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NO.5
Editors
SPECIAL THANKS
CONTACT
FRONT COVER
ROBERT JONES
ANNELISE SEALY
DANIEL LEE HARVEY
SORAAN LATIF
THE SEVEN SHADES OF BLACK
TEAM ALL THE CREDIT FOR THIS
ISSUE SHOULD BE GOING TO
YOU GUYS / MIKE LAWLEY AS
ALWAYS / AARON NELSON / NICOLE
MARSHALLAY / KRISTIAN BERGE
/ MY BROTHER ALEX O'CONNOR /
ANDY ROBEY / DANIEL LEE HARVEY
facebook.com/7sobm
7sobm.tumblr.com
TILMANN ZITZMANNDANIEL LEE HARVEY
ROBERT JONES
SARAH TALLEY
ANNELISE SEALY
JAKE KITE
JESSE KRSTEVSKI
VEEBS SABHARWAL
NICOLE MARSHALLSAY
SORAAN LATIF
NICOLE MARSHALLAY
AUSTE KUZMICKAITE
KARISSA SPARKES
AARON NELSON
SORAAN LATIF
WRITERS
Designers
DAILY CLASSICS
HALEY SMITH INTERVIEW
VINYL ARTICLE
SOFTWAR INTERVIEW
MUSIC
TILMAN INTERVIEW
BAUHAUS REVIEW
Laura Redburn
ART & DESIGN
ASOS INTERVIEW
MANISH ARTICLE
SOPHIE ALEXANDERA TRAYNOR
HOUSE OF H
BJORN ARITCLE
FASHION
contents
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photographyGASTON TORRES
ESDRAS HILGADO
A graphic designer who has become increasingly
popular over the past month or two thanks to his
daily geometry blog which showcase his talents
via the sheer simplicity of his illustrations and
style. He took some time off for us to answer a few
questions about his work, process and thoughts
upon his posts.
INTERVIEWED BY SARAH TALLEY
On your blog you say that you create a new piece
every day, that’s pretty ambitious, what made you
decide to start this project?
I am currently taking a year off from normal work
at the agency to look after my two little kids. (On
a side note: Every father should consider leaving
work for some time. Kids are awesome. Watch
them closely and learn from them!) Therefore I
was looking for a way to channel my creative
energy otherwise. Something that fits between
household work and playground time. Something
that challenges me. Something free from clients’
constraints. Something that is already inside of
me and wanted to get out.
Simple geometric designs always appealed to
me, so I developed the idea to daily create and
publish a minimal graphic composition. I hoped
to be able to do that in the 15 to 30 minutes I
have available each day.
Do you ever run out of ideas or become bored
with working in this specific area of design?
Of course that was exactly what I feared when
I started Geometry Daily. My first goal was to
make it to 100 pieces, now I got past number 160
and hopefully my fuel will last for the rest of the
year. So far ideas are not a problem at all! Every
idea I work out easily leads to ten more ideas. It
feels like I explore an endless multi-dimensional
space of possibilities, with beautiful findings at
every step I take. And then there are those vast
sources of inspiration everywhere. From nature,
arts, design, technology, mathematics to the
most unusual places like astrology or the chaos
of daily life. They act like shortcuts to even more
starting points of exploration. So this might seem
like a rather specific area of design, still it is so
deep, I feel like I hardly scratched the surface.
How does the process begin for each piece, do
you design them on paper first, or do you have
any sort of preparation you do?
First, I try to catch every bit of inspiration
somewhere. Working on geometric designs on
a daily basis made me sensitive to absolutely
anything that could lead to a visual idea. I take
a photo, I sketch, I write down.
On paper, on my iPhone, on the MacBook. That
leads to huge messy heaps of inspirational bits
everywhere, in the analog as in the digital realm.
On my laptop’s hard drive there is a series of
Adobe Illustrator files that I work on whenever
I have some minutes free. All the ideas end up
here side by side in a happy colorful crowd. The
rough development and selection happens here.
Then each daily artwork is put into a separate file,
then brought over into Photoshop, processed,
then the JPG is uploaded to Tumblr.
Do you find that your teaching ever generates new
ideas for your art? What has been your experience
as both a teacher and a creator?
Yes. Working with such talented young people
at the university is a blessing for me and my
work. First, they ask the relevant questions
and are full of fresh and extraordinary ideas. It
keeps me on my toes to keep up with what they
have in mind. Also, teaching forces me to deal
with the very basics of design: Questioning,
thinking, development, graphics, composition,
typography, layout. It does not generate ideas
directly, but switching between creating and
teaching surely is a huge help to keep my mind
fresh.
Do you have any other forms of media or
subjects that you like to use outside of your
current project?
Actually I am an interaction designer, working
mostly on online projects for years. Websites,
apps, digital media. But excellent interaction
design also needs excellence in many other
visual disciplines, from layout to graphics and
typography. That is why I try to be a good designer
overall. I am driven by the endless possibilities of
digital networked tools. It feels natural to me that
a large part of Geometry Daily happens digitally,
from inspiration and ideation to development
and publishing.
I’m also an amateur photographer and sometimes
I sketch a bit.
Your work has a lot of postmodern elements,
specifically like those of the De Stijl. Do you find
that previous artists influence your work at all?
Absolutely. De Stijl, Bauhaus, constructivism,
hard-edge painting, Swiss design, etc., etc. There
are so many artists and designers who I admire
and who got me working in this field.
What do you hope to convey to those viewing
your work?
I started it because I wanted to create something
relevant and beautiful and share it with the world.
After several months I slowly realize that I picked
geometry for a reason: There is a certain set of
rules I can rely on. If I draw two overlapping
circles, their edges will always cross in exactly
two points. If I draw two equal shapes or more,
they always create a rhythm. The angles in an
equal-sided triangle are always 60 degrees. These
rules feel simple, but create infinite possibilities, a
multi-dimensional space to explore. I see endless
beauty in these rules. It feels like all the beauty is
already there, I just need to make it visible. That
is what I want to do with Geometry Daily.
Rather than more traditional methods, you display
your work through your blog. What has been your
experience with having others follow your work
on a daily basis? Have you had any interesting
responses to your work, either positive or negative?
The feedback has been absolutely staggering.
