Russell Brand in Parliament

Comedian and actor Russell Brand was part of a committee at Parliament on 24^th April 2012 which expressed his views to the British government to adopt a pragmatic approach to addressing the issues that has led to an increase in young people taking drugs in the United Kingdom and also to develop a better approach to those who have an addiction to legal and non-legal drugs.

Russell Brand, who was a former heroin addict (who had been quoted being arrested more than 12 times on drug related offenses), had addressed and has enhanced many of his personal issues in regards to being a former addict.

Russell said to the House of Commons Home Affairs Committee that he had taken drugs as a means to feel a void in his life, he was quoted “I was sad, lonely, unhappy, detached and drugs and alcohol for me seemed like a solution to that problem.”

He stated that addiction should be treated as an illness rather than a criminal or judicial matter. He also expressed that more awareness and research had to be implemented into abstinence-based recovery, which he underwent to treat his addiction at charity group Focus12, of which he is a patron to.

The high profiled former addict was part of a method by the House of Commons to raise awareness in drug related rehabilitation issues.  We believe that this is a move by the committee to address the issues of government funds rehabilitation. Brand had smartly said that “It is cheaper to rehabilitate an addict than to send them to prison, so criminalization doesn’t even make economic sense.”

Our note: We feel that Russell Brand is no different to any public individual that is allowed to give their views on the drug culture in the United Kingdom and the Governments approach to dealing with the matter. Brands vocal and proactive approach to help others get out of the trap that he himself faced is more than admirable. Drugs and their effects affect not only an individual but also those around them. We feel that Brand has addressed many issues that many politician’s may not have been aware or that these politicians are so fashionably detached from the real working world that they have never come into contact with these problems.

When we had seen that Mr.Brand was in the Houses Of Commons it was a great eye opener as you’d never hear such words utter from a high profiled figure in the entertainment world. We highly recommend that you view the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_LHuII-jYQ&feature=share

article written by: www.frontpose.com

Why are Supermodels getting away with murder and why are they not held accountable for what they say?

The natural beauty Natalia Vodianova has been on the spot light (her mistake may even be seen in the same light as the fashion faux pas wearing white after Labour Day). The model oust the phrase “It’s better to be skinny than fat” at London’s 2012 Vogue Festival while discussing healthy body image in front of an audience … the irony perceives itself.

This is not the first time a supermodel had said something this outrageous. Natialia’s comments are reminiscent of the infamous line uttered by Kate Moss in the late noughties she said “Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels.”

We feel that models at that status should be aware of what they say and they should be held responsible for what they say.

We understand that modelling is a platform for physical expression but at the same time certain expressions are kept within arm’s reach so that they don’t drift over the edge and in this example it is portraying that being underweight is healthy.

Our note: We feel that this is a circle that needs to come to an end, ever since we can remember we have seen models that are thin as sticks and because of this the term model is stuck with this image.

article written by: www.frontpose.com

Fashion Outcast The Disabled People.

In our previous articles you may have read how we promoted the need to maintain heritage companies, ethical awareness in business practises and even to an extent promoting the arts in Africa, now we hope to increase a bit of knowledge and awareness of physically challenged models.

What had leaded us to writing this article is that we are intending to hire a female model as part of our advertising campaign and to be part of frontpose fashion retailer. Having gone through the norms and rituals of finding a model we all concluded and came to the notion that only a limited (to be more frank it’s an insignificant number) modelling agencies promoted or even had physically challenged models as part of their portfolio.

We feel that this is a great shame and should be one of our prime goals to raise the awareness of this issue in the modelling world. When agencies tend not to have models with disability or even plus size models as part of their portfolio it creates an image that these people are not accepted in an industry that is worth billions, but to be more clear it creates an image that they are not considered page worthy or beautiful (when in truth they are).

This issue actually struck us quite closely to home, having had family members with disabilities and only finding hand full of models with disabilities it says quite a lot that even in this modern social world “disability” is still not accepted to the extent that it should.

