KinguSparks

ADA ZANDITON - My favourite LFW Estethica Designers AW11

noreply@blogger.com (KinguSparks) — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 12:19:00 +0000

Ada Zanditon - The CRYOFLUX AW11 from Andrew & WIlliam Ho on Vimeo.

“Under the frozen surface of Jupiter's moon Europa, has evolved a new species: The Cryoflux.

Descending onto earth she arrives in the barren darkness of the Antarctic winter, to explore a frozen world in

an unfamiliar state of flux. Clothed in powerfully sculptured attire, encompassing vibrant flames and ice

shattering prints, she reflects her surroundings. She voyages through the tenacious climate which is

constantly cracking and reforming around her.”

Ada's concepts, themes are always so complex, and so engineered, so out of this world - unique basis for an even more unique designs. Love the geometry, the architectural and scientific futuristic forms. The future fantasy blends with a historical journey inspired by the process of evolution creating something incredibly innovative.

The vision of the brand is to create elegant sculptural womenswear.

This vision is emerging from a sustainable business practice: using organic, natural fabrics, innovative techniques to reduce waste,AZO-free dyes (not turning into cancer causing chemicals); even in her studio there are eco-friendly light bulbs and cleaning products.

Another plus that puts her brand even closer to my heart is her jewellery collection produced in collaboration with Luca Romanyi, a designer from Hungary :), using recycled plastics.

Here is Ada and my favourite pieces from her collection AW11:

Frozen waterfall dress

Ammonite Peacoat

Iceflow dress

I love these looks as well:

Ammonite trousers

IO dress - available at YOUNG BRITISH DESIGNERS

and have to say I have some favourites from her PYRAMORA SPRING SUMMER 2011 collection as well.

cannot wait to see her exhibition today at Somerset House :)

xxx

Kingu

LU FLUX - My favourite LFW Estethica Designers AW11

noreply@blogger.com (KinguSparks) — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 12:49:00 +0000

So here we are again, LFW SS12 has started already, fashion events, shows are full on, amazing designers, fantastic collections. I cannot wait to pop down tomorrow and have a look the the exhibition, but before I do so, I would like to reflect on the previous exhibition at LFW AW11 and feature my favourite ESTETHICA designers.

LU FLUX - SEA AND BE SEEN

Born on the Isle of Wight, Lu studied Fashion at Edinburgh College of Art winning the Ocean Terminal Scottish Fashion Graduate Award with her final collection. Subsequently she went on to work as a design assistant to Bernhard Willhelm in his Paris studio before returning to the UK to start her own label.

Lu currently lives and works in London where she locally sources all her materials.

I met Lu at the exhibition while taking photos of something different, something colourful,something with British eccentricity, something that I just loved straight away, and I found it very unique. She was so so sweet and humble, we had a quick chat, then she invited me to her presentation on the day after in the Mayfair Hotel near Green Park. A penthouse suite was rented, live band playing music, and some lovely people, and a great event!!

'The colour palette pays credit to the murky depths of the sea, embroidery referencing the bioluminescent creatures who make their own light to attract mates and dissuade predators, in an underwater world teeming beauty, colour and hidden dangers.' Have a look at the video to start this underwater journey :)

Sea And Be Seen: Lu Flux Autumn/Winter Collection 2011 from Neil O'Driscoll on Vimeo.

I love the colours and the fabrics she is using deep strong regal colours, velvet, wool, tweed.
Below is the image summary of my amazing experience and opportunity of meeting her and her designs! THANK YOU Lu Flux!

Bluetit dress(left)

LU FLUX in Softscape dress

Lu Flux and David Watts Fashion Business Adviser and Mentor at BFC

Alessi's Ark

Fin dress (her)

Lu Flux for Green Shoes

Urchin dress

Clam dress

Fin dress (him)

Seaweed vest, Gill trousers

knitwear sponsor for the season Jamieson and Smith of the Shetland Islands

Check out the whole collection below:

SEA & BE SEEN AUTUMN WINTER 2011

Up tomorrow is Ada Zanditon, GoodOne, StudyNY, and others I love at LFW Estethica AW11.

xxx
Kingu

Notting Hill Carnival 2011/2010

noreply@blogger.com (KinguSparks) — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 11:54:00 +0000

I have to say I had a fabulous time again at the carnival!!! Police presence was extremely reassuring, there were plenty of them, more than previous years, but again ever so friendly. What I did not see many of, was the costumes compared to last year or the year before that ;( Nevertheless great day out, but let the images speak for themselves, I put some on from past carnivals too to make it more colourful! :)

2011

2010/09

EMESHA - Behind the Label

noreply@blogger.com (KinguSparks) — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 20:34:00 +0000