On Tumblr alone over 1.900 people are following,
many more on Facebook, Twitter and RSS. It blows
my mind that so many want to see the next daily
post. It's incredibly motivating.
Also I'm floored by how many great like-minded
people I meet. There is hardly a day without
somebody writing from any corner of the world.
Just to say hi, get in touch, give feedback, ask
for advice. Surprisingly, there is a great number
of musicians and producers who ask for a
composition to use it for the cover of their next
album, digital release or even tape.
Publishing on the internet was the perfect way to
go, a free and easy way to publish world-wide. All
the attention I get, I owe it all to the kind people
that re-blogged, tweeted, and blogged the hell
out of Geometry Daily. Thank you very much!
Please keep it up, tell your friends!
Do you have further plans for the future of
Geometry Daily?
Many have asked for real prints of Geometry
Dailies, as well as t-shirts. I am still looking into
the possibilities of digital or manual printing. There
will definitely be a way to buy stuff in the near
future, at the moment I'm just busy with keeping
up the daily schedule. And I don't want to spoil
this fun project with mediocre quality.
Tilman Zitzmann's tumblr
Bauhaus Art as Life is a time capsule exhibiting
the first steps and the fall of one of the most
influential and revolutionary design institutions
ever created. Teachers at the institute included
some of the most important artists and designer
within the past century including Paul Klee, Wassily
Kandinsky and Theo van Doesburg. From graphic
design, architecture, interior design and even
textiles they have had a huge effect on current
designers and artists. They were the driving force
behind modernism and tried to change society
through design in the aftermath of WWI. Split into
ten sections, the exhibition guides you through
each of these phases and sections within the
history of the Bauhaus.
Bauhaus Art as LifeWritten by Soraan Latif
Farkus MolnarDesign for a single-family
house, 1922Tempera over pencil on paper
Bauhaus-Archiv BerlinPhotograph: Markus Hawlik
The exhibition started naturally with the creation
of the school when Walker Gropius founded the
school by merging the Academy of Fine arts and
the School of Arts and Crafts in 1919, Weimar. This
was at a period of time when Germany were still
coming out of the ruins of WWI, social and political
changes were happening across the country.
Art was also undergoing its own revolutionary
changes around this period with cubism, futurism
and constructivism cropping up across Europe
within the early parts of the twenty century. Their
radical ideas and thinking influenced the early
illustrations that started to shape the Bauhaus
style. Rather than making realistic illustrations
they were more interested in shapes, lines being
bold and assertive. I also learnt lots of new things
within the first few rooms of the exhibition for
instance that I never associated with Bauhaus.
I never knew for instance that they were so
involved in crafts, material, textiles and sculpture.
Whenever I think about Bauhaus I always think
about grids, typography and architecture but of
course this had to take time to develop, years in
fact, viewing the stages within the progressions
of the school you can really appreciate how long
it takes to create a distinct style. It would be hard
to initially tell that one of these earlier pieces
are created by Bauhaus, I personally wouldn't
have guessed it in a million years. Yet there are
still signs of the style, even in the early stages.
There's a lack of texture and a flatness to some
of the earlier pieces which links up perfectly
with their graphic design later on for instance
or the futuristic shapes and geometric casing
of the kettle on the right. Its great to see the
progression as you walk around the exhibition, it's
exciting to see so many years of art and design
flow and link together perfectly. The area that
really caught my attention within the early parts
of the exhibition was third section entitled, Salute
to the Square. There is a clear jump forward in the
schools approach and designs within the period
after 1921 when Theo van Doesburg joins the
school, bringing with him the De Stiji style that he
created. A few years later you have Hungarian
artist Lásoló Moholy-Nagy also join the school
in 1923. After this point you can view a greater
rise to a more geometric approach to the arts
and crafts they produce.
Marianne BrandtTea service, 1924
Tombac, nickel silver, silver and ebony
Klassik Stiftung Weimar, Bestand Museen
Herbert BayerPostcard no. 11 for the Bauhaus exhibition in Weimar,summer, 1923Colour lithograph on cardboardBauhaus-Archiv BerlinPhotograph: Markus Hawlik
Walter GropiusDiagram of the Bauhaus curriculum, 1922LetterpressBauhaus-Archiv Berlin
The main attraction to me though as a graphic
design student was the fourth room, Instruments of
Communication. This is where all the typography,
layouts, grids, advertisements and posters are.
This is what our perception of Bauhaus is today.
It truly opened my eyes while I was gazing upon
their work, I knew already that they were years
ahead of themselves but seeing these pieces in
the flesh makes a vast difference. You can see
the pencil marks that have created the Universal
typeface for instance. It looks so modern, even
now, but to think that it was created over eighty
years ago. The typographic logos created for
a small soap company, the packaging. All of it
was and still is beautiful. Lásoló Moholy-Nagy
helped create and developed a unified style of
design, one that was clear and provide efficacy.
Everything became more simplistic, from the
use of colour to the amount of information on
the work, even breaking up the design with the
use of bars and lines. Right now at university
this is exactly what we are being taught now,
how to communicate a message effectively. The
principles that they created then still exist today.
There were so many pieces that I hadn't seen
before too like the the Kanden logo created by
Herbet Bayer for instance. With no exaggeration
what so ever, this could have been designed
yesterday. It's bold, perfectly circular shape with
a clean, crisp and modern typeface all in black
with a light cream background. It still amazes
me how this was done over seventy years ago.
There are so many hidden gems like this throughout
the exhibition with over four hundred pieces of work
on display there is no way in my mind any
designer who knows anything about Bauhaus
could miss this. This is such a rare experience
to see all of this work within one space, it was a
privilege to spend a few hours there. Make no
doubt about this, you have to see this exhibition,
it would be incredibly foolish not to. I haven’t
even mentioned the rest of the exhibition which
takes a closer look at photography, artichectire
and interview design. The exhibition covers
everything about Bauhaus, including the letter to
the students informing that the school was being
closed down. By far one of the best exhibitions
that I've been to in the past view years.
Bauhaus: Art as Life at Barbican Art Gallery,
London 3 May – 12 August 2012
László Moholy-NagyProspectus cover for 14 Bauhaus books, 1928Black and red print on white paper with wire bindingBauhaus-Archiv Berlin
AILYCLASSICSW R ITTEN BY DA N I EL LEE H A RV EY
Everyone connects differently to music; certain
tracks we tune into can stern feelings that
relate to our childhood, it can even stimulate
specific senses like a smell, a taste to picturing
a mental image in our minds. We control our
own frequencies, we as individuals decide what
music we listen to and we as individuals will use
it to influence our thoughts as well as our image.
