GARMZ: A FASHION DESIGN REVOLUTION?

Posted by Fashion Junior at Large

I can safely say that I had never encountered Garmz.com before the Fash Ed pointed me in the direction of this relatively new website, which claims to be revolutionising the fashion design industry. That's a pretty big claim, so I thought I would have a nosey around to see what was going on.

The homepage, which explains the Garmz process.

At first glance, it does seem like a pretty nifty idea, and one that will appeal to an army of shoppers sick to the back teeth of the same fashion items, in the same chain stores, across the globe. 

Garmz offers anyone (no qualifications, work experience, internships etc necessary) with a smidge of design talent to submit their designs to the public website. Then registered users can chew over these designs, vote for the best, and voila! Garmz produces the most popular garments and sells them via the online store: giving the designer unprecedented profit and exposure in a massively competitive industry. Shoppers get to buy something slightly more unique and special, and can sleep soundly in the knowledge that they are helping a fledgling designer on their way to global domination.

I continued my research with a look over the products that have already made it through the judging process and into the online shop. There is a very limited range, with only three items for sale, a few for pre-order, and a few that have just been selected as winning designs. All are elegant and interesting, with clean lines and nice details (a turned up cuff there, a faux-fur collar there) but none are completely groundbreaking. Put it this way, Gaga won't be shopping at Garmz.

 This badly named yet pretty jacket is the most expensive item on the site. It's faux fur, and inspired by a hunting jacket (which is clearer in the original design, below)

 The price range ranges between 49 and 279 Euros, which immediately turns me off, because there is an awful lot of polyester listed in the product fabrication. However, there are happy customer reviews under each garment, so there is obviously a loyal Garmz following already (nearly 3000 'Likes' on Facebook, that universal resource for true customer feedback.)

The press have been raving about the site, especially in Europe and the US - even Perez Hilton got involved. I'm sure it's about to get a whole lot bigger here too, but I am genuinely concerned about who is actually going to be profiting from this 'fashion revolution'. As highlighted by Miggy of Miggy Loves The Internet, read the small print and it states that designers will receive 5-10% of the profits if their design is successfully sold. In monetary terms, that means if a garment sells 100 times at £100 a pop, the designer will get £500, whereas Garmz pockets £9500. Something about that doesn't sit quite right, in my humble opinion. Maybe Garmz isn't sticking it to the 'big fat fashion industry', as it claims, and instead, is just another great business idea designed to capitalise on fresh, inexpensive talent.

What do you think? Has anyone shopped at Garmz.com? If so, what was the experience like, and how do you feel about the company's mission? 

All images: Garmz

LONDON FASHION WEEK DISCOVERIES

Posted by Fashion Junior at Large

One of my favourite things about fashion week is exploring the exhibitions. You get the opportunity to speak to up and coming designers (with their lovely infectious enthusiasm and perma-smiles) and fondle the pieces to your heart's content. My discerning eye spied these beauties this season, I hope you like them too:

PROSE

PROSE is the label of German designers Sabine Egler and Mirian Lehle. Their AW10 collection 'Blurred Vision' stays true to their slightly avant-garde off-kilter signature style, which I love!

'PROSE garments are a challenge of the senses, sculpturally draped and fluent. The textile prints have an artistic and manual aspiration and the surface is reflected by innovative knitstructures, textures and material experiments.'

Their collection is stocked at Topshop EDIT (an in-store boutique showcasing a collective of new design talent) at the Oxford Circus flagship.

MERLE O'GRADY

The lovely Merle started her own label in 2008 and has had tons of press interest since (when I met her she told me the Grazia girls are all fans)

'Rough natural semi-precious stones are mixed with sleek, almost futuristic Perspex shapes while chunky vintage chains sit alongside delicate Swarovski crystal detailing. With a genuine love of craftsmanship, the juxtaposition of machine-made Perspex elements with London-based handcrafted assembly is an important factor in Merle's design process.'

I love that her designs are capacious and intricate yet utterly lightweight. The day before I'd been wearing huge heavy earrings and my lobes were still sore. Merle has created a solution to one of my biggest fashion problems! Thank you! 

