SHOWstudio are happy to announce that this month our fashion illustration exhibition Moving Kate will be travelling to Tokyo!

A selection of contemporary fashion illustrators and creatives have offered their own take on runway looks of model Kate Moss. More than 40 original artworks by illustrators by the likes of Jenifer Corker, Unskilled Worker and Rei Nadal are accompanied by footage of Moss from SHOWstudio's extensive archive, as well as unique 3D printed sculptures.

The exhibition will be held at The Mass, a space dedicated to the display of modern and contemporary art, located at 5-11-1 Jingumae, Shibuya-Ku, in Tokyo. Open 30 June - 31 July 2017.

Revisit our Moving Kate exhibition which was on display at our 22D Ebury Street space, or why not peruse our most recent exhibition, Fashion Flora? 

Image: Suzy Platt's rendering of Kate Moss walking for Vivienne Westwood A/W 93.

Happy Birthday to the brilliant Stephen Jones! 

In celebration of his 60th birthday and his forty years as a milliner,  British milliner Stephen Jones will be taking over the SHOWstudio Tumblr as our latest guest curator!

Since graduating from Saint Martins School of Art in 1979, Jones started his millinery career by making hats for friends at a time when London was the centre for creativity and iconoclastic fashion ideas.

Jones will be posting about his journey and experiences through archive and unseen imagery.

Head over to the SHOWstudio Tumblr to keep up with Jones' take-over from 1-7 June and revisit our recent take-overs by Guillermo Andrade, Alice Hawkins and many more!

In light of SHOWstudio’s recent panel discussion on the effects of Brexit on the fashion industry, Tuesday 30 May, I travelled to Shoreditch House to watch their Brexit for Breakfast discussion in the hope of gathering further opinion. Heading toward a comically placed projection of both Jeremy Corbyn and Theresa May haphazardly eating breakfast, I take a seat in a plump chesterfield corner piece and brace for debate. Chaired by Shoreditch House, the panel consists of menswear designer Oliver Spencer, Financial Times political leader writer Sebastian Payne and comedian Ahir Shar. 

With the fashion industry contributing over £28 billion to the economy, it seems rather frustrating that when speaking about Brexit, fashion isn’t often a topic of discussion. As the panel discussion began it became apparant that this was widely felt among all panelists and indeed the audience too. 90% of people within the fashion industry voted to remain - no surprise considering a large aspect of the fashion industry is dependant on European exports, be that materials, designers, students or artisans. Designer Phoebe English stressed this frequently in SHOWstudio’s panel discussion. 'If people can't come here, it’ll be something that will be a slow detrimental impact on the fashion industry.' Oliver Spencer touches on this during the Brexit Breakfast, discussing the importance of international passage, 'they need us as much as we need them… the Italian economy is on a knife edge, if they can’t import/export to us they’re in trouble.’ 

In the run up to the snap general election, none of the key players have yet voiced their Brexit survival tactics, the panelists ask, are we feeling the effects of Brexit already? Spencer thinks so. Spencer feels the weakening of the pound has already begun to impact his day-to-day as well as taking a hit to big brands in America. 'Take Ralph Lauren for instance, over 40% of his business comes from discount stores such as Bicester village, he has closed two stores in New York and his rent for his Bond Street store has gone from 7 million to 11 million.' Without a grasp of the online, these top bracket brands are in considerable trouble. Sebastian Payne mentions that as Corbyn’s polls for the snap election have risen, the pound has dropped even further - perhaps not all Brexit to blame. Short term, the drop in the pound has given us a boost in tourism, with London becoming a much more affordable place to travel. Spencer claims that because of this, London is now the watch capital of the world. While this is a positive surge for the likes of Harrods and Selfridges, Soho’s boutiques and independent shops still struggle. 

Payne then moves to discuss the importance of immigration, stating that unless 200,000 people immigrate, businesses will suffer. Neither politician has stated that they will support such a high number, which sends a sigh of exasperation across the panel. 'The lead indicator for a recession is immigration,' adds Payne. The murmurs of an impending recession quell the topic of fashion altogether and we begin discussing Brexit in a much larger scope - 'If we left (the E.U) in a snap there would be a 30% hole in the budget,’ says Payne. Is corporation tax an issue for the city? Should we all move to Europe? Will Theresa May get enough seats in the election? 

The questions begin to retaliate from the audience, with one character offering a 'Made In England' solution to the issues of import/export. With China now too expensive for manufacturing and most items now made in Bangladesh - can we not manufacture and re-open the factories in Britain for production? Spencer mentions that Patrick Grant, the creative director of menswear brand E.Tautz, tried to do exactly this, opening a factory in Sheffield - which unfortunately had to close. This is part of a wider issue - youth favour the keyboard rather than a factory machine. 