Music has a constriction on the most of us, it
follows our everyday sequences, we use it to
energise, to reminisce, to show reflection of
ourselves to simply winding down in relaxation.
Music is a language, a voice that changes
depending on its location, its audience and the
message it injects upon society. We aslisteners
channel an energy similar to the onethe artists
have felt while creating it. The reason why we
connect to a piece because it has stimulated
a sensation within, a sound, a voice, a lyric
to the projection of a artist when it comes to
expressing can trigger a whole globe of opinions
and thoughts. I love the connection people make
to artists and I love the impulse effect it can cause
to other people particularly at events. You stand
waiting in a crowd in anticipation, the curtains
are closed, the spotlights are reflecting upon the
many faces of smiles, the curtains arise and a
crescendo of noise shoots through your body,
the artist walks on stage showing a appreciation
to everyone in the venue and begins to sing, that
first note is when you begin the connection, the
link between yourself and them.
At Seven Shades of Black, I thought it would
only be necessary to start something in relation
to what I’ve been describing, a daily classic
and by classic, I mean a record that has had a
great impact. Pioneers, innovators, people that
glanced upon the scene and decided to create
something of their own without following the rest
of the tribe, the artists that sang with no fear, the
producers that understood every element there
was in music, who conducted and bought out
the best of the people they worked with to the
musicians and djs that encapsulated a essence
and channelled it out to a open audience. I
wanted it to be an integral element to the music
section of the magazine. I thought to myself that
this would be a brilliant opportunity to show
admiration to the artists of the past and offer
an insight into their work.
I started the process right at the very beginning
while issue 1 was still in the pot waiting to be
stewed in creativity. I approached Soraan with
the idea and he decided to take it on and ever
since it has become a rock for all that we do
here. Seven Shades of Black is a magazine
that aims to give people a projection into
underground talent, that shows respect and
admiration to the innovators of the media and
arts industry and allows writers, designers,
photographers, the whole team to be who they
want to be, we don’t believe in barriers, we
believe in freedom, the freedom to express
openly and to give others a portal to connect
to our words and images. I have loved my time
here and it has given me the space to flow and
to talk about subjects and concepts I have had
stuck in my head which I felt difficult to express
with other magazines without following their
conventions of writing, but here it’s open and I
respect that hugely.
The Daily Classics has received huge amounts
of support from blogs that have reposted our
content and it has become a highlight to many,
something I am incredibly grateful for. I do
it for the love of music and I try to keep my
mind open to as many sounds as possible, I
believe everyone should show respect to the
past, all the genres we listen to now, started a
journey somewhere, a individual looked upon
the industry and took the opportunity to define
a change, to create something that would then
create a movement for others to follow. Everyone
should appreciate that, we as lovers to music
understand that the industry yearns and turns
for fresh substance, it changes, it evolves and
rebounds depending on what is popular in the
current market, but for me, the legends we have
made by following and connecting to their art will
never be emulated, they will remain intact and
they will influence others for many generations
to come no matter what happens.
In essence, this is my way of showing who has
had a huge impact on me, to show unsung and
forgotten heroes and to give a projection into a
variety of genres and records that injected the
industry with innovation. This is only my tastes
though and I wanted to see what other people
would do, I selected a team of writers and I’m
hoping they will give you a good glance into
their music tastes, I just love seeing people
establish a connection to a piece of music and I
think it’s only right to see another person illustrate
it. I’m glad to see so many of you enjoy it, but I
think it’s my time to let go of it slightly and allow
it to grow and shoot down a different path, just
remember though to keep open to as much as
you can and to share those records we consider
as classics to the rest of the planet!
HALEY SMITHWRITTEN BY DANIEL LEE HARVEYPHOTOGRAPHY BY BLUEBIRD PHOTOGRAPHYSTYLING BY LESLIEPENNEL
like Alicia Keys and John Mayer really impacted
me, I experienced more things in my life which
I could relate to through the lyrics of their songs
so that helped me to push myself when it came
to creating music of my own.
You’ve released a 3 track E.P called A Baby
and a Queen; it’s has a concoction of jazz and
folk sounds, what were your influences while
creating it?
I was listening to a lot of Janis Joplin, she has
influenced me a lot when it comes to artistry, I
read her biographies, listened to her tapes and
sobbed, she was a beautiful soul, pretty much all
I listened to while I was writing it. I loved her then
and I will love her now, a true inspiration of mine.
Janice was a huge soul artist who injected a
message upon society and with your tracks,
they reflect more on the inner-being and how
our emotions can often constrict ourselves
when wrapped up in love or hate, what was your
innovation?
I believe in keeping it true, stick to what you know,
I write what I feel and if people can relate to that
then I’m only thankful.
In today’s market, there’s a lot of soul artists,
people like Adele are holding the beacon up to a
lot of these upcoming singers and then there folk
like Amy Winehouse who didn’t restrain herself,
she just allowed it to flow out without it being
filtered, when I watch earlier performances of
I love it when I find pure souls floating around
on the internet and Haley Smith is one of them.
Her voice is like a bonfire, a singe of warm and
crisp flavours. Haley uses her pool of influences
to create a sound that is exclusive to her.
Her album ‘‘A Baby and A Queen’’ is a three
track splendour. The opening song Poison
Apple is soaked inemotional integrity. It has
all the traditional elements, the lyrics that tell
a narrative, a key instrument that overshadows
the leaps and jumps in the vocal range and of
course the voice which is packed with feeling
and depth. The second song on this album
however is the one that caught me off my feet.
It’s an acapella, there is no flaunts or added
dimensions, it just her. I haven’t experienced
the hustle and bustle of 1940’s New York or the
spotlight shows in smoky jazz cafes but that
track can take you there. Singers have the
aptitude to teleport you to a time in the past or in
the future. I admire her compassion and respect
for such a complicated art and she shows real
gratitude for all the support she can get. I decided
it would only be necessary to hold an interview
with her and here’s the proof.
When did your passion for music start?
