HESSIAN MAGAZINE

I am super excited to announce that I am now the Editor-in-Chief and Fashion Director of a new Melbourne-based independent fashion magazine, HESSIAN. 

HESSIAN strives to bring sustainability to the forefront of Australian youth fashion without compromising aesthetics or insisting upon radical practices. We’re not your average ‘green magazine’; we don’t preach complicated and extreme lifestyle changes or beat you into submission with tales of eco-gloom. Instead, we provide a new perspective - we deliver you ecofriendly content with a new look because we’re here to show you sustainable living doesn’t have to be f**king boring.

HESSIAN is seeking out sustainable youth fashion that is contemporary; we are breaking free of the nostalgia for a past we never lived, instead looking to the future we want to save.

To contribute, get involved or for other queries, please contact:
contact@hessianmagazine.com

Like HESSIAN on Facebook: 
www.facebook/hessianmagazine

Visit HESSIAN for more details:
www.hessianmagazine.com

CLEAN CUT DESIGNER SHOWCASE

Bhalo

Rachael Cassar 

Kowtow

Bhalo 

Rachael Cassar 

Bhalo

Ovna Ovich

Rachael Cassar

PHOTOGRAPHS BY GEORGIA BLACKIE.

WORDS BY SIGRID (SIGGI) MCCARTHY.

Sydney’s Mercedes Benz FashionWeek (MBFW) has finally embraced ethical fashion this year, with its first sustainable fashion event - the Clean Cut Designer Showcase. Held at The Hughes Gallery in Surry Hills, the event proved that sustainable fashion is not only for fringe shows aimed at a niche audience. The exquisitely styled and curated showcase challenged the stigma often attached to ethical fashion and highlighted that it can and should be embraced by the broader fashion community.  

All from diverse backgrounds and with varied expertise, the four Sydney-based women behind Clean Cut came together with a shared vision. Managing Director and Head Curator Carlie Ballard says, ‘We knew that if we (sustainable fashion) were going to create waves and be included in the wider fashion community, there could be no compromise on aesthetic, quality or style. We also knew that we needed to promote sustainable fashion outside of the sustainable fashion bubble, and be inclusive to the wider fashion industry.’

The brands were ultimately chosen for their stunning aesthetic alongside their strong ethical production. Those showcased were Rachael Cassar (Sydney), Bhalo (Perth), Desert Designs (Sydney), Kowtow (NZ), Lalesso (Kenya), Goodone (UK), The Social Studio (Melbourne), and Ovna Ovich (NZ).

By curating such a beautiful show, Clean Cut demonstrated that ethical practice could co-exist with good design and fine craftsmanship. These three elements were blended so seamlessly that you could be excused for forgetting that it was a sustainable fashion event! Every element of the show had been carefully considered. From the clothing and the styling to the models and the venue, Clean Cut was a breath of fresh air.

Sydney-based designer Rachael Cassar opened the event with intricate, handmade gowns made entirely from recycled materials. Sourced from pretty much everywhere you could possibly imagine, including antique auction houses and deceased estates, Cassar has truly mastered the art of upcycling. Reinventing and extending everything in a garment's remains, Cassar believes that, ‘if aesthetic and sustainability can co-exist together then we’ve got an equally appealing product.’ 

Bhalo was also a standout; a Perth-based label that creates limited edition garments using natural hand woven textiles, printing and embroidery. The brand prides itself on being transparent and working with and supporting exceptionally talented rural producers and artisans in Bangladesh. Jessica Priemus, co-owner/director of Bhalo emphasised, ‘I don’t want to create a sympathy product where people feel like they have to buy it because they feel sorry for the people who made it. I really want it to be something that people desire.’

Ethical and transparent supply chains were also promoted at a local level, with Ethical Clothing Australia accredited label The Social Studio demonstrating that local manufacturing is not only still possible, but that it can be an integral part of a successful and innovative fashion label. The Melbourne-based social enterprise, which designs and manufactures everything on-site at their Collingwood retail space, sent bold and vibrant streetwear down the runway - made from reclaimed and up-cycled materials gathered from the local fashion industry.

