N&G

Forget Lady Gaga prancing around London as a Christmas tree. Jean Paul Gaultier has given his signature corset design a festive twist  by wrapping it around a Christmas Tree, giving it curves, hips and a body I’m sure most women would want LOL! This amazing design was made for the Hôtel Salomon de Rothschild and has been auction off in aid of cancer research.

When starting University I had originally choose to study Fashion Design. At the end of my first year I had a choice to also study Fashion Marketing. Even though I had no idea about marketing and knew it would be an extra work load to take on, it actually turned out to be a blessing in disguise as its something I thoroughly enjoyed learning and would be the chosen career path I would take over fashion design.

I had such a great tutor who taught us the in’s and out about promotion, branding, communication, market research ETC. BUT the part I appreciate the most was the whole business side to the fashion industry. I learned a lot about  how companies used all these techniques and tricks of the trade to target their consumers. But one part I found truly fascinating was the developing stage of producing a product and how little it cost to make a product and then how much it's sold to us!

I found a great info-graphic on a blog by an American company called Everlane who believe customers have the right to know their hidden costs in their products. I think these graphics are a good insight for us consumers but a fantastic guide for designers who are starting out and need some insight into pricing their products and make sure they are making a profit out of what they are selling.

(Costs and markup based on companies own experience and decisions)

From a grand perspective these graphics do not show truly how the clothing business works. Some companies may be genuine with their markups. But no matter how big or small a company their may be some unavoidable overheads that will factor into the markups, such as shipping damages, fabric imperfections, factory mistakes ETC which is not shown in the images.

Through my experience I have found a lot of Creative Designers who have undervalued their work resulting into not making any money out of what they have created, so I think this is a great diagram for those who are starting up their business whether its creative or not and need a guideline into making sure they are making money out of what they do.

If your a creative graduate designer who is thinking of setting up your own business and need help with starting up visit our website or email us at [email protected]

Artist: Anne – Catherine Becker - Echivard

Name of Work: Les Temps Modernes (Translated as Modern Times)

Inspiration: Childhood hobby of dressing up dead mice

This is why I love #art and all things #creative, because just when you think you have seen it all in the ‘Creative World’ another fellow #creative comes on the scene to shock and wow us all.

Contemporary artist Anne – Catherine Becker - Echivard creates her work of art using dead fish heads. That’s right. Like me your nose might instantly flare up from the thought of the smell of raw fish. But!  Once you take a good look at the images and think outside the box, you might have a little chuckle to yourself looking at all the different scenarios created.

Anne Catherine can take up to 3 months to create her scenes, which can measure up to 2m long. She uses a mixture of fish heads to create everyday human jobs. Once it’s all said and done, don’t think she throws the heads away or feeds them to the cats. She’ll recycle them bad boys by cooking them up and eating it for dinner. Any one feel like sushi tonight?

FASHION156 - F156 Graduate Showcase Week – Carlene Nisbett Next up in our Graduate Showcase series is Carlene Nisbett, graduate of University of East London, having studied Fashion Design and Marketing and graduating in 2011....

The first day of New Designers saw an eclectic mix of home ware and fashion and believe me the bar was set high. From furniture to lighting, jewellery to jumpers there was so much to see and to our joy these New Designers know exactly what they're doing when it comes to design. With much difficulty I had to select a few favourites (a 10 page blog post of every designer there could be a little taxing), but there is loads more talent that we cant wait to get on board here at Nisbett & George. 

Colour me pretty 

New Designers was certainly not a dull affair and as a lover of bright colours and stand out clashes I was in my element. 

  While there was a lot of beautifully crafted jewellery on show it was these rings by Nadia Deen from CASS that caught my eye. This collection of gold rings with occasional pops of colour looked great against the white backdrop and even better on my hands! :) I particularly loved the variation in size and use of enamel while the gold tied the whole collection together. These little gems would be great paired together or worn separately, either way making a statement. Oh so pretty! 

                     I must just have a thing for gold and aquas as this seems to be the running theme of the jewellery I loved. Another simple yet bold use of colour came from Ellys Beale from Loughborough University. The laser cut leather decorated with simple geometric ink patterns, pops bright green embroidery and the occasional embellishment made these necklaces a must have for any lover of statement jewellery. Worn with a simple, black V-neck or cleverly clashed with colour and patterns (i'd go for the latter) this jewellery will ensure you would not go un-noticed. Ellys Beale we want you at Nisbett & George!! 

