Fashion Focus: all about Ann Demeulemeester

Name of the brand: Ann Demeulemeester

Name(s ) of the designer(s):  Ann Demeulemeester

About the designer(s): Ann Demeulemeester (1959) was born in Belgium. She studied at the Royal academy of fine arts in Antwerp and graduated in 1981. She is now a world-renowned fashion designer. She is married to fashion photographer Patrick Robyn.

Start of the brand: 1984

First collection: 1985
Breakthrough: 1986; Ann Demeulemeester then shows her collection in London. She quickly become famous outside of Belgium. Ann is seen as one of the ‘Antwerpse zes’, a group of influential fashion designers who graduated at the Royal Academy of Antwerp in the eighties (including Dries van Noten en Walter van Beirendonck).

The Ann Demeulemeester woman: is not a specific type of woman. Ann said: ‘People can mix and match and adjust the clothes to fit into their lives. I don’t know exactly who will end up wearing my clothes. It’s like creating a present for an anonymous person.’ Ann does say the women she designs for have a strong personality.

Ann Demeulemeester women: Sarah Jessica Parker, Nicole Kidman, Nicole Richie

The clothes are: never ‘trendy’, their focus is on shape and structure. Ann designs with her feelings and uses lots of black in her clothes.

Type of clothes: outspoken, original, comfortable.

Signature: black designs in outstanding shapes

Collaborations: with Rodney Graham (1992), Patti Smith (1999), Steven Klein (2004)

Awards: Golden Spindle (1982), Culture Award (1996)

Quotes:

• ‘The idea that garments are alive is a big inspiration. I want to fill them with soul.’
• ‘I don’t travel’
• ‘I never planned ahead. I just go from one season to the next. If I ever feel like I’ve told my story in this medium, it’ll be time to move on to another.’

Extra:

• Ann has been designing jewellery and furniture as well. She even won some prices with that.
• In the beginning Mugler, Montana, and Versace were Ann’s inspiration
• Since 1996 Ann also designs men’s clothes.
• Ann and her husband Patrick have been together since Ann was seventeen.
• Regardless of the financial crise Ann Demeulemeester has sold more than ever.
• Especially Ann’s laced up boots were a bit hit.

Fashion Focus: all about Thakoon

This week we chose designer Thakoon for our fashion focus. The reason for that? Up until now we didn’t know a lot about him, besides the fact that Anna Wintour said she loved his designs in The September Issue. But why did she like Thakoon so much? Why are his designs so special?

Name of the brand: Thakoon

Name(s ) of the designer(s): Thakoon Panichgul

About the designer(s):
Thakoon Panichgul was born in 1974 in Thailand, but now lives in America. He moved to the United States when he was 11 years old.

Start of the brand: 2004. Thakoon had been working as a fashion editor at Harper’s Bazar before.

First collection: a ten pieces collection in 2005

Thakoon is based in New York and sold in 34 countries

The Thakoon woman: has an inner sensuality. She is nonchalant and casual, but still very sensual.

Thakoon women: Rachel Bilson, Demi Moore, Michelle Obama and Sarah Jessica Parker. (Michelle Obama was recently seen in two different dresses from Thakoon’s spring/summer collection on 5 and 11 May 2010.)

The clothes are: easy and sophisticated. For Thakoon the most important thing is the clothes are wearable. Thakoon also has a thing for prints, he works together with different artists to create the most lovely prints. He likes to use colors in his collections too.

Type of clothes: mostly dresses made out of classic materials like lace and chiffon, but used in a modern way.

Signature: combining punk and chic

Collaborations: Thakoon for Nine West (accessories)(2006), Thakoon for Gap (2007), Thakoon for Hogan (2008), Thakoon for Target (2008). Thakoon even designed a few menswear cardigans for Aloha Rag (2010).

Quotes:

• ‘For me it’s about creating silhouettes that sort of have built-in gesture.’
• ‘I would love to dress Coco Chanel, she embodies al those things I love so much. She has a chicness and a rebelliousness around her.’
• ‘My clothes represent a combination of punk and refinement’

What to expect: Thakoon’s fan base will keep on augmenting and we’re sure there are some interesting collaborations ahead of us.

Above you can see several of Thakoon’s designs from four of his latest collections.

Forty years of Roberto Cavalli

This year fashion label Roberto Cavalli celebrates it’s fortieth birthday. 2010 also happens to be the year in which designer Roberto Cavalli himself, like many of his first customers, turns seventy. Time to take a look back on Cavalli’s work from over the years.

Roberto Cavalli, who started working in fashion just to make some money, became first known for his printing techniques. After he had been hired by great fashion labels he decided he could just as well do it on his own. He set up his own fashion label.

Cavalli’s first collections were best described as boho- and hippie-chic. He knew innovative techniques to use silk and leather. His designs were ultra-feminine and heavily decorated and they were loved by the wealthy people in Saint-Tropez (his first boutique was also opened there).

After a small downfall Cavalli makes a comeback in de nineties, by that time assisted by his – much younger – wife Eva Duringer. His clothes, best known for their outstanding animal prints, embroideries and other embellishments are worn by the rich and the famous. All of those women confident, sexy and super glamorous. (The reason Cavalli women are so often referred to as glamazones).

Celebrities proved to be a great way of promoting the brand. Victoria Beckham, Jade Jagger, Hally Berry, El Macferson and Jennifer Lopez were often spotted in Roberto Cavalli’s designs. They were the ideal women to promote Cavalli’s clothes, cause with their sex appeal and confidence they can perfectly show off Cavalli’s fearless designs.

After years of glamorous collections Roberto Cavalli decided to move in a new direction. The past few years he has slightly changed his designs away from the limelight. Cavalli’s so well-known animal prints sometimes were not used at all or, like in his latest collection, were used in a faded variant. His colors have become less outspoken and his heels – from time to time – even turned to flats. Cavalli introduced suits and overalls and with his boyish designs he showed a more subtle sexy. The new Cavalli woman proved to be less of a show-off, but Cavalli has kept his customers satisfied.

Judging from how Roberto Cavalli is doing now we think he’ll have no problem celebrating the brands fiftieth anniversary in ten years. Cause although he admitted he’s less of a party animal, Cavalli (thanks to his wife Eva) is still going strong. But let’s first just celebrate the clothes he made over the past forty years. We selected the most eye-catching, showstopping pieces out of Cavalli’s last ten collections. Enjoy!

Cavalli has big plans for his label’s fortieth anniversary and is working on a book about his career in fashion. We’ll keep you posted!