In case you were worried about all the extreme climate changes facing the earth, enter the world of Dutch designer Femke Agema, who we have previously featured here.  When her latest collection featuring Inuit-inspired snowsuits and anoraks for the impending Snowpocolypse hit our inbox, we couldn’t help but desire a closer look into the designer’s offbeat universe.  Her collections, which are sold across the Netherlands at modest prices, are bold, full of wit and whimsy, and are guaranteed to keep you prepared for mother nature’s revenge.

TL: How did you get started in design?
FA: I started my design adventure at the Utrecht School of the Arts and since then the love for design and fashion grew on me.

TL: What are your dreams for your collection?
FA: I’m very happy the way it goes right now: the amount of selling points is growing. The crazy not-very-wearable pieces draw the attention to the ready to wear items: more and more people know about my label, so that is great!
What I would like to do in the future is to make a collection for men as well, so that is something to work on.

TL: Who is the Femke Agema girl? Are there any real life muses that play into your design process?
FA: I have several girls in my circle of acquaintances that I often keep in mind while designing. For some reason they are blond, creative, girlish but love climbing trees, and a bit crazy.

TL: What themes are apparent in the Femke Agema aesthetic?
FA: Bold and organic forms, BIG! When I have to carry things around or move collections from one place to another I always sigh: the next time I’m going to make bikinis! But I alway end up making huge creatures.. And I love making them!

TL: Do you have apocalyptic visions of the planet? Is this why you chose to design your last two collections with this recurring theme?
FA: The Mayan Apocalypse that the world will end, was the first thing I thought about when I started the S/S2012 collection. Since the Totem collection I use one concept for two collections. I think the world of fashion is already so fast. I like to dive in a theme or concept, so it works for me to work this way. I don’t have a specific idea or believe how the world will end. I like to believe that we will enter a ‘new’ world.

 

“The apocalyptic destruction of the world inspired Femke to create her S/S 2012 collection Drijf; a water themed end to this little blue planet. For F/W 2012, she took on another scenario and created a collection for the inevitable snowpoca- lypse. ‘Nigliktok’, the Inuit word for ‘cold’, shows Femke’s preference for adopting a rather positive take on a catastrophic event. Nigliktok is Femke’s vision of a world frozen over, a world where ice and snow dominate, but her signature colorful and playful aesthetic can still illuminate the landscape. She brings together the worlds of art and fashion with her more extravagant pieces like the masked one-piece and the blue head covering suit.”

 
See more at www.femkeagema.nl

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Celebrate the opening of the Dior Homme Soho Pop-Up Store, and presenting the “Interview & Dior Homme Boys Club”celebrating emerging talent

April 26, 7-9 PM
133 Greene St. New York, NY 10012

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Q: The designs Mary Katrantzou creates, reflect the aesthetics of a vivid imagination and linking them to surrealism comes naturally. For your first teaming-up there was the “Surreal Planes” and now “The Surrealist Ideal”. Tell me a little bit about its concept.

EM: Well the idea for me originally was to set out to make photographs that reflected Mary’s surrealist prints- in that the photographs had to also exist in a weird “in between” realm. In between photography and other mediums, painting, illustration, new technologies… so the idea in the first collaboration was to match her garments with interiors- creating patterns and inside worlds that reflected her own patterns. With the latest shoot, I wanted to expand into an other-worldly realm that wasn’t confined to reality- or to a physical reality.

Q: What does this “Ideal” represent for you?
 
EM: The ideal I was referring to in the title stems from the Surrealist Manifesto written by Andre Breton in 1924. Its not necessarily a personal ideal, but rather a reference to the Surrealist ideals that were set forth by a group of Parisian painters- Dali, Breton, etc.

TL: For the first series with M.Katrantzou’s designs, “Surreal Planes”, you stated that it signified a different direction in your own work. What is different now, two collaborations later?

EM: Each collaboration pushes a little further in concept, and form. Whether the color and post work is pushed further- or the flattening effects are developed further- the latest shoot is an example of just taking what we have done before and exponentially removing it further from traditional fashion imagery.

TL: I was particularly drawn to the last image of the series, the darkest and most elongated one. In this surreal world you created, what would this dark, enchanting place be and, what was this woman in Mary Katrantzou dress and a spectacular headpiece doing there?

EM: This image was in reference to the early Catholic myth of ‘The High Priestess’, who was actually supposedly alive and the only female Pope to exist in the Catholic church- but was later discredited after she was murdered by the Church upon being discovered that she was in fact not a man. This image has been something I have wanted to create for a long time, as Im very interested in this historical character and what she represents today- the idea that there was a female Pope is quite intriguing….

Q: Are there any plans for more surreal series with M. Katrantzou in the future?
EM: Yes, definitely. We will be continuing our collaborations for a while =) Much more to look forward to…

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From still life’s to architecture to product editorials, we love the way Fabrice Fouillet’s masterful eye guides the camera lens.  He has shot elegant and dramatic stills of accessories for magazines such as Numero, Wallpaper, and L’Officiel, and has collaborated on a number of projects with Paris creative studio Le Creative Sweatshop.  The Paris-based photographer, who dropped out of Gobelins School after one year to become a photographers assistant, (...) Read More about TL Speaks with Fabrice Fouillet About his Still Life Photography (634 words)

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For the launch of the Karl Lagerfeld collection for Net-A-Porter, the online luxury shopping site released this funny ‘Self-Interview’ of the Kaiser asking and answering questions to himself. It was the first time for Karl and the last one he said. Presenting the fashion icon as you’ve never seen him before. Watch the video now to find out what one of the world’s most famous designers really thinks about himself, his muses and more…

(...) Read More about Karl Lagerfeld Self-Interview (6 words)

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Here is the photographic work of Welsh artist Rachel Richards. Always working on process driven projects, we ask her couple questions about her work, inspiration and process.

Tell us a little bit about your background:
As a photographer with a fine art background I really enjoy producing photographs that are very process driven and engage with my inner creative artist. Often, I find myself being inspired to take a photograph, then(...) Read More about Rachel Richards Photography (508 words)

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Listen to “I’m Not What I Do” here

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Ava Carrère is flaunting a rebellious electro-samba-meets-tribal tune and delivering sassy prose with “I’m Not What I Do.” Flirting with traces of Camille’s “Assise,” this French gallant lofts her voice through a jungle of mixes from lullaby to rap ditty with a breath of Ladytron slash Lil’Kim.(...) Read More about Trendland Talks With Ava Carrère (429 words)

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Listen to “Ollie Falls Asleep” here

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Every once in a while a song comes along and pulls your mind into wistful corners of the universe on a single melody. Berlinist’s “Ollie Falls Asleep” is a viable track for doing just that, erecting emotions of a mere dream sequence. Setting a dreamlike ambiance, (...) Read More about Berlinist Talks With Trendland (344 words)

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Listen to “Twigs and Stones”

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Canadian-native, Colin Huebert takes his listeners on a hike through the outdoors of homegrown sounds as he and his Siskiyou band (Shawn Watt, Peter Carruthers, Erik Arnesen) offset low beats and strings with a tinge of digital folklore. Borderline proverbial, the mellow appearance of this spontaneous quartet brings about(...) Read More about Siskiyou Talks With Trendland (207 words)

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