The do it yourself issue
Elitism at its best / Issue no. 4
Cover Star TIFFANY PISANI Photographed by MATTHEW ATTARD NAVARRO PLATINUM VOLUME MARCHLOVE / APRIL 2012 2 ISSUE 4
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PLATINUM LOVE VOLUME 2 ISSUE 2
THE WELCOME BACK ISSUE 2
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THE WELCOME BACK ISSUE 3
The experimental, forward thinking, highly exclusive & collectable magazine. Pushing fearless fashion, design popping editorials & culture frenzied texts for pop culture maniacs. PRINTED ISSUE 4 - VOLUME 2
The Team
T HE T EAM
CONTRIBUTORS
PRODUCTION
Matthew Attard Navarro Editor in Chief & Creative Director
Fashion Contributors
Art and Culture Contributors
Art Direction & Editorial Design
Ben Azzopardi Editor’s Assistant
Daniel Azzopardi Menswear Journalist
daniel.a@platinumlovemagazine.com
Lisa Gwen Art Editor
Sales & Advertising
Lara Boffa Womenswear Journalist
Stephanie Calleja Arts & Culture Journalist
Tiziana Gauci Womenswear Journalist
Kristina Cassar Arts & Culture Journalist
Kelly Bartolo Womenswear Journalist
Louise Mifsud
Kim Gregory Womenswear Journalist
Nicola Petroni
hutch@platinumlovemagazine.com
ben.a@platinumlovemagazine.com
Daniel Vella Web Manager
lara.b@platinumlovemagazine.com
tiziana.g@platinumlovemagazine.com
kelly.b@platinumlovemagazine.com
kim.g@platinumlovemagazine.com
lisa.g@platinumlovemagazine.com
stephanie.c@platinumlovemagazine.com
info@werkdesigns.com
sales@platinumlovemagazine.com
Publishing House Platinum Innovation Co Ltd
kristina.c@platinumlovemagazine.com Arts & Culture Journalist louise.m@platinumlovemagazine.com Arts & Culture Journalist nicola.p@platinumlovemagazine.com
Martina Vella Womenswear Journalist
martina.v@platinumlovemagazine.com
TrendZine fashioninformation.com
Reproduction in blogs & press Reproduction of any content in the magazine is only allowed in blogs & press media on the condition that the content lifted is credited with a link to platinumlovemagazine.com & all the credits in the editorial are listed down appropriately. PLATINUM LOVE VOLUME 2 ISSUE 4
Submission policy
Publisher details
Advertising contacts
Platinum Love Magazine welcomes ideas & contributions from illustrators, photographers & writers. However due to the large amount of emails the magazine cannot promise to return a reply immediately. For our contribution guidelines please email info@platinumlovemagazine.com
Platinum Love Magazine is owned & published by Platinum Innovation Co Ltd, 27, Savannah Triq Ill Fuhhar Tarxien TXN1211, Malta, Europe
Malta sales@platinumlovemagazine.com 00356 2769 7318
info@platinumlovemagazine.com www.platinumlovemagazine.com
London hutch@platinumlovemagazine.com 00356 9987 2638
THE DO IT YOURSELF ISSUE 4
This issue described in four words
“Supersonic Bionic Uranium Hit”
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Contents The Do It Yourself Issue
Because if you want something done right, you’ve got to do it yourself Platinum Fashion Hit List Top Blogger tweets Trendwatch by TrendZine Hyped Our Favourite Collections Platinum Feature Rad Hourani Geneva Corlett John Gabriel Harrison Ewa Nowacka Luke Azzopardi Tiffany Pisani Stolen Creep Monobrowproduce Editorials Addicted Blue Jeans
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Editor’s Letter Everyone hates delays, and I am one of those impatient few that absolutely loathe them. The theme for this issue is the Do It Yourself Issue embracing many young creatives who have done away with any pretenses and are doing their own thing and doing it damn well. And as you must have realised we missed our 15th of March mark. However, we’re still here, and working hard to deliver the May issue on time! In an age were everyone is being force fed media and the amount of growing social networks are taking over most of everyone’s time we are facing a new era of young kids who are relying on others a bit too much, and with any move there is always a counter-effect, young artists that are rebelling to this growing system and using it to push their talents further working hard to leave something other than just a facebook page when they leave. These are the creatives we wanted to feature in this issue. We’re working very hard on our online medium as you might have noticed, teaming up with top trend forecasters TrendZine (check them out) for regular street style updates get ready to be seen, we’re going to make sure we’ll get you on one of our straight ups. So enjoy this issue and be sure to come back online for our recurring updates, and don’t forget, May 15th. We’ll do our best to be on time this time. Promise. I also apologize this page is a bit too blank, we’re taking the white-space look a bit too literally. X Matthew
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The hitlist / the top ten items any hipster deserves 2 1
5 6
3 2
4
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Top five summer prints for men. Yes. 6
7 10
8
9 15
10
1 - Givenchy Clutch Bag - 2 - Tom Ford’s “Carine” bag - 3 - Jil Sander13 cut out tote bag - 4 - Proenza Schouler 5 - Carven - All handbags from Colette. fr - 6 - Prada SS 12 prints are some of our favourite, in fact they get featured twice - prada.com - Givenchy’s prints are also iconic this season with a variety of matching tee shirts our particular favourite is the blazer + pants featured in the detail - 8 Original Fake tee shirt - colette.fr - 9 - Fat Gold tee shirt with artist Adrian Gauci - fatgold.com - 10 the 1950’s inspired print once more by Prada - prada.com
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THE NEW ORDER ISSUE 11
#FASHIONWEEKPROBLEMS
what’s the
hashtag to this party? We all know that twitter has taken the fashion world by storm, bloggers, editors and wannabe fashionistas are all on twitter and you should be so too as most of the fun of being at a fashion show nowadays boils down to hashtagging your goodiebag gift. #totesamaze
Anna Dello Russo
Bryan Boy
Susie Bubble
Pelayo Diaz
Franca Sozzani
Editor at Large Vogue Nippon
Blogger bryanboy.com
Blogger Stylebubble.typepad.com
Editor at Large Vogue Italia
Blogger katelovesme.net
@annadellorusso Hip hip urra’ for Raf Simon and his last show @jilsander!! unforgettable moment!
