Demur Magazine September 2017

SEPTEMBER 2017

Editor’s Letter Dear Loyal Readers As we countdown to our pop-up party next month on 20th October, we have prepared an exciting issue to hold you over. I hope you are as excited as I am. Join us on Friday 20th October at Vogue’s Conde Nast College from 7pm-11pm. The Demur pop-up party will be a fun filled night, with guests from the fashion, music and art industry. This is the perfect event for industry professionals and our readers to network, have fun and create valuable new relationships. For those of you with a competitive flair, there will be party games including big Jenga, Pacman and a Foosball Table. There will be fashion and beauty displays, instant photo booth, FREE food and drink.

Live music will be provided by Society of Alumni, Mylo and DJ Michal will be playing the tunes to get you going. We are excited to have Art Mates Creative and Pablo Art Milk who will form part of the art exhibition. Various fashion brands will be on display and you will be able to purchase some exclusive pieces as well as your very own Demur merchandise.

As for our September issue, we are talking Fashion Week and trends. We recently spent the day with Italian actress, Cristina Massaro and she spoke to us about the trials and tribulations of her job. We head on over to sunny California, where we stumbled upon artist Matt Brown, who uses his art to bring an awareness to the culture that we are in.

Hope to see you on Friday 20th October. In the meantime, enjoy the issue and stay tuned to Demur, the number one media platform, providing for a “Fashionable Culture.”

Until next time,

Noreen Chada, Editor, @noreenchada Noreen Chada – Editor Kay Samuel – Editorial Assistant Nicole Samoto – Social Editor Alice Diamond- Staff Writer Emily Bone – Fashion Writer Emma Gillett – Music Writer Mia Seabrook – Contributing Writer Stella Dzingai – Contributing Writer Harrison Madzivachando – Creative Content Manager Emma Gillett – Design & Art Direction

Published by Demur Ltd #TBT Summer 2017 – These are the songs we enjoyed this brief summer.

Noreen – Kendrick Lamar ft Zacari - LOVE Alice – Bonobo & Nick Murphy – No Reason Harrison – Calvin Harris ft Frank Ocean & Migos Nicole – Playboi Carti – Magnolia Stella – Martin Solveig ft. Ina Wroldsen - Places

COVER CRISTINA MASSARO

BY STELLA DZINGAI

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CONTENTS 6 TRENDS

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8

EASTERN ELECTRICS FASHION

LOTS HOLLOWAY

12

POEM

32

CRISTINA MASSARO

33

PARIS STREET STYLE

20

COUTURE CARTOON CRUSH

38

MBG ART

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PHOTO CONTRIBUTION

@Demur Magazine

Visit us at: www.demur.co Email: info@demur.co

A Fashionable Culture © All Rights Reserved. The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily of the publisher, Demur Ltd. Reproduction in whole or part is forbidden except with express permission of the publisher. It is not the intention to print any matter that discriminates on the grounds of race, sex, sexuality or disability. We accept no liability for any misprints or mistakes and no responsibility can be taken for the contents of these pages. Demur Magazine is a free monthly publication addressing a fashionable culture. Demur Magazine is published and distributed by Demur Ltd. For any distribution enquiries please email info@demur.co

Image: McDonald’s inspired Moschino Ready To Wear Collection sold out in minutes upon release.

TRENDS

UNRAVELLING THE MYSTERY

W

hen you think of September what comes to mind? End of summer? Kids back to school? For the fashionistas, it is a countdown to Fashion Week season, of course.

Kicking off the month in style with New York Fashion Week, London Fashion Week, follows on taking place between 15th-19th September, followed on

by London Fashion Week Festival on 21st-24th

Why do we follow them?

September. Fashion Week is all about predicting and promoting trends for the next season, so what better topic to discuss than… trends!

Trends. How many of us know what a trend is?