Ever since I was little, I had a lot of respect for
artists like Aaliyah and listened to her music a
lot to the point I became obsessed with her, I
was really upset when she died. I started music
lessons when I was about 11 or 12 and that’s when
I really started to get into it. 14 and 15 was the
age I started to precipitate different artists, people
her, she reflected different mannerisms of these
1960’s Motown acts but still manages to keep it
in time with our generation, when it comes to you
performing, do you think about what’s happening
in today’s market and how singers are doing it now
or do you try to keep in touch with the past and
remain to show reflection to soul and jazz legends?
Wow, that’s a very good question haha; I don’t
really have a conscious on what I do, I just keep
it open and depending on the audience and the
venue, I will connect differently but I don’t over
think it, it can often numb creativity. I’ve been told
that I look very confident when I play but inside,
it’s like a brick wall falling, I get very nervous.
But I like that about an artist, it shows their
human, I rather see someone connect with you
on an emotional level instead of the way they
look physically or the way they hit notes like they
have been told before the show to do it, it’s very
mechanical and it makes me think are they more
about the music or the theatrics of a performance?
Yes I agree with that, I don’t believe in overdoing
it or acting in a certain way just to please the
guideline measures, I balance between the two,
try to remain on top of my emotions and the way
I conduct myself to a crowd of people.
I was suppose to say this question earlier on but
I’m going to say it anyway, What is your approach
to song writing?
I can’t sit down and force myself to write
something, I really have to be in the thick of a
emotion to find a narrative, I wrote something
the night before this interview and it’s something
I’m very proud of, it just flowed out of me, I was
writing what I was feeling and thinking and it
portrayed the exact message I had wrapped up
in my emotions. I wish I could write faster, but I
can’t and I believe forcing something out instead
of allowing it to come out naturally can often ruin
the quality and the meaning.
In terms of the subjects you cover in your songs, I
felt a lot concepts revolved around love, am I right?
Yes, the songs on my E.P were all about the same
guy and I don’t feel that way about him now.
One of your songs is called Poisoned Apple, you
planning on killing him?
Haha it’s more he poisoned me, I remember how
jealous I felt and I was never a jealous girl, I felt
terrible at the time, it just wasn’t who I was, I
was pulling one of these b girl faces just saying
what to myself, but yeah I have evolved from
that and I feel that love can be one of the most
powerful emotions to express, even if it has slight
ingestions of jealousy!
I’m going to ask you one of the most clichéd
questions imaginable which I’m pretty certain,
every music journalist has asked at some point
of their career, but here it is anyway, if your house
was in a burning blaze and you could only take
one record with you, what would it be and why?
I would take my Janis Joplin Pearl vinyl; I got it at
this rustic store in downtown Atlanta and it means
a lot to me and at the time I was experiencing
emotions similar to her own and I instantly made
that connection with her. She is a beautiful woman
and I have huge pocketfuls of respect for what
she did and what she stood for during her reign
as an artist.
I know the guitar is your key instrument when it
comes to constructing your music, but if you had
the opportunity to expand, would you?
Yes actually, there are so many instruments in
records that I would hear and ambient sounds
that my ears get attracted to, it would be good to
start experimenting and getting other members
on board, but yeah I really need to start opening
up my horizons when it comes to learning new
skills that will help me develop my sound. I loved
the time when I was working with beat maker
Languid; he produced a lovely remix of one of
my tracks Heavy Heart.
With soul, there’s a duality of moods and narratives,
artists like Erykah Badu often take influence from
a subliminal force, a world that revolves around
futuristic concepts, she draws in these emotions
and relates it to political methods and then there’s
others that will only induce themselves on love,
Amy Winehouse for example, who foretold the
biography of her live, speaking of relationships,
drinking to doing drugs to giving a foresight of
her tragic end. She used her art as a mirror to
her habits and addictions; do you feel that there
is a divide when it comes to expression in this
particular genre of music?
It depends really on the person, everyone comes
from different backgrounds and ages and that can
often reflect the content of the music, but yeah
like you already mentioned, artists like Erykah
stood out of the industry because they were so
elaborate and different on what they did, almost
like she was from another planet telling us the
vision she had depicted in her head and with
Amy Winehouse, she was nostalgic and echoed
many female Motown singers, so there is a divide
there but that’s only 2 out of the package so I
can’t decide haha!
You first started posting on YouTube, doing covers
of songs with a microphone and your guitar, as you
know, YouTube is very competitive and there are
many others out there striving to get recognition
for what they are doing, do you have any advice
you can offer to them?
Just be true to yourself, don’t get manipulated
or disheartened because no one understands
your work first, you can’t expect everyone to love
it straight away, just keep on releasing music
as much as you can and make sure to show
appreciation to what is around you, speak to artists
on a similar level to yourself and comment and
critic each other’s work. I’m not big at all on this
YouTube thing and there are people out there who
have millions of followers, I’m just happy people
follow my work and I can just be me.
Going back to that millions of followers statement,
do you feel that some of the artists are almost
constricted to a trait, let me explain that better,
say there’s a girl who has a good appearance
and not a so good voice yet manages to pull a
huge audience compared to someone who is
the opposite?
That varies really, some are doing singing
because of the way the media has compacted
it in advertising, oh so and so is a singer, I’m
going to try it kind of thing without actually taking
it into serious consideration, it does anger me
when people on that level will result to do other
things in order to get a audience of clickers but
hey it isn’t my worth to complain, I just respect
the people that work hard and do it purely for the
love and appreciation of music.
The 1960’s was very interesting for music,
particularly because it brewed a lot of controversy
and activism in music, soul and rock & roll artists
were labelled as messengers from hell, the music
that can turn the normal everyday people into
crazed party animals, but it wasn’t like that, it’s
the lack of knowledge and understanding that
made them label it in such a way and I feel it’s
the same for a lot of underground music out there,
people will touch base upon it and that will be it
until seeps through onto the commercial market,
what are your thoughts about this?
It is sad when that happens, white people of
the 1960’s who like black music were accused
as devils because the rest of society was into
something else, we take everything in turns, if
something is popular, people tend to keep on
top of it no matter the content being produced
and for everyone who is into the underground
scene, you need to search for it harder and I
believe that you’ve already made a connection
to that artist for battling through everything else
just to listen to their material.
