design

A weekend in Stockholm



When in Sweden, one should buy Acne, or that’s the mantra I like to live by. So that’s exactly what I did on my mini-break to Stockholm last month. As guests of Visit Sweden, D (Mr DRG) and I stayed at the one-year-old Hotel Scandic Grand Central availing ourselves of its rather unique Blogger’s Inn room. (more…)



The third industrial revolution: On 3D printing and its impact on the fashion industry



Five months ago, BON magazine commissioned me to write about 3D printing and its potential impact on the fashion industry. The best bit was researching it (with some great help from Jen Eleto). I got some incredibly generous insights from the likes of Dutch product designer Sjors Bergmans who made the first wearable 3D printed shoes, Chris Norman, CEO of 3D printing company Kraftwurx, and Peter Hill who runs the fashion digital studio at London College of Fashion. During my interview with Ron Arad, he disappeared to unearth some 3D printed earrings from the back office of his studio. They were made nine years ago – “the first 3D printed consumer accessories”, according to him.

I also spoke to legal expert Kenneth Mullen and commercial strategy consultant Ceci Guicciardi to get their views on how the ease of 3D printing in future will affect copyright laws, while LCF’s Peter Hill even let us use the LCF 3D printers to make some possible designer ‘fakes’ – with interesting results. (Conclusion: it’s early days for this technology but it’s developing fast.) The article has just been published and has had a good response. Some people are calling 3D printing the third industrial revolution, but if you still think 3D printing in fashion means creating 3D textures on a T-shirt, then maybe you need to go to 3D Printshow at The Brewery in Clerkenwell this weekend. (Admission is £19.95 and boooking is advisable. Info here.)

The full article can be found in BON magazine, out now…

UPDATE: You can read an edited version of the article on Business of Fashion

WORDS: Navaz Batliwalla/Disneyrollergirl
IMAGE: BON Magazine



Trend report SS13: Neil Barrett solves the cape-jacket conundrum




Here’s the thing about trying to perch your coat on your shoulders, Hamish Bowles-style. It’s actually very difficult to do. And if you’re trying to walk around like that while keeping your dignity intact, well… good luck to you. But here’s a natty solution, and as usual, it comes from a menswear designer, whose approach is more about problem-solving than decoration. (more…)