London Calling

I didn't, I really didn't want to come back to Paris last night. For many reasons, the obvious one being Ed. But, also, these last days have made me think, and on the train back I wondered what Paris has to offer me. The fashion system can very often be like the "Ancien Régime" here, including pretty much the same characters as Versailles: the king, the cardinal, the courtesans, the fool and Marie Antoinette saying "let them eat cake" with an oblivious smile. And all around the same intrigues and the same refusal to see that, actually, things are changing out there.
Yesterday I visited the Showstudio exhibition at Somerset House, very adequately entitled "Fashion Revolution" and it really opened my eyes. I knew Showstudio was Nick Knight's baby, and that it was behind Gareth Pugh and Alexander McQueen's shows. I knew its projects as being "very innovative", but I didn't understand how strong and relevant the project is until I saw it all beautifully curated in the exhibition. Showstudio is interactive, experimental, contemporary and meant for everyone. It supports young talents, flirts with art and has a true community spirit to it. It is not about selling products, but finding out how fashion influences and is influenced by society. Its projects are many and very different, as you can see in the first video above. The second one is, I think, the one which impressed me the most: Gareth Pugh in "fash-off", analyzing (and criticising) the fashion whirlwind in which he has found himself.
Fit to make the Fashion Ancien Régime tremble.

Go to www.showstudio.com to find out more.