The Forgotten Art Exhibition

Friday 17th October

Launch event and drink reception – 6pm

Veneer Gallery

1184 Argyle Street, Glasgow, G3 8TE

For the event pictures click here.

 

An unconventional exhibit of conventional pieces – this experimental exhibition in Veneer gallery will challenge some preconceived ideas about exhibiting the usually mismatched disciplines of design and fine art together. The Forgotten Art is a showcase of traditional practices across a range of art and design mediums in order to link these distinct, yet related, disciplines together in an experimental and innovative brand launch for The Fashion League. Handcrafted bags and scarves will be exhibited alongside rarely seen early artworks by Flora Parrott. We are celebrating age old techniques that date back as far as the 19th century in order to preserve and encourage these unconventional ways of creating and not allowing them to fade away and be replaced by much colder, impersonal methods such as mass production. Heritage techniques are endangered and many artisan techniques are threatened with extinction. The Forgotten Art explores aesthetics, cultural significance, and heritage by honouring and dedication to the way in which, not just artwork, but also everyday items are made.

 

Manual

Introducing our fist M.F.A.M. collection of leather goods. Theses products, as well as art pieces, draw inspirations from the XIX and XX century. Following traditional leather-craft techniques and methods that are over 100 years old, they are handcrafted with a passion for quality and strength. Each one of them, with archaic details and classic colours, celebrates the history of the leather craft.

ERIBÉ

Born out of a desire for creative freedom and a fascination with knitwear, Rosemary Eribé set up ERIBÉ Knitwear in 1986. From humble beginnings, ERIBÉ has grown to be global player in designer Scottish knitwear. World-renowned for putting an innovative spin on traditional Scottish knitwear; ERIBÉ champions natural yarns, craftsmanship and eco-conscious living. A selection of ERIBÉ knitwear will be on display.

Flora Parrott

We are proud to exhibit early artworks of Flora Parrott that is not available to be seen elsewhere. Since graduating from the Glasgow School of Art in 2004, Parrott has already exhibited in several critically acclaimed shows such as The Cosmos (2012) and recently Fixed Position (2014). Her work often features sculptures, installations and films using raw materials and provocative imagery that is tranquil yet sensually stimulating. We put on display an array of her early work as a glimpse in to the practicing artist’s journey to success.

 

This event launches The Fashion League – a new international fashion platform for independent brands and up-and-coming designers. The Fashion League believes in connecting talent, cultures, and reaching out to a broad audience through fashion. The Fashion League was created to tell the stories behind the work of the new generation of emerging designers, as well as the traditional techniques and classical thinking they apply in their designs.

7 Ideas to Accessorise Xmas Style

Christmas 2014 is almost here, and so is the annual struggle to find the balance between dressing for the occasion and not looking like Santa’s number one fan – tacky.

If you’re going to a christmas party or meal, the chances are you will want to adorn yourself appropriately without going overboard. This article will give you girls some ideas on how to do just that.

 

  1. Ribbon Belt

Make yourself someone’s xmas present by embellishing your dress with a lush ribbon tied in to a bow. Spend all your money on gifts already? You can find the perfect material at your local fabrics store for barely anything. Ask for a satin fabric that is between 0.5 and 2 inches wide depending on your preference.

 

 

  1. Lace Gloves

There are only two acceptable occasion
s to wear laced hand wear – weddings and dressy soirées. Overemphasised hand gestures optional.

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  1. Subtle Glitter MakeUp

Adding a bit of sparkle can make the difference between casual and festive. Focus on the eyes and lips. Be aware though, too much glitter and you’re crossing over to tacky town.

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  1. DIY Xmas Earrings

There are numerous DIY tutorials on how to make the perfect personalised christmas themed earrings around the net, such as this one where small clear ornaments, earring wires, and confetti are all that are needed.

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  1. DIY Xmas Nacklace

This DIY snow globe necklace takes a bit more skill and patience, but I love the results. The tutorial can be found here.

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  1. Ditch the Santa Hat for a Red Bandana

You need not let a christmas cliche cramp your style when a Rosie the Riveter style bandana will go well with your outfit and be enough to subtly point to the festive theme.

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  1. DIY Glitter Heels

Finally, complete your festive outfit by turning your beige boring heels in to glamorous party pumps with some glitter and glue. Tutorial can be found here.

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A Lesson in Leather

Ah Leather, the ever-so enduringly versatile yet primitive material, just like centuries ago, still lends its wearer a spectacular coat of stylish sheen. Being indestructible has never looked this fashionable.

Here at Manual Forgotten Arts, each piece of leather is carefully chosen by leather enthusiasts and exquisitely handcrafted by leather-loving artisans with centuries old laboring techniques, so, each leather article has a charming little beating heart. Crafted in Novi Sad, with the finest vegetable tanned leather, by artisans who love leather as much as you do, believe that each of our meticulously designed products can be easily taken care of.

Here are some of our tips to keep your leather radiantly fresh:

  • If the leather gets damp, dry it slowly with room temperature instead of speed drying, which might lead to stiff crinkle cut chaos.
  • Using a leather-cleaning product that helps preserve the natural lubricating oils gives your beloved product a shiny new lustre. The fats/oils found in leather conditioners lubricate leather to restore its suppleness.
  • Do not store the product in plastic as it suffocates the leather encouraging the growth of mildew – a form of mould, which thrives on damp, poorly ventilated conditions. Store your leather in dry, cool conditions and use a damp cloth to remove stains off the leather, avoiding soap or foreign substances.
  • Finally, brushing the leather with a nubuck cloth prevents the build up of dirt and oils, restoring the leather to its lustrous glory.