We hope and pledge that one day (and hope that the day comes soon) to hire a model as part of our advertising campaign that is radiant, kind-hearted, stunning in nature and hope to see these features instead of just noticing their physical and mental disabilities.

p.s. we hope that this article is not considered patronizing (it is just we were a bit annoyed and had to vent in writing on this matter)

article written by: www.frontpose.com

New Marilyn Monroe Images

copyright of: Philippe Halsmam (Magnum Photographic Co-operative)

She was the epitome of beauty and during her reign was probably "thee most pictured woman on earth". Her tragic death literally propelled her name, look and mannerism into heights that we doubt any woman can comprehend or even replicate in this modern age (Kim Kardashian take note of this woman).
Unpublished photographs of Marilyn Monroe have surfaced and they are still making her name visible in the public eyes even after some 50 years after her death.

She was shot in her apartment in 1952 by renowned photographer Philippe Halsmam. The new Marilyn shots were taken in the privacy of her Hollywood home, 26 being her age at the time.

The legendary photographer’s repertoire of celebrity photography goes beyond just Marilyn; he has taken photographs of the Ford family, The Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Maria Felix and Richard Nixon.

The photos will appear in a new book that marks 50 years since the death of Marilyn, the publication will consist of images from the famous Magnum photographic cooperative.

article written by: www.frontpose.com

It may be the last 24hrs Aquascutum has.

We know we wrote an article in regards to Auascutum, the iconic British and its financial struggle but it seems that it may in dire situation it was reported by the Financial Times that it may be placed into administration as early as today.

It is upsetting to state that 250 employees at the Corby Factory, Northamptonshire, where these garments are produced may be unemployed if the company does go into administration soon.

Our note: we still believe a company such as this should be protected by the British Government, would you close an institution such as the post office because we believe that Aquascutum is on par as the Royal Post Office.

article written by: www.frontpose.com

Seems British fashion labels don't stand a chance.

It seems more and more British companies are going through a hard stretch at the moment, with news that Aquascutum is looking for a new buyer it is not a good notion for other long standing companies.

This brings us to one of the eldest running establishment in Great Britain the fashion brand Jaeger, which was established during the late 19th century. It seems that Better Capital (investment group) have bought the Jaeger debt and 90 percentage of the high-end fashion brand.

It may seem that it is a good sign for British fashion houses as a whole, as other investment groups are still greatly coveting after these companies, however it begs the question how difficult the British economy has become that even companies such as Aquascutum and Jaeger cannot even support themselves in this economic climate. It also begs the question can small and up and coming companies grow in this climate.

article written by: www.frontpose.com

H&M and there not so pretty Eco-Friendly Stunt!

It was plastered in the fashion pages this week that H&M are becoming fashion conscious and is promoting sustainable clothing to the world.

We’re just going to say it you’ve taken advantage of these 3rd world countries (located in Asia) and have made revenues of up to £10 Billion per year and now H&M wants to create a company image that they are all eco-friendly and that they are promoting fair trade. In our mind this is just a PR stunt.

How about giving back some of those billions and invest it back to those countries that H&M have taken advantage of.

article written by: www.frontpose.com

Congratulations Ralph Rucci

Congratulations are in order to Ralph Rucci who has been awarded the Andre Leon Talley Lifetime Achievement Award by the prestigious Savannah College of Art and Design also known as SCAD.

This award is in association with probably thee most distinguished fashion school in the world and appointees of this award are among the greats in the fashioning body, the likes of Oscar De La Renta, Karl Lagerfeld, Miuccia Prada, Diane Von Furstenberg, Zac Posen, Tom Ford, Vera Wang, Marc Jacobs, John Galliano, Ruben and Isabel Toledo are recipient of the award.

We congratulate Rucci winning this award and hope that he continues unimaginable designs.

article written by: www.frontpose.com

Is Stefano Pilati linked with the head creative director at Giorgio Armani

The rumour mill has been spinning in over drive as of recent with the news of numerous changes and appointments of new creative directors in many fashion houses but one of these grapevines may just come true.

It seems that Stefano Pilati may be replacing Giorgio Armani as head of the name bearers company. His untimely departure from Yves Saint Lauren may be an indication that Pilati may have been scouted for this prestigious role, which was held by Giorgio Armani for nearly 37 years.

Another indication that suggests that Pilati already has the job is that former fashion News Daily writer Jim Shi tweeted: ”My sources are telling Stefano Pilati is headed to Giorgio Armani with the intention to assume full creative reigns when GA retires.”

