion for jewellery making.

I lived overseas for a time but now I've returned to the street that I grew up on. My time out of the country has been invaluable but re-establishing my roots has allowed me the freedom to let rip with my imagination.

I started designing jewellery whilst pregnant with my twins so my designs are emotionally inspired.

Designing and making my jewellery has helped me discover more about myself and who I want to be.

I love the Ruff Neckpieces in my Code wearable art collection. When I put these on I feel like my wild side is released and that is just loads of fun. I also love the Barbed Coil Neckpieces from my Landscape collection – I feel really glamorous wearing these.

Of my everyday jewellery my favourite is definitely one of my pendants with a mismatched pair of long drop earrings (both from my Code collection). These are great as they add a big splash of colour to any outfit and are super easy to wear. I can also be showered, hair up, make up on, dressed and looking brilliant in ten minutes flat in this combo!

I get a lot of my inspiration from being out and about – for my Landscape collection I spent hours pounding farm tracks looking for interesting fencing and knots of barbed wire. I take my inspiration from loads of disparate sources, but arching over everything is usually my interest in folk and tribal jewellery and decoration. Often inspiration comes from heavy industry, technology, art and fashion. I have become a bit of an obsessive Saatchi Art browser – I love the innovative stuff you can come across.

Creating a new collection begins with setting myself a deadline, affter which I’ll decide on the inspiration that is going to define the collection. I start sketching designs, not that my drawing is all that good but it really helps me to look properly at things.

I’m a bit of a hands on designer. I really struggle to get to a finished design just on the drawing board, most of it will come from playing around with the materials and seeing what I can come up with.

Eventually as I iterate through ideas I’ll finally come down to a few key pieces and these will define the collection. From there I can work on diffusion line designs.

Photography Sean J Connolly Photography Model Sophie Rickleton Jewellery Designer Kate Gorman

Photography Sean J Connolly Photography Model Sophie Rickleton Jewellery Designer Kate Gorman

“Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm”

That was a great Winston Churchill quote I came across that just sums up what all good designers subscribe to.

So much of what you produce in the design process is simply not up to scratch and you just have to know when to move on to the next thing,; what to take with you and what to leave behind. You have to never get disheartened that it hasn’t quite worked out – you also have to know how to celebrate when something really does work out too (I’m still working on this).

Being a good designer is not just about having the ideas, it's about being able to make them work in the real world and that involves hard graft.

Good designers are also filled with self doubt ­ it's what drives you on, always wanting to make something better.

I’m a bit of an Alexander McQueen fan and Christian Dior often catches my eye. Cristopher Kane is just so clever) and Dolce and Gabbana remindi me that more really is more!

In terms of jewellery, that is harder. Nora Fok is amazing and I have recently come across the work of Alena Asenbryl. I’ll pretty much lust over most mixed media work and even over some precious metal or gem stone pieces.

www.kategormandesign.co.uk

Photography Pumpkin Pictures Models Stephan Pierre Mitchell, Andreea Fortis MUA Rachel Giles T Shirts Influx Clothing Assistant Photographer Ian Jamieson Dress Glam Squad Boutique Vehicle VW Weddings Deluxe

Influx Clothing My name is Riley Jones, I’m a Newcastle based professional actor and part owner of Influx Clothing with my girlfriend, Abi Buchan.

I never really had an interest in the fashion industry as a career, however I have always had a love for cool t-shirts and I think that really comes across in our designs.

Myself and Abi do all our own design work and produce clothing, jewellery, headwear, Bridal, swimwear, occasion and childrenswear, though our designs are focused on t-shirts.

Paramount Pictures saw some of our current designs and contacted us asking if we would like to collaborate with them on some of their more successful films like The Godfather and The Warriors. Talks have slowed at the moment but we’re still hoping something can come of it. If not, it's still pretty cool that Paramount Pictures were interested!

Our friends and family think Influx Clothing is a really interesting direction to take and are very excited as to where it might lead us. Not many of my friends in the acting world have set up their own design company. It gives me the freedom to continue to pursue my acting career whilst building a fairly successful business to run parallel alongside it. To be honest I think a lot of them are a jealous, but they get cool t-shirts for free so it's swings and roundabouts!

Creating the initial collection for Influx took a fair bit of work to begin with. As a graphic design student Abi was going to be responsible for the design aspect, and I would be in charge of promotions. However, as it turned out Abi was very busy at uni (probably one of the very few busy students!) so I had to take on the design work. This was slow to begin with, as I had no design experience. It took me about a month to get to grips with Photoshop and Illustrator and then went from there.