Hello readers! This post is quite important for me, as Emese, the lovely girl behind this wonderful eco-luxe label, is very close to my heart. I met her last year at LFW, and since then we became really good friends: we cheer each other up, we try to push each other when the road gets rocky. Emese is working so hard, and her determination is commendable. Plus her designs are amazing, and I am not just saying it: I find them always classy, simple but still with a unique twist, effortlessly elegant! The girl-meets-boy theme is always present in her collection, nevertheless every season she gives more and more: the latest A/W 2011/12 collection is so far my favourite: Amazing eco-friendly high quality fabrics, precise cutting, draping and beautiful tailoring. She takes the delicate nature of pleating to another level by juxtaposing it with the heavy fabrics, and the harsh angular detailing.

Please go and check out her designer profile for much more interesting details HERE! also you can find more details on her early days and works HERE!

She kindly agreed to answer some of my questions, so we can learn a bit more about her as a person and just see what and who is behind EMESHA the label.

CREDITS
Photographer: Mariell Amelie
Hair and make-up: Ole Elias Reinholdtsen Høve
Styling: Shyla Hassan
Model: Natalia Doktor at D1 Models

See-through fitted shirtDouble layered pleated skirt

1. What does your label mean to you and why?

My label represents my philosophy towards life and fashion. I believe in fair working conditions and unfortunately, particularly within the fashion industry these are not always implemented. The desire to consume has created a more disposable attitude towards fashion, which means no real value is place upon the hard work and skill that goes into making garments of high quality. I think people should invest their hard earned money into wardrobe staples and break the pattern of "one-night-stand" attitude towards fast paced trend shifts. This would save a lot of garments from the landfill!

Boyfriend blazer & Wool trousers with cuff hem detail

2. What do you think about fashion as a business?

Fashion is a very difficult business to enter. You have to know your customer and develop good strong contacts within the industry. It’s not enough to be a good designer to create a successful fashion business, you have to be good in sales and have a flair for PR as well – it is very hard work.

3. What is the biggest challenge for you as an ethical designer?

The biggest challenge each season is to find the right fabrics for the collection. Although this has improved significantly in the past years, it is still relatively difficult to find sustainable fabrics of really high quality and an interesting texture. Another challenge is to bridge the gap between the consumer’s perception of ‘ethical’ clothing and the truth behind fair fashion. We have come a long way since the days of the first "hemp sacks", however there is still an acute stigma attached to sustainability yet when we take a look at contemporary ethical designers and the collections they are producing, it is clear that this the case anymore. On the contrary, we can find very high quality, beautifully crafted clothes.

Wool mix fitted dress

4. What does sustainability mean to you as a person?

To me it means not to waste. This I see as a lifestyle of conscious choices as a consumer, including fashion, food and even the electronic gadgets, buying things that have a minimal environmental impact.

5. What are your top 3 favourite materials to work with?

I really like working with silk because of the soft, flowing texture of the fabric. Cotton is really nice for daywear pieces, but my favourite fabric is definitely wool. It comes in such a great variety of textures, form and weights, from very light wool to soft, fluffy pieces.

6. Give me a highest and lowest moment in your career/life as a designer?

I've had a few highs and lows. One of my greatest fashion moments was being backstage at a Vivienne Westwood fashion show in Paris. I was still a student, but I think that particular moment was pivotal moment in my career which determined my future. Another great moment was when I was accepted to showcase at London Fashion Week with my first collection. I was and still am really proud of being featured on Vogue Italia’s Talents. The lows you try to learn from, each business is difficult to start and I have been faced with all the start-ups problems and challenges.

Pleated shirtdress

7. Your favourites from your A/W11 collection?

One of my favourite pieces is the navy pleated cocktail dress, but I'm also in love with the pink coat which I cannot wait to wear! For a casual evening out I would choose the black minidress. Every wardrobe should contain a fitted black dress. They suit everyone and can be dressed up or down depending on what you require, and black is never ‘out of fashion.’

Fitted evening dress with several different front pleat details and zip detail at back

Fully lined, wool mix winter coat with oversized lapels. Loose fit

8. What or who is your biggest inspiration?

I like reading about ordinary people, who started out with nothing and found success through hard work and innovative ideas, I find these stories very inspiring. Otherwise my Mom is my biggest inspiration, she has always believed in me and without her support I would not be where I am today.

9. Give us one word as a sneak peak for your SS12 collection?

Collaboration! :)

10. What are your future plans?

I would like to create a team with like-minded people with whom I could make the label thrive.

Now you can ask me a question as well, if you want to ;)

What made you become interested in sustainability?

