Countdown to London Fashion Week has already begun and we”re already lining up the usual suspects when it comes to the hit collections. As ever, Topshop Unique is bound to be a big draw, with a queue longer than a catwalk trying to storm the show.

Twin caught up with head designer Emma Farrow as she makes her final S/S13 preparations…

Your previous Unique collection had strong masculine influences – how do you explain the enduring appeal of tomboyish style?
With the Topshop Unique collection it is important for us that we play with the contrasts between masculine and feminine.

It’s a great way to transform a look that could become too serious. For example a sexy evening dress is taken in a different direction when put with a boyfriend jacket. It has an ease to it and this is always at the top of our checklist when creating looks for the show.

Topshop holds a  peerless position in the fashion world in that it’s a high street chain with unrivalled fashion force – what’s the key?
It is the same design team that works on both the mainline and Unique collections. Unique is different as it allows us to work in the same way as other high end designers, taking the collection from initial ideas stage right through to the catwalk. This helps to kick start us into thinking about the new season ahead. We are also very fortunate to have contact with some of the worlds best stylists which contributes to a constantly evolving inspiration focus.

When did you first realise you wanted to be a designer?
I always wanted to be a fine artist growing up. I kind of happened upon this career by being in the right place at the right time. My mum would tell you though that I always had very strong opinions about my clothes from an early age and quite often would refuse to wear something for just not being ‘quite right’!

As a designer, how do you stay ahead of the fashion curve?
Just keeping my eyes and ears open to what’s going on out there in the world!

What was the last item of clothing you bought?
An old Balenciaga dress from Narnia NYC. Oh and some nude Baxter jeans from Topshop.

What are you wearing right now?
A camel men-sy jumper and Vintage floral Marni dress. Black pointy chelsea boots from Watanabe (and grey men’s socks!)

What films, images, music do you find yourself constantly returning to for inspiration?
Music and film are influences but no particular genre do we return to, occasionally a new actress or musician may pop up that we may draw inspiration from as a muse.
At the moment we love Grimes and the Fanning sisters for example.
Imagery on the other hand is super important. We work from numerous trend boards at anyone time and these will consist of great editorial shoots from magazines, street style blog imagery, vintage research etc.

Is there a type of woman that you design with in mind when working on a Unique collection?
Not really Unique is for anyone and everyone who loves fashion.

What’s your biggest fashion regret?
Definitely not buying the black Prada mens shoes with silver studs when they were in the shops a few years ago.
I still dream of them. They would just go with everything in my wardrobe.

If you hadn’t been a fashion designer, what would you have been?
Landscape gardener or something to do with interiors.

There’s a timeless indefinable quality to Sally Mann’s work. From her Immediate Family series featuring her own children but whom leapt out of the images as otherwordly knowing waifs to her studies of the American landscape in Deep South  that bore the aged quality of trees that have stood a lifetime.

For her new show Upon Reflection at the Edwynn Houk Gallery, in cooperation with Gagosian Gallery, she has turned her own image into a distorted reality. Formed from the pain of a horse-riding accident out on the plains of Virginia where she and her family raise Arabian stallions, her self portraits are tormented ghostly apparitions. Grained and scarred, her photographs convey the gravity and at once haziness of experience and memory.

Sally Mann, Upon Reflection is at the Edwynn Houk Gallery, New York, 13 September – 3 November 2012.

houkgallery.com

Imagine being able to own a piece of jewellery that feels as special as a precious mineral formation or a breath-taking sunset. Jade Mellor, a talented young Designer and Maker- not to mention prolific one woman trinket band – from North West England, creates covetable pieces of statement jewellery from her magical little workshop deep within the English countryside. With an inspiring creative perspective and care for material, Jade crafts each piece by hand to ensure they each have a unique history and emotional value. Her striking work’s inevitably received a lot of attention and has been exhibited and stocked globally – from London to Dubai to San Francisco.

Twin spoke to Jade about her work…

Your Hewn collection of rings is always expanding and intriguing. How do you develop the collection?
Each piece is an experiment to find new textures by pushing the materials. I love discovering new things that I can use and feel that working with raw minerals, and other natural materials, in each original piece, adds to their uniqueness.

What materials have you used recently?
Recently I’ve been inspired by the Galaxy. By using a fragment of a real meteorite it makes you question the journey it’s made through space and time. To use this in something that can be worn everyday excites me – it’s like carrying around a little reminder that there are bigger things around you.

Do you have to seek out the inspiration for each piece or does it find you?
Both, but it helps to have an enquiring mind. When I acquire a specimen to use you will see me holding it up, feeling the weight and placing it on my hand, imagining how it would work as a wearable piece. Looking at how it occurs naturally is also an influence. The way pyrite naturally forms in cubes jutting out at odd angles is so sculptural. I have shelves of books on minerals with amazing close ups and the vast landscapes they form in. I’ll also spend hours wide eyed sketching rare specimens in natural history departments and on outdoor adventures.