Now things are lot speedier as not only am I efficient with various software but Abi isn’t as busy. We’re also starting to expand and work with freelance designers. Proper ones, not fakes like me!

To be a good designer you need ideas. Anyone can learn technique.

It’s very hard to learn to be imaginative and creative. I had absolutely no design experience this time last year, yet we’ve managed to create a company and produce a collection of designs that I’m not only proud of but that people like and buy. That’s the clincher, people are actually willing to part with their money for them.

We design t­shirts that we personally want to wear and hopefully other people will too. I’ve got one of each in my wardrobe.

The fact that we’ve worked on all of our designs personally makes it even harder. It’s like asking to pick your favourite child.

Popular culture is a big inspiration of ours. We just like cool things.

The Inspiration The whole T-Shirts and Tiaras shoot stemmed from my sister's wedding for which I tried to hire the VW. It ended with shooting the VW down on the beach, with a handful of t-shirts from Influx, dresses from Glam Squad Boutique, a couple of models and a second photographer.

Dream big, see what happens!

Pumpkin Pictures www.pumpkinpictures.co.uk

Fix Up Look Sharp

by CLIC Sargent What is Fix Up Look Sharp all about?

Fix Up Look Sharp - or FULS - is an upcycling fashion label set up by the team at CLIC Sargent, reworking the charity's clothing donations into one off pieces.

CLIC Sargent is a reknowned charity whose work supports children and young people fighting cancer. With the aid of the new FULS label, the hope is to raise even more funds which go straight into the charity pot.

Jack Eyers - Personal Trainer & Fitness Model - B

The upcycled garments can be found for sale within CLIC Sargent's charity shops, their ASOS Marketplace boutique, and coming this October will also be available through their website.

The FULS Range The range is inspired by the trends of the 80's and 90's with a touch of vintage. The aim is to bring individuality to the world of fashion, whilst raising money for worthwhile causes.

Photography Emma Shamaya Here at CT Magazine we thrive on creativity, and love the concept behind the FULS www.facebook.com/emmashamayaphotographer ethos. A sustainable fashion label that also raises money for a good cause - fashion with a conscience.

Model

Bournemouth

Jack Eyers MUA Katie Johnson www.purpleport.com/KatiejMUA

Instagram @FixUpLookSharp Twitter @fulsclothing

Photography Kevin Chiswell Photography Photographer Steve Gabbett www.facebook.com/KevinChiswellPhotography Photographer Assistant Bragi Kort MUAH Steinunn Markusdottir Model Models Tommy Viles Hulda Vigdísardóttir www.facebook.com/V333LOW Kristín Eva Gunnarsdóttir Þórunn Sigurrós Clothes and styling Bo Carter Accessory Angela Wright

Bo Ca www.boca

Bo Carter's vision of fashion is clear: be unique, be bold and most of all be ethical. Ev place in Bo’s heart, which is why you won’t find leather, fur, silk or garments made using

arter arter.co.uk

vironmental consciousness and a tough stance against animal cruelty have a special g child labour in any of her collections.

Cocobรถxx Makeup

by Chloe Hughes

It is the aim of Cocobรถxx to be a brand, not just a makeup service.

Currently running a project called The Yar Girl, Cocoboxx plan to showcase other young creatives' talents through an illustrative book and series on online.

On the decision to use the unique name The Yar Girl, Chloe Hughes says "Yar is a word I personally use when I can't describe something, and the idea of the series is to let the art of the individual do the talking, producing visually and aesthetically pleasing pieces."

It is hoped The Yar Girl series will spread awareness of the young talent in the creative industry. Chloe goes on to say: "Where I live in the north of England, there are not as many opportunities as in places such as London."

cocoboxx@outlook.com

Freyia Lilian Porteous - Lingerie Designer www.facebook.com/kissmeunderflimsymoon www.instragram.com/flimsymoon www.pinterest.com/flimsymoon

How did you get into lingerie designing?

Lingerie just seemed like the natural vehicle for the expression of all the ideas and concepts that arouse me artistically. I have always had a fascination with the notion of the feminine and masculine; relationships between the sexes, romance, sex, reproduction as expressed through all fields of thought from biology to folklore to philosophy to body politics to everyday situations to art. Lingerie seemed like the perfect canvas to explore these notions through my particular medium.

I have been interested in making intimate apparel since I was about seventeen, when I started experimenting making knickers. I studied Embroidery at MMU in 2012 and created my debut collection there. I have been working towards creating a brand ever since.

