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c o n t e n t s

POINT AND SHOOT

The Kooples

Audrey Hepburn

Skinhead Moonstomp

THE WRITTEN WORD

One, Two, Koople My Shoe

Amazing Grace

p o i n t a n ds h o o t

A collection of photography

inspired by life, environment,

fashion, art and my peers.

The collection is a progress of

learning and creativity;

produced to inspire and

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TheKooples.

In adulation to The Kooples,

this fashion shoot was inspired by

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A fashion shoot created to commemorate

fashion’s sweetheart. AudreyHepburn.

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SkinheadMoonstomp.

A photoshoot reflecting on British fashion

and lifestlyes.

Skin.Heads.Against.Racial.PreDjudice.

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Skin.Heads.Against.Racial.PreDjudice.

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Skin.Heads.Against.Racial.PreDjudice.

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Skin.Heads.Against.Racial.PreDjudice.

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Skin.Heads.Against.Racial.PreDjudice.

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t h ew r i t t e nw o r d

Articles written to provoke and inspire

the reader.Reviewing and

inspecting experiences and happenings within

the world of fashion.

True indication of thoughts, views

and interests.

Anglo Français, Franco British. Whatever you want to call it; its chic, beautifully tailored and bang on trend.

The Kooples, (you may or may not have noticed) is a spin from the French pronunciation for couples, and that spin is exactly the whole point and feel of the brand. The Kooples is a brand that oozes the finest examples, of both British and French style. Born of three Parisian brothers in 2008. Alexandre, Laurent and Raphael Elicha,who, before creating The Kooples were part of the creation behind French brand, Comptoir des Cotonniers, and so were no newcomers in fashion. After the family brand was bought by a Japanese company in 2006 the brothers decided to do what they did best and create effortlessly chic fashion. Targeting a new audience; LOVERS.

The collections gain inspiration from a collaboration with world renowned Savile Row tailors Norton & Sons. The brothers themselves, along with their father, were bespoke customers of the London shop before approaching director, Patrick Grant with sketches and a possible partnership proposal in designing and creating the excruciatingly cool garments that The Kooples have to offer. He agreed with their vision and they joined forces to create an infusion that is romantic and flamboyantly french, teamed with sharp, clean cut lines and exquisite tailoring that is quintessentially English.

If you have any interest in fashion you will have seen and explored the advertisements - wonderfully insync couples looking effortlessly cool and sultry, looking at you as a team of beauty from a magazine, a billboard or the side of a bus. The adverts feature real life couples, stating the longevity of their relationship (just to make you realise you want this for yourself) and are complimentarily dressed in The Kooples attire; matching in a satisfyingly well mannered way. Its the “His ‘n’ Hers” for the coolest of folk.

ONE, TWO, KOOPLE MY SHOE.words by KAY FLOWDY

There was a hiatus in the fashion industry for couples, and the “his ‘n’ her” avenue of style. A loss in the ability for couples to dress well together and compliment each other. Gone are the days of try-hard fashion faux pas, a la Ashley and Cheryl Cole circa 2006 with their disastrous Lotto photo shoot; and the leather clad, reigning king and queen of his ‘n’ hers - The Beckham’s. Now with The Kooples doing all the hard work for you; and their growing empire in the UK, there is no excuse.

The whole ethos of the company is to dress couples; whether they are heterosexual couples, or homosexual couples, dressing harmoniously so that they flow together - making all couples who are donned in the collection, easy on the eye and beautifully matching in a non excessive way, both emotionally and fashionably.Each collection that The Kooples have brought out is like a throng of key pieces - staples for anyones wardrobe. Each garment has an affinity with each and every other piece in the collection, creating a conformity within the idiosyncratic world of The Kooples.

The current collection is a wonderful abundance of bottle greens, mustards, tan and burgundy. For me, the most eye catching part of the current collection is a three piece burgundy suit for the boys. It is slim fitted and can make any man look like a dandy gentleman in an instant. And for the girls a beige coat with stand up collar would make you look every inch a Kooples model in an instant. All of the items have a wave of cool through them; one little detail to make them different from any other brand of clothing. It is this attention to detail that has won me over and seduced me into loving The Kooples.

