imperial college fashion fad mag 3v3.pdf · 2018-05-23 · editor's letter welcome to issue...
TRANSCRIPT
IMPERIAL COLLEGE FASHION DESIGN
AND
003
EDITOR'S LETTER
Welcome to issue three of Imperial College Fashion & Design, a new biannual independent magazine about the expanding world of fashion-
tech, trendy students and London couture, presented in a semi-pretentious but refreshing format.
This society was originally started in order to organise a charity fashion
show similar to other universities across England. As the society began to grow so did ideas, giving us the opportunity to explore other disciplines
such as fashion journalism.
We want this magazine to be a chance for us STEM students to show that we have other interests besides our degrees. We also want our
fellow budding engineers/scientists to discover new realms.
Nothing in these pages is PR-generated and nothing has been sold. We are not trying to promote or sell any of the brands featured; we just
want to be read and hopefully, enjoyed.
Our next issue will be out in May, and if you have something to say or feel you can contribute to the magazine, drop us an email.
PRIYA GUPTA
OCTOBER 2017
IC FASHION & DESIGN PRIYA GUPTA [email protected]
COPYRIGHT IC FAD PUBLISHED IN LONDON
OCTOBER 2017
[email protected] IMAGES: @IMPERIALCOLLEGE
08 /35
SQUAD / 08 CODED COUTURE / 20
PUMPED UP KICKS / 24 THE RISE OF BIO-THREADS / 26
INSTA SPOTLIGHT / 32
PRIYA PRESIDENT BIOLOGY THIRD YEAR HATES SHOULDER PADS LOVES SHEER TOPS
ABHI VICE PRESIDENT
ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING THIRD YEAR
HATES BLUE & WHITE STRIPED SHIRTS LOVES CHOKERS
DAVE ANITAHEAD OF EVENTS
BIOLOGY THIRD YEAR HATES JUMPSUITS LOVES WATERFALL COATS
DAVE ANITA
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR PHYSICS
THIRD YEAR HATES CAMOUFLAGE
LOVES CULOTTES
ALICE
AIMEEMARKETING MAVEN BIOLOGY THIRD YEAR HATES PUFFY SLEEVES LOVES FLORAL EMBROIDERY
AIMEE
TREASURER MATHEMATICS
THIRD YEAR HATES STRAPLESS TOPS
LOVES WIDE-LEG TROUSERS
ANNIE
SECRETARY BIOLOGY THIRD YEAR HATES ADIDAS TRACKIES LOVES DENIM MINIS
ANNIE
AMAR WEBMASTER COMPUTING
SECOND YEAR HATES TALL TEES
LOVES CHELSEA BOOTS
ANGELA ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
BIOMEDICAL SCIENCE SECOND YEAR
HATES FISHNET DRESSES LOVES STATEMENT SLEEVES
ANGELA
CODED COUTURE: DRESSING FOR THE DIGITAL AGE BY DAVE CAO
ITAL AGE
From finding you the perfect cup of coffee to finding your potential soulmate, apps have used personal data to add to many areas of modern life. Now it seems that this trend has hit dressmaking. Google and H+M’s digital fashion house Ivyrevel have teamed up in a project they call “Coded Couture”, and hope to add that little bit of personalisation to the fashion world.
Users can download an android app that contains Google’s new Awareness API technology. Using a large number of sensors from the phone (including Bluetooth and GPS), the app collects data ranging from weather and location to the types of events the user is going to. At the end of the week, this data is sent to Ivyrevel who use this to create what is being dubbed the ‘data dress’. This dress is custom made to the users’ needs and daily routines. Whilst the type of dress (such as for work or formal events or parties) is chosen by the user, the data collected will specify other aspects of the clothes. For instance, material will be chosen based on the weather data and the fit will be based on the activity level of the wearer.
The Ivyrevel brand was inspired by and for the current generation of fashion mavens and trendsetters. Though the brand has an overall feminine feel to it, there are also bold colours, designs and details used to catch even the most discerning eyes. Ivyrevel has said that they will start the pricing of the dresses at 99 US dollars, though this is subject to
change. Whilst the app is still in development, a beta is planning to be released later this year.
