The brother and sister team of Chris and Nicole Kunz and their label Nicholas K may seem like a new brand on the U.S fashion scene due to their recently acquired hot label status, but they’re far from freshmen. As they close in on a decade of design, it’s important to notice that from the very first looks of their 2003 launch, their work already contained many elements of their naturally signature style. In the following years there has, of course, been experimentation with shape, texture, and construction as they’ve zeroed in on their form of fashion. And as with all of the really strong brands, there has been refinement from season to season, but the style they were going for has been apparent from day one.
story written by Seth Friedermann
photography by Adrianna Favero
styling by Susan Alexandra
hair by Eric Hinczak
makeup by Clara Isabella
models are Aibek and Shelby from Major Model Management
The brother and sister team of Chris and Nicole Kunz and their label Nicholas K may seem like a new brand on the U.S fashion scene due to their recently acquired hot label status, but they’re far from freshmen. As they close in on a decade of design, it’s important to notice that from the very first looks of their 2003 launch, their work already contained many elements of their naturally signature style. In the following years there has, of course, been experimentation with shape, texture, and construction as they’ve zeroed in on their form of fashion. And as with all of the really strong brands, there has been refinement from season to season, but the style they were going for has been apparent from day one.
I was showing someone my photography portfolio recently, when I realized that it really lacks color. I often shoot in color, but very seldom are my subjects colorful. I usually pay more attention to lighting the shape of the subject than creating a mood in any other way. This editorial is an attempt to break into strange territory and intentionally play with color in ways that are new, at least for me. Also, Ashley was able to pull together looks from some really talented designers like modaCYCLE favorites Mandy Coon, Tadashi Shoji, Stacey Clark, and some we’ve never featured before like L’Autre Chose, Sretsis, and Salvor.
photos and text by Charles Beckwith
styling by Ashley Roberts
makeup and hair by Alana Guy
models Catherine and Jillian from Fenton Moon, with Davis and Gabriela from Red
I was showing someone my photography portfolio recently, when I realized that it really lacks color. I often shoot in color, but very seldom are my subjects colorful. I usually pay more attention to lighting the shape of the subject than creating a mood in any other way. This editorial is an attempt to break into strange territory and intentionally play with color in ways that are new, at least for me. Also, Ashley was able to pull together looks from some really talented designers like modaCYCLE favorites Mandy Coon, Tadashi Shoji, Stacey Clark, and some we’ve never featured before like L’Autre Chose, Sretsis, and Salvor. Continue reading “Pop Color Pop”
New York-based designer Bibhu Mohapatra’s creations are complete visual sentences. They clearly communicate an idea which always feels fully realized. His designs possess the rare quality of transparency in process. It is as if the individual history of each piece is on display within the garment. You can see the idea behind the piece that fascinated Mr. Mohapatra in the first place, whether it was a technique an iconic image or a fabric treatment his work is bravely exposed. This clarity of vision may be a by product of necessity as his road to becoming a fashion designer was neither direct nor easy.
story written by Seth Friedermann
photos by Adrianna Favero
stylist Aminah Haddad
styling assistance by Ashley Roberts
hair and makeup by Angel Yu
model is Arianne from RED Model Management
New York-based designer Bibhu Mohapatra’s creations are complete visual sentences. They clearly communicate an idea which always feels fully realized. His designs possess the rare quality of transparency in process. It is as if the individual history of each piece is on display within the garment. You can see the idea behind the piece that fascinated Mr. Mohapatra in the first place, whether it was a technique an iconic image or a fabric treatment his work is bravely exposed. This clarity of vision may be a by product of necessity as his road to becoming a fashion designer was neither direct nor easy.
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“Where I came from in Orissa (now called Odisha, India), there were no fashion schools. We had a great tradition of textiles of fabrics but not design.”
He made it to the United States via a scholarship in economics from Utah State University, but while he was there his experience in a few art classes led the faculty to tell him to apply at FIT. Following school, Bibhu Mohapatra built his reputation at J. Mendel, where he transformed and reinvigorated the label by using previously unseen combinations of materials and textures. Since launching his own line there has been rapid and profound growth in his collections. His designs have become increasingly refined and subtle, yet they have not lost the power to captivate. Mr. Mohapatra has remained a fierce explorer of his own deep imagination.
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Much like his individual pieces, his seasonal collections also bare the stamp of thoroughness. The most illuminating thing I learned during my time visiting with him at the C.F.D.A Incubator was his concept of the life cycle of clothes.
