TEXT : Vanessa Voltolina contributing fashion editor
It’s no surprise that Africa is getting a lot of attention from the fashion industry lately. From L’Uomo Vogue’s recent Africathemed issue to e-commerce sites that tout products inspired by and made in Africa, it’s definitely a market on the rise. This was seen clearly when GenArt, an incubator that nurtures up-and-coming new designers (helped launch the careers of Zac Posen and Phillip Lim, among others), took a trip to Nairobi, Kenya in spring 2012. There they donated clothing to an orphanage and held a fashion show featuring seven emerging African designers, including Adele Dejak, Lalesso, Bella MATATA, Katungulu Mwendwa, Nike Kondakis, Modahnik and Aryam Designs. Of all of the inspired up-andcomers, Lalesso is of particular interest. Founded in 2005, the brand was formulated by co-designers Olivia Kennaway and Alice Heusser after a holiday to Lamu Island, one of the oldest and best-preserved Swahili settlements in East Africa. During their time in Cape Town studying fashion design, Heusser and Kennaway were compelled to harness the beauty of the East
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African “khanga” -- also known as “lesso” -- to create a vibrant and carefree summer collection. Originally named “La Kanga,” Lalesso is best known for its use of the East-African Kanga in creating chic resort summer clothing. In stark contrast to the incredible designs and rich resources that come from their native land, over 50% of the population live below the poverty line. This, according to the duo’s website, was another compelling factor in their decision to form the brand and use the business to not only help create employment, but provide fair wages that will allow women to considerably improve their standard of living. To actively spur this change to improve a standard of living for its employees, the pair traded its inhouse workshop to institute SOKO in 2009. Ethical factory SOKO helps achieve the mission of increasing the number of jobs and creating export quality garments. It’s now an independent, charity based, eco and ethical clothing production unit that supports local talent and provides employment to Kenyans. Lalesso, as well as many other international designers, use SOKO
Summer is here for most in the Western Hemisphere but, Spring through to Autumn are busy months on the creative industries trade fair calendar. From the Salone Del Mobile in Milan kicking off a trail of big and small designrelated events in April to the London Design Festival, Design Miami and Maison et Objet rounding up the most relevant of happenings in late Autumn. There are plenty of places to be seen and be heard at for those interested and working in the world of design. The glitz and glamour of such events are alluring and important. However, it is not easy for everyone to attend. Whether it be due to financial or time constraints; young creatives, breakthrough designers and small studios are changing the tide and making local design action to rival the global-scale equivalent. Dezeen is a leading online resource for design and architecture news masterminded by design critic Marcus Fairs. The online magazine publishes up to 5 projects a day from all corners of the earth and were recently acknowledged for their global reach by being included in Time magazine’s
TEXT : Jacqueline Carlisle fashion editor
To design on a global scale is not only smart but necessary for today’s challenges currently faced in the fiercely competitive design market. One has to continually make their mark to stand out from the pack. You are as good as your last offering, unless you design an unforgettable product that could end up in an influential exhibition. One such designer is Korean born Seung-Yong Song who has had such good fortune to be invited to exhibit at the Salone du meuble in Paris, France. Choosing to study at the École Supérieure d’Art et de Design de Reims in France where he received his BFA, MFA, SeungYong Song later went on to assist at the prestigious and internationally known Claudio Colucci studio, (a highly respected designer in his own right).There he learnt to challenge what is traditional Korean furniture by honing his humble style of highly desirable home furnishings. The Green Panier series for example is an imaginative seating system that steps outside the parameters of typically designed furniture. Made of crisp, clean, white birch, the multifunctional ladder chairs have
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endless additional uses, from hanging clothes, to displaying books, or plants. Light in weight, the series is meant to work as a singular module or a group taking the everyday boring chair to a completely new level. Inspired by the traditional Korean grill, the Dami collection is a contemporary collection of furniture and lighting made from an eco friendly material called Valochromat. Consisting of forest waste, recycled pine, timber mill leftovers, Valochromat is a sleeker more pliable material that is produced as a thin fibre board. It can take on a variety of shapes, and according to the company who use organic dyes in the process; it can be finished in various ways. In this case creating basket like structures into durable conversation starters offer a more striking collection that is not only functional but beautiful with a timeless approach. The same can be said for the Green Boksh a series. Perfect for city dwellers still wanting to connect with nature when space is of a premium, this indoor mini garden restores a basic need for a natural green space to admire and relax in. Elegant pots produced
TEXT : Jacqueline Carlisle fashion editor
in corian appear as a natural rock formation and do not require a water hole.�People have a basic need to feel free and comfortable in nature and leave the nature beside them. But having a garden became a privilege of few in fast-changing city life and decreasing residence .I don’t divide garden with daily life space.
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Pauline van Dongen Kinetic Landscapes