CO-EDITOR Gemma Rasmussen
[email protected] CO-EDITOR Courtney Sanders
[email protected] FASHION EDITOR Chris Duncan
[email protected] FASHION PHOTOGRAPHER Rebecca Ambler ART DIRECTION & DESIGN Jay Johnson
[email protected] CONTRIBUTORS Kelly Thompson kellythompson.co.nz Jason Lingard killdesign.com PRINTER Lithoprint Ltd.
[email protected] COLOUR Pantone 812C TYPEFACE Oragasm, Fluro Custom CONTACT
[email protected] myspace.com/fluromag www.fluromag.com ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES Sam Flaherty
[email protected] All material Copyright FLURO Magazine 2007 Please Recycle Dont throw me away, show your friends!
WELCOME TO FLURO ISSUE 2: THE RAG TRADE September 17th-23rd; the only week in which New Zealand is set-upon by the fashion crowd. Issue Two, ‘The Rag Trade’ profiles our fashion icons; from leading, established designers Nom D, Miss Crabb and Des Rusk to fashion icons of the future Two White Buddies, Involved, Another Boy and Bird, to gain an insight into the minds of those creating the look for the week. Ex-Wellington, Australian based illustrator Jason Lingard demonises the models in our photo shoots creating a creepy zombie like vibe that fits in surprisingly well with the profiled labels and we were lucky enough to have talented local artist Kelly Thompson illustrate our cover. We wanted to represent more than just the throwaway culture of buying and selling clothing, rather the way in which it is a cultural signifier of our times. Aside from fashion we profile two Wellington bands Fighting the Shakes and Little Pictures releasing EP’s this month, check our website for tour dates. Enjoy! Chris, Courtney, Gemma and Jay.
CONTENTS 0002..................................................................Welcome! 0004..........................................................Op Shop Finds 0008....................................................... Up and Comers: Bird Clothing Two White Buddies Involved Another Boy 0016................ Women of your Dreams - Kelly Thompson 0018......................................................... The Rag Trade: Miss Crabb Nom* D Des Rusk 0028........................ Fighting the Shakes & Little Pictures 0030.................................................................... Mixtape
THANKS! Special thanks to all the featured artists, Huge thanks to Jason for the amazing images, Kelly for the awesome cover art, Bridget from Ruby for the party, Jeane from Shock records, Sam, Rich & Sally from Mighty Mighty, Rod and Kristina from Epic for the humour and the shots, Margie from Nom*D, Kristine and Katie from Miss Crabb, Des Rusk, Trav and Jo from Involved, Two White Buddies, Mic and Sean from Material Boy, Kylie from Bird, Fighting the Shakes, Little Pictures and all our friends and family for chewing through the tab in record time.
~Gemma Rasmussen presents~
MEN AT SEA What’s the deal with paint by numbers anyway? Everyone knows that it’s not real art. It makes painting as methodical as algebra, which is horrific and just plain wrong. So, you buy one and open up the little paint pottles but there isn’t enough paint to finish the painting, which is annoying because you have no other ‘poolside blue’ available. Either that or they are as dry as the Sahara desert and when you try to mix it with water it turns to clumpy lumps of unpaintability. When I stumbled upon ‘Men at Sea’ I was pleased as I fast tracked my way past all that anxiety and arrived at the glorious final stage, wall hanging. Always fun to display because people think you are proud of your ‘masterpiece’. Purchased at Feilding’s Salvation Army for $1 it’s worth every cent.
BEAUTIFUL BODY BRUSH Functional items don’t seem to be very sexy. They should be. Pencil sharpeners do little for me, too plain. Phone chargers make me yawn. A box of tissues, hardly thrilling. Doesn’t anyone else want more excitement in their world? If you do then you’ll be loving this awe inspiring hairbrush. Upon setting my eyes on this baby my old hairbrush got the flick. No thank you, too plain and functional. When I get up in the morning and wrap my hand around the hot pink curvaceous body of my hairbrush it’s already a better day. The people who created this little number were even so generous as to pop on some nipples. Attention to detail is always a winner. Purchased from an Opshop in Melbourne called ‘the Dungeon’ (how erotic) it now resides happily in Wellington. Functional items that are quirky and decorative will never be out of style, and they’ll brighten your day, which is always a boon.