@bryanboy I wanna get botox but I dont want to do it alone.
@susiebubble Im on a big me up high.... Donatella @ Versace just greeted me with a kiss and Manuela Pavesi said my outfit was great #heartmilan
@francasozzani Congratulations to Raf Simons, new @ Dior. Waiting for new creations, flip through his last Jil Sander collection
@princepelayo I am so burned you can fry an egg on my skin
@annadellorusso Yoga and swimming before #MFW day 3 start...today lots of show and appointment! @annadellorusso 5.44 am in London:ready for yoga and swim! @annadellorusso So warm in NY today compared to Europe! @annadellorusso Practice yoga and get ready for NY fashion show,Tory Burch at 9.30am!
@bryanboy be honest now. would you rather have appearance of prestige or would you rather have $200 million but be like a kardashian? @bryanboy I need a vacation from a vacation from a vacation from a vacation at a friend of a friend of a friend of a friend of a friend’s house. @bryanboy Are Greek cops available for photo shoots?
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@susiebubble Too good @annadellorusso in full on Prada SS12 @susiebubble Amazing carpeted set at Prada... Feels very good to walk on... @susiebubble Jil Sander show will be monumental on Saturday... @susiebubble In @MaryKatrantzou world pencil embroidery on a dress makes complete sense. Thank god for that.
@francasozzani #democracy: my total support to Aung San Suu Kyi, her election victory is first step on long road to change in Burma.
@princepelayo I feel ugly today but at least I’m wearing Prada. and believe me, blue lurex have special powers @princepelayo morning everybody! on the sofa answering three magazine interviews before i start my day @princepelayo work comes to those people willing to work @princepelayo Practice yoga and get don´t take the tube in Madrid if you are wearing Balenciaga shoes. So slippery
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#FASHIONWEEKPROBLEMS
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#FASHIONWEEKPROBLEMS
Check out more street fashion online In collaboration with fashioninformation.com / TrendZine PLATINUM LOVE VOLUME 2 ISSUE 4
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HYPED / our #Fav collections from Fall / Winter 2012 The trouser suit reigned supreme at the Miu Miu A/W fashion show, stepping away from the feminine shapes seen at Prada and embracing an altogether more androgynous look for autumn.
Raf Simons’ last call at Jil Sander was an undeniably sweet one. The contemporary designer is leaving Jil Sander after what has been one remarkable era. Albeit confirmed news that Jil Sander herself was returning to the throne of the House which shares her name, the mood was sad. It was a show in which gorgeous simplicity reigned and the aura was calm and serene.
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Alexander McQueen was always viewed as a man who constantly pushed boundaries and went beyond what was expected of him. Sarah Burton, the current creative designer of the brand, supplies the audience with nothing less. This was especially evident in Paris Fashion Week where Burton’s Autumn/ Winter 2012 collection can firmly be described as the epitome of enchantment and joy. There are only a handful of people in the fashion industry who are able to outshine their previous season selves. Marc Jacobs is one of them. Jacobs, creative director at Louis Vuitton, is definitely no stranger to ‘greatness’, especially following the LV Fall 2012 collection. THE DO IT YOURSELF ISSUE 15
If I only were to attend one show at Paris Fashion Week this year, it would definitely be Lanvin. For 10 years Alber Elbaz has poured his creative talent into every beautiful garment that has come out of the fashion powerhouse. Thus his Fall/Winter show was a celebration of his magnificent creations, cultivating classic pieces in every collection whilst still being a master in adapting to fashion’s ever changing looks and trends
For his A/W 2012 collection, Elie Saab traded in his signature glamorous gowns in favour of a more structured and serious look. It was powerdressing at its best with a sombre colour palette of ash grey and black dominating the catwalk, colours somewhat unexpected coming from the ‘king of the red carpet’ but then again, this collection essentially focuses on daywear and less on his trademark glitzy evening dresses we all love.
Fashion Week at Milan and Paris has been all about goodbyes, as a major reshuffle of Creative Directors is underway at the major fashion houses. Autumn/Winter 2012 will be the last of Stefano Pilati’s show at Yves Saint Laurent. Indeed, it was one strong goodbye, featuring a tougher collection than any of its predecessors - as if he wanted to leave his last strong stamp at the house which held Pilati at its helm since 2004, four years before the death of its founder.
