Tinchy Stryder Is Back

Having just launched a new range of headphones with Goji, Tinchy talks to about what is next for his career.

So you are back, what have you been up to in the last year?
Well to break it down I’ve brought out singles, touring, launched my headphones loads of different things! It been a busy year but those are the key things.

You’ve previously collaborated with the likes of Calvin Harris, N- Dubs and Pixie Lott, who has been your favourite collaboration?
If I had to choose out of everyone, I would have to say Dappy. That was the first time I worked with him on ‘Number one’ and that was the first number 1 I had. We are cool friends, we get along, and chill we make good music together. We’ve made two songs together Number one and space ship which both charted in the top 5. So we have a strong musical chemistry. I’ve enjoyed working with everyone else but if I had to choose it would be Dappy.

Can we expect future collaborations with Dappy?
You never know, we don’t ever over plan. I could call him today and say do you want to chill, it just naturally happens.

Is there any major collaboration on the new album that you can tell us about?
There are people that I would love to work with. But it’s more about who would sound good on this or who can work well together. But I’m more into working with different producers, it’s not always about big names. If something feels good no matter how big or small the name is, there the best people to work with.

Your very much a business man Tinchy, a couple of years back you teamed up with Jay-Z to created Takeover Roc Nation, Can You tell us a bit about how this deal came about?
The Roc Nation team must have been aware that I was having a good year. I think I was the biggest selling artist in the UK, I had the hits and the clothing line everything was just branching out. So they must have seen and been like ‘we like what we’re doing’. We’re just young people, just me and my management young people and they liked what we’re doing. I see them more like family, rather than just a business. That’s the people I grew up listening to and respecting, understanding what they achieved and still achieving now. So having that relationship with them was good enough for me. You learn so much from them, you learn so much.

And moving on to your most recent collaboration with the Goji collective! Tell us a little a bit about the Tinchy Stryder range?
Yeah I branched out to Goji with the headphones. Music’s my art so you have to make sure that the quality of the music that comes out of the headphones is high definition. Then you have the different styles, and we had really good feedback from the headphones which is amazing.

What new music act should we be looking out for?
There’s always something new. Dirt David is my right hand man and he’s produced a lot of my tracks for the first album . His new stuff sound mind blowing. Look out for him. Another track call “Bigger” from an K21, which I keep listening too. Someone else that I really like is Etta Bond.

What can we expect for the future from Tinchy Stryder?
More hard work and more music, some more branching out and fresh music is always the aim. I’m someone who doesn’t think about the future to much because I feel like staying thing and then jinxing myself. There’s isn’t a set date for the album; I kept on wanting to change a lot of things. Next year 100 percent.

The Tinchy Stryder Headphone range is now available to buy, and watch out for the new album in 2013.

-NAVNEET VIRK

The Modern Wedding Dress

A NAVNEET VIRK ORIGINAL.

Textiles A2 coursework project 2012

Theme : Modern woman wedding, inspired by Alexander McQueen controversial designs.

“The concept of my dress is to cause controversy. Normally when designers are coming up with ideas they base it around a subject or opinions which they feel strongly about and they reflect this in their work. I decided to take this method on in the process of designing my garment.

My garment was based around marriage which is taken place in a church before God. I researched into why the dress was white, the results showed that the dress had symbolised purity and innocence of the bride. The white is portraying a virgin bride. It is meant to represent that the bride has never had sex before the wedding day or with anyone else, showing purity. But as I am designing a dress for modern women, society has changed from that tradition and now most women have already had sexual relations before their wedding. 

I felt strongly about this as representing yourself in front of the church imitating a virgin which they are not therefore lying to God.  I wanted to communicate this in my design which resulted in the use of colour in my dress. I dip dyed the edges of the skirt because this method is in trend which is what the modern woman is look for. The red represents the bleeding which is caused when virginity is loss, it also represent sin as red is the colour of sin. 

I used this colour scheme in my bridal collection and dip dyed the feathers of the garter and the bridesmaids dress. In the industry designers would also use a reoccurring theme in their collections.”

-NAVNEET VIRK

 

Next Big Thing… REPRESENT. Clothing

I talk to George the founder of Represent Clothing and receive some exclusive pictures from unreleased look book A/W12, featuring Rizzle Kicks. Young entrepreneur and designer George is only 19 and in his second year of university, but his brand REPRESENT. Clothing is soon due to be the next big thing. Having international success with his fresh clothing line, it’s only a matter of time until REPRESENT. clothing to blow up.

What inspired you to start your brand?
My biggest inspirations at the time was brand owners/artists, Nicky Diamonds, Benny Gold, Shepard Fairey, along with hundreds of Illustrators.

Have you had an educational background in design?
Well I took Graphic Design at School, and carried it on through College, I’m currently in my second year of University, again studying Communication in Graphic Design.