To be honest I cannot recall when it started and why. If I am thinking hard, then I think the first feeling that comes to my mind is that I was a bit bored and sick of the high-street shops. I started checking on Google and read about articles on how they operate, then one thing led to another and I started to check on sustainability, recycling, waste etc. Then came fashion. Then all of a sudden came the idea, I want to have my own sustainable fashion business. I have to say, I am not perfect, but I am trying to live a more conscious life: buying less clothes, shoes I am having troubles with :); producing less waste, consume less in general.

So there you have it, a little bit more, a little bit personal :)

I hope you enjoyed it!

xxx

Kingu

Hang up your Pants and Carry on!

noreply@blogger.com (KinguSparks) — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 14:49:00 +0000

Hello, I hope you are all having a nice week, here's a little summary covering some interesting topics in the field of ethical/sustainable fashion. Sit back, relax and get ready for quite a long post this time, but I still hope that I can offer you something interesting.

As I mentioned you in my previous post I attended The Ethical Fashion Source Expo last year and listened to some of the seminars organised. First up for coverage is the seminar on Innovation:

Speaker: Emily Pearce, Project Manager in EFF’s Excellence Ethical Fashion Forum

Panel: Julia Gash, Company Director of Bag it Don’t Bin it

Pieter Theron, founder of Norman Hangers

Ben Ramsden, Founder of Pants to Poverty and PI Foundation

Emily's introduction established the fact that ethical fashion is the fastest growing part of the fashion sector. To have a competitive advantage is vital in any business, and 'primary entrepreneurs in the ethical fashion sourcing sector are using creative thinking to turn challenges into opportunities' by innovation, differentiation to fill a niche in the market by invigorating their product offerings, production processes etc.

So how did the above companies create that competitive advantage to make their business thrive?

Norman Hangers

The stylish, design-led, innovative,sustainable clothes hangers. It does sound a bit overwhelming, doesn't it? :)

Let's see what or who is behind this product?

Peter Theron, who previously designed CD cases from paper, decided to start producing hangers from 100% recycled paper. The first problem he faced is that it definitely had to be durable if it wanted to compete with traditional wooden, plastic hangers. once the basic idea was born, they started to think about adding further features such as the marketing tool of print surface. The number of benefits is impressive: reduction of waste, cost and CO2; space saving (flat-pack); natural, recycable, biodegradable; and the big PLUS where the innovative idea lies is the new marketing platform it establishes :)

Bag it Don't Bin it

It is and ecologically driven manufacturing company based in Yorkshire, in Sheffield; innovation is essential to its existence.

They work with eco-friendly inks; they are making bags for a wide variety of customer: retailers, schools, artists, designers etc. for events, fundraising for charities, and it is a great alternative for plastic bags that are great polluters in the planet.

They are pushing boundaries with their screen-printing tehcnique.Julia’s background is in printing as well, started as early as a child in her dad’s printing factory.They train unemployed people in Sheffield to learn the skill of screen printing, so they can become skilled printers.

They also bring design intelligence to other partners such as universities; they work very close with universities in Sheffield.

Their main aim is to engage with the end user! Therefore design is very important: they have stockist in The British Museum; they did Manolo Blahnik design on bags etc.

New Projects:

• Working with university students to design a bag with a safety feature on them. The bag from its own weight when it is packed, seals itself on the top.

• Monthly cooking (innovation not restricted only to product development but other aspects too), employ 12 young people (1st jobbers) from bad social backgrounds; teach them how to cook, take them to the shops, negotiate with the butcher, sit down and eat together

Julia considers design and innovation to be very important to encourage customers in this shift of not using any plastic bags, and switch to eco-friendly bags. Design eco-bags that are useable, the design elements make these bags unique, and can be personalized to customer’s taste too; so they become fashionable, often statement items. Also, it is essential to use their persuasive power to persuade big retailers to change their operations. We can live without them; we just need to find suitable alternatives.

Pants to Poverty

They started selling pants 5 years ago, with the campaign Make Poverty History their aim was to make Nelson Mandela’s message accessible and sustainable for people.

'Underwear is the perfect tool to deliver this message: it is intimate, it is cheeky, if you’re not wearing it you are totally naked, pretty much everyone is engaged in wearing it.' (Ben)

Innovation is core to absolutely everything they do. Innovation is a form of evolution enabling people to raise their ‘underwearness’, to liberate people to Make Poverty History with Fair Trade.

'What so great about it is that fashion as an industry can link the poorest people to the richest people, and it is also the celebration of diversity and independency etc. The wealth generated on the top, often doesn’t not go down all the way to the farmers, workers.' (Ben)

They are working with 5000 farmers in India, they set up charity to support them and their work, and the farmers are in control of their lands and seeds. They are aiming for freedom of association, good living wage, and at the end of the day to make it viable both commercially and socially to reach PROFIT: social, environmental and financial.