These chairs and wall paper by Ruth Rennison from Loughborough where amazing. As a lover of crazy pattern clashing and lots colour the 'less is more attitude' of these designs is right up my street. Ruth if you join us at Nisbett & George I'm your first in line for one of these quirky and cute little chairs! 

Let there be light...

Some of my favourite home ware designs were lighting pieces. Lighting is such an important part of creating a space and I love seeing the different ways designers develop interesting and beautiful lighting devices. 

I love Emily Phillips from City Lit use of coloured glass to create this collection of lights, the mix of colours worked perfectly together and I'd love to cover my floor with clusters of these lights to create a New York loft space come Arabian nights styled space. 

These lights left bare had an industrial feel to them which looked great teamed with the beautifully colourful and fun, pom pom adorned cords to which they hung off. Here at Nisbett & George we would love to get designer Charlotte Nash from the University of Huddersfield on board, fingers crossed!

From the bright and crazy to a more subtler approach...

I particularly loved this collection by home ware designer Georgina Leung from Edinburgh College of Art. The quirky shapes along with the interesting use of metal and bamboo really worked along side together and I love the rustic, slightly unfinished feel the designs had to them. All set off beautifully with a subtle mix of colour to make  a wonderfully kooky kitchenware set. 

....be arty!

After spending a weekend in Berlin i'm feeling particularly inspired. From the masterpieces covering the Berlin wall at the Eastside gallery to graffiti covered buildings that could give Bansky a run for his money, art is literally all around.

Eastside Galley

Eastside Gallery

Eastside Gallery

It was really interesting to see the various ways artists has chosen to express their views on the divide between West Berlin and East Germany at the time the Berlin wall was constructed in 1961. The Eastside gallery is a powerful reminder of the impact art can have and the portal it provides for self expression.

All around the city self expression can be seen via art. Painted buildings, graffiti art and buskers on every corner make it a hub for creatives. I'm sold, Berlin is a very cool place to be.

  Another successful day at Graduate fashion week has left us itching to get some of these graduate designers on board here at Nisbett and George. Saving the best till last, the day saw memorable catwalk shows from Birmingham, UEL and De Montfort. An array of colour, couture and ready to wear with a difference paraded down the catwalk with each university showcasing a variety of expertise while all equaling in creativity.

  The overall vibe of Birmingham’s show was lady like with a difference. Although some designers opted for menswear for me it was the delicate take on women’s wear with a difference that really stood out. Pale palettes and delicate fabrics were teamed with wacky designs, eccentric shapes and a little bit of bondage to keep things interesting

  Amy Belcher's use of shape and texture was unrivalled and her use of pale colours kept focus on the design and texture of the garments. Her outlandish designs were balanced out with simple cut tops or bottoms, which worked perfectly to ensure the whole thing didn’t go OTT. We would love to see how she would go about creating a ready to wear collection.

  Phoebe Stonehill's collection portrayed the perfect mix of innocent femininity and sex appeal. Nude and pale pink dresses and body suits made in light fabrics where topped off with bondage inspired leather, black, straps. The contrast in colour and style made quite the impact perfect for those who want to stand out and I wouldn’t be surprised to see the likes of Rhianna or Lady Gaga in these designs.  

    We loved Amy Scarpern's use of leather and laser cutting to create seductive and powerful pieces.  In deep reds and scarlet’s, the whole collection had a no non-sense appeal while staying on the right side of sexy. Red, leather dresses? Yes please! 

  Anything and everything seemed to be the theme for the UEL catwalk show, from colour blocking to monochrome, straight lines to floaty chiffons these graduates know how to mix it up. Each designer showcased an original and memorable collection and the catwalk was adorned with talent but most importantly a personal approach to design…

  Leisha Thomas's ethereal designs created in beautifully printed chiffons and silks were a personal favorite of mine.

   Elizabeth Harrison's use of simple cuts, exquisite tailoring and bright colour blocking ensured her collection really stood out.

  A mix of textures, subtle hints of tie dye and a variety of beautiful designs from dresses to suits ensured Alice Leckie's take on monochrome was far form black and white.

  De Montfort was the final show we saw of the day and they did not disappoint. Using props, a lot of colour, and wacky designs the whole show was a lot of fun and had me dancing in my seat the whole way through (making it a little tricky to take decent photographs).  The use of tassels, tie dyed fur, neon colours made it impossible not to love all the collections however, it was Joel Bostock's menswear collection that really caught our eye. We loved his use of layering and the detail to his designs that’s show cased a great eye for fashion. The mix of modern outerwear with the occasional heritage inspired pieces created interesting overall looks and we think he’d be a great designer to get on board. The whole collection was just very cool. Boys take note please!