“I can make a great dress. It can be praised and photographed and everyone can love it, but it is not complete until a woman buys it and wears it.”
The intensity and articulate way in which he stated those words reveals the passion and drive behind Bibhu Mohapatra. His designs, his collections, his brand, all matter a great deal to him. He is a smiling, warm, and likable man, but he has the spine of steel and the fire in his eyes that all great artists possess. His most recent collection had more length and less visible complexity than his past efforts but when you looked closer the technique, the imagination, and the degree of difficulty were clearly visible. To see the clothes is to see the artist, and to know the artist is to understand the clothes.
After our recent interview with Agatha Ruiz De La Prada, our photographer Adrianna Favero took some of the renowned Spanish designer’s wildly colorful outfits into the studio.
photography by Adrianna Favero
hair and makeup by Angel Yu
styling by Ashley Roberts
model is Janneke of RED Model Management
garments by Agatha Ruiz De La Prada
ring and earrings by Danika, necklaces by Circa Sixty Three, earrings by Crux, shoes from Luxury Rebel
The interplay between life and death, decay and rebirth, are common elements in the world of art. It is rare, however, for a fashion designer to be able to illustrate these tensions in their work simply as a matter of practicality. Ashley Lloyd, a young milliner based in Brooklyn’s Bushwick neighborhood, balances the grotesque and the beautiful on a razor’s edge. She utilizes a variety of remains and relics that includes skulls, horns, insects and deconstructed birds, among other artifacts.
story by Graham M. Steffen
photos by Ned & Aya Rosen
hair styling by Hitomi Mura
make-up by Isabel Ruiz
model is Theresa from Ford Women
designer Ashley Lloyd
The interplay between life and death, decay and rebirth, are common elements in the world of art. It is rare, however, for a fashion designer to be able to illustrate these tensions in their work simply as a matter of practicality. Ashley Lloyd, a young milliner based in Brooklyn’s Bushwick neighborhood, balances the grotesque and the beautiful on a razor’s edge. She utilizes a variety of remains and relics that includes skulls, horns, insects and deconstructed birds, among other artifacts.
“They affect me, or hold some power over me in some way, shape, or form. I’m drawn to them, whether the attachment stems from fear, nostalgia, or beauty.”
Drawing on inspiration from her childhood in Jacksonville, Florida, where she accompanied her father on hunting and fishing trips, as well as from visits to Italian reliquaries in Florence, Ms. Lloyd makes hats that recall the Renaissance interest in the macabre but also involve the wildlife and naturalism of rural America.
“I love items with a history – remnants of a life once had.”
Viewing the works firsthand, one gains an appreciation of the craftsmanship; each feather, beetle, or bone is delicately and exactingly placed, yet the disorder of nature is still maintained, as though the materials had chosen their own positioning. It is obvious that the creator knows when to step back from a piece and let it stand alone, without fussing over the details.
“Hats hold a unique power and ability to transform their wearers. I love the way hats inform garments and vice versa, and as a result I find a tremendous amount of creative satisfaction in collaborating with fashion designers.”
The pieces may not be instantly accessible by mainstream clientele, but fashion-forward individuals such as Lady Gaga have already been contacting Ms. Lloyd to commission pieces to be paired with the likes of Valentino. This long tradition, wherein two masters in complementary fields are able to reinforce and set off each others’ designs in breathtaking combinations, is likely to be a strong part of Ms. Lloyd’s future.
Agatha Ruiz De La Prada is Spain’s most important living fashion designer. The Spanish people, and in fact the Spanish government, treat her as a national treasure. Her career began in the post-Franco glow of the La Movida cultural moment of the early 1980s and her revolutionary beginnings are fitting for a fashion designer who creates such radical designs. Her clothing is incandescent and filled with whimsy and joy, but to hear her speak is to know that she is a serious artist and a true champion of self-expression.
videography by Stephen Bodi and Daphnee Fortunate
produced by Adrianna Favero and Charles Beckwith
hosted by Seth Friedermann
Agatha Ruiz De La Prada is Spain’s most important living fashion designer. The Spanish people, and in fact the Spanish government, treat her as a national treasure. Her career began in the post-Franco glow of the La Movida cultural moment of the early 1980s and her revolutionary beginnings are fitting for a fashion designer who creates such radical designs. Her clothing is incandescent and filled with whimsy and joy, but to hear her speak is to know that she is a serious artist and a true champion of self-expression.
This is the second episode in the Dream To Seam interview series.
