TRENDS // STYLE RIGHT - WOMENSWEAR S/S 2015

Thursday, October 31, 2013

Style Right is a trend forecast publication.  The women's trend book publication for Spring/Summer 2015 has 8 trend themes presented with a complex structure of seasonal concepts, design features, inspiring mood and colour palette images with original Pantone cotton chips.  This publication also has all over print designs and motifs. To order your copy now, go here.

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DESIGN COMPETITION // GUSTAVO CARVALHO COLLABORATION

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Collaborate with Gustavo Carvalho supported by glacéau vitaminwater®

Editorial via Talenthouse, to learn more  and to view Gustavo Carvalho's portfolio and runway, go here. 

The Opportunity

Brazilian Fashion Designer Gustavo Carvalho is offering aspiring fashion designers from around the globe the chance to collaborate with him in producing his final garment for his upcoming collection. The overall winner will receive exposure across Gustavo's own social channels as well as being credited in all editorial content surrouding the launch of his collection. A great profile boost for any aspiring fashion designer.

The Brief

Fashion designers are asked to draw on inspiration from famous Brazilian artist Lygia Clark as well as the following points when considering their design:

• The design must to be a “one-piece” look (such as a short or long dress, a playsuit, jumpsuit, coat)
• The inspiration must come from the Lygia Clark artwork called “Bicho” (1962)
• The piece must be designed to be constructed from leather or neoprene fabric
• The design must also take color inspiration from the collection: grey, white, blue and black

The Selection

One designer, as chosen by Gustavo will receive:

• An exclusive hand made version of the final design
• The design will be part of all catalogues and fashion editorials about the collection (with credit to the winner)
• Exposure and promotion across Gustavo Carvalho's social media channels
• A skype tutorial to talk through the production of the garment with Gustavo
• 30% of royalties of the final design
• The opportunity to collaborate with Gustavo Carvalho for future projects
• $250 courtesy of glacéau vitaminwater

One highest voted designer will receive:

• Exposure and promotion across Gustavo Carvalho's social media channels
• The opportunity to collaborate with Gustavo Carvalho for future projects
• $100 courtesy of glacéau vitaminwater

Next Steps

Upload your design to your Talenthouse portfolio and submit here by December 2, 2013.

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TRENDS // PATTERNBANK - CATWALK PRINT + PATTERN TREND REPORT S/S 2014

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Patternbank is an exceptionally great resource with over 20 years in the print, graphics and fashion industry. Their global research brings you essential inspiration ideas for graphics, prints and patterns, making Patternbank a valuable resource and intelligence tool for any business, designer or buyer.  To stay informed of their reports, sign up for the Patternbank Weekly Digest here.  You can also now buy their A/W 14-15 Part I and II Print Trend Report.

Below is a preview of their Catwalk Print + Pattern Trend Report for S/S 2014.  In this report Patternbank delivers the key Spring/Summer 2014 print & pattern trends seen at the recent New York, London, Paris and Milan Runway shows. Their trend team have analyzed all the relevant designers collections to capture the seasonal key print trends and colour stories from the shows. This handy report brings you the key print insights making this report an essential tool for your seasonal print & pattern developments.

• 15 print trend stories for Spring/Summer 2014

• 47 pages of inspirational print forecast intelligence which includes 15 inspirational print trends:

  Artistic Portraits / Bold Stripes / Brush Marks / Creative Plaids / Furnishing Styles / Geological Textures / Geometric Tessellation / Jungle Tropics / Ombré & Blurred / Optical Monochrome / Ornamental Opulence / Super Scale Florals / Trailing Blossoms / Tribal Hybrid / Typographical Slogans

• Over 360 on trend hand-picked images

• Covers New York, London, Paris & Milan S/S 2014 shows

• 6 colour trends for S/S 2014

• £20 (approx. $33) via PayPal, go here to download their report now.

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DESIGN COMPETITION // DESIGN A BAG

Monday, October 28, 2013

ABOUT DESIGN-A-BAG

Design-A-Bag Competition, organised by Fashion Access trade fair, is open to designers and design students all over the world. It uniquely takes place via an online platform, allowing participants to submit their design illustrations from anywhere, at any time.

The event brings together a global design community, cultivates innovation, and keeps Fashion Access plugged in with talents from various...cultures and backgrounds.

Winners will be selected by professional judges from the fashion industry and to win a trip to the Awards Presentation Ceremony at Fashion Access March 2014 in Hong Kong. Cash Prizes from USD500 to USD1500 are to be awarded to winners in various categories.