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~Gemma Rasmussen presents~
FRIAR TUCK I found this chubby man with his rosy cheeks and brown tunic quite lovely and envisioned him residing quite happily amongst my knick-knacks. Imagine my surprise and delight upon the discovery that the Friar has a detachable head and was in fact made for the purpose of storing alcohol. No wonder he looked so merry and his cheeks had a rosy glow. Taking him to parties you would be unchallenged in having the best drinking vessel on premises. If you were an alcoholic in detox he would prove to be your final saviour. If you’re just not that into alcohol you could go for a casual jog around the block and fill him up with some thirst quenching water. There is the unfortunate risk factor that Friar Tuck’s is highly breakable so if all else fails he makes a beautiful display piece. $3 at Petone Salvation army he’s better looking than any beer jug I’ve ever seen.
CARTOON COUTURE Feel the need to look utterly ridiculous? Fear not, I have the answer. You can put away the MC Hammer pants and fish net bra. Once you’ve worn this gorgeous silver top you’ll be grabbing attention en masse. Never been famous? Just pop on this top. People may ask for your autograph, or perhaps to pose for a photo. Take it in your stride. Perfect for a night out on Courtney Place you can bump and grind to J.T’s ‘Sexy Back’ knowing the song was written about you. Just team with leggings and heels and you’ll be so hot right now. The talk of the town, literally. First date? Please wear it. I feel this top is perfect for pretty much any event. Whether it’s a picnic, disco or your wedding you’ll be ahead of the times and truly unforgettable. Purchased for $3 at the Petone Salvation Army it’s the steal of the century.
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~Courtney Sanders~
I read an article recently about a London collective – three young art directors-slash-fashion designers-slash everything-creative-under-the-sun – who were embarking on another venture which actually happened to be a rave zine called SuperSuper with CassettePlaya designer Carri Munden. Whether this pro-active philosophy is a result of Generation Y’s distaste for authority or MDMA usage is unclear, but Auckland creative extraordinaire Kylie McKenzie, A.K.A Bird clothing and curator of It’s Time To Get Dumb (I.T.T.G.D) DJ night is certainly New Zealand’s foremost proponent. “I don’t like 90% of New Zealand bands so it’s hard for me to go out to gigs every week and have fun! That’s why we started I.T.T.G.D – out of boredom and having nowhere we could go out and dance all night!” I.T.T.G.D is run by Kylie and fellow fashionistas Alex Le Feuvre, Chris Lorimer (Mint Condition PR) and James Dobson (of label Jimmy D) and, for only having had four outings in the city, has built up a devout following. “The night’s have been going really well! People are loving it and they come and dress up and dance all night…we have lots of amazing friends that are into the same music and ideas of fun so the music
is always good…Pocket money (Rosie, Mailee and me) have done every DUMB so far and they are always a crowd fave. We also do a radio show on George FM now that they nicely asked us to do.” As in London, so in Auckland. McKenzie, successful DJ night under belt, also re-launched her visually creative side this year in the form of Bird Clothing. “I started Bird in my final year of studying graphic design, then wore my designs around and my friends all loved them. NZ designer Adrian Hailwood loved them and asked me to put some in his Auckland shop.” Influenced by “millions of different things” (the list that accompanied that quote was indeed lengthy) McKenzie “wants to mix everything up – appearance, art, literature, music, colours, shapes, patterns.” The result is a line of well-considered, unique, covetable tees that scream of extremely late, loud, bright nights – prints reflected in a mirror-ball across a smoke-machine filled dance floor, probably at I.T.T.G.D. Bird is stocked in Saturday Shop, Hailwood, Stenbeck and Morse (Auckland), Artikel (Wellington) and Dirt Box (Australia).
www.myspace.com/a_castle_in_the_sky
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UP AND COMERS: BIRD CLOTHING
60 years on and t shirts are everywhere; oversized, printed, sloganned, stencilled, deconstructed, reconstructed – designers and the chain stores that emulate them are obsessed with creating tees. In an age where t-shirts have the power to brand both a fashion house, and the wearer of said fashion houses’ tee in a highly cultural way, the majority of tee’s are still ill-fitted and ill-thought through. The ease at which a tee shirt can be created has seen the mass production of mass-ugliness.
