ESTILA
empowering through creative business jour neys VOLUME 6/ ISSUE 29
EDITORS Karolina Barnes Anouska Lancaster / noushkadesign.com Emilia Vespoli Flavia Young / luxe-layers.com Nicola McCullough / strawberryblondebeauty.com Ellen Stanton / paleblueplate.com Rachel Edmonds
STYLISTS Louise Ives-Wilkinson / iwinteriors.co.uk Florence Ophelia Karolina Barnes COVER IMAGE PROOF READER Claire Smith / eclairesva.com
Jasmine de Silva, the story on p. 38 A big thank you to all our editors, contributors and
FEATURED PHOTOGRAPHERS
everyone who continues to support ESTILA.
Louise Ives-Wilkinson
ESTILA bookazine is created and published by
Karolina Barnes
Palantti Ltd. The entire content of this publication is
Meera Pendred
protected by copyright and may not be reproduced
Nicola McCullough
without written consent from the publisher.
Jasmine de Silva Jeremy Coleman
The views expressed in this publication are those of the respective contributors and are not necessarily shared by the publisher. Original work and
CONTACT estila.co / IG @estilamag Tell us your story: editor@estila.co Website: estila.co
ŠCopyright 2018 ESTILA
photography are copyrighted by its owner. ISSN 2398-9041 Designed and printed in the United Kingdom.
WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF ESTILA
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Be fearless in the pursuit of what sets your soul on fire.
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Have you ever found yourself at a crossroads or being stuck in the rut? We have. All of the powerful stories we write about in ESTILA have one thing in common - they are told by amazingly talented creatives who have gone through tipping points, frustrations, and aha-moments that have led them onto a new journey into entrepreneurship. Our mission is to inspire you to do the same. We believe that life is a journey about finding who you are and what your calling is. It's about challenging yourself, and the status quo. Only then, you can realise your true potential. We hope that the following pages will trigger a spark or an idea for you to take action and just go for it!
editor’s note Welcome to the sixth print edition of ESTILA bookazine. The word, that comes to mind when summing up the following pages, is evolution. Most journeys you'll read about are a result of gradual personal development and growth. Frustrations lead to a need for a change. And a change leads to finding your own true calling. The stories of Jasmine de Silva (our cover story), Holly Tucker and Bozena Jankowska are perfect examples and case studies we all can get inspired by and learn from. Thank you for reading and your continuous support. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Karolina Barnes / editor-in-chief
MUST - READ STORIES
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INTERIORS “Where creative thinking is on daily agenda.”
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i n t eriors ¡ blog ger stor y
Designing with longevity in mind words and photography by Meera Pendred
When we moved into our home a couple of years ago, it was a sea of beige and magnolia which I found difficult to live with because the rooms felt dull all the time and nothing looked good against these colours. So it wasn’t long before I was pouring over my paint charts. I prefer to tackle one room at a time, treating each one as a design project. Having been on a career break to bring up my children, budgets for room makeovers are very small so I try to think creatively about how to achieve the look I want for little cost without compromising on quality. This means a lot of DIY and patiently waiting for sales on products I am coveting. I’m an advocate of design longevity, so when I design a room, I want to be sure that my family and I will love it for a very long time. The practical elements (i.e. the furniture layout, and the electrical and lighting plan) are always figured out first before I think about the pretty things. Having said that, accessories are always on my mind as a motivation for getting a room finished, because there is nothing more exciting for me than bringing a room to life with the finishing touches.