Our note: Giorgio Armani is a man who has been a visionary in this industry for decades; his vision never fails to create an ever timely look. The appointment of Stefano Pilati may be a right a step in the direction for GA, as he never fails to create a timeless look as well and this is quite clear in YSL’s collections. We think Stefano Pilati would be a right fit for the company.

article written by: www.frontpose.com

Power of the leading fashion houses

Jylle's Alternative Fashion Week on the 17th of April, 2012.

There are a handful of houses in the fashion world who have withstood the test of time they have battle against ever changing social sets, consumer ideology and consumerism, that being said they are still standing tall and mighty and having stood these hurdles, it seems that they have the power to dictate the flow of fashion, dictate the trends and dictate the tone of the fashion world.

This leads us to the question with such power over the fashion world can a certain individual get their foot inside the industry and be successful by not following the norm set by these fashion houses.

Fashion trends are mostly set during the fashion weeks, famously located in London, New York City, Milan, and Paris. However there is another “fashion week” which is gaining quite a bit of exposure which is the “alternative fashion week” located in Spitalfields, London.

Alternative Fashion week’s aim is to show case the most original and creative collections by new designers with truly innovative ideas during 16th - 21th April.

Attracting over 10,000 visitors to these shows it has clearly been an accomplishment in its own right. However it must be said these designers who show case their work on A.F.W. have well-crafted and tailored clothes (which in our mind they are on par with many well-known fashion labels in terms of creativity and quality of garments) they do not receive coverage or exposure like those shown on London, New York, Paris and Milan fashion week because of the fact that they do not follow the trends set up these big fashion houses.

Our note: In an ideal world these designers who are dubbed as the “alternative fashion designers” should be getting exposure, we feel that it will benefit the fashion world and also creativity in general.

Take Jylle Navarro for example we do not know whether she will be offended to be classed as an “alternative fashion designer” but we commend her in her work, her garments feel as though they are a piece of art work, we can not even coinage a word for her style, it is just pure creativity. This is what the famous fashion houses are missing, the ability to step out of normality and try to dip their cold feet into something surreal, abstract, that is what art is and fashion is art (cliched line but its very true).

This article may seem like a rant to the leading fashion houses but it’s not to a certain extent, we are always going to support the underdogs and alternative fashion designers are the underdog in the fashion world. It would be nice if these fashion houses took an interest in these designers because maybe in the next few years they may well be the next big fashion designers.

We hope to be attending the Alternative fashion week and we’ll be taking loads of pictures so that we can do our bit to help spread the word for these alternative fashion designers.

article written by: www.frontpose.com

Finally the saga ends Christian Dior has finally appointed a new creative designer, Raf Simons today, replacing John Galliano.

We actually do not want to speak of why John Galliano had been made redundant of the post at Dior, but to address how the appointment of Raf Simon is a step forward for the Dior label.

It is not like Christian Dior would hire any rookie for this position, here’s a bit of Simon’s credentials the Belgian born designer was appointed head creative designer at Jil Sander (which is own by the Prada group) during 2005. Although he had presented a number of collections it was noted by many that his 2007 collection for Jil Sander was one that put him in the lime light in the fashion industry (actually after the 2007 collection many put him in the same ranks as Karl Lagerfeld and Azzedine Alaïa).

His 2007 collections and ones thereafter were very tailored and had a hint of femininity, and this is because of the cliental Jil Sander were aiming, they were those of high powered woman, who worked in cut throat industries.

The unique selling point of Jil Sander’s lines were that they were able to shown in a cat work and then could easily be transferrable to everyday work attire and that is why we believe Jil Sander has had much success as of recent.

Our note: We think that Christian Dior have appointed the right designer for the company, Raf Simmon has shown on a number of occasions that he can represent the ideology of Christian Dior however, it must be noted that his designs may not scream out femininity but it does not mean that Raf Simon can’t do Dior justice.

Alot would say that Raf Simon is incomparable to John Galliano and we do agree, John Galliano was a great in his own right but could Raf Simon be the one that changes Christian Dior’s image for the future … we hope so.

p.s. we are really eager to see Dior’s new collection.

article written by: www.frontpose.com

Adele Vs Karl Lagerfeld

When you talk about Karl Largerfeld you say he is eccentric, a headline catcher and genius. When you talk about Adele you say she’s angelic, soulful and radiant. However there are many terms that we would not associate with Adele or any woman as it matters and guess what our Karl has gotten his mouth in a tongue twist by calling Adele “a little too fat”.