Was it difficult starting a brand independently?
Yes, but difficulty is what pushes you harder.

How would you describe your brands style?
Somewhere between contemporary fashion and street wear.

There are so many brands out there, what differentiates REPRESENT. from other brands?
REPRESENT. is not a ‘t-shirt brand’, I dislike it when people name it this. We create every aspect of clothing, from hats, to pants, and this is what separates us from the independent clothing market that we originated from.

I know you built your clothing line in a time of economic crisis, how did you pass through this?
I figured if people want to support your brand, they will.

What would you say your break through point has been in your career?
There isn’t really a ‘break through point’ My career has only just begun, since day one REPRESENT. has expanded with my knowledge.

You have recently collaborated with HYPE, how did that happen?
We started our clothing brands around the same time last year, and became friends through this, I have much respect for the owners of HYPE and what they’re doing. Which lead to us creating a collaboration piece at the perfect time.

Have you had any celebrity attention to your brand?
Yep! Mac Miller, Rizzle Kicks, Mikill Pane, A few DF artists such as Lunar C.

Rizzle Kicks are good looking boys, are you hoping to get some female supporters from having them feature in your look book?
A lot of our customers are Female, but yes, this will probably increase due to a lot of their fans being girls!

The boys seam to be strong supporters of your brand, how did this collaboration come about?
I met Jordan and Harley at a small festival last year. Lucky enough I was able to give them some stuff right there and then. Since that we kept in contact, moving on to bigger and better things with them, which is still to come.

What would you say is the worst and the best part about working in the fashion industry?
Both to me is Suppliers, The time consumption/unreliable sources/bad sampling being the worst, but when you get that perfect sample, that’s the greatest feeling.

Have you got any advice for young designers looking to start their own brand?
Don’t rush, there’s absolutely hundreds of ‘independent brands’ budding from the UK right now, and 99% of them are rushed, don’t get me wrong, I rushed into REPRESENT. I didn’t fully know what I was doing at the time, but now the competition is so strong in starting up, taking a wider, more thoughtful approach into the market is the way forward. Don’t just create a Facebook page with a t-shirt coming soon!

Are there plans for REPRESENT. to expand?
The future holds MASSIVE plans, from British made waxed jackets this season, to custom cut patterned pants in Spring. I aim to improve on each season, so watch out!

The AW12 Collection drops on the 26th of this month, keep an eye open. 

If you haven’t already, check out REPRESENT. Clothing on:

Webesite: www.representclothing.co.uk
Facebook: RepresentClo
Twitter: @RepresentClo

-NAVNEET VIRK

Introducing… RegalRose

RegalRose is a  brand who design quirky  fashion jewellery pieces. The gorgeous twin sisters Rebecca and Louisa talk to Navneet Virk about the brand.

For those who aren’t familiar with your work, could you sum up RegalRose’s style?
Bohemian meets elegant meets a bit of Rock!

How did you start off in the industry?
At the age of 14 we both (twins) were introduced to the world of fashion as models and soon appeared in the pages of our favourite magazines such as Elle girl, More Magazine and Shout Magazine! We then left school and studied graphic design for 3 years at college (together) were we did a few weeks work experience at More Magazine, Endeavor House where we got to mingle with all the other magazine studios too. We then went on to study a Graphic design and Illustration Degree at Hertfordshire University (together). We finally went our separate ways into the ‘working ‘environment in graphic design and learnt a lot of valuable skills. We quickly decided working for someone was not our thing and RegalRose was born.

Regal Rose is an interesting name for your brand where did that come from?
Both words Regal and Rose are a reference to our roots – British. We thought the words worked really well together and rolled off the tongue easily making it both easy to remember and British inspired like our jewellery.

Your pieces are very individual, where does your inspiration come from?
Our inspiration comes from everything and everyone around us. We are both avid people watchers and are hugely influenced by London street ware and the randomness of nature.

Your jewellery line is getting very popular, what would you say your peak point has been in your career so far?
With regards to the popularity of our designs – each time we release a new collection, both the feedback and sales get better each time. It is amazing. I think we have established a strong following and customer base that really ‘gets’ our style and designs, making the brand even stronger with each collection released.

With regards to our career – there have been many peaks including seeing our designs featured regularly in magazines like Instyle and Cosmopolitan. Also having a few celebrities snapped with our designs on has been hugely exciting. Each step of this journey has its ups and downs but generally the peaks tend to come when we take a leap into making the business bigger and better like moving into a new studio, launching a new collection or completing an exhausting week at the clothes Show live.

Have you had any celebrities buy/wear any of your Jewellery?
Yes, Eliza Doolittle, Tess Daly, Fearne Cotton, Pixie Lott, Dionne Bromfield and Misha B, Kimberley Wyatt and Etta Bond.

