SPAMMED

ummmm...sorry about the big willy that may have popped up [unfortunate term] if you're following my blog...I was spammed, but it's off now! look forward to more relevant & salient posts soon!

STAGES

In Paris next Thursday July 16th, Nike & Lance Armstrong will be exhibiting work from artists such as KAWS, Geoff Mcfetridge, Shepard Fairey, Andreas Gursky & more, who have expressed the LIVESTRONG message. In a show called STAGES, They gave their time & creativity to raise funds for the Lance Armstrong Foundation which is committed to inspire & empower people affected by cancer.

Galarie Emmanuel Perrotin
76 rue de Turenne
75003 Paris

www.stages09.com

DENIM DENIME, DOUBLE DENIM

There's a few cunning marketing approached to denim at the moment, which are both savvy & responsible at the same time. 'How can that be?' I hear you ask.
Well here are a couple of examples. Last night, those marketing nkotb, Sid Lee from Canada, teamed up with Amsterdam's own BlueBlood, for an exhibition of used jeans, by 30 'denim devotees'. They wrote stories on a blackboard about the jeans they wore, for 6 months, 5 days a week, from 9am-5pm!

The other savvy story that ties into this, that I heard about is French fashion label APC, were getting request from certain customers, that wanted USED APC jeans. Now...APC don't DO used jeans....but after getting so many requests from customers, they did this.

They asked customers who already HAD word APC jeans, to bring them into an APC store, in return for a voucher. APC then took the jeans away, had them washed & repaired, & then sold them to the customers who wanted the used pairs...A nice concept eh??
Well that's until you look at the price...a NEW pair of jeans cost about 125 euros. A used & repaired pair? Nearly 300!!!!

So thumbs-up to APC. It's a great concept of repairing & recycling..& what a great story to tell people & for them to pass on. But really, people must have more money than sense to fall for this marketing ploy. Go to the Oxfam DIY boutique for a worn pair for goodness sake & give the money to people who may need it!!

Check out Worn Relics, for a more honest way of doing it as well. This online retailer from Amsterdam sells second-hand stuff with the owner's stories attached...

ISH at the Over Het iJ Festival

A performance from ISH at the Over iJ Festival. ISH is an organisation in the West of Amsterdam where street culture, comes together with theatre, helping young people to get jobs in the performance industry....

This performance of BOYISH/GIRLISH was on Wednesday night at the docks. Ok, I AM a bit biased as a team I was working with, did some branding work with these guys last year, but the whole organisation, & it's kids are inspirational. Check the film we produced...

Zack from Baltimore

I'm on the Thalys to Paris, sitting opposite Zack, 19yos from Baltimore reading Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged [he's 10 chapters in right now] & for those of you that know the book it's over a 1000 pages deep. A VERY philosophical.... but Genius story...

So all you 'let's just dumb shit down' brands...Never underestimate our youth's intelligence & brilliance.

You're welcome!

ICON

Blade Runner, The Hitcher, Guiness, The Da Vinci Code film buffs & Dickheads [um, Philip K Dick fans btw!] would empathise with how I felt this evening...

Whilst waiting on a woven cafe chair outside Harry's, Amsterdam's most fabulous & best cocktail bar, I glanced at the table to my left...looking at 3 very colourful characters in animated conversation. As I scanned the compatriots, taking in the brand names...Purple & green Nike Air sneakers on the young woman, a knitted hat worn very scandanavian styly on the young man & black Puma tracksuit bottoms on Rutger Hauer....wait RUTGER HAUER!!?

I was looking into the face of an 80's Icon of the listed movies & ads above. It took my breath away. Here was a man who's on-screen personas epitomised the sinister & dark movies he starred in, reflective of the depressing fearful time of the 80's. All those fingers on the nuclear buttons...

After he left the bar squezzing himself into a little black, modern Alpha Romeo [don't ask me the name, I don't DO motors!], I asked his female conspirator, 'What were you all discussing?'...

