Hussein Chalayan Named Creative Director of Puma

Wow... this new has really surprised me for good.

German sport's wear label Puma has named British-based fashion designer Hussein Chalayan its Creative Director and this seems to be a deal to last... "This isn't a short-term relationship; this is a marriage" (Chalayan).

I still remember when he confessed in an interview to i-D magazine in their March 07 issue how difficult is to survive in the fashion market for a designer like him, whose work is focused more on creativity and experimentation rather than commerciability ...

"There is the pressure to carry on doing what I want to do and on the other hand I have to survive. What would make me happier right now is for my sales to become bigger."

So i guess finally he's seeing his dreams coming to a happy end. Good for him.


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Hussein Chalayan, nuestro queridísimo Chalayan cuyas pasarelas son de las más esperadas y aplaudidas de todo el planeta, ha sido nombrado Director Artístico de la marca alemana Puma.

La noticia me ha llegado esta mañana por email y me ha sorprendido muchísimo pues nunca pensé que una marca tan comercial como lo es Puma llegase a 'acercarse' a una persona tan experimental como lo es Chalayan.

Aun recuerdo la entrevista que aparecio publicada en el i-D de marzo del año pasado en el que el chipriota se lamentaba de la dificultad que es para diseñadores como él, comprometidos más con el lado artístico y experimental de la moda que con el lado comercial, sobrevivir en mundo en el que la "pela" cuenta más que las ideas.

Me imagino que Chalayan no cabrá en sí de alegria de ver que por fín sus diseños podran ser respaldados por una gran empresa que al fin y al cabo es lo que los diseñadores mas vanguardistas necesitan para poder prosperar. Y según él mismo ha confesado, "this isn't a short-term relationship; this is a marriage" (esto no será un rollete: esto es un matrimonio) así que esto tiene vistas de ser duradero.

Fashion, Religion and Law

Juashaunna Kelly, a senior at the District of Columbia’s Theodore Roosevelt High School, has been disqualified from a meet because officials said the custom-made outfit she wears to conform to her Muslim faith violated competition rules. (source)

Juashaunna has worn the same custom-made outfit for over three seasons but it's been only now that the referees decided that the outfit "violates the rules of the National Federation of State High School Associations" which stays that uniforms are required to be a single-solid color and unadorned...

One of the "options" that was giving to the athlete was to "take the hood off", then to wear a plain white T-shirt on over it...

But what's this need for saying others what to wear, what to say or what to think? Isn't this girl trying to live a normal life just wearing an outfit a little different than their peers in order to be able to be true to her religion? Who does really care? Do her peers, who are the ones who should care if that'd be the case, even care? I don't think so.

I think that the fact that Western people live in "democracies" make us think that we are free of speech, thought and fashion; if you want to wear a shoe in your head and no cloths to cover your legs, go ahead, no one will stop you, no one will take you directly to court! ...

We can dress crazy, trendy and cool as long as we don't wear something that shows your "convictions", like a veil. Because trendiness implies frivolity which harms no one "but yourself", but a veil implies character, and that my dear, that means that you think, and thinking can be very dangerous ...

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Juashaunna Kelly, una atleta musulmana del instituto Theodore Roosevelt, situado en Washington, ha sido descalificada de una competición por llevar ropa deportiva conforme a su fe, pero que "violaba las reglas de la carrera", han informado hoy medios locales. (fuente)

Juashaunna ha llevado este atuendo por tres temporadas pero parece ser que es solo ahora cuando la cosa tiene su importacia, ya que no ha sido hasta ahora que los árbitros han decidido que dicho atuendo viola las normas de la Federación Nacional de las Asociacones de Institutos de América entre las cuales se cita que "los uniformes han de ser de un solo color y sin adornos...".

