Stella Artois Presents 'The Black Diamond'

2 lovers. 1 diamond. A thief. A curse. A classic film noir movie coming straight from late night Paris in the 1960s.

And you. You are the spectator, but also the actor. Only you will discover the secrets of The Black Diamond.

Set to be this summer’s must-attend event, Stella Artois Black’s latest immersive theatre experience builds on the success of last year’s The Night Chauffeur. Filled with alluring characters and one-to-one interactions, The Black Diamond will place audience members at the centre of the performance, involving them in a sophisticated tale of love, desire and deception.

Commissioned by Stella Artois Black and drawing on the creative expertise of acclaimed immersive theatre producer Felix Barrett, The Black Diamond is a dramatic mix of online experiences and real-life cinema in locations across Shoreditch.

The Black Diamond will run from 3rd – 21st July, offering just a few thousand lucky invitees the chance to be part of this unique immersive theatre experience. The story will develop simultaneously online, giving a new depth to the production and offering an additional interactive perspective for the audience, whether they’ve attended the experience or not.

James Watson, Marketing Director, Stella Artois Western Europe said: “The sophisticated world of The Black Diamond will deliver an experience rich with taste and refinement, reflecting the distinguishing attributes of Stella Artois Black. Whether people attend the events in London or take part in the story online they will discover a unique experience unlike anything they’ve tried before.”

http://thegeekmuse.blogspot.com/2011/06/stella-artois-black-presents-black.html

Fresh look: Beauty store blends old and new

https://www.lsnglobal.com/seed/
2011:09:02

New York – Local architecture practice Mapos LLC has redesigned the interior of a beauty shop called Fresh. The new design was inspired by olde-world bakeries, laboratories and apothecaries, reflected in the inclusion of an old English communal washbasin and a large antique walnut table piled with vintage botanical books and glass flowerpots. The soaps on sale are wrapped in floral printed packaging and placed on large glass display cases to look like confectionery.

Sweet Shoppe: A taste of the future of retail

https://www.lsnglobal.com/seed/

2011:09:21

London – The Future Laboratory and retail designers at Campaign have created a retail concept called Sweet Shoppe as part of London Design Festival.

‘We have created a vision of the future that will take you on a theatrical experience,’ says Chris Sanderson, co-founder of The Future Laboratory. ‘You will be welcomed by the Shoppe-keeper, and then you will experience a bespoke idea of the future of retail through the metaphor of a sweet shop.’

Branching out: Topshop lines up a class act

https://www.lsnglobal.com/seed/

2011:09:30

 
London – Fashion retailer Topshop has opened General Store, a rebranded concept shop stocking exclusive ranges. The move is a change from Topshop’s usual approach of selling discounted clothes in a large retail space. The retailer has created a more intimate store environment featuring exclusive lines.

Newspaper trail: Aesop moves with the Times

 

https://www.lsnglobal.com/
2011:10:03

New York – Skincare brand Aesop has opened its first stand-alone store in New York. The move follows the installation of a pop-up kiosk at Grand Central Station earlier in the year. L:S:N Global reported on the pop-up kiosk, which used pressed back-issues of the New York Times as structural building blocks, in July. The new store continues the concept, and features display walls constructed from the compacted newspapers forming the interior space. The initial pop-up, at one of the busiest commuter interchanges in the city, was a great way to establish the brand, and test the store concept before the full opening. 

 

Good for the Goose: Lounge is one to remember

https://www.lsnglobal.com/seed/

2011:10:05

London – Grey Goose vodka has opened an exclusive lounge in the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse at Heathrow airport.

‘The Grey Goose project exudes our clubhouse vision of creating memorable experiences for our customers to enjoy and continue talking about when they leave for their destination,’ says Clare Bacchus, head of clubhouses at Virgin Atlantic.

Roast of the town: Monocle opens Tokyo café

https://www.lsnglobal.com/seed/

2011:10:24

Tokyo – Global affairs magazine Monocle has opened a café in Tokyo’s Yurakucho Hankyu department store. The Monocle Café is run by the culinary team behind the Transit General Office. This is a good example of a publication moving into the service industry. For more about how brands are branching out into new streams of income, read our Magtailing microtrend.