New Zealand label Kowtow was a classic collection of easy, ready to wear looks. The effortlessly chic pieces, which are  certified fair trade organic and made from cotton grown and produced sustainably and ethically, were reminiscent of my hometown's understated aesthetic. They were also styled beautifully with Kuwaii shoes that are made in Melbourne. In this interview with W Concept, Kowtow Founder Gosia Piatek says she is passionate about ensuring her label has integrity. She says, 'It's a goal of mine to show other companies that it's possible to run a profitable business that is ethically conscious.'

The most exciting thing about Clean Cut is that it is more than just a designer showcase. The fashion advocacy group is working towards a more transparent and ethical fashion industry by celebrating sustainable fashion and making it more accessible. They are currently developing an online directory, the Clean Cut Style Guide, which will act as a guide to the sustainable fashion world. ‘It’s basically a go to directory so consumers can easily find the labels across the globe that are actively working in this space. This is where much of the problem lies - the outlets for many sustainable designers are limited and hard for consumers to get their hands on. So this will be great for consumers to shop based on their values’, says Ballard.

It was always going to be a challenge proving to the industry that sustainable fashion should be taken seriously and given an ongoing slot in the MBFW official schedule. That said, Clean Cut’s debut was received with open arms. Encouraged by the event’s success, Carlie Ballard says she is excited by the current Australian fashion landscape and is looking forward to seeing the sustainable fashion movement evolve - ‘Sustainable fashion is growing, and pressure is definitely building for all labels to start to take steps in the right direction. It’s the future of the fashion industry so it’s only a matter of time.’

DESIGNERS SHOWCASED:

- Rachael Cassar (Sydney)

- Bhalo (Perth)

- Desert Designs (Sydney) 

- Kowtow (NZ)

- Lalesso (Kenya)

- Goodone (UK)

- The Social Studio (Melbourne)

- Ovna Ovich (NZ)

THE CLEAN CUT TEAM:

- Carlie Ballard from fashion label Carlie Ballard and online sustainable fashion platform Indigo Bazaar.

- Kelly Elkin from organic sleepwear label ALAS.

- Lisa Heinze author of newly published book Sustainability with Style.

 - Yatu Widders-Hunt published eco writer, blogger at Thinking Fashion and media & communications expert. 

SELLING DREAMS: ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF FASHION PHOTOGRAPHY

Image VIA http://apowl.com

‘Beyond the simple recording of fabric and surface detail, the most memorable images fulfil or challenge the desires and aspirations of the viewer.’

WORDS - aside from those in single quotation marks which have been sourced from the exhibition notes - BY SIGRID (SIGGI) MCCARTHY.

The State Library of NSW’s current exhibition Selling Dreams features the works of many outstanding fashion photographers. The images on display have been drawn from the collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in London, and chronicle the evolution of fashion photography as an art form and as a form of advertising. As stated by the V&A, ‘these images reflect contemporary culture, world events and the dramatic shifts in women’s roles throughout the Twentieth-Century.’

It is clear that the exhibition endeavours to explore the relevance of fashion photography throughout history and indeed highlight that the role of a fashion photographer – as declared by Irving Penn - is not merely to sell clothes, but to sell dreams.

One can only really appreciate how far fashion publications have come if they stop to consider the pre-photography age, when magazines featured engraved illustrations of fashion designs and only had a limited readership. In 1911, renowned photographer Edward Steichen proclaimed his L’art de la Robe series of photographs – printed in Art et Décoration – the first serious fashion photographs ever made. These images were of women adorned in decadent headpieces and glamorous gowns by French designer Paul Poiret.

Each wall of the gallery space in the State Library is dedicated to a certain era of fashion photography. There are plaques that eloquently describe each image’s significance and how the photographer has employed certain techniques to achieve the perfect shot. We are forced to contemplate the brilliance behind these images and I found myself leaving the exhibition with a greater appreciation of these artists and their craft. Apparently Horst P. Horst - the German-American fashion photographer - was so precise that the lighting for a single image could take three days to perfect.

The contexts in which these photographs have been taken are also explored by the V&A and we are given a greater understanding of how fashion photography has engaged in cultural movements over time. One particular movement noted in the exhibition is Surrealism, which began in the early 1920s and influenced photographers to ‘use new techniques and unexpected juxtapositions to challenge perceptions of reality, to amuse and to disturb.’