You’re a multi-talented artist who has the capability
to write, play and sing, is your family musical at all?
Ha why thank you! More my dad’s side really,
my dad plays piano and sings in a choir and my
grandma too sang in a choir and played piano
and there’s a piano kept in their house in Alabama
so yeah and my mum’s side of the family was
more the listeners to the music, the people that
perceived and loved it for what it is, both me and
my mum are excessive listeners and she shares
music with me and I share music with her, I’m
glad of all the support I have received of them,
my whole family in general, lovely people.
And last of all, do you have any new material in
store that our readers can check out in the future?
I have, I have written a few songs that have quite
a strong folk feel to them, but there’s still a lot of
soul there and soul will always be the foundation
for what I do, in terms of themes I will talk more
about my experiences when overcoming certain
points within my life and the process of growing
up, I’m excited about it and it should hopefully
be ready very soon.
Haley Smith's soundcloud
L e t 's G e tp h y si c a l
Two fresh faced disc jockeys came bounding up
to a friend of mine recently, eager to bend his ear
into giving them a chance to prove themselves at
a local club night in town. Knowing people that are
just starting out on that journey is encouraging -
evidence that records still stir something deeper
in a listener, keeping independent shops alive
and record markets popular. But during this
conversation I had a revelation that changed my
perception of these keen lads - the monolithic
marketplace of "eBay" had been uttered. It is the
perfect place to track down elusive records and
gauge the going price for current gems, which is
something I massively appreciate about it. The
two DJs stood before me were a new breed,
however, with no favourite record shops or distant
markets used for sourcing. Instead, they swore
by a method of aggressive bulk buying akin to a
cash and carry warehouse, purely thanks to eBay.
They revealed a ruthless method and condensed
it into a series of steps:
1) Search eBay for boxes of records
2) Narrow it down further into genre-specific
collections
3) Buy boxes of 500+ records only
4) Repeat until a desired collection has formed.
It sounded cold to me, detached completely from
the process of purchasing records that separates
it from downloading. It removed the process of
flicking through a rack, deducing if a record was
decent from limited clues, holding it, perhaps
having a listen and a traditional bit of shop dealer
chit chat. Being told of this belligerent purchase
style was a disappointment at first, but the real
concerns passed me by until an excursion to
Spitalfields Market.
The market is always worth the time and effort
to get there - traders that know how everything
in their stock sounds and deliver a service to
encourage you back again. The general hubbub
at Spitalfields beats the split second moment of
hope as you search eBay for that missing piece
to your collection. The issue with bulk buying from
members of the public online is simple to see, but
costly to alter now it is such a well-established
method for us to shift unwanted gear. Markets
allow you to put money back into the system,
sometimes more visibly than a record store with
a rapid turnover of stock. Markets should always
offer you a bespoke service when searching
for records too; competition around them is so
similar in terms of knowledge and stock, and
only a great service can differentiate them. One
bad experience can put you off a trader for a
long time. By handing over money to a faceless
member of the online public you gain no service
and build no real contacts for further buying. A
market trader will give you a deal, know you by name
and keep an eye out for the records you are after. And
all simply because you show loyalty to them, even if it
is only £20 every couple of weeks! It is their living and
they cannot afford to just chuck a random box of vinyl
at you like some bloke on eBay clearing out his "Liquid
Dubstep" phase - they show the same passion for it as
the buyer.
Two newcomers buying a few boxes filled with random
dance records are not going to be the downfall of record
shops and market dealers, but it is harmful if these
people never experience buying records physically. The
collector and trader are in the uphill struggle together,
but it manages to keep ticking over regardless due to
this unique buying experience. Of course you cannot
ignore the financial importance of buying from the
market traders or local record stores, simply to throw
the independent industry a lifeline. It is a sad thought,
though, when people with a burgeoning interest in
records seek it only in its online form of trading. Get to
the shops, the market; get to know your local dealer. If
you stay tapping away for vinyl online it becomes hard
to see what separates a record from a download with
all the personal bells and whistles removed.
Written by Robert Jones
Photography by Harry Lawford
SoftwarInterviewed by Jesse Krstevski
zoftwar consists of Myles Du Chateau and Jeremy
Lloyd. Hailing from Sydney, they have been
making waves on Australian beaches and abroad
with their new release This Time Around, released
on the influential local label Future Classic. Softwar
are attracting attention from all the right people,
with their most recent effort being included in
disco tastemaker The Magician’s monthly Magic
Tape as well as being featured on a Kitsuné
compilation. Having remixed the likes of Azari &
III, Two Door Cinema Club, Groove Armada, Bag
Raiders and The Temper Trap, the hard work is
now being rewarded with regular slots at music
festivals and monthly club residencies. We were
lucky enough to speak with Softwar about music,
vinyl and parties.
You two met in 2005 and it's now 2012, were many
of these seven years spent working on the This
Time Around EP?
Haha, would kind of like to say yes, but it’s not
true. We practically started working on the EP
mid-2011 as a rough draft kind of thing then
fortunately had the final proof just after Christmas.
A belated Christmas gift if you will.
The title track features some very 90's vocals
and piano, can you tell us about which
musical influences you were channelling when
making the EP?
Yes yes there is definitely a 90's vibe. We often
find ourselves mixing a lot of this type of stuff into
our live shows and mix tapes, so it was always on
the cards. As for musical influences this would be
guys like Azari & III, Wolf and Lamb, Tensnake
& Inner City to name a few.
As expected, the release has received warm
praise from the likes of Azari & III, Toby Tobias,
Slow Hands and the Melbourne Deepcast crew.
Super pleased to have guys like this supporting
the EP, a little surreal to be honest.
You use vinyl during some DJ sets, do you have
a large record collection?
We indeed do. We have a fairly decent sized
collection as is, but it’s growing day by day. Our
last trip to New York was spent mostly in record
shops, only downfall was the cost to bring them
all back!
What is your favourite record and what is the one
record want the most?
Too many to name!
On the topic of vinyl, so much of its appeal is the
visual aspect. The stylish Future Classic white
sleeves come emblazoned with the logo in gold.
What are the best 3 vinyl cover artworks you've
come across?