~Courtney Sanders~
In the early 1950’s, James Dean, John Wayne and Marlon Brando began wearing, what was at the time an undergarment, as a short sleeved top, effortlessly transitioning the item of clothing into one of the most beloved pieces in fashion today.
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UP AND COMERS: TWO WHITE BUDDIES
Enter Two White Buddies. “Creating classic garments with amazing fits that are fresh when you get them, and timeless when you find them at the op shop 20 years later”, the two-white-friend duo have brought the intelligence back to tees. Strong tailoring and retail backgrounds have enabled the two to create an immaculately fitted menswear line; “For me, the fit is the foundation of the garment – without that, nothing will work. The print is there to highlight the garment’s form.” And highlight the form their prints do. Unlike the brash slogan tees currently flooding the market (thank you House of Holland), the prints on Two White Buddies tees are the kind created from good ideas that arise infrequently, often amongst friends, often over coffee, and have an almost insider-joke appeal to them. “Our prints reflect our personalities and sense of humour, and although some of the quotes or images may look random, they all have a strong creative force behind them. For example ‘Ne me quitte pas’ and ‘I never will’. ‘Ne me quitte pas means ‘don’t leave me’ in French, and so the two tees go together.” Two White Buddies are giving FLURO readers the chance to win a tee! Post a photo of yourself on www.myspace. com/twowhitebuddies. “You will most likely win if it’s a half-nakey shot of you chillin in the sun near somewhere that reminds us of Summer.” Two White Buddies will stock their new season collection in Ruby stores nationwide.
~Gemma Rasmussen~
How did you guys meet / how did Involved begin? I was traveling in Europe and met this guy Willis and he would say ‘get involved man’, so i did just that and stenciled the catch phrase on t-shirts, and involved was born. I met my digital media guy Alan on a rooftop, and a lot of friends, many who I’ve met through involved, contribute, collaborate and work with me. How are you different to clothing labels both nationally and internationally? It is art and crafts as well as fashion and design, so we’re not a big machine pumping out products that all look the same. each piece is hand-printed. Each stencil hand cut. We cut our hands cutting stencils. There’s a lot of love and blood goin on in each garment. Thats how we get the red prints, lots of love and blood. What’s your favourite piece of clothing from the range at the mo? I really like the new shorts we’re developing for summer. They’re this lo-crotch cloth thing with wrap around pockets that just makes you want to go surfing so you can throw them on and lie on the dunes after you’ve done carving out some sweet lines. What are your thoughts on New Zealand fashion week and/ or the New Zealand fashion industry? I think that fashion week is an important part of showcasing that part of our fashion industry to NZ and the world. I
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UP AND COMERS: INVOLVED
think the NZ fashion industry is a great thing and has a bigger effect on the world than what we realise. Its good quality and all our sheep really help with fabric selection. How long have you had your store and is there anything you want people to know about it? The store, which we call the Stencilship, has been here for ten months. It is a real sunny place. The summer range is out and its called ‘This is what colour is’. We want to show you how colour is involved. Have you found working on clothing in your store to be positive experience? Yep, people like to watch it coming together and all the ‘missed a spots’ get to put their bit in. What do you want your customers to know about Involved? Involved is a product of doing something the way people think it not supposed to be done. But what we’re doing is working. Try it with your own thing, risk it cos there’s only this life to get involved. And now for some more personal questions: Stuck on a desert island what 3 things would you take? Rebeccah (Fiancee), a long board so we could both ride waves at the same time, and a super 8 with lots of film. If you were a super hero would you choose invisibility or x-ray vision? Invisibility. Its pretty much a combo of both, but you don’t have to wear the x-ray glasses. I hate x-ray glasses.