Production, distribution and design: being inspirational in design, representing them in recycled waste fair trade cotton, and recycled cardboard boxes, recycled CD cases (children’s range packed in these cases that can be up-cycled into a pencil case)

Marketing:They are launching a campaign to take off pesticides from farms.

Financing in a socially sustainable way: it is an ongoing work, having a good product, proper distribution in 15 countries in the world.

Making customers feel a bit of ownership in their purchased sustainable brands is their important goal.

Maximum poverty is amongst people at the age of 18-25. They work with 3 YMCAs, homeless, unemployed kids, they train them up to set up sales units: they learn sales, marketing, finance, accounting; all with the view of selling their pants. Also, they are collaborating with Big Issue Vendors and 15 restaurants as retail units.Hence they are making profit through the value chain to maximize benefit for all the stakeholders in the chain, also looking at how retail can generate positive social and environmental impact on people living in poverty in this country.

Their innovation also lies in their Finanical Model: as a result of paying upfront they have a negative cash flow. They created crowd founding bonds that they sell @ £2500/bond @ 8.6% APR interest or charity. Through this they established working capital; Innovative new finance tool.

'Innovation is cool, innovation is risky, and innovation is exciting: innovation is the future.' (Ben)

What do you think? Which idea do you find the most innovative and why? What other ideas/companies do you consider innovative?

Thanks for reading this!!

xxx

Kingu

Let's just go back...to see what's to come

noreply@blogger.com (KinguSparks) — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 20:07:00 +0000

Yes, finally I am in the process of really pulling myself together and the reality just dawned on me: I have been doing quite a lot and still not enough!!

Just some of the materials I collected over the last year while attending a couple of events on fashion, sustainability etc.:

NOW it is the time to actually share it with you too! I would like to cover most of the things before LFW commences as that needs my undivided attention ;), plus I am starting a new job very very soon, so probably I will be quite busy and stressed for some weeks coming. I will do my best!

So what is to come?

My visits to London Fashion Week - Estethica Exhibition, some great, talented designers; a very special presentation I got invited to by one of the kindest designers I met! :)

LFW/SS11 - Estethica Exhibition

The Ethical Fashion Source Expo 2010 - a great event organised by The Ethical Fashion Forum; the only fashion industry trade-show dedicated to ethical sourcing with inspirational suppliers, designers, sourcing support bodies, seminar programmes.

I attended some of the seminars which I will also share with you soon: Sourcing Excellence, Innovation, Production to High Ethical Standards in the UK.

The UK AWARE Show 2011 on contemporary sustainable living: seminars,sustainable lifestyle, fashion show, fantastic companies and brands with amazing ideas!!

All the above would lead us straight to the start to LFW SS12.

So stay tuned and watch this space!

P.S.: I will do a little give-away as well!! :)

xxx

Kingu

Time to pull myself together....

noreply@blogger.com (KinguSparks) — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 10:10:00 +0000

Hello Everyone!
After a long period of silence I am back again. I could list loads of reasons why I was away (personal issues, laziness, uncertainty etc.) but hey, the most important thing is that I am back. These things happen…

Good timing as LFW is just around the corner, and I think I owe many of you guys quite a lot of posts that piled up, I better start doing the talk instead of making excuses…

Watch out for my next post coming this week :)

xxx

Kingu

LFW AW11 MARK FAST collage

noreply@blogger.com (KinguSparks) — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 21:46:00 +0000

Well any similarities so far? hm.... neutrals, shiny wet leather look, orange, dark chocolate brown...fury/fluffiness.....STILL something different in amazing textures and volume...sculptureous layering, crochet-like design which gives a bit of uniqueness (and I am getting a bit too critical here, but feel like the colour palette is getting a bit monotonous.....or is it just me?)

LFW AW11 - NEWGEN Exhibition

noreply@blogger.com (KinguSparks) — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 18:18:00 +0000

I was lucky to be given the chance to visit Somerset House this weekend, and see all the amazing talented designers exhibiting.

As a result of my personal passion for ethical and sustainable designs, I will explore in more details one by one all the fantastic designers I loved at Estethica Exhibition this weekend.

However, this post is for quickly reflecting on the NEWGEN AW11 winners. I could not just walk pass without having a closer look ;)

NEWGEN was created in 1993 by The British Fashion Council to promote and showcase new talents. THis talent identification scheme is internationally recognised and promoted by TOPSHOP.

Some designers get sponsored catwalk spaces and financial support towards their shows, others get exhibition and presentation spaces during LFW offering a great opportunity to introduce their collections to influential press and buyers.

NEWGEN has extended it support offering business and mentoring support, and access to sales and marketing support and business advice in partnership with Shoosmiths, Baker Tilley and Lloyds TSB.