Y yo me pregunto, de dónde sacamos esta necesidad de estar continuamente diciendo a los demas lo que deven llevar, lo que deben decir o lo que deben pensar? A quién le importa realmente que esta chica lleve o no lleve velo? Les importa a sus compañeros que son, si es que a alguien le tiene que importar, que ella vista de manera algo diferente? No creo que a ellos les importe lo más minimo, al fin y al cabo esta chica lo que quiere hacer es ser libre de poder correr y a la vez poder ser fiel a su religión, para lo que ella misma se ideó un atuendo, ella misma alló la solución que ahora se le esta denegando...

A veces creemos que por vivir en paises occidentales somos libres de pensamiento y de hacer lo que nos de la gana, pero ay, en cuanto nos salimos un poco de las normas establecidas, en cuanto damos a entender a traves de nuestro atuendo que "pensamos", que nuestras convicciones son otras que las "comunes", entonces las cosas se empiezan a poner feas...

Don't Come Knocking *

* thanks Wim Wenders for the tittle of this post

I met Shana Tabor (from NY vintage store In God We Trust) last Thanksgiving in a party we both attended.

At one point she started to tell me about some issue she had with Banana Republic. It seems that they knocked off a wool hat that Shana herself knitted for her store, and the copy was so perfect that now she was loosing money (how can she compete with Banana Republic's prices) and credibility (how can she prove that she designed the piece before? even if she does, how can anyone will buy the same piece in her store being the most expensive?).

is there any difference?

Weeks later my friend Zosen, a street-art artist from Barcelona, contacted me to tell me the knock off he was suffering from some random T-shirt company in Buenos Aires; it was copying not only Zosen's designs but also his own name!... (if you've been following my blog since the beginning you might remember Zosen from Amonstro Chocante).


The saddest part is that i've been a knocker myself when i worked for a big fashion company as a designer, so i know how the business work... to be hired by this companies you need to pass arduous interviews where they look and re-look your portfolio and they will only pick the best from the bests... to later ask you to trash all your creativity in order to copy someone else's ideas.
I guess they could save all this time and stress; you don't need to be a genius to knock off someone else's designs, do you?


Let me translate what Zosen sent me...

" ACID GUERRILLA copy-paste

I know it's no news that fashion designers copy one another, but it's unbelievable that the "new" ones, the "creative" and young are copying their peers as well... Viva the imagination!

Weeks ago some friends of mine went to Buenos Aires, Argentina, to attend the Independent Art Festival Buen Dia.

They saw my designs printed in some T-shirts, the design was a poster I did for a solo show I had in Barcelona in June last year (2006).

My friends asked one of the guys wearing the T-shirt where he bought it, maybe in Barcelona?. The guy said, no, in Buenos Aires, then they asked if he knew Zosen; he had no idea...

My friends contacted me to tell me that there were T-shirts in this Art Fair in Buenos Aires announcing my solo show in Barcelona... with my name, the gallery's name and even the gallery address!. They copied DIRECTLY the design, changing only the dates and the website, writing theirs instead of the gallery's.

The knockers name is, take note, LOVERS&FUCKERS... really original!... After this i decided to take a look to their website to realize that they copied not only me but also designs from records from Sonic Youth, Sex Pistols, etc. I sent them an e-mail and the owner answered me; "he didn't know anything" about it, it was all the "designer's fault, he even said that such design wasn't even the idea he had of the look for his label... he asked me to please don't talk bad about them, he didn't want bad publicity for his label. But I wanted to share what it happened.

We ended up making a third-world deal and at least I got to get free t-shirts with the name of my solo show print on them.

COOL HUNTERS OF THE WORLD: UNITE!! "


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// El día de Acción de Gracias conocí a Shana Tabor dueña de la tienda de ropa vintage In God We Trust. Estuvimos hablando de mil cosas y entre ellas surgio en la conversacion el tema de las copias en el mundo de la moda, algo de lo que tanto diseñadores como tiendas estan muy al tanto hoy día.
Parece ser que Banana Republic habia calcado tal cual uno de los gorros que ella misma hace para vender en la tienda y que desde entonces habia estado teniendo muchisimos problemas para venderlos porque no podia competir con los precios de Banana Republic asi como con la "dignidad" de estar vendiendo algo que una gran compañia estaba vendiendo tambien; como pruebas que fuiste tu el primero que lo diseñó?

