UALAR

 University of the Arts London is  the largest university in Europe which specializes in artdesign, fashion and the performing arts. It is a collegiate university with six constituent colleges: Camberwell College of ArtsCentral Saint MartinsChelsea College of Art and Design, the London College of Communication, the London College of Fashion and Wimbledon College of Art. It was a home away from home when I did my BA in Fashion Design and Marketing. I was very sad to leave UK when I graduated, but I connected with many of my British friends on Facebook.
One day I got an email from UAL about the Russian alumni group planning their first UALARM (University of the Arts London Alumni in Russia Market) market in Moscow. I signed up to participate because it's a great opportunity for UAL alumni to showcase my work in Russia and to promote it to general public.

The Market took place on May 23rd  at Powerhouse Moscow (who have kindly agreed to host the market) - a young and contemporary space based in a 19th century mansion at Goncharnaya with a wonderful open air backyard and lovely bar and kitchen. Graduates had an opportunity to do master classes, lectures and simply showcase their work. Journalists, designers, painters and various artistic crowd showed up at the market.
It was truly an honor for me to do a master class about fashion business and talk about the importance of business cards, blogs, how to create a perfect CV, how to write dissertations and finally how to find a job. I shared with the audience my own experience of looking for a job. I briefly talked about a company I am currently working for Fashion Consulting Group and an Internet Project  SHOPGIRLSF.com for whom I blog. And as a fashion designer, I presented several Iphone covers with my own prints which I started creating when I was a student. The crowd was very interested and supporting.

This was my first Master Class in my life, so I was very nervous in the beginning, but after the first 5 minutes there were so many excited people in front of me listening to what I was saying and, moreover, taking notes, that it filled me with so much confidence and allowed me to relax! I came home that day tired, but satisfied and the best part a lot of new people sent me messages on Facebook and Instagram thanking me for an interesting and informational master class. I was so glad that my presentation was clear, clever and useful for many.

So, if you ever in Moscow, definitely visit our market where you will meet UAL fashion marketers, interior, industrial and fashion designers, photographers and other professionals  from London! My next lecture is on 'The importance of social media in Fashion Business'. 

Our Facebook page UALARM
For any questions regarding UALAR please contact : ualrussiaalumni@gmail.com

Text Sirana Petrosyan

 

ALDA Modeling promotes plus-size models

These days, it seems like every way we turn there is a billboard, a magazine cover, a celebrity that makes the majority of us feel as though we need to cower from burgers and cuddle up to kale in order to lose those 10, 20, 30 pounds. Recently, however, there have been some strong new voices in the fashion industry preaching just the opposite and encouraging us to accept our bodies just the way they are. We are suddenly surrounded by beautiful women sporting sizes 12, 14, 16 garments and proving that beauty is truly independent of size. Whether it’s magazines, models, or fashion blogs, society is seeing a radical revolution in the way we define beauty.

Notable fashion magazines such as InStyle and Marie Claire have embraced the idea that curvy can be fashionable. With new segments catering to the size 12+ crowd and more and more magazines featuring plus size women on their covers, there’s no question that things are changing.

Varies blogs featuring plus size fashionistas  getting a lot of attention. As they do, it becomes easier for women of all sizes to embrace their curves by sporting the latest fashion trends.

http://www.aldawomen.com/

ALDA modeling agency was founded by Ashley Graham, Danielle Redman, Inga Eiriksdottir, Julie Henderson, and Marquita Pring after Ford modeling agency shut down its New York plus-sized division. And the best part? The agency not only supports the plus-size community, it encourages the idea of beauty at any size: petite, curvy, tall, narrow, wide, etc.

With plus-size models like Ashley Graham reaching supermodel status, young fashion hopefuls around the world are learning that beauty is not defined by size.

Text Mackenzie Stone

Remembering designer Alexander McQueen

 

From the recent talk with Lee McQueen's sister Janet, she shared about sexual abuse her brother went through. He was only 15 years younger than his sister at the time, he was only nine and abused by Jane's violent first husband. Janet found out only 4 years before his death. "It still is. How did I miss something like that? The day I was told I was shell-shocked.  Can you imagine leading a life for so many years, and then finding out something as bad as that? You just can't grasp it at first. Of course I felt guilt. Who wouldn't?" Janet told British Vogue

Photo credit: Rex Features

Photo credit: Rex Features

Janet believes what designer went through, being beaten by the same man so badly that she miscarried twice, is what inspired Lee to design for women what people would be "afraid of".