Being artists, fashion photographers can at times struggle to achieve an image that satisfies both their artistic eye and the magazine’s demands. While Irving Penn was right to say that the role of a fashion photographer is to not only sell clothes, but also to sell dreams, one cannot deny that at the core of any fashion editorial is the drive to sell the designs on display. After all, fashion is big business and these photographers would have nothing to shoot if the fashion houses ceased to exist due to financial hardship. Striking this balance was particularly problematic for Lillian Bassman, who had a strong desire to produce images that evoked a certain mood. The V&A notes that this desire often ‘took precedence over depicting the details of the clothes’ and Lillian was told by the Editor of Harper’s Bazaar Carmel Snow that, “You are not here to make art, you are here to show the buttons and the bows.”

As the decades progressed, fashion photographers continued to look for new ways to reach their audience and to reflect or challenge society. The 1950s saw many fashion photographers adopt ‘a more spontaneous, photojournalistic approach’ - shooting models in bustling streets and public spaces and encouraging more candid imagery. The fashion photography of the 1960s then engaged with the feminist movement as the body was ‘liberated from constricting undergarments and corsetry’ and women began demanding more from the fashion industry and from the world as a whole. Renowned photographers such as David Bailey influenced the trend towards a more youthful look, by working closely with teenage models Twiggy and Jean Shrimpton.

An era of fashion photography that interests me greatly is that of the 1970s. The V&A notes that during this time, photographers ‘tested the limits of acceptable fashion imagery’ and many of the works emerging throughout this decade were ‘informed by the potentially controversial themes of religion and violence.’ The exhibition’s focus on the work of Deborah Turbeville and Sarah Moon was especially interesting, as our attention is drawn to the fact that these women’s ‘contemplative images provided female perspectives on the themes of beauty and sexual objectification.’ I am particularly flawed by Deborah Turbeville’s brave and often controversial portfolio, as there is a striking contrast between her images and those of conventional fashion photography. Her notorious Bath House Series - published in Vogue in 1975 – caused significant outrage from critics who believed the images ‘promoted lesbianism and trivialised the horrors of the Holocaust gas chambers.’ I was thrilled to find some of the images in this provocative series on display in the State Library.  

Moving on to the fashion photography of today, the advance in technology is particularly stark. The images on display in the exhibition highlight just how dramatically the nature of fashion photography has evolved. We realise that the relationship between photograph and narrative has become stronger than ever; 'Today's most dazzling fashion images are rich with colourful and poetic narratives. Big budgets, set designers and multiple stylists are employed to create elaborate fantasies.' This notion is especially clear in the work of Tim Walker - some of which can be seen here. 

Aside from celebrating the work of brilliant fashion photographers, Selling Dreams also makes a point of emphasising the need for great collaboration. We are reminded that, 'Every fashion image is a carefully staged collaboration between magazine, photographer and model, designed to tell a story or to sell a product.' 

Great fashion photography is indeed that which seduces the viewer and draws them into another world - a world of fantasy and unquestionable beauty. The V&A transported me into this world through its gorgeous exhibition and I would highly recommend that you pop into the State Library before the exhibition ends on November  10th 2013. 

The fashion photographers from Selling Dreams:

Baron Adolf de Meyer

Baron George Hoyningen-Huene

Brian Duffy

Bruce Weber

Cecil Beaton

Corinne Day

Craig McDean

David Bailey

Deborah Turbeville

Edward Steichen

Elaine Constantine

Erwin Blumenfeld

Frank Horvat

Genevieve Naylor

Gian Paolo Barbieri

Glen Luchford

Guy Bourdin

Helmut Newton

Herbert List

Horst P. Horst

Ilse Bing

Irving Penn

Jason Evans

Jeanloup Sieff

John Cowan

John French

John Rankin Waddell

Jim Lee

Juergen Teller

Lillian Bassman

Melvin Sokolsky

Miles Aldridge

Norman Parkinson

Peter Rose Pulham

Richard Avedon

Rob Hillier

Ronald Traeger

Sarah Moon

Scott Schuman

Steve Johnson

Steven Klein

Terence Donovan

Tim Walker

William Klein

IN VOGUE: THE EDITOR'S EYE

Image VIA vogue.com

HBO documentary directed and produced by Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato. 

Note: This film will be screening FOR FREE at ACMI as part of Melbourne Spring Fashion Festival. Click here for more info.

