Talent Scout: Lewis Mirrett

Hey folks! I know it's been a while.... actually a while doesn't begin to explain it but I promise there has been good reason. I've a new gig! Since January, I've taken over as the online editor of FASHION Magazine. Fashionmagazine.com to be exact, so I spose I've been funnelling all of my genius ideas and discoveries into that platform, and well that's just not fair! There have been loads of great posts in the last little while, but I wanted to share my favourite discovery so far... a budding photography student by the name of Lewis Mirrett.

Introduced to me by Susie Sheffman (FASHION's inimitable fashion director), I decided to give this kid a shot based on not much else but a gut instinct and boy am I glad I did. I've been over street style photos for a while, the sameness of the poses, the cropping, the copy catting... Lewis though, has breathed new life into the age old (and by that i mean minute old) style with his unbelievable eye for the details, his obsession with juicy colour editing and genuine passion. Check out some of my fave snaps below (the rest can be viewed HERE). Watch out for this one... I can tell you that. (Oh, and the gals in the first photo? That's my friend Sahar, you might remember as a former Kate Girl and Shirin, another amazing photog!)

It's a FASHION Party!

If you're in Canada and you feel like seeing my mug in print, pick up a copy of this month's FASHION Magazine (Winter 2011 issue, Taylor Swift is cover girl). I profiled 4 of the country's up and coming design talents. (who you've no doubt seen on this blog already): Rita Liefhebber, Thomas, Speech by Michael Mercanti and Carlie Wong.

The piece was cool on its own, but what really took it into radtown, was the portraits of three of the designers taken by Sean J. Sprague, my new FAVE photographer! Don't they all look like little angels? Or holy in cool factor?

I've scanned the piece for a bit of sneak peek but if you'd actually like to indulge (me) and read the words, you'll have to pick up a copy... yay!

Talent Scout: Pink Cobra Spring 2011

I guess it really doesn't count as really scooping unknown talent when one of your besties is widely known as one helluva talented babe. Not only is Tania Martins the badass designer behind Toronto-based label, Pink Cobra, but she also co-owns the Queen Street West fixture, Carte Blanche, which Pink is sold at. Major, right?

Tania’s been pretty swamped lately working on her Spring collection, of which her look book and video have just been released. Largely an ode to sexy cutouts, pastel colours and overall tightness, the collection has got a handle on what the cool kids want to wear, and what the modern women need to wear. A long time ago, Tania told me that I might have had something to with the inspiration behind one of the gals in the video, but now looking at it, I see that there is just no way I’m as cool as any of these gals. But it’s those gals who Tania designs for, and successfully at that, since she IS one of them. Oh and hey, they're who you want to be too.

Do you miss me? Slash... Listen to This Now!

So guys. Guess what.

1. The reason I have been the world's worst blogger this summer is because my laptop has become utterly unusable, and well, there's only so much bloggy I can sneak in at work. Good news is though, that I am picking up my brand new Macbook Pro (yeah you heard, I'm a pro... no big deal) tonight - so expect some major posting in the next little while. Hurrah!

2. My ridiculously talented friend Veronica So, whom you might remember from Talent Scout when I talked about her general amazingness or Talent Scout Pt 2, when I talked about her amazing start up magazine, L_A_N has accomplished yet another feat. Her band TEETH!!! just released their first real single! Like something you can actually buy! On iTunes! So... well, buy it! Check them out below... they've opened for Sleighbells and are kind of a big deal in London. Plus apparently Karl listens to them. Plus they hacked into Lady Gaga's Twitter account. Plus they're amazing, ok?

TEETH 'CONFUSION ' LIVE ON THE KNOCKING SHOP from the knocking shop on Vimeo.

Talent Scout: Speech by Michael Mercanti Pt. 2

Can I still call myself a Talent Scout if just about everyone who knows what's up already knows that my scout-ee is an amazingly cool designer who makes some of the raddest, most unaffectedly punk looking jewelery? Mock me all you want, dear readers, because I'm bringing you up to speed once more on the amazingness that you probably already know as Michael Mercanti and his rad ass line of necklaces and rings, Speech.

His latest collection, entitled 'Lost Paradise' is what happens when Jesus meets Keith... religious iconography like the cross and the crown of thorns, that's been roughed up like mad and then molded in silver and slapped on chain. While the results are not what Grandma (well, definitely not my Buby, that's for sure) ordered, they are most certainly what every guy and gal this side of the PBR machine is going to want to wear night after night, for the rest of their late night existences.

Talent Scout: KRUHX

Y'all know how much I love a creative collaboration, and so when I heard about KRUHX, the visual art group who work on conceptual and actually non-clothing-centric photoshoots, I was all over it! Comprised of a photographer (Yana Matusovski), stylist (Jordan Reimer ) and graphic producer (Garrett Naccarato ), KRUHX describes themselves like this: "A lot of the concepts we create might seem unachievable with clothing from stores or showrooms. Instead, we figure out alternative ways to design our creations using any materials we see fit." Sounds like a good ole Dada offshoot to me, eh? I especially love the geometric couture-pose (haha) in the top-right image... go team KRUHX!

Talent Scout: Veronica So Pt. 2

I blabbed about the lovely Veronica So back in February, and now I'm going to blab again, okay? Once my co-intern at Interview Magazine, the now freshly-minted graduate of Central Saint Martins is crazily ambitious enough to have published her own magazine. And not just for school... for realsies! L_A_N Magazine is an oddball mix of fashion, technology and art. Think geeking out with your friends and then distilling it into a genius bespoke artbook... yeah that's basically it. As if you can't tell from the vibrant, bizarre and chock-full spreads below, L_A_N may as well have some of the best printed pages we've seen in a while!