Currently the app is being tested by fashion influencers such as Ivyrevel’s co-founder Kenza Zouiten. Kenza is a 26 year old Swedish model and blogger with over 1.6 million followers on Instagram.
Don’t worry about feeling left out though, members of the public can sign up for trials ahead of release on the Coded Couture website.: http://www.ivyrevel.com/uk/codedcouture/codedCouture.html
Whilst many in the fashion world are excited about the prospect of dresses tailored around both their lifestyle and their figure, some people are less than happy by these developments. Google already stores large amounts of information about its users, and was recently forced to provide data for the FBI for search warrants. So many worry about the safety of providing even more data to the tech giant.
Regardless of the larger implications, Google has once again shown that they are pioneering the future in both technology, and now fashion. Coded Couture aims to allow people to express their lifestyle through these statement dresses. We at IC FAD are super excited and can’t wait to get our hands on our own personalised dresses. But what about you? Are you ready to show the world your data?
PUMPED UP
KICKS Modelled by KATHRYN
PLUMMER
Rose ribbed beanie, Maroon
canvas backpack, Urban
Outfitters. Emerald green silk shirt, Off-black, trousers,
Topshop.Dark green bomber
jacket, H&M. Grey Trainers,
New Balance
Modelled by DAVID
CAO
Plain grey jacket,
Forever 21. Grey jeans, Grey wool scarf,
Topman. Crew neck grey
jumper with stars, River
Island. Charcoal suede
shoes, Clarks..
ROISÍN
GORMAN
DAVID
CAO
Plain grey jacket,
. Grey jeans, Grey wool scarf,
. Crew neck grey
River
Charcoal suede
Clarks..
THE RISE OF BIO THREADS BY AIMEE HE
“From the day we
founded Bolt Threads,
we’ve dreamt of
partnering
with Stella
McCartney. Not only
does she have an
unparalleled aesthetic,
but her values and
pioneering sustainable
fashion align perfectly
with our vision for the
future of fashion.”
- Dan Widmaier, CEO
of Bolt Threads
When climate change begins to rear its ugly head, more and more fashion brands have hopped onto the green bandwagon to align their designs with the theme of sustainability. As part of the brand’s eco-friendly fashion initia-tives, Stella McCartney recently estab-lished a partnership with Bolt Threads, a San Francisco biotechnology compa-ny specialising in advancing sustaina-ble materials. The firm develops fibres from scratch based on proteins found in nature, and then develops cleaner, closed-loop processes for manufactur-ing, using green chemistry practices. Exemplified in the collaboration with Stella McCartney, Bolt Threads is able to create silk using yeast, making the textile vegan-friendly— staying true to the designer’s philosophy. Solution oriented, this process reduces pollu-tion, creates long-term sustainability, and always remains cruelty-free. This collaboration breeds a new trend, of combining fashion design with tech-nology, hence honks the horn of sus-tainable production of apparels.
The initial product of the partnership between McCartney and Bolt will be a one-of-a-kind gold shift dress commis-sioned for the Museum of Modern Art’s upcoming design exhibition, “Items: Is Fashion Modern?” opening from Octo-ber to January.
“On a personal and professional level partnering with Bolt Threads is so ex-citing, because it feels like everything is finally coming together and the dots are being connected between fashion, sustainability and tech innovation,”
Stella McCartney commented. “This is something that I’ve been personally on a journey to find for much of my career and I just feel like there is finally a new opportunity to bring so many indus-tries together and for them to all work as one for a better planet. It is a truly modern and mindful approach to fash-ion. The industry has so much heritage, but at times it can be damaging to the environment and it can also drag you in a backwards direction and for me I always want to move forward in fash-ion and this is truly a moment to cele-brate technology and the future of fashion.”
Stella’s approach to design puts em-phasis on sharp tailoring, a natural confidence and an effortlessly sexy style. The brand is committed to ethi-cal values, and believes the company is responsible for the resources it uses and the impact it has on the environ-ment. It is constantly exploring innova-tive ways to become more sustainable, from design to store practices and product manufacturing.