After much discussion, the panel agree that while the future for the fashion industry is indeed ominous, that the key asset this country is its creative power. With inflation and the price of everything except wages increasing, we all have to be creative to get by. 'Out of recession comes creativity,' comments Spencer. I’m pleased to see that this optimism of creativity was the result of both Shoreditch House's and SHOWstudio’s panels. A positive outlook, no matter the financial or political climes. The industry shows a passion and drive to survive. 

Visit our panel Brexit: The Impact on the Fashion Industry to gauge a different perspective on the topic from the likes of Nick Knight, fashion politics consultant Tamara Cincik, adviser Munira Mirza, CEO of the UK Fashion & Textile Association Adam Mansell and designer Phoebe English.

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Alessandro Michele is a master of unity. He is a conductor - bringing together different notes and rhythms in a strange but seductive harmony. Disparate decades, cultures and genres are clashed and correlated on his runway. He designs like a DJ - sampling, referencing and paying tribute, all while offering the odd scratches and unexpected beat drops that give pace and intrigue to a great set. 

After yesterday’s Cruise show, staged in the imposing Palatine gallery of the Palazzo Pitti in Florence, much was made of the fact that Michele really wanted to hold his runway in the Parthenon in Athens (aim big, is the Gucci motto, not only in terms of location, but also collection size - note the 115 looks). The Parthenon team seem to be the only people not currently drinking the Gucci kool-aid - they turned down the offer. No matter - the classical elements, most obvious in the gilded wreaths worn and carried by models, may have been intended to shine in a big fat Greek fashion show, but they worked just as well here in Florence. That’s because nothing really looks out of place on a Gucci runway - they are a vibrant free-for-all, a lesson in something-for-everyone. In this democratic vein, Michele nodded to the way people freely interpret brands and create their own messages and symbols based on their design heroes. He’s long had an interest in the way the internet and social media has taken the power away from brands in terms of controlling their own narrative and messages, hence why he embraced the subversive wit of meme makers, who often turn brands into jokes, for a recent watch campaign. How smart - long gone are the days where brands can dictate how their output is communicated and discussed. Dialogue now is complex, quick and audience-led. He’d nodded to this again at this show with garments emblazoned with slogans such as Guccification, Guccify Yourself and Guccy. They’ll fly off the shelves and dominate street style. But there’s more to them than surface. To misspell your own brand name is a punchy statement - one that shows supreme confidence. Gucci are the leaders of the pack at the moment, so they can afford to be so daring and tongue-in-cheek. Other brands are reaching and hoping, but Gucci are at the top looking down and playing.

‘Guccy’ sums up Michele’s Gucci - he’s taken what we all know, those illusive ‘codes of the house’, and messed with them, twisting them up with his own references, his keenest obsessions and the moods and ‘it’ items of the moment (see those ubiquitous and on-trend chunky dad trainers). He’s playing with fashion by playing with the house itself. It’s hard to criticise or parody his work when he’s doing it himself with such freewheeling joy and amusement. It must have been tempting, when showing in such regal settings, filled by great art from the masters, to try to elevate the collection and promote the preciousness of his pieces. He’d stayed away from any expected and stuffy fashion-as-art schtick and instead promoted the relevance and realness of his clothing. How refreshing.  

‘Guccy’ also suggests fakery and bootlegging. It’s a popular trend at the moment to craft items that look like they could be knock-offs - see the work of Demna Gvasalia or the much-discussed collaboration between Louis Vuitton and Supreme. After all, why let the fraudsters take the cash when you can peddle the heavy-logos and chintzy flashing looks on your own shop floor? Those eighties-esque branded leather and fur pieces made me think of Dapper Dan, who sold monogrammed statement pieces from his Harlem boutique long before brands would dare to offer such smile-raising, unsubtle items in their own stores. 

There were lots of new trinkets and details on show to delight the magpie-like Gucci consumer - those darling pearl embellishments certainly delighting those on the front row, brandishing iPhones in the hope of posting an Instagram hit. But, to me, it was the closing look that said the most - it was a printed pleated skirt, worn with a branded knit and a good bag. It’s certainly the look Michele is most known for, one that has run through his collections since his first season and a style that has filtered down from his dazzling runway spectacles to the racks of the high-street. It’s also proof that, wherever his mind wanders or wherever he stages his show, a classic winning formula remains just that - once you’re on to a winner, keep at it. 

SHOWstudio are exicted to announce a new collaborative project with Parsons School of Design in New York.

Launching this Sunday, this collaboration between SHOWstudio and Parsons works to highlight Parsons' current curricular focus that encourages students to look beyond the garment and traditional representation of 'collection' to include film/video, illustration, interactive design and other forms of digital publication.

