Sunday 27 January 2013

Art & Design We Salute You !

Today Akua Designs ... celebrates, the fantastic artists that pepper the design world, from the small to the gigantic, each taken with care & thought, so today we say We Salute You!



Nandi by Paul Davey



Artist: Patrice Murciano



Anders - Westergaard - Poulsen - Snob



Artist: MTO in Rennes, France



Tangram by Design Daniele Lago



Fingerprint building, Thailand (Illusion)



Artist: Russ Mills




Artist: Russ Mills






Monday 21 January 2013

Killer Magazine spreads

Today at Akua Designs ... we would like to pay homage to the magazine spreads who are taking fashion to new heights through colour design & sheer talent, so today we say I salute you !


Photographer Sabine Liewald via Factory311!
Image courtesy of AfroStyle Magazine





Photographer Marko Mitanovski for Verlour


Unknown source


Photographer patrick Styrnol


Image courtesy of Orijin Culture Magazine & Fashion
Model Joan Smalls




As If Magazine
Model Alek Wek



Model Sessilee Lopez


Allure Magazine
Model Chanel Iman




Unknown Source 


Sunday 13 January 2013

Serpentine Gallery

Through travelling the art scene in London Akua Designs happened to stumble across the Serpentine gallery in Kensington Gardens, well didn't it turn out to be a discovery well worth it.

The Serpentine gallery houses modern & contemporary art. The permanent piece in the Serpentine gallery is a piece by Ian Hamilton Finlay dedicated to Diana Princess of Wales , a former patron to the gallery, the piece comprises of 8 benches, a tree-plaque, and a carved stone circle, at the gallery's entrance.

The Serpentine was established in 1970, and housed classical 1934, tea pavillion fine art, the gallery takes its name from the nearby lake Serpentine.

Artists who have exhibited there include: Anish Kapoor, Henry Moore, Bridget Riley, & Damien Hirst to name a few.

A must see gallery currently exhibiting Jonas Mekas.


LUI Chun Kwong
Lanscape No 04012, 2004
Acrylic on canvas 213 x 92cm




SU, Angela
Deliver me from all my automatic reactions and restore me to my true freedom,2012
Ink on drafting film 75 x 150 cm








 Vitaly Komar & Alexander Melamid 
Red flag
From Nostalgic Socialist Realism Series 1982 - 1983 
oil and tempera on canvas



Francisco Infante
Procession Series, 1978
(printed 2012)


Herzog & de Meuron & Ai Weiwei
Image Iwan Baan


Information Wikipedia & Serpentine Gallery, Images copyright of Akua Designs ...


Sunday 6 January 2013

London Collections Men

Akua Designs... kick starts the New Year  with the one & only biannual  London Collections Men.
The London Collection Men is an annual showcase of British brands and business.  It highlights the commercial importance of British brands and emerging talents. It showcases the breadth of British fashion talent, global menswear as well as Saville Row tailors. Some of the designers showcasing includes; Dr Martens, Topman, Tom Ford & Vivienne Westwood MAN to name a few. Here we give a little sneak peak of what to expect.

Location: The Hospital Club, Covent Garden

This is a must see event  for more information please visit : www.londoncollections.co.uk

Richard James SS13
BACKGROUND: Richard James opened on Savile Row in 1992. 

SIGNATURES: “Contemporary Savile Row tailoring and modern menswear.  Our philosophy is to produce classic clothing of unsurpassable quality and to push the boundaries through design, colour and cut.”

TRADEMARK PIECE: “We are probably best known for the clean, slim silhouettes of our tailoring.”

IDEAL CLIENT: “Individual - we design with an eye for the individual.”








Bobby Abley SS13
BACKGROUND: Bobby is originally from Scarborough, and studied at the Ravensbourne College of Design and Communication. He has previously worked for Rankin, Alexander McQueen and Jeremy Scott.

SIGNATURES: “Cartoon-inspired prints.”

IDEAL CLIENT: “Someone with no inhibitions.”

TRADEMARK PIECE: “Anything with the Bobby Abley bear. He’s my logo and mascot.”






Aitor Throup SS13
Credit: Neil bedford 
DESIGNER NAME: Aitor Throup       

BACKGROUND:
 Aitor was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1980. He arrived in Burnley, Lancashire in 1992. It was in Burnley that he developed a passion for labels such as Stone Island and C.P. Company. A mixture of Aitor’s interest in these products and his own passion for drawing led him to begin a BA in Fashion Design at Manchester Metropolitan University, from where he graduated with first class honours in 2004. In 2006, he completed an MA in Fashion Menswear at the Royal College of Art in London. 
He has recently collaborated with Stone Island, C.P. Company, Umbro and Nike. Aitor is currently also working closely with Kasabian as their creative director.

SIGNATURES: “I consider my approach to be that of a product designer, rather than a fashion designer, so every piece for me has an archetypal element of its own within the context of its original concept and / or narrative.”

IDEAL CLIENT: “My work can engage people whether they're interested in fashion, product design or conceptual thinking. It doesn't bother me what kind of person reacts to it.”





All Images  & information copyright of British Fashion Council