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Do you want to study fashion in Malta? A new venture for the Maltese fashion industry
Have you ever dreamt of ever running your own fashion business? Do you imagine yourself being the owner of your own brand? Do you think you belong in the glamorous lifestyle of the fashion industry? If you do, then now you finally have the chance to enroll in a series of short courses being offered by Platinum Plus and St James Cavalier.
Platinum Plus is a project aimed to facilitate the process of re-skilling and retraining for professionals in the Maltese fashion industry, along with scouting new talent & pushing forward new opportunities. Platinum Plus allows students to take on seminars which aren’t available anywhere else in Malta behind the fashion industry and marketing and media.
Supported by INVEX - Investing in Excellence
With international & local guest speakers in the industry this is your first chance in stepping in those shoes & get ready to learn the tricks of the trade.
platinumpluscourses.com twitter.com/plus_platinum
PLATINUM FEATURE In the age were everything is just a remix, the young talents which stand out like stars in a dark night are the ones who work to leave something other than just a facebook page. Creative director Matthew Attard Navarro speaks to a small number of selected Maltese and foreign talent doing their own thing, and damn succeeding at it.
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PLATINUM FEATURE
ant g done ve got to self” PLATINUM LOVE VOLUME 2 ISSUE 4
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The new talent. If you want something done right, you’ve got to do it yourself.
Rad Hourani Part 1
Rad Hourani “Clean and organized”
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The new talent. If you want something done right, you’ve got to do it yourself.
Hourani on Image Rad Hourani seems to be one of the many designers, along with influencers such as Lagerfeld and Slimane to experiment with photography, both photographing their own designs and also to document their surroundings. However for Hourani this documentation started at a young age, with an obsession with cameras and film from the age of twelve Hourani admits he used to take his father’s cameras to document his school activities and friendships and general youth. ‘Driven by aesthetics from such a young age’ as he puts it really moulded his vision into becoming what it is today. With a strong black and white aesthetic which runs through both his photography and his aseasonal
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collections Hourani seems to use himself as a starting point for his work. For someone who is a firm believer that trends are there to be ignored Hourani seems to have in turn become a trend setter to many others with his unified vision. His fashion editorial photography which recently emerged on ‘V Magazine’ reflected his all round aesthetic in print. He also held various photography basied exhibitions in the past in Paris and is currently working on more. “I like a certain body shape and mood when I take a photo” he says, when asked about his photography aesthetic which he admits is as important as design. He recently collaborated with Dutch based stylist Sonny Groo on his second publication of the black and white magazine MykroMag titled “Mykro/RadHourani” proving once more another foray in black and white minimalism. It does not just stop at that, the era of fashion film has taken over many designers such as Pugh and Tom Ford and Hourani is another one on the list. He started doing experimental videos since 2006 in Paris, working with his collections as his starting point he also told us he is also working on his first film script and started filming some visuals. Rad Hourani on challenges
Pugh and young graduates such as Thomas Tait Hourani boast excellent quality and workmanship in their collections; Hourani fits in the list perfectly, despite believing perfection is simply an illusion he suggests he gives his best at everything he does, as one would show casing collections both in Paris and New York. When asked how he deals with the stress of it all he simply replied “Stress can be exciting and can give you a certain energy to move forward. I know how to deal with it.” Dealing with a hugely successful line also comes with setbacks in production demand, however Hourani remains adamant on ensuring a solid manufacturing structure creating perfectly tailored pieces and marketing his items as perfect, timeless and rare.
Rad Hourani Part 2
The minimalist genius who embodies a story of strategic success, this is the tale of Rad Hourani. At a young age his namesake label became a household name amongst the new minimalist designers, and an inspiration to many bigger designers. With two conceptual labels Rad Hourani is a master of minimalist transformation. Since the age of twentyfive when he launched his debut collection he has produced countless unisex pieces that transform and rework into different silhouettes. Now at twenty-nine Rad seems to have set on a perspective and a goal.
Timeless is exactly what he calls his collections, sensual rather than sexual, and this timelessness which Hourani speaks of is probably the reason behind the brand’s success. Eliminating genders and sexes his collections have a larger outreach than collections targeting different groups. Hourani’s clarity and organization have seemingly helped him be the influencer he is today, and at just 29 there is much yet to come for this young creative.
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The new talent. If you want something done right, you’ve got to do it yourself.
Rad Hourani Part 3
Rad released a solid collection full of minimalist military undertones and a dash of khaki, always keeping the silhouettes androgynous and highly versatile. For a full review of Rad Hourani’s fall winter 2012 line have a look at our Hype section.
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The new talent. If you want something done right, you’ve got to do it yourself.
Rad Hourani Part 4
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The new talent. If you want something done right, you’ve got to do it yourself.
Geneva Corlett Part 1
Geneva Corlett Photography by Il-Shim Sato
Maltese born Geneva Corlett just won her placement at the FashionClash in Mastricht
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The new talent. If you want something done right, you’ve got to do it yourself.
