................................................

anti valentine

2012-02-07T13:56:00.000Z

I have some 'friendship tote bags' up for sale on etsy. the design is a collage of my best friends' hands in the shape of a love heart. email me or visit etsy if you would like to purchase one.

2012-02-06T10:06:00.001Z

my artist friend conny prantera is doing a drawing sale to finance her next show. have a look at what is for sale here. and if you are in london on the 4th of march, come to the show!

yeah snow

2012-02-05T18:02:00.000Z

we are snowed in. the forest way is beautiful and I like having excuses to wear a head scarf. it's supposed to freeze tonight and then we'll be properly stuck for a few days. I have a lot of sewing to do and I am looking forward to quiet times and no distractions (apart from the occasional visit to our local).

2012-02-05T17:06:00.000Z

cosmic navajo basket

2012-02-03T18:49:00.002Z

making. . .

on sustainable fashion

2012-01-29T01:00:00.004Z

by shiloh sukkau

The issue I have with the notion of sustainability in fashion and what I think is a possible reason people don’t want to really talk about it is because it can get gimmicky rather then simply being a bi product of intelligent/thoughtful design.

When something is quote on quote “sustainable” it feels like a marketing ploy to be a little suspicious of rather then an honest approach that also involves something you actually want to wear for other reasons then its environmental/social impact.

I would argue that sustainability in Fashion should be bi-product of a tasteful consumer and that it is essentially as issue of scale, its antithesis being mass production. Which makes me think that of any industry, the Fashion Industry is one of the most capable of incorporating smaller scale “sustainable” production.

Maybe part of real sustainability is not let things being reduced to superficial marketable terms and tackling the homogenizing effect of mass-produced product by trying to really value the individualizing quality Fashion.

2012-01-28T21:22:00.002Z

2012-01-28T19:21:00.008Z

I am finally producing my ss12 orders!
I made these samples months ago, because the timeframes within which fashion works are stretched to fulfil buyers requirements and production turnaround. sometimes i wish I didn't have to stick to such a restrictive schedule as my work is all done by hand, and by the time I get around to make my orders, the feeling of a garment has changed or evolved into something else. . . but I guess that is also the beauty of making things by hand, no two pieces are 100% alike.

sometimes I flirt with the idea of having my prints and hand paints reproduced digitally, as it would give me a lot of freedom in terms of reducing the labour-intensive nature of my work, and also in terms of the complexity of the design (and maybe I will explore that avenue after all at some stage!).
but in the end I remember that i have chosen to promote craft and the physicality of the hands-on process, as I think there is something beautiful and unique in the tradition of making things by hand, a value that we are slowly losing in favour of technology and speed.

styling appreciation

2012-01-27T15:16:00.009Z

a story styled by britta b on cooler magazine, with photography by ellis scott.

2012-01-26T09:48:00.003Z

I haven't seen it yet but I have high expectations! my friend cat has some photos in it. can't wait to get hold of a copy!

j o u r n a l

2012-01-24T17:30:00.008Z

way back, (when my clothing line was more of a business affair than the recreational activity I like to think it is now), I used to stock to a store in Japan called Journal Standard.

I used to love meeting up with the buyer Yukiko, and with her come up with exclusive pieces for the shop.

she had impeccable taste and I really appreciated the 'dressing down' quality & the layering in her outfits.

she probably used to style all the catalogs too, and i love the way she paired this hand dyed skirt with a hoodie and turban.

2012-01-24T08:12:00.004Z

by the way, my postcards were printed with risograph here.
I love this technology as although it is a digital process it has a similar visual effect to screen printing.

I'll send you a postcard

2012-01-15T19:41:00.006Z

I've been having troubles carrying on with this blog. it's not because of lack of things to share but I find it more and more difficult to be open about my life and work in public, although I truly enjoy it when I read the generous posts of some of the bloggers i follow.
shall I switch to tumblr? shall I stop? thoughts please,!
I have some limited edition risograph print postcards, showing a hand painted scarf from ss12, which I will be happy to send you, if you help me figure this one out.