Beyond the exhibition the terms of the collaboration are undetermined. There’s been no monetary investment in Bolt by McCartney. “Right now, we’re excited to leverage our signature protein-based yarn, inspired by spider silk, within upcoming Stella McCartney collections,” Dan commented. “As our partnership develops over time, our teams are eager to collaborate on addi-tional technologies and textiles, and explore the possibilities of innovation by working together.”
@jonnymollah BIOLOGY
@chen_liu1 MEDICINE
@sprinkllleee MATHEMATICS
@alexmitcham PHYSICS
38 /59
I’M A COOL GIRL, ICE COLD / 38 SING A SONG OF SIXPENCE / 44
SMART CLOTHING OR SMART DEVICES? / 46 AUTUMN APPAREL / 50
DISCOVERY CHANNEL / 54 IC FAD IN REVIEW / 58
I’m a cool girl, ice cold
Zendaya; it girl of 2018
by fatima yaqub
she’s literally kicking down stereotypes
When Zendaya Coleman signed on to
Disney in 2010, she had one job: to
“Shake It Up”, and you best believe she
delivered. From the moment she
danced onto our screens she com-
manded centre stage with the world as
her showcase, allowing us to watch her
grow into a woman as fierce as her
always on fleek eyebrows. And whilst
she’s stayed true to her roots by stick-
ing with Disney as her character KC
Undercover, she made no secret of her
journey which has been displayed from
cover to cover and screen to screen,
finally landing her the unquestionable
title as the “it girl” of 2017.
Let’s start with the obvious. She’s
young. She’s gorgeous. She’s in the
spotlight. Naturally, she’s an “it girl”.
But what is “it”? Zendaya is beautiful
and her sense of style is constantly
commended- from red carpet looks to
day to day attire, any outfit of the day
will be a bold statement; mirroring the
voice of the young influencer. But did
you see what Kendall wore? And what
about Bella? Who wore it better? Let’s
be honest, style alone is the minimum
requirement to be a success in the
world of the young and beautiful. Style
is the must-have product of the centu-
ry, constantly appearing whenever you
decide to explore your instagram feed.
So Zendaya’s style is impeccably on
point but hardly the reason she stands
so tall in her stilettos. Zendaya’s style
is just an accessory to the girl who is
happy to lay herself as bare as one can
be in the 21st century-yes, even
makeup free- and still somehow be
covered in “it”. We ordinary civilians
can take a sigh of relief and hold back
from Harrods because it turns out “it”
is not something money can buy. “It” is
something that comes from within.
Allow me to explain. What Zendaya
brings to the table is clearly more than
a handbag and a pair of heels. Zendaya
is not just a pretty face, she has a voice
so loud you needn’t see her face for it
to be heard. The Oscars 2015- sure, we
all remember Zendaya’s gorgeous
white Vivienne Westwood gown but
what we really fell in love with was her
hair, and more so, her voice. When
caught by the fashion police, for her
hair (in dreads) that may “smell of
patchouli oil”, she did not stand posing
for the cameras in silence. In fact, she
fought back at those cameras with her
voice, proudly sharing a message on
social media shaming those who
sought to shame her, defending her
culture with grace most people hope to
achieve in their lifetimes but imbedded
in her by 18 years old. From the fash-
ion police behind screens to the Ameri-
can police scouring the streets,
Zendaya has repeatedly used her most
beautiful asset- her voice- to empower
others and speak up about racism
against the Black community.
The girl is addressing real life issues
and is doing so in ways that are unique
to her as well as relatable for all the
rest of us. Zendaya has gone further
than just protesting, she’s reached chil-
dren in their own homes and is pre-
venting a new generation from carry-
ing a history of racism and inbred prej-
udices into the future. By approaching
Disney and demanding that her TV
show focus on a black family and a girl
that is intelligent and trained in the
martial arts, she’s literally kicking
down stereotypes and in doing so has
the support of a new wave of freedom
fighting millennials, who are on
standby to support her is she’s ever
tired of slaying.
The millennials are a huge part of the
reason Zendaya is successful. Not only
do we like her instas but we also like
everything she stands for. She stands
for normality. Sure, we love her red
carpet looks but we also love that she
wants a more peaceful world and in-
clusive world just like the rest of us.