Hi Geneva, how are you feeling now that you won your chance to appear in Fashionclash in Maastricht? I’m very excited to be given this chance, It feels good to be back in London, setting up my machine and ready to start working on more pieces to add to what I have already shown. Only 2 months to go! You’re living in London now, how do you feel London is helpful for you as a Maltese young designer, would you consider moving your work to Malta at all? I think London’s fashion style is quite unconventional so it sits really well with me as a designer. I love the freedom you have in London as an individual. You could be whatever you want to be and no one judges. I love that freedom; I find it so inspiring. I love
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Malta and of course it would be amazing to be able to base myself there at some point, financially speaking, it makes more sense setting up a base there, in terms of everyday expenses. But in terms of exposure and inspiration London makes more sense. You’re currently working at Giles Deacon, tell us more about your work placement? The energy and the dedication of the whole team of creative people working there is really inspiring. I was really happy to part of the studio towards the run up to A/W fashion week. I was working on embroidery and embellishments. It’s a lot of long hours with not much sleep but when you see the models all lined up to go out on the catwalk it definitely pays off!. You showed your BA collection for the Runway Malta competition, what was your BA collection inspired by? For this collection the key elements were Voyeurism, Curiosity and boundary. I wanted to create a connection between the inside and outside of clothing and the wearer’s territories. I took the element of Maltese traditional clothing together with interior decoration and trims to reflect these contrasts. What do you think of the current state of the fashion industry in Malta?
I think Malta is becoming much more fashion conscious, I’ve noticed a lot more television programs on trends and fashion courses being advertised, I think education definitely helps create more fashion awareness. Any advice to young Maltese designers? I’m still young and learning too, but I feel it’s important to always stay curious, research and learn all aspects of the design field of your choice. Resources are important and even more so in the fashion industry.
Geneva Corlett Part 2
Born and raised in Malta, half Kiwi (New Zealand), Geneva decided to move to London four years ago. By that time she knew she wanted to study Fashion design so I put together a portfolio, applied and was accepted for the Fashion Foundation Course at Central St Martins. After the year course, she enrolled at London College of Fashion’s Womenswear degree. She graduated just last year and she’s decided to base herself in London, while she works and wait to see where the fashion graduate ride will take her.
Future plans? Would you consider launching your own label or would you prefer to work with a house? Since my graduation my plan has always been to work at a design house and learn as much as possible, this is still my plan for now! Alongside this I still want to be able to stay creative and work on establishing my own brand. I’m hoping on working on a collaboration later on this year. What are designers you aspire to? I think I aspire to designers that tell stories and evoke emotions in their work, such as the late Alexander Mc Queen also, Yohji Yamamoto for his controversial and revolutionary design and Hussein Chalayan - for incorporating the height of technology with wearable fashion.
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Study Fashion design Limited places Book to avoid disappointment
The Project
Womenswear Design
Details
Have you ever dreamt of ever running your own fashion business? Do you imagine yourself being the owner of your own brand? Do you think you belong in the glamorous lifestyle of the fashion industry? If you do, then now you finally have the chance to enrol in a short course being offered by Platinum Plus, an educational service by the founders of influential fashion magazine Platinum Love, in collaboration with St James Cavalier. With international & local guest speakers in the industry this is your first chance in stepping in those shoes & get ready to learn the tricks of the trade. All you need is pen and paper, and a lot of creativity!
Details A 15 hour seminar on womenswear design delivered by UCA lecturer Amanda Abela, a young professional womenswear designer living in London.This seminar is aimed at young designers wishing to start their own label or further their knowledge in womenswear design techniques. Amanda Abela graduated in Womenswear design (B.A. Hons) from the University of the Creative Arts. She now works in London with top designers and teaches at the University of the Creative Arts. Book your place today at the St James Cavalier.
1. Experimental design analysis 2. Primary and secondary design research 3. Refining design ideas for your chosen market 4. Creating mood boards for colour selection 5. Fabric awareness 6. Basic figure-drawing techniques 7. Exploring different media Dates & Times
Date: July 16th - July 20th 2012 Time: 17:00pm - 20:00pm Fees
200â‚Ź + VAT
You can also book online from bookings@platinumpluscourses.com
For more info and bookings platinumpluscourses.com Supported INVEX2-ISSUE Investing PLATINUM LOVEby VOLUME 4
in Excellence
twitter.com/plus_platinum
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The new talent. If you want something done right, you’ve got to do it yourself.
John Gabriel Harrison Part 1
John Gabriel Harrison Question and answer with CSM MA graduate John Gabriel Harrison on his MA collection
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The new talent. If you want something done right, you’ve got to do it yourself.