www.involved.co.nz | www.myspace.com/involvednz The Stencilship: Shop 29, Upstairs St Kevins Arcade, 179 K Rd Newton, Auckland
~Gemma Rasmussen~
Australian designer Mic Eaton is blowing minds with clothing label ‘Material Boy’ but the fun doesn’t end there. With the introduction of diffusion line ‘Another Boy’ there are more great clothes to get excited about. Mic describes Another Boy as “a little more street, easier to wear (for some) and less offensive” than Material Boy. While still retaining glorious amounts of individuality and eccentricity the pieces from Another Boy are more urban in style. With slim fits the pieces can be worn by girls as well, but whoever the wearer the clothes are sure to turn heads and retain a strong sense of identity. This can put down to the heavy applications of futuristic patterns and amazing colour. Each piece is good enough to slap on and transform any old outfit due to the dazzling X factor that so many clothing pieces these days seem to lack. Formally a pro surfer, until injury took its toll Mic has an understanding that clothes are not just for looking good but need to be functional and well fitting. With board shorts, t-shirts and oversized
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UP AND COMERS: ANOTHER BOY
hoodies the clothing is more casual and surf orientated than predecessor Material boy, and a welcome change to the sea of mass produced surf clothing labels with logos splattered mindlessly in every available space. With much working time spent in Bali as well as Australia it is little wonder his clothing is so freshly inspired. Mic decided to create Another Boy to enable him to channel inspiration into a new collection as well as give a new audience great clothes to wear. The lesser known of the two labels ‘Another Boy’ is a little like ‘Material Boys amazing little brother who doesn’t steal his style but reinterprets it into a exciting and fun new direction. Sure to raise your grandma’s eyebrows at Christmas time with your ‘new fangled clothes’ Eaton’s creations are not made for those who wish to fade into the background. Instead they bring an exciting punch to a sometimes, tentative fashion industry. It seems however this eccentric new injection of clothing is making both the fashion industry and public stand up and take notice, and with the successes of Material Boy it can be certain that Another Boy is not far in tow.
www.materialboy.com.au | www.myspace.com/yeahboiii
~Gemma Rasmussen~
There are many lovely ladies and gents in fashion but it seems Kelly Thompson has a knack for capturing them in a spectacular manner. Working in fashion photography as well as fashion illustration Kelly has paved her own road to working in the New Zealand fashion industry. With illustrations that depict beautiful, captivating women with smouldering eyes, elaborate hairpieces and classic poses Kelly’s works are highly skilled and distinctive in style. Their unique look makes me wish I were brave enough to dabble with wild fantastical hairpieces and dramatic makeup as these girls look so effortlessly amazing. However I have an inkling I would look like an eccentric loon. The majority of Kelly’s works are in fashion photography and this is where she focuses her career. No one trick pony she captures models successfully, whatever the mood. Whether it’s dark and moody or playful and light there is a continuity of exciting and original shots both in and out of the studio. Her photos go beyond simply modelling clothes in an aesthetically pleasing manner to exquisite photography. It seems living in Wellington can sometimes be challenging when you wish to work in the media, with larger magazines and advertising agencies located in Auckland. However with enough persistence and dedication to your work it is possible to establish yourself without having to make the move to the big smoke. With an eight page shoot out in September for Pulp magazine, as well as illustrations for Karen and a cover for Lucire, Kelly is rather busy. Starting out our interview I was curious to know how Kelly got to where she is, creating works for such high profile New Zealand magazines.
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KELLY THOMPSON
“I did a photography degree but found myself not enjoying it much so I took up some illustration papers as well. My teachers didn’t exactly love my work and were pretty unresponsive. Finishing university I talked casually to potential clients rather than being formal about it and established relationships this way. It was really word of mouth, persistence as well as a lot of hard work. However if you are determined enough you can create a career wherever you are.” Sourcing J.H. Lynch and Richard Gray as influential artists and Chloe, Roberto Cavalli and anything couture as perfect clothes to photograph Kelly maintains inspiration as an important factor. “I have a sunroom where I can go to work in with a picture board with things I love”
When asked about her views on New Zealand fashion Kelly did have one wish, “If only there wasn’t so much black. Australian labels like Shakuhachi and Kirrily Johnson have really light and playful colours, as does New Zealand designer Cybele. It seems every winter black is all that there is in New Zealand fashion.” If you’re keen to see Kelly’s illustrations in the flesh she will be having an exhibition at Good As Gold in October. Tis’ definitely not one to miss as she has a whole collection of beauties to fall in love with. If anything I hope that after getting a look at her illustrations you will feel an urge to endorse fantastical headpieces and a new craze will sweep the nation.
