Liberty for choice and architecture.

on Conduit St for hard to find brands.

on Broadway market is the best for designer vintage.

I worked for Thomas Tait who lives and works close by; his style is beautiful, minimal, androgynous tailoring; just up my street.

East London has been taken over by coloured hair and flat forms, but that's not so bad.

Antwerp is my favourite city outside of my own, everything from the architecture to the fashion is inspiring.

I would say a bike ride around the city is best; cycle along the River Thames, see some touristy things like the Tower of London; then head to East London for lunch at The Albion on Redchurch Street; then to Broadway market for some shopping, afternoon tea and then some cocktails at Off Broadway; breakfast the next day has to be at the Breakfast Club, the best breakfasts from around the world are served there.

Sarier, an alum from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp (think Ann Demeulemeester, Dries Van Noten, Martin Margiela, among others)  grew his design roots at a lengthy list of fashion all stars: he worked with Emanuel Ungaro, Giambattista Valli, Haider Ackermann, and Olivier Theyskens before going off on his own collection, and their aesthetic influence definitely shows.

Precise tailoring, perfect ombre dyes, and exquisite draping, and multiple zippers may seem like a lot for a lightweight garment, but he pulls off the looks as almost wearable (although incredibly luxurious) sportswear. Our favorite piece? Delicately embroidered white leggings that wove a pattern between sheer and opaque whites that Sarier told us was meant to  ”reflect oceanic colors and shadows, the idea is to create the illusion that the water is reflecting this pattern on your skin.”

Source Benjamin Kanarek Blog

Haider Ackermann for W Magazine © Inez van Lamsveerde & Vinoodh Matadin

I have been observing the evolution of Haider Ackermann for several seasons, as he is one of my favorite new designers when it comes to womens’ clothing. In my humble opinion, his last two seasons in Paris outclassed all of the other Designers’ Women Collections by a long shot.

Haider Ackermann’s Amazons

Haider Ackermann reveals a contrasted silhouette, nomadic, romantic and yet is strong and assertive. His fashion does not scream out loud, it is strong and confident enough to drive all of the attention by it’s solemn and majestic design in to the new Amazon. He is a master of cut and volume. This is apparent when it comes to emphasizing long silhouettes and hemlines which gives an impression of an endless line with deconstructed layers as well as strong Japanese and Yves Saint Laurent influences. His U-Slit line for skirts and dresses has become one of his trademarks as well as his recurrent usage of silk and leather.

Haider Ackermann, Franco-Colombian, is a world citizen with a unique mix. Born in Sante Fe de Bogotta, Colombia, were he was adopted by French Parents (his father works for Amnesty International), he grew up living in various countries throughout Europe and Africa (Tchad, Ethiopia, Algeria, The Netherlands, Belgium where he studied at The Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp and won the Swiss Textile Award in 2005). His background transpires in his fashion full of contrast. “I’m looking for a luxury that’s a bit négligé, that can be rich but doesn’t look rich” (From W Magazine’s Interview W Magazine).

He started working for different designers the likes of Bernhard Willhelm, Patrick Van Ommeslaeghe and in March 2001, he started to show his collections in Paris for the Autumn-Winter 2001-2002 season. In 2002, the Italian Luxury Leather House, Ruffo asked him to collaborate on the Ruffo Research Collection and in 2005, he signed with the Belgian Groupe 32 and moved to Paris.

Haider Ackermann’s ascension to… Christian Dior?

The recent rumors about him going to Christian Dior to replace John Galliano are persistent and I have noticed quite a few interesting signals over the last 6 months. Implying that Galliano’s departure was known within some circles for quite a while, I would rather not speculate.

Mr. Ackermann’s style would be a good fit for Christian Dior, injecting a romantic and flamboyant style for the assertive Dior woman. The Artistic Direction would change from that of the Galliano era, but perhaps the brand was in need of a more tempered and chic approach. For ten years, Galliano had a profound conspicuous effect on the brand. The younger generation may not remember that he was preceded by GianFranco Ferré, Marc Bohan (for almost 30 years) as well as Yves Saint Laurent prior to him creating his own brand, after Christian Dior passed away. Haider Ackermann has all of the creative assets to express himself in both areas i.e. Couture the “Tailleur ” (tailoring) and “Flou” (gowns) and Ready-To-Wear.

Troubling synchronicity

The recent endorsement by Anna Wintour in American VOGUE’s March issue featuring Haider Ackermann’s fashion worn by Lady Gaga on the cover as well as the editorial within, is a rather troubling synchronicity.

His recent refusal to Martin Margiela to replace him as the head of Maison Martin Margiela and  Karl Lagerfeld’s declaration in Numero, November 2010  “I have a contract for life so it all depends who I would like to hand it to. At the moment I’d say Haider Ackermann”. Lagerfeld had invited Ackermann to attend the last Chanel show and Ackermann responded, by stating, “What can one possibly say to such a phrase?! Such a compliment! How honored I feel, how can one not be?! In all honesty, tremendously, immensely touched especially coming from Monsieur Lagerfeld”. Then again, two days ago, he declared in L’Express Style : “I would not mind confronting myself to codes from another Fashion House”.

Some recent celebrity endorsement’s from Actress and fashion muse Tilda Swinton on the red carpet of the 2009 Cannes Film Festival and Janet Jackson attending his October 2010 show in Paris are just a small sample of some of the artists excited by his work.

One of the observations I have made is that his internet presence via advertising banners by one of his distributors has been very heavy since the beginning of 2011. These ad banners are being shown with a frequency that generally only occurs as a build up to a huge product launch.

Very troubling facts or positive synchronicity?

Will Haider Ackermann’s ascension lead him to… Christian Dior? Is that a guess? No, I would rather call it wishful thinking. I would not like to see Riccardo Tisci move from Givenchy where he does great work. It would become systematic that all of the designers going to Givenchy would end up at Christian Dior. Galliano, McQueen who left for PPR group and not for Dior and then Tisci? Givenchy is not a footstep for Dior, it is a brand with a great legacy that deserves more consideration.

By Frédérique Renaut and to Watch Video’s

AnOther presents an interactive animated showcase featuring the fashion world’s most promising new graduates. Shot by photographer Ben Toms and
styled by fashion director Cathy Edwards, the story brings together six
students from three of the world’s most revered fashion institutions:
Central Saint Martins, the Antwerp Academy and the Royal College of Art.
Peer into the sartorial future with Lilly Heine, Simone Sommer, Matthew Harding, Kirsty Emery, Shao-Yen Chen and Nathalie Fordeyn, the next generation of fashion design.

See the full story here

LINK LOVE:Next Generation Fashion Design

Antonin Tron

Ann Eckers

Yu Fukumoto

Laurence Bruninckx

Simon Pierre Toussant

Glenn Martens

Andre Cammarosano

The graduation show of the Antwerp Academy fourth year students and smaller catwalk collections from all the years’ students is running every night for three nights to a packed audience of over 800 people. It’s like a fashion circus, with each designer or act followed by another in quick succession. The talent level is high but it would have been hard for early students like Dries Van Noten and Anne Demulemeester to imagine it growing so big when they pioneered this small college course years ago.

Source: Dazed Digital