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March 2011 - IV: Materials of cultures, exploring nature...

Exploring nature Preview to Earth Month Web/Mobile
Fashionoffice collected some pieces like surf shorts by Jockey for a men's style and derived inspirations from people's postings on earthday.org...


Exploring nature Exploring nature by watching fashion shows Web/Mobile
The 'Lake's Fashion Days' (11-15 May in Austria) have a catwalk concept that incorporates the nature of...


Exploring nature Rebirth of nature Web/Mobile
The collection of spring styles is inspired by the tradition of Easter, which stands for peace and the recreation of life. With cosmetics by Clinique...


Materials of cultures Fabrics inspired by cultures worldwide Web/Mobile
Question by Fashionoffice: "Why is it called the Prague Coat - after the Czech city?" Heike Jarick: "All our pieces...


Materials of cultures Voodoo in film and exhibition Web/Mobile
The religious cult is associated with dolls; shown dramatically in Joaquin Baldwin's short movie 'Sebastian's Voodoo'. Now, an exhibition in Paris introduces to the aesthetics of Voodoo...


SHORT MESSAGES (from the FashionFeeds):

21 March 2011 - Movie 'Importance of Being Elegant' directed by George Amponsah, Cosima Spender (2004)
...is about the Congolese community 'La Sape' in Brussels and Paris who are devoted extremely to fashion products and labels. The two film makers are following the Congolese musician, cult founder and spiritual father, Papa Wemba. In an interview on BBC.co.uk, Geroge Amponshah says: "We had it fixed in our heads that we were making a film about the cult of cloth, the cult of elegance. As you can see in the film's archive footage, this is a man who had declared clothing and fashion to be a religion." On 19 April, the movie will be on screening at Le Grand Café in Saint-Nazaire (FR) on occasion of the exhibition 'Communauté/Gemeinschaft' questioning 'being together' in real and virtual worlds like Facebook and Twitter grandcafe-saintnazaire.fr.

21 March 2011 - Organic cotton, Tencel, recycled polyester in white and neutral colors
Fashionoffice just received the hyperlink to the video (available since today even with undertitles in Spanish, French, German, Russian) showing the women, men and children spring/summer 'Conscious'-collection by H&M made from sustainable materials; comes into stores on 14 April. With statements by experts like the director of sustainable fashion at the London College of Fashion and the executive retail editor of Vogue UK.

21 March 2011 - Virtual travel to street art spots
Works by artists like Banksy, Keith Haring, Os Gêmeos, Space Invader or Blu can be found on the Red Bull Street Art View map by Google, which has recently 'opened'. There are already set thousands of spots in countries, where street view is available. Users are invited to submit an artview. Unfortunately this is not possible in Austria; in Vienna, Blu has painted in September 2010 on a wall of a cereal silo; the artwork is visible on fashionoffice.org/culture/2010/albernerhafen9-2010.htm.

20 March 2011 - What's left from a 7000 years old textile tradition?
...is the leading question of New York native Bob Freund, who began the 'Mexican Indigenous Textile Project' in 2003. Bob Freund traveled through hundreds of villages to capture photos for a documentary about women's dresses in Mexico and the patterns of textile weavings. The direct link to the patterns is mexicantextiles.com/flies/cooltextiles.html.

19 March 2011 - Electronic soul dance 'White Horse' by Brooklyn based trio Jessica 6
...with the smoky lascivious voice by lead singer Nomi Ruiz from the debut album 'See The Light' (release in May). The three members of the band Jessica 6 have met while working with Hercules and Love Affair and Antony on 'Hercules and Love Affair' (2008). On Jessia 6's 'See The Light', Antony appears as guest vocalist on the track 'Prisoner Of Love'. It is announced, that Antony and Nomi Ruiz are "weaving their voices around each other to a stunning effect".

19 March 2011 - 'Heavy in Your Arms' by Florence and the Machine from the Eclipse soundtrack
Florence Welch, recently nominated for Best New Artist at the 53rd Grammy Awards, has written the song for the vampire series 'The Twilight Saga: Eclipse'. Her role in the black and white, morbide video could be described as 'passive body', which evokes probably even Spinner.com's question: "Is she dead or alive?".

19 March 2011 - 100 Years for Women's Rights
Since 1911, women worldwide campaign for women's rights in March. 1911, the 19th March was the official Women's Day; in 1913 it was transferred to the 8th of March. In 2011, the whole month through, women worldwide organise events to spread the word. Today for example in Vienna, women from various several parties meet on different locations in the city and walk to the parliament zwanzigtausendfrauen.at.

18 March 2011 - Exercises to run perfectly
...barefoot. The expert in biomechanics and functional medicine Lee Saxby, expert on Wildfitness.com (believing "that looking to nature and what we know of our evolutionary origins provides the most upstream and useful guide for how to be fit and healthy today") shows in the video the differences between running with cushioned sportshoes (landing on the heel) and barefoot techniques (landing on the forefoot) and how to gain a healthy running style.

18 March 2011 - 'Forbidden Fruit - A History of Women and Books in Art' by New York and Vienna based Christiane Inmann
...is about women's history, education, and the approach to knowledge in China, Japan, Europe, America, and reaches back to the culture of Mesopotamia. Christiane Inmann says: "Throughout history, patriarchal societies kept knowledge of books and reading locked away from women and safeguarded the keys to this treasure chest, afraid that, if opened, it would become a Pandora's Box." On 24 March, Christiane Inmann (studied Economics and Social Sciences at the University of Economics in Vienna) will speak at the Amerika Haus in Vienna; registration for the event via programs@usembassy.at.

17 March 2011 - Documentary about female garment workers and the change of the legislation for the security of workplaces in 1911
The documentary 'Triangle: Remembering The Fire' premieres on 21 March on HBO as remembrance of the 100th anniversary of 'The Triangle Shirt Waist Factory Fire' in New York where 146 garment workers (mostly female) were burned or jumped to death. Their death, which could have been easily prevented, is marking a milestone in modern labor movement. "The people of New York City already knew these girls from 1909’s Uprising of the 20,000, when shirtwaist workers, most of them recent immigrants from Eastern Europe, went on strike demanding higher pay, shorter hours and better conditions. An event in American history missing from most textbooks, it was the first great uprising of women – at a time when they didn’t have the vote."

16 March 2011 - Hypersensitive electronic-dance beats 'Ghosts of Utopia' by IAMX
...from the new album 'Volatile Times' (release on 18 March, www.boutiqueiamx.eu). Berlin based musician Chris Corner, the head of IAMX, is known of being also the director of his videos. This time, he creates dark images of a mysterious world. He is on tour in Europe: 17 March Apeldoorn (Netherlands), 18 March Esch-sur-Alzette (Luxembourg), 19 March Brussels (Belgium), 24 March Malmö (Sweden), 25 March Stockholm (Sweden)...