Issue 12, which is out TODAY, is our last issue of FALLEN magazine. A crazy big thank you to all our writers and photography contributors, those whose allowed us to feature them, and of course all our readers, advertisers and supporters. As much as we would love to continue publishing FALLEN, we have decided to end the journey here.
I’m sure you’ll be hearing from us again!!!
Love Lauren and Kara
Founders, Editors and Creative directors
FALLEN is loving Melanie Rice’s self titled jewelry label. We spoke to her about her beginnings and what we can look forward to this season.
After graduating from gold- and silversmithing at NMIT, I started making pieces that gave me a lot of pleasure. I’ve always loved colour and the way it makes me feel. Feel, taste, smell – colour inspires a visceral response in me. So those first ranges to find audience spoke strongly of my interests and delights; my emotions.
Making is a process of exploration for me. Sights, feelings, ideas suggest new nooks to explore. After a few years getting lost in the glossy depths of sheer enamel, for AW13 I’m excited by the solid, milky colours of opaque enamel and the partnered colours of certain gemstones and minerals. Enamels made from re-fused sand, common gemstones replete with inclusions and other imperfections; rough-cut and rough-painted; covetousness is sometimes revealed in the less obvious hiding places.
Sometimes in this exploration, you lose track of certain threads that took you here in the first place. In all this excitement found in the colour ranges possible with enamels, the joy found in gold- and silversmithing, the setting of stones and the crafting of form, was pushed aside. With this range, and in the year to come, I want to get back to the bench. But don’t worry, that’s right next to the kiln.
We headed to Laneway Festival this year, one of our favourite day festivals in Melbourne. Here are a few snaps from the day. Enjoy!
Kuwaii has been on our radar for a long time now, and we’re positive the new AW collection ‘Regalia’ will draw a crowd. The understated, seemingly casual but ever-so-refined garments in this collection are imbued with a relaxed poise, illustrating the trademark skill of balancing luxury design and subtle delicacy for which the label is renowned. Of course, we cannot forget to mention the label’s increasingly popular footwear range. The Cleat Morris boot is calling us!
The label will also be involved in the new LMFF Film Series presented by Portable. Kuwaii are one of 12 labels selected to have their AW13 fashion film screened through the festival. Check out more about the event here. To top off the new year, Kuwaii and KESTER BLACK have collaborated to produce some eye popping colours for AW – we’ll be grabbing one of each thank you!
We are seeing the accessories label Witu everywhere at the moment! FALLEN got in touch with founders Natalie and Elise.
Witu is an accessories label founded by Melbourne girls Natalie + Elise one evening in Elise’s share house over copious amounts of tea. The two met whilst working at a Punk nightclub (which you would never pick if you saw them) and knew they wanted to work together right away. Elise is a Graphic Designer and Nat is studying Sculpture so they come at their designs from an art v design approach which they think has become a large part of their designing process and also shines through in their products.
At the moment the pair have launched their first official range Habitat which is broken up into two halves; Arctic and Tropic. The range is focussed on the use of Neoprene in designed functional objects such as tote bags, backpacks, jewellery, clutches, laptop cases + camera straps. They are stocked at super cool shops Monk House Design, Alice Euphemia and Quirk and co as well as running their own online store.
Keep your eyes peeled for new designs to come soon!
With a shared passion for jewellery, Sarah Gittoes and Robert Sebastian Grynkofki’s partnership in life naturally transformed into the collaborative Australian jewellery design label, Sarah & Sebastian. FALLEN caught up with Robert to find out more about the duo.
Sarah & Sebastian began in a small jewellery workshop in Bondi with the two of us making bespoke pieces here and there. Sarah and I started off designing jewellery we always wanted to buy but couldn’t find and the response we received was great! Gradually, we had more enquiries and decided to launch our first collection in 2011.
Our collections have a clean and minimal aesthetic and we create fine jewellery for everyday and also statement pieces. We use precious materials for our fine pieces, as this ensures longevity. Recently we released a small range, titled ‘Injection’ which will lead into our next collection. Inspired by strong and bold geometric shapes with organic elements, our new range will be available in April. We are also working on an exciting collaboration with Hatmaker!
We have a busy agenda in 2013 with a lot of new projects – I can’t wait to see how everything comes together!
FALLEN has been a fan of Olive & Finn since it’s beginnings in 2009. Now with its development into the online shopping world, it is getting more attention than ever! Featuring all Australian and New Zealand designers (which we obviously whole heartedly love), Olive & Finn has made it too easy to find all your Aussie and NZ designers in the one place.
Owner Olivia Howard collaborated with one of our favs, photographer Jo Duck and the ever-talented stylist Renee Traitsis to create a beautiful editorial using the stores clothes and accessories. Of course we cannot forget the slick branding by Tim Waters (think copper foils).
FALLEN caught up with Olive & Finn owner, Olivia Howard for a chat about her growing on-line business.
How does Olive & Finn differ to other on-line stores?
I hope visitors to Olive & Finn will instantly see and feel the difference to other online shopping destinations – I wanted to create a sense of exclusivity with clean, easy and simple navigation to stimulate the feeling of walking into a boutique shop. I really believe that Olive & Finn is much more than an online store.
How do you go about choosing new stock for the season?
It is a long process but a thrilling one. I go to all the showings of the new season collections; I take photos, I mix and match and then I head back to the office and start putting the orders together. The only requirements I have for a label is that they are from Australia or New Zealand and that their quality is of high standards, the rest changes with each season.
What can Olive & Finn shoppers expect for the next season?
I am really astonished by the talent we have for the next season. The pieces I have been privy to order are just simply beautiful. You should expect to see a lot of deeply rich colours, some gorgeous structured coats and jackets, a bit of leather and of course some really high quality fabrics.
The Olive & Finn team did such a great job with your Spring/Summer editorial, what have you conjured up for next season?
I am really looking forward to the next photo shoot in a few weeks, not only do we get to showcase the amazing pieces for next season but I get to work with Jo and our great stylist Renee again. I think the aesthetic and the style of the shoot will be similar again to the style of Olive & Finn. The best way to describe it would be ‘Scandinavian’ – very clean and effortless.
Any new Aussie designers we should look out for?
Every brand has something truly remarkable and exciting about them, but for me it’s the next season I am getting really excited about. Autumn/Winter 2013 will see the launch of some new brands— many of which the public will have not have heard of. Olive & Finn is now getting to do what it was created to do— discovering new and evolving Australian and New Zealand talent and making it accessible to the public. I would recommend to look out for our new labels; Sydney designer HAN and the brand named LIUK, both arriving to O&F soon.