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i n t eriors ¡ blog ger stor y
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interiors ¡ styling
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i n t eriors ¡ styling stor y
THE STEM VASE STORY Anthology Five: Make a striking flower arrangement with theses trio stem vases. Made from high-quality aluminum and finished in plated copper, they are a perfect edition to any table setting. Each vase has a magnetic base that makes it appear to float on the table surface. www.anthologyfive.com
THE FLOWER STORY Artificial Green: "Go with the faux" is the tagline of Artificial Green, a company specialising in supplying a wide range of premium high-quality artificial trees, plants, topiary and planters for indoor and outdoor use. The featured flowers are handmade by skilled craftsmen in Denmark. Each stem goes through along manufacturing process to ensure the most authentic and lifelike look. www. artificialgreen.co.uk If you would like to learn more about incorporating Biophilic Design into your home, please contact us via our website at www.iwinteriors.co.uk.
iwinteriors.co.uk
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IG @louise_ives_wilkinson_design
Your branding and designs are very distinctive, what inspired you to launch Divine Savages and why? The Divine Savages story actually began waaay back in 2012 in South East London when we were finally able to get on the property ladder and buy our first home. We loved being able to decorate our home for the first time after having lived in a rental for so long, and put our shared passion for quirky interiors and styling to use and set out to do interiors our own way - but we struggled to find what we wanted. So we began designing our own homeware, accessories and artwork, finding small suppliers and makers in the UK that could help us to create our unique vision, and when friends and family came to visit they kept asking where we sourced them from. The seed of an idea was planted, and we dreamt about potentially selling our range one day. Launching a new brand is notoriously challenging, how did you go about it? From concept to launch tell us a little about your journey and how you avoided the pitfalls that trip up so many start-ups? Well, life as it does, got in the way and it wasn’t for quite a few years that our dream of creating a new interior brand finally came to fruition – creating the brand in 2016 and launching just a few months ago in late 2017. Tom had recently decided to quit his design job at a fashion and branding agency and to finally go freelance and it was this opportunity that gave him the time to focus creatively on what would eventually become Divine Savages.
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i n t e riors ¡ design brand
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i n t eriors · brand stor y I don’t know if we’ve avoided the pitfalls – we’re still learning every day about how to do things best, but that’s the amazing thing at running your own business – you can evolve it naturally as you see fit. Learn from those mistakes and move on and do things better, and if there is something you don’t know ask someone; we’ve been amazed at the support and advice people are willing to share and give. We owe many thanks to other creatives and businesses that took the time to answer our questions! Your style is refreshingly unique and very specific to Divine Savages, how would you describe it? With Tom’s background in illustration and fashion, our debut collections are, naturally, very design-led. Divine Savages embraces quintessential Maximalism; we want to encourage people to douse their home in colour, print and pattern, to embrace the ‘more is more’ ethos and to unashamedly allow their personal style to shine throughout their homes. There are no rules in interiors as far as we’re concerned – why can’t we fuse modern design with the classic, combine different periods and styles and clash pattern? Whilst our style is very recognisable and on trend for 2018’s bold interior resurgence, we always go back to the origins of before we launched - our key rule when designing anything is that we’d love to have it in our own home too. You’ve recently launched a new collection, ‘Deco Martini’. Will we be seeing more collections moving forwards? What can we look forward to seeing from Divine Savages in the future? Our Deco Martini pattern has been very popular in both the teal and blush colourways. We adore the classic Art Deco prints of the Roaring Twenties, so elegant and instantly recognisable, and we’re honoured that people have embraced our take on this. Tom is always working on new collections, he literally never stops! We have recently teased our Prehistoria print, which is very exciting – it’s our Divine Savages twist on a classic Victorian motif featuring fossilised dinosaurs – and will be coming soon on wallpapers, cushions and velvet. We’re also just at sampling stage for another wallpaper print which we can’t say too much about yet, but it’s looking awesome! Later this month we’ll also be launching our brand new greeting card range – we’re so excited about this! We brought our new designs to Top Drawer in January and will launch with around 45 card designs. It’s been such fun to develop this range and has allowed us to continue to express our sense of humour – fans of our grumpy Cat-titude art print will be pleased to know a card version is coming!