SHOWstudio are thrilled to offer a prize to an outstanding graduating senior in fashion media representation in the form of a 3-month virtual mentorship with SHOWstudio founder Nick Knight, and an opportunity to be highlighted on SHOWstudio.

The winner for the 2017 collaborative project is Jihyun Myung, a South Korean born designer, whose aesthetic is centred around investigating aesthetics from alternative perspectives. Find out more about the Myung with her exclusive interview with SHOWstudio Junior Editor Georgina Evans. 

Visit SHOWstudio Sunday 28 May 17:00 BST to watch the winning film alongside the two runners-up!  

SHOWstudio is supporting the Canadian International Fashion Film Festival 2017!

SHOWstudio Head of Fashion Film Raquel Couceiro was invited to Canada to represent SHOWstudio. Couceiro has been taking part in a panel discussion, alongside Fashion Film Curator Niccolo Montanari and Andy Lee from the London College of Fashion School and Media, discussing the diverse and shifting landscape of the medium.

SHOWstudio has long supported the nurturing of emerging film talent, the CANIFFF summit mirros this attitude by inviting young creatives to express and explore their aesthetic through film.

Watch this space for more updates! 

SHOWstudio's latest exhibition Fashion Flora is now open to the public!

The exhibition presents an explorative look at the use of flowers as a motif in fashion throughout the decades, as seen by a selection of SHOWstudio's contemporary fashion illustrators. Depicted garments have been hand-selected by Flora Starkey, one of the most exciting floral designers working today, and date back as far the 1880s! The illustrations range in style and medium and are displayed alongside Nick Knight's hand-applied pigment print 'Rose IX' (2012). Films from SHOWstudio's 17-year archive are also exhibited, amongst real flora and fauna which will feature for a limited time only, as arranged by Starkey.

Fashion Flora is open 10:30–18:00 BST Monday–Friday at 22D Ebury Street, Belgravia, London SW1W 0LU. Stop by and visit our space!

Tonight SHOWstudio will play host to a live panel discussion at Picturehouse Central as part of the London-based event The Commisioners.

Members of the SHOWstudio team including; Head of Fashion Film, Raquel Coucerio and Nick Knight's first photographic assistant Britt Lloyd will be disussing our role as pioneers of fashion film.

As part of SHOWstudio's continual exploration into moving image the talk will include screenings of fashion films including The Seven Deadly Sins, The Worst Crime is Faking It, Girl and Political Fashion, to address the narrative that this medium can encapsulate.

To address the change in medium since SHOWstudio's inception, we will also be discussing our collaborations with some of the most influential and exciting people within contemporary fashion, as well as our continual drive to investigate every facet of the industry though not only moving image but photgraphy, illustration and the written word.

The panel will happen tonight at 18:30 BST

SHOWstudio are delighted to announce that American fashion designer Anna Sui will be interviewed by Lou Stoppard on Wednesday 24 May at 8:30 BST as part of our In Fashion series! 

Launching her business in 1981, Sui is noted for her eccentric, vintage and rock and roll inspired collections. Unusually, it wasn't until she had established her brand, over the course of ten years, that she decided to produce a runway collection at New York Fashion Week. Since that point, Sui has had high acclaim with some of the worlds top models and music personel, being photographed in her clothing. This year, 2017, sees Sui and her career being celebrated in a retrospective exhibition, 'The World Of Anna Sui' at London's Fashion and Textile Museum.

Tune in to this exclusive live interview on 24 May to hear Sui discuss her career, inspirations and evolving aesthetic!

SHOWstudio are proud to support Designers Against AIDS (DAA), a project that sees designers and students collaborate on making new garments out of unsold second-hand clothes or personal vintage pieces.

This creative challenge highlights the importance of sustainability and offers another option on how to make it work. The endeavour would not be feasible without the input of designers like Veronique Branquinho, Mandy Webb, Abelone Wilhelmsen, An Buermans, Fadime Tezerdi, Catherine Costa and Danane Bazouka. They worked closely with fifth-year fashion students from St. Godelieve in Deurne to create new outfits, while art students from St. Maria in Borgerhout helped create the overall look and feel of the presentation and online promotion. 

The installation showcasing the newly created outfits will open on Saturday 27 May 2017, in Pardaf, Antwerp (Gemeentestraat 8, 2060 Antwerpen, Belgium). Accompanied by online bidding on upcycled clothing, it is meant to raise proceeds for DAA's projects 'Asia Against AIDS - Back to Zero: Indonesia' and 'Youth For a Better World Online Education Center', based in Antwerp. 

The search for the next edition of the project has already begun. DAA are looking fashion students and graduates aspiring to create upcycled clothing, have them photographed, promoted online, with funds being sent to the respective organisations. 