Do you have a favourite collection?

‘Kiss me under flimsymoon’ is my first collection! One of my favourite experiments into garment construction however, which I would like to develop further one day, was during my studies. We took part in a collaborative exhibition with David Littler’s ‘Sampler Culture Clash Project’ (a comparison and discussion between the worlds of embroidery and hip hop!) I created a garment which I translated into sound, by recording samples of the noises created by each stage of the garment’s construction. I then worked with a producer to create a soundscape which was displayed alongside the garment. This is something I would love to expand upon in a future collection.

Have you worked with any well known names?

I was lucky enough to take part in an internship at Fleur of England last year, which was an amazing experience. I assisted at costume and performance artist, Kirstie Macloed’s studio back in 2011, which was amazing. You should look up this beautiful piece she did on drowning called ‘Lacrimosa’, it’s heartbreakingly beautiful. I also worked for the Royal Exchange Theatre in the Costume Hire dept throughout my degree.

How do you see your brand developing over the next few years?

I would love to be in the place where I can make a new limited collection once a year, and maybe have a few basics which are not so difficult to reproduce. (My current collection features hand embroidery and print on each piece.)

I’d love to be in a few high end independent boutiques and sell online as well. Eventually I want my own small boutique, which can be like my little Flimsy bubble.

www.flimsymoon.co.uk

Photographer India Hobson MUAH Makeda Carayol Model Hannah Shkandrij Lingerie and styling Freyia Lilian Porteous

Who is your personal favourite fashion designer and why?

I don’t think there is one fashion house that I could say ‘WOW that is who I want to be’, but particular collections, pieces, design philosophies (like songs) I could say are personal favourites.

What do your friends and family think of you being a designer?

My family are very supportive of my choice, especially seeing as I am going down a non conventional route of going it alone. It’s a bold move and not always easy. Most of my friends are creatives too with similar hopes and dreams and struggles. I t’s funny hanging out with those who are on completely different paths though, I have some friends who are married or in very conventional jobs and I feel a bit like a fly on the wall.

Beauty A collaboration between Matt Sheehan, Holly Alexander and Claire Elizabeth

Photographer Matt Sheehan Model Ash Millman MUA Little Orange Loves Necklace Claire Elizabeth Artwork

Photographer Matt Sheehan MUA Vicki Frost Model Lia Shaw Headpieces Holly Alexander

The inspiration behind this shoot was based on the fusion of desire to create something beautiful but also with attitude.

Combining pieces from the current season with elements of fantasy weaved in, using some beautiful headpieces and necklaces.

'Cycle Wear for Humans'

Photography Sean J Connolly Photography T Shirt Tin Pony Model Anna Turvey

I was that person saying 'I could do that and run a business', but never did anything proactive. After my daughter’s birth my focus in life altered and it made me swing my leg over the entrepreneurial bike and start to shift gears!

Tin Pony is very much a family affair, with my wife and brother in law contributing to the business, and using our individual strengths. We have all spent most of our lives in the north east of England and have a strong affinity to the area. We believe it's special and that helps us as a business offer something unique.

We are striving to be different whilst being consumer led. Our products are what we call ‘Cycle Wear for Humans’. It's a range of T-shirts that are comfortable on and off the bike. We have had a great start but want to continue to develop the business and what we offer.

Here at Tin Pony we're all cyclists and triathletes but I've always wanted to be an Entrepreneur. I'm attracted by the endless possibilities and challenges. It's a big game of chess with important decisions to make all the time, with lots of variables to consider and analyze. What really excites me is there are no limits! That’s just me, but the other partners in Tin Pony are very fashion lead, with Andy on the design front and Zoe always wanting to do something in the fashion industry but not being able to break away from her career path.

Our designs take influence from cycling history and culture. Andy, our designer, has creativity and lots of ideas to work with and our core values always guide every T- shirt.

Quality, value and functionality are key.

Cycling is a demanding activity and our clothing must stand up to that and excel.

We're always looking for people and businesses to work with and have a symbiotic relationship with. There's a great local cafe called ‘Flat White’ in Durham, which is run by some cycle mad friends. We approached them to stage some of our promotional photos and they were happy to help and in return we've publically endorsed them on a few media platforms.

We've also built a link with the Northumbria Vikings speedway club who develop youth cycling. One of our tees is an image from them, it really shows the spirit and the heart of cycling and Tin Pony, plus it's in the North East where there is a true passion for sport.