Lots of images of children from early 20th century photographers; Robert Capa, Henri Cartier-Bresson and notably Lewis W. Hine. The proportions were all very odd; sleeves too short, trousers too short, jackets too long and the clothing that they were wearing was either work wear or smarter jackets, neither of which you’d find on children nowadays. What man do you imagine wearing your clothes? I believe any man who appreciates quality and detail, over something too attention seeking and throw away. I think men’s clothes should last, and offer small surprises for the wearer to discover over time. As recent graduate student what are your aspirations for the coming two years, what obstacles do you think you will face in this highly volatile fashion industry? I hope to have a design job in a house which I like, and where things can be executed flawlessly. Is there a story behind your AW 2012 collection? Not as such. I have been collecting vintage
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garments for the last couple of years, and now have more than I know what to do with. Many of these were referenced in my design. I also spent a good few months sourcing vintage linens and cottons to use for all of the white garments. Again, I now have a lot left over! Would you consider launching your own label, or do you plan to intern with any label in particular? After you show in the Central Saint Martin’s MA there is of course a temptation to, but I have always wanted to work in a big house. I really want to learn more from senior designers, and incredible craftspeople. I think my design is so much about the detail and the subtleties that I would probably get lost in the current London menswear scene. I’m currently applying for a couple of jobs... Your aesthetic reminded me immediately of the work of Hedi Slimane, Kris Van Assche, a bit of Yohji Yamamoto, all popular designers who work, worked with very sellable and wearable brands, do you believe fashion should be wearable? Absolutely. I think menswear should be functional. I only really want to design things that I understand how to wear and use. Otherwise I’d feel as
though I was taking a stab in the dark. I also think it’s a nice constraint to work with. Do you find it easy to acquire funding and sponsors, and how helpful do you find being sponsored as a young designer? I actually had a fair amount of sponsorship offers for fabric, companies that I have been in contact with for a few years, and saw every time I went to Premiere Vision. I didn’t end up using them though as I managed to find the right wool here in London, and it was always readily available. The vintage linens and cottons would have been harder to be sponsored for! Louise (Wilson) also gave me an Armani Bursary, which was incredibly helpful.
John Gabriel Harrison Part 2
What was your inspiration with your graduate collection?
Are there any other collaborations or projects in progress? Maybe, but it’s very vague and early. What recommendations do you give to upcoming designers? I wouldn’t know where to start. Do the MA at CSM...you’ll soon realised how little you know. Where do you see yourself in 5 years time? In a job which I enjoy.
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The new talent. If you want something done right, you’ve got to do it yourself.
John Gabriel Harrisonv Part 3
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The new talent. If you want something done right, you’ve got to do it yourself.
Ewa Nowacka Part 1
ewa nowacka Polish designer living in Malta, on the Maltese industry and her start up namesake label
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The new talent. If you want something done right, you’ve got to do it yourself.
We sat down with Ewa at her studio in the centre of Sliema, Malta and brought up the million-dollar question, living and working as a designer in Malta.
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PLM: Hi Ewa, you have been living in sunny Malta, how do you find living and working as a designer here? Ewa: I came here with a bag full of fabrics and a sewing machine, and was anticipating a new adventure and I have to say the beginning was not easy. I had left much behind, but along the way I met a lot of creative people and discovered more and more possibilities to establish myself as a designer. Somehow time passes slower here and the Maltese people are very curious and have always approached my work with great enthusiasm, this positive environment gave me a lot of strength and helped me identify who I want to be in this competitive industry.
I always have plenty of ideas and plans, but the next thing on my calendar is the upcoming Malta
Fashion Week, I will be showing six elegant evening looks, that focus more on structure rather that prints.
Ewa Nowacka Part 2
Ewa Nowacka, is a twenty five year old designer living in Malta for the past few years. She moved to Malta with her partner after finishing her B.A. in fashion design and has since shown 2 capsule collections in Malta. Recently showing in Runway Malta she was one of the few designers competing to show at FashionClash Maastricht.
There are also plans to launch a new line of sophisticated ready to wear garments that will bring my designs to a broader audience as everyone seems to be moving in that direction it seems, affordable fashion that will meet top fashion standards. In addition to this I plan to participate in a few events and maybe competitions but I don’t want to give away more at this point PLM: We heard you’re leaving us and heading to Berlin. What are you looking forward to in Berlin? How is the fashion industry there? Ewa: Berlin is my new challenge. It’s so central and with the IMG launch of the bi-
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The new talent. If you want something done right, you’ve got to do it yourself.
Ewa Nowacka Part 3
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The new talent. If you want something done right, you’ve got to do it yourself.
Fashion in Berlin is very unpolished. People are effortlessly elegant, pragmatically stylish and their characters define their appearance. The fractured history and clash of multiple cultures gives rise to a fascinating diversity of styles. I love Berlin. PLM: You went straight from your B.A. in Fashion Design to launching your own label, slowly working your way up. How does it feel? Ewa: It’s really exciting to finally put in to practice what I have learned along the way and even more to be able realize my personal vision. Besides that you have to learn how to stay in touch with realities of managing a business on a everyday basis which is not that easy at times. PLM: What do you think of the current state of the fashion industry in Malta?
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Ewa: I think that Malta’s fashion industry is just at the beginning of its journey. Yes, the industry is growing, more and more is happening and new events give young talents opportunities to show their work but I have to admit that there is the potential for much more. PLM: Do you think Malta could be a fashion base for Europe?
Ewa: I believe that in order to become a fashion base, fashion awareness needs to be raised, local talents should be supported and jobs for people who want to work in the fashion industry need to be created. Malta has a powerful consumer market but whether this will make Malta a fashion base is unclear.
PLM: Any designers?
advice
to
young
Maltese
Ewa: Be determined and try to work with lots of different people in lots of different places. Travel and experiment as much as you can. Stay focused on your goals and don’t stop until you achieve them.
Ewa Nowacka Part 4
annual Mercedes Benz Fashion week it is a seriously recognized fashion capital. The city is full of independent artists and unconventional labels and the industry is rapidly growing.