What other things influence you?
Sculpture is a massive influence on me, particularly the Neo Concretist movement and also artists like Louise Nevelson. With the Isosceles ring I was thinking of ancient Egypt, the geometry of the pyramids combined with the textures brought on by being blasted by sand dunes over thousands of years. This combined with the use of Lapis lazuli and gold in ancient treasure filled tombs also gave me the colour. I mixed a pigment inspired by this strong blue.

How do you go about making your ideas a reality in jewellery form?
When I get back to the workshop, I might make some drawings, looking closely at the structure and create some first-hand scribbles on how I want it to look as a piece. Photography is a great tool too; in order to understand the angles and textures.

There is a basic shape that I start with that consists of making a block shape with a hole in it, like the pebbles you sometimes find on the beach with a natural hole in them. They are nicknamed Witches‘ stones and have been used as talismans since our ancestors started paying attention to unusual finds like these. From this, and how I have set the stone, I will start to carve out and sand back on the piece to achieve the shape I want, followed by lots of graded polishing to achieve the finish. Because the gold pyrite cube had a ruggedness, I wanted the blue of the resin to have a glossy liquid shine like a polished gem stone or an exotic pool of blue water with the jagged edge of metallic bursting through.

What do you feel makes your pieces so special?
I make each piece individually by hand from start to finish so that they’re  totally bespoke; using sand, shells and stones from a day at the beach or a piece of crumbled masonry from home means each piece has a personal significance. They can trigger a memory of a journey or experience, and in creating a piece that is not only inspired by, but also physically includes them, expresses their preciousness.

Jademellor.com

Words by Kerry Flint

Fashion short films are by no means a novelty, Chanel have done it, Dior have done it and for the past four years the perennially-clad-in-black Diane Pernet has sworn by it with her ASVOFF itinerant fashion film competition.

What makes Miu Miu’s series of shorts, which were screened at the Venice Film Festival’s Giornate degli Autori, interesting and incidentally relevant to Twin, is the central focus on women.

Entitled Women’s Tales, they are a far cry from what one might expect (a longer than usual commercial), but rather are engaging narratives written and directed by relevant female directors with entirely different backgrounds.

The choice of directors itself shows that this is not just about celebrating women, it’s also about embracing individuality.

The latest instalment of the series entitled It’s getting late, shot by Iranian-American director Massy Tadjedin, follows four LA residents as they are getting ready to go out.

While Giada Colagrande’s short film was surreal with the occasional clin d’oeil to David Lynch, and Lucrecia Martel’s Muta was filled with fantasy and mystique, It’s getting late follows the guiding thread of an all female cast whose scenes are accompanied by ethereal and eerie melodies, but it has the added advantage of portraying women that viewers can relate to.

Following the successful release of the first four films, Miu Miu has promised to commission further Women’s Tales films in the future, so watch this space and in the meantime watch these shorts…

Premiered in Venice – It’s Getting Late directed by Massy Tadjedin:

The Powder Room directed by Zoe Cassavetes:

MUTA directed by Lucrecia Martel:

The Woman Dress directed by Giada Colagrande:

Kenzo have teamed up with fashion filmmaker Quentin Jones, a longtime Twin favourite, to create a vibrant new collage video introducing their Pre Fall 2012 collection. With the line’s accent on outerwear, the choice of filming in a warehouse behind the Olympic stadium in East London was spot on.

The collection is suffused with a wide array of bright fall colors and prints-a staple of the fashion house-but reinvented to cater for a more active lifestyle. Bold shapes and textures, graphic lines and playful accessories all meet to create an elegant warrior woman, mixing up the feminine with a sporty edge.

Kenzo.com

Ever since Alber Elbaz unveiled his inspirational new ad-campaign for Lanvin A/W 2012 earlier this month, the fashion world has become increasingly intrigued over the identity of its featured “models”. However, last week the Parisian fashion house released a short film presenting a series of out-takes – shot by legendary fashion photographer, Steven Meisel – along with recorded interviews revealing personal anecdotes and insights into the lives of these new campaign stars. Amongst this group of colourful individuals with an impressive collective age range of 18-81 years old, we discover a salt & pepper shaker fanatic, a frozen blueberry addict and a James Bond wannabe. Also starring is the legendary former-dancer, Jacquie “Tajah” Murdock, whom recently was also featured in our current favourite fashion blog, Advanced Style.

Lanvin.com

Holly Russell was a hit straight out of her BA when her collection caught the eye of Nicola Formichetti and was swept onto the back of Lady Gaga. She’s gone on to dress a roster of talented ladies, including Alice Delall and Marina Diamandis.