The next step is to build a network of businesses to work with locally and nationally to stock our cycle wear who have the same goals as we do and really want to offer something less run of the mill.

We feel Tin Pony has it's identity very much linked to Durham City and the north east.

That's not to say it can't or won't travel well! People as far away as LA and Nelson Nz have bought from us and like our style. It's just that Durham and the NE have a great cycling heritage and the locals are friendly, hardworking and honest folk. That's just part of Tin Pony.

I think many people are a little surprised that we made this on our own. Perhaps some of them think it's a game or a bit of fun, and I can assure you it is not. We're in this for the long haul and have big plans for the future. Once friends and family have seen the designs they are really proud and impressed.

We're off to Amsterdam for a family holiday but can't miss the opportunity to do a little cycling too. We will be hooking up with industrial designer and serial entrepreneur Taco Carlier, founder of Vanmoof Bikes.

Tin Pony is very keen to promote its range of Tees in Holland. Amsterdam is the most bike friendly developed city on the planet so it makes a lot of sense to us.

We've all got our favourite piece but the Tin Pony logo for me is hard to beat. It represents the speed, spirit and passion of cycling. We wanted something iconic, representative of cycling and memorable and I think it achieves these objectives.

The close second would be the Vikings Shirt as it really does show the passion of a north east cycle club which has endured to this day.

Photography Sean J Connolly Photography Models Anna Turvey, Miles Rickleton, Sophie Rickleton

Our inspiration? There are unsung heroes all around us. People humbly going about their day to day lives doing exceptional things. That's not to say Ranulph Fiennes isn’t a legend, clearly he is and I admire him and people like him. Greatness is in everyone and under stressful or difficult circumstances even the smallest task can be like walking to the South Pole.

It's not about achievement because some people inspire you through their failure or even their death. It's about struggling against adversity. That's what inspires me. If you had to draw me on a name, I'd say Jane Tomlinson.

Find Tin Pony www.facebook.com/tinpony2014 Shop Tin Pony tin-pony.myshopify.com

Christensen Bags

www.christensenbags.com Product Photography Patrick Kawahara www.patrickkawahara.com

Photography Jay Stebbins jaystebbins.com Styling Kat Yeh www.stylekouncil.com

Christensen was launched by Neil Christensen in 2013 and joined by Kathy in 2014, with the sole aim of creating a bag that you can use for work as well as play.

find out more We are honoured once again to bring you the latest designs from Neil Christensen, Read more about Christensen bags in Issue 17 - Urban issue http://www.ctmagazine.co.uk/ct-magazine-issue-17-urban.htm page 88.

Steamer Lane The Surf brand for everyday

Steamer Lane is a new British clothing brand inspired by the golden age of surfing and breach culture of the 1950’s and ‘60’s, designed at home by hand on the owners’ kitchen table.

Co-founders Phil and Antonia have brought Steamer Lane to market single handed with no training or experience in art, design or fashion, creating the brand from scratch and from the heart.

‘We had no money for product development, marketing or professional expertise, it’s been a real shoestring project and a steep learning curve, devoting our time to research and attention to detail in delivering a product and a brand we can be proud of. With big business exploiting cheap industrial scale labour we’re not sure there are many clothing companies that can say that.’

Their inaugural holiday essential collection is a colourful range of women’s and men’s 100% cotton t-shirts, featuring three distinctive designs; their original stylised wave logo, a vintage feel Cruz liner and a college Classic 1961 print.

Each design features a different print colour and effect including the raised graphic popularised by Superdry along with diffused, soft hand and vintage look techniques. The neck label is printed and in a contrasting colour for comfort and style with a wave logo hem tab on the men’s sleeve and the women’s hem line.

about the founders Antonia Rees-Brown was born in 1962 and is half Australian, touring extensively while living there for extended periods before returning to the UK to start a family.

Philip Harmer was born in 1968 and was an active surfer until sustaining serious leg injuries in a motorcycle accident ten years ago while ‘off road’.

Together they have shared their passion for the ocean and beach life and have visited some of the world’s most beautiful coastal areas.

Phil and Antonia live together in Surrey overlooking the rolling hills rather than giant swells of California, despite the brand name, which is shared with the legendary Santa Cruz breaks and one time proving ground of the old school big wave riders.

‘Our designs are all our own work and tell the story of the places we’ve visited and those on our bucket list along with the eternal search for the perfect wave and the perfect beach; a wearable postcard of our adventures.