The rock and roll feel you get from The Kooples is very slight, but most defiantly there. The skull details on buttons give the clean cut, sober garments a dangerous edge, appealing to a younger and stylish market. Biker t-shirts and snake belts can grunge up all the looks in the collection and are timelessly aesthetic with each collection that comes out - meaning that when you buy an item from The Kooples; they last, and their style lasts. This is probably due to the fact that they do not delve whole heartedly into trends; but weave the trends into their designs. The Elicha brothers are influenced by music and art and what they like, and so with this personal way of designing their collections of garments seem to have a continuous connection to them, mean that they flow and correlate with each other.

ONE, TWO, KOOPLE MY SHOE.

The Elicha brothers do what they want to do with their brand; not really contemplating what is ‘in’ or a passing fad. I admire this about them; and makes me more enthusiastic about the brand. Wanting to stand out form the crowd is on any fashion lovers agenda and with The Kooples you can do it without looking like a over exaggerated fashion victim. They are a secure and timeless unit who know how to play with the fashion world - and with this they are surpassing expectations for a new brand.

Their independence has led to a dependance on their first love, music. So, with this in mind their sights were felled upon a certain rock and roller; his antics over the years have earned Pete Doherty a somewhat colourful notoriety. A turbulent two year relationship with fashion model and icon Kate Moss, as well as many a dalliance with Class A drugs thrust the ex Libertines and Babyshambles front man into the media and with his disheveled dandy style, he quickly became a fashion favourite of many a young man, and girl who had a vision for a rock and indie lifestyle. Including the Elicha brothers.Substituting one addiction for another, Pete has turned his hand to fashion and has been enlisted by the Elicha brothers and The Kooples to create a mini collection for both men and women which arrived in stores in October this year. Ever the eclectic musician his collection is said to be inspired by doomed Byronic heroes. Featuring Soviet style coats with fur collars and exhibiting his own painting and sketches onto the t-shirts. It seems that Pete Doherty has been a fashion icon for the Elicha brothers for a while, as earlier this year they described Pete and Kate Moss as their ultimate British Kooples couple in a vogue interview, “Today it would be more like Pete Doherty and Kate Moss! Maybe they could get back together?” To me, this fusion of talents is no surprise, as Pete’s style is very much the similar to that of The Kooples, forever dressed in skinny suits and slim fitting shirts; Pete Doherty almost single handedly re-introduced the mod-esque skinny tie which was a major piece of kit for any indie rocker. His slim silhouette and messy hair was seen all over the UK and in Paris, referring back to styles of such actors as Jean-Paul Belmondo in the 1960’s French film À Bout de Souffle and a young Phil Daniels in 1979 British mod film, Quadrophenia. These styles echoing the comparison between London and Parisian styleeven then.

Since opening in 2008 they have exploded in Paris, launching over 30 shops in just 3 years. They came to the UK in November last year, and since then 27 shops and concessions have been opened in England, including Notting Hill, Hampstead, Carnaby Street in London and now Manchester, Birmingham and Bristol. With 5 shops in Ireland and 3 in Spain.They are currently focusing on their massive and rapid expansion in the UK, creating more and more awareness of the brand; but a spokesperson for The Kooples divulged that US expansion is their next goal, and of course, New York is first on the agenda, “In one or two seasons, we would like to open in the US.” “...The energy, the fashion market of this city [New York] is quite similar to London or Paris, so for us it’s logical to open there.”

With this huge expansion and with the brand about to spiral all over the globe I want to be part of this craze early on and get my shoulders snuggly into some of the charming designs of the coats and jackets in the collections, which i think are a major strong part within the brand.

The Kooples couples are magically romantic, professing their love for one another in the clothes they wear and the styles they create. For me they are the epitome of timeless style. Split into equal thirds of luxurious production, street chic designs and rock and roll poise.