Miss P... "Did you recgnise him then?...:-) Well I work for Dance4life International [An initiative set up to empower young people around the world to push back the spread of HIV & AIDs as Half of the new HIV infections every day are among young people under 25 years old!]
well I was having a meeting with him because he wants to make a documentary about me & 7 other women who have HIV..He has his own Rutger Hauer Starfish Foundation."

His foundation is also aimed at raising help & awareness of the HIV/AIDs situation, focussing especially on support to children & pregnant women.

What an amazingly fascinating project, one that I'd love to track. Both organisations are about inspiring young people to get out there & actively get involved, & do something about it...become agents of change.

It's amazing how many articles that you can read, or conversations that you can overhear, that denegrate young people. Some that I have come across DO want to do something, if a brand or organisation can make it easy for them to be involved & they can see a direct impact based on what they put in. So come on brands, facilitate & enable young people to get involved & make a difference. It doesn't have to be a huge movement. Even if the change is small...change is still change...

Rutger Hauer's story from the Starfish foundation articulates it better than I ever could...

"One early morning as I was walking along the beach I discovered a figure at a distance moving like a dancer. As I got closer I noticed that the figure was a young girl Maybe 9-10 years old and she wasn't dancing. She was reaching down to the shoreline Picking up small objects and throwing them into the ocean… As I came even closer, I said 'Good morning, what are you doing?' She paused a little out of breath, looked up and said, 'Throwing starfish into the sea', 'Why are you throwing them back there?' I asked, She said, 'The sun is getting hot and the tide is going out, If I don't throw them in, they'll die'. I couldn't help saying 'But there are miles of beach And hundreds of starfish, d'you think it makes a difference?' She gave me a very serious look and bent down picking up another starfish And threw it into the sea, As it splashed into the water she said 'It makes a difference to that one…'.

Rutger Hauer

A talk with the designer of Wi-Am

June 24th.
Amsterdam is hot right now, really freaking hot!
So I jump of the scooter & head to De Balie, the weirdly commercial [you can spot the tourists who have just stumbled across it!] but creative space [Bam, you see all the Macs spring up as people make their creative pitches!] in the heart of Amsterdam. It’s also one of the FEW places in Amsterdam, with free Wi-Fi, come on AMS, fix-up man!

As I head towards cooler temperature & solace, for a meeting with Wiam Khatib Alaoui, the Moroccan designer of the label Wi-Am, I bump into her as she’s smiles, serenely crossing the tram tracks, after just finishing her day job.

We grab a 6 O’clock wine, take a seat by the window & talk about what it was like to win the Music and Fashion Battle & her plans for the future.

What Experience did you have in fashion design, before you winning MAFB?
“Just business school, then I was a make-up artist & stylist. I actually did the make up for my show.
In my culture they always say you always have to do something in the high way, you know like a judge…but I said ‘No’, I wanted to do fashion, but they always blocked it.”

Who always blocked it?
“My parents blocked it. They wanted to see another side. Yeah so I did the things they wanted me to do, but it didn’t work out.
Before I did the show, my father was like, ‘Yeah, I don’t know, well maybe you’re too late’ [to enter it]. But then when I got the confirmation & won the prize, he was like…’Oh’! & then he was taking things seriously!’

Are you known for doing crazy things?
“I don’t listen to anyone anymore! There are always people who say, ‘Maybe you can do it like this…it’s better’ & I take it with me. But because I have something in my head & I’m a designer, I’m going to do what I see in my mind. That’s what he saw…’You don’t listen so you won’t get any further’”

Is that typical of your culture?
“Yeah a little bit. & if you are someone who goes your own way, going out having fun & still not married, they have a negative way of looking at things & I’m always going the other side!
I always went out, before I really knew what I wanted to do. When I was busy with the designing & when it came out in reality, then I realized this is what I wanted to do, & then you don’t have the time anymore, because you’re working full time & you want to achieve something”


What did you learn from doing MAFB?
“What I learned is that you have to work really hard for the things you want & you really need to like it. A lot of patience. What I learned about myself was that I really have the patience & I have the power. If I like something to do, then I do it.
You need to know what you’re doing with the designs…I want to improve my communication. If somebody’s going to ask you things, you need to be able to explain it. Sometimes, for me its really hard…you know the interviews, the camera…all those kind of things. I’m not shy, but I want to be at the back, but you need to be in the front if you want to achieve something.