She acknowledges real world issues
like the rest of us, like any normal indi-
vidual, but she can use her loud, pow-
erful voice and scream for us all to be
heard. She can march the women’s
march but also tell Beyonce she’s kill-
ing it and in both cases the spirit of
sisterhood is appreciated by a world
undergoing a feminist resurgence
#girlgang. She’s also screaming the
issues many girls scream to themselves
in the mirror- when she looks good she
owns it, celebrates it and let’s us know
there’s nothing wrong with being hap-
py with how you look. She’ll embrace
body positivity and continually shut
down haters who skinny-shame her by
rising above it and bringing support
for all body types up with her.
It’s easy to support Zendaya because
she supports us, she supports others
and most importantly, she supports
herself. She doesn’t need me to say any
of this because she’s perfectly confi-
dent in her own beliefs and has noth-
ing to hide- she let’s us into her per-
sonal snapchats and is simultaneously
strutting through our streets by virtue
of the covers of Vogue. We see every
side of the girl, yet we still don’t know
what “it” really is. It is Zendaya- an
individual with a voice and a positive
message, the coolest girl but with the
warmest heart. We can all have “it”, we
just may not have a clothing empire, A-
list movie roles or be able to interview
Michelle Obama… seriously, what can’t
this girl do?!
Sing a Song of Sixpence
Sing a Song of Sixpence
roisín gorman
smart clothing
or smart
devices?
by angela
bunn
clothing
smart
by
bunn
Smart devices have taken us by storm, and it seems they have taken fashion designers too. From Snapchat spectacles to fit trackers, smart clothing is chang-ing the role of fashion. Below, we high-light some interesting pieces.
Snapchat Spectacles
Snapchat Spectacles were introduced in late 2016 as an extension to the pop-ular Snapchat app. These spectacles allow us to capture the things we see without having to look at a screen, al-lowing Snapchatters to keep their eyes on the street. Costing £129, the specta-cles record 10-second videos which are saved into the “Memories” section of the Snapchat app. It is rumoured that the upcoming Spectacles II will have augmented reality features!
Lady Gaga’s Interactive Stage at the 2016 Grammy Awards
At the Grammys, Lady Gaga collaborat-
ed with Intel to perform her David Bowie tribute. Lady Gaga wore Intel Curie rings, which have both sensors and radio-transmitters that allow com-munication with Xeon Intel servers to control stage elements based on her movements. The projections on the stage screen responded to Gaga’s three-dimensional position on stage. Facial recognition technology was also used, which used 10 infrared markers and sensors to track and project Gaga’s face on the screen. Then, the Intel Core i7 processor was used to apply digital “makeup”, seen when Bowie’s iconic lightning bolt was painted onto her face.
Levi’s Commuter Trucker Jacket
Have you ever wished that you could pause or skip a song on your iPod without having to stop your bicycle? Well, the Levi’s Commuter Trucker Jacket allows just that. Made in collab-oration with Google ATAP, this Levi’s
jacket is not only stylish, but allows you to “be in the moment, on and off your bike” as stated in its promotional video. ATAP’s Project Jacquard tech-nology is woven throughout this piece, using conductive materials to create a wearable interface between the cyclist and their smartphone. The jacket can be used to skip or pause songs, re-spond to phone calls and operate maps with simple taps and swipes to your sleeve.
Wearable Fit Trackers
Although fitness trackers began simply as step counters, the devices are be-coming more sophisticated in tracking health and activity markers. For exam-ple, the Fitbit Charge 2 not only rec-ords steps and hours of sleep, but also basal heart rate and maximal oxygen consumption, which is considered a direct correlate of fitness. Recorded data is tracked on the Fitbit app, which also boasts several wellness features such as breathing training and an in-built vibration alarm which can wake you up in the morning without loud noises.
Ryan Yasin Origami Clothes
Imperial College alumni and James Dyson award winner Ryan Yasin de-signed children’s clothes that “grow” with the child. The range features fold-ed fabric which allows garments to enlarge, reducing the need for parents to replace children’s closets. Apart from saving parents’ bank accounts, this technology helps reduce the nega-tive environmental effects of mass-produced clothing.