Tunnel vision: Paris store shows a personal face

https://www.lsnglobal.com/seed/

2011:10:26

Paris – A new shop in the French capital enables consumers to create personalised cosmetics from a range of natural, organic ingredients.

Heliocosm, designed by French practice FREAKS freearchitects, features a sharp, geometric wooden tunnel leading into two serene mint green rooms. Inside the tunnel, customers can make their own make-up based on advice from professional tutors using natural ingredients.

‘There are multiple advantages to making your own cosmetics,’ explains Aurore Delauney of Heliocosm. ‘You control what you put on your face so you can avoid chemicals. You learn about plants and how they can benefit the skin, and you make real cosmetics because you add active ingredients.’

Increasingly, retailers are recognising the value of theatricality and personalisation in store design. For more information, read our macro trend on The Tomorrow Store.

Tall order: Beer tower stars at festival

https://www.lsnglobal.com/seed/
2011:11:07

Eindhoven, The Netherlands – Multidisciplinary design studio La Bolleur brewed its own beer to serve from a giant tower at Hutten Festival in Tilburg.

‘We thought we would do a variation on how a water tower works, by using height to create pressure, to serve the beer through the pumps at the bar,’ says Frank Winnubst, a member of the design team. ‘The rough nature of the building was inspired by a rescue house on the coast in the Netherlands, a light structure that is also very strong.’

This is a good example of Conviviality Culture, achieved through an intriguing and eye-catching design.

Strong Kreechr: Ouma Sets Sail with Racy Brew

https://www.lsnglobal.com/seed/

2011:11:08

Cape Town– Sportswear brand Puma is celebrating its entrance into the Volvo Ocean Race by working with craft beer company Brewers & Union to create a limited-edition beer called Kreechr. Only 600 cases were made.

The design of the bottle is in keeping with Puma’s entry for the race, a vessel called Mar Mostro, which was inspired by a story of a boat that becomes at one with the oceans.

‘Kreechr takes its inspiration from the tough sailing conditions that Mar Mostro will face during the race, and was crafted extra strong,’ says Brett Bellinger, marketing director for Puma.

Retail Pitch: Hong Kong Shopping Mongolian-Style

https://www.lsnglobal.com/seed/
2011:11:09

Hong Kong – Luxury Chinese lifestyle brand Shanghai Tang has opened a pop-up festival celebrating Mongolian heritage in a series of retail yurts.

The Shanghai Tang Mongolian Village was built at the beginning of November on the rooftop of Central Pier 4 in Hong Kong’s busiest commuter hotspot for two months in the run-up to Chinese New Year. The immersive, outdoor branded shopping experience is designed to evoke the traditional nomadic lifestyle of Mongolia, and features six traditional yurts as retail tents. Merchandise includes a limited-edition Mongolian-inspired collection, Shanghai Tang’s bespoke tailoring service, Year of the Dragon products, and the brand’s clothing and lifestyle collections.

One tent is reserved for private-hire events – either sit-down dinners or cocktail parties – organised by Shanghai Tang’s concierge specialists. LS:N Global is impressed by this mix of transient, seasonal retail that fits in well with our Conviviality Culture macrotrend.

Tom Dixon's Flash Factory

http://www.core77.com/blog/object_culture/upstaging_the_popup_shop_tom_dixons_flash_factory_20766.asp

This video is admittedly more flash than substance, but perhaps that's fitting; it highlights Tom Dixon's Flash Factory, launched last week at Manila's MOS Design Building the last stop in a series of events in Asia including a spotting during Beijing Design Week. Dixon's concept moves the pop-up shop one step further back on the production chain:

[At Dixon's Flash Factory] a limited number of exclusive products [are] made and sold onsite. Flash Factory demonstrates Future Industry and the new found power of the designer, able to service world markets with the latest products in greatly reduced time scales. Etch is a digitally manufactured collection that includes a light and candle-holder in brass. Flash Factory workers assemble products on the stand while the people at the event have the option to buy the full assembled version or flat-packed version to complete at home. The Flash Factory debuted at Salone del Mobile 2010 and will run in Manila until the beginning of next week, shutting down on Sunday the 16th. Proceeds from the Etch products will be donated to the Autism Society of the Philippines.