divinesavages.com
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IG @divinesavages
shopping
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PERFECT PERCH research and graphics by Emilia Vespoli
SANTORUS Madame du Soir Silk Pyjama
M'ODA 'OPERANDI SILVA FURMANOVICH Marquetry Bird Pearl Drop Earings AMARA L'OBJECT - Natural Curiosities Bird Cage Candle
AMARA - MATTHEW WILLIAMSON Bird of Paradise Wallpaper
HOUSEOLOGY MOOOI - French Branch Light
AMARA - SARAH MILLER Birds in a Tree Silk Eye Mask AMARA - ROBERTO CAVALLI Bird Ramage Silk Throw
IG @via_san_vito
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Jacket: Natta Silk dress: Pretty Little Thing
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art ¡ c ov er stor y
Connecting fashion with photography interview by Karolina Barnes
While visiting Pure London last year, I came across a beautiful image on the wall. Initially, I thought it was a piece of art, merging fashion and photography together but I learnt that Jasmine de Silva, the creator of that piece, is actually a photographer and creative director who specialises in working with creatives and brands. Most of her work features bold, vibrant colour palettes. She uses colours through lighting, set design and garment styling, creating very unique photography art. Jasmine also explores manipulation of nature by using technology, drawing inspiration from sci-fi, music videos and TV programmes. This unique approach encourages the viewer to stop and take a second look and explore her photography in more detail.
Top: River Island | Skirt: Vintage
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art ¡ c ov er stor y
Top: River Island | Skirt: Vintage
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art · c ov er stor y
I am always drawn to pinks, blues and purples. These colours are aesthetically pleasing to the human eye and you can always create different moods with them, dependent on the lighting, so they can look pretty and slightly unusual. You have a unique way of creating your work. Can you describe the process? Thank you! When I studied at LCF I started to look at anything and everything for inspiration. It was then that I realised looking at fashion photography blocked my inspiration rather than feeding it because I didn’t want to be too over-influenced by the fashion photographers who were already out in the world. The themes I started to become obsessed with included the manipulation of nature by technology. This led me to start working with odd poses to make the models look almost broken, in the hope that viewers of the images would need to take a second look, almost to try and figure out where is that arm or leg coming from? I think my most successful photo shoots are when I have sketched out each image prior to shooting, in order to create a concise storyline. This year I would like to branch out with my research to further develop the ideas that I’m interested in. Where do you find inspiration? Have you got someone you look up to or a mentor? Over the past few years, my main aesthetic influences have come from film and TV series, often in the sci-fi genre. There have been key influences for the way I pose models, like Hans Bellmers Dolls and the choreography in Fever Rays music video – When I grow up. I watched this about 50 times in one day the first time I saw it. I’m also in love with the choreographed series of movements in the TV series The O.A. I’m currently working on my first project with an amazing choreographer so hopefully, this will be released soon! Over the past year, I have been lucky enough to assist one of my favourite fashion photographers and set designers, Elena Rendina. It has been amazing learning from her as I help with the set design and it’s great to focus on the details of photoshoots when you’re not the photographer, to be able to learn from all of the aspects that make a photoshoot successful. CREDITS: Photographer and Set: Jasmine De Silva @jasmine_desilva Stylist: Ayisha Onuorah @ayishaayishaa Hair: Chris Grimley @chrisgrimley1 Makeup: Shona Adele White @shonaxadele Photo Assistants: Sara Gomez & Becky Davidson Stylist Assistant: Emma Wormley
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FASHION “Sustainable luxury with a purpose.”
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fashion · designer stor y
From corporate to a fashion label with Bozena Jankowska
What has been your journey so far?
By not being afraid to take a risk and following my two passions – sustainability and fashion. After a 25-year career in sustainability including a 16-year stint in sustainable finance, I reached a point where I felt I needed a new challenge and bring to life something I’ve been thinking of doing for some time. It was scary, as I was leaving an industry which I knew intimately and entering an industry where I knew I would be starting from ground zero. The only constant I had that straddled the two words, was my intimate knowledge of sustainability. As with any new venture the key was to do as much research, outreach and networking as I could to build the knowledge and contacts I knew would be key to setting up a new luxury fashion brand. Attending seminar’s, fashion fairs, textile fairs and asking lots of questions along the way (and not worrying if they were basic or not) took up much of my time and it still does to this day as I have found you never stop learning when running your own business!