AMAZING GRACE.“Grace is the love that gives, that loves the unlovely and the unloveable.”Oswald C Hoffman

words by KAY FLOWDY

Grace Coddington; Creative Director of American Vogue, is one of the few top faces in fashion who still lives for the romantic notion of fashion as art.Her styling is timeless, her job is her art and this artist has exhibited fash- ion for two decades within the pages of American Vogue. Her inspiration? Life! True beauty, that resides within living and being part of our world. We are reminded of such a notion from her generous outlook on life and her complete expressionism while work- ing her daily role in The September Issue.The September Issue of American Vogue is the purest narcotic, the strongest hit and mind blowing high that all fashion junkies crave for, year after year. In 2007 a documentary squad raided American Vogue; lead by documentary director R.J Cutler. It was this score that was to be the big- gest, thickest and heaviest September Issue in American Vogue History.With just these simple facts you know there is going to be some interesting revelations from inside the chapel of fashions ‘pope’ (as she was hailed by a member of her staff) and Editor -in-Chief Anna Wintour. The fact that cutler had accessed the Vogue Vatican was in itself, a miracle; so the fact that you do not see the soul of Anna Wintour laid bare is of no sur- prise. The real revelation is that of Grace Coddington and how she stole the show away from the lady whose powerful reputation of being a ruthless fashion editor became the framework and basis of an Oscar Nominee film in The Devil Wears Prada.

This comes down to the lack of barriers Grace has around her. She wears her heart on her sleeve, and her heart is fashion.While Anna remains shielded by a strict pristine bob haircut and dark infamous sun- glasses, flame haired ex Vogue model Grace is every inch the fairy godmother to the wicked witch; giving sound advice to fellow workers who come under Anna’s scrutiny; sound advice to a worker whose styling ideas were abstained from a colour blocking shoot was “You gotta be tougher... You have to demand because otherwise you’ll be blamed. Don’t be too nice, not even to me!” Her bountiful red hair, porce- lain skin and lack of makeup set her apart from her work

AMAZING GRACE.“Grace is the love that gives, that loves the unlovely and the unloveable.”Oswald C Hoffman colleagues and invites you in. It is almost as if she seduces

you with her dismissal of fraudulent glamour most often linked with the fashion industry. Her crea- tive manner is what keeps her on top, and even by Anna’s own mouth Grace is deemed a “Genius” at what she does.

The tempestuous relationship between cre- ator and curator is what makes this film attention grabbing; it fashions (no pun in- tended!) a more personal view of the wom- en at the forefront of one of the biggest fashion magazines in the world; saving the viewer from the boredom and the stereotyp- ical, ridiculously pretentious behaviour many of the workers featured within the film represent.

The simple fact that these two strong women need eachother in order to succeed means that although their relationship can be strained at times, they maintain an air of decorum and dignity when in eachothers presence. This is illustrated the most when Anna and Grace share an uncomfortable silent elevator ascent when going to view a fashion casting.

Grace’s purist methods when it comes to her work set her above the rest she stands for the artistry of the shoot; and sticks to meth- ods she has done for years; and methods that have obviously worked throughout her career. “I’m one of the last remaining fashion editors who dress the girls myself, I’m told the very modern thing is to; ‘don’t touch the girls’”.This genuine love for her work is evident when she becomes irksome due to Anna’s market minded dismissal of her pieces; disregarding her photos which end up in the scrap pile. But then later wins a battle against Anna when she talks of budgets and cost in front of the camera; enabling her to have more money to play with in her styling and creative direction.

Anna and Grace’s relationship is one of a love/hate alliance. They both know that to move forward you have to keep coming with fresh new ideas; but also appealing to the market. Again emphasising the need they have for one another and the realisation of this is down to twenty years experience and victory within American Vogue.

Grace’s championing over Anna in the September issue is one of peaceful protest. She has a decorum about her which exudes femininity, tranquillity but also power; which comes from her natural ability to view the world in a more lateral sense.

Many times Grace is shot in a silent and reflective mood. Her state of mind makes you feel at ease ith yourself and feel the ability she feels when carrying out her work; opposed to the cringe worthy unease and embarrassment you feel for the Vogue workers, while trying to appease and impress Anna Wintour.

The film not only represents the fashion industry with the funny, morally flawed and almost rediculous ideals that come along with it but aso the passion, hard work and discerned understanding of fashion coming from two women who have strived to become what they are today. Both look towards fresh ideas but are so well established have become old school, in the sense of being wise in what is expected and what will triumph against others. This is one business and social relationship well worth inspecting; and, in turn; relishing in.