For more details on NEWGEN and previous winners please visit their website: ----> BFC

This year's winners are below:

Click here for their profiles

Before I entered the room, at the staircase I got distracted for a minute by a lovely airy, floaty scarf installation with prints by the NEWGEN designers in the Stamp Stairs of Somerset House:

I was so so excited when I entered the different rooms, and I could not wait to take some photos of all the wonderful things to share it with you, but not even half way I have been asked no to take pictures from one of the designers and all of a sudden I felt really intimidated and embarrased so unfortunately after that my courage just evaporated into miniscle pieces ;( so here are the few photos that I managed to take, and I regret so so much that I could not get any images of the designs from my all time favourites Christopher Raeburn and Felicity Brown.

xxxxx

Kingu

Richard Nicoll AW11 DAY3 LFW Live Stream

noreply@blogger.com (KinguSparks) — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 20:14:00 +0000

lovely floaty, silky, shiny. Neutrals and orange appears here again ;) amazing fabrics!

Jasper Conran Highlights DAY3 LFW Live Stream

noreply@blogger.com (KinguSparks) — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 19:15:00 +0000

loved the different textures (silk, suede,leather, fur), cuts, earth/chocolate colour, tailoring and a bit of sparkle ;)

LFW DAY2 BETTY JACKSON LIVE STREAM HIGHLIGHTS

noreply@blogger.com (KinguSparks) — Sat, 19 Feb 2011 12:07:00 +0000

Colour, bows, belts, neutrals, textures, flowers = lovely! :)

LFW DAY2 DAKS HIGHLIGHTS

noreply@blogger.com (KinguSparks) — Sat, 19 Feb 2011 10:01:00 +0000

LFW is in full swing, and later on in the afternoon I will pop in to Somerset House and check out all the amazing designs, trends and lovely people, but for now in the comfort of my bed with a cup of coffee just watched DAKS Live stream on LFW Fashion TV. Here are the highlights through my eyes ;)

How to beat the Monday blues :)

noreply@blogger.com (KinguSparks) — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 22:16:00 +0000

Ok, now do not expect any practical advice from me on this as I tend to dislike Mondays generally, and probably today is an exception, but hey I have to share it with you as I have been surprisingly and shockingly happy today.

This happiness has been the result of a combination of things.

First up is Twitter, more precisely the lovely MsSublime and her amazing blog with a fantastic Give-Away -

a luxury wrap with some amazing design by LARK RISING (will write a bit more about them in a future post):

http://www.larkrising.com/

'This soft wrap cardigan features a multitude of characters from far flung countries, brought together in a kaleidoscopic landscape. The addition of traditional jacquard trims completes this demons day out.'

I mean I was absolutely shocked on Sunday when I got the news that I was the lucky lady who won this amazing unique prize!! :)

All was confirmed today and I was over the moon.

Then came the sun and my lunch break walk in Primrose Hill - a much needed getaway from the boring office

Later on I made a comment on FashionTargets Breast Cancer FB post, where I only shared my above lunchtime experience as being my personal 'Love of the Day' accompanied with my newly increasing admiration for this lovely SS11 orange silk top from Zara - (on my Must have! list):

So the lovely ladies and FTBC picked me alongside with another girl to be the lucky one to receive some Cadbury sweets! Well chocolate always work for me :)

My evening then became even nicer after a meditating, relaxing yoga session at the gym after which I got the news that my membership has been transferred to a corporate lower rate swiftly and easily ;)

Why thank you so very much!!!

So basically this Monday has been a bliss!!!

Once again thank you so so much to Ms Sublime, LARK RISING for the fabulous giveaway and thanks so much to FTBC for their lovely sweet surprise.

You made my day ladies, and considering that it has been a Monday you are all stars to achieve that!!

xxxxx

Kingu

My 1st GiveAway ;)

noreply@blogger.com (KinguSparks) — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 19:49:00 +0000

So here we go, all those lovely stuff I give away:

I am re-organising all the products that used to be on my online shop, and will eventually put them up on my blog. But before I do that I decided that as another way of saying thank you to all my followers on Twitter and here I will give away a selection of the pretty products designed by fellow Hungarians.