Pop-up stores - A fleeting and fanciful concept?

http://www.cosmeticsbusiness.com/technical/article_page/Popup_stores__A_fleeting_and_fan
ciful_concept/61906

Natural selection

24-Jun-2011

Today, experimenting and being daring appear the only ways to test the success of any new retail propositions. According to Miller the future for pop-up shops is a step forward in social e-commerce terms: “Flash sales on Facebook are as big as pop-up stores were when the concept was first developed. These are sales that run for a limited time and stem from brands’ Facebook pages. It’s an experimental phase, some good examples recently are Diane Von Furstenberg and Britney Spears who both achieved outstanding sales in one day.”

The company is launching a pop-up shop concept for Facebook this summer called mypopupshop. It allows a cosmetics brand to promote and sell a limited product or range to people that like their brand, and to their facebook friends, for a limited time only.

Miller comments: “With only a limited amount of time to buy, the purchasing decision is made easier. Each cosmetics product or brand lasts for a limited time on a Facebook user mypopupshop site, much like in a real life pop-up shop.”

Another model that pop-up shops could develop might be that employed by The Perfume Shop, that has launched 50 of its The Perfume Shop @ Superdrug retail format this year. Jo Walker, managing director of The Perfume Shop, said at the time the announcement was made:

“We are finding that the dwell time is longer in Superdrug as people take more time to browse. Because these formats target customers who aren’t just looking for perfume, we’re appealing to a new type of consumer, those who pop into Superdrug for cosmetics or baby wipes and then come across our shop-in-shop while there so this is really beneficial for us.”

Michael Sheridan, owner of the Sheridan & Co design agency that has a space in Marylebone used solely for pop-ups, comments: “I think in the future pop-ups will be used to more strategic effect. Traditionally, pop-ups have been used to create greater brand awareness in a certain geographical location. What we have with Clarins for example is more of a laboratory scenario whereby we can engage with consumers and learn from their responses on what works and what doesn’t. Even though it’s been around for some time, I’d like to think that the pop-up concept isn’t finished with yet. I think it will evolve to a different level.”

According to Sheridan, the core foundation of the pop-up shop concept – surprise, delight and generosity – will stay firmly in place. However because the market is so competitive brands will need to get something back in return. “I am talking about the invaluable knowledge that consumer feedback gives to the brand. Ultimately we will get to the point where it will be consumers, as a group, who will shape the direction of the brand itself,” concludes Sheridan.

Variations on the concept of pop-up shops allow retailers to understand what really works with consumers and the key element in the future will be flexibility and consumer engagement. Pop-up shops will not just be the way brands can make a quick statement about themselves and lure consumers in but rather a marketing tool employed to test the water, define the way consumers get to know about cosmetics and shape the brand’s direction accordingly so that they can stand out in an increasingly competitive market.

Building Emotional Bonds Through Engagement Measurement

http://www.brandkeys.com/news/press/sense&scent.PRKC.pdf

The Fragrance Industry has recently acknowledged the need to learn to better measure the emotions, insights and expectations of today’s “bionic” consumers. Today, these industry targets are more visually and brand literate than ever before. Their values shift months – and sometimes years – ahead of focus group articulations and “trends” too invasive to ignore. These consumers have more gate keeping power than ever before, and more choices than gate keeping power, all of which makes it more and more difficult for business-as-usual approaches to bring the brand “magic” back to a new generation of fragrance consumers. In fairness, the industry has acknowledged the need to evolve from a functional to emotional paradigm. Most recently, an article in the June/July 2007 issue of International Cosmetic News noted that industry analysts question whether today’s fragrance marketers are really focused on building sustainable brand identities, which can’t be done in the absence of an emotional connection. Don Loftus, president and CEO of Procter and Gamble Prestige Products, noted the need for “understanding the consumer perceptions of a certain brand universe … to develop meaningful propositions.” You can’t do that in an emotional vacuum either. And while these problems are receiving greater notice, it seems that the role that consumers play at the front end of the product and brand development process continues to be somewhat less than “fundamental.”

