make sure you check out the clothing here
photography experiment
get this look
white Jumper / calli ripped jeans / blue Vans
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get this look
black jeans / kenzo paris / leather folder
These were my original photographs I took for my magazine article. If you have been reading my blog you should know that I ditched the double page magazine article spread. However, these photos were taken before the half term break and I thought it came out good. My team and I took these in Brick Lane because of the heritage and vibe it’s enriched in. Another reason why I chosen to take pictures here is because of the wonderful and brilliant art it has in it. Home to street artists works including: Banksy, Zabou and Bom K it was fantastic place to visit and get inspiration. First of all my original vision was that I wanted my models to stand in front of a colourful background – and I got exactly that. I took close ups of my models standing sideways. The reason I choose this is because when I researched how do photographs look on a magazine article, many of them were either extreme close ups, close ups, model standing up, looking into the camera or looking away. The other photo I took was my model standing in front on a graffiti background. I wanted to take advantage of the best backgrounds I fancied in Brick Lane. Another picture on there I took was of Mikaaeel turning his back on the camera in front of a grey background. I choose these settings to show off his large Kenzo back patch to the camera, arguably the most important aspect in the picture. There are also two photos of me we took in a farm in the Isles Of Dog. For these images I wanted a nature type scenery and that’s what I exactly acquired. The lighting was near perfect with me standing in front of all the trees and mini tractor.
This is the first logo that I created on illustrator, and it has gone on to be the one I have chosen to represent my entire brand. I like this font the most because it appears the most sophisticated out of all three. First of all I chose the font because I wanted it to be presented as classy. The letters are upper case to grab the audience’s attention, and the letters are slender and sharp to add some sort of majestic feeling within it. I drew lines in the middle and outside each letter to show my creativity and innovation.
creating logos
The second logo would probably be the last logo out of three I’d pick to represent my brand to world. For this logo, the vibe I was going for was a playful and carefree feeling. I wanted my brand to appeal to teenagers the most when they see it. This font is also inspired by the Russian alphabet. I also added a star on top of the letter ‘I’ to again appeal to that jolly and lively vibe. I finished it with the twirl tool on Adobe Illustrator. I applied it to the letter ‘R’ and the full stop.
The third logo has to be the most fun I had when creating the lot. It would be the second font I would have chosen out of three to represent my brand. The font is inspired from cartoons fonts that you would see on the television, and more importantly it something that I relate to and possibly my target audience. Like this font I wanted all my fonts to be the colour black because black goes with everything, and is the boldest colour on a white background. On Adobe Illustrator I used the crystalize tool to make sharp cuts, edges and finishes all around the text. I think this text represents danger and a rebellious nature, so it could even more perhaps attract teenagers and young adults.
​shopping with Dier. models
We join one of the Dier. models at Blitz. First of all let me give you the lowdown on Blitz. It is a vintage store run by a fantastic team selling superb reusable clothing at reasonable prices. It claims that it is the biggest vintage shop in London, and it was only right that we drop down here to check out the exciting stock they have. When we walked in the building it was great. You could find every colour shirt and coloured denim jackets in here – so finding a particular item shouldn’t be too difficult. Mikaaeel is very an expensive shopper, but seeing him come into these types of shop just goes to show that even the most exuberant shoppers are interested in ethical fashion. As heard in his quote “Some day’s I’m in my Yeezy’s, some days I’m in my Vans. (Blitz sells vans as well by the way) He loves mixing high-end clothing with low-end clothing. He does this all the time, and people always comment on thinking he pays a high amount for all of his clothing. When people tend to hear the word ethical fashion the first thing that comes to their mind is reusable clothing.
Some people would not like the fact that someone else has worn clothes before them. They want it fresh. As Mikaaeel says he knows that someone has worn this before, but he would still wear it because it is what he likes. It is about preference. If you think a certain type of clothing looks good but it is reusable; eliminate the negative aspect of someone wearing it before you. Ethical is the new black. Besides all the clothing that you encounter in Blitz are cleaned, steamed and neatly presented as it presented inside the shop. Mikaaeel also makes a fantastic point of there being no ethical fashion stores in Newham. This must be addressed.
If someone is genuinely interested in ethical fashion how are they going to grab their hands on the clothing? Online and commuting to far away areas are the only ways, but I think it’s fair to say not everyone likes shopping online for clothes because they would want to wear it before purchasing it. Whilst travelling to far away places could be tiring or hard to dedicate time towards commuting.
The last shop that we visited was Primark. It 10:30pm and surprisingly it was still open. We’ve all heard it. The rumours of how little amount of money they pay their staff. The shocking exposure of documentaries detailing how Primark use dishonest methods to their advantage. Now let me tell those people who don’t know about Primark ethical issues. It has been reported that a Primark has been exposed of putting child slaves to make vests for as little as 50p per day. There has been also been numerous complaints from customers saying that trousers, and shirts that they purchase from Primark has notes hidden inside of them saying help me. China, India and Bangladesh are among the high profile countries that contain the most amounts of poor workers in clothes factories.