Even the reliable Oxford dictionary defines it, only as

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something changing. Trends have evolved back from the 14th Century. Trends were designed to show how much extra money and leisure time you had, to emulate the people who were at the very top of society. It was called the ‘trickle down’ theory, (I know it sounds like a mixture

FASHION

of a history and science lesson, but keep reading).

People just wanted to look wealthier, cooler, and more powerful than they were.

Times may have changed, but unfortunately, the same principle still applies today.

Trends have us competing on who has more disposable income and leisure time (both of which I certainly don’t have a lot of) and of course that need to keep up with celeb style. So why do we follow them?

Well, some more science for you. Researchers believe that the brain re-educates itself if its views conflict with the norm. According to Dr Vasily Klucharev, from the Neuroimaging Donders Centre in the Netherlands, “We often change our decisions and judgments to conform with normative group behaviour.” As much as you may be a free spirit, no one wants to be the odd

one out, who can blame you?

WRONG! We should stand out from the crowd because its good to be different, not just follow everyone like sheep.

Take the classic movie “Mean Girls”, (you know the one.) We laughed when what was meant to be an act of teenage revenge, cutting up nasty miss popular Regina’s t-shirt, during gym class, turned out to be a cool fashion trend. Such a poignant scene went on to show that we all do this and the joke is on us really, those who like to follow the pack. With rapid turnouts from fashion houses, we are always left in fear of wearing yesterday’s fashion. So, to avoid this we bankrupt ourselves trying to keep up with the overpriced trend of the season. I don’t know about you but I don’t mind wearing my last years’ ripped jeans and tee combo.

Here’s why you shouldn’t follow trends: 1. Let’s face it trends don’t last.

2. Fashion is not about you.

Science says you dress in a certain way to impress and intimidate people, which is not the vibe you want to give off.

3. Stick to your own fashion identity, because why would you want to be the same as everyone else. (BORING!) 4. It’s not a one size fits all, so certain trends don’t suit everyone.

5. ‘Fashionable’ often implies mass production- so you are going to be like sheep again. ______________________ Let’s support the independent designers at fashion week, who are working hard to give us something that is far from the hottest trends.

BY EMILY BONE

FESTIVAL

SNAPPING FESTIVAL FASHION AT

EASTERN ELECTRICS Photography & Text: Emma Gillett

O

n the first Saturday of August we travelled all the way down the Northern Line to Morden Park for this year’s edition of Eastern Electrics. Armed with our camera, compliments at the ready and burning questions for the best dressed attendees.

Unsurprisingly there were some enviable outfits being donned that had us mentally expanding our overdrafts.

Elsewhere, UK heavyweights like Skream, Carl Cox and Hot Since 82 dosed lots of bass on us and luckily the sky remained clear, minus only one or two rain showers...

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KATIE

SCOTT

GENEIVAH

Festival must have A good dress

Festival must have Vaseline

Festival must have Lip balm Who are you excited to see at EE? Carl Cox

KILIAN Festival must have Sunglasses and a hat is a cool match Whose sets are you looking forward to?

Hot Since 82, Art Department

CHLOE Festival must have Glitter Tell us about your outfit I bought this yesterday at Topshop. The cashier didn’t scan a jumpsuit so I got it for free. After a pretty rubbish week it made up for it

NADIA ROSE Festival must have Sunglasses Today I’m wearing‌ Repping a Floor Sixx for my performance at the Rinse stage

CARLETON Festival must have Sunglasses Who are you here to see?

Sonny Fodera

Entirety

KIERAN Festival must have Money, bumbag + glitter The acts that have brought me here are Art Department, Dennis Ferrer

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FESTIVAL

KELLY Festival must have Sunglasses Who are you going to see play?

I don’t know, I’m here on the spur of the moment

STEPH Who are you excited to see play?

Solardo. I got a picture with them!

Today I’m wearing…

Custom made hat which lights up

MICHAEL Festival must have This is my first festival...