Under the umbrella of creative network Beauty Without Irony, it hopes to encourage emerging creatives to participate and to educate the audience about the issues of recycling/upcycling and sustainability as well as HIV/AIDS and the need for safe sex. This year, the clothing was photographed on models Seija Mistiaen and Zoe Yoko by Alexey Shlyk and Gwenny Eeckels, with styling by Ingrid Martens and production by Ninette Murk. Follow the projects on designersagainstaids.com now!

Fashion Flora will be the latest exhibition to be held in our fashion illustration gallery space at 22D Ebury Street, opening on the 23rd May 2017!

The exhibition will explore the distinct influence that florals have had on fashion the throughout the decades. Featuring pieces commissioned to SHOWstudio’s base of illustrators by Flora Starkey, they collaborate and produce interpretations of some of the most iconic catwalk looks from the likes of Alexander McQueen, Dries Van Noten and John Galliano. 

The installation will also feature pieces reflecting Nick Knight’s noted love for flowers. This includes his hand-applied pigment print 'Rose IX' (2012) as well as fashion films taken from the  SHOWstudio archive.  Alongside these prints and illustrations British flower instillations and plants take stage.

The exhibition will be open from 10:30-18:00 daily from Tuesday 23 May 2017. 

Image: Comme des Garçons Homme A/W 16 by Unskilled Worker

On 18 May 2017, SHOWstudio will play host to a live panel discussion at Picturehouse Central for London-based event The Commissioners.

Head of Fashion Film; Raquel Couceiro, Nick Knight's First Photographic Assistant; Britt Lloyd, and Junior Editor; Georgina Evans, will be representing SHOWstudio to discuss our role as pioneers of fashion film. 

Encouraging fashion to engage with moving image, we will be screening The Seven Deadly Sins, The Worst Crime is Faking It, Girl and Political Fashion to address the significance of narrative within this medium, and the political role within fashion - highlighting SHOWstudio’s continual championing in fashion film. 

As part of a constantly changing and innovating medium, we will also be discussing our collaborations with some of most influential and acclaimed figures of contemporary fashion and how we explore every facet of fashion through moving image, illustration, photography and the written word to create this unique visionary online content. 

The panel will be 18 May 2017 at 18:30 GMT.

For the first week in May, Guillermo Andrade of LA streetwear label FourTwoFour will be taking over the SHOWstudio Tumblr as our latest guest curator!

Since being founded in 2010, with an ethos inspired by the unification of streetwear, lifestyle and contemporary art, 424 have collaborated with leading brands and is one of the latest drops on our SHOWstudio/MACHINE- A e-store.

During the take-over, Andrade will be posting about seven years in seven days, documenting his journey from the day he opened.

Head over to the SHOWstudio Tumblr to keep up with Andrade’s take-over from 1-7 May and revisit past take-overs by Alice Hawkins, Adam Murray, Simon Foxton, Hari Nef and many more!

Less than a week left to submit your questions for our latest In Camera series interview with Turner Prize winning photographer, Wolfgang Tillmans!

SHOWstudio are allowing a global online audience - as well as the interviewee’s friends and collaborators - to pose questions regarding politics, his creative process and thoughts on modern society and photography during this live unedited broadcast. 

Lou Stoppard will interview Wolfgang Tillmans 10 April 2017 12:15 GMT. The interview times with the Wolfgang Tillmans: 2017 exhibition at the Tate Modern running until 11 June 2017. 

Submit your question here for a chance to have it featured in this exclusive live stream interview!

Natalie Choi is the winner of our eleventh Design Download competition!

The pattern was kindly given by British Womenswear designer Simone Rocha, winner of the 2016 Best British Womenswear Designer Award, from her S/S 14 collection. The original collection was based around Rocha's Irish upbringing, while still inkeeping with the elegant femininity signature within her work.

Choi's interpretation used block colour and stiff suede to highlight the cut and varying elements. An interesting contrast and alternate rendition to the original piece.

As a result of her fantastic entry, Choi will recieve a specially commissioned print from Fiona Gourlay, which displays her interpretation of the S/S 14 skirt.

Congratulations to Natalie Choi! 

Starting this Saturday 1 April, London-based photographer Alice Hawkins will be taking over the SHOWstudio Tumblr!

From joining our ‘In Conversation’ interview series, to solo projects such as ‘Alice does Vegas’, 'Alice's Adventures' and ‘The Good Life’, Hawkins’ work is frequently featured on SHOWstudio.

During the week-long takeover, Hawkins will share more of her work on a series of posts that showcase her creative approach.

Head to the SHOWstudio Tumblr to keep up with Hawkins’ take over from 1-7 April!