I would like to note my Dier. team and I have never bought a single clothing in Primark, and would certainly would not consider of buying something there in the future. Have you ever wondered why their products are extremely cheap? It’s not rocket science. The clothes they sell get produced so cheap therefore it is affordable for them to sell it at such a low price. What concerns me deeply still, is that a lot of people know about the situation of Primark, but still shop there because it is inexpensive. In the video I talk about how a factory in Bangladesh was reduced to rubble due to ignorance of people in charge, despite the workers telling them there were cracks into the building. This is how much money is needed. They couldn’t afford a new or building or decide to commute to another location. The workers will not quit their jobs – that would be the last thing on their minds. They need money to survive; the qualities of living in these countries are poor, so having money will go a long way of improving it.
Moreover, even though Primark have been exposed for the way they operate they have decided to sack three suppliers – the problem is still not resolved. However, maybe dumping the suppliers are the wrong way to go about it. They could discuss with managers about getting these workers decent wages to improve their quality of living.
When we touched down in Oxford Street the first store we visited was H&M. Craig Jackson was the main guy speaking here about what he likes and his snubs. Firstly H&M has an interesting aspect called H&M Conscious. They promise to bring, promise and expand their clothing collection to benefit the planet hoping to go greener. They have been researching new methods and techniques into creating their own clothes, and if you go into the store clothing should have a green tag to make it recognizable that it is ethical. That is superb touch of magic. Also, another positive I said before about H&M is that they are planning to attaint their cotton 100% from sustainable sources by 2020. This is definitely exciting for all the ethical fashion lovers and we are certainly anticipating grabbing our hands on this stock.
When in H&M Craig definitely knows how stores abuse the factories making the clothes by paying the workers really low wages in a country far away. That is why sometimes he has so much hatred for brands. Craig is another expensive shopper. Spending over £200 on pair of trainers he knows that sometimes you have to mix stuff up. I think a store like H&M that is cheap, makes more ethical clothes then it would really sell. Everyone drops into H&M. Teenagers, kids, young adults and elderly people. It appeals to a wide range of people.
Exclusive collaborations with David Beckham and Balmain it looks to both maintain and expand it’s customers. Like Craig says everyone needs basic stuff. Especially in the area we live in not many people are going to be paying over the odds for clothing. That is why H&M decided to collaborate with David Beckham called H&M Essentials. It is clothing that men should be having inside their wardrobe. From casual shirts to hoodies and raincoat – if these are mostly all ethical I can see the future being greener. Can you?
These are the fillers in between the shops we visited. Every time I look at these mini clips I get inspired. They’re simple edits to make, but so effective when you do it just right. Walking during night in the Oxford circus was great as well. There are so many lights and neon signs. Everything closes late. I’ve been to Oxford Street countless of time and I’ve never seen a shortage of customers. Nearly every store has something to offer. Everybody of every style is welcome here. In clips you see notable brands and stores including H&M, Channel and House and Frazer.
handmade ethical products
not available for purchase
handmade very exclusive denim jacket designed by myself. This jacket is 100% ethical which possess carefully sourced materials for a more natural look.
I created this look inspired by an Australian artist called Pauly Bonomelli. This piece is one of the favourites i have produced and what inspired me was various interest in my life currently. With a mixture consisting of anime, Japanese culture and music words and phrases are inked all over this denim jacket. The only tool i used to create this was a black fabric permanent marker. It took about four hours to make. I initially designed the front and back which i was content of. The next day I decided to designed the sleeves because i wanted the whole jacket heavily inked. You can expect phrases such as: ‘Dier’ ‘Lit’ and ‘Dope’ written all over.
fairtrade certified cotton / organic cotton from india / fairtrade rubber from india
little comets jumper
permanent inked lyrics shirt
All of these products I made by myself. I had great fun in designing each and every one of these pieces. For the converses I bought them on a website whose ethical values are second to none. After I acquired the shoes i painted words in white paint and an anchor on them to add my own touch. The ‘little comets jumper’ is named after a credible indie band called little comets whose album covers are vibrant and very colourful. I used the colours blue, yellow and black and utilise a small paintbrush to flick the paint on. My last creation is the permanent inked t shirt. I seek inspiration from hip hop ledgends Nas and Scarface, wrote their cunning lyrics directly on a ethical shirt from H&M conscious range using a permanent black marker.
arbitrary videos
ghost / mikaaeelas / everywhere
These videos need no words. They’re random videos of pure artisity. There’s not much to explain about the videos. You just have to watch and feel the vibe transmitted into you. Each videos were filmed with my phone. I’ve added music to them which I think the fliters kindly compliment.
general / editsuite / london
neon dark / barbican / london
online store
This is my online store where all my clothing is situated. As you can see I have chosen a plain grey background for my models to stand in front of. I wanted a clean background, because I wanted my online store to resemble being a very professional clothing site. I wanted no expressions on the models. No smiling. No hands in pocket and always looking directly at the camera. It’s just simple. It’s not over the top and many websites who have models can vouch they do not like their models smiling. The same can be said about my preference. I have the clothing materials as well as the labelling if a particular clothing is on sale or is exclusive. Hopefully this label can attract customers to click on it, take a closer look and see after all if they are interested in it.