www.kellythompson.co.nz | www.myspace.com/tildenz KELLY THOMPSON
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MISS CRABB Effortless luxury. The clothing of Miss Crabb can be summed up quite perfectly into those two words. With a unique twist of clothing Miss Crabb offers ladies the chance to wear elegant, modern and a tad risque clothing. When young girls dress up in their mothers clothes on Sunday afternoons and imagine their future selves in a sophisticated manner Miss Crabb’s clothing probably isn’t far from the fantasy. After graduating from Wanganui, Kristine Crabb made the move to the big smoke of Auckland and opened ‘Rip Shit and Bust’ Fashion Gallery on K Road selling both friends and her own clothes. Come 2005 she began focusing on her own individual label hence the birth of ‘Miss Crabb’ which can now be found in her store on Ponsonby Road. With a lot of attention going into each piece there are smaller runs of clothing and even one off pieces allowing you to throw away fears of turning up to a party in a dress identical to four other party goers. It seems Miss Crabb has a very distinct personality and is largely unaffected to the fashion circus that continues around her, allowing clothing pieces to be relevant and original season after season, rather than passing with the trends. Staying true to an artistic individual approach is crucial to Kristine Crabb’s ideals with collaborations from other artists such as Maiangi Waita of ‘Who is Dead Martin?’ allowing for fresh inspiration and exciting influences to reach the clothing collection. Looking through Miss Crabbs collections it is obvious that each piece of clothing is open to interpretation and does not have to be worn a specific way thus appealing
Gemma Rasmussen
to women of many different tastes, age groups and body shapes. There is a real element of adventure to the clothing without taking it to the dreaded costume hire level. I get the sense that Kristine Crabb wants women to have fun with the way they dress and feel free to dabble and experiment with various looks without fear. This for many woman (and men) a challenge especially when we get stuck in the rut of throwing the same clothes on day in day out and not being particularly excited or proud about the way they look. Miss Crabb gives a gentle nudge in the right direction and if anything, inspires. The collection dabbles in bright colour as well as mandatory shades of black but stays away from anything on the dull side. Using luxurious fabrics and challenging the conventional cut and shape of dresses, tops, coats and skirts the materials used drape elegantly from the body and with the mere addition of a belt to any given piece an outfit is transformed. There is an element of interpretation to each piece of clothing allowing the wearer to play around with their outfit until they find a way of wearing that suits their own style. If anything Miss Crabb inspires women to take risks in fashion and try new colours, cuts and styles while retaining their own taste and sense of individuality. The fine line between innovative originality and recycled imitation is a tricky one, but it seems Miss Crabb stays on the right side. Also look out for Kristines’ design assistant, Kate Megaws’ up and coming label ‘Penny Sage’
misscrabb.com
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THE RAG TRADE: MISS CRABB
Him:Des Rusk Shirt and Trousers, Nom*D Waistcoat. Her:Miss Crabb Dress.
THE RAG TRADE
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Him: Des Rusk Singlet & Parka, Nom*D Eyelet Vest, Jeans and Shoes Models own. Her: Miss Crabb Dress, Shoes Models own.