Tell us about your outfit It’s inspired by me - that bitch

ROLE PLAYING WITH

Cristina Massaro Photography: Stella Dzingai

A

ctors bring to life some of our most beloved and despised characters. No matter how well written the script is, it’s up to the actor to ensure we connect to the role that they are portraying.

We recently had the opportunity to spend the day with a young, budding, actress from London, Cristina Massaro, who moved all the way from Italy to London to pursue her dream as an actress. Cristina talked us through her various experiences from being labelled an “unpleasant weirdo” and some of the famous movies she wishes she could have been in.

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INTERVIEW

Tell us, what is the worst thing about being an actor for you?

Cristina is currently working on various short films to be released this year. You can keep up with her work on her Instagram @cristina_massaro90

Being an actor is highly demanding and it requires a lot of effort, more than you can ever imagine. I have made a lot of sacrifices to get to where I am today and I’m only at the beginning.

You get a lot of criticism, but I feel like I was sent this instinct, this calling was placed upon my life and I just couldn’t ignore it. I’ve always been labelled as some sort of “unpleasant weirdo” in my country, a proper fool, one who is a renegade, an outsider, but eventually a survivor. Acting requires solitude, so I must ignore all of these things and embrace silence instead.

I’m constantly taking risks and each time I ask myself while facing the darkness: “Are you ready to jump, again?”. Overcoming my fears gives me a certain high and when I’m out there standing either on stage or

on set, my deep love for acting makes each burden lighter to bear.

Are there any roles you would never consider playing and why?

Not really, I believe that as an actor, you should be as flexible as possible. Actors are not that different from lawyers, just think about it: everyone’s entitled to a good defence. You don’t place judgement on the character you are requested to play, good or bad. You should investigate the character very carefully, learn your lines and speeches, then try to put yourself in your character’s shoes and eventually hope your portrayal of the character will be good enough to convince the jury, who are your audience. I wouldn’t consider anything with a badly written script or a storyline that doesn’t really grab me. Morally, I will take on just about anything. I don’t really have any morals anyway.

Did you study acting or did this all come naturally to you?

I’m not an academic actor at all. I’ve just learnt and improved my skills through the different characters I have played and the different platforms I have performed on. I have worked with some amazing actors who have taught me a lot as well. I didn’t come from a rich background so any form of formal training was out of the question. For anyone who might be in a similar position as I was, I can tell you now, there is no one universal way of playing a role. One character can be portrayed in so many ways.

Don’t believe anyone who tells you otherwise. I’ve been through that kind of brain washing back in Italy and believe me, there is nothing worse than being trapped in a cage of people’s nonsense.

I find myself utterly fascinated by actors such as

Al Pacino, Gary Oldman, Ian McKellen, and Jeremy Irons who I keep a constant eye on to learn from. I am also lucky being here in London, where I can go and see some of the finest actors at the theatre in the West End! I often can go backstage and have a chat with some of the actors and get some precious inside info out of them, which is useful for me.

How do you prepare for a role?

Every character is different and every actor prepares for each role differently. So, for me it changes all the time, obviously I get started with learning my lines but I usually don’t stick to the script, I love improvising. Naturally, I’m an explorer, so I do a lot of research for my role.

Although I’ve to admit that I’m a bit of a loner and so when I’m working on a script I tend to lock myself into solitary confinement where I spend time imagining how I

would portray the character.

I never rehearse at home or in front of a mirror, I prefer to go out and show off to my colleagues, get feedback and develop the character even more with that advice.

Finally, it’s all about being in the right mindset. When I hear that small voice in my head telling me I can’t do something, it pushes me even more.

INTERVIEW

What was the first role you ever played professionally?

I felt my identity as a professional actor was confirmed less than one year ago when I moved to London. A Casting Director from London saw me on stage in Italy and asked me to move to London straight away. I immediately bought a one-way ticket to London and came to London on my birthday.