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The second key component to getting started is not being afraid to make mistakes – which I’ve made plenty of on my journey so far! The key thing to remember is that these are valuable mistakes which allow you to learn, grow and become a smarter business owner! Building relationships is also key whether it be with the textile mills your source from, the manufacturers you partner with for production or different experts you decide to pull in to give you the insights you cannot get yourself elsewhere to take you to the next stage of the business. There is certainly a lot to think about, the level of detail that is necessary to start any business is intense and which I didn’t fully appreciate but it certainly focuses the mind! What is your mission with your brand? I’ve always felt strongly about sustainability because I’ve always had the ability to stand back from a situation and see the bigger picture about the implications of our actions on the environment and society. Given where we are today and the multitude of environmental and social challenges we face we really haven’t done a great job being stewards of our planet for future generations. I believe that information and awareness can change behaviours if channelled in the right way and there are some powerful platforms out there that can help with that.
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TRAVEL “The healing powers of travels.”
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trav el · business
Interview with Lauren MacDonald interview and photography provided by Faith Russell
Tell us about yourself – what brought you to Sen Wellness Sanctuary? I first became aware of Sen Wellness at the beginning of 2016, not long after I’d been diagnosed with stage IV cancer. I’d recently left my job as a doctor in Brighton and I’d just started having treatment at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London. In the meantime, I’d thrown myself into researching all I could about my disease and what I could do alongside conventional treatment to help my body fight the tumours. It quickly became clear that I needed to reduce my stress levels, support my immune system and reduce the inflammation in my body. The holistic approach I took involved starting a regular yoga and meditation practice, exercising regularly, massage and acupuncture therapies, switching to a plant-based diet and doing everything I could to support my gut microbiome. I began blogging about my journey and through my blog I connected with Sam, the founder of Sen Wellness. I had several sessions with Sam during that year and we stayed in touch throughout my treatment. A few months after finding out I’d had a complete response to immunotherapy I made the decision to travel to India to complete my yoga teacher training. Practising yoga throughout my treatment had helped me to stay mindful, calm and grounded when my life felt totally out of control. Immersing myself in the training for a month enabled me to further my knowledge about the mind-body connection, deepen my yoga practice and ultimately, start to trust my body again. It was always in the back of my mind to visit the Sanctuary at some point as it sounded like the ideal setting to learn more about Ayurveda and kundalini and, ultimately, continue on my healing journey.
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trav el ¡ business
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trav el · business How was your experience at the Sanctuary? From the moment the huge wooden gates swung open revealing the inner haven of the Sanctuary, I knew this experience was going to be much more transformative than I could ever have imagined. It’s almost impossible to translate the magic of the Sanctuary through photos or written words – it’s one of those places that simply needs to be experienced to be believed. A typical day involves being woken up just before sunrise with a cumin and cardamon tea, sunrise kundalini yoga on the beach, the most colourful breakfast and then a day of Ayurvedic treatments, reading, laughing, walking, swimming and more yoga and delicious, nutritious food. There are also visits to nearby temples and local markets and once a week one of the monks from a nearby temple leads a very special meditation, followed by a deeply relaxing gong bath. It was honestly magical! In the month I was there I heard incredible stories, made new friends from across the globe and felt a deep connection with everyone I met. The staff also play a significant part in your retreat experience as they always great you with a huge smile and make you feel at home from the moment you arrive. I left the Sanctuary feeling stronger, healthier, happier and more energised than I’d felt in years.
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THE EDITOR’S BLACK BOOK At ESTILA, we are passionate about highlighting small, independent British lifestyle, interiors and fashion brands, and useful contacts. I spend hours and hours visiting shows, pop-ups, boutiques, events, and scrolling through Instagram, to find inspiring and unique talent, creativity and innovation. BLACK BOOK is my personal go-to shopping resource when I need to find something I don't want anybody else to be seen wearing. No more "I've got that cushion or jumper, too!" Let's embrace our style!! Karolina xx
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