Mint Condition Ltd: August 2009

Sunday, 30 August 2009

Simply You - Summer 09/10

Chaos & Harmony wedge heel (bottom left)

Emma Ford swimsuit

Commence dresses

Commence belt

Cybèle dress

Commence cuff and belt

Commence belt

Saturday, 29 August 2009

No. #7

Dermit & Horn get profiled

Meadowlark cocktail rings

Areez Katki knit from Children of Vision ++ Meadowlark rings and studded bangles

WeSC cardigan

Meadowlark necklace

Meadowlark pendant

Annah Stretton dress

Meadowlark cocktail ring

Ricochet dress

Aunt Aggie's House

Deborah Sweeney t-shirt and dress

Cybèle dress

Meadowlark drop earrings

Charmaine Reveley dress

Friday, 28 August 2009

Cybèle’s Fashion Film Project Goes Live!

In a first for her label, renowned NZ fashion designer Cybèle Wiren has joined forces with multi-disciplinary creative studio Special Problems to create a film of her spring /summer 09/10 collection, Serpentine.

"One of the key points of inspiration for the collection was a film clip of Loie Fuller’s Danse Serpentine, found on YouTube, so it seemed so appropriate it to re-interpret the collection in moving image,” says Cybèle.
“It is also a great way to present a collection internationally as the format is so accessible and at the same time as we are screening it in Tokyo, we are launching the film online.”

Cybèle is currently in Japan, as the outcome of her 2008 Air NZ Export Award. The opportunity for an event in Tokyo to mark the delivery of the collection in store, and the fact that she is there in person presented the original impetus to make the film.

Says Cybèle "I love how the shapes and fabrics of the collection move and flow - like they do on the body when worn, it's always exciting to see the clothes in motion. Mediums outside of fashion (art, sculpture, design) are always a constant inspiration for my work.”

Primarily known for their work with musicians Midnight Juggernauts, Bionic Pixie, and the Mint Chicks, Special Problems took to the project with vision and a strong empathy for the collection.
“We loved the open-ness of Cybèle and her team. That kind of breathing space gives the process much more vitality and energy,” says Campbell Hooper, the film’s director.

Set to the hunting tune of Scott Walker’s Cossacks Are, Cybèle’s serpentine muse showcases key pieces in the collection, twisting and turning in a mirrored void as slow graceful plumes of smoke float through the frame.

“The Scott Walker track was in mind from the beginning and it informed the emotional tone of shoot. In some way the element of smoke seems to hold the song within it - like the smoke is the ghost of the music. The main idea was to get across a feeling of levitation, suspension and suffocation,” says Hooper.

The film screens tonight, projected in the front window, at a cocktail event held for Cybèle at American Rag Cie’s Aoyama Tokyo store to a select guest list of Japanese celebrities and fashion titles.

Film Credits:
Directed by Special Problems
Model – Derya at 62 Models & Talent
Styling – Chris Lorimer
Make-up – Amber D for MAC
Hair – Lauren Gunn for Stephen Marr using Kevin Murphy
With thanks to White Studios, Chaos & Harmony, Sarah Hough and Natasha Guttenbeil

Sunday, 23 August 2009

Chic in the Blink of an Eye

James Dobson (aka Jimmy D) as interviewed in today's Herald on Sunday

Savvy retailers are creating a sales storm by ditching long-term leases to spring up in surprise locations, then close down days later.

Not to be confused with clearance shops, the idea behind these "now you see them, now you don't" retail manifestations is to pop up in an unexpected space, create a buzz by word-of-mouth marketing, then leave.

James Dobson, designer of fashion label Jimmy D and co-owner of the Children of Vision boutique in Auckland, describes the temporary shops as mini concept stores, and thinks the term "pop-up" is sometimes misused as a "cool" way of describing something that is simply a sale store.

In its original sense, he says there is "a kind of art direction that goes beyond a rack of clothes in a cheap space for a limited time".

Dobson speaks of a purity to this form of retailing and an aesthetic of using simple, inexpensive materials creatively for fittings and fixtures.

"More than ever I think people aren't dazzled by flashy, overly slick spaces. Internationally, labels and retailers like Comme des Garcons, Komakino, and London's Convenience Store have proven you can find high-end clothing off the beaten track, in deliberately lo-fi surroundings."

And the pop-up store phenomenon is flourishing as recessionistas seek less showy shopping experiences.

"I think the recession has made people re-evaluate how they shop, and pop-up stores feel more independent and less ostentatious.

A pop-up store Dobson organised recently called The Darkroom lasted only three days, offering pieces from his label as well as from Zambesi, Nom*d, Lonely Hearts, Cybèle and Deborah Sweeney at significant mark downs.

And they offer the thrill of the hunt, says Dobson. "When you venture away from large flagship stores to smaller, harder-to-find boutiques, you are probably going to find a piece that is limited and more exclusive."

He promoted The Darkroom through word-of-mouth, contacting customer databases and using social media such as Twitter and Facebook.

"We cram a lot of sales into a very small amount of time, there are lower margins to be made, but they are always very successful, and it's a good injection of cash flow," Dobson says.

He hasn't found it tricky to rent sites short-term either. "It was just a case of finding a space we liked that was pretty much a raw shell of an environment that we could easily pop up in and then getting in touch with the landlord and seeing if they were keen to rent it out for a few days. A few said no, but we got the best space in the end."

** this article is abridged - to read the whole piece, click here