SALE !

2012-01-06T15:15:00.004Z

there are a few items left in my etsy store, all heavily discounted.
if you already are a customer of mine, email me to redeem an additional 10% discount voucher.
happy new year!

2011-12-31T16:48:00.004Z

2011-12-28T19:10:00.003Z

custom scarf for federica

2011-12-27T21:01:00.002Z

frantisek skala
via

2011-12-26T15:18:00.003Z

vagabond by agnes varda

2011-12-26T15:06:00.005Z

2011-12-22T14:59:00.004Z

happy holidays wherever y o u are

2011-12-21T20:57:00.000Z

2011-12-18T16:07:00.002Z

neela wearing the dip dyed wool twill dress . . . from a few seasons ago

2011-12-17T16:38:00.009Z

italy

holiday sale

2011-12-14T13:23:00.004Z

...in the store - 15% off marked prices with the coupon 251211
photo by tara darby

Film

2011-12-08T17:16:00.004Z

I loved this so much.

"Film is time made manifest: time as physical length - 24 frames per second, 16 frames in a 35mm foot. It is still images beguiled into movement by movement and is eternally magical. The time in my films is the time of film itself. I cut my films on a Steenbeck cutting table. I always work alone. I physically splice the print and stick it together with tape. It is these days and weeks of solitary and concentrated labour which are at the heart of my creative process, and how I mould and make the films. Film is my working material and I need the stuff of film like a painter needs the stuff of paint."
Tacita Dean

there is a ritualistic essence in hands-on work, which translates in a quality - I wouldn't be able to tell you why that quality speaks to me so loudly. maybe because it makes me think of all the works that I love, and how they all carry that hidden essence, and how that essence constitutes an invisible tie between people, like a religion.

2011-12-02T10:59:00.000Z

<>

2011-11-30T08:26:00.011Z

thanks to gloria for loaning her beautiful jewels for the photos, and to polly for being a patient model.

2011-11-29T09:04:00.001Z

here

2011-11-28T16:44:00.003Z

I would have liked to post these hand-knits sooner but I've been really busy with styling jobs and I've had to postpone until now. To everyone that has been asking - I am updating my Etsy store RIGHT NOW, and soon I will post a complete look book here.
Thanks for being patient!

2011-11-25T19:25:00.000Z

nadine's beautiful film

barn owl

2011-11-21T13:28:00.002Z

they were amazing the other night

so,

2011-11-15T21:32:00.000Z

2011-11-15T21:24:00.003Z

my hand knits are ready to go online, but I am having second thoughts about selling through etsy, purely for its layout. I wonder if others feel like I do, and whether I should consider a different option? any thoughts or suggestions?

borthwick for margiela

2011-11-12T16:03:00.012Z

I love both mark borthwick's and martin margiela's work. unfortunately I don't think margiela has much to do with his label these days, whilst borthwick has continued taking photographs with the same primordial quality of his early work.

this spot reminds me of a film by James Broughton, that I also love.

2011-11-11T17:38:00.006Z

I found a short cut to the farm shop.

early morning, earthy lilacs

2011-11-09T08:20:00.007Z

adding some finishing touches to my hand knits (online soon!) . . .

francesca

2011-11-06T18:16:00.005Z

Kikka came to visit us.
I took the opportunity to photograph some winter pieces, which I will share online soon.
here she's wearing her own milena black ghost dress.

