Wednesday 25 November 2015

Year of Irish Design 2015: Kiki Na Art

When I was on the Galway Fashion Trail this month, I was exposed to a lot of new and wonderful brands, labels and shops. One that really caught my eye, in particular, was Kiki Na Art which was being stocked in the wonderful purveyor of Irish design, My Shop...Granny Likes It. Bright, bold jewellery pieces that combine images of figures from pop culture with geometric patterns and hand-painting, stared out of one of the display cabinets and immediately set the group of bloggers gasping in delight.

Cue dozens of Instagram posts - one from myself as well!

But I didn't want to leave it there.

I was intrigued and wanted to know more about these pieces that danced somewhere between art and design and stood out so boldly from everything else on display.

I contacted the lovely Ciarna, who is the genius and craftswoman behind the brand, and she gave me a little more insight into the world of Kiki Na Art.

*


Moi: Can you tell us a little about your background?

Ciarna: I am an artist who studied Fine Art Painting in Galway. When I finished up college, I moved to Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam for 6 years, where I met my husband and worked as the Art and Music Project Manager for the Christina Noble Children's Foundation (absolutely brilliant Charity!). When I moved back to Ireland with Duc (my husband) in 2010, I found it difficult to find work and decided to use that time to give my husband’s art and my art a chance. Duc is an extremely talented painter and we wanted to really give that a go - which meant being broke and choosing an alternative way of living. I have always loved photography and always wore jewellery so when I moved back to Ireland, I started to play around with ideas.  The idea for this came very organically. I started off doing them for creative fun and for friends using different materials but, eventually, I found a formula that worked for me. I started out making them in my back room two years ago. They’ve come a long way since then!


How did you come up with your concept for your label?

I am a big fan of Joan Baez and wanted to make earrings with her on them and my sister had also bought me a pair of Frida earrings when she was away - so I developed the idea from there with a lot of hand drawing and individual design and pattern on each piece. The name Kiki Na came from a nickname given to me by a certain group of friends in Vietnam, who called me Kiki, and the kids I worked with, who called me Kieu Na, so I combined the two. I make every one [of the pieces of jewellery] as a one-of-a-kind, as I treat them as unique illustrations, and that was important to me from the start. I really value individuality.


Which pop culture icons would you wear on a daily basis, if you had to choose one or two?

I would wear anyone I admire and respect. I am quite political and would be inclined to wear people like Aung San Suu Kyi, Nelson Mandela or Angela Davis but I am also into art and music big time so I wear anyone from David Bowie to Frida Kahlo. Realistically, I wear the ones I make and I usually make ones that are more popular such as Bjork, Bowie, Blondie or Grace Jones etc. These people are true artists and usually the styles and photographs of these people are amazing. I keep making pieces that I think I will keep for myself because I love the person, shape or design but eventually I end up selling them!


Why are handmade pieces and craft important?

Because individuality is important and things develop naturally from eye to hand. A designer who cannot make their own pieces is like a painter who cannot make their own paintings. Eventually things can get bigger and develop to a concept made by machine but to start out hand making and crafting your creative pieces is vital to allowing a greater development of said piece.


What do you think of the Year of Irish design?

More of this I say! I studied Fine Art, not design, so I find myself lagging behind in what’s happening but this year I started a back-to-work enterprise with my jewellery. Now, I have a platform to really develop my stuff and part of that is to discover what is out there for designers in Ireland. The Year of Irish Design is something I honestly need to look into more for my own stuff and I'm glad it’s there for people like me who need to discover more in what’s happening with Irish Design.


What do you think of Irish design?

I love anything expressive and fun and I see a lot of that happening. Although, sometimes, I think the minimalist trend has reached some sort of peak and that a lot of stuff is along those lines. My motto is go big or go home - haha - but I understand that that is not for everyone and that minimal forms of expression are more accessible to a lot of people. It’s all very subjective. So when it comes to Irish design I love to see all the different expressions out there. I have stuff in OmDiva and its great seeing people making some beautiful works of art through jewellery design and clothing design. Ruth, who runs OmDiva, is great for allowing a space for different forms of expression and design whilst managing to stay on trend.


Which designers do you admire?