The artisans at Manual Forgotten Arts celebrate the rich history of leather and believe that each of our meticulously crafted products should get that special care and attention from the user as much as it gets from the leather-loving enthusiasts at our passionate craft shop in Novi Sad.

A Snapshot of Fashion in Cuba

 

We’re all inundated by media’s definition of ‘attractive’- from countless magazines portraying a linear trend to Hollywood blockbusters skewing timeless outfit rules by going back and forth on time eras, from grey suits with billowy white shirts on the nostalgic show “Mad Men” to the rebellious punk rock fashion show of Bonny and Clyde; Media partakes a massive role in defining fashion.

But what happens when we take that away from us, when the definition of attractiveness is not based on a linear perspective but on instinct itself; Enter Cuba, an island in the Caribbean without access to unregulated media. While fashion in Havana, the capital of Cuba, would be an unfair match to the likes of fashion in Paris or London. A magical thing happens when people rely on instinct and gut to define fashion and attractiveness. Led by varying definitions of fashion, Cubans tend to be highly confident and comfortable in their skin.

One of the dances in Cuba, Rumba, relies on confidence and boldness to create a spark of attraction- uninterrupted by media which capitalizes on the human need for change, the people in Cuba are unhinged in what they find attractive and fashionable. It’s all a gut feeling.

This land inspired many artists and designers. The most famous fashion designers with Cuban origins are:

1. Narciso Rodriguez

This CFDA-award-winning designer comes from a family of Cuban immigrants. Narciso Rodrigues worked with brands like Anne Klein, Donna Karan and Banana Republic. He is famous for modern designs and gorgeous wedding fashion. Narciso Rodrigues is well-known among celebrities, from Sarah Jessica Parker to Michelle Obama, his career took off after he designed the wedding dress of Dina Ruiz for her wedding with Clint Eastwood.

2. Lazaro Hernandez

The co-founder of Proenza Shouler, another award winner brand from the CFDA Vogue Fashion Fund, has Cuban origins. Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez. met while studying at Parsons School of Design, collaborating on their senior thesis, which would eventually become their first collection as Proenza Schouler.

3. Isabel Toledo

The former creative director of Anne Klein, Isabel Toledo was born in Cuba and attended the Fashion Institute of Technology and Parsons School of Design (NY). Along with her husband, Ruben Toledo, Isabel was the recipient of the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award for their work in fashion and other awards.

Monotone Chic: 5 Wearing Tips

 

The art of dressing up – using similar shades of a colour brings a certain symmetry to your outfit. At the risk of looking like a green tent, Its always best to have similar shades of colour on the significant aspects of the outfit. The mantra “Wear dark with dark” and Light with Light, doesn’t only limit itself to laundry. Having a similar shade to both your upper and lower sides of outfit brings an effortless consistency to the whole.

The balance of outfit is necessary – but how do you manage to pry in the bag to the whole of outfit- classic colours like black, brown and navy always seem to work with almost every conceivable outfit – but going to the next level of monotone, can be brought by experimenting to match the bag with the colour of top. In 2014/2015 season designer’s fashion is suggesting us warm colors such as burgundy, golden, orange, brown and green.

1. To make your look experimental you can play around with different textures in the same color.

2. Another tip for monotone chic is adding a colorful accessory to your style, for example a bright necklace or a clutch bag.

3. With monotone style it is important to wear well-fitted clothes and don’t exaggerate with layers and matching accessories.

4. If you like black color for your wardrobe and want to mix it up a little bit – try cream and white tones, they will make your look classy and elegant.

5. Lighter tones go better in the upper part of your look since they make the proportions visually smaller.

Experimenting with colours is imperative – as you don’t always want to look like a green tent. Have fun, being a monotone goddess!

The Forgotten Art Launch Event

We’ve launched!

The event was a huge success and created such a buzz among the local art, design, and fashion communities. Thank you to all who attended the launch and made it filled with joy and elegance.

The Forgotten Art by The Fashion League is a showcase of traditional practices across a range of art and design mediums in order to link these distinct, yet related, disciplines together in an experimental and innovative brand launch. Handcrafted bags and scarves were exhibited alongside rarely seen early artworks by Flora Parrott.

We celebrated age old techniques that date back as far as the 19th century in order to preserve and encourage these unconventional ways of creating and not allowing them to fade away and be replaced by much colder, impersonal methods such as mass production.  Heritage techniques are endangered and many artisan techniques are threatened with extinction.  The Forgotten Art explores aesthetics, cultural significance, and heritage by honouring and dedication to the way in which, not just artwork, but also everyday items are made.

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When: Saturday 18th October – Friday 24th October 2014

10 am – 5 pm

Where: Veneer Gallery

1184 Argyle Street, Glasgow, G3 8TE

For more exhibition information please click here.

Vegan bags

The feel-good bag. As we search through thousands of high end luxury leather bags, it was difficult to wade through their tags to find the glorious “V” sign — indicator of the magnificent baggage of vegan leather. So what makes a bag vegan?

Ideally, or well, necessarily, a vegan leather bag uses alternative material to replace real leather. Several different materials make up this alternative leather, for instance:

Vegetan
Lorica
Birko-Flor
Birkibuc
PVC
Kydex

Those are just some of the brands and designers which are offering vegan-friendly fashion products: Deux Lux, Reveal, Matt & Nat, Sparrow, Eena Maria, Murval, Amy Kathryn, Kling, Cherry Berry, etc.

A wide variety of synthetic leather is virtually indistinguishable from real leather, right down to the quality, wear and feel. An evolution to include “Pleather” is also slowly dawning upon the fashion industry, with more and more fashion icons including this luxurious animal-friendly leather into their wardrobes. You can expect spending a lot of time and moolah on finding the right vegan bag — but, hey, if it is moo-free.