‘We wanted to create a real brand from a real lifestyle, based on traditional values of quality and service; Steamer Lane is more than just a label or a look, it’s about an experience- from the initial concept and the first pencil drawing right through to delivery and opening the branded cardboard packaging.’

Steamer Lane is exclusively available online via steamerlane.co.uk and all purchases come with free postage and returns in mainland United Kingdom using enclosed labels, making the shopping experience as easy and stress free as possible.

www.steamerlane.co.uk

Daniel Wellington the story behind the brand

Photographer Jonas Carmhagen Models Paulina BlĂĽder, Dan SjĂślund Watches Daniel Wellington

The story behind Daniel Wellington begins with a trip half way around the globe where Filip Tysander, the founder of Daniel Wellington, met an intriguing gentleman from the British Isles.

The man had the inspiring ability to be gentlemanly but relaxed and unpretentious. He had an impeccable style, and loved to wear his watches on old weathered Nato straps. His name? Well, Daniel Wellington, of course.

A strong friendship emerged between the two, and our founder was inspired not only by the mans many great life stories but also by his class and timeless style of fashion. As we now know, he was so inspired that he decided to name his line of watches after him.

Filip Tysander founder and director

Bringing Tradition Back to Life The “preppy” trend is bigger than ever before, and while there are many big players in the fashion industry that caters to such taste, such as Ralph Lauren, Gant and Brooks Brothers, we felt that there was an empty space in the watch market.

There was something missing. We believe that Daniel Wellington fills that gap.

Our vision is that when someone thinks of a preppy dressed person, he or she is wearing a Daniel Wellington watch.

Daniel Wellington loved to wear his watches on old Nato straps. We liked the idea and feel of the mix so much that we wanted to incorporate the idea into our own line of watches.

However, we felt it important to make the watch thin and elegant – we wanted a clean design, without too many features, that would look good with the different patterns and colours of the classic Nato straps.

On returning from his trip, Filip sat down and started looking at different watches he liked himself. It was important that he loved the watch personally, or he knew that he could never sell it and be proud over it. He liked to use Daniel Wellington as a type of quality assurance and would often ask himself: would this be good enough for Daniel? Could he be seen wearing one of our watches on the beaches of some remote island?

Slowly but surely, a beautiful watch emerged. It was thin, refined and perfectly round. It was minimalistic and didn’t have too many details. We believe that the traditional, yet crisp design blends together perfectly with the colourful Nato strap and will appeal to almost everyone with a sense for classic and timeless design.

Best of British Style The straps themselves are an important part of the watch. Nato straps originate from the British navy, where divers would use the strong nylon straps over their wet suits. Even though they were originally made to avoid rust, we love the look and versatility of them. That’s why we wanted to create a line of different straps with different colours and patterns, but all with a strong bond to the British Isles.

Sean Connery, another big fan of the Nato strap, wore one in the James Bond movie “Goldfinger”. Need we say more!

A Watch for all occasions The Daniel Wellington watch is suitable for every occasion. Regardless if you’re attending a black tie event, playing a game of tennis or enjoying a sunny day at the beach club – the Daniel Wellington is a beautiful companion. Not only that, but with interchangeable straps you can have a different watch for every day of the week.

Grace Collection Daniel Wellington launched a new collection at Baselworld 2014. The sandblasted rose gold finish creates an optimal transition between case and strap and still captures the iconic, minimalistic design with preppy influences.

Daniel Wellington has since before two collections inspired from the preppy trend. Grace, as the third collection, neatly ties the previous two lines of watch straps together.

Filip Tysander and the Future Once again we are honoured to be working with Filip and bringing you the elegant brand that is Daniel Wellington. It is commendable that Daniel Wellington has become a stylish watch brand that now not only adorns the arms of celebrities but is stocked by some of the worlds most exclusive stores, including Britain's own Selfridges.

If you would like to know more about Filip Tysander, the man and inspiration behind the DW brand, take a look at Issue 17 - The Urban issue page 23 http://www.ctmagazine.co.uk/ct-magazine-issue-17-urban.htm.

And of course, it goes without saying, make sure to check out the DW website and get your Christmas orders in now.

www.danielwellington.com Instagram: danielwellingtonwatches FaceBook: danielwellingtonwatches

Stars on Mars

Jewellery by Alesha Cater www.etsy.com/shop/StarsonmarsJewelryCo Designer Alesha Cater Designer, Stars on Mars Photographer Jason Alviar MUAH Becky Lau Model Veronica Boyer