2011-10-30T12:44:00.009Z

name: Joanna Cave.
star sign: Capricorn.
where: I live between Athens and London.
tell me what you love about these two cities: About Athens, it’s the sun shining almost all year around, the mediteranean lifestyle of potted plants on balconies, a bakery on every second corner, the temperament of the people which is slightly heated and passionate, and being surrounded by so much history in the old part of town.
About London, I love the art scene, the modernity of the city, new things are always happening in London, cool bars, great restaurants and pubs, it’s a city that’s always vibrant and that’s always renewing itself.
what: I’m a jewellery designer. I use recycled silver as I think that there’s enough silver to go around that can be reused that there’s no need for mining. I also use ethically sourced Japanese Akoya pearls that respect social and fair trade guidelines.
listening to: Beirut, Bob Dylan and Richard Hawley.
reading: ‘An equal stillness’ by Francesca Kay, it’s a novel about a woman artist in the 40’s and 50’s
what are you eating / cooking: Lately I’ve been obsessed with lentil and carrot salads.
something that inspires you today: It’s a Sunday so visiting the market in Athens was amazing. Its starts at 5am and you can find the most incredible old things from antique plates to old outfits. It’s like xmas. It was very inspiring.
your favorite outfit: Beige lace tights, long flowy silk skirt with ballet shoes.
I love my new blue ‘ippolito’ handbag made by my friend Pavlina. I got it in July and I’ve been carrying it everywhere with me since.
And an A-line brown coat which I recently found in my grandmothers wardrobe.

thanks joanna!

photos 1 and 2 by Joanna, photo 3 by Mikael Gregorsky, styled by me.

2011-10-29T10:18:00.009+01:00

wearing matt's sweatshirt, my mum's handbag, & ashley's bronze pebble.

E T S Y UP

2011-10-19T08:37:00.003+01:00

I finally managed to list some winter pieces on my etsy. I have 2 weeks left in london (the last day of shipping will be november 1st) and I am hoping to find a good home for my garments whilst still here, as the shop will be closed while I get settled in east sussex.

c l a r e

2011-10-18T14:46:00.005+01:00

I dropped my last black sheepskin to clare this morning . . . isn't she cute in her black + navy outfit?

sample s a l e

2011-10-17T16:46:00.004+01:00

I am doing a moving out sale on etsy.
winter pieces to go up in the next couple of days.

A n n e tt e & ETSY

2011-10-16T19:00:00.010+01:00

I am about to list some winter stock on my Etsy store - Clapton neighbour and friend (and loyal customer!) Annette kindly modelled some of the garments.
Annette runs Russell's on Chatsworth road, a lovely B&B in the area!
name: Annette Russell
starsign: Leo
where: Clapton, East London
what: Owner and Manager of a B&B in Clapton, where I get to meet all sorts of interesting people working in and visiting the area
what do you like about your area: The green spaces, the sense of community, the cultural mix
favourite outfit or garment: My friends take the mickey out of me for my Alexander Wang track pants, but they are so comfy AND versatile.
Now it’s getting colder I am also obsessing over cashmere jumpers. I wouldn’t wear both together for fear of looking too much like a granny though
listening to: Currently veering between 6Music and 1Xtra depending on my mood...
what / where are you eating: Trying to work my way through the Nigel Slater cookbooks at home, but also eating out very well – Polpetto last week was amazing, and next week I’m going to two supper clubs, one in Hackney

what does sustainability mean to you: Supporting and promoting the local and the independent, recycling and re-using, investing in your area financially, emotionally, creatively etc...

2011-10-07T19:52:00.004+01:00

a while ago Cooler magazine commissioned me to style a story featuring only ethical brands.
I picked a mix of large scale brands and ones with more of an artisanal feel.
prepping for this shoot has been a great learning curve for understanding sustainability across the supply chain - thanks Britta, for asking me to be involved.
(photography is by Mikael Gregorski, who also shot my look book)

here's an inspiring interview with Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia.

2011-10-04T09:19:00.003+01:00

I'm in paris selling my ss12 scarves, here's a preview of the collection.