Graduate fashion week's first day did not disappoint and London’s fashion pack was out in full force at Earls Court exhibition center. The vast amount of new talent ensured we were kept busy all day, a far cry from a usual lazy Sunday spent recovering from Saturday nights antics. Running from stand to stand scouting out as much new talent as possible left us all with blisters on our feet however, the mix of exciting new designers made it all worth it and we cant wait for these new graduates to get on board. From eclectic, show-stopping clothes to excellently crafted accessories there was something for everyone and here at Nisbett and George we can’t wait for the new designers to join the family.

Winchester School of Art, University of Southampton

Northumbria University caught our eye from the offset, showcasing a great mix of ready to wear pieces and accessories.

 We were particularly impressed with Northumbrias' graduate designer Rebecca L. Horner’s menswear collection. A mix of innovative outerwear and chunky knits all designed and made to an excellent standard made for a great winter collection. The layering of different materials and use of colour popping ensured her designs had a high fashion yet wearable feel to them. We would love to see how she could take this further with a more summer friendly collection.

Always looking to take on new accessory designers we could barely contain our excitement when we came across Jessica Chapman’s quirky yet oh so elegant bags. Her interesting use of wood and leather teamed with simplistic and structured designs ensured the bags stood out from the rest without being over the top. From oversized totes to cute clutches, each bag was innovatively designed and beautifully constructed. We predict great things from this accessories designer.

  Nottingham Trent’s stand was particularly impressive, showcasing simplistic designs, subtle tones and delicate fabrics the stand had an elegant feel to it while the impeccably high standard of design and craftsman ship demonstrated great technical ability. We can’t wait for the show to see what else they have to offer.

     Bright colours, pattern clashing and a more is more take on fashion was clearly the theme of Central Lancashire's catwalk show and they got it spot on. The show as a whole was consistently original and innovative and their exciting use of colour, texture and pattern made for a memorable show.

All the designers has produced exciting collections however, graduate designer Lauren Edwards collection was a personal favourite. Her collection showcased suits, dresses and skirts all in silk and in a pale colour palette however, this certainly did not make for a boring show. Edward's beautiful use of colour, pattern and quirky yet understated designs were perfectly polished and stylish while still maintaining a sense of fun and originality. I want it all!!!

 We also loved Lauren Bonds menswear collection, the patterned co-ords, short shorts and bright blazers all made for a fun and on trend collection with the perfect amount of eccentricity. Guys take note, this is how menswear fashion should be done, it just worked!

  Instituto Marangonis catwalk show was a somewhat darker affair. Low lighting and a smoke machine created the perfect backdrop for the seductive and sleek collections that made their way down the catwalk. From ethereal dresses to clean cut suits the graduates covered various styles while all maintain a sense of allure.

  Juliana Siquerias menswear collection exhibited geometric shapes and sharp lines with pops of fucsia and blue amongst a sea of black. This use of colour popping and excellent tailoring made for a memorable collection and here at Nisbett and George would love to see what else this designer has to offer.

  The whole day was a great success and we were able to scout out loads of new talent. Fun, modern and memorable designs ensured these graduates are setting the trends not following them, which is exactly what were looking for at Nisbett and George. We can’t wait for Tuesdays exhibition to see what the other shows have to offer. Same again tomorrow please!!!

Being a night owl and never sleeping before 1 am means I watch all sorts of late night junk TV. Last night I watched an episode of The Apprentice USA.

The task was based around boosting the business and providing add-on services/ products for a doggy day spa. Cesar Millan and the owners of the doggy boutique judged both teams.

The men's team lost over the apparent confrontation and lack of respect for their project manager, whilst the women's team won for their simple idea and calm dispositions.

The winning project manager's reward was to meet multi-millionaire mogul Russell Simons and it's his quote I'm using for quote of the [MON]day.

"Your breathing the same air as the billionaires" he said and I think its a strong statement for us all to remember.

Its the fourth day of London Fashion Week and with clothes, clothes, clothes on our mind, we selected this fabulous quote by Carrie Bradshaw -

"I like my money right where I can see it... hanging in my closet!" (or wearing it!).

That being said, we think Rachel Zoe seconds that -

"Its better to have fewer things of quality than too much expendable junk."

We definitely believe this here at N&G. Keep a beady eye on the launch of our website to find plenty of quality products by talented graduate designers!

Today is Rosa Parks' 100th Birthday, an exceptional woman who paved the way for an entire race of people. We are honouring her on our "Quote of the [MON]day".

Our favourite quote of her many!

"Memories of our lives, of our works and our deeds will continue in others."

Rosa Parks