Having polished off her act via an MA at the RCA, Twin caught up with the fashion designer and took a sneak peek at her graduate collection, shot by Nicole Maria-Winkler. All irridescent tailoring and holographic suiting, her pieces are super sharp and sure to be as at home on the stage as in our wardrobes.

Why did you become a fashion designer?

I’ve always been interested by style and my fascination with image just grew as I got older. I feel as if I was lured into fashion as apposed to choosing it.

What’s your first fashion memory?
I used to make shoes out of paper when I was really young and walk around the garden in them.

What’s your own style about and is it important to your work?
I think my own style definitely influences my work and often the other way around. As with my work I like combining masculine elements with soft feminine fabrics. I wear variations of pretty much the same thing, long silk shirts, black jeans and chunky iridescent jewellery that I have collected over the years. I made neck cuffs and belts from moulded iridescent glass in my collection which was a definite reference to my own style. My makeup is probably what defines me the most and is part of my identity.

What fabrics and techniques are you drawn to?
I like taking luxury fabrics and treating them in a way to make them a bit younger and have more or a grungy feel such as fraying the edges and colouring the fabrics to make them look bruised. With this collection I hand painted all the fabrics; in the pale outfits I created subtle shades and tones to look as if the colour had been drained from the garments and in the darker outfits I drenched the fabrics with dye and painted them several times to build up a density and richness.

I combined tough buffalo leather with silk organzas and crisp iridescent jacquard with transparent chiffon. The iridescent jacquard all started out being a white, pearly colour but through sampling I realised that by painting the back of the fabric then heating it and dying it several more times, the colour variations of the iridescence changed. It was like a magical scientific experiment!

What are the most important and enjoyable aspects of your work ?
Creating clothes that I am proud of and that portray a mood as well as an aesthetic. The most enjoyable aspect is when you look at it and realised you have achieved this. Unfortunately that moment only lasts for a minute before you start pulling it apart and wishing you had done it differently.

Your designs have already been worn by the likes of Lady Gaga and Marina Diamandis, what influence has costume design and music had on your work?
I’ve always loved looking at the Hollywood actresses of the Golden Age such as a Rita Hayworth and Joan Crawford and the costume designers of that time, in particular Gilbert Adrian. Those women had such an effortless and refined sense of glamour. I definitely try to create an elegant but powerful image for women.

Can you name some of your favourite inspirations for your work – people, places, ideas?
My taste and aesthetic is something that has grown and developed for years and every time I’m inspired by something it’s like adding another layer to my catalogue of research. Even if I look back to some of my work from years ago, I can see a direct correlation to my taste now, I’ve always known what I like and don’t like. Therefore there’s not one particular place or person that inspires me, it’s a multitude of things.

What are you working on at the moment?
At the moment I’m focusing on getting a job within a large fashion house, hopefully in Paris so that I can learn more and be more knowledgable about the industry for when I set up my own label.

At a loose end today? Pop by the Tate Modern for the W Project’s offering in the Tate’s Tanks. Their installation Super Woman, a celebration of women in the creative industries, is part of the Undercurrent series and runs until 5pm today.

tate.org.uk

W PROJECT @ THE TATE TANKS from Sarah Keeling on Vimeo.

London based, Seattle born jewellery designer Kyle Hopkins is the underground jewellery label to know. Merging art with metal making, his pieces are conceptual, highly thoughtful and symbolic, with such a personal feel they instantly become beloved mementos.

Currently finishing a two day residency on SHOWStudio, where he’s been busily making his own death mask,  Twin caught up with the Hatton Garden based designer…

When did you start making jewellery?
I was about five years old when my neighbour started me. I just never wanted to do anything else.

Materials?
Silver and gold, exotic hard woods, steel, fur from time to time. Whatever material lends itself best. Learning how to work new materials keeps me learning and keeps it interesting.

Favourite piece to make from AW12?
First kiss lip ring. It’s got the most vivid memories when I work on one of them the memories become nearly tangible, like when a smell wafts through a room and carries you to the very edge of a moment you thought was lost.

Favourite piece to wear from AW12?
The ear and finger prints necklace.

What do you do for fun?
Read. Witgenstein, Foucault, Jonathan Safran Foer, Kurt Vonnegut, Machiavelli, Tolstoy.

Where to buy?
kylehopkins.co.uk and Kabiri

Twin has long-term love for Rose Blake, having featured her way back in issue one. But while we”re fans of her illustrations, we also love a good playlist and we”ve recently been checking out Rose”s side project Studio Music. With contributions from creatives from fields as wide as the Grand Canyon, it”s a brilliant insight into what makes people tick.