The Kinetic Pendant (above) will be available from July priced at £180. If you can't wait that long head on over to Kabiri and snap up her current collection.

SIMON EKRELIUS

Simon Ekrelius' latest collection 'Stardust' is so beautiful it immediately caught my eye at the On/Off exhibition. He uses several types of fine silk in his work, and his attention to design is meticulous (how does he get the sleeves of this jacket to envelop the arm so effectively?)

His entire collection was made from start to finish in the UK, and you can buy it at My Sugarland in Islington.

PETER LANG

This bracelet reminds me of a piece I found at an antiques market in Brussels.

Peter Lang is a well established name in Australia, but this season he's trying to break into the UK market. His vintage inspired pieces have appeared in tons of films including The Matrix, Australia (of course) and Moulin Rouge. Lets be honest, he's not going to find it difficult to secure a stockist is he? 

 LEYII

I'm so excited about this collection! Seriously, every single piece, without exception, is beyond amazing. SeungHee Lee is a London based CSM Womenswear MA grad (but of course!) with serious talent. Her blend of 'constructive technique and draped silhouettes' is what fashion is about right now.

I couldn't get hold of anyone with regards to stockists but keep an eye on the website for more info.

VIKING WONG

Viking graduated from London College of Fashion last year, and this season exhibited at the Vauxhall Fashion Scout venue where I spotted his work. I'm really feeling his modern brand of tailoring.

'His eastern upbringing and western lifestyle fuse to create new conceptual shapes, challenging the confines of androgyny with a new elegance. The introduction of detail and embellishment to the preservation of traditional tailoring is intrinsic to his avant-garde signature.'

Viking is currently looking for a stockist for his first collection. It won't be long I'm sure!

    

VAUXHALL FASHION SCOUT PROVE OFF SCHEDULE SHOWS ARE THE ONES TO WATCH

Posted by Fashion Junior at Large

Fashion Editor at Large recently voiced the theory that my generation – enthralled by reality TV shows like Project Catwalk and *ahem* The City – have come to see fashion as a form of entertainment unto itself. She assures me that when she was my age seats were hard to fill and the whole show-scene was a very business-like affair compared to the front row celebrities, bloggers, blaggers and show-crashers of recent seasons.

I think she’s right. Possibly because the champagne reception, the goody bags, and the paparazzi-esque street style photographers create a general air of privilege and exclusivity normally reserved for celebrities.

Of course there will be actual celebrities in attendance, and those celebrities understand how important it is to associate themselves with the right labels. Last year Beyonce and Cheryl Cole expressed a propensity for new designers when they both wore David Koma, thereby propelling him to top of the agenda in editor's meetings at the major fashion magazines. Off the back of the resulting buzz off schedule has become the new ‘on’ schedule, and Vauxhall Fashion Scout has had to move to the Freemasons Building to accommodate a 20% increase in demand for seats.

Competition for space is particularly fierce for the winner of this season's Merit Award - Hermione de Paula – whose prints look like reflections on a rippling lake.

"Hermione is extremely talented and is becoming renowned for her beautiful prints. Last season we showcased her as part of our Ones to Watch show which resulted in a huge amount of press coverage and her work being picked up by Browns Focus"

Martyn Roberts, Director, Vauxhall Fashion Scout

 

de Paula (who is of course a St. Martins graduate) will have her first stand-alone catwalk show sponsored by Vauxhall Fashion Scout as part of the Merit Award initiative. She will also receive PR and sales support through a tailored mentoring program which will help cultivate her talent and push the nitty gritty business aspects of the enterprise forward.

Judges - including Vogue.com's Jessica Bumpus, Jemma Dyas from Browns Focus, and Susie 'Bubble' Lau - look for 'creativity, quality of work, and business development' in a Merit Award winner, and the bar has been set pretty damn high by previous winners like these two:

David Koma

And William Tempest

 

But if you really want to get a handle on who the big fashion stars of tomorrow are today, get a front row, second row, or even a standing ticket to Ones To Watch. This season's geniuses in the making are ASKH, David Longshaw, Eudon Choi, and Florence Kozuch.

 

Log on to FEAL on Friday 19th and find out which one I predict Cheryl will be wearing in a few months time...