Semanas despues mi amigo Zosen, desde Barcelona me contactó para contarme lo que le habia pasado con una compañia de camisetas de Buenos Aires que habian fulminado tal cual el diseño de uno de los carteles anunciadores de una exhibicion que habia tenido hacia un año. Abajo os pongo el email que me mandó.

Lo peor de todo es que yo se de que va este tema porque yo misma he copiado. He sido diseñadora en una gran empresa por dos años y pocas empresas hay hoy dia que permitan a sus diseñadores crear en lugar de fulminar. Lo cual es gracioso porque para entrar en esas empresas uno tiene que pasar entrevistas maratonianas en las que se mira con lupa tu portfolio... para que luego toda tu creatividad te la tiren a la basura porque lo que quieren de ti es que copies, y ya está.


" GUERRILLA ACIDA copy-paste

Que en el mundo del textil se copie no es nada nuevo, pero lo que es ya el colmo es que tod@s es@s nuevos “diseñadores” copien también a sus congéneres. La imaginación al poder!

Hace unas semanas unos amigos asistieron a un festival al aire libre en Buenos Aires (Argentina) el Festival Buen Día. Allí descubrieron uno de mis diseños sobre t-shirts estampadas; el diseño en concreto era el poster de una expo que tuve en Barcelona en Junio del año pasado. A uno de los chicos que llevaban la camiseta le preguntaron: ¿dónde compraste la t-shirt en Barcelona? No, en Buenos Aires, ¿conoces a Zosen? No, quién es ese?. Así todo raro me lo hacen saber, que hay camisetas anunciando mi expo, con el nombre de la galería,el mío propio y hasta la calle de la galería!!

Habían copiado íntegramente el diseño, sólo cambiaron dónde aparecía las fechas de la expo y las websites por el nombre de la “marca”. Los artífices de la copia se llaman (atentos a la originalidad del nombre) LOVERS&FUCKERS, a qué no suena típico? Eh qué no?

Decido echar un vistazo a su web y descubro que no sólo me habían copiado a mí sino también tenían impresas t-shirts con diseños de discos de los Sonic Youth, Sex Pistols, etc.

Les escribí un email y el dueño me dijo que él no sabía nada que era culpa del “diseñador”,bla,bla y que LA COPIA no era su idea de diseño para la marca; menos mal porque sex pistols y sonic youth no son conocidos como para saber que el “diseñador” lo ha copiado de las portadas de sus discos!

Me dijo que no quería mala fama y que no hablara mal de ellos, por eso aquí les cuento mi experiencia. Llegamos a un acuerdo tercermundista y tengo algunas camisetas con el nombre de mi expo: GUERRILLA ACIDA!

Lo mejor las modelos luciéndolas que parecen que están con mucho calor del verano..

¡¡COOL HUNTERS DEL MUNDO UNÍOS!! "

Bobble-Bee & Vanidad

I knew it was going to happen but i didn't expect it so soon...
Vanidad, one of the most read fashion magazines in Spain, is turning 15 years old and to celebrate it they just launched their new website.
One of the current features is the link to their favourite blogs, "Rock on the Blogs", where they included mine...
When Julia from the editorial office at Vanidad contacted me weeks ago to ask for permission to link my blog I couldn't believe what she was asking me for... my blog in such a big publication? Please, go!

So from here, thanks for choosing bobble-bee and place it together with such faves of mine as katelovesme or Nothing to Wear. And congratulations to everyone.


/// Sabía lo que venía, pero no me lo esperaba tan pronto...
Vanidad, una de las revistas de moda y tendencias mas leidas en España, cumple 15 añitos y para celebrarlo acaba de lanzar nueva pagina web.
Una de las nuevas secciones incluye la publicación de sus blogs favoritos, "Rock on the Blogs", y entre ellos han escogido el mio...
Cuando Julia desde la redacción me contactó hace semanas para pedirme permiso para publicar mi blog no podia creer lo que mis ojos estaban viendo... mi blog en una publicación de las dimensiones de Vanidad?, por favor, adelante!

