Crack

As the weather continues to push forward a sunnier disposition and we shed our hibernation uniform of black skinnies and slouchy knits, Foo Magazine, along with Sew That Jazz duo Laura Boyle and Louise Haswell, put on a fashion show to present what cool new pieces we could expect to pick up to achieve a quality seasonal wardrobe update.

Held at Motion Skate Park on April 24, indie talent from Bristol and beyond were showcased alongside street fashion heavyweights like Adidas, Converse and Fly53. With 100% of the profit going to St Mungo’s Charity for the Homeless, it was clear this was not your usual piece of fashion narcissism. An alfresco turn was promptly taken round Motion's gravel pit garden to have a look-see at a number of the pieces on offer.
The Motel girls were out in force with rails full of faded floral sundresses, palm tree bodycon jerseys and bitty shorts. Popular with style savvy girls on both sides of the Atlantic, you’d be hard pushed not to find something you like.

And nestled in a quiet corner was the lovely Cav and Pam from Andwot, with their screen-printed, easy throw-on tees in a simple colour palette of neutrals injected with brights of tangerine, aqua and gold.

Next door to these was the eclectic boho chic of Kuccia. Featuring eye-catching prints on cheesecloth jumpsuits, striped/polkadot bikinis and painterly floral maxi dresses alongside one of the fittest gold sequin jackets I’ve seen in a long time! Divine!!
Fashion Show organisers and upcycling mavens Sew That Jazz had a wee rack of customised and reworked hoodies, bodies and leggings, as well as their infamous Fud (pronounced Fu-ud) hoods. Look out for these girlies and their ‘Boo-dior’ this summer as they’ll be on hand at most major UK festivals giving the ultimate carnival makeovers. Along with Bitch ‘n’ Stitch you’ll find them hairstyling, customising, making-up and massaging their way through the (hopefully) sunnier months. So hunt them down!
Dutty Girl’s Louisa and Joh also had a stall outside with some choice pieces from their Cheltenham Rd shop, including granddad style vintage cardis, customised and up-cycled pieces, cute handmade headbands and Zedhead spec necklaces – all too cute!





The show started, fashionably late, in front of an expectant crowd. Bringing together many talented young designers, this was a rare opportunity to see them together in a series of collections that subvert the mainstream ideals of fashion and make them their own. Yes, you will find powermesh, bodycon, sequins, nudes, brights and florals throughout the collections, but with their own eclectic ideal and preferring a thrown together style that us Brits do so well. There was a very definite flavour of 80s urban street styling.





Fashion wasn’t the only fun to be had tho – the crowds were entertained by breakers The Physical Jerks who b-boyed down the runway sporting classic Adidas tracks in Jamaican fresco and shelltoes. Multi-talented and multi-instrumental human beatbox Vid Warren wowed crowds using a recorder and harmonica to make awesome beats before Agent Lynch’s Yves Klein inspired burlesque act, with a coquettish twist on the 60s spy-fi era. There was, of course, the usual mix of MC’s, turntabalists and DJs; and a rather questionable rap battle between a pissed up penguin and a nice looking chap in a beanie!

In total we saw a whopping 18 brands and independent designers – all of which were amazing, but only a few could be my favourites:


My Yard

Already heavy hitters on the Bristol graffiti and menswear scene, My Yard’s recent foray into womenswear produced pretty summer pieces - ikat prints on (itsy) bitsy shorts and skirts and gorgeous sundresses in chiffon and antique lace.

Sugarlesque

Norty but nice was the vibe from Sugarlesque as the models sashayed down in sorbet coloured underwear. French knickers in soft pinks teamed with saucy glitter nipple tassels. Sassy plunge front bodies and cute two pieces in translucent animal print in dusky blues and soft greys all finished sweetly with satin bows.

Puckoo

Puckoo was an absolute highlight bringing an unashamedly fierce sex appeal to the runway. Neon bodysuits with mesh and leopard print cut-outs, black bodies with pink leopard trim and bugged out feathering around the shoulders, lycra, spandex and studding was everywhere! This was attitude, fearsome futuristic fun. No wonder she’s been commissioned to design costumes for dancers in Ibiza (!) keep your eyes peeled for her online shop about to launch!

Dutty Girl

With their upcycled one-off’s, Dutty Girl brought perfect spring weather wardrobe. Denim jackets prettified with feminine floral cut-outs. Ditsy print crops and denim cut offs were given attitude with black ankle boots. Track trouser and harems were in duck egg with floral trims and a reworked denim jacket had found new life as a bandeau top. Fun, flirty and totally wearable, if there's a staple to be had it's to be found here.

Sew That Jazz

Off the wall outerwear from Sew That Jazz who took the humble comic strip bedsheet of childhood days and reworked into the sublime! Tailored harem jumpsuits, backless or strapless, and slouchy, cotton dress complete with sharp shoulders and Sonic the Hedgehog inspired silhouette! Ballgown style dress with hoiked hems and ruching, Hulks name boldly emblazoned across the back and the eponymous hero’s face glaring out from the bodice. Other pieces included a fishtail cocktail dress split to the thigh courtesy of Superman and a reworked Batman dress. Topped off with their signature Fud Hoods you just know pop strudels’ Marina and Diamonds or I Blame Co Co would snap these up!

Motel

On the runway easy day-wear outfits were created using simple key pieces from their Summer collection. Graphic print 2in1 dresses, sunset palm print bodycon dresses, LBD’s with laser cut-outs and black lace cycling shorts all make for a subtly sexy summer look!

AMH

AMH had powerpop slogans strewn across cropped jersey including such classics "Can’t Touch This" and "I'm Bad". Brooklyn styling of girls’ urban uniform; hoodies, hoops, leggings and colour pop slogan tees. Expect big things from this boy – his men’s’ line of pop tees has already been snapped up by Topman.

Donuts

Bristol established menswear brand Donuts brought us portrait icon tees, lightweight striped shorts and raspberry rainmacs while deerhunters and baseball caps finished the look.

Bitch 'N' Stich

But my fave menswear designers, for sheer madcap, was Bitch N Stitch with guys’ harem trousers trimmed with fasteners and sequins and kilts in a neutral palette of greys with mulberry highlights and additional zips and glitter!

It was clear the ethos of renewal is heavy in Bristol. The majority of the independent labels were very conscious of reworking old cast offs into beautiful individual pieces in their own right. Something that brings the wearer a lot a creativity in their construction and a little piece of ethics and that's something we all should be proud of and support-so please, keep a look out for these talented visionaries!





Words: Emilie Parnell


Here is a comprehensive link list of all the players and playettes involved in this years' Foo Fashion Show.

http://www.myspace.com/duttygirl
http://www.sewthatjazz.com
http://www.andwot.com
http://www.redmutha.com
http://www.kuccia.com
http://www.my-yard.com
http://www.fly53.com
http://www.sugarlesque.com
http://www.ashleymarchovelle.com
http://www.puckoo.com
http://www.urbanoutfitters.com
http://www.skindaddybrand.com
http://www.facebook.com/bitchnstitch
http://www.adidas.com
http://www.motelrocks.com
http://www.donutsthestore.co.uk
http://www.converse.com
http://www.physicaljerks.co.uk
http://www.agentlynch.com
http://www.myspace.com/vidwarren

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