Isabella Blow with Lee McQueen in 2005Picture credit: Rex Features

Isabella Blow with Lee McQueen in 2005

Picture credit: Rex Features

Could the death of McQueen's mentor and long-time friend Isabella Blow, who died by her own hand shortly before he took his own life trigger the suicide of the designer?

"He never got over it," Janet said of Blow's suicide, which - contrary to rumors - she said Lee did not "blame himself" for. "He missed her immensely. She was a big part of his life. I always put Isabella between my mum and his sisters. She was sort of in the middle, a peg down from Mum.

 

Text Miles Socho

 

Sex and the city! Is it or isn't happening?

Sarah  Jessica Parker made everyone curious after posting a photo of her filming in NYC wearing heels and carrying a little brown bag. 

Well. I guess the cat’s out of the (little brown) bag.
As usual, we will keep you posted on every detail as we are able.
I’m under a strict gag order until then.
Xx, Sj
— @sarahjessicaparker

I guess secret is in that little brown bag. We'll just have to wait and see.

Text SHOPGIRLSF

Every Mother Counts Breakfast hosted by Rebecca Minkoff and Christy Turlington

The timing couldn't be more perfect as Mother's Day is around the corner. This morning in New York, Rebecca Minkoff and Christy Turlington Burns Hosting Every Mother Counts Breakfast  at the Rebecca Minkoff Flagship store. They will be discussing improving maternal health worldwide.

Photo by @rebeccaminkoff

Photo by @rebeccaminkoff

Photo by @cturlington

Photo by @cturlington

Good news this Mother’s Day! Up to 98% of maternal deaths are preventable. That means we CAN make pregnancy & childbirth safe for every mother. Please watch and share our video to prove #whatispossible when we focus our attention and resources on solvable issues.

Help @everymomcounts celebrate more mothers this Mother’s Day. Full film at link in bio.
— @cturlington
Photo by @rebeccaminkoff

Photo by @rebeccaminkoff

Mother’s Day is definitely one of my favorite holidays — and it’s not just because I get to eat pancakes in bed with my family. I love finding the perfect gift for my mom and all the other amazing women in my life, and having one day that’s 100 percent about them (ok fine, me too). To make this year super special, I’m sharing my personal picks for all the inspiring moms I know. Check ‘em out here!
— Rebecca Minkoff

Met Gala looks that Win our vote!

 

When the theme of the Gala is " China: Through the Looking Glass" stylists and their clients should think about the influence of Chinese aesthetics on Western fashion. It was important to reach for inspiration from the far East, but at the same time not look too traditional. Sadly to say they were only a few that could pull it off tonight.
 

Winner of tonight's Met Gala - Karolina Kurkova

Winner of tonight's Met Gala - Karolina Kurkova

Emily Ratajkowski celebrated the new exhibit in an elegantly embroidered dress by Topshop. Victoria's Secret Angel Lily Albridge showed up in a dove gray Carolina Herrera dress. No shortage of Chinese reds showed up on the red carpet, but the winner who took our vote is Karolina Kurkova. The model put her gorgeous legs on display in a Chinese-inspired Tommy Hilfiger mini-dress with a keyhole cutout at the bodice. She completed the piece with golden sandals that snaked up her legs.

Text Miles Socho                                       Images via Style.com

 

"Through the Looking Glass" is devoted to China

 
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Andew Bolton is recognized for having some of the most groundbreaking fashion exhibitions at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute's history.  But only recently he found out from Pierre Berge himself that Yves Saint Laurent's famous "Chinese" collection from 1977 was inspired not by the country but by a scene in a film made in Hollywood by an Austrian-born director and starring a German actress as a British prostitute: Joseph von Sternberg's "Shanghai Express", according to Business of Fashion.

 

Text Miles Socho                                                                                 Images via Vogue.com

For Andrew Bolton it was a confirmation that he had chosen the right theme for his next big exhibit. This year's show, Through the Looking Glass is devoted to China.

China is a huge market for fashion designers and as Bolton told BoF, "I wanted to show the reciprocal relationship between the East and West that has always existed" He is hoping to introduce a new way of looking at the relationship between the East and the West.

Monday night Gala organized by American Vogue editor and Conde Nast artistic director Anna Wntour will feature red carpet full of stars. Stay tuned for more to come.