Go here for submission procedures and last day to submit your designs is January 9, 2014. To learn more about Design-A-Bag, go here. 

Submit your artwork to: submit@designaccess-fa.com 

For inquiries: qna@designaccess-fa.com

Below are some of the  2013 winning designs and to view the other winners, go here:

    URBAN SUPER FASHION   

Student Group Winner
"Neo Bauhaus" by László Beáta Orsolya, Hungary School: Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design Budapest

    NIGHTLIFE SUPER FASHION   

Student Group Winner

"The Dared" by Elodie Andrée Lucile Louzaouen, France School: École nationale supérieure des Arts Décoratifs

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BUILDING YOURSELF FOR GREATNESS

Friday, October 25, 2013

Hi lovelies, I trust you all had a great week. It's been a while I wrote a success-inspirational article and today I'm going to share with you on a topic I've been meditating on for a very long time from my pastor's message - Building Yourself for Greatness. 

Success is NOT an accident and anybody can be a success but you have to prepare for it because the future belongs to those who prepare for it. We all have dreams and goals, but it's not enough to be a dreamer because there are lots of dreamers who never achieved their dreams. It's good to dream, but don't get lost in the dream; get up and make it happen. Life has made provisions for everyone to achieve their dreams if you follow the right principles. Never blame anybody for failure cos it's just NOT an option for you. Make up your mind to be a key player not a spectator; don't live on the sidewalks...be the one to make things happen. 

Some people want it to happen

Some wish it could happen

Others make it happen

-Michael Jordan-

We all have a seed of greatness deposited inside of us from the point of conception; what you do with that seed is up to you - whether to grow it into greatness or to let it lie

dormant inside you while you blame everyone for your situation. Explore your mind and bring out the best in you; there's more to your life than you can ever imagine cos you were destined for greatness. There are few tings you need to do to prepare and build yourself for greatness; these are:

1. Cultivate a discontent with mundanity and mediocrity in your life: Refuse to be satisfied with anything that is not excellent (it doesn't make you an extremist, it just makes you someone of excellence).  Never mind critics - they are only spectators who sit on the sidewalks and watch the players; they will definitely talk about you and say things to pull you down. Please pay them no attention and no matter what you do, BE THE BEST.
2. Drive yourself to improve your mind and abilities: Seek ways to improve yourself; come out of your comfort zone and do things differently. Sometimes you have to stretch yourself beyond your limits; if you have decided to be the best then you have to work towards it and make a decision to keep doing it until you become the best. Cultivate/sharpen/harness your skills, invest in your mind-start reading the right materials - do things differently. Make sacrifices if the need be and run with the right crowd. To live a positive life, you need to surround yourself with positive people.
3. The "unseen you" is the one to make you a success - train that man/woman: The real you is the inner man where your thoughts are processed  and this is where your greatness lies so don't let that "you" be intimidated no matter what. You may have grown up in an environment where you were ridiculed, mocked and as a result you never thought you could become great. Truth is, it doesn't matter what happened in your past - if your past does not inspire you; drop it and focus on creating a beautiful future ahead. Reprogram your mind and thinking from that shy, quiet, timid young boy/girl to a bold, strong and courageous man/woman.
4.  Don't let the memory of the past stop you: If your past does not inspire you, dump it. If you feel terrible, cry or have regrets anytime you remember your past, let it go cos it's not good enough for your future. Don't be a slave to your past - focus on what lies ahead. 
5. Don't let anything stop you: Your journey to greatness will bring you to many obstacles/roadblocks but don't let them stop you. If you ever encounter a road without obstacles, it's probably cos it's leading nowhere. A road that leads to greatness will have some walls to challenge you; this will test and try you. It could come in different forms - negative words from critics, you may fail the first time, betrayal, etc. However it comes, don't let it get to you - fight the fight of faith and keep trying. If you fail seven times, rise up eight times and keep at it.

Obstacles don't have to stop you. 

If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it or work through it - Michael Jordan

I see greatness in you, wake up and run with your dreams till you achieve your desired goal. Have a great weekend

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TRENDS // INTERCOLOR - S/S 2015

Intercolor is a platform for color research and development for a group of global color and trend experts.  Their latest meeting with experts from 14 countries was held in Paris celebrating Intercolor's 50th anniversary.  To learn more about Intercolor,  go here and to read the below full article go here.

SPRING/SUMMER 2015 COLOR CODES

Moderate and smooth soft groups got the importance. The colours starting with white, stony shades and icy blue were special tones of the season.  Beige and salmon tones were  a priority on the color palette.