Ned and Aya Rosen recently had the opportunity to work with stylist Vava Marevicheff-Ignatenko. Here is their editorial, featuring garments and accessories by… Ashley Lloyd Millinery, Avant Garde Jewelry, Blank Silk, The Blonds, Circa Sixty Three, CHRISHABANA, Danika, Erik Bergrin, Free Lance, Jac Langheim, Laruicci, L’Autre Chose, Leonid Gurevich, Norman Ambrose, Rynshu, Tarvydas, Triviàl New York, and Victoria’s Secret
photography by Ned and Aya Rosen
styling by Vava Marevicheff-Ignatenko
makeup by Agata Helena using MAC
hair styling by Seiji Uehara @ Ennis
stylist assistant Ashley Roberts
hair assistant Sofiya Pylo
model is Laticia Lamb from One Model Management
Nima Taherzadeh likes playing peek-a-boo with the loveliness that is a woman’s body. In his past collections he’s enjoyed using cutouts and other evident techniques to flash a little skin and accent the sexuality of his clients. His Fall 2011 collection was a very aggressive and still glamorous take on this vision, however his more recent resort collection represented a more decisive and delightful expression of what this intriguing designer has to say. This is a very well-aimed sexy selection, it’s for confident women who want to be compelling and intriguing at any time of day. Consisting primarily of sporty separates and day dresses, the clothes were sophisticated and very playfully sexy. Tailored and structured yes, but in a way that accents the body rather than represses it and creates an impression of control and strength. Mr. Taherzadeh is definitely a fan of his client and wants to use his work to provide strength and confidence.
story by Seth Friedermann
photos by Ned and Aya Rosen
fashion styling by Michael Tucker
styling assistant Ashley Roberts
hair styling by Hitomi Mura
make-up by Isabel Ruiz
models Sofia Monaco and Dace from Ford
Nima Taherzadeh likes playing peek-a-boo with the loveliness that is a woman’s body. In his past collections he’s enjoyed using cutouts and other evident techniques to flash a little skin and accent the sexuality of his clients. His Fall 2011 collection was a very aggressive and still glamorous take on this vision, however his more recent resort collection represented a more decisive and delightful expression of what this intriguing designer has to say. This is a very well-aimed sexy selection, it’s for confident women who want to be compelling and intriguing at any time of day. Consisting primarily of sporty separates and day dresses, the clothes were sophisticated and very playfully sexy. Tailored and structured yes, but in a way that accents the body rather than represses it and creates an impression of control and strength. Mr. Taherzadeh is definitely a fan of his client and wants to use his work to provide strength and confidence. Continue reading “Nima Taherzadeh Resorts To The Strap”
“Frankly speaking, I have to say that I think my sister and I, we were quite naive when we started, which in fact did help us. We are ‘virgin’ so we had nothing that forbid us, there were no borders. We created bags we wanted to wear and there was nothing more than that.” That is an oft repeated truth in the fashion industry. Creating something new and fresh that catches buyer and consumer eyes can, oddly enough, be easier if you don’t know what you’re “supposed” to be doing. Lena Erziak, along with her sister Hasna, is one half of the team behind the fast rising handbag brand that carries her name.
story by Seth Friedermann
photos and styling by Aeric Meredith-Goujon
makeup by Samantha Lennon
hair by Sonia Castleberry
model is Janessa from Soul Artist Management
“Frankly speaking, I have to say that I think my sister and I, we were quite naive when we started, which in fact did help us. We were ‘virgin’ so we had nothing that forbid us, there were no borders. We created bags we wanted to wear and there was nothing more than that.” That is an oft repeated truth in the fashion industry. Creating something new and fresh that catches buyer and consumer eyes can, oddly enough, be easier if you don’t know what the industry says you’re “supposed” to be doing. Leona Erziak, along with her sister Hasna, is one half of the team behind the fast rising handbag brand that carries their name.
It’s easy to get lost in the cold canyons of deep downtown New York. At night it can be an eerie place, dark and claustrophobic. Yet even then there are places of light and moments of beauty.
photos by Aeric Meredith-Goujon
art direction and styling by Seth Friedermann
makeup by Becca Bouchard
hair by Sonia Castleberry
model is Harrington from Fenton Moon
photo assistant Emmanuel Fleurinord
styling assistants Ashley Roberts and Zimir Hernandez
It’s easy to get lost in the cold canyons of deep downtown New York. At night it can be an eerie place, dark and claustrophobic. Yet even then there are places of light and moments of beauty. Continue reading “Downtown, Night – A Photo Editorial”
