Eleanor Bowley

Before even graduating this year from the Arts Institute of Bournemouth with a degree in Illustration, Eleanor Bowley has already come to the attention of the fashion world.

With her unique style of creating images from stitching and trimmings on recycled fabrics, Eleanor was commissioned as part of her final year project to design a range of clothes sold within the Urban Renewal area of Urban Outfitters.

Eleanor Bowley exhibited pieces in the lounge at Margin in July 2006.

For further details, visit the website at:
www.eleanorbowley.co.uk

Next fall’s fashion trends

Recently we checked out Margin London, the leading alternative streetwear tradeshow in the UK. Here’s a quick rundown of the major trends from the show:

Vintage: When will this not be a trend? Get Cutie from Brighton showed 50s-inspired big bold floral print dresses that were snapped up by buyers. D4 Discus featured vintage inspired prints on 70s style maxi dresses and eco-friendly label Our World Recycled had similarly glamorous sun dresses. Yamama did Me Decade silhouettes in the form of mohair knitwear.

Military: Army jackets were plentiful, as were camouflage prints and details such as epaulettes. Apestein’s U.S. military influenced collection featured fitted crinkled cheesecloth shirts. Southwest Clothing fused army influence with fluorescent graphics, another strong trend.

Rock n Roll: This trend is still going strong, too. Apestein’s far out t-shirt graphics were heavily influenced by Jimi Hendrix and 60s psychedelia in general. Wendy’s rock belts had previously been worn by Sid Vicious and Johnny Rotten. Lost Property’s graphics were based on t-shirts worn by John Lennon and Frank Zappa.

Tailoring: Although Margin is best known for streetwear, the show is also becoming a destination for more formal tailoring. French men’s and womenswear brand Kulte combined vintage American shirting and striped knits with slim, satin dinner suits. Minimalist Swedish womenswear label Reflective Diffusion put the emphasis on superior quality well-cut basics; detailing was limited to the seams in a range of tops, capes and dresses. Spanish label El Ganso fused tailoring with sports details, such as felt stripes on heritage fabrics and formal coats.

Trends from the fashion trade show

On August 8th and 9th, London hosted the Margin Trade Show, one of the hottest spots for up-and-coming and established designers to flaunt their wares. Despite reports that Margin was lacking in the visitors department due to the recent terrorist events, it was still busy with independent buyers looking for hot labels to keep their stores fresh and ahead of the competition. One of our London trend correspondents stopped by, and this is what she saw for Spring 2006:

FEMININE DETAILS: Using beading, embroidery, and feminine style lines, the girly aesthetic dominated. There were skirts and dresses from Sugarhill with circle embroidery and embellishments, ribbon trimmed skirts and soft lines. Galibardy’s collection had a very glamorous 70s traveler theme, featuring flowing gowns and tops with beautiful, beaded embellishments and sporty hoodies with floral stitching. Stereotype and Ground Zero have taken t-shirts to the next level by introducing a very tailored tee and deconstructed tank tops.

SKULLS/JESUS/BLING MIX-UP: There was a lot of crossover between these three themes, and many brands incorporated all three into their collections. Heidi Seekers mixed beading, butterfly and tattoo graphics with skulls, while Kontakt featured apparel sporting metallic foil logos as well as gold, bling-worthy logo pins. Ground Zero’s graphics were a mix of cultural icons and graffiti art featuring Jesus, JFK, skulls and The Rolling Stones. 3rd Born gave goth a feminine edge with pink skull prints mixed with roses.

ETHICAL TRADE AND RECYCLING: Also a strong theme at the February show, the number of socially responsible and earth-friendly brands has grown even more, whether it be through recycling old fabrics, using fair-trade methods to produce or working with organic fabrics. Enamore’s hemp and vintage fabric mix featured beautiful design details. Rebe mixed vintage and new fabrics with lace to create a modern 50s style collection. Glo for Life sourced only fair trade t-shirts for their collection and Lady Luck Rules featured a quirky jewelry line made from recycled badges, buttons, old jewelry and trinkets.

Sportswear International August 2005

Natural and eco-friendly were the key trends on display at the trade shows TBC/FAO and Margin, which wrapped their two-day runs in London yesterday.

At Margin (marginlondon.com), there was no shortage of eco-friendly exhibitors. Recycled vintage fabrics were used in abundance by such brands as Rebe, Junky and Enamore, as were veggie dyes and organic materials. In addition, a new mood was present at the show - several new additions laden with feminine and sometimes rather frilly appeal were nestled amongst brands such as Dephect and X-Large. According to the exhibitors’ formula, there’s no doubt that boys will be boys and girls will be girls next spring.

Two Margin brands of special note were Yes No Maybe and Stereotype. The latter displayed a great sense of fun in combination with a philosophical edge and precise cuts (yes, cuts - some of the tees were actually tailored). Yes No Maybe, on the other hand, launched, alongside its first collection of wittily designed tees and hoodies, a line of interesting hand-sprayed caps.

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- Emma Holmqvist, London Correspondent