2011 Cosmetic Brand Loyalty Rankings Released, Beauty Packaging News

http://www.beautypackaging.com/news/2011/02/15/2011_cosmetic_brand_loyalty_rankings_releas

ed_

The "Decade of Delight" describes the key expectation of today's consumers, in the 15th annual Brand Keys Customer Loyalty Engagement Index (CLEI) survey conducted by the New York-based brand and customer loyalty and engagement consultancy (www.brandkeys.com).

For all 48 brands tracked in the Cosmetics category, attributes relating to "experience" and "authentic innovation" in products and services are exerting the strongest impact on customer decision-making, category-expectations, and engagement with brands.

While expectation levels for delight vary by category, brands in the Cosmetics category that were best at creating customer delight were: Lancome, Mary Kay, Elizabeth Arden, Clairol, L'Oreal, Aveda, and Suave.

"This evolution has been accelerating for some time. Brand value has increasingly been defined not through the narrow lens of price, but in terms of the total experience that consumers have when they interact with a given brand. This year's results demonstrate that concept has truly taken hold, showing its greatest increase in expectations in the purchase drivers centered on attributes that most strongly impact the customers' overall experience," noted Robert Passikoff, Brand Keys founder and president.

"The CLEI data is predictive of coming shifts in the consumer marketplace – 12 to 18 months before it shows up in traditional research. Given the levels of commoditization we've witnessed in product/service delivery and pricing/promotion strategies it is no surprise consumers are looking for their favorite brands to make a real difference. Consumers know the brands, know what they do, and know what they're willing to pay for them," said Passikoff. "They're looking for delight."

"Innovation is key, whether it's innovation in the products themselves, or innovation in how those products are put into the hands of consumers - from rapid delivery to product introductions – and the after-life of service and support that the consumer experiences. And, consumers want meaningful innovation that results in a higher level of experience. Satisfaction has never been more cost-of-entry; delight is the new differentiator," added Passikoff.

This year consumers' skyrocketing desire for experience and authentic innovation are exerting the strongest impact on customer decision-making and profitable engagement with the brand. Brands able to meet – even exceed – these expectations become category leaders. "This only matters, of course, if you're keeping score by counting sales and profits, and not merely tracking awareness levels," added Passikoff.

For the Brand Keys 2011 survey, 46,000 consumers, 18 to 65 years of age, drawn from the nine US Census Regions, self-selected the categories in which they are consumers, and the brands for which they are customers. Seventy-five percent (75%) were interviewed by phone, 20% via face-to-face interviews (to account for today's of the population who are cell phone-only consumers,) and the remaining consumers assessed categories and brands online.

Ten (10) new categories were added to the 2011 CLEI and included Drug Stores, E-Readers, Hair Conditioners, Movie Rentals, Online Retailers, Shampoo, Social Networking Sites, Tequila, and Tooth Whiteners, bringing the total number of categories and brands to 79 and 528 respectively.

"At a time when Cosmetic brands are struggling to differentiate themselves and find ways to profitably engage their customers, the changes this year serve as a real benchmark for marketers. Products and services that respond with a truly consumer-centric view of their category - delighting the customer - based on predictive loyalty metrics, stand to gain the most, and establish themselves as this decade's brand leaders," concluded Passikoff.

Springwise: Food and Cosmetic Innovations 'Tryvertised'

http://www.psfk.com/2011/10/springwise-food-cosmetic innovationsntryvertised.html#ixzz1biyohAgA  

October 24, 2011

Earlier this year we featured tryvertising store Sample Central which has opened in Japan and Hungary. Now extending retail-based tryvertising to food and cosmetics industries is Darling Delicious in the Netherlands, who provide a platform for companies to test their innovations with consumers before they launch on the market.

Researchers at Darling Delicious claim to search for the most luxurious, innovative, tasty and sustainably produced items, which they trial in two ways to a female market aged 25 to 55. In their trend store in Groningen, these trial products are tested in a real shop environment, and are available for purchase alongside Darling Delicious’ own range. Producers wishing to be stocked must provide a brief description of their company, the product, and the current phase of development. If they are selected by Darling Delicious, the producer will then receive access to all the consumer feedback on their product. Meanwhile, a “GooddieBox” containing new products is also sent to 200 carefully selected international recipients, at least four times a year. Producers can submit five questions to gain understanding of customers’ perception of their product, and after the trial period, Darling Delicious will help businesses analyze feedback to bring the final product to shelves.

