Art

Fiona Bennett Hat Shop

| Design & Culture by Ed

To adorn a person’s head is probably one of the most intimate pleasures to celebrate one’s visible personality. Next to the thoughts, the eyes, the ears, the mouth and nose, the sensual relation is almost obvious. In contrary to a mask, which hides and transforms the identity of the wearer, a hat reveals the features of the face, embraces the profile and donates the head with regal attention. It’s a signature to the one who dares to decorate their features as well as it offers a moment of intrigue to the observer. Fiona Bennett does all that with her gifted hands and creations. She passionately revolutionises the classic headwear through a subtle balancing act into new dimensions and unusual, but highly poetic shapes. Her mission and true intention is to invent a perfect frame for an individual. Her precious and most significant attribute as a millinery reserves that one will always recognize the beauty of the wearer first, then, by a second glance, the beauty and art of the millinery. As outrageously visionairy and exquisitly designed her charming creations might be, they never overwhelm or dominate the face underneath. That’s the magic of Fiona and her beautiful boutique-studio in Berlin. For the gorgeous dames, non-chalant mad-hatters and not only.

Potsdamer Straße 81-83 / Berlin

All photos by Edward Kanarecki.

Fidan Novruzova, In Her Own Words

| Design & Culture by Ed

The moment I discovered Fidan Novruzova on Instagram, I knew I wanted to do a collage with her works. Fantastically exaggerated. Intriguing. And “how in the world does this skirt float in the air” were my very first thoughts on Novruzova’s garments, which surprise with their distorted proportions and eclectic charm. Keep this label on your radar, as I’m sure we will hear about Fidan more than once in the future. Here, the Central Saint Martins graduate describes her first collection in her own words:

“My collection is inspired by my Azerbaijani family who came from a small town, moving to a big Soviet capital and it’s about their transition from being surrounded by the elements of South Caucasian domesticity to the pragmatism of big city everyday life, alongside being strongly influenced by 1980’s Soviet movies.”

“My starting point was a trip to Baku last Christmas where I rediscovered our family archive and sourced all kinds of memorabilia, collected various objects from thrift shops representing the era I was researching, that included an ill fitted  1980’s stripy office shirt and a skirt suit. After extensive draping I’ve developed all the silhouettes and the stripes on the shirt were transformed into something almost resembling animal prints.”

“The outerwear piece from look 7 was a mix of a cape traditionally worn by local shepherds and a trench coat which is considered a ‘metropolitan’ staple. The concrete buttons with the Azerbaijani motifs were my way of making something as classic as a trench coat more personal and special, portraying symbols such as pomegranate, Maiden Tower (a 12th-century monument in Baku), carpet motifs and so on.”

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

Cool Sweetness. Cecilie Bahnsen SS20

| Design & Culture by Ed

Cecilie Bahnsen‘s cloud-like dresses have stolen our hearts seasons ago, and they are still extremely in demand. But it’s really pleasing to see that the Danish designer takes a step outside of her comfort zone and delivers new vocabulary to her label. Only Cecilie could pull off tailoring in such a soft, light away – just see those blazers and pants, they are the highlights of the spring-summer 2020 collection. Also, how can you not love the hand-tied ostrich-feather minidresses? With the pier near Copenhagen’s floating neighborhood of houseboats as a show venue, and the cloudy sky as the background, those fluffy, flowing textures had to look even better in reality than on the photos.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

Fantasy. Helmstedt SS20

| Design & Culture by Ed

Hello Copenhagen! The Danish capital’s fashion week started with an actual fantasy. I wrote about Emilie Helmstedt‘s brand not a while ago, so I was really excited to see what she’s up to for spring-summer 2020. In a surreal venue filled with papier mache XXL toadstools and mossy hills, a parade of forest fairies took a stroll to show off their gorgeous dresses and berry-picking-ready outfits. Whether we’re speaking about the floor-sweeping silk gown in purple or one of those frocks in the most adorable strawberry print, next season, according to Helmstedt, is all about fields, nature and gardening. And maybe a bit of magic, too – there’s something whimsy-witchy about this collection. But not in Ari Aster’s Midsommar way, though!

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

Alix of Bohemia And Its Treasures

| Design & Culture by Ed

How about discovering a new brand this Sunday afternoon? The offspring of an Italian textile legacy and generations of French artists, it was at University in Scotland that Alix Verley-Pietrafesa, inspired by the mid-century Bohemians of Paris and the Bloomsbury Group, picked up a needle and began making clothes by hand. Seeking to create pieces which reflected the free-spirited muses of her studies and facilitated adventure, Alix of Bohemia was born, formally established in London in 2009. The last decade has seen Alix living and working in Europe, Asia and the US. Her far-flung travels, stories, techniques and textiles are the canvas of her collections. Alix currently lives between New York and Mallorca where she sews daily in her Ateliers with her team, producing limited runs, one of a kind pieces and custom commissions by appointment. In 2019 the label opened opened its first store in New York. From patchworked bolero jackets (obsessed!) to gorgeous, vintage-y cotton-voile dresses, Alix of Bohemia is all about a nostalgic, made-with-love feeling. Also, it’s very Anita Pallenberg in the 1970s. Here are some of my favourite pieces from the last (and upcoming resort 2020) collections.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.