There’s no doubt about it, London based trio, Sibling have come out on top of London Collections: Men. The label, which was established in 2008, specializes in knitwear but make no mistake, this is not knitwear your granny would produce. As they put it themselves, this is “Colourful, well-made, luxury knitwear for a man bored with the grey V-neck option.”

Previous seasons have been good, great even but Autumn/Winter 2013 clearly held some other realm of inspiration for Sibling. Chunky knits doesn’t even begin to explain the yeti-like couture that drowns even the muscular frames of the models. Mittens the size of footballs and hoods and scarves that threaten suffocation provide a platform that enticed Vogue to draw a comparison between melting marshmallows and the pastel blizzard that graced last weeks catwalks.

The contrast between milk-bottle skin and the rich, leathery crocodile and alligator hide that envelop Lidi Kochetkova is jolting. Thoughts of animal cruelty and how one should feel with regards to its place in the world of fashion swirl merilessly alongside fascination and an appreciation for the beautiful work of photographer, Arnaud Pyvka. Juxtaposition is the name of the game as animalistic material drench the virginal and angelic subject, and although the shoot was intended as a showcase of material, something deeper stirs beneath. 

She is naked, composed. She is exposed and awkwardly positioned. She is comfortable. She is a living canvas for the incredible skins of tannery Heng Long International, supplier to designers such as Prada and Louis Vuitton. The bright white and often over exposed images are a refelction of the message. A message of art and beauty, of laying preconceptions aside and appreciating what is placed before you.

For interview and more photographs see: http://www.nowness.com/day/2012/8/28/2339/exotic-skins

Illustrator and graphic designer, Denise Nestor’s works closely resemble the later sketches of a fashion designer laced with quirky elements such as her almost trademark bunny suit. Undeniably realistic with a somewhat unfinished element to them, these illustrations are addictive, almost hypnotic.

http://treesforthewoods.blogspot.com/

It’s a bridal shoot but how you have genuinely never seen it done before. Claire O’Connor’s Injured Idols takes slings, crutches and bandaging and wraps them around model January Russell. Modern, edgy and somewhat eerie, the shoot unmasks a myriad of questions and interpretations to the merit rather than detriment of the clothes. Is it the constraints of marriage that is being to referred to or can marriage be the crutch or the sling that sees a person through? However the shoot is interpreted, there is no denying the beauty of the clothing. The sharp edges and shapes cloaked in classic lace juxtaposed with floaty materials and frills makes for a stellar collection.