2011-09-28T22:22:00.007+01:00

last night in the woods

2011-09-21T13:16:00.007+01:00

"It’s an interesting challenge using deconstruction as a design tool – removing the unnecessary and playing up the remaining elements. At the core, it’s about how to filter through all the noise, and boil a design down to an honest statement."
my cold is forcing me to a break from sewing, and so I read a short but inspiring interview with kimberly from building block (whilst sipping hot ginger, lemon and honey). I have never shared the frenzy for the latest designer handbag, but finally I have found a bag worth saving for.

c L o T h

2011-09-21T11:32:00.002+01:00

h e ll o a ri e s

2011-09-19T09:57:00.007+01:00

I helped sofia style her new label ARIES. the collection has the bestest jeans for girls (not seen since the times of 'silas' - sofia's previous project), and graphics by fergadelic.
it is launching in paris next week, go say hi if you're about!

2011-09-16T18:11:00.005+01:00

2011-09-13T08:08:00.000+01:00

2011-09-12T07:43:00.002+01:00

2011-09-11T17:22:00.004+01:00

20 years later, I am re-reading dharma bums.
I like to press flowers as I read, and leave them in the book.

2011-09-10T16:03:00.003+01:00

◇ ◇ whites ◇ ◇

summer 12 update

2011-08-25T14:01:00.003+01:00

some pieces I am working on in non-violent silk and organic cotton.
the net is not organic as I haven't found a supplier of 'fancy' organic fabrics yet, but it is a leftover from an old collection, available in small pieces, hence the patchworking.
aside from the issue of the added air miles, I am happy to purchase my hand spun / hand woven non-violent silk directly from the suppliers in India, as to my knowledge it is the only country where they hand pick the broken cocoons to turn them into this beautiful fabric.

cross referencing

2011-08-24T16:17:00.005+01:00

. . .memory lane pt2 (cat and mimmo in my garden, 'modelling' my dyed scarves. . . summer 2008)

2011-08-23T11:13:00.007+01:00

we spent a weekend of gentle colors and gentle living in somerset

2011-08-18T10:00:00.002+01:00

all-natural products from bologna, with the best home-made labels ever.

2011-08-17T18:19:00.003+01:00

2011-08-11T22:52:00.000+01:00

2011-08-10T14:32:00.005+01:00

elsewhere. . . photos from here and here.

r a nd om old i e s

2011-08-07T21:50:00.012+01:00

I found these pictures from 2004 on a cd I nearly chucked in the move.
these pieces were made for a collection I called 'miss haversham' and i treated the garments to look old and dusty layering stain dyeing over screen printing.
I want to play with dyeing in my next collection and might be reviving the staining with more of a pattern going on... what do you think?
(picture 1 is by tara darby and 2 was taken in my old-cold studio on mare street)

2011-08-04T09:37:00.001+01:00

e v e ni n g

2011-08-03T09:10:00.004+01:00

my favourite place in london

in the post . . .

2011-08-02T10:02:00.003+01:00

thanks jeremy!

etsy SALE

2011-07-31T18:38:00.003+01:00

all my non-violent silk pieces, patchwork and printed vests are up to 50% off here. winter collection coming soon. . .

july 27th

2011-07-27T23:01:00.008+01:00

been going through stuff - I have so many books and old work and material and equipment and suddenly not enough space for it all. it was a bit traumatic (no time to sell stuff let alone freecycle) to throw away things but luckily the hackney wick zombies reclaimed my old silkscreens, fabrics, vintage petersham etc. and I leave, in many ways, with a lighter load.

rubia t i n c t o r u m

2011-07-18T21:04:00.005+01:00

. . . my first dye plant

g lo r i a ca r l o s

2011-07-16T20:52:00.006+01:00

gloria works primarily with iron and gold and her jewels are a natural progression of her sculptures. her workshop is in sussex and she often walks her dog in dulwich woods, which is where I met her...
sometimes you meet people and you know that whatever their work is about it is going to be good. . .