What are your ambitions?
“I want to design clothes that people feel good in & that I can always can work with the creativity that I have inside.
If I am just painting & doing something creative, I can sit there for hours, you really don’t feel like you’re working. That’s what I want to do.
The things that I made right now, is just a little of what I want to do. I want to work with Morocco; I want to give them support. They have some good artistic people there. What I really want to be is a good designer, so I can just go higher & higher & be at more fashion shows, because the kick that you get on that day is unbelievable. The whole day you’re working, working, working & then bang…It’s just wonderful!”

Do you feel responsible as a Moroccan woman to be a role model?
“No. A lot of people have already started in almost the same things, so no. What I don’t want to do is make the traditional dressed & make them very sexy & elegant, because it’s a traditional thing & I want to leave it that way.
It’s just I want to find my own original way in designing, in the modern things & make it a little bit Arabic. Not only in the material but also the stories. I don’t know if you’ve been to Marrakech, but it’s a place where you can see; this is really Morocco! The colours, the Mosaic, that’s why I want to go further, than just designing. I want to go into fabrics.”

Tell me about the story behind the collection.
“There wasn’t really a story. What I wanted to do is...like the dress with the hoodie. When I put it on I felt like Cinderella! When you put it on, you can feel like a fictional character! That’s what I want to give to women who are going to a party or anything.
If you are wearing a dress, it needs to fit well, but also it needs to be functional. What people say about Valentino dresses? They’re right. When women put those on, they feel like a feminine woman, something special. & I think in the Netherlands, if you just walk in the city, there’s nothing special, nothing that you would say…”wow!’”

Where do you take your inspiration from in Amsterdam?
“I’ve always had a love for fashion…but do I get something from Holland? No. There’s not something’s that touched me. No
I mix with a lot of Surinamese people & Polish people. Moroccan people are more my family, I don’t have a lot of Moroccan friends & a few Dutch. But with Surinamese, there’s a real click!”

Tell me about Amsterdam Fashion Week & the future
“Well, I think I will be doing some things backstage at the next fashion week. But MAFB & AIFW have organized a show called AIFW Downtown, & then I will be able to show 4 pieces of my collection. That will be in January 2010 so I have enough time to figure out some things. In July I want to go to Morocco to make [put in production] some things that I’ve already made. The plan is to really search for what I do in Morocco & bring it back with me.

The Urban style & collection…I really want to make a business. the baggy things & the hoodies,.. you can go on & on. that’s really a production. The classic line will be really exclusive, there will only be one or two pieces of it. I want to go further in the classic. There’s a lot of designs in one you can put 50 other ways to make it. That’s what I really want to go to Morocco, & try things.

I want to sell things online. I did some research on marketing & they said that this will be the new trend in the future.”

But don’t you think some people what to try it first?
“I’m someone that if I like something, I just do it, & then I will see. The few people who will doubt, I don’t worry about it. If you like something you like it! I’m not going to make a slogan to make people come to me. No!”

“Promotion is something that I want to do, a lot of fashion shows & magazines. I know that the price is high, but if there’s a way that I can do that, then great! For me that's big promotion. Then you will get the people.

I also have a Hyves page & I have a few hoodies on it, so now I have some reaction. It was just a try out, & it’s worked. You can also chose your own colour…people can make their own. At this point my father makes it. A good learning from the fashion show was how you need to work well & have a click with someone who’s going to make your stuff.
The hoodies are 80 euros. The jogging pant will probably be something like 150 euros…Eventually I want to go to France to look for better material.”

What is something that you want to say about the collection?
“Well it’s really me. People that know me they saw the collection they said that it was so me! You can mix everything & that’s what I wanted to do.”

There’s something that I would also like to add to this article. For all of the initial ‘blocking’ that seemed to come from Wiam’s family, in the whole journey from her applying & winner MAFB, they have been incredibly supportive. Her father worked into the early hours with Wiam to finish the collection & her mother, was typically proud, on stage with her daughter at the end of it all. That was the time that it looked as if the dream was really just beginning.