According to the Darling Delicious website, 90 percent of new products disappear from shelves soon after their introduction. Gaining customer responses to everything from ingredients and recipes through to packaging style could provide the key to a longer shelf-life. One for luxury food and cosmetic innovators to get involved with?

The Urban Outfitters Store on Tour Movement is Mobile

http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/urban-outfitters-mobile-shops1

When it comes to college student fashion, Urban Outfitters is king, which is why they’re partnering up with Dockers and hitting the road with Store on Tour. Their destinations? Only the biggest college towns in the United States: Knoxville, TN, Athens, GA and Tallahassee, FL, to name a few.

Urban Outfitters is bringing mobile shops stacked with curated gear and locally sourced pieces from some of the most promising young artists in the Southern United States. Store on Tour is sponsored by Dockers, so each artist involved will be giving their best interpretation of khaki using raw selvedge-like material from the Dockers Alpha collection.

So, if you’re lucky enough to be in one of the towns on the schedule of Store on Tour, be sure to head down to the Urban Outfitters mobile shops and check out some fresh threads and unique creations.

Urban Outfitters Mobile Shops Published: Oct 24, 11

http://www.trendhunter.com/slideshow/pop-up-innovations

Implications - In today's society, convenience and speed are two qualities to which a large number of consumers appeal. Businesses that devote their efforts to providing their clients with fast-paced services without having to sacrificing quality will likely fare well amongst today's convenience-hungry culture. Consumers will likely invest in those products that best suit their busy lifestyles.

Talking Sense: Museum smells like a winner

https://www.lsnglobal.com/seed/
2011:11:03

New York – Fragrance company Firmenich and cosmetics e-tailer Sephora have together created Sensorium, a pop-up museum that explores the history and science of perfume through multimedia installations. A main feature of the exhibition is First Scent, which evokes specific associations in visitors using sound, visuals and fragrances, including freshly cut grass, beaches and early morning breakfasts. For more on how retailers are using Synaesthetics to evoke the senses of consumers, read the Trend Impacts section of our Tomorrow Store macrotrend and our Innovate on MiN Rituals.

My Notes - 3rd November 2011

• Jazz 1920's.
• Josephine Baker.
• Cabarets - music, comedians, dancers.
• Dada - overtly political, anti-capitalistic and anti-bourgois: Hans Richter, George Grosz, Raoul Houssmann.
• Magnet for hedonists.
• Party years 1924-1929.
• Pleasure seekers to the city: dress-up, drink, dance, express themselves in theatre, film, architecture, art or literature.
• Art: Otto Dix, George Grosz.
• Literature: Christoher Isherwood.
• Berlin's creative types - 1920's revival.
• Historiale history festival.
• Anita Berber, lady of the night and Sebastian Droste were rebels of their time, actress and dance performer - theatre of the nameless inspiration.
• 1920's were key for the theatre and film industries.
• Avant garde choreographer: Rita Sacchetto.
• Fritz Lang film - Mabuse.

• Making a scene had become the norm'
• Arnold Langer - accentuate.
• Make up for professionals - Kryolan.
• In the 1970's Kyrolan increased with new subcultures, attitude: punk, new romantics, goth, new punk, new folk, fetish.
• Dramatic look.
• Emotional attachement to make up.
• Human fundamentalism.
• Super strain of make up.
• More colour, pigment, range, quality.
• Theatre, TV, film, alternative scenes.
• Illamasqua is human fundamentalism.

Illamasqua at the Bizarre Ball

10.06.10

The eagerly anticipated 3rd annual Bizarre Ball took rocked into town at the Coronet Theatre in London on Saturday 5th June. An eclectic mix of alternative, burlesque, performance, music and much, much more, it featured the central theme of 'Circus'. So harnessing their inner acrobats, the Illamasqua team gathered up their make-up kits and prepared to wow the partygoers.