Angela Luna’s Survival Jackets
Angela Luna’s humanitarian collection comprises of jackets that double as tents, sleeping bags, child carriers and backpacks. Motivated by the idea of creating clothing that can help refu-gees such as those from Syria, Luna found through her research that some of the biggest hardships faced by refu-gees is a lack of shelter while on the move, and decided to create designs that could help provide these. Luna is looking to use the profit gained from selling her jackets to recreational users (such as campers) to donate them to refugees for survival purposes.
A U T U M N A P P A R E L
T R E N D S O F
F A L L ‘ 1 7 B Y
A N I T A
Thankfully summer is over so we can
all retire our crop tops and shorts and
hide away our legs and midriffs for
another few months. But what should/
will we be wearing, according to the
runways of New York, London, Paris
and Milan?
Be prepared to see a lot of red and
burgundy, a perennial favourite for
autumn. A number of designers sent
out all-red outfits for their Fall 2017
shows and Givenchy even did an
entirely red collection, consisting of 27
of their previous creative lead Riccardo
Tisci’s greatest hits.
As we all know, the 90s are never
going to end, and so neither will
plaid. This year’s plaids and
checks come in the form
of muted
neutral
coloured coats
and blazers, and
relaxed slouchy
flannels.
Possibly taking inspiration
from the breakout star of Beauty
and the Beast (2017), Plumette the
duster, feathers are a popular
embellishment for designers this
season. Alexander McQueen and
Alberta Ferreti adorned their
already dramatic evening
dresses with feathers,
and they were seen
peeking out of
the hems and
sleeves of
THE 90S ARE NEVER GOING TO END.
Dolce & Gabbana’s outerwear.
One of the most fun (and possibly my
favourite) trends seen was the pastel
oversized faux fur coat, in a variety of
Care Bear approved colours. Although
its probably not the most practical
statement coat (rain=matted fur),
getting your hands on one of these
almost guarantees that you will be
featured on a street style blog at some
point.
One trend that’s not going away any
time soon is the slogan tee, and
designers attempted to keep theirs
relevant with political themes,
particularly focusing on feminism
and immigration. Prabal
Gurung, who designed
campaign tees for Hillary
Clinton created a collection of
shirts bearing statements such as “the
future is female” while he himself wore
a shirt declaring “this is what a
feminist looks like”. Public School were
a bit more tongue in cheek, debuting a
range of “Make America New York”
shirts and hats at New York Fashion
Week. Hopefully being politically
aware is not just a fad for the fashion
industry, which can be notorious for its
lack of diversity, as obviously fashion
and clothes should be for everyone.
Perhaps as the real world is looking a
bit crap at the moment, many
designers turned to futuristic sci-fi and
space race themes to introduce an
element of escapism to their
collections. Gucci’s Fall 2017
advertising campaign is entirely based
around a Star Trek inspired short film;
they even recreated the Enterprise for
the advert. Other designers were a bit
more subtle; Christopher Kane’s gowns
were printed with UFO motifs, and
Dior’s were embroidered with phases
of the moon. Thierry Mugler showed
futuristic dresses made from spacey
silver material, which would make an
interesting alternative to the sequins
and sparkles that are popular during
the party season.
Chanel took things to the next level
with a whole space themed runway
show, complete with a (fake) rocket
launch. The clothes lived up to the
theme, with the models wearing retro
shift dresses, spacesuit-esque metallic
trousers and boots, and monochrome
astronaut prints.
However, it could be that soon
astronauts are wearing Chanel instead
of the other way round. With
companies such as SpaceX and Virgin
Galactic trying to commercialise space
travel, they will have to take in to
account the aesthetics of their
spacesuits as well as their functionality
in order to appeal to their customer
base (i.e. really rich people who are
used to luxury), and may turn to
fashion houses to collaborate.
discovery channel
by
abhinaya mathivana
tl;dr image recognition apps
are an easy way to find your perfect outfit and ultimately a new
way to spend more money on shopping.
Ever wanted to know where the girl on the tube got her shoes from or where your frenemy found her top in that Instagram photo?
It is now possible thanks to visual search
tools that let you match your photographs
to items online that you can actually buy.
It is basically Shazam for your outfits.
