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

Please dont forget to support Vanessa Agyemang as a TMC Finalist

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 

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 ...

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 

African Prints gone wild

Today we explore the madness of african prints, it recently hit the the fashion industry like a lightning bolt, with the likes high street stores such as Aldo and even Burberry taking part in the phenomenon  So today we pay homage to the madness that is the african print.

Helen PJI, Hassan Hajjaj

Joe Casely, Hassan Hajjaj

Caravane, Hassan Hajjaj

Vilsco cocktail dress

Model Fatou Morana Noba

Strength

Today Akua Designs... explores strength. Strength can be explored in many different ways strength evokes a stament, passion love & anger.  Each of these images are so strong they make you think of one word, have a look  to see if you agree.

FREEDOM

WAR

LIBERTY

INDIVIDUAL

POWER

Handmade In Britain 12

Last week Akua Designs... attended The Contemporary Crafts & Design Fair in design district Chelsea. It was definitely a show well worth visiting. Showcased in the decadent Old Chelsea Town Hall, created the backdrop for the inspirational set of craftsmanship. The space was divided into three spaces, which created an easy flowing space.

Sotis Studio Ceramics

Tactile quality of the work, encourages you to feel and embrace the ceramics. This is the trademark of Scotis Fillipides. The grainy dark texture creates a great contrast against the 24 carat gold interior.

Offkut

An independant design company which specialises in reclaimed materials recreating contemporary design to fit in any home. There ethos: durable, beautiful, ethical, and affordable as design should be.

Diane Turner

Well when we stopped at the Diane Turner we kept coming back it was like nothing we had seen before, definitely one to watch. Jewellery pieces using a mixture of three materials wood, metal and copper, creating a rustic bespoke piece of individual jewellery.

Sonia Cheadle

Contemporary  diamond jewellery using a mix of 18ct white and yellow golds, simplicity is the beauty in all the pieces as they say "diamonds are a girls best friend".

Sarah Herriot Design 

Architectural inspiration  creates the beautiful slices within the metal creating the contrast between the black and silver metal. 

Chris Edwards

Beautiful  sculptural candlesticks  which will suit any environment dinner or contemporary artspace. The pieces are fluid  creating a splash effect , using brass or bronze a beautiful unique piece.

Suzanne Jamieson 

Metal and porcelain at its best, beautiful to be used as a box or as an art piece . Works well as a trio or an individual a statement piece which speaks for its self.

Tabitha Frost

This was the most unusual piece at the fair a great juxtaposition between hard cast concrete versus soft silky copper, a bespoke piece to be matched in any environment.

Alex McCarthy Ceramics

This lava like beauty reminded us of a volcanic landscape a sumptuous landscape filled with gold and beauty.

Josef Koppmann

Well we fell immediately in love with these pieces like nothing we've seen, a rustic feel but so elegant and dainty would make a great christmas present.

Chisel & Mouse

How is this for a bit of fun, detailed craftsmanship of all your favourite sites, nice to liven up your mantle piece.