We hosted an exclusive Illamasqua Lounge, for those who had purchased S.O.P.H.I.E. wristbands and for guests of Illamasqua, including Sylvia Lancaster, Joe Corre, Lady Lloyd and Illamasqua's HQ team.


The beautiful black velvet drapery, a plush chaise longue and Old Hollywood style mirrors gave the lounge a seductively dark feel, and the likes of Bizarre Ball compere Alix Fox and club night diva Jodie Harsh popped in to see us and have their make-up done before the event kicked off. Check out the foxy finish Mika created for Alix below!

Throughout the night National Make-up Artists Mika, Adam, Lucy G and Lucie N created incredible looks for guests, and enjoyed meeting a whole range of alter egos. The chance to self-express to extremes went down a storm, and an amazing time was had by all.

http://www.illamasqua.com/news/archive/2010/47/

Valentines Day at Selfridges

05/01/10

We’re celebrating Valentine’s Day a little differently this year. And as strong believers in the power of self-expression, we want you to be bold. Why write a message in a card when you could write it on yourself instead?

Our professional make-up artists will help you do just that when you purchase any Illamasqua product from either our Oxford Street, Manchester or Birmingham counters on 13^th February. They’ll be offering all customers a unique ‘scribing’ service, where they’ll use Eye Liner Cake mixed with Sealing Gel to handwrite a message of your choice anywhere on your body. Or someone else’s…

And to turn up the heat further, simply purchase an Eye Liner Cake and Sealing Gel set and you’ll receive a complimentary Coco de Mer black satin blindfold and a set of Seduction Cards.

So let your body become the canvas and express yourself on your skin this Valentine’s Day.

http://www.illamasqua.com/news/archive/2010/18/

Throb Launch Event

20.01.11

To celebrate the arrival of Illamasqua’s sensual new Throb Collection, we’re throwing a party at our Flagship Store in Beak Street, London.

The party will be a daylong event from 10am until 7pm on Friday 21st January. We don’t want to give too much away, but we can tell you that there’ll be three performances by celebrated visual concept artist, Angel Rose, throughout the day. She’ll be taking centre stage in one of our display windows to deliver her ‘make-up manifesto’.

Expect props, balloons and, of course, glitter!

The Illamasqua team will also be on hand with devilishly delicious chocolate covered strawberries. Now if that doesn't make you Throb.....

http://www.illamasqua.com/news/archive/2011/85/

Toxic Nature Launch

04.03.11

The Toxic Nature Spring Summer Collection arrives at Illamasqua.com on Thursday 10th March, however it is not available at any of our UK or worldwide counters until Thursday 17th March.

However join us at our Beak Street Flagship Store & School of Make-Up Art on Tuesday 15th March from 3-7pm, for your exclusive first look at the new collection in person, at our Toxic Nature Launch Party.

With a live performance from Johnny Lazer, and refreshments available throughout the evening, the first 10 people to spend £100 instore will win a pair of bespoke, dripping false eye lashes, designed by none other than Illamasqua Creative Director Alex Box. Exclusive to the Beak Street party, these handmade lashes will not be available anywhere else.

http://www.illamasqua.com/news/archive/2011/94/

Flagship Launch Party

21.09.10

Last Thursday we threw open the doors of our new Flagship Store to celebrate this significant milestone in the Illamasqua story. With a crowd including Vivienne Westwood, Boy George, Vicky McClure, bloggers, trannies, fashionistas, make-up artists, designers, models, stylists, journalists and actors, the night surpassed everyone’s expectations.

With an old-school double-decker bus acting as the ultimate VIP room, and rousing speeches from Illamasqua's founder, Julian Kynaston, and Sylvia Lancaster, mother of Sophie Lancaster and founder of the S.O.P.H.I.E. Foundation, our arrival at 20 Beak Street was most definitely heard.

View more photos from the party in our Alter Ego gallery.

