#13 exhausting the image

I don't usually post my own work on this blog, apart from my Meadham Kirchhoff creation, so I have decided to show a few of my favourite pieces from my most recent imaging project - 'Exhausting the Image'. 

I was given an anonymous image from an unknown source which I had to alter using different techniques and methods and extending my technical abilities, producing a series of nineteen further images. Each image had to inform the next image in the series and this was my starting point. 

I used a variety of different process, such as digital techniques, photocopying, drawing, collage and monoprinting to produce the series of images. Here are a few of my favourites. 

I didn't think I would but in actual fact I really loved this project. Next up is typography...

#8 february frolics

February is just over a week away and my anticipation is growing as, for me, it is going to be one of the busiest months of the year. Not only am I continuing my internship at Spin Agency, but I am travelling to a couple of European cities and it is London Fashion Week AW12. 

From the beginning of February, I will be residing (well, only for four days) in Berlin, Germany. I've never visited the city before so I really am excited, looking at what events are happening whilst I'm there. Something I will be attending is the Joshua Light Show which I've heard will be amazing. Shopping is a must so I've been told, obviously I don't need to be told twice; concept stores, independent boutiques and gigantic charity shops! Also at the time I am there, there is a graphics and new media festival on which could be interesting - I'll have to check that out. If anyone has been to Berlin and has something to recommend, please let me know! 

Another city which I shall grace my presence with, for the third time in about a year, is Amsterdam - possibly my favourite European city so far. Words cannot even begin to describe my excitement for returning to the Netherlands. You will find me cycling around the city in search of some new flea markets and vintage shopping around the Jordaan. 

I love LFW, especially Autumn/Winter shows as they are my favourite seasons - so I am counting down the days till the 17th. As a fashion student, I am expected to beg, blag and sneak my way into a few shows unless I actually have a real invitation. Last season, I was lucky to see a few shows; Danielle Scutt, Nasir Mazhar and Todd Lynn, however this season if I only get to see one show, it would have to be Meadham Kirchhoff. After completing a research project on the boys, I know that they are extremely talented and unpredictable so it is inevitable that their show will be a spectacular, not to be missed and that all of the fashion industry will be queueing for a front row seat.

So that's my plan for February so far, amongst birthdays, Valentines Day and numerous university projects. It is going to be a chaotic month...

#5 meadham kirchhoff is my life (2)

After immersing myself in everything Meadham Kirchhoff, I had to give a presentation to my tutors. Now, I am no fan of PowerPoint presentations; I like more handmade, one of a kind pieces so I had decided to present using mood boards. So had everyone else in my class...

Procrastination and ambition helped me to come up with this idea: I would create a shrine in Meadham Kirchhoff style à la Autumn Winter 11/12. 

Voilà! This is the final piece.

I guess it is like a three dimensional mood board; fake flowers, illustrations, inspiration, candles, holy statues and photo frames. The response from my tutors was amazing and I was so pleased with the result as it seemed impossible to achieve. I even received an email from Edward Meadham!

#5 meadham kirchhoff is my life

Fashion with beauty and brains; Edward Meadham and Benjamin Kirchhoff achieve this with their eccentric, lavish and politically charged designs. Dressing up intelligence in a satin babydoll dress, adorning feminism with frills and glitter and placing satire in a bubble of kitsch. 

The pair met whilst studying at Central Saint Martins and since graduating in 2002, have worked together on various projects, starting with a menswear line named after Benjamin Kirchhoff. Feeling trapped within the boundaries of men’s fashion, in 2006 they created Meadham Kirchhoff - a womenswear label that consists of feminine designs that are considered and executed in an old fashioned manner. 

They talk of their designs as “a re-evaluation of the values of banality” and “a corruption of classic garments”. Their beautiful dishevelled prettiness is displayed using theatrical displays and installations, such as the shrine created by Philip Wiegard with Ulrich Nerz at their Autumn Winter 2011 show. 

Always heavily influenced by Courtney Love, Meadham refuses to call her his muse, “I find the concept of muses offensive”. However, he has a wall in his office dedicated to pictures of Love from the 90s when she was in the band Hole and other various riot grrrl imagery.

There is an element of Courtney in every Meadham Kirchhoff collection and this season is no different. For their Spring Summer 2012 show, fourteen Love look-alikes came skipping onto the catwalk smearing on red lipstick and powdering their faces with oversized makeup poufs, paying homage to the ‘Miss World’ video by Hole. “Pink, fluffy loveliness” are the words used by Edward to sum up the show. 

Both men share the same beliefs when it comes to the ‘perfect’ Meadham Kirchhoff woman; she must be “uncompromising, aware and individual”, much like themselves. Ed and Ben like these women to have an ambivalent attitude towards the rest of the world and are courageous when styling their outfits. They must also have a melancholic air to them as well as being nonchalantly elegant.

The price of Meadham Kirchhoff designs reflects the attention to detail, hard work and dedication that goes into creating these works of art. The boys felt that their clothing was not accessible to everyone who wished to wear it so designed a Spring Summer 2010 capsule collection for Topshop. This was so successful that they then designed a second collection, for Spring Summer 2011. In June 2011 they turned their hand to floristry and teamed up with Wild At Heart for a secret store within Topshop’s Flagship store.

The buzz and anticipation around Meadham Kirchhoff continues to grow and their unpredictability keeps the fashion industry on the edge of their seats. However, Meadham and Kirchhoff want no such attention. “We just want to be one of those nice, quiet couture houses that is left alone to do what it wants,” says Benjamin. “People understand our choices. Interest is growing and there is a certain respect there. I think it’s slowly starting to happen.”