2011-07-08T14:52:00.002+01:00

Hills by Sagas

k r i a

2011-06-30T08:23:00.002+01:00

t o d a y

2011-06-21T13:35:00.003+01:00

∫HELL L◊VE

2011-06-20T17:32:00.011+01:00

another vintage shell piece I got one morning on my way to giardini margherita.
. . .I found a boxful of shells that my mum had handpicked sometimes last summer and I'm playing with them, drilling holes, cutting out shapes.

sundays are for mending

2011-06-19T17:23:00.001+01:00

◊ı◊ı◊ı◊ı◊ı◊ı◊ı◊ı◊ı◊ı◊ı◊ı◊ı◊ı◊ı◊ı◊

2011-06-17T09:40:00.011+01:00

at 69b

lizzi bougatsos

2011-05-29T22:03:00.010+01:00

. . .is so cool!
ph. mikael gregorsky

e t s y ing

2011-05-26T23:19:00.000+01:00

prints, today

2011-05-25T12:46:00.006+01:00

a 30's dress that I reworked into a simple tunic, and my grandmother's napkin
(eggs courtesy of zia teresa's chickens)

kria brekkan

2011-05-23T22:10:00.010+01:00

I made this skirt for kristin - I spent long days sewing in Bologna, then long nights dancing at ATP.

2011-05-19T19:04:00.002+01:00

2011-05-18T11:32:00.002+01:00

he opened ATP and set the tone of my weekend. . . lost in tribal beats and dangling shells and bold patterns...and an amazing cover of a michael hurley song is still floating in/around me

2011-05-11T23:48:00.000+01:00

2011-05-10T07:56:00.007+01:00

2011-05-06T06:49:00.002+01:00

2011-04-22T08:41:00.013+01:00

2011-04-15T08:07:00.002+01:00

I woke up hearing voices

13 M◊◊N∫

2011-04-14T08:34:00.001+01:00

13 moons is on its way. . .

∫†ELL∆R OM ∫OURCE

2011-04-11T18:36:00.009+01:00

wearing one of my silk patchwork dresses (and Arielle de Pinto chain bangle) at her Cafe Oto gig

“…I think that my productions are aiming at a feeling of trance/transcendence in my live sets or DJ sets.
You could just be sitting and experience your eyes drifting closed, or dance and lose yourself in the live mix.
I’m definitely working from my heart and focus a lot live on the exchange with the audience. It’s both mind and body! I love it when people react however they like, dancing or not.
Just feel it.
To me, so many musics are interconnected — DJ sets are really spiritual things too, as Derrick May would say.
I’m so much into higher states of experiences, joy and togetherness…”

thanks for the inspiration Christelle x
(photos by tara darby)

sewing crystals

2011-04-05T16:48:00.002+01:00

...and m&m's

l i z z i e

2011-03-28T22:36:00.009+01:00

I went to bristol to visit lizzie and owen (and the boys) and took pictures of lizzie wearing some of her milena garments

summer 11

2011-03-28T11:13:00.004+01:00

vest dress in hand printed unbleached cotton, with non violent silk bias binding
. . . I'm in the process of setting up an online shop with my summer collection, in the meantime email me if you'd like to see more

c a l i f o r n i a s c h e m i n g

2011-03-24T15:32:00.000Z

2011-03-23T17:38:00.001Z

fashions that caught my eye this week

almost full moon, almost vernal equinox

2011-03-19T09:11:00.007Z

PSJ

2011-03-18T13:09:00.002Z

Paul Smith Jeans SS 11 photographed by Ronald Dick, styled by me.

2011-03-12T21:24:00.002Z

ignore the story and see the soul

notice thinking and come back

2011-03-11T11:54:00.003Z

another little styled shoot

2011-03-10T08:37:00.003Z

my favourite from the bo ningen portraits.
photography by sanna charles for 'sup magazine.
styling and backdrop by me.

a little styled shoot

2011-03-09T14:58:00.006Z

esben and the witch on spin magazine photographed by roberta ridolfi, styled by me.

p a r i s

2011-03-07T16:18:00.004Z