Let's just see them one by one ;)

You can check the profile for Aniko Roth HERE a lovely girl who makes unique paintings, prints, illustrations, scarves etc. In my give away the luck winner will get the below designs from Aniko:

1. 3 pcs of bookmarks (worth £4.50)

2, the one and only copy here of this lovely notebook with this warm winter scene /160 blank pages/ (worth £14.50)

3. a selection of 6 unique sized postcards depicting popular,historical scenes in Budapest (the capital of Hungary) and some illustrations from Hungarian tales ;) (worth £11.50)

And there is still more to come ;)

Another talented group is the Eredő Design, please check their profile HERE
All their products are wooden, hand-painted one-off designs all based on traditional folklore motives with a story to tell ;)

1. a small wooden jewellery box with leaves patterns (symbol of life,circle of life and energy) (worth £7.00)

2. a selection of 5 bright and colourful wooden decorations ;) (worth £12.50)

Well that would be it! ;)

Unfortunately there is one restriction, this giveaway is only open in the UK. (I am really sorry)

And now the list of the things you should do if you would like to enter:

1. follow me on Twitter
2. follow my blog
3. comment on this post, which ones are close to your heart and why ;)

That is it basically! Really not much to ask for all these lovely things above.

The lucky winner will be announced on 7th February 2011!

Thanks a lot!

xxxxx

Kingu

We need a little push

noreply@blogger.com (KinguSparks) — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 14:31:00 +0000

I still have the vivid memory in my mind of a tiny ‘encounter’ with a stranger on the tube last year. As far as this may sound it is only January so you must all remember that crazy rush during the Xmas shopping period. I have been living in London for over 6 years now, still will never ever get used to the madness when the escalating crowds take over and people are pushing you with desperate anger like there is no tomorrow, not to mention the next train in 2 minutes.

My small ‘encounter’ with a stranger was different this time: a moment of hesitation in my mind whether I can hop on to that crowded train or I should just wait for the next one when a guy behind me pushed me up gently without realising that he actually was actively participating in one of my biggest decisions in life. He smiled, I smiled back at him: ‘Yes, I made it, and it didn't hurt, thank you!’

As much as we might not like to admit, we need that little push in our lives!

These petite interactions can make such a difference in you: like all those tweets, blog posts from ‘strangers’ in this world. Who would have known when I started this whole idea of blogging and tweeting that it would have such a positive effect on me? Well, I am fairly new to this world, but so far it has been amazing and this post – the first in 2011 – is meant to be a big thank you to all of you out there who keep pushing me gently from time to time in the moments of my hesitation.

You all probably feel who you are, and sooner or later I would like to feature you one by one on my blog just to show the appreciation and give it back a little ;)

I am a dreamer and at the same time the biggest worrier in the world I reckon. So yes, I need that little push that helps me make up my mind, helps me make that decision, helps me move on and keep dreaming!

So now after probably a little bit longer brake than I might have anticipated (had a big and much needed reflection on my life), I am back and I am staying: I can do this and I will get there ;)

Got a lot to do, but this time I am determined, focused and re-energized ;) the core plan is still the same: be happy and enjoy all the way; but the steps and the routes might be a bit different.

No worries, fashion stays in my heart as well as all those sustainable issues and dedicated designers and bloggers,all the great people who make a big impact in my life ;) Plus all the events I already attended and the ones I will: Ethical Fashion Source Expo, Ethical Just got Fabulous, LFW and so much more...

And last but not least all those lovely talented people from Hungary, my sweet home!!!

Will take it step by step, one day at a time, but will take those steps for sure!

First up is my 1^st ever giveaway!!! :) Watch this space as later tonight I will reveal all details.

So once again I would like to say a big big THANK YOU to all of you who read my blog, who keep me company on twitter, who make me smile, think, laugh, cry, learn through your posts, tweets, ideas, advice – Thank you for pushing me gently!!!

Big hug

Xxxxx

Kingu

My FTBC experience courtesy of Little Miss Fashion

noreply@blogger.com (KinguSparks) — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 19:44:00 +0000

Ok, it is officially winter, and yes it is freezing. I find it a bit difficult these days to get myself doing anything but wrapping up warm and relax; my bed is my favourite and most attended place these days. Kind of getting into the Xmas spirit too, so thinking about decorations, presents, parties... oh parties, just brings back memories, oh well it was not that long ago, but here I am to share it with you: my night out with FTBC

I am going to be blatantly honest, not heard about them before (please forgive my ignorance), but it turns out that Fashion Targets Breast Cancer (FTBC) was established in 1994 by Ralph Lauren, after his friend Nina Hyde, Fashion Editor of the Washington Post, died of breast cancer.

In 1996, FTBC was launched in the UK by Breakthrough Breast Cancer.

The money collected by FTBC is going towards research, education and campaigning. What they achieved since 1996 is absolutely impressive and purely amazing: they opened and funded the UK’s first dedicated breast cancer research centre, which now houses over 120 world-class scientists, they also developed new drugs that can treat different types of breast cancer, and this is just few of all the fantastic work they do.