Ah, Jaysus...I’m crap at this! I love fashion, design and art but I’d be able to name more artists that I love than designers. I do love the whole advanced style thing happening - Older people in fashion - I also love the non conformist styles and the different body types out there and I think fashion design needs to catch up a bit more with that. I think I'm more into artists – all kinds of artists – musical, like Roisin Murphy (her style!!!); fashion - Irish Apfel and Vivienne Westwood; art - Frida Kahlo. I love eccentrics. I'm a second hand shop girl so when it comes to designers I am not great. I do like COS because, as Irish Apfel, put it – ‘I love to accessorise... my mother said buy a lovely simple black dress – you can dress it up or dress it down’. COS is great for nice material and simple monochromatic colour clothing which really suits my jewellery but who their designers are?... I’ll [have to] google it!


What inspires you?

Big Question. Everything!!


What would you like to do with your brand in the future? Are there other avenues you'd like to explore?

Go bold or go home! I plan to expand to wearable art pieces and wall pieces but who knows... I'm someone who likes to go with the flow – not that I am resting on my laurels – I work hard at what I do but it’s like this; in Asia, the turtle is one of the most respected of creatures, as they move very fast by following streams and ending up where they end up...it’s a Buddhist thing I guess.


If you had to describe what you do in five words or less?

One of a kind; individual.

*

So, if you're after something for the individual, something one of a kind, something hand-crafted and filled with love, hit Kiki Na Art up. It's hard not to fall more in love with (the already desirable) brand when you hear from Ciarna. Her passion, sense of fun and no-nonsense and inclusive attitudes are rather refreshing. And, I think, visible in the art/design that she produces.

Thanks to Ciarna for chatting with me!




kiki (1)


kiki (5)

kiki (6)

kiki (10)

kiki (11)





kiki (20)


*

Liked this post? Want more?

Follow me here using google friend connect or bloglovin.

Or follow me on tumblr - twitter - facebook.

Sunday 22 November 2015

Best Brows Ever - Billion Dollar Brows Arrives in Ireland

I've actually been using some Billion Dollar Brows (BDB) products for over a year now and they have been stocked in select salons around the country up till now but as they have just launched in Boots, there's now a much wider selection from them that is much more readily available. I headed along to the bloggers'  press day in the penthouse of The Dean Hotel (which is amazing for events and would be a dream to actually stay in) on Harcourt Street, where founder and CEO, Natalie Plain, was in attendance (and actually staying in the penthouse) to tell us all about the brand and their products.

The company was set up in the wake of the lingering results of nineties over-plucking, and brows never growing back in quite right, and the over-compensating Scouse brows of recent years. Natalie felt that the world of brows lacked balance, and this needed to be addressed. She wanted to help more people have the more natural-style, lush brows made so popular by the likes of Cara Delevingne. And she wanted them to be the right shape for each individual. But such things normally require regular trips to the salon, which can become expensive. So, in order to level the playing field, she established BDB, which brings expert brow-maintenance into your home and own hands, in a way that makes it easy for anyone to do.

This brow "revolution" is now more readily available to those of us on the other side of the Atlantic now as well, thanks to the American brand's partnership with Boots. Cruelty free and made in America and Mexico, it's a brand with a conscience as well as a serious vision for beauty and damn good products. Which is probably why they are now available in 32 countries around the world! They're always thinking ahead as well, with special products for men and redheads being launched in the new year - good news for Irish audiences, in particular!

The products which are now available include their clear Eyebrow Gel, Brow Powder and Universal Eyebrow Pencil (universal because the shade of brown is so light that it can be used as lightly or as heavily as needed to match almost all hair tones). However, more excitingly (particularly with Christmas fast approaching), there is also a selection of their kits. These include: the 60 Seconds to Beautiful Brows Kit (RRP €34.00) which includes their brow brush and powder and they describe as "putting your hair in a ponytail", i.e. quick, easy, neat results without fuss; the Best Sellers Kit (€68.00) which has the universal pencil, gel, a dual-ended pencil for concealing and highlighting, and a smudge brush for more advanced, elaborate brow prep; and the Brow Buddy Kit (€31.00) which includes their Brow Buddy tool which allows you to measure your brows to perfection and show where you need to pluck or fill in, a pencil for marking it out and a step-by-step guide.

I've also now used all of the product and am suitably impressed. The first time I tried them out I did my, my sister and her friend's brows and, thankfully, I didn't let anyone down. The results were natural, perfectly shaped and suited to each individual's face. If I were to recommend just one product, I'd probably go for the Best Sellers Kit but, honestly, the whole range is worth investing in - you'll save time, money and energy in the long run!

Do you guys have any secrets to beautiful brows? Or a brow idol? I'd love to know!

IMG_2689

IMG_2676

IMG_2675

IMG_2680

IMG_2710

IMG_2709

IMG_2712

IMG_2714

IMG_2715

IMG_2716

IMG_2717

IMG_2722

IMG_2723

IMG_2724

IMG_2725

IMG_2726

IMG_2727

(Items included were provided as press samples by all opinions are my own)

*

Liked this post? Want more?

