An Afternoon With Lucinda

Let me introduce you to my dear friend, Lucinda. A graphic designer by day, a fashion devotee by night - I first met Lucinda when we were both contributing to On the Streets of Sydney, and since then have come to appreciate her also as a superb cook, an impressive baker, a leather designer, and a gifted writer. If you were to see Lucinda on the street you may recognise her by her all-black attire, notably recorded on her blog Thrift & Thread, but be sure to also look out for a creative leather accessory and a smile as sweet as pie. It felt selfish to keep Lucinda all to myself, so we caught up over lunch (Mexican, made by Lucinda of course!) to talk everything from cow hides to Kyoto.

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“Graphic designer by day, fashion obsessive by night” – what is it that draws you to fashion?

As a graphic designer I think of fashion as another medium of design. To me it’s wearable creativity capable of expressing personality.

What made you want to start your blog Thrift and Thread?

I suppose I wanted to acknowledge that fashion was something that I was very interested in. Even though it was something I was conscious of since I was a teenager, I’d never really explored it. But when I started reading fashion blogs I felt compelled to start my own. I wanted it to be a place where I could explore imagery and my interest in fashion apart from graphics.

How did you come up with the name Thrift and Thread?

I know ‘thrift’ is typically associated with thrift shopping but if you’ve followed my blog for a while, it’s obvious that I don’t do any vintage shopping (I still occasionally get amusing comments from people saying “great second hand find!” when I’m actually wearing designer pieces). I was thinking of the notion of thrift as in economy. For me this is something that’s important because I do have quite a minimal style and part of minimalisim is showing restraint, knowing when to go after something and when to not. So that was the ‘thrift’ part. The ‘thread’ is obviously associated with fashion but I also liked the idea of threads of conversation. Combined together it feels like a phrase, like a saying… and it alliterates!

Thrift & Thread

You have quite a distinct personal style, which comes through your blog – a monochromatic, minimal aesthetic – has this always been your style, or how did it develop?

I feel like it has been something I've always had within me even before I was regularly wearing black from my teens onwards. I'm a child of the late eighties and nineties and although I wasn't conscious of it, I'm sure the power-dressing of Alaïa and then the shift to minimalism in the nineties influenced me. When you wear black and deep colours it's about playing with silhouette and shape, and being pale, the contrast against the skin. It wasn’t until I started my blog that I really started thinking a lot about the way I put clothes together – I wasn’t very styled before, over time I started to think a lot more about the quality of the pieces I was buying and also the way I was combining it together.

Bill Blass said that “when in doubt, wear red.” What is your go-to outfit?

If in doubt, wear black! Preferably a black dress… I bought a Dion Lee dress from the Eyes Lie collection last year (see picture to the right) and I’ve worn it front ways, I’ve worn it backwards and it seems to be a piece that people find interesting because of all the zips; it’s quite revealing but at the same time has quite a structured, demure look that it sneaks up and surprises people – it’s a complete outfit in a dress.

You’re not only an admirer of design, but you also do a lot of “thrifting and threading” yourself. How did you begin to make your own designs?

If I go really far back, I’ve always been someone who just enjoys making things. I have memories of cutting pieces off my clothes when I was quite young to try and make a collage or a card for my mum. I would always be looking around for scissors and glue – I always had ideas of things I wanted to make. My mother taught me to sew at a really young age; I was probably making clothes for my dolls from when I was about five. But then it wasn’t something I did for a long time, until one of my sisters taught herself to use a sewing machine, I didn’t get back into it until she did. That was shortly before I started blog, and I just began to experiment. I did simple stuff to start, weaving together ribbons and then attaching zips and turning them into bags and then I pushed that further when I started going “ok, I can sew this material, can I sew leather?” And when I realised I could sew leather, provided I did it slowly and with a leather needle, that’s when I started to really experiment with my own designs.

Do you have any tips for people trying to make their own leather designs?

You definitely need to use a leather needle, and you also need to get a feel of what your machine can handle. When you buy your leathers you need to feel them and get a sense if it's something you’re going to be able to sew. And then you’ve got to think about the shapes and how you’re going to construct it. It really ends up being trial and error – most creative things I do, whether it’s design or cooking or sewing, I do by practice, by trial and error. I prefer to work that way.

