Fashion – d i l a q u i s

Game-Changing Models of the New Generation

9 September 201822 July 2021 DilaLeave a comment

Capture-d_écran-2017-02-01-à-15.59.02 — **Image Credit: Gurls Talk**

In the age of empowerment, models are on a mission to break the stereotypes and challenge the criteria by which their success is measured.

Oxford Dictionary’s definition of a model is “A person employed to display clothes by wearing them.” Which is, in the literal sense, true, of course – but clearly inadequate especially when one thinks about the successful, outspoken and inspiring models of our time, like Adwoa Aboah, Winnie Harlow, Ashley Graham, Hari Nef and Halima Aden. If there was a chance to edit that definition now and expand it, what could’ve been said?

A model is a person (i.e. a human, not a hanger) who has a unique character, soul, opinions and beliefs. A person who works hard to show that, that there’s much more to them. A person who works hard in the professional sense too, in not always so glamorous conditions which they have little control over, while more often than not facing gender and racial discrimination, verbal abuse and bullying, sexual assault and constant criticism about how to look, what to eat, who to become. A person who has scars and marks, insecurities and health issues like everyone else, but perhaps feels that people don’t want to hear about all that, they just want to see the body – the person who is employed to display clothes by wearing them.

Kitty Ferreira- An Ethical & Sustainable Fashion Label

10 November 201522 July 2021 Dila8 Comments

Recently I’ve had the chance to meet Valerie Goode, the name behind the successful ethical & sustainable fashion label Kitty Ferreira, based in London.

The brand has launched at London Fashion Week two years ago, and it has won multiple awards from Royal College of Arts in 2013 for design innovation, and also the “Extending the Lifecycle of Clothing Design Award” from WRAP.org, which is an important government organisation.

The philosophy of the brand is to bridge the gap between the city and natural world, by using herbal dyes and natural sources such as pomegranate and onion skins in their collections. Their aim is to make sustainability and ethics more common and widely-accepted in the fashion world.

Mademoiselle Privé

27 October 201522 July 2021 Dila10 Comments

I’ve mentioned Chanel’s new exhibition Mademoiselle Privé at Saatchi Gallery earlier in my LV Series 3 post as an exhibition not to miss – after visiting, my opinion is definitely the same. It is a unique exhibition, or rather an experience that offers an insight into the classic yet glamorous world of Chanel, created by Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel, and transformed by Karl Lagerfeld.

The exhibition is similar to LV Series 3, in the sense that they both draw on dim lighting, digital technology and can be considered as “multimedia exhibitions” as they involve different forms of media such as audio, video, texts, animations and more. Also, they both greatly encourage visitor engagement.

In fact Mademoiselle Privé carries the use of digital technology & visitor engagement one step further, as there is an app of the same name specially made for the exhibition, in order to enhance the interaction between the exhibition and its visitors.

Louis Vuitton Series 3 Exhibition

15 October 201522 July 2021 Dila7 Comments

fashion and art collaborations have become quite common nowadays, for example especially high-end brands like Chanel have done many exhibitions in different parts of the world and continue to do so (Mademoiselle Privé Exhibition started two days ago at Saatchi Gallery).

Louis Vuitton is one of those brands that show a great interest in the art world; as their numerous collaborations with artists in the past also point out (e.g. their collection with Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama in 2012). As it can be understood from the name, “Series 3” is the third of their “Series” exhibitions – the previous ones have started in Los Angeles and Tokyo, and then continued in other cities.