WORDS BY SIGRID (SIGGI) MCCARTHY

In Vogue: The Editor’s Eye celebrates the women behind the iconic images of Vogue magazine. It explores how fashion has been a “reflection of our times” and how the images in Vogue have acted as mirrors “to the zeitgeist of the moment.” Following a timeline, the documentary takes us through the evolution of Vogue and introduces us to various notable fashion editors that have helped shape the magazine, keep it relevant and turn it into a household name.

Marc Jacobs aptly described fashion as being “…a fairy tale…a fantasy…it is about metamorphosis” and in many ways Vogue is the platform for people to engage with this concept. Its pages are filled with wonder and a seamless blend of reality and make-believe. Going beyond aesthetics, the editors highlight in this documentary that fashion (and as an extension, Vogue) reflects the changes in the world and is effectively “there to report on the world at large.” Fashion editors collaborate with photographers and other individuals to capture a moment in time that will resonate for years to come. Each has a different style or agenda but in the end they are all attempting to create something that is more than merely an image on a page.

Through interviews with fashion editors such as Grace Coddington, Camilla Nickerson, Anna Wintour, Hamish Bowles, Tonne Goodman, Babs Simpson, and Polly Mellen, we are walked through the corridors of Vogue. The editors themselves initially find it difficult to explain their role within the magazine, however they essentially describe a fashion editor as being someone responsible for producing an image. The role of an editor however has undoubtedly changed over the years, and this is the result of technological developments and bigger budgets. Before Photoshop and airbrushing existed, editors went to great measures to achieve the perfect photograph. Susan Train, Editor at Vogue’s Paris bureau 1951, recalls the lengths she would go to for the shot. On one particular shoot, the model was told to run up the steps so that her scarf would move behind her with the wind. Adamant that she would fulfil her vision, Susan ended up tying some string to the scarf and waving it around while running behind the model. The final image then gave the illusion that the scarf was blowing naturally in the wind, and essentially this is what Vogue is all about - seducing its readers and capturing moments that appear natural and spontaneous, when in reality they are often anything but. The fashion editor is the one jumping through hoops to make sure everything runs smoothly. 

Current Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour explains that the fashion editors at Vogue “…all have genius in them and they all have a deep, deep understanding of what makes a great photograph.” Different fashion editors have injected their unique points of view and strengths in to the magazine over time and various directions have been taken depending on the vision of an editor. Hamish Bowles discusses Diana Vreeland and how she had a dramatic impact on the magazine in the 1960s when she was Editor-in-Chief - “Vreeland expressed a whole kind of giddy, liberated, crazy youth quake moment of the 60s.” While some fashion images are rooted in cultural movements or make comment on society, others engage more with fantasy. Grace Coddington is known for her enchanting story telling and archive of iconic images. She has “…an extremely romantic sort of poetic vision…she likes her stories to have a narrative thread, and there’s always going to be something magical about the way it’s presented” says Bowles.

A successful image is the result of a great collaboration, namely between the editor, the photographer and the subject. We are told throughout this film that the best images are those that provoke some kind of reaction, even if the reaction is critical or downright scathing. When Polly Mellen discusses the notorious set of bathroom images by Deborah Turbeville – which received wide criticism at the time - she notes, “sometimes you have to take a risk.” The best images are not always flattering or conventionally beautiful, but they demand attention and intrigue, or have a degree of authenticity. Alber Elbaz, head designer at French fashion house Lanvin, was initially unimpressed by his Vogue portrait, which was taken by the infamous Irving Penn. It wasn’t until his mother asked him why he looked so sad that he understood at this moment “…Irving Penn did not take a picture of me but he x-rayed me.” It is the editor’s responsibility to work alongside the photographer and the subject to ensure the end product is worth printing.

The group of formidable women profiled throughout In Vogue: The Editor’s Eye all appear to have a relentless passion for what they do / used to do. Tonne Goodman emphasises her gratitude when she says that, “Time is such a precious part of our life, and to be able to freeze a moment – whether it is conjured or whether it is spontaneous – is a kind of gift.” The women are depicted as being very strong, charismatic and outgoing, and Hamish Bowles notes that he admires them for being “very much larger than life, flamboyant, opinionated women.” It is their refusal to bow down to societal constraints and to subscribe to the norms that makes their work so noteworthy. Above anything, we are shown that they each have a keen eye for fashion and a great understanding of what makes an extraordinary photograph. 

“It is a family. It is a slightly dysfunctional family, but it is also a very close and warm and loving family.” – Anna Wintour