>Project Blog
By SHOWstudio, 00:00 Mon 28 Jul 2008
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Having addressed the tricky, tricksy and often veiled subject of body size hand-in-hand with the equally inflammatory subject of feminism in his first Political Fashion film, Nick Knight now chooses to tackle the outright taboo subject of racism in the fashion industry. Despite increasing diversity throughout contemporary society, is is undoubtedly true that black models feature in fashion far less than their white counterpoints. Nick's film not only questions this, but as a fashion 'insider' takes the industry to task over one of the last arenas where racism is apparently a tacitly-accepted fact of life.
By SHOWstudio, 00:00 Fri 25 Jul 2008
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Our final Political Fashion film of this week is the first of two by Nick Knight, who chooses to turn his lense on the indefatigable, indomitable frontwoman of The Gossip, Beth Ditto. Titled Feminist - a moniker Beth is proud to flaunt in an age when few else dare - Nick's film focusses on Beth's statuesque size (an attribute oft-remarked upon) and more tellingly her own playful and unabashed appreciation of this voluptuousness. Recalling his work with larger-than-life models Sarah Morrisson and Sophie Dahl, 'Feminist' revels not only in Beth's physique, but in her overwhelming body confidence and consciousness. Powerful, beautiful, self-assured and definitely in control: as opposed to just wearing the label, Beth is the living embodiment of the feminist ideal.
By SHOWstudio, 00:00 Thu 24 Jul 2008
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Based on the clothing of three Norwegian men - a pensioner, a diver and an engineer - Siv Støldal's 'Three Wardrobes' collection provided the inspiration for her contribution to Political Fashion. Created in collaboration with filmmaker Ruth Hogben, this film isn't so much about 'fashion' as clothing, focussing on the minutae of Three Coats and in such provoking unanswered questions about age, race, class and gender roles.
By SHOWstudio, 00:00 Wed 23 Jul 2008
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Oddly, the one thing we haven’t seen so far in Political Fashion is a fully-fledged fashion army: that was until we received our latest contribution from stylist and ‘super brand’ Molaroid. To a techno soundtrack, his model corps stormed the bastions of Victoria station in Constructivist Couture courtesy of new talent Mary Katrantzou. Rush hour may never be the same again…
By SHOWstudio, 00:00 Tue 22 Jul 2008
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Creative director of British Vogue Robin Derrick chooses to direct the focus of his Political Fashion film at the brands of fashion. Quoting directly from Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’, By Any Other Name examines the mythic and continuing power of the ‘name’ in fashion.
By SHOWstudio, 00:00 Mon 21 Jul 2008
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To kick off our second season of Political Fashion films, we naturally turned to Stefano Pilati, creative director of the always-innovative and often revolutionary house of Yves Saint Laurent. After their Spring 2008 ‘Manifesto’ was distributed to over a million citizens in Metropolitan streets across the world, it was only natural that Pilati’s contribution would focus on said pamplet and this egalitarian distribution of fashion en masse.
By SHOWstudio, 13:50 Fri 18 Jul 2008
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Nick Knight began our Political Fashion film season earlier this year with the aim to wake up the fashion world with the desire to use their position to 'say something': and when we placed the project on hiatus in May, it was by no means the end of the debate. We now have a clutch of new films from a wide range of voices within the fashion world, with protagonists including Naomi Campbell, Beth Ditto and Robin Derrick to name but few. As such the time is right for us to launch season two of Political Fashion - a new, week-long onslaught of agitprop sartorial statements. Starting with a film by Yves Saint Laurent creative director Stefano Pilati on Monday 21 July. a new Political Fashion film will air on SHOWstudio.com from midnight each day through until Monday 28 July - coincidentally, the very day Robespierre was guillotined in Place de la Revolution. It doesn't get much more politic than that...
By Studio, 00:00 Mon 19 May 2008
With a specially-commissioned film season such as Political Fashion, the reality is that the deadline for our day-to-day schedule can only be pushed so far. While our daily film season is now on a short hiatus, pending contributions from a whole host of fashion luminaries will be showcased later this summer.
By Studio, 00:00 Fri 16 May 2008
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Arguably the most visible face of Political Fashion, in recent months, the Christian Dior-clad First Lady of France Carla Bruni-Sarkozy is inspiration to Sam McKnight for his decidedly tongue-in-cheek film 'Pussycat'
By Studio, 00:00 Thu 15 May 2008
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Our latest contribution to Political Fashion, from hair stylist Eamonn Hughes, showcases vintage Yamamoto, an androgynous model and his own inimitable hair skills against the iconic backdrops of London's own seat of political power, Westminster.
By Studio, 00:00 Wed 14 May 2008
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Taking us away from both the gloss of fashion and the polish of politics, the ideas addressed (or perhaps attacked) by Black Metal band Gorgoroth in Joachim Norvik and Sølve Sundsbø’s film nevertheless serve to underline the constant themes of our Political Fashion debate.
By Studio, 00:00 Tue 13 May 2008
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Thomas Fuller declared “Craft must have clothes, but truth loves to go naked” – and indeed sometimes Political Fashion doesn’t need any clothes at all to make its point. Ruth Hogben's film illustrates this perfectly, as her star Agyness dons nothing more than free-floating balloons and her own birthday suit to underline ideals of peace and freedom.
By Studio, 00:00 Mon 12 May 2008
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Viktor & Rolf’s Autumn/Winter ’08-09 collection was emblazoned with it, their soundtrack intoned it and now there’s only one word on their models’ lips: “NO”. But the question remains: what exactly are they saying “No” to? In this contribution to Political Fashion, the really interesting thing is what we don’t find out…
By Studio, 00:00 Fri 09 May 2008
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It’s nigh-on-impossible to conceive of a Political Fashion project without thinking immediately of Vivienne Westwood. Unorthodox, outspoken and always questioning, her film ‘Aldermaston’ is characteristic of a designer whose entire career has been marked out by didactic, politicised dress in which the medium is always all about the message.
By Studio, 00:00 Thu 08 May 2008
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Whether twisting gender, addressing climate change or advocating safer sex, Walter Van Beirendonck's design philosophy has always had a politicised bent – naturally, or perhaps unnaturally, his film for Political Fashion, in collaboration with Bart Hess, is no exception.
By Studio, 00:00 Wed 07 May 2008
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The only thing we could expect with Peaches' take on Political Fashion was the unexpected. Her contribution takes the idea of the big-hair pap-happy 'glamour girl,' pushes this stereotype to the extreme, only to break it down.
By Studio, 00:00 Tue 06 May 2008
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Alan Bennett's "Talking Heads" is an inevitable point of comparison for the face-to-face Political Fashion film from new British label Original Sins.
By Studio, 00:00 Mon 05 May 2008
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Consumption, consumer, consuming... Warren Du Preez and Nick Thornton-Jones explore all of the above in their contribution to Political Fashion – questioning what we ultimately gain as a society steeped in voracious acquisition.
By Studio, 00:00 Fri 02 May 2008
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The first words – “Tell me about politics and fashion” – open up a veritable Pandora’s Box as Craig McDean’s camera gives us an insider’s view, reportage-style, of the industry’s own answers (or arguments) as to what is Political Fashion. Face –to-face, straight up, and distinctly black-and-white.
By Studio, 00:00 Thu 01 May 2008
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For May, our first Political Fashion film comes courtesy of Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos, examining, dissembling and ultimately deconstructing the familiar forms and conventions of fashion - and specifically the fashion show.
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