Lucinda's accessories, taken at MBFWA last year, including the gold leather clutch she designed and made. 

What’s your design process?

I start with an idea. It probably ends up being a mash of a lot of different things that I’ve seen. For example, the gold bag that I made last year (see above picture), I came across a photograph of a vein of gold inside quartz. I already had the gold leather and originally I was going to do something very different with it. And then I started thinking about the raw edge of leather, because when you buy a whole skin you end up with – and this is not going to sound very nice – you end up with the edge where the hide has been cut away from the animal. Often that gets discarded, but I actually quite like it especially with the gold which has been foil-blocked onto the leather and starts flaking off at the edges of the hide. So I had this idea of wanting to create something that looked organic, with angles and the raw edge like a vein of gold blending into quartz.

If given an unlimited budget, what are the first three things you would buy?

1. An industrial sewing machine. 2. Some couture wonder by Gareth Pugh. 3. A plane ticket to somewhere in Latin America.

What is the back story of this photo (left) from your blog?

I took this at Fushimi Inari-taisha, which is south of the main city of Kyoto. That was probably my favourite place I went to when I was in Japan [on holiday in November 2012]. It’s a hillside covered with torii gates. In Shinto torii gates are very important, they’re like a portal to a spiritual world. And this is a hillside that is just covered with torii – thousands, and thousands, and thousands of gates. At some points they’re so packed together it feels like you’re walking through a vermillion tunnel. And at other times they’re more spaced out – you’re walking around this beautiful forest following a path of torii and every so often you see little shrines where people are lighting incense and offering prayers. I enjoyed it because it gave me the chance to think and reflect, which was something that I really wanted to get out of my trip. I came back from Japan, and my headspace was totally different.

How did you learn to make such delicious Mexican food?

In Mexico! I lived and studied there for a year. Up until recently I’ve never really looked around for Mexican recipes. I learnt by watching my housemates – I lived with ten other Mexican girls – and I would watch them cook, then I would go out, buy ingredients and copy their dishes.

If you were re-incarnated as an animal, what would it be?

I always loved lions and as it turns out, my star sign is Leo.

What are you looking forward to this year?
I hope to either take or plan a decent holiday to anywhere (or everywhere) in Latin America.

Fill in the blanks

I love the sight of (whatever I see while travelling), but dislike (the sight of my bank account afterwards).

I love the feel of (sand), but dislike the feel of (direct sun).

I love the sound of (the anticipation of an orchestra tuning), but dislike the sound of (breathing).

I love the smell of (leather), but dislike the smell of (pleather).

I love the taste of (aniseed), but dislike the taste of (liquorice tea).

--- Thriftandthread.com ---

Amit (founder of P'nache)

Amit is the founder of P'nache, the newest addition to the dense restaurant population in The Spot, Randwick. Just over a week old,  P'nache promises a groovy ambience, ethical eating, and a menu of culturally inspired "gourmet like never before" (be sure to add a side of nacho fries and freshly squeezed lemonade)!

What inspired you to open P'nache?

It's a funny story actually, 'cause the guy who inspired me to open P'nache just came in. His name is Sam Prince - he was a medical student as well and he opened up Zambrero which is a fresh Mex grill chain, it's on Oxford st and it's a pretty big chain now. He basically gave me the idea one time I got rostered onto a rotation with him at a general practice. I always wanted to start a business when I was 14, I used to sell earrings and copyright CD's and stuff like that. I was a medical student for three years and I decided that I wanted to do community medicine which basically you need a lot of money for, or you rely of government funding, but that's a bit tight so basically I thought it would be a good way to take a few years off, do what I wanted to do in business and use it for medical stuff as well. And I like burgers and shakes and everything so I wanted to open it up. I ran it across Sam Prince and he told me he actually did it so it was really good that he could guide me a little bit. So now we're open!

What's your favourite item on the menu? Probably the honeycomb season milkshake - I'm a big milkshake fan.

