The October Edit 2019
By BEL JACOBS
New store Gentlewench offers independent labels such as Hed Mayer (image here from 2014)
A new addition to Shoreditch’s tempting retail spaces, launched this October, takes the form of GENTLEWENCH on Chance Street. Helmed by buying director Tijana Djordjevic and owner Wei Yue, the space – elegantly done out with figurative vases and rope-wrapped sofas – hosts a selection of bold independents including Overcoat, an outerwear-focused label launched by a former Comme des Garçons pattern cutter, the bold 1980s silhouettes of Georgian label Lado Bokuchava and Israeli menswear designer Hed Mayner, who offers beautifully functional upcycled workwear.
Connections are made between class, poverty, the production and consumption of luxury goods and fashion at Comme des Marxists.
On now at the Fashion Space Gallery, through October to January, COMME DES MARXISTS continues New York-based artist Rainer Ganahl’s investigations into the relationships between daily life, culture, economic systems and political structures. Drawing links between the industrial revolution, the on-going class struggles, tragedies such as the Rana Plaza clothing factories in Bangladesh in 2013, the production and consumption of luxury goods, and both fine art and fashion, Ganahl’s project challenges our understanding of the fashion system. This exhibition runs till 12 January 2019 at the Fashion Space Gallery, and is part of the year-long celebration for the Centre for Sustainable Fashion’s 10 year anniversary. www.fashionspacegallery.com/
PALLADIUM X CHRISTOPHER RAEBURN launches its next popular collaboration, seamlessly merging the footwear’s military heritage with Raeburn’s proven concern for the environment. Titled ‘Immerse’, the collection draws inspiration from the beauty and fragility of the oceans and stands as Palladium’s most creative call to arms, focussing on responsible innovative design and sourcing. Hardy, good-looking, designed to protect both planet and wear in the most trying of weather conditions, materials include recycled rubber, cotton accents and neoprene. www.tower-london.com
Fashion historian Amber Butchart writes 100 fascinating style stories in her new book.
Fashion historian and presenter of BBC4’s A Stitch in Time AMBER BUTCHART publishes her fifth book. The Fashion Chronicles: Style Stories of History’s Best Dressedexplores 100 fascinating style stories – and we’re not talking about Kate Moss wearing a waistcoat to Glastonbury. Instead, the wardrobes of figures as diverse as Otzi the Iceman (61 tattoos, a hat made of bear fur) and Karl Marx to 19th century geisha Sadayakko Kawakami and Beyonce are deconstructed not just stylistically but in the context of their times and their beliefs. Rarely has learning new things been so downright enjoyable.
Guilt free sleep from the team behind The Very Good Bra.
After launching The Very Good Bra, founder Stephanie Devine launches THE VERY GOOD SLEEP, a capsule collection of pyjamas for men and women made from 100% zero-waste components. Tees, shorts and pants made in super soft Australian made organic cotton will be delivered in compostable mailer bags, via Sendle, Australia’s first carbon neutral delivery service. Pre-purchase before 29th October and lock in delivery for you and yours for Christmas. https://theverygoodsleep.com/
Vegan Beauty in time for World Vegan Day by Nazah Schnapp. Picture: The Detox Market.
“NAZAN SCHNAPP is a 100 per cent natural, plant-powered, PETA and vegan-certified skincare brand.” Wow. All my favourite words in one sentence. Just landed at Content Beauty, this Swiss brand seeks out the best natural ingredients across the globe including pure vegetable oils, butters, extracts, organic botanicals, fine natural clays and gemstones and blends them to create effective formulations that we can’t wait to try out for World Vegan Day on November 1. Bring it on. www.contentbeautywellbeing.com
Earlier this year, online marketplace SO JUST SHOP launched its own jewellery collection, designed and made by women artisans from vulnerable communities in Delhi, Jaipur and Calcutta. The co-ops – Dwarka Jewels and Green the Map – deserve attention, for tackling citizen apathy towards the environment and gender inequality so magnificently. The craftswomen are involved in every stage of production, guaranteeing supply chain transparency. And the jewellery is beautiful. Win, win, win. https://sojustshop.com/