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THE RAG TRADE
Him: Des Rusk Shirt & Trousers, Vintage gloves @ Ziggurat, Jacket & Shoes Models own. Her: Miss Crabb Dress, Vintage Gloves @ Ziggurat
THE RAG TRADE
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NOM*D An unlabelled opaque, tinted glass door in North Dunedin – subtle and unassuming. Not exactly the location one would expect New Zealand’s foremost fashion mind to operate from (more likely would be a flat full of rioting rugby-fuelled university students). However, this is where Margi Robertson and the creative ensemble of Nom*D have recently moved into to progress their unpretentious assault on the fashion industry. It is the unpretentiousness of the brand, considering the momentous achievements of Nom*D, that is most striking and in a roundabout way contributed to their ability to produce forwarding-thinking and continually progressive collections. “I think the difference in Dunedin is people are quite grounded and you do what you believe in rather than being led by what you think you should be doing, and that’s reflected in everything that comes out of Dunedin…music, art and fashion. People are very individual and just do what they do.” Nom D’s Summer 07/08 collection is no exception. Operation Bombshell conjures images of luxe 1920’s jazz clubs and lingerie parlours inhabited by Monroe-esque screen sirens of yesteryear, all based in a post-apocalyptic time-warped version of today. Reconstructed lingerie in beige and rose satins compliments thunderous blues and fiery reds concluded by prints of atom bomb tests. “We just came up with the H bomb thing. Those images are quite amazing and beautiful but then ridiculous. The irony is that it was a tourist attraction to actually watch the bombs go off. The collection is a crazy mix up of bombshells and bombs.” Crazy or not, Operation Bombshell expresses everything Nom*D is about and consistently present season after season. Whether it is the southern influence or not, Robertson and her team seamlessly meld cutting edge and timelessness with fashion-forward and truly individual thinking. Robertson attributes the original inspiration for the brand to Japanese designers having traveled to the country with her sister (Elizabeth Findlay of Zambesi) in the 1970’s.
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THE RAG TRADE: NOM*D
Courtney Sanders
“Those images are quite amazing and beautiful but then ridiculous. The irony is that it was a tourist attraction to actually watch the bombs go off.” “My first introduction to Avant Garde was the Japanese designers. Yoshi Yamamoto and Comme De Garçons changed my perception of fashion. In the mid 1980’s I went to Japan and discovered the one-size-fits-all that designers were doing and the non-colours - things were black or calico or grey or white. A lot of that came from their heritage – kimonos, origami, wrapping and folding.” The new aesthetic became immediately apparent in Robertson’s stores Plume, which are now infamous for their informed starkness.“Our stores went from junky boutiques to being clean and minimal and folded and I have to say the Japanese thing influenced me hugely.” The ever-present reconstruction in Nom*D garments and the use of underwear, corsetry and utilitarian elements can be attributed to a secondary inspiration of Robertsons. “The next influences would have been Gaultier where it got to being a bit more up front. He references his own stuff over again and we’ve started to do that.” Nom*D was one of a handful of New Zealand designers chosen to represent the country at London Fashion week in 1999 and has become synonymous with the media representation of our look; sombre clothing for thunderously moody days of habitation on an island in the South Pacific. Nom*D was always a propagandist of mood-based fashion, but it wasn’t until 2000 and the launch of Air New Zealand
Him: Nom*D Tshirt, Des Rusk Hooded Vest and Trousers, Shoes Models own. Her: Miss Crabb Bomber Jacket, Nom*D Dress, Shoes Models own.
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Fashion Week that Robertson began producing full themebased collections. “We have been going for 21 years but for the first 14 years we only did knitwear so Nom*D has only been in its current form for 7 years. I think we’re really enjoying working in that area; when you’re doing catwalk shows you have to think about what you’re doing and where you’re going and it’s quite cool to have the collaboration of other people that you’re working with on the show, with the visual and music and everything it’s not just one person sitting down and figuring it out, it’s a team thing.” And as for Fashion Week? “We’ve been at Air New Zealand Fashion Week since the beginning. It’s an absolutely professional environment for selling a collection and for the wholesale side it’s an education of how fashion works. However, it is something that is quite costly I think that everyone has to be really careful about how far they go and how much money they spend, sometimes in sales the potential for increase is quite small because of where we are, especially for Nom*D, because we’re not a mainstream label. What you do get is a whole collection being presented to media and buyers.” Leaving the new offices down a white stairwell littered with soon-to-be-hung art deco mirrors, the classic, unassuming success of the brand is confirmed. Nom*D is highly covetable, highly wearable re-referenced social documentation; forever fashionable in an age of trends, fads and throwaway culture.
www.nomd.co.nz
STYLIST: Chris Duncan PHOTOGRAPHER: Rebecca Ambler MANIPULATOR: Jason Lingard - killdesign.com MODELS: James Houston & Nina Symons-Rusbatch Ziggurat: 144 Cuba St, Wellington 04 385 1077 For all other stockist enquiries see designers websites.