How long has Panache been in the planning for? It's been planned since last year, July.

I've noticed that you have a lot of Mexican themed items on your menu, do you take inspiration from any particular places?

We try to make it modern Australian - so we have some Thai, we've got a Thai vegetable pattie, a mediteranean vegetable pattie, some Mexican with sourcream and guacamole... Another theme we try and do is the movement called ethical omnivorism where basically you only try to eat meat where you know how it was raised and if it was raised well. So all the animal products we use, I've actually visited the farms myself. I've driven there and seen it... the stock density and the technical stuff.

If you had to describe Panache in three words? Gourmet, ethical, and awesome.

If you were reincarnated as a burger, which one would you want to be?

It would probably be the Mine & Kuulz - my girlfriend's name is Kuulz, I named it with me and her in it. It's a lamb burger - it's got basil pesto and hommus in it, so it's a good combination.

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P'nache

49 Perouse Road, Randwick (The Spot) 

(02) 9398 7496

Website

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Liam

Liam Ambrose's artwork Memory Box (2011) was featured in the COFA Annual exhibition. See the video here. 

What course are you graduating from? 
I did a Bachelor of Fine Arts and and I'm actually doing painting and drawing - I wanted to try something else.

What's your artwork about?
It's about the layering and filtering of memory over time. As it gets further away from the source of the memory it becomes blurred and distorted.

How did you go about making the film? 
The film is based on still images - photographs which I've taken over roughly the last 10 years. I went through and picked ones that stood out to me and I went back to the place a tried to recreate it as a moving image. It's also about the relationship between still image and moving image.

Where did you have to revisit to make the film? 
Lots of the South Coast - I grew up surfing down there; the Royal National Park; [points to film] that's my parents' house; Robertson.

How did you come up with the idea of using the projector? 
I did a smaller scale thing about 3 years ago - it was a little box with just one silk screen and I had it on a slide projector and I projected just portraits that  I'd shot of my friends into it. Then I put that aside for a few years. It was something that I wanted to come back to and I thought that I should do it, whilst I have so many resources at the university.

What inspires you? 
Experimentation - people just trying something else.

What is next for Liam?
I'm not sure yet. I'm going to do honors... and I'm not sure after that.

Sophie Koh

Lo-Fi - Sophie Koh (warning: super addictive!) 

Sophie Koh is back! And after hearing Lo-Fi, the first single from Oh My Garden (Koh's first album since 2008 to be released in February next year), we hope she never leaves us for this long again!

What inspires you? Food, people, love and clothes, and art.

Favourite artist? It changes all the time but at the moment it's Bat for Lashes - she's amazing. I listen to everything at the moment, I listen to classical music a lot... my radio in the car is always on talk-back or classical. 

What has been your most exciting collaboration so far? Ben [Lee] was the most exciting so far... very inspirational. He taught me a lot about the business of music and [there's a reason why he's so famous].

If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Vietnamese pho - I love broth.

What influence did your collaboration on 'She Will Have Her Way - Songs of Neil and Tim Finn' have on your career?

I was actually a last minute call up for that one. They had two spots left... I think Missy Higgins took mine which was 'Stuff and Nonsense' [which] was my favourite Finn song and so I was like, let's go for the rockiest, kind of weirdest song, which is 'Charlie'... and that album has put my name [out there], people know it - it's in their CD collections.

Why did you join a dance group [Koh's dance group features in her videoclip Lo-Fi]?

Because I really love to dance but I don't know how to... Not because I want to be on stage, but partly for my own self enjoyment. I love dancing shows, I watch them religiously... I just want to move.

Why did you choose Piedimonte's supermarket as a location to shoot Lo-Fi?

It's just where I shop. 

Who choreographed the dance moves for Lo-Fi?

My dance teacher who's never done any choreography on a clip before, and we've never danced in a clip before.

If you could give everyone in the world something, what would it be?

A ukelele

Favourite key to compose in? A minor

Sophie Koh

David

David is the chef at Flying Squirrel Tapas Parlour in Bondi - yum! 

If you could give one thing