Twin spoke to Rose about the site…

You”re an illustrator by day, why did Studio Music happen and what”s it all about?
I started Studio Music while I studying at the RCA, and feeling quite uninspired about it. I talked about the idea to my friend Joe Pochodzaj and he agreed to design the site and handle all the web stuff. It evolved into being my showpiece at the RCA… I chose not to show any illustration, which was a bit of a big decision for me!

Basically it came about as I share a studio with 10 people, and we always seem to listen to the same stuff. I just wondered what other people listen to while working… pretty simple concept really.

 It’s interesting as its not a definitive top 10, so people always interpret the brief really differently. It’s less precious.

How do you decide who to ask for a playlist?
I research quite a lot. I’m always asking people for recommendations too.

Is that really Kevin Spacey”s playlist?
Yes!

Harry Hill”s a bit of a catch too…
That’s the nice thing about the site. We have playlists from people all across the creative spectrum: from Tracey Emin and Stella McCartney to people that are just starting out.

Are any tunes banned from the site!?
No, we don’t censor people’s mixes.

What do you play in your own studio?
Because I work in a shared studio, we tend to put on the same stuff like Paul Simon- Graceland, Fleetwood Mac, Hot Chip, The Stones, LCD Soundsystem… nothing too offensive!

What do you listen to if you want to be productive?
I like listening to Bowie, The Everly Brothers, Talking Heads, Otis Redding, Robyn Hitchcock… Elton John! I’m listening to this album called Rough Mix by Pete Townshend and Ronnie Lane a lot at the moment. I also make myself loads of mixes that you can hear 

This seems like a lot of work – what do you do to chill?
Um… I like good food, drink, reading, painting, going out.

Who”s your favourite band/musician right now?
Delicate Steve!

studiomusic.fm

rose-blake.co.uk

Pop art was all over the A/W 12 catwalk, but the inimitable and lovely Phillip Lim has gone that extra step to take his designs off the runway and immortalising them in comic fantasy.

In what’s set to become the most in demand comic strip out there, Lim has employed artist Jan Duursema and writer John Ostrander  to pen Kill The Night, a fashion story with a Sin City twist.  While bold aesthetics characterised Lim’s his neo noir heroines are  set to please fashion and comic nerds alike.  Set to launch at Vogue’s Fashion’s Night Out on September 6 this is one fashion fantasy that we can’t wait to read all about.

3.1philliplim.com

Raf Simons might be busily breathing his own sense of glamour into the house of Dior, but it’s the labe’ls heritage  that really makes it an intoxicating mix.

In Assouline’s latest publication Dior’s haute couture,  jewellery, and delicate fragrances are celebrated in three books; Dior Fashion, Dior Fine Jewellery, and Dior Perfume. Costume-balls, catwalks and campaigns, it’s a chic showcase of what the brand’s history and a timely celebration of the old as Dior embarks into new visions.

assouline.com

Home to the longest Denim Wall in Europe, Selfridges’ jeans-offering is not only extensive but impressive, consisting of leading specialist brands such as Hudson, J Brand, Citizens of Humanity and Levi’s. Today marks the launch of “Destination Denim;” a two-week long celebration of ‘all-things-denim’ including styling workshops, customisation demonstrations and designer exclusives, scheduled storewide.

Each brand will be hosting their own denim-dedicated events with special guest appearances, DJ sets and expert advice: Highlights include Cabaret dancing with Hudson to mark the launch of their new LEELOO jean, Yoga lessons courtesy of Lee and their flexible exercise-friendly ‘Stretch’ range, whilst British Vogue’s Sarah Harris will be in conversation with the ex-jeans-fit-model turned designer, Paige Adams-Geller about her eponymous LA denim-wear label.

For full event listings and more information visit selfridges.com

Our Aggy’s been busy. Decamped from NYC, living the LA dream with an enigmatic marriage to Giovanni Ribisi. But it’s her roots that we’re at. For Dr Martens she’s revisited the teenage dream, all laced up DM and X-ray specks. This is UK culture, Gavin Watson, skinheads and unashamed standing out from the crowd, the flavour that we came to love Aggy for back in those heady London days of 2007 when her love of The Slits and her unparalled ability to rock out a peroxide pixie crop and strong brows took our hearts by storm.

Her collection for the brand marries her personal heritage and affinity for Dr Martens hard-wear with the Nineties American grunge style of her newly adopted home. Taking Winona Ryder and Juliette Lewis as her point of reference, think Reality Bites, Natural Born Killers, check shirts, glaring ditsy flower prints and round rimmed sunnies. She might have stretched the distance between the rainy North-West and sunny CA but she’s not about to ditch the boots for a cosy Hollywood-land life.

Agyness Deyn’s collection for Dr Martens is in stores now.
drmartens.co.uk