Mystery Meat records from NYC, Lets Play House
and instruments of Rapture are pretty nice
The Slowblow parties in Sydney are lucky enough
to have you every month and you were in New
York last September, have you got any more
international ventures planned?
Thanks. Yeah its always fun to play at Slowblow
- Its the kinda party you promise not to stay up
too late but always get home at 6am… always
delivers. As for overseas we are hoping to hop
onto a mediocre airline mid-2012 to do a smallish
European/US trip.
Is there a place or a club that you'd like to play
at most?
Morocco somewhere suss.
What are your views on the current music scene
Down Under?
It seems like there's boundless talent being
exported, whether it be Future Classic, the
aforementioned Melbourne Deepcast, and various
Modular artists such as Beni, Cut Copy and
Canyons.
The scene is very good. Lots of parties and heaps
of new acts on the rise, it’s good to be part of it.
Thanks to Myles and Jeremy for their time.
You can listen to Softwar’s ‘Orange’ Colour Flight
Mix here.
'A spectre is haunting Europe - the spectre of ASOS'
Undoubtedly, most readers will have come across the once-modest brain child of Nick Robertson
and Quentin Griffiths. Based in Camden Town – with a second home in Barnsley – ASOS and its
2,000-strong base of employees is now synonymous with value, prompt delivery, and accessibility,
setting a new benchmark for online customer service and quality. At an unprecedented rate of
growth, ASOS has developed into the UK’s largest online-only fashion store, earning a cool £339.7
in the 2010-2011 financial year. The ASOS empire, by way of providing free shipping, an original
brand, and taking enterprise in the affordable labour markets of developing nations, such as India,
has forced many of its local and international competitors to pull up their socks – but as ASOS
stocks persistently rise and the brand continues to stretch its wings, does it threaten to stifle local
industries that cannot face up to the fashion world’s new Goliath.
'Quality, cool, and cost-efficient'
ASOS has managed to avoid an age-old curse of the fashion industry: polarising its target
demographic. Many fashion-savvy consumers would be happy to turn up their nose at a brand that
slashes the retail value of its products in a market where being able to charge exorbitant prices
reflects upon the brands idea of self-worth; despite this, ASOS has managed to become the guilty
pleasure of many and the affordable alternative for thousands. Often when a brand sells cheaply,
it carries with it a certain stigma – a bad taste that cannot be easily removed. How is it, then, that
ASOS has managed to get around this problem, widening its market from the everyday consumer
and to the bargain-hungry fashionista? Much of ASOS’s fame can be owed to its decision in 2004,
4 years after its initial inception, to launch its own ASOS brand. The ASOS own brand for women
was warmly received by critics for its surprisingly high quality products that sold for prices that
didn’t match their exceptional build; this line threatened to usurp the then king of affordable fashion,
Zara, segueing an ASOS own line for men three years later, and allowing the brand to survive a
warehouse fire in which it lost £5m of stock.
With such growth, there come many benefits for consumers and the fashion world alike:
Firstly, high style is more accessible to the masses – the average punter will have access to a
market which previously may have been out of their grasps. Sure, whilst ASOS cannot single-handily
increase the purchasing power of individuals, it does give a variety of alternatives to consumers
that, despite desiring to dress in a more fashion-conscious manner, may have shied away from the
idea of buying a pair of chinos that retail for £150;
ASOS and the little guy -the rise of an empire, the fall of local design. Written by Jake Kite
made, insisting that products made on home soil
are made with greater care, precision, and are
more reliable; however, this only results in prices
of locally produced garments being much higher
than those of companies like ASOS, in a bid to
make a profit after the higher wages paid to first-
world employees, not just for the luxury of having
the brand name. It’s not hard to see why cheap
online shopping has suffocated local industry;
for example, I, from my house on the North of
Melbourne, can order 3 pairs of trousers from
ASOS that will arrive within a working week for a
price that would scarcely get me a pair of jeans
produced in Australia by a Melbourne designer.
Inevitably, local brands will sink under the
pressure, and understandably so – at the end
of the day, they exist to make a profit. This lack
of industry only exacerbates the problem in
the sense that if the government doesn’t see
potential of growth, they are unlikely to bolster
the textile and design industry with government
subsidies, above all in the past turbulent months
of Eurozone Crisis.
So, what now are will be the overarching
consequences of seeing our local fashion
economy brought to its knees? And what are
some of the things keeping the local scene afloat?
One of the last bastions of local designers is the
shopping experience. The shopping experience
will simply never be replicated by any website,
no matter how hard it tries. All the memberships
and discount codes in the world will never replace
the joy of conversing with a designer or shop
assistant about a piece of locally made clothing,
a piece that reflects the local scene, like how an
individual landscape is reflected in painting of a
Secondly, ASOS’s London
design houses give
rewarding opportunities
to local designers who
otherwise may have
been lost in the sea of
competition – changing
and employing a variety of designers from all over
the capital allows ASOS to be flexible, to react,
and change as the designers and their influences
change, an aspect which is reflected in ASOS
wide range of designs and directions of style.
Most of all, fashion should allow for the youth
to come through, to let their presence be felt;
Lastly, it puts pressure on some of the high-end,
haute couture based fashion entities to react in
a positive way – for instance, if a consumer can
find a jacket and/or dress of similar design and
craftsmanship, what draw card other than a
brand’s name does the more expensive alternative
have? Such reactions to the problem are starting
to appear between the formally untouchable
moguls of design, which, in the end, only benefits
us – the consumer. But, as you may have guessed,
ASOS’s new dominance isn’t all roses for the
fashion world.
'There's no place like home'
Life’s hard enough for local designers – high
rises in the minimum wages for textile workers
in first-world economies has resulted in most
manufactures looking east towards a cheaper
solution. In a bid to sustain the weltering textiles
industry, many designers have been defiant in
their decision to remain ‘UK’ and ‘Australian’
valley. Coffee in hand, there’s simply nothing more
satisfying that trying on a new jacket, falling in
love with it, and wearing it out the very same night.
Interactions of this sort are what make fashion
beautiful – the parties, events, photoshoots,
new friends. These things cannot exist without
local support. Individuality is another benefit of
local fashion industry. As an art form, fashion
cannot help but reflect the local environment. In
this regard, when I travel and take some locally
made items with me, I take with me a little bit
of my city, my life back home. ASOS ships to
over 100 countries, and in each one of those
countries, somebody could be purchasing the
same thing as you – globalisation of this sort
only demonstrates the importance of fashion
as an artistic landscape. Creativity such as this
cannot be simply beaten down by a price war; it
is for some designers the greatest avenue of self
expression, of communication. Mass production
cannot overthrow something as power as this.