They raised over £10.5 million for Breakthrough Breast Cancer’s vital research, campaigning and education work with the help of supporters and sponsors such as i.e. Mario Testino, Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, Gisele, Helena Christensen and Lily Cole; M&S, Whistles, Warehouse, Superdry, TOPSHOP, River Island etc.

But let's just go back to the party bit ;)

Where it all began - Little Miss Fashion

I found quite a lot of 'cyber' friends on Twitter lately, and amongst these one of the sweetest fashion blogger is definitely Little Miss Fashion, although what brought us together was our muffin and brownie baking ;) the relationship eventually evolved around fashion what else ;)

This is why I keep following her tweets and came across her competition through which I had the chance of winning two tickets to FTBC's fundraising gig at the The Old Queens Head in Islington.

I was over the moon when my name was picked, and was very much delighted!

Sadly Zoe, the main creator of Little Miss Fashion could not attend, nevertheless Sally and Phil - the other members of the group - were there and that just made our night! :) They are so fun and genuinely nice people, fantastic company for a fantastic night out! I hope that there will be other opportunities to meet them soon! :)

I am wishing Zoe well, and sending her hugs and kisses, she is amazing and at the moment working very hard on some Xmas baubles for charity so watch this space:

LITTLE MISS FASHION

I had an idea before the gig, as my people in the office are quite generous when it comes to helping charities, I thought I give it a go :)

At the end I only had time to collect some donation on the day, so the result was quite impressive! :) thanks to all my colleagues! When we got there I was happy to meet Siophra and the ladies who behind the scenes worked very hard to organise such a brilliant fundraising event; they were so grateful for the small donation collected that it honestly touched my heart!!!

One downfall: ME, oh well I was so looking forward to this evening, I even brought my camera with me so I can take loads of photos to put them up on my blog; but turns out that me rushing in the morning didn't help: camera without memory card only allows me to take limited number of pictures ;(

Had a fantastic evening, with fantastic people, fantastic atmosphere and fantastic music!

Take my pictures below as a teaser and then click on the link and visit FTBC Facebook page for more photos and videos ;)

xxxxx

The Old Queens Head

Sally and Phil from Little Miss Fashion

Lauren Pritchard

Gabriella Cilmi

WELL DONE LADIES @ FTBC! Wish you luck for all future fundraising events! Kisses and thank you again for the great night!

Click and follow for updates on future events and other FTBC topics!

Garden Party to Make a Difference (Recap 1)

noreply@blogger.com (KinguSparks) — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 20:59:00 +0000

I am not stating anything new when I acknowledge the fact that yes, winter is here. Freezing, dark, gloomy...hence we look back at our Indian 'Summer' with nostalgia and longing /well,cannot say summer in London impressed me that much yet in the last 6yrs, but hey a little sunshine here, and we must be glad., cannot expect much more, true ;) / There were just so many things going on this September!

First part of my recap series as I am getting closer and closer to fashion ;), is an event I attended in the sublime surrounding of the Prince of Wales' gardens at Clarence House, Lancaster House and Marlborough House this September.

I would have loved to see DameVivienne Westwood, and Orsola de Castro and so many more, but could not afford to take time off from work, so I went along on Sunday 12th, but believe me still a lot to see ;)

First of all, the bit I enjoyed the most, and this is not the first time, was the Morsbag workshop!

I made my bag already on a previous occasion at UK Aware, and this time I prepared another one for my friend.

It is such great fun while aiming to reduce and replace all those plastic bags around, and seriously inspires me to invest in a proper sewing machine ;)

My other favourite was a tiny little amazing stand in the corner at the very end: CIEL!

They are always there, but always so elegantly quiet and effortlessly chique just like their designs.

the choice of the stand was quite unique, would love to use this as a pop-up shop in different areas around town ;) though originally designed as a sustainable outdoor office by ARCHIPOD.

The other pretty cool thing for me was another tiny little house (great design again!) with G-Star Raw Collection: organic, nettle, recycled, blend:

It was definitely an all day fun amazing sunny weather, with hog roast, London Welsh Male Voice Choir,Chris Marques & Jaclyn Spencer (Strictly Come Dancing) teaching kids dancing on an energy-producing dance floor and oh soo much more. Big companies were present too: M&S, EUROSTAR,B&Q which on one hand is indeed impressive /paying attention to sustainability and environmental issues/ on the other it does ring an alarm bell, that such events are all about money and representing the big corporates....and what about the support of small individual businesses?? a little bit of a marketing stunt for all these big companies, and if you ask me i.e. M&S hanger recycling did not mean much: breaking up unwanted plastic hangers?you can use hangers all over and over again....why destroying them?