Around that same time, it was the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death. An actress friend of mine invited me to come and audition for a role of the First Fairy in a Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Archway Theatre in Horley. I got the role and had three days to learn the script. As much as I love Shakespeare, I had never done a Shakespeare play in English. That role introduced me to the true meaning of theatre.

I would have loved to play: - Norman Stansfield (Gary Oldman) in “Leon” - Mina (Winona Ryder) in “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” - Helen (Kitty Winn) in “Panic in Needle Park” Al Pacino’s first indie feature film - Sarah Woodruff/Anna (Meryl Streep) in “The French Lieutenant’s Woman” - or Marques De Sade (Geoffry Rush) in “Quills” I’ve been watching movies since I was in my mother’s womb so the list would be too long and still never enough!

Where do you eat, drink and play in London?

What movie do you wish you could have been in and what character would you have played?

Well, there is a truck load of movies especially out from the 70s & 80s which I wish I could have been in. As strange as it may seem, I’ve always been intrigued by male roles, the villains, the bad guys.

I’m like a gipsy so wherever life takes me, really! If I’m in theatre doing a show, most likely you will catch me around Soho, Camden Town and Shoreditch. I mean, London is such a beautiful city and there is so much to see and do. I’m glad though that I’m currently working on some short films and so I get to travel not only around London but also out of London to see what the other cities have to offer.

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NEW YORK Couture Cartoon Crush

Photography Cassie Brock Model Gabrielle Joseph Hair & Make Up Gabrielle Joseph Wardrobe Cassie Brock

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EDITORIAL

Photography Cassie Brock Model Gabrielle Joseph Hair & Make Up Gabrielle Joseph Wardrobe Cassie Brock

Photography Cassie Brock Model Gabrielle Joseph Hair & Make Up Gabrielle Joseph Wardrobe Cassie Brock

EDITORIAL

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EDITORIAL

Photography Cassie Brock Model Gabrielle Joseph Hair & Make Up Gabrielle Joseph Wardrobe Cassie Brock

INTERVIEW

Stay A Little Longer with

Lots Holloway

L

ots Holloway is a budding artist who likes to steer her own destiny as producer, singer, writer and creative director of her own music videos.

Originally from Cornwall, Lots traded in life in the Cornish Riviera for the hustle and bustle of London. Lots was also featured on the 2012 series of X-Factor and is now working on her debut EP due to be released this year. We share with you five facts about Lots Holloway from Lots herself.

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Lots first realised she wanted to sing when…

I don’t remember a time when I didn’t want to be on stage playing music.

Although I originally wanted to be a drummer in a band; I was a very good drummer… but I could never sit still for long enough. I wanted to interact with the audience, I wanted to tell the story - I never thought my voice was that good, but I didn’t care.

Lots’ music is like…

I make an alternative style of pop, based on indie ideals. I love trashy guitars, I love big loud drums, but I also love a catchy melody. I like to be creative, I record sounds and experiment with instruments until I can make a sonic that I’ve not heard before,

something that might catch your ear. I listened to a lot of 70s music growing up, and I liked how experimental a lot of the artists were.

Lots is so excited about the release of her debut EP because...

A few of the songs on the EP were written over a year ago but have had to wait until now to be heard. I am also excited because I’ve produced this EP as well as writing it; I’ve grown a lot and learnt a lot since I first started making music, I’m proud to be putting my work out there.

Lots loves being in London because…

I love London because it never gets tired. There is always something to be

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doing, someone to be seeing, something to be hearing and something to be inspired by.

It’s fast and I like that, I’m not a fan of sleeping.

Lots would like to collaborate with…

I would love to collaborate with Kevin Parker from Tame Impala. I think his production skills are wicked. I love his psychedelic sonics.

If Lots could be any piece of fashion item she would be…

A bra…

You should listen to the latest single “Stay A Little Longer” because...

It’s not like anything you’ll have heard before, it’s a dark and edgy warm up to the brighter feeling EP.