PLM: What are designers you aspire to and what designers inspire you? Ewa: Alexander McQueen has always influenced me. His works were so emotional and spectacular, an equilibrium between fashion and costume. I also love Michael van deer Ham’s creations. I’m highly fascinated by his structures and the mix of different fabrics that create beautiful colourful collages, true pieces of art. PLM: Besides moving to Berlin, what is your future plans? Ewa: I have so many, but mainly I’d love to grow my business into something more solid, something that would continuously allow me to produce the work I believe in. THE DO IT YOURSELF ISSUE 33
Ben wears dress by Ewa Nowacka
Photography by Matthew Attard Navarro
Fits like a glove Feels like a drug Addicted to your LOVE Ben @ Supernova Models Hair Rimvydas Staisunas @ Hairsoscope Make up Tamara Burr
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Ben wears dress by Charles & Ron
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Ben wears dress by Ewa Nowacka
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Ben wears dress by Charles & Ron
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Ben wears dress by French Connection
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Ben wears dress by Ewa Nowacka
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Ben wears dress by French Connection
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Ben wears bodice and cape by Ewa Nowacka
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Luke Azzopardi on dreams, Alice and finding the underground 18 year old Luke Azzopardi emerging production designer from the tiny island of Gozo, sister island of Malta is exactly what one should expect from an island known for a lack of a contemporary art scene, artistic repression and even (in 2012) censorship.
distinguish the difference between the good and the bad, and worked on small projects which already displayed his intense amount of international elements in his variety of mixed medium work. After his contemporary representation of Alice, held in 2011 for one night only in the highly amusing island of Gozo, Luke’s talent proved that the young artist could hold and produce, market and design a production that few local talents
Luke can be described as the ‘model’ young artist which many young Maltese and Gozitan talents should look up to, striving to better himself with every project despite a highly inexistent contemporary culture and at a young age making a pleasant amount of noise which attracts awe struck audiences and critics alike. Before even undertaking his current studies for a BA in performance and design at Central Saint Martins Azzopardi was able to PLATINUM LOVE VOLUME 2 ISSUE 4
could match. Azzopardi just finished designing “Alice’s Adventures Under Ground”, a contemporary dance interpretation of Lewis Carroll’s novel, with Naupaca Dance Factory.
Azzopardi managed to produce, direct, design and manage this production
before the tender age of 20 and immediately send ripples through the Maltese art scene letting them know of his existence. Currently working on his second short film, and dealing with a small number of design projects, he also said that work has begun on a huge projected aimed to improve the current arts scene, which we’re not allowed to know anything more about yet. We spoke to Azzopardi over a Skype phone call about contemporary art and his perspective of the growing culture in the Maltese islands. He thinks that there are a number of companies, artists and groups producing relevant work, but there isn’t a body to THE DO IT YOURSELF ISSUE 42
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I subverted every costume I nearly finished, eroticised it and went against my own tailoring; as costumes become more worn out on the dancer in motion, they are reinforced. Sort of like fashion really, the fabrics, cuts and materials recycled either conceptually or physically. Reds are the only important colours; everything else is either beached, naturalistic or primitive. I keep exposing myself to Darwinism, Asian artisan, and muscle in the animalesque and the posthuman. house it. The spaces which are dedicated towards contemporary art seem to be very limited in resources, and are only accessible to an elitist, or in his words a narrow minded audience. Contemporary Art speaks through a common language and deals with human issues; however he thinks that the way it’s generally curated in Malta almost opposes this. “Malta and Gozo can become a European cultural point. Most of the fashion designers and stylists working in Malta right now aren’t exactly what I’d like to see. It seems that they ignore the fact that they are producing work
Maybe that is the reason why Political Art, right now, is in peak. It automatically carries a contemporary political burden that is not equaled anywhere else.
in Malta, and in no way do social and cultural issues influence their work.
metallic eveningwear. I guess it’s all up to platforms like MCA (Malta Contemporary Art) and so many unrecognized designers who have no say and no representation. If the islands do not manage to reach the centre for culture and fashion status, I would put all the blame on critics and reviews for primarily not existing, and when being there for sounding so misinformed” the 20 year old states. Azzopardi believes that the media needs to promote relevant art and discourage commercial art in festive celebrations (everywhere), and elitist irrelevant work. Right now, it’s doing the exact opposite.
Everybody seems to be too busy producing abstract art for it’s own sake, and shiny
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Photography by Matthew Attard Navarro A selection of,
Blue Jeans white shirt walked into the room you know you made my eyes burn Kristian @ models.com.mt
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Shirt Ben Sherman Trousers Krew Denim
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Shirt by Quicksilver with trousers French Connection
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Shirt by Quicksilver with trousers French Connection
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Trousers French Connection Shirt French Connection
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Trousers from French Connection, shirt by Electric
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Trousers and tee shirt from French Connection
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Trousers French Connection Shirt Electric
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Trousers French Connection Shirt Electric
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Trousers French Connection
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StolenCreep means what exactly?