Visit our Flagship Store at 20 Beak Street today and witness the stunning new Illamasqua go-to location for yourself.

http://www.illamasqua.com/news/archive/2010/68/

My Notes - 2nd November 2011

• Expansion of emerging markets – Republic of China / Brazil.
• After-life of service and support that the consumer experiences.
• ‘Delight is the new differentiator’.
• Tribes forming around brands e.g. Illamasqua Tribe.
• New Kids Club.
• Shabba Dabba da Club.
• Face painting, blurring the boundaries between make up, painting and illustration.
• Same materials for both – paint, pigment, brushes, pens pencils.
• Face as a canvas – where do the lines blur?
• Playful / childlike – dramatic colours / feeling happy.
• The joy of make up application – finding yourself again or finding a different you.
• Blitz kids – Adam Ant, Steve Strange.
• Blitz – 80’s and 90’s.
• Club Kids.
• Need to see make up as a positive – to enhance positive features rather than to disguise the negative ones.
• Instant gratification and a sense of fun.
• Clarins ‘Cinderella Hour’ 2009.
• Use make up as a: Confidence booster, Look more groomed, Cover up perceived flaws, Camouflage flaws, Accentuate positives.
• Debenhams ‘filthy gorgeous’ salon.
• Blurring lines between beauty and food.

The New Club Kids on the Block

http://www.dontpaniconline.com/magazine/style/the-new-club-kids-on-the-block

Written by Rebecca Fulleylove / 03 May 2011

The Noughties saw the return of a forgotten subculture in London’s club scene. Based heavily in the notion of ‘self-expression’, the new Club Kids movement can be traced back to London’s Blitz Kids with Adam Ant, Steve Strange and Siouxsie Sioux among others, as the face of Covent Garden nightclub, Blitz in the 80s and 90s. They in turn inspired the original Club Kids of New York City headed by Michael Alig and James St. James around the same time. Embracing the same outlandish ideologies and dress sense, the new generation of Club Kids have revived the underground club scene in an excess of DIY fashion and wearable art.

Difficult to miss, this kaleidoscope crowd caught the attention of London based fashion photographer and filmmaker, Oggy Yordanov. His blog and his new book, New Club Kids: London Party Fashion in the Noughties, documents in detail Oggy’s fascination with the non-conformist, colourful beauty of these individuals.

The original New York City Club Kids

What encouraged you to start blogging?

It's interesting that it was the book that actually became the reason for the blog. When I started selecting the photographs and work on the layout, it was decided that only the parties will be listed and no names, mainly because there are some people who wouldn't want to be named or recognised for a number of reasons. On the other hand, there are many who would be more than happy to be known and those are featured on the blog regularly. Also, many people were asking me "what is a club-kid?" when I mentioned the book, so it felt necessary to run the blog and try to explain that.

Oggy Yordanov

What drew you to focus on the Club Kids of London?

I love colourful people, creative and weird, the crazier the better. It’s an inspiration for me and all those pictures I have done for fun, for me, never as a job. I party a lot and I usually have a camera in hand just to make sure I don't miss a unique moment.

Whose style inspires you?

All of them, seriously, I like people who go to extremes to stand out and I admire the guts they have. I can't do that.

Are there other photographers whose work you admire?

Oh of course, lots. I have a dozen favourites - Horst P Horst, Herb Ritts, Steven Klein, Nick Knight, Guy Bourdin, the list goes on. Today pretty much anything goes fashion-wise, but is there an item of clothing that can still make or break an outfit? That would be shoes. Even if fierce, if you don't match them with the right style outfit, they can make it look tacky or sometimes help a boring outfit stand out if they're a statement.

Are you interested in any other fashion subcultures?

I am very much drawn to the fetish and latex scene, also the rockabillies with all the tattoos and headscarves.

Do you think with the release of this book that it could turn these Kids from being ‘underground’ to ‘overground’? Is that something you’d like to see happen, for it to become mainstream and out of London?

I would hate it to be too mainstream as that means it will probably end up looking like a costume-party style, it's not something that everyone can do well. I would love to see it happening in other places in the world though, but of course it will be picked-up by likeminded people, not just Lady Gaga copycats.

What’s next for you after the book?

I am currently working on a few fashion film projects, just finished my second one (Regarde-moi) and I'm working on my next exhibition (The Long Wait) which should be later in the year. It's a series of portraits done in the old technique of light painting. It's all very dark and weird, just as I like it.