'If you can't join 'em, beat 'em'
At this rate, companies such as ASOS won’t be
going anywhere, so we should acclimatise to them
in an attempt to reap the maximum benefits for
the local fashion scene from them, rather than
succumb to their power. Local designers should
learn from ASOS, updating their business and
advertisement methods in a bid to rejuvenate
the local industry and perhaps even use ASOS
a springboard for their own careers. They should
infuse their unique fashion landscape with the
business tools that are available to them, and
take the fight back to the Zara’s and ASOS’ of
the world. Recent emergences and success of
locally based online stores such as The Grand
Social is testimony to this. The big businesses
may have the upper hand right now, but David
did beat Goliath.
Manish Bansal A/W '12
Of Indian origin, Manish Bansal moved to London
in 2001 to complete a Bachelors degree in Fashion
Design at Middlesex University. Upon graduation,
he worked his way from the position of Assistant
Menswear Designer to Senior Menswear Designer
at various well-known high street names such
as Tesco and Ted Baker. In 2008, being granted
permanent residency in the U.K., he made the
move into freelance work due to the desire to
explore other aspects of fashion and culture
abroad. Eventually, his craving to further his
knowledge of tailoring led to the decision toreturn
to university studies and complete a Masters
degree in Menswear at the London College of
Fashion. This training has enabled him to launch
his very own label, incorporating his experience
in casual wear with British tailoring expertise.
the Autumn/Winter 2012 collection. This in turn led
to the discovery of the “Game keeping role," a job
involving the upkeep and nurturing of the British
countryside and wildlife. This image, coupled
with outdoor sports such as shooting, generated
the idea of using a technique called ‘felting’
on the surface traditionally tailored silhouettes.
Bansal’s prior knowledge of Indian textiles and
embellishments tied in supporting this concept.
Traditional tailoring, a skill necessitating perfection,
is juxtaposed against the destructive felting
technique. This produces a “play of perfection”
and a sharp contrast within the garments. Felting
involves a needle punch machine that is hard
to control, resulting in an imperfect, though
unique, fabric surface. Bansal explains that his
methodology attempted to tame the result of the
felting process to make it as perfect as possible.
This in turn destroyed the impeccable tailored
surface of a jacket or coat.
Manish Bansal's Website
Written by Annelise Sealy
Photographer – Sukriti (www.csukriti.com)Photographic Assistant – Fen Newman
Models – Primo Baker & Benjamin Warbis at Premier Model Management
Hair & Grooming – Kenny LeungStyling – Manish BansalStyling Assistance – Santiago Romero
SOPHIE ALEXANDRA TRAYNOR
SOPHIE ALEXANDRA TRAYNORWRITTEN BY
ANNELISE SEALY
Sophie Alexandra Traynor is a 21-year-old
photographer from Huddersfield, Yorkshire.Her
study in Photography began in college, and she
has now gone on to study it at Norwich University
College of the Arts. Our FashionEditor spoke to
the woman behind the images to see what drives
and inspires her.
At what stage did you become interested in
photography?
I did work experience at a photography studio
when I was in high school. One of my assignments
was to restore some prints for an old lady, photos
of her and her husband, and they were beautiful.
From that point on I haven’t stopped taking and
working with images. My job is to take beautiful
people and beautiful objects and capture them,
show them to people, I just love it.
Who or what influenced you to become a
photographer?
I don’t think there was one specific person or thing
that made me want to become a photographer.
It was more that I just started taking photos and
absolutely loved it. I never studied Art – I definitely
can’t draw. Photographs are the only way that I
am really able to communicate creatively.
Do you believe in the expression “a picture is
worth 1,000 words”?
Yes and no. I believe that some images
have the power to speak volumes that can’t
be communicated with words; everything is
subjective, after all, and the beauty of an image
is that you can take it from it whatever you want.I
do, however, think that sometimes people trytoo
hard to read into the ‘meanings’ behind images.
Sometimes they are just beautiful images and
that is all that matters.
Do you think that a person must possess talent
in order to capture emotion and expression in a
picture?
I suppose so…there are lots of things that matter
when you’re trying to capture emotion – you need
to be able to make that person feel comfortable
and sometimes you need to be able to do the
opposite. There is no camera that can do that.
Does the price of a camera matter in the way that
it affects the quality of the picture?
It’s all relative really; if you sat me in front of the
most expensive piano in the world, I wouldn’t
be able to play it any better than I would a £30
keyboard. It’s not what you’ve got; it’s how you
use it!
In the past did you just consider photography to
be a hobby?
I guess so. Although, in fairness, it hasn’t ever
really felt like how I expected a ‘job’ to feel and
I hope that it never will! I think if you can turn
what you love doing into what pays the bills then
you’re onto a winner.
In your opinion, what makes Photography an Art?
Photography is subjective; the thing that I will
love about an image might be the thing that
someone else hates. The personal experience
you have when looking at a photograph is what
defines it as Art to me.
Do you think film photography will eventually be
completely replaced by digital?
Film will never disappear – there’s something
about the process of creating a photograph on
film that digital photography will never be able
to achieve. It’s a labour of love, and it’s hands
on. However, I am a digital baby at heart. I work
by eye, and the speed of digital photography is
a huge factor in the way that I work.
Finally, what motivates you to do what you do?
This is going to sound cheesy, but I genuinely
can’t imagine doing anything else.
Sophie Alexandra Traynor's Flickr
HOUSE OF HERLIHY
HOUSE OF HERLIHY
text: 1234567890-=design: kristian hjorth bergephoto: dave kai piper
Sinead O’Herlihy, a 21-year-old Fashion and
Innovation student at Leeds College of Art,
is the creative energy behind British luxury
womenswear label House of Herlihy. Only in
its second collection, the brand has already
shown at Manchester Fashion Week and been
featured by several blogs and fashion websites.
O’Herlihy has big plans for her label, and says
she aims to get it into high-end department stores
“in the near future” (watch this space!).