DES RUSK
Courtney Sanders
In an age where high school is predominately followed by university, polytechnic, or some other or rather tertiary education, often regardless of the relevance to the person or possibility of future employment, Des Rusk is somewhat of a university drop-out overachiever. Rusk began work experience at Crane Limited (producers of Little Brother, Crane Brothers and Karen Walker menswear) half way through his second year at university, and by the time the first semester of third year was scheduled to start, he was employed full time, eventually working on the Little Brother label as Brand Manager. “It was an invaluable experience and the perfect timing for what I wanted to do. There were very few opportunities in menswear and I believe I worked in the best possible place.” In 2006, two years after Des Rusk’s eponymous label was launched, he was invited to Air New Zealand Fashion Week as part of the Showroom 22 showcase. “For me, ANZFW was as much, if not more a profile building exercise as it was an account gaining exercise.” And a profile it certainly built. Des Rusk went from a label in its infancy and of relative anonymity, to a well-known, well-respected and highly demanded menswear brand. And the clothes? The brand melds the tailoring skills and structural ability gained from experience at arguably New Zealand’s finest menswear house, with a street sensibility. His new collection, like those previously, demonstrates this; “It’s a continuation of developing my shapes and styles rather than following a heavy theme. There’s, as always, a strong semi tailored base but also a mix of more street influences along with a wide variation of fabrics, from checked wool coats to jersey knit jackets to fine cotton shirtings.” “The plan from here is keep building the label and growing at a sustainable rate. I’ve new buyers in New Zealand who want to view Winter 2008 and I’ve picked up an Australian agent who will be representing me from next season which will be great, so am looking forward to growing the business both here and in Australia.”
Him: Nom*D Tshirt, Des Rusk Hooded Vest and Trousers, Shoes Models own. Her:Miss Crabb Bomber Jacket, Nom*D Dress, Vintage Gloves and Necklace @ Ziggurat, Shoes Models own.
www.desrusk.com
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THE RAG TRADE: DES RUSK
THE RAG TRADE
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Him: Nom*D Vest, Vintage Gloves @ Ziggurat, Jeans & Shoes Models own. Her: Nom*D Dress & House Coat, Vintage Necklace and Gloves @ Ziggurat, Shoes Models own.
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THE RAG TRADE
“You and Me and my Amplifier” www.myspace.com/lotsoflittlepictures
There is one obvious characteristic that identifies a Fighting the Shakes live show; the immediacy of their sound. The band are capable of straddling the line between in-your-face, everything-all-at-once punk and well developed, angular post-punk, the result being an intrusive, intense but highly listenable live experience. And now they’ve bottled it finally. The first release from the trio (guitarist Jayesh Ravla, bassist Hadlee Donaldson and drummer Chet Parbhu), All My Friends Are Electric was a “long iterative process because we kept coming to a certain part and rerecording them. Trying to capture the way we wanted to sound was difficult since we hadn’t done any proper recording or production before.” The result is a collection of six tracks that demonstrate Fighting the Shakes songwriting capabilities as well as their live potential. The title and theme were unintentional: “the EP is titled All My Friends Are Electric after one of our songs that didn’t end up making the cut”, notes bassist Hadlee Donaldson. Guitarist Jayesh Ravla notes the ideas for their songs and lyrics “refer to little anecdotes about certain situations or observations we have made in our daily lives.” And the immediacy thing arises again; this unbound directness and energy that is not only obvious in their live performance but comes across both in the title and the directness of the songs on the EP. The band cite natural influences; “in the early days, it’d be fair to say At the Drive-In and The Mint Chicks were pretty big influences, but over time its gotten to the point where
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LITTLE PICTURES
I couldn’t really pinpoint it.” Explaining the balancing act between heavy, noise-rock and the lyrically strong, melodicish tracks scattered through their live sets and EP Jayesh notes; “every week I’ll be listening to lots of different things. Lately it’s been lots of Motown and Stax as well as TV on the Radio. I’m working more on melody and making a song fit together rather than just having heaps of crazy parts for the sake of a song being messed up.”