As Veronica puts it, 'the magazine explores the way technology and futurism informs design and fashion and vice versa'... (did she say futurism? I'm down!) Among other things, the first issue features the likes of Thierry Mugler, Hussein Chalayan and the cyber-punk artists Aids-3d.

Oh and she's looking for like minded fashion geeks! If you feel passionately about Chewbacca and would like to contribute to L_A_N, email her at veronicawso@gmail.com!

Talent Scout: Speech by Michael Mercanti

For as much as cupcakes and puppies get me going, sometimes I just crave an edge. Naturally it'd make sense then, that I'm totally obsessed with my friend Michael Mercanti's line of jewellery for latter day punks, entitled Speech. (and honestly, check out the site...it's real cool!)

For three seasons now, Mikey's been molding everyday objects into edgy neckwear, and his latest edition is no different. Entitled 'Strange Days', the collection is comprised of effed looking pouches that hold a myriad of so called good luck charms (anything from puzzle pieces to mini spoons)...check out the awesomeness below!

And for a bit of shameless self promotion, check out the article I did on Mikey for Dazed & Confused earlier this year....

Talent Scout: Meghan Roche

While busy Face-stalking the other day, I came across one of the raddest photos I'd seen in a while. I assumed it was a tear from V or Dazed, but lo and behold, it was actually the work of almost-Ryerson-grad, Meghan Roche!

The first thought that crossed my mind was that this was early Christopher Kane...and it's actually no wonder why. Meghan interned with him in London last year. And wait for it...he's offered her a job for next month! (this is kind of making me vom a little...)

Meghan's final collection is entitled 30 Colors, because of the 30 colors that appear within the five-pieced collection. (one short of Baskin Robbins status...) The dresses, which are almost entirely constructed of pleating, each feature six contrasting colors - none which repeat. With the help of some sick styling and photographing in the shoot below, Meghan's collection looks like something out of an acid induced origami lesson. I want innnnn...

Meghan's collection shot is by Justin Borbely

Talent Scout: Jamie Campbell

I don't really obsess over celebrities, I obsess over cool and/or talented people I know - to the point where I probably come off as mildly creepy. Jamie Campbell would definitely be one of those people.

When I first happened upon his quirky website of photography and musings (http://www.jamiecampbellphotography.com/)
during one of my undergrad slacking sessions, I was like...this guy actually goes to my school? After an initial gushing email, I began stalking Jamie in person (of course, I'd be referring to cute stalking, not actual stalking) and eventually convinced him to photograph a few fashion shoots I was working on. Even though fashion wasn't Jamie's usual bag, his photos were spectacularly oddball, beautiful and way beyond my expectactions.

"Jamie works with the themes of insecurity, burden, vulnerability and desperation, but does it with self-deprecation and humour andprofound honesty, leaving you unsure of whether you want to hit him or hug him" - Anthony Pereira

Here are a few photos from Mr. Campbell's newest series, untitled, 2008-2009.

Talent Scout: Twain by D Suppa & L Tamaki

No doubt that one talented designer can usually produce quite nice results, but put two awesomely talented designers together and the result is pure genius! Such is the case with the Twain Collection, by Danielle Suppa and Lauren Tamaki.

The two met while studying fashion design at Ryerson University in Toronto and have shared a love for quirky design ever since. Both awesome in their own right, Danielle is a creative assistant at Joe Fresh as well as the mastermind behind Le Petit Beret and Lauren is an illustrator currently studying at the Alberta College of Art & Design (She even drew this sketch for us!)

The two designers created Twain as a sort of quiet celebration of the nerd, the bookworm who hasn't realized her clothes are a bit too tight. "We loved the idea of making uniformy boys clothes for a girl", says Danielle. "It's like she has to wear a uniform, but she's making it her own". In an equally nerdy fashion, the two even created a custom wood-grain print that looks somewhere in between a desk-top and a library floor! (See why we love to pimp our friends?)

And because we're certain you can't get enough of these lovely ladies (we sure as hell can't!) check out their other projects!

Le Petit Beret by Danielle Suppa http://www.petitberet.com/
Illustrations by Lauren Tamaki http://laurentamaki.com/

(portrait by Lauren Tamaki, photos by Sai Sivanesan)

Talent Scout: Veronica So

Talent Scout is a section we are really passionate about. Our friends are really cool. Naturally, they are capable of some really cool shit. They know it, we know it, now you know it too!

We met Veronica So much the same way we met each other: through Andy Warhol's golden gate of social life for the struggling intern in New York: Interview Magazine. A native to California, and currently a Fashion Communication major at Central St. Martins in London, Veronica sports a real cute bob and wears lots of black.

Veronica is perhaps most famously known to the two of us by having been injured when Andy's (or at least we like to think it was his...) large marble table collapsed on her lap. Also, she threw the raddest birthday party in history by renting out room 822 in the Chelsea Hotel (a room once graced by Madonna and Nico no less!) and then proceeded to throw her unwanted clothes on the floor for us to scavenge through.

Lately, Veronica is into vampires. This is what she has to say about some pictures she shot this weekend:

"The shoot was great! It was kind of funny like, oh look at Pun as a vampire chasing Heidi around the studio haha! It was really fun. They are both huge Twilight aka Edward Cullen fans..."

Veronica's got a lot more where that came from, so check her out at:

http://www.veronicawso.blogspot.com/