For the Spring/Summer 2013 collection, the
designs were inspired by French as well as the
Indian architecture and kaleidoscopic digital
prints. In addition, she studied the Indian Holi
Festival, also known as the Festival of Colours.
This comes through in her use of vibrant tones
such as blood orange, royal purple and jewel
turquoise.The feminine silhouettes of the dresses
are constructed with silk chiffons, silk habotais
and crêpe de chine.
House of Herlihy's website
photo assistant - mark evansmodels - laura brown & sarah jones
makeup artist: -samantha mercerstyling - house of herlihy
jewellery -swarovski
How to up your street
cred
Like our facebook page for daily art and design inspiration
Britain’s weather is as unpredictable as Kanye
West’s next infamous TV moment, so naturally,
I was delighted to receive a pair of black moon
boots. Effortlessly cool enough to make Napoleon
Dynamite proud. My new moon boots have
a quilted effect, drawstring at the top and a
branding that isn’t so unfamiliar: Björn Borg.
The brand smashed onto the scene good and
proper with their lights off party on the eve of
London Fashion Week at Battersea Power Station
earlier this year, showcasing their AW12 collection
in amazing Swedish style. Put your hands together
and say Ja!
How to up your street
cred
You might have seen a kaleidoscope of BjörnBorg
underwear enhancing the shelves of selected
UK retailers like Selfridges. NowHarrods has
joined the club and will be officially launching
an exclusive in house Björn Borg shop in mid-
September. With apparel, footwear, underwear
and bags, the whole brand will be showcased.
The vibe, however, is totally starting to be about
their footwear.
To read about the sports star online, you would
take a mouse journey that looks something like
this: Google>Wimbledon>Heritage>History>
Legends> Björn Borg. Legend is right; Borg
achieved a lot in proportion to the amount of time
he achieved it in: being the winner of 11 Grand
slam titles in the space of 8 years. He said that
towards the end of his tennis career, his “spark”
for the game had gone. That spark that is now
synonymous with his fashion label instead.
Don’t be trippin’ if you haven’t already gotyourself
a hip pair of the brand’s sneakers, just hurry up.
This season, we can get our kicks from one fine-
tuned array of shoes retailing at an affordable £50
to £120. Swedish born tennis prodigy Björn Borg
attracted fans left, right and centre for, not just his
style of playing, but also his style of dress. The
swede was dapper and seemed to be oblivious to
it. The new Björn Borg Footwear SS12 collection,
available now, is supported by the premium
Heritage Collection, a range of shoes celebrating
all this about Borg, courtesy of an ergonomic
and fashionable design. With his blonde locks,
fiercely blue eyes and a headband for a crown,
Borg nailed that Prince Charming look hands
down. Now you can trend set vicariously through
his trademark footwear. For the new collection,
inspiration was drawn from all aspects of his life
to create end products of near perfection. The
key features of a shoe from the heritage collection
include headband details in the linings, a portrait
of Björn’s face on the tongue and a stitched
signature on the outside of the shoe. Only the
finest of materials have been sourced to form
each shoe: pliable suede, premium napa and
unfinished canvas to name a few.
With the 2012 Olympics drawing ever closer, it’s
time to start injecting some of the sportswear and
futuristic looks that were sprinkled all over the
runways at London Fashion Week SS12 into your
wardrobe. If you’re not quite ready to rock the lycra
or neoprene then there’s no better way to channel
the trend than investing in a pair of psychedelic
Björn Borg sneakers from the main footwear line
instead; one that can only be described with 3
Cs – creative, colourful and contemporary. The
line has a heavy mix of sneakers in low and mid
versions as well as a selection of flats, flip-flops
and boots. Big love for the navy and yellow Anders
Heritage shoe, retailing at £89. As if Summer
couldn’t be more exciting, there’s also the added
option of chic, minimalist wedges for ladies. The
Swedish brand stresses quality and luxury for all
its models – what more is needed? The summer
collection is peppy and playful; a moment please
while I pencil the sand coloured Flavia wedges
on to my wishlist (and the suede Thomas shoes
in grey for all my guy friends).
So don your brightly coloured headphones, bust
out some classics, and rule the streets with your
shiny new shoes – laces done up and everything.
Björn Borg became a phenomenon in his own
right by the age of 25, before retiring to become
something even bigger: a family man. One should
only wear his career inspired footwear with the
utmost respect.
Bjorn Borg's website
Written by Veebs Sabharwal
LAURA REDBURN
“Snapshots from dreams and other worlds”
is how Laura describes her collages - and
indeed, the colourful combination of surrealism,
nostalgia, science fiction and romance in question
couldn't be put into words any more aptly. The
artworks possess the same poetic ring, but however
paired with a kind of quirkiness lose their
seriousness to an original and friendly edge.
The artist's love for animals, flowers and old films
clearly shows, as they are recurring protagonists
in her compositions. Yet unlike Salvador Dali's
highly complex theoretical dream worlds,
Laura's collages are based on a more easygoing
and natural manner of work. Often starting with
one image she might want to use, the artist from
Wales relies on instinct and spontaneous ideas
about combining colours and shapes. Folders
of cut- outs and books with illustrations and
photos provide the visual repertoire, as Laura
will use digital means only for finishing touches.
“There's something about working with actual
paper, cutting with scissors that you can't recreate
working on a computer and I'm a very tactile
person, so I like to work with my hands as much
as I can.”
Throughout the œvre, her favour of expressionism,
dada and surrealism are reflected in the choice of
themes, faible for colour and embraced freedom
of surrealist anarchy. The lighthearted pieces,
leaving plenty of room for personal interpretation,
often have a sort of mystery about them. Some
appear to convey childhood memories and
innocence, others seem slightly humourous or
sarcastic. Having created an animation recently,
Laura says she would like to explore this medium
further, “particularly doing things by hand” and
continue to be prolific as “I definitely feel best
when I'm creating something”.
Laura Redburn's website
Written by Nicole Marshallsay
Just wanted to say a quick thank you to everyone who has helped me get this far from Daniel, Peter, Alex and some 15 year old kid to right now a group of 26 including Aaron, nicole and Rober and to everyone else how has helped inbetween. Its crazy to be quiet honest, you guys deserve more credit for this magazine than I do.
Thank youSoraan Latif Editor of Seven Shades of Black