As being British we feel we should feel a little irritated by the fact Karl can insult Adele in such manner but we are not. There are many reasons why Adele is so successful in this industry other than her divine voice but it’s the way she carries herself, her persona and not forgetting her weight.

We feel that Adele is a beckon that is fighting against the norms of celebrity cast; she is an underdog that is winning. We as a society have taken our first step towards changing the social status-quo of the celebrity world by making Adele a household name (and that is rightly so).

And we’re sure that Karl has understood the significance of such women in this day & age.

Our note: We feel that there is no other way to describe this situation but to quote the great lady herself “I’ve never wanted to look like models on the cover of magazines,” she said. “I represent the majority of women and I’m very proud of that.”

article written by: www.frontpose.com

British brand Aquascutum up for sale

There are few companies in Britain that we can call is part of British Heritage such as the Royal Mail, Cadbury and even Manolo Blahnik. However it seems that even a fashion institute such as Aquascutum has been put up for sale, and the buyer well can be anyone.

Owner Harold Tillman who has an over-all control of the company has reportedly consulted Rothchild to handle the exchange of the company.

The British born company Aquascutum was family owned until 1990, when it was purchased by Japanese textile company Renown Incorporated. After having suffer three years of losses, they had sold the company to Harold Tillman in September 2009.

Our Note: It is sad to say but it seems Aquascutum may even have an untimely exit out of the fashion industry having had an abysmal couple of years. But as Frontpose is a Brit-Born-Company we hope that it doesn't come down to that, as that would be a massive shame.

article written by: www.frontpose.com

Big Karl Lagerfeld strikes again….

The late Jackie O has been on the infamous Karl Lagerfeld hit list as of recent.

A lot of interest has been surrounding the pink suit worn by Jacqueline Kennedy on the day of the assassination of J.F.K.

Karl has been quoted that the famous pink suit supposedly produced by Chanel “was actually a knockoff.” Our sources have stated that the iconic suit was actually made to Chanel’s specifications with fabric Chanel but was sent to a tailor in New Jersey. The reason for this was because Jackie O was heavily criticised for wearing foreign labels so she had Chanel-inspired clothes made in the US.

Our note: Karl whether it is a knock off at the end of the day everyone still thinks the iconic suit is a Chanel lets just leave it at that…

article written by: www.frontpose.com

Unlikely source Vogue Italia editor Franca Sozzani may be the Black Art’s only hopeful.

Vogue Italia editor-in-chief Franca Sozzani is not one to be shy of controversy, even if it does get her in trouble such as the “hire back John Galliano” rant and not forgetting the whole “slave earring” debacle.

However in a positive note Franca Sozzani is doing something which we feel is admiral in all retrospect, she is promoting African fashion and culture with her main asset at hand which is the Vogue Italia magazine.

Franca Sozzani’s plan is to dedicate the May/June 2012 to African fashion. The issue will cover fashion and culture across 5 African countries: Kenya, Uganda, Ghana, Nigeria and South-Africa. Our thoughts are that this will bring exposure of these fashion cultures to millions of people across the western world.
This is not the first time Franca Sozzani has used Vouge Italia to promote black culture, in the June 2008 edition she had filled the entire issue with only black models making it the first ever international magazine to do so.


“If you want people to buy your products they have to know who you are and what you have for sell,” Sozzani said at that hastily arranged and sparsely attended press conference. “By featuring African fashion and culture in the magazine we are going to help open up the continent to others in a positive way.” Franca Sozzani.

But Sozzani does not aim to stop at just there, she intends to make a platform for these designers to sell their clothing to the western world. A sort of AGOA for fashion designers.

“I’m not talking about charity and compassion,” she said, “but creating jobs for young people and making sure they can make a living from designing clothes.” Franca Sozzani.

Our note: We feel that this may be a massive game changer for Fashion in general. We always want to promote young up and coming designers, we should not be bound by race or colour (we are not living in the 1950’s anymore). Franca Sozzani is doing something which we feel is more than noble. Fashion is not continent bound and neither is creativity, if you look at African Culture there are endless amounts of history and inspiration which we can use in many walks of life, including fashion. We would love to see a unity of all nations and if it means that creativity and fashion is a means to start that then let it be.

article written by: www.frontpose.com