What would you say is the worst and the best part about working in the fashion industry?
The best part is getting to meet minds alike that work in the fashion industry. When you meet someone who has the same goals and dreams it is really exhilarating. And of course, going to a few parties here and there!

We would say the worst thing about working in the fashion industry is the extremely fast changing trends. We don’t do trends as such, we do street culture. It is important to us to keep original and not follow the trends too much as it becomes tiresome and boring. We like to stand out and be different. We like to work hard to produce a collection that will have a timeless look. It is more important to us to BE the trend, than to follow it and change it too regularly!

Have you got any advice for young and budding designers?
Stick with it! Find your niche, target and focus on your plans. It’s not easy; a lot of hard work and a natural entrepreneurial enthusiasm will get you there.

What are the future plans for Regal Rose?
That would be telling…watch this space.

Check out RegalRose and what they’ve been up to on their website and social networking sites:

regalrose.co.uk
facebook.com/loveregalrose
twitter.com/regal_rose
behindthescenesatregalrose.blogspot.com

 

-NAVNEET VIRK

LFW: ZEYNEP TOSUN

Zeynep Tosun showcased her Spring Summer 2013 collection at London Fashion Week.

The catwalk was based in a beautiful marbled floored room with high ceilings and magnificent architecture.  Models elegantly walked down the catwalk in the most luxurious fabrics such as silk and chiffon and stylish metal caps. Her collection began with a structured fit of clothing with printed sharp cut suits and the use of a metal belt to exaggerate the waist.

As the show went on the pieces became fabulously feminine and as the models glided down in the loosely gathered chiffon pieces the transparent materiel outlined their figure which gave the pieces a sultry look.The main trends to look out for this S/S13 are floaty chiffon pieces, metallic accessories, embellished clothing and overstated waist belts.

Website: www.zeyneptosun.com
Twitter: ZeyTosun
Facebook: Zeynep Tosun

-NAVNEET VIRK

EXCLUSIVE: THE HOUSE OF PERNA

Amanda Perna has launched the hottest fashion brand to emerge from the USA. Aswell as deisgning Amanda has also featured on Project Runway as an expert host in Season 9. Amanda is ready is ready to reveal her vision to the world. I was able to get an exclusive interview!

What originally inspired you to get started in fashion?
I have always loved fashion.  Growing up my mom who was very into fashion which made me interested.

Where and what did you study?
I studied Apparel Design at The University of Alabama

So have you had any previous experience in the industry?
I started in the industry at Oscar de la Renta. The following year, I obtained an internship at Calvin Klein which led to full time employment as a designer prior to graduating from college.

Can you tell me about your brand, The House of Perna?
The House of Perna is a luxury women’s wear brand.  It is for women who like to stand out in a crowd, appreciates high quality, and values attention to detail.

The House of Perna is an interesting name for a fashion label where did that come from?
I named my brand The House of Perna as homage to everyone who is involved in the endeavour.  I have been blessed with a wonderful support system full of people who have believed in my ability to design.  In college I had a wonderful group of people who helped me with all that I was working on, and they lovingly named themselves “The House of Perna” since they were always at my house.  This is my way of thanking them as well as my family who has been a huge part of making this all happen.

How is your label any different to all the other fashion labels?
The House of Perna is different than other brands mainly because of the fact that it is my personal interpretation of fashion.  It reflects the places I have lived.  It reflects the love of flowing silhouettes and sexiness from my life in Florida, and the sleek, sophistication that I have obtained while living and working in Fashion in NYC.

So your label has just been launch, so you must has be trying to start the label during the economical crisis, did this effect you?
It definitely is a challenge starting a brand in a tough market, but I look at it as an opportunity.  I believe it is an opportunity to provide work to those in need, and to show that we cant let anything ever stop us from following our dreams.

What would you say your break through point has been in your career?
This is a hard question.  Many people would think that it was being on the show Project Runway, but I believe it was the day that one of my teachers at UA emailed me to ask if I would be a mentor for Senior students.  That is when I knew I had done something right.

What would you say is the worst and the best part about working in the fashion industry?
The best part is seeing people on the street, TV, and in stores wearing things that I worked on.  The worst part is getting used to the way some people behave in fashion. I have seen some crazy things.

Has fashion changed your life?
Absolutely! Working in the industry has definitely helped me toughen up.

Have you got any advice for young and budding designers?
Do not ever quit! It is a cut throat, hard industry.  If you love it, then don’t let anyone or anything make you quit.  Also to stay true to the aesthetic of the brand.  Whether you own your own label or work for another company, make sure you know who your customer is, and always design with her in mind.

What does the future hold in store for the, The House of Perna?
We will be launching our e-store shortly along with selling in boutiques.  We hope that someday soon we will be in stores internationally.

Website: www.thehouseofperna.com
Twitter: thehouseofperna

-NAVNEET VIRK