Sunday 18 November 2012

Designer Feature: JESSICA AU S/S13

A few weeks back I was contacted by an amazing designer named Jessica Au and I just had to write about her new collection. It encompasses so many of the things that I love I couldn't not feature her!

This is her S/S13 collection, which is a collaboration between herself and  the label VVVintage



νέον // SPRING SUMMER 2013 // νέον
Neon (Greek νέον (neon) meaning "new one"). Au's recent infatuation with Die Antwoord's "Zef Style" and the wave of neo-trash movement set her mind to work on her first womenswear and menswear collection that would focus on merging Japanese street style with stripper influences such as Brooke Candy.

Combining her obsession with illustration and her curiosity surrounding intricate artistic concepts allows Jessica Au to design with fabrics and aesthetics that have never been seen or used before.
Post graduation from Middlesex University, Jessica Au's brand has been immediately picked up from fashion magazines' most coveted stylists for celebrities,
and independent boutiques from around the world have been waitlisted to stock her current collection. She has redefined what it means to be ' One To Watch', as she begins to restructure the path of a traditional fashion designer's career during fashion's most sought after month.

This year alone Au's collection has been housed in Japan's TEKNOPOLICE alongside massive underground labels such as Kokontozai, the iconic Philip Treacy, and many of today's most sought after designers. Her London based stockists include: 123 Bethnal green road alongside Dr.Noki and William R Green and Shop 172 on Brick Lane.

Having sold her collection at Somerset House London Fashion Week this year 2012, being published in the new FASHION 2 // Alt Cramer book, stocking internationally and generating press in IDOL, Fashion156, Disorder etc, JAU LABEL is set to expand at an incredible rate in the next few years to come.

 
I was able to ask her some questions about her collection ad her influences


Tell us a little more about your inspirations for this collection, what was it about Zef style that captured your imagination?

"Zef is, you're poor but you're fancy. You're poor but you're sexy, you've got style." - Yolandi Visser
Most people are poor, you try to express yourself with what you can afford, and I think Die Antwoord just have this amazing ability to mix art/music/fashion so seamlessly into each other without it looking strained.  They look like they dress where they come from, which is from a poor but culturally rich background, and yet their style just resonates throughout the "interwebs".   The same goes with Yolandi, she is scary, aggressive, strong yet mysteriously attractive at the same time.


What do you think sets your designs apart from other designers?
I think so far from the response of my customers, they are really into the embellishment and techniques/materials which I choose to combine.  "Surprise" is a word that usually gets thrown around.  The main thing that gets talked about the most is actually the perspex bags I created back in my graduate collection, which are still selling internationally.  A lot of my friends and customers have been asking me to do more accessories, so definitely, the next collection will feature a lot more of it.


What sort of person is a person who wears Jessica Au designs?
My type of customer has a need to stand out, but not in a serious show-stopping way.  There is a mix of elements in my designs, they're usually funny, happy, kitsch and unusual.  People who buy JAU Label are the kind who want something just a little different, but not to the point you get abuse on the street.  The way I design garments is that I know my customers will want to mix and match my garments with perhaps high street garments, or charity/vintage finds, and to be honest, they pull the whole look off really well.  Two words: fun, and comfort.


What's been the high point in your career so far?
I think, selling in Somerset House, or getting published in Fashion 2//Alt Cramer were good stepping stones for the label in getting out there more.


Who would you love, dead or alive, to wear your designs the most and why?
Bjork or The Knife.  They are so unbelievably talented it would be an honour to have my threads on these artists!  I especially love Bjork who always manages to look flawless, she isn't confined by her non-stereotypical body shape and facial features.  She is "all woman", yet she has this androgynous element which works to her advantage.  I love everything about Bjork, she is strong minded, clever and beautiful.


Any bands /singers/ musicians you're loving at the moment?
Right now, I love Grimes, Mykki Blanco and LE1F. I think they're so engulfed in their craft they can't help but "ooze" effortless cool.  And their sounds are so enjoyable and fresh for the moment.  I'm also really into Cyril Hahn, XXYYXX, Kidnap Kid, Ifan Dafydd and all the 90s hip hop which I avoided during childhood.


What's one thing you really like but probably shouldn't?
Hip hop, I feel bad for liking it actually, because most of the lyrics and videos are so misogynistic.  But at the same time, they always have a great beat to krunk to.  I think I should purge myself of hip hop.


Find a picture from the internet that sums up who you are


This picture makes me crack up, sums me up perfectly.  Nostalgic, 90s, ridiculous.  Did anyone ever watch Dinosaurs? Me and brother loved this show amongst many other ones like The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air.  

Check out the video of the collection

SCHIZOLOG for JAU LABEL from Rob Heppell on Vimeo.

4 comments:

  1. Oh My God "Find a picture from the internet that sums up who you are" is totally for me hahah

    Aree
    http://areewithumbrella.blogspot.com/

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  2. I like the video ! The first dress you see is so cool :)
    Thanks for sharing ~

    http://lelamademon.blogspot.com

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  3. ^_____________^ Love this Emmie!

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  4. wow this is very cool ! Thank you for sharing Emmie !

    http://shimbirizer.blogspot.com

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