Anyway, overall it was a really spectacular and quite an eye-opening event one way or another ;)

Further photos from it below:

What can you do for a more sustainable life?

noreply@blogger.com (KinguSparks) — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 22:41:00 +0000

Oh well, it seems like it happened ages ago...sorry for my disappearance, but been so busy in my 'real' life in the aim of collecting materials to write about that the actual writing fell a bit behind.

So now I really have some catching up to do, let's get cracking.
As promised now I would like to reflect upon certain activities small communities can do to make a difference and improve their sustainable living.

EDIBLE ESTATES

Architect Fritz Haeg began this project in 2005 as a scheme to replace American front lawns with edible landscapes. He has adapted this approach for Global cities, just like London.

And what can you do inside your home? Check these out:

Living air purifiers

Or you can grown your own greenhouse:

Or if you fancy a little bit of DIY, you do not have to go to IKEA :)

That's it for today.

Next time: my Garden Party to Make a Difference experience! Watch this space.

Further sustainable city developments

noreply@blogger.com (KinguSparks) — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 21:15:00 +0000

I am back again, and will now try and round it up a bit so I can finish off the summary of my Design Museum  visit, as I am falling behind a little bit and will soon be out-of-date with my posts. ;) I cannot let that happen.

So now I will post some photos with some short comments on further sustainable developments as a foretaste, and clicking on the links related you can immerse in deeper in your preferred topics ;) Enjoy!


Freiburg Solar Settlement, Germany

Besides the brilliant and vivid colour concept by Eric Wiesner, which I think makes the whole residential settlement quite hip and trendy, there are essential and innovative technological and architectural precision and hard work: combination of heat and power, solar power as a form of renewable energy. The main aim was to live in symbiosis with the environment: the community and urban planning emphasizes an extensive car-free zone, and encourages walking and cycling by wider bike routes and pedestrian walkways. For further details on this solar settlement please click HERE to visit their site.

Staying in Germany, another sustainable design based on solar power is the Solar Updraft Tower. These towers are based on quite a simple technology: under a large grass roof the sun warms up the air (greenhouse effect) which is then sucked in by the central, vertical cylindrical tube (chimney effect). This creates an updraft effect which produces electricity:

Click HERE for more info on Solar Updraft Tower

Due to the soil under the collector the tower can operate 24hr on pure solar energy. Current electricity production of coil, oil and natural gas is damaging the environment and not sustainable. and many developing countries cannot afford these sources. It is quite a sensible development for sunny developing countries who has limited resources.

Further initiatives:

Biloxi Model Home Programme, USA by Architecture for Humanity (AHF), a not-for-profit design services firm with a network of 40,000 professionals.Their most current project is helping families rebuild their homes after Hurricane Katarina.

Solar Lab Research and Design,UK:Fuses design and cutting edge technology to create solar-powered transport solutions.

Solar Shuttle

Further Solar Power designs

That's it for now on solar powers. My next post will reflect on what we can do as individuals, and small communities to contribute to a more sustainable living. After that a more exciting and long awaited issue: sustainable fashion!

Stay tuned ;)

Forest in the Sahara? Sustainable urban developments?? amazing....

noreply@blogger.com (KinguSparks) — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 17:51:00 +0000

MASDAR = Source

Abu Dhabi.

Check this out as my last post for today: this is absolutely shocking!

this settlement will be home for 100,000 people: homes, offices, research institues.

It aims to be carbon neutral and recycle all its own waste; 

And an even bigger project:

SAHARA FOREST PROJECT

AIR TREE - Eco-Boulevard - Vallecas/Madrid

noreply@blogger.com (KinguSparks) — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 17:30:00 +0000

Eco-Boulevard - A group of sustainable public spaces built on a 500x50 mtr road aimed at being socially sustainable.

The tree of air:

It consumes only what it can produce through photovoltaic solar energy systems.

This project demonstrates how temporary structures can bridge the gap between the built environment and its community; providing greater awareness to sustainable issues.

‘Soft Serve’ – by Yves Béhar for PUMA

noreply@blogger.com (KinguSparks) — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 17:00:00 +0000

Smarter Packaging Solution:

Check out this video below and read more on their website: PUMA

10 principles of good designs

noreply@blogger.com (KinguSparks) — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 16:44:00 +0000

GOOD DESIGN IS...

Innovative
Makes a product useful
Is aesthetic
Makes a product understandable
Is unobtrusive
Is honest
Is thorough down to the last detail
Is environmentally friendly
Is as little design as possible

(Dieter Ram)

Welcome txtx by Design Museum - already makes you think....

Stepping in sustainable futures - My trip to the Design Museum

noreply@blogger.com (KinguSparks) — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 16:30:00 +0000

In the next couple of posts I will give you the highlights of my visit to this exhibition mainly in pictures and a bit of reading too :) just trying to pass on a bit of awareness, I hope you like it! All comments are very welcome!