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We recorded the trio behind Stolen Creep discuss the origins of their band name. Be prepared to be amused. Kat: Stolen Creep: Adverb-Noun. Or is it Adjective-Noun? Rhymes with…Stolen Sheep. We sometimes refer to ourselves that way. Rebecca: We like to think we were kidnapped from another planet – hence stolen – and placed on this earth. Maybe “stolen alien” would’ve been more fitting... or “stolen drama queens.” Kat: We’re not drama queens. Rebecca: You know the fairytales where babies are sometimes stolen from cribs and replaced by demons or fairies? A “stolen creep” is a changeling. Changelings are creatures from the invisible world that have taken on the human form, usually children... Marie: When we were 12, Rebecca and I PLATINUM LOVE VOLUME 2 ISSUE 4
were intrigued by the idea of stealing a creep, and keeping him.
find three fragile-looking girls who can barely carry an instrument let alone play one!
Kat: What’s a creep?
Kat: It’s true, actually. When I joined the band a couple of years back, I really thought “Stolen Creep” sounded like the name for a metal band. Like “Broken Corpse”. Or, “Dismembered Entrails.”
Marie: Someone who’s really screwed up… in all the right ways. Like the Radiohead song, “Creep”. Rebecca: We chose “creep” because we like what the word represents, and at the time we were obsessed with Radiohead. We were in my room and had gone through a number of band names but they never really stuck. We were determined to find one which we both loved so we tried to go for things we had in common with each other…
Rebecca: No one really likes our band name. True story. The only person who ever told us he liked it was our friend, Nick Morales. We thought he was taking the piss. Turns out he wasn’t.
Marie: And we used to take road signs and random announces on the wall to put them up in the gym room, where we used to practise at the time.
Kat: I’ve warmed to it now. At first, I found it hard to identify with, because it doesn’t conjure a clear image in your head. But now, I think it just really fits – it just suits our collective character as a band…
Rebecca: Yes, we had a habit of “borrowing” random objects like signs and posters from places where we would hang out. Kat: Years later, we still “borrow” stuff. Like beer buckets, shot glasses, posters… You never know what’s next! Our recent acquisition was a nice big cardboard decoration from a Christmas Eve party with shiny mirror bits on (apologies Tim Ellis!). It’s kind of like an alien face with no eyes.
Marie: Kat, what do you think of the name? We never really asked you…
Rebecca: I guess it’s a good thing Marie and I decided against making babies together. We’d call our kids something disturbing, like Kid A or Amnesiac. Stolen Creep’s debut EP has just launched, more details on stolencreep.com
Rebecca: What’s funny is that people assume we’re some sort of metal band from the name. Then when people meet us as a band for the first time, they’re always surprised to
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Big Dreams, Gangster
Breakfast at
Tiffany’s Malta’s favorite model on the hardships of breaking into an international industry, and why Maltese should never give up
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Tiffany Pisani at models 1 photographed by Matthew Attard Navarro
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PLM: Hi Tiffany, how are you? Where are you right now? Tiffany: I am great, I have been very busy recently traveling back and forward to Paris, Milan, London and Nigeria. I am currently in London but my job is so unpredictable I m not even sure where I will be in the next few days... PLM: Have the last two years been a rollercoaster? Tiffany: The last two years have changed my life completely. I have had the best two years of my life and had had the privilege to work in many countries and experience different cultures such as Hong Kong. PLM: What have you found to be the most difficult? Tiffany: I would have to say getting used to living in London with the cold climate. PLM: Tell us about living in London? Are you ever there at all? Tiffany: Well I was mainly here for the first year but I haven’t been here for the last 6 months. I am based in London so I travel back often as I have regular clients. I was just in Milan and had to flight to London for a day to do a fashion show for Hugo Boss. PLM: Do you think you could have managed all this had you stayed in Malta? Tiffany: Definitely not. PLM: You’re a very motivated girl, like most
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ambitious Maltese your age I’m sure you have some projects in the pipeline, what are yours?
I am 5 ft 10 inches and it can be difficult for me during fashion week as many designers require 5 ft 11.
Tiffany: I am pursuing modeling full time, studying part time, and taking acting lessons. I’m also in the process of creating my swimwear label for which I am very excited to launch!
My advice to interested girls is to first get their education sorted and once they’re done pursue modeling only if they really wish too after.
PLM: You have made good friends with Jimmy Choo, has he supported you along your way? Tiffany: Jimmy has mentored me both in modelling and also in producing my own swimwear label. He is a really inspirational person and some one to look up to.
It is extremely tough but if you persist it’s worth it. PLM: Do you intend on ever returning to Malta? Tiffany: You’re funny, I don’t even know what’s happening tomorrow...
PLM: What do you think needs to change in the fashion industry in Malta? What would you improve up on? Tiffany: Unfortunately Malta is far behind in the fashion world. I think the rates of photographers, designers, models, make up artist and hair dressers needs to be raised as without them there is no fashion industry. We need more editorial magazines and Maltese companies need to start using local models. The Fashion industry in Malta needs to be taken more seriously. PLM: Malta has all the potential but if this enough for the industry to really kick off? Tiffany: I am not sure, I think the whole Maltese mentality needs to change for that! PLM: Have you got any advice to aspiring models back home?