While finding the exact match for your
item in a cluttered image may still be
hard, technology is now at least better at
identifying similar items. And that is ex-
actly what ASOS has managed to launch
on its mobile app.
This basically aims to let users capture
fleeting moments – whether that’s some-
one they pass on the street, a look a friend
is wearing or even a screengrab from In-
stagram or otherwise – and use them to
search through the site’s product lines to
find similar suggestions. With ASOS’s da-
tabase of 85 000 products and 5000 new
ones being added every week, getting a
close match may not be that hard after all.
The tool is shown as a camera icon in the
search bar of the ASOS app. Tapping on it
then invites customers to either take a
picture or upload one from their library to
have it find similar products. Eighty per-
cent of ASOS’s traffic in the UK comes
from mobile devices. “We know this is
where our customers are and it’s how
they interact with us every day, so we are
always looking for ways that are mobile
native to make their experience even bet-
ter,” said Andy Berks, ASOS’ digital prod-
uct director.
ASOS is not the only one jumping on this
bandwagon. Pinterest and eBay are also
working on their own visual search tools.
Pinterest rolled out Lens earlier this year
as a way to boost its status as a shopping
platform. eBay announced its own take on
the feature which is bound to be released
anytime soon.
The best part about all this is that this
experience is only bound to get better.
Now that fashion retailers like ASOS are
engaging external third-party tech com-
panies in their endeavours, the fast pro-
gress in the tech will be directly reflected
in the shopping experience. Using ma-
chine learning, the AI gathers more and
more data about its performance. The
more it gets used, the better it gets
trained and the smarter it becomes.
Another notable creation that combines
fashion and tech is mode.ai which aims to
be a personal stylist on your Facebook
messenger. It invites users to rediscover
shopping in a conversational and visual
manner. Trying out mode.ai is extremely
fascinating. It allows you to chat with a
bot about current trending looks, where
to get them and search with specific cate-
gories. One can literally search “sheer
maxi dress under 30 pounds” and get fil-
tered results from hundreds of fashion
outlets.
The future for fashion and technology is
one that is intertwined. Beyond search
tools, one can look forward to improved
AI-powered recommendation engine,
which use big data and smart algorithms
to learn customers’ preferences over time.
All of this means your online shopping
adventures will not only be extremely
convenient, but also get highly personal-
ized down the road.
where your frenemy found her top in
IC FAD IN REVIEW
IC FAD was founded last year as a
counterpoint to the STEM life that Im-
perial students devote themselves to
and we had an overwhelming response
from the student body– in our first
twelve months, over 240 students
joined the society and we grew our
mailing list to over 600 students,
thanks to some amazing fresher’s fair/
events and dedicated committee.
IC FAD had a busy first year with non-
stop events throughout the terms! To
give a quick summary: we had 1 in-
credibly tasty Christmas dinner, pub-
lished 2 campus-wide magazines, host-
ed 3 keynote industry speakers, threw
4 socials (some joint with other Lon-
don universities) and co-ordinated at
least 5 trips to fashion exhibitions in
London! Not to mention the most im-
portant event of all - the unforgettable
pie ce de re sistance: Imperial College
Charity Fashion Show 2017(ICCFS).
ICCFS' core purpose is to raise funds
for charity in a way that allows us to
showcase our favourite fashion and
talents for the Imperial student body.
Last year we raised more than £2,000
and we hope to raise over double that
at this summer’s show titled Physcho-
tropica -mixing up Havana feels and
urban fashion, with plenty of Pin a Co-
ladas!
Other upcoming events we have lined
up this year for our members with
fleeky threads, include a meet & greet
bar night with complementary drinks,
the fresher’s fashion society party with
UCL, KCL & QMUL at the buzzin’ Cuck-
oo Club in Piccadilly, a workshop at the
V&A on careers in the industry and the
London University Modest Fashion
Show hosted at SOAS – tickets on sale
soon!
Don’t forget to sign up for membership
on the union website to get updates
and grab your tickets first for all the
amazing events planned for 2017/8.
AUTUMN/WINTER
SWEATPANTS ARE A SIGN OF
DEFEAT. YOU LOST CONTROL OF
YOUR LIFE SO YOU BOUGHT SOME
SWEATPANTS.
@IC_FAD