Little Pictures is a really new band right? When and how did you kids form? Mark recorded some demos (alone, in his bedroom) at the beginning of the year. He put them on the internet, and a little later on he was asked to perform them at a concert with Grayson Gilmore. However, the organisers were under the slight misconception that Little Pictures was an actual band, so Mark recruited his two coolest and most attractive friends, Johanna and James. With mere weeks to prepare we wrote some cool and attractive songs together (alone, in Mark’s living room). We had lots of fun at the concert, so we decided to keep going. You guys have recorded an EP, “You and me and my amplifier” – tell us about it. We recorded You and me and my amplifier in Mark’s
bedroom, using lots of electronic and acoustic instruments. It took a couple of weeks of late night recording to finish the four songs, and we’re really pleased with how it turned out. What are your inspirations for songwriting? We listen to lots and lots of different things: electronic stuff like Hot Chip, Of Montreal and Bachelorette, and other things like the Beach Boys, the Smiths, and Interpol. You guys seem to be loving the Craftwerk thing and are about to go on tour with that and a Low Hum yeah? Fans of crafting? Favourite craft activity.... We all have our own little crafty things we do. James is a design student, Johanna and Mark draw on post-it notes and decorate their amplifier (his name is Albert). We can’t wait for the Craftwerk tour!!
“All My Friends Are Electric” www.myspace.com/fightingtheshakes
Since day one, Fighting the Shakes have been invited to play with the foremost bands in New Zealand post-punk. “Being asked to play This Night Creeps last ever show – and it was with The Mint Chicks too – was pretty amazing.” In terms of touring, “going to Auckland for three weekends in a row back in May was probably my favourite tour, if you can call it that. We managed to pretty much go through the highs and lows of playing a tour, such as playing to an appreciate crowd at the BFM new band showcase (which they headlined) meeting nice people and putting 91 into a diesel van. We had to also work full time jobs during the weeks through the tour so it was exhausting but I think it was a credit to everyone else in the band that we actually held it together for that month.” So what’s next? “We don’t have any set plans just yet. I think playing music can be unpredictable and you never know what is going to happen next.” Hardworking and determined, with a unique racket to boot, Fighting the Shakes might just find they have something electric on their hands too.
FIGHTING THE SHAKES
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~Courtney Sanders presents~
THE GO TEAM PROOF OF YOUTH If a bunch of juvenille delinquints (in the Weasley twin (from Harry Potter, of course) mischeif making type way) were forced to attend a band camp slash musical retreat to sort out their attitude problems and were left together in a room full of trumpets, keyboards, and computers, with one particularly loud and outspoken (again, in the best possible way) black girl, the result would resemble something like The Go Team’s Proof of Youth. Although 2004’s Thunder, Lightening, Strike was compelling and fun, it was effectively entirely the work of the groups’ musical mastermind Ian Parton, and as a result lacked, well, the team spirit that this effort encompasses. The members, particularly vocalist Ninja, have really flexed their muscles and the result is the musical equivalent of bottled enthusiasm – Proof of Youth is the school cheerleading team, only wasted and cheering for far more powerful things than the football team.
Cheers for the beers (C.D.’s) www.myspace.com/shockrecordsnz
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MIXTAPE
ARCHITECTURE IN HELSINKI PLACES LIKE THIS Architecture in Helsinki’s Places Like This is a middleaged date that starts out all teenage awkwardness and turns into a riotously debaucherous affair. Cameron Bird’s vocals tremor somewhere between muppetesque screamo-pop and sumptuous soundscapism, complementing his female compatriot perfectly, and when singing lines like “the blood keeps flowing to your hea-ah-ah, yah-yah-yah” personifies the tumultuousness of many a dating scenario. Track three “Hold Music” is a mainstream crossover, all anthemic choruses and trumpets, while “Debbie” continues the bands destruction of obvious compositions. More subtle tracks like “Underwater” demonstrate the capability of Architecture in Helsinki to stretch their sound into often ominous ballad territory, and “Like it or not” bongo drum’s its way into some sort of teenageangst African dance party. Like their previous hit track, Places Like This does the whirlwind on the boy-meet-girl, girl-breaks-up-withgirl, girl-and-boy-find each other again plotline, and concludes happily married, or at least in some sort of psychedelic dysfunctional de-facto relationship.