Desde aqui queria agradecerles mi presencia en sus páginas junto con blogs como katelovesme o Nothing to Wear, a los cuales sigo muy a menudo. Felicidades a todos!

Bobble-Bee Featured in Vogue Girl Korea

... and the most amazing thing is that no one from the mag contacted me to tell me so!
The editor of Feet Man Seoul, a Korean street fashion magazine, e-mailed me one day mentioning that he saw my site featured in the Vogue Girl Korea of August 2007 and wanted to drop a line introducing his own project ... I said Vogue what?? ... it just blew my mind !! ...

It is quite flattering and nice that a publication such as Vogue thinks of my blog as to be featured in a Fashion Bloggers' special, so it is quite a mystery the reason why they didn't contact me to let it me know... I would have been so glad if they'd do ! ... in any case, if they are reading me right now; THANKS for choosing my blog, and big thanks to feet man Seoul for the heads up and the translation of the article, that follows ...

PATRICIA YAGUE

ABOUT HER
Patricia is both the editor of a fashion magazine called Milkshake Chocolate, and is also a stylist. But netizens know her better as "Bobble Bee." If you're a person who likes exploring fashion blogs, her site is worth visiting.

TYPE OF BLOG:
This is a blog that would be beneficial to a person interested in all kinds of fashion topics. Patricia doesn't just work on her own projects, but the site is also full of information on fashion places all over the world, from exhibits to street fashion, hot places, the streets, and the works of new artists. The good thing about her site is that it's updated nearly every day with all kinds of news and other topics.

PS: My blog was featured together with A Cup Of Jo, Happy Cavalier, Henners and Bruna

My House, My Style

This week New York Magazine portraits the house and personality of three nostalgics of the 1930's, 1940's and 1950's, as an excuse to offer a retro shopping NYC guide to find the best buys in the city. This special extends the last year retro guide to the 60's, 70's and 80's.
Very good information of vintage stores and memorabilia.

The 30's... sweetie Dixie Feldman



The 40's... Michael Savoia



The 50's... Asher Siegal

American Apparel Sexy Life

I always thought that the American Apparel advertisments were absolutely amateur until
Stella et Moi pointed out the work of Napoleon Habeica.

American Apparel campaigns always claim to be made in their "apartments" or "stores", and the models not others than the sales people themselves. So i always pictured the photo-shoots as an after-sales party...

But i was pretty wrong.

Napoleon, whose work reminds me the one of Terry Richardson, is one of those photographers in charge of doing these sexy campaigns that cover our most hip magazines.

These pictures have been always quite controversial due to their explicit sexuality. I personally love the ads but i can understand the love/hate relation some people have with them; in one hand they're fun and sexy but in the other hand you see many many times the girls showing what some people think is maybe too much.

Probably the most polemic thing came when in 2005 Dov Charney, AA senior partner, was charged of sexual-harassment by three employees. Then it came out all the "backstage' of those campaigns and the no-so forward policy of the company.

CHANEL Cruise 2007 Preview

On May 2006 Karl Lagerfeld presented the Chanel Cruise collection 2006-07 in Grand Central Terminal in NYC.

Now the collection arrives in stores and the preview will head the Bergdorf Goodman shelves tomorrow Wednesday and Thrusday from 11am to 4pm.

If you missed the show this is a good ocasion to check out the Ready-to-Wear, Accesories and Shoes that you couln't that day.

V&R in H&M New York

Booble Bee woke up very early in the morning to go and fly around the H&M located on 34th street at 7th Ave in New York City. Nov. 09 2006.
The atmosphere was the same as in any other city; crowds of girls fighting for a piece of clothing, chaos, loud music, secutiry guards, big lines in the changing room, high prices and low quality. I must say though that the mood of the people was splendid like having a party.
Bobble Bee eyes went nuts with the style around. Again, Kate Moss is the main and only Inspiration Queen.
Our dearest Sussie Bubble covered the event in London and edited a video that worths a look.