The tones which are close to white, cold and cool green tones, mint tones and very light beige color tones, coral red and yellow tones were prevalent.  

Live and neon colors are open to unlimited use in the palette. However, green and pink are more dominant.  Also artificial materials, green and  natural green, red and orange effects. In fact, it’s a very dark group.  Dark, aggressive and influential.  Carbon, purple and blue tones have brought dynamism to the summer of 2015.

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TRENDS // DESIGN OPTIONS - S/S 2015 COLORS

Thursday, October 24, 2013

DESIGN OPTIONS is a Los Angeles based trend and color forecasting company, providing trends from a west coast perspective. For the Women's Market, is a preview of their Spring/Summer 2015 color palette. Go here to book your appointment to view their new palettes and go here to learn more about their services. 

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DESIGN COMPETITION // FASHION SCOUT LONDON & PARIS

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Fashion Scout officially opened its applications for London & Paris  on Tuesday, October 22nd.

Designers can now apply for Fashion Scout's coveted Merit Award, newly revamped Ones to Watch initiative, catwalk shows, presentations, London Exhibition and Paris Showroom.

Designers are selected by a panel of industry experts.  The panel features leading buyers, media and business advisors.  their decision is based in the creative vision of the brand and collections, and the quality of work and business potential/success. 

The Merit Award is internationally recognized as a prestigious launch pad for the next generation of innovative design talent.  The new talent iniative is worth £25,000 over three seasons and has been created to support and develop new designer business on a global level.

The Ones to Watch is a collaborative showcase and is instrumental in raising the profile of emerging design talent globally.  The Ones To Watch provides a catwalk showcase for three of the brightest and emerging designers. 

Final submission for application is November 18th, 2013.

For further information please visit www.fashion-scout.co.uk 
To request an application form please contact show@fsi-events.com

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[ INSPIRATIONS PRINT + PATTERN ] KUKKA by Laura Luchtman - SS 2015 AVANT GARDE

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

FV contributor Laura Luchtman from Kukka  [INSPIRATIONS + PRINT ] series. Laura's background is in the field of Surface/Textile Design and Fashion Illustration and specializes in Bodyfashion.  Visit her site Kukka.com. 

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TRENDS // PATTERN PEOPLE . SPRING 2015

Monday, October 21, 2013

Pattern People is a surface design studio founded by designers Claudia Brown and Jessie Whipple Vickery. Their studio provides a collection of thousands of ready-made print designs available for immediate use on apparel, paper products, beauty packaging, accessories, interiors and more.  They are also available for commissioned design and can develop to your project's specifications.  

Also, you can download their latest trend report here to help you with your design process. This report features 8 key print trends, color trends with TCX Pantone reference and over 250 inspirational images. for $68.

   PRINT + COLOR OVERVIEW SPRING 2015   

Editorial via Pattern People:

Focused exclusively on print and color, our Spring 15 Print and Color Overview Guide features extensive research culled from art, fashion, interiors, and culture. Stories come alive with magazine-style layouts which bring clarity and vision to the otherwise dizzying visual landscape. We provide key directions that are truly relevant to the future of print and color and present them in an inspiring and easy to digest format. With Pantone reference numbers, selecting a color palette is made effortless. Whether you are an independent designer, a small studio, or part of a large company, this guide will help you get started on all of your Spring 15 creative pursuits.

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BEAUTY PRODUCTS REVIEW - CLINIQUE AND MAC

Friday, October 18, 2013

Hi lovelies....hope your week was great. As promised in my "living healthy" article, the post on beauty products is finally here. 

During my teenage years, I had much acne on my face and I thought it was as result of puberty. But mine became really bad that I tried a thousand and one products from shirley, dusting powder, dudu osun (black soap) etc. Whenevr I heard that something worked for someone else, I immediately want to try it out. Little did I know that I was worsening the situation. Finally I decided to just leave the face and use only facial cleanser after washing my face daily. Gradually, the acne started clearing but not everything. After few years, I was introduced to Clearasil which made the acne go completely and so I stuck to Clearasil products. The thing about facial products is, what worked for Susan or Kemi may not work for you cos your skin type is not the same. We (ladies) are quick to run to a product cos it had an effect on a friend and we want same effect without checking if we have same skin type. In the end we end up causing our face more harm than good. Jumping from one product to another is not advisable so find one that is your skin type and stick to it.

