'Collection of Curiosities' Private Launch featuring Nicole Murray, J&KE and more...

Before I get on with revealing to you all the up-and-coming designers whose goodies were on display at the 'Collection of Curiosities' pop-up shop, I would just like take a minute to apologise for my extreme stupidity. I mentioned in my last post that I would be covering the Matches press day. Come thursday morning I was dressed in one of my chicest (if ever-so-slightly impractical) ensembles and ready to launch into a hectic and precisely scheduled day of fashion events. Sadly however, when I arrived at Matches brandishing my invitation I was met with the shaming realisation that the event had in fact taken place the day before. Maybe I should have actually read the damn thing instead of just waving it around, feeling pleased with myself.

Shorts, blouse & boots: Urban Outfitters
Cardigan: Uniqlo
Bag: Marc Jacobs

But there was no time to dwell on my extreme embarrassment, as I had a private launch to get to. So whilst I'm sorry to say that I've let you down big time on the Matches front, hopefully the veritable feast of hot, new designers showcasing at the 'Collection of Curiosities' pop-up shop will keep you going until next week.

J&KE

www.Jake-artists.blogspot.com

From left: Kethi Copeland, Emma Hamshare, Joyce Addai-Davis

Meet Joyce, Kethi and Emma, the innovative design graduates behind brand new London label J&KE. The girls all studied at London's prestigious University of the Arts but only met when all three of them were joint recipients of the Creative Craft Programme Award. First prize was a years free studio space in East London and it was through sharing this space, and sharing their creative ambitions that Kethi, Emma and Joyce decided to come together to form J&KE. The girls wanted to collaborate with other young designers from different disciplines and thus the 'Collection of Curiosities' pop-up shop was born. The shop is a perfect example of the thriving design talent we have here in London and an innovative way for some of the unknown artists featured to break out of their studios and test public interest in their work. 

So here's a little bit about the work of J&KE. Remember these names as I predict they will BIG news in the not-so-distant fashion future...

Joyce Addai-Davis

www.addai-by-davis.blogspot.com

Joyce is a textile designer specialising in woven detailing and couture tailoring. After graduating from Chelsea College of Art & Design in 2008 with a degree in woven textiles, she decided to pursue her life-long passion for couture. After spending a year working for the Thai Royal Family Joyce decided to break out on her own and set up Addai-by-Davis atelier with the aim create beautiful, made-to-measure garments. Her pieces are made with the care and attention to detail of haute couture, minus the bank-breaking prices. 

Kethi Copeland

www.kethicopeland.com

Screen Printed 'ink blot' illustration

Kethi studied graphic design and illustration at London College of Communication. The multi-talented artist has now gone on to do everything from website design, to animation, to inkblot printing and more. I particularly loved her 'Amsterdam' chairs (below). Each one was individually screen printed with Kethi's own illustration of the city, I want one! 

Chairs screen-printed with illustrations of Amsterdam

Emma Hamshare

www.aelska.com

Fashion and textiles designer Emma graduated from London College of Fashion in 2009 with a degree in Womenswear. Her clothing and accessories line, Aelska, creates unique lattice-like textile pieces from chains of text and musical notes. Each garment is lovingly hand drawn and carefully crafted using laser-cutting techniques. Emma's designs can be seen and personally ordered at J&KE's London Studio. 

And if that doesn't convince you that Emma is one-to-watch, her adorable are these lace collars (below) certainly will... 

Para Manko

www.paramanko.com

London College of Fashion graduate, Para Manko may be relatively unknown now but trust me all that is about to change. When I arrived at the 'Collection of Curiosities' shop her delicious designs immediately caught my eye. The Para Manko aesthetic is all about being simple, modern and chic. Her pieces are current, without being try-hard-trendy, detailed without being fussy, feminine without being whimsical and as you can probably tell I am a BIG fan. 

Here are a couple of my favourite Para Manko pieces from the 'Collection of Curiosities shop..

Caspar Chan

www.disinlok.com

Caspar Chan graduated with a Masters in Graphic Design from London College of Communication and since then he has expanded into illustration, typography and fashion styling as well. His work has been featured in Wallpaper Magazine and Modern Weekly to name but a few. On display at the 'Collection of Curiosities' shop were his incredible hand-illustrated 'Bjork' bags among other examples of his creative excellence. Plus Caspar himself is every bit as stylish as his designs, how much do you love that bow tie?

Nicole Murray

www.nicolemurray.co.uk

Last, but certainly not least in this post is one of my favourite up-and-coming designers, Nicole Murray. Unlike the other talented young artists taking part in the 'Collection of Curiosities' pop-up shop, Nicole's work is anything but 'unseen'. Since winning the Harrods Design Award for her MA collection, Nicole has been making a name for herself on the London fashion scene. Her Autumn/Winter collection is currently stocked at Harrods and her latest collection was displayed at London Fashion Week as part of the On/Off Showcase.  

I was lucky enough to meet Nicole at LFW and fell head-over-heels in love with her stunning designs. Every Nicole Murray piece exudes classic elegance with a modern twist and their chic wearability is set to make these lust-worthy dresses top of every fashionista's wish list.

I managed to catch up with the lovely Nicole at the 'Collection of Curiosities' private launch and get the low down on her exciting plans for the future...

What was the inspiration behind your autumn/winter collection? 


This season I was really interested in the notion of 'high-society'. The luxurious style and attitude of elegant society ladies was definitely one of the major inspirations behind the collection and I think that it really shows through in the pieces.

Who would you most like to see wearing your designs?


Marion Cotillard. She is the epitome of modern elegance.

What does the future hold for Nicole Murray? 


I have just signed with a top London PR agency which is extremely exciting as they plan on getting my work featured in a lot more publications over the coming year. In the future I hope to continue to develop and expand my brand and hopefully get my pieces stocked in a few more shops.

I have applied for several design awards for next season, so there is a good chance that I might be doing a full catwalk show at LFW in February. My spring/summer collection will also be available to buy on watch-that-label.com from January. It is a brand new online fashion retailer featuring collections from around 20 young designers who have been specially scouted from all over the world. These are both amazing opportunities and with a bit of luck you will be seeing a lot more from me over the coming year.


All in all, I had a lovely afternoon sipping champagne and getting to know the designers at the 'Collection of Curiosities' private launch last week. The pop-up shop is open until November 23rd and it is definitely worth popping by between now and then. The venture is a true testament to the skill and determination of the young artists involved. I highly recommend you learn their names now as it looks to me like this talented bunch are set to take the London fashion scene by storm.

Love Ella. X