PREMATURITY 26-11-08

Words Winston Hoyte

Graphic Haruhiko Kawaguchi

21st century youth obsessed with image, Doing our world even further damage.

Growing up too quickly, please preserve childhood, Let them grow naturally, I really wish you would.

------Media makes them overly self-conscious, How does it go to sleep at night with a clear conscience?

Dreaming up new strategies to hypnotise the vulnerable, Making fantasy a “reality” for the unstable.

------Reflect on what you see in the mirror, You’re like that for a reason, don’t look in horror.

You look so natural, stop trying to fake, Can’t you see what you’re doing to yourself for goodness sake?!

------Bulimia, anorexia nervosa making you sick, Nervous about a bit of fat, but looking like a stick.

Shopping for bosoms like you won’t develop your own, Be careful, you may lose’m before they’re fully grown.

------Boys with forced 6-packs, steroids injected, Resembling plastic vacuum packed food.

Consuming images of glamour digested, Resulting in misery and low self-esteem to brood.

------Girls with bodies full of bubbles, Silicon, botox, collagen and liposuction, Inevitably leaking or popping causing fatal trouble.

Organs failing, blind internal eruption.

------There are pros ‘n’ cons to your every action, Weigh them up and yourself while you’re at it.

Please stop abusing your bodies and fuelling the worlds superficial reaction.

If you’re worried about your weight, do exercise and keep fit.

------Living like an adult isn’t all what it seems, So enjoy childhood to the full, Because when you age you’ll reminisce and dream, Being a hypocrite; trying to look youthful.

-------

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Created by Winston Hoyte

Photographer Anna Lede Model Forlawn

Paris

Street Style

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Photographer Anna Lede Model Lokman Abdul-Haleem

Photographer Anna Lede Model Wisdom Ayanou

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Photographer Anna Lede Models Wisdom Ayanou & Ibrahim

Photographer Anna Lede Model Ibrahim

MBG Pa i n t s

a

p i c t u r e

with less than a thousand words

W

e like to think of ourselves as art aficionados here at Demur.

When we came across MBG whilst scrolling through the gram, we had to stop and explore a bit more. We immediately reached out to MBG to a get a better picture.

The message of his art is‌ To bring awareness to the culture that we are in, to be free, to be original. It seems a lot of people are using stencil artwork with the same usual suspects and subjects... Marilyn Monroe, Andy Warhol, Jean Michel Basquiat, Dahli, Frieda, Mickey Mouse, etc. you get my drift. Chanel, Louis Vuitton, and Versace have been staples in the pop art genre... therefore I chose Givenchy.

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It seems people are receptive to his message considering all the art awards he has received…

I believe people are taking notice. Sometimes I think about the music and film industry.

To grab an audience’s attention, you need a dope beat, something to capture your audience in that moment and then deliver the message. The Matrix, one of my favourite movies, executed this brilliantly!

The Matrix was filled with great energy and entertainment, all while delivering potent material to digest. I go about my craft the same way. I find colour scheme subjects, grab the attention, lure the audience in before the content takes hold.

He is so serious about his work, he relocated from Ohio to California.

Relocating definitely helped in terms of reaching a wider audience. I’ve met collectors and critics, people who I probably wouldn’t have ever met had I stayed in my comfort zone. With that being said, Cleveland is my hometown, the place where I honed my skills... it helped me develop a thicker skin and my venom is more potent because of it.

But does MBG think we can all learn to be as good as he is?

I believe anything you practice long enough, you become good at. I was fortunate enough with my mum being an artist and being blessed with the creative gene myself.

However, natural talent and hard work is one hell of a combination.

The worst thing about being an artist is…

Insomnia. My creative flow usually kicks in at night and there’s no switch to turn it off. A gift Find him on social media: mbgart.com Buy paintings: Artfinder.com/mbgart

EDITORIAL

Photographer P.Rarri Model Sean Duria

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Hat MR.ALEXIS Shirt Neuvibes