My Clearasil products finished and I could't get another one because the products had not yet come into Nigeria, a dear friend bought them for me when he traveled to the states cos I was so uncomfortable about my face. So when they finished, I decided to try something new. My mum was using Olay then so I joined the band wagon and Olay it became for me. I stuck on Olay products (they're really good) - facial cleanser, facial scrub, bar soap/shower gel, oil of olay lotion. I left Nigeria to UK and still continued with my Olay products but after about 6 months I started noticing some changes on my face. The water was a bit coarse (unlike Naija water and in Naija you can add dettol to your bathing water) and kinda affected me. I just stopped using any product and resorted to Vaseline. I used vaseline for almost a year till I discovered Clinique. So the products I use on my body and face are:

Clinique 3-step skin care: This is the love of my life right now, it's almost two years and counting and I'm still in love with Clinique. First thing I did was to use the "trial pack" - advisable so that you know which one matched your skin type. Don't just buy any product, go to the store and speak to the specialists; they'll know what to give you depending on whether you have a dry, combination, oily, sensitive or normal skin type. I did that and after 20 days trial, I fell in love.  Clinique uses numbers to differentiate the skin types - 1, 2, 3 and 4; I use skin type 2 (dry combination) as recommended by the specialist because my face is dry but my T-zone (forehead down to the nose) so it's a mix of dry and oil. Please make sure you use the right skin type and start with the trial pack and if it suits your skin, then you can buy the bigger set.

Clinique even better eyes: I used to have a dark circle under my eyes; I used to blame it on the fact that I wore glasses all through secondary school till I stumbled unto a picture when I was about 3 years old and saw that circle was there. I was using concealer on it but I didn't like the way it looked so I sought for another option. I wanted it to go but I had some sort of doubt that it may not go since it had been there since I was a little child. I started applying this product morning and night since June and I can see positive results. Unfortunately I don't have pictures of before and after but if I find anyone, I'll post if on instagram/facebook/twitter.

Clinique superdefense spf 25 cream: This was my sunscreen when I went back to Nigeria for christmas. I didn't really come out much under the sun to give a better review of its effectiveness but I'm sure it works pretty well.

Garnier Products:

For facial scrub, I like a scrub that I can feel the tiny stones doing the magic on my face so instead of Clinique I went for the Garnier Sugar Extract Scrub. This product is so lovely that you notice the effect almost immediately, your skin feels smoother and refreshed. And instead of Vaseline, I started using the Garnier hydrating lotion on my body - it's a god product to use cos your body stays moisturized all day unlike some body lotion you use and still notice that your skin is dry.

MAKE UP PRODUCTS

Hhmmm...I never really knew anything about make up until a friend trained with "House of Tara" and decided to use me to practice. So I learnt that when you have too much on the eyes, the lips should be subtle and when the lips are fierce and hot, the eyes should be calm. I was a Mary-Kay addict from 2004 till 2013 (loll...die hard customer). The lady who I normally buy my Mary-Kay foundation from travelled outside UK for a long time so I had to look for an alternative. Funny thing is I had tried MAC before and just decided it wasn't for me; I bought the studio fix but used it only once and gave it out. The only MAC product I ever used was the concealer for my eyes until May 2013. Thank God for the MAC Matchmaster Foundation and the Natural Mineralizer. When I see most MAC faces, they look caked, moulded or seriously layered up so I specifically told the make-up artist who tested the product on me that I want a subtle look, she kept trying until I settled for No 7.5 of the matchmaster foundation.

Foundation: The foundation is really good, light and doesn't make you sweat. I don't carry make up in my bag for touch-ups and all cos once I apply this in the morning with the mineralizer, my face remains intact till I get back home and wash it off. Most times, the my T-zone could get oily and I'll just apply the mineralizer but this happens occasionally.

Matte Lipstick: My friend laughed at me so much the first day I bought this lipstick cos I was a learner in the lipstick business so I decided to go for a colour I can wear for all occasions - work, church, dinner, casual outing and finally settled with this lipstick. I also use the SLEEK pink pout polish when I want a subtle look on my lips.

Eye-shadow: I love it...simply amazing especially if you can  blend your colours very well. I've actually had the eye-shadow longer than any of my MAC products. 

Mascara and eyeliner: I use any eye liner but for Mascara, I prefer Maybelline or the Rimmel-WOW-factor which I'm currently using. I've also used a Clinique mascara that once came with my pack but since I'm not much of a fan of long lashes, these products are okay for me and I love the results. The first time I fixed lashes, it felt like someone dropped a lid on my eyes and my eyes kept fluttering (loll still a learner) but I don't think I'll try it again - maybe on my wedding day.

WOW, this article is longer than I expected. Sorry you had to read this much but I tried to cover every product I use.  

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