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Alexa wears fur coat by Express and leather biker pant by H&M
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monobrowproduce PLM: Hi Lukas, what are you listening to at the moment? Dr. John - Locked down, Tom Waits- Swordfishtrombones and M. Ward - A wasteland companion PLM: When did you start producing music? I’ve been playing in bands for a while now, but I think I started taking song writing and production seriously about 2 years ago with the start of MonobrowMP. PLM: We loved your original score for Alice, what was your idea behind Alice’s sound track? Basically I had a list of scenes that I was to compose for. I would know the mood and theme of the scene, and I’d have an indication from the choreographers as to the pace of the scene. I would pick a scene and just sit down and record basic ideas with instruments that I thought would fit. Generally I’d start with a rhythmic base. My process is then to layer all my raw ideas on top of each other and then cut and move around the parts until I got something that I thought flowed well. Obviously I was constrained by the structure of the scenes, but other than that it was a very organic and raw process of getting my ideas straight to a recording. There is an underlying continuity, I think, in the score, which comes from the instruments I used, and the way I recorded them. The melodies are a result of me trying to tell the story in terms of a musical texture. PLM: How was it working with Luke and the team on the project? It was a lot of fun. I’d worked with Luke a couple of times before, on my own and his projects, and I think we’ve established a good understanding of each other’s ideas. PLATINUM LOVE VOLUME 2 ISSUE 4
So when it came to working on Alice, I was able to quickly understand the direction from Luke and the team, and based on a few general pointers, I was left to compose as I pleased. Whenever I’d have something close to being finished I’d send it to them and get their comments. Generally I wouldn’t have anything drastic to change, which is fantastic, especially after I’d have put that much work into the piece, it is good to be on the same wavelength. PLM: What projects have you got ahead of you? At the moment, my musical future consists mainly of MonobrowMP related things. I’m working on finishing off the album for monobrowmp. We’re in the ‘finishing touches’ stage, it’s exciting to have everything closing off, after a few months of working on it. The album should be launched at the end of May, so we’re also busy interpreting and rehearsing the songs so that we can play them live for a launch performance. There are a lot of logistics that go into a release, so that is taking up some of the creative time. We’ve got a ‘stock’ of new ideas that I’m dying to get into, but I think they’ll have to wait until after the release to be approached, we’ll probably get started on that set of songs in summer. Apart from this, I’ve got one particular piece of music that I composed for orchestra, that has been sitting around for a while, I have to figure out a way to release it or perform it. I’m also taking over bass duties in Brikkuni, so I have a lot of homework, learning 2 albums worth of basslines PLM: Tell us more about monobrowmp, you’re not working alone in that project right? Monobrowmp is a project with Jorje Bosios. We’re the remains of a band we used to play in, The Imagery. When that band stopped, we just went on writing songs together. At one point we decided to give it a name and
record and release the songs we had. We approached the project more like a production effort than a band. It’s just us two writing and producing songs, but we don’t have the limitations of a certain number of instruments that a band would have, or the problem of how do we play this live? We look at each song and see what needs to be done ‘for the song’. If I can’t play the instrument, then we get someone who can. When it comes to playing live, we deconstruct the songs and re-build them in a way where we can play the things ourselves, sometimes with the help of a laptop acting as a drum machine. We do everything at our own pace, we have no commitments or deals so we are free to make what we want, whenever we want to. PLM: What do you think of the upcoming musical industry locally? I think it’s in bloom. There’s so much of everything going on, its great. There’s always an event to go to, and within each genre there are a couple of acts producing some genuinely good quality music. PLM: What would you do differently? I’d put a lot more time into it, not always easy with real life tasks that need attending to If you have to head out to five club nights where would you go? I’m not really a club kind of person, although I do enjoy the occasional rave.. Grotta in Gozo (embarrassingly) always makes for a good party PLM: And where are we most likely to find you at on a Saturday night? Probably coach and horses, outside.
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Lukas Grech, photographed by Matthew Attard Navarro at the Skate Park, Msida
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Study Fashion Photography in Malta Limited places Book to avoid disappointment
The Project
Fashion Photography
Details
Have you ever dreamt of ever running your own fashion business? Do you imagine yourself being the owner of your own brand? Do you think you belong in the glamorous lifestyle of the fashion industry? If you do, then now you finally have the chance to enrol in a short course being offered by Platinum Plus, an educational service by the founders of influential fashion magazine Platinum Love, in collaboration with St James Cavalier. With international & local guest speakers in the industry this is your first chance in stepping in those shoes & get ready to learn the tricks of the trade. All you need is pen and paper, and a lot of creativity!
Details Fashion photography is both an art form and a commercial asset to fashion marketing. With this seminar aspiring fashion photographers learn differ from the tasteful and the distasteful, going through a brief history of fashion photography to more contemporary fashion photography. Alexandra Pace has been associated with professional photography since 1998. Her work mainly focuses on black and white portraits using the traditional methods in the dark room. She has photographed numerous editorials for various magazines and fashion campaigns. Book your place today at the St James Cavalier.
1. Technical photography basics (aperture, shutter speed, ISO etc) 2. Lighting techniques (flash, tungsten and daylight) 3. Analysing your images 4. Digital photography and development basics 5. Directing models and make up artists 6. Organising a shoot Dates & Times
Date: July 23rd - July 27th 2012 Time: 17:00pm - 20:00pm Fees
150â‚Ź + VAT
You can also book online from bookings@platinumpluscourses.com
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