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Amelia’s Magazine Launch Party in London

February 1, 2011 by cheriecity

The launch of Amelia Gregory’s second book, Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration has been the most-talked about event of the new year, bringing a bit of loveliness back to a month filled with talk of detox and austerity (neither present at the launch). So much was the excitement online that #ACOFI may now be permanently lasered onto my eyes!

Illustrators, designers, bloggers and journos all got together for a right old knees-up at Scout Hut, behind the 123 Bethnal Green Road ethical clothing super store.

We drank Vodka O and Adnams beer, flicked through copies of ACOFI, made new pals and devoured the prettiest Lily Vanilli centre piece cake.

A brilliant party soundtrack was spun by The Pipettes and we were even treated to a guest DJ appearance by Will of Mystery Jets.

Photos: Max Petrossi

The turn out for the party was immense with all sorts of creative people and a few familiar faces…

Now on to the serious stuff…the gift bag! With the purchase of Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration came a printed cotton tote bag packed full of treats:

– Limited edition Tatty Devine necklace made for Amelia’s Magazine
– Limited edition Amelia’s Magazine Moleskine notebook
– Dr Hauschka organic beauty products
– Back-issue of Amelia’s Magazine
– Collection of Amelia’s Magazine postcards and bookmarks
– Tatty Devine 10% store discount
– Dr Hauschka 15% online store discount

It was amazing to come down and meet all of the people involved with Amelia’s Magazine and it’s nights like these that make living in London so much fun.

Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration is just so beautifully made and is a very relevant resource, as ethical fashion is moving forward so quickly.

There’s a lot of content to get through, so it will take you a while to read from cover to cover and it’s a real gem that you’ll keep going back to.

Having made my own zine a few years ago, I know just how much work, time and money goes into producing an independent print publication – printing costs alone can drain the budget.

So if you still love words on paper and beautiful artwork (can you tell I’m not a Kindle fan?), it’s so important to support Amelia and all of her brilliant print releases… especially so we can have more parties!

Buy Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration online for a reduced price and receive 12 unique Amelia’s Magazine postcards. For more info and a preview of ACOFI, visit www.ameliasmagazine.com

books, Websites

Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration

January 19, 2011 by cheriecity

Writer, photographer and activist Amelia Gregory has released her second book – Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration: Featuring the Very Best in Ethical Fashion Design.

A new Amelia print publication is always exciting, as you can expect a visual wonderland of new design talent, excellent writing and innovative illustration all packed into a beautifully crafted collector’s volume, made with love.

Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration explores the work of 44 leading and emerging ethical fashion designers and features exquisite fashion drawing from 30 contributing illustrators.

Initiatives like Estethica and e-commerce site Young British Designers have given a platform for London’s ethical designers and with ACOFI, you can delve further into the thought process behind their brands and collection.

Amelia quizzes the designers on what it means to be a sustainable brand: what is ecoluxury? Why use organic fabric? How do you balance fair trade and maintain profit?

The list of ethical designers interviewed includes: Ada Zandition, Minna, Prophetik, Goodone, Emesha, Junky Styling, Christopher Raeburn, Edun, Nina Dolcetti, Henrietta Ludgate, Lu Flux and many more…

Each designer profile has been wonderfully illustrated by emerging illustrators, who were enlisted through an open brief.

ACOFI is a covetable coffee table book that of course, has been ethically produced and features a pearlised cover designed by Arizona-based artist, Andrea Peterson.

A bit about Amelia’s Magazine…

Amelia’s Magazine has always taken an alternative approach to publishing throughout its 10 issue lifetime and as a student, I was completely in awe of a magazine with a cover embellished with Swarovksi Crystals!

In 2008, Amelia’s Magazine went digital and massively upped its readership while continuing the creative content of the magazine.

This was followed with the publication of Amelia’s Anthology of Illustration, featuring a creative take on renewable technologies to prevent catastrophic climate change.

Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration leads on from the ethical questions raised in the Anthology and a resource you’ll want to keep as the featured designers expand their labels.

Buy Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration online for a reduced price and receive 12 unique Amelia’s Magazine postcards

You can also buy it with Amelia’s Anthology of Illustration and save £10.

For more info and a preview of ACOFI, visit www.ameliasmagazine.com

Designers, Fashion, London, Shopping, Websites

Chérie Loves: Young British Designers

September 11, 2010 by cheriecity

It’s been the talk of London fashion circles all summer and finally, YoungBritishDesigners.com is here for us to shop to our hearts content.

As the same suggests, Young British Designers is dedicated to working with emerging designers who will really benefit from the support and exposure as they try to expand their labels.

Young designers can often be at a disadvantage, as customers just don’t know where to source their pieces, or the boutiques that stock them can be off the main shopping circuit.

So what better than to bring together all our fave new designers and showcase their clothing and accessories on one beautifully crafted and accessible website!

The first retail experience of its kind, Young British Designers backs designers in the formative years of their label and from different fashion pathways.

It showcases designers who have made their names through NEWGEN, ON | OFF, Estethica, Fashion Fringe, Vauxhall Fashion Scout, London Fashion Week and Arising.

Established womenswear designers include Danielle Scutt, Felder Felder, Kinder Aggugini, Olivia Rubin, Felicity Brown, LP.BG and Jasper Garvida.

Striped Mohair Coat by Danielle Scutt, £1420

Square T-Shirt Top in 100% Wool by LP.BG, £330
Olivia Rubin, Rose Belle Dress, £175

Young British Designers also promotes up-and-coming labels such as Ada Zanditon, Alice Palmer, Emesha, Simeon Farrar, Viking Wong, Minna, Jena.Theo, Julian J Smith and many more…

Agyness Dress by Ada Zanditon £127.50
Batman Dress by Alice Palmer, £600
Corseted Cocktail Dress by Emesha, £730

Accessories are a great way to invest in a new designer and the collection of jewellery, bags and leather goods at YBD are sure to make it onto a number of wishlists this season.

I love this embellished swallow necklace by Minna and am plotting ways to bag ever piece by Cabinet and Fannie Sciavoni’s oxidised steel ring body jewellery.

Bird Necklace by Minna, £112
Feathered Collective Pendant by Cabinet, £175
Cross Necklace by Fannie Sciavoni, £189

Leather Cuff by Felder Felder, £149
Grey Pin Tuck Oversize Clutch by Heidi Mottram, £264
Picasso Cuff by Lucy Hutchings, £324

YBD’s shoe collection is covetable enough to rival Manolo and Louboutin. Bionda Castana create elegant heels using the most luxurious materials, Sophie Gittins takes inspiration from architecture and Kinder Aggugini’s shoes were created exclusively for his catwalk show.

Nyla Shoes by Bionda Castana, £570
Khaki Romanza Peep Toe Boots by Sophie Gittins, £1123
Black Military Court Shoes by Kinder Aggugini, £480

The website is easy to navigate, with pieces divided into categories, and there is a dedicated designer section with detailed bios.

YBD highlights the fact that they are all emerging designers and you can sort through by fashion organisation such as Arise, LFW and Estethica. Making the experience even more interactive, YBD promotes its designers’ presence at London Fashion Week.

Some of the prices may be more than you would expect to pay for new designers, but the cost reflects the amount of work, fine detail and craftsmanship. There are a number of affordable pieces so you can have something unique and special without spending a fortune and support new design talent.

To see the full designer collection, visit www.youngbritishdesigners.com