Follow me here using google friend connect or bloglovin.

Or follow me on tumblr - twitter - facebook.

Tuesday 17 November 2015

COS SS16

COS' press days are my absolute favourite each season - I can't wait for them to come around. And, each season, I walk away with an idealised wishlist of garments that's never going to come to pass. Not least of all because the pieces showcased often encapsulate the feeling of the collection but are a little too avant-garde to make it into many stores in their ultimate form. Instead, we're normally given more readily palatable versions.

However, if there were ever a collection where the feeling and sensibility was the key component of the garments, it's COS SS16. Upon first glance, the words diaphanous and pure immediately come to mind. As per, there's a lot of thought going on and a wide array of sources and inspiration but that doesn't necessarily read in the garments. Instead, you are overwhelmed by that aura of purity and the background noise of reference and witty interplay remains firmly in the background.

The white, blush and sand and stone tones, the textures, silhouettes and lengths display an obvious awareness of traditional Japanese clothing and 20th century Japanese art movements. Renate Aller's photographs of sand dunes and the hand-drawn lines of Jan Schoonhoven's minimalism are both quoted inspirations. Origami techniques, authentic welding using 20th century machinery, man-made and natural fabrics and painstaking detail are all employed in the collection and, yet, calm perseveres.

Calm is the underlying theme of the collection - or, rather, reinterpreting calm. There is a lot going on but it is all quiet interventions, expert tweaking of the familiar to create something that is a balance of both contemporary and classic.

Three themes run through: drapes and folds, craftsmanship and re-inventing. And through these themes we see seemingly simple garments with a lot more going on than what meets the eye, garments that focus on the process of making and which are involved in an inseparable dialogue with the human form.

Draping, folds, cut-outs, low backs and thin, wispy materials all play at hiding and revealing the body and the contrast with the textures of the fabrics and subtle flashes of flesh makes for highly sensuous clothes in the most literal of ways: the senses themselves are engaged, sight in the glimpses, sound in the swishes and touch in the textures. These are clothes made for bodies, for the interaction with human forms to make them truly come alive.

This is also true of the menswear where the palate and sensibility is a little more weighty, in tones of grey and in fabrics that are more solid and less floaty. However, this same sense of playing with the senses, playing with the form is still ever-present. As is craftsmanship. A crisp driving coat is made of a jacquard which is not merely an embellishment but embossed right into the fabric, weighing it down so that it skims forms, interacts more closely with them instead of hanging away. Another coat in a transparent grey, again, plays with the body in the revealing of flashes of flesh normally hidden away in such garments and is welded together using 1950s machinery in England. The devil is in the details, each piece tells a story, is more than itself. Gendering of garments and cuts also comes into question as necklines such as deep boat necks come into play, revealing areas we are used to seeing on women - the collar-bone and shoulders - but which are somewhat surprising and alluring given the unfamiliar context.

Reinvention runs throughout the collections but is, perhaps most obvious in the denim. Not only is it being presented as a plausible formalwear option and being given new silhouettes and contexts, it is also being physically reimagined. One of the most striking displays were the accessories that, as first seemed just very COS, restrained and pretty, but were actually man-made compressed recycled denim embossed stones in silver settings...Kinda mind-boggling, right?

COS SS16 may be their most editorial collection yet. As I said, what is key is the sensibility and the concepts at play, more than the clothes themselves - the debates, the discussions and questions that they encourage. But before the collection can float away entirely as something that is too conceptual and all idea and no substance, it is weighed down by dresses, shirts, suiting and knitwear that (much of) will fit immediately into wardrobes and an emphasis on making and craftsmanship that almost puts some couture to shame.

IMG_2622

IMG_2623

IMG_2624

IMG_2627

IMG_2629

IMG_2630

IMG_2632

IMG_2637

IMG_2638

IMG_2639

IMG_2640

IMG_2644

IMG_2645

IMG_2646

IMG_2652

IMG_2653

IMG_2648

IMG_2649

IMG_2650

IMG_2651

IMG_2654

IMG_2655

IMG_2656

IMG_2660

IMG_2661

IMG_2662

IMG_2663

IMG_2664

IMG_2666

IMG_2669
(In the Kerlin Art Gallery with food by Black Sheep Foods)

*

Liked this post? Want more?

Follow me here using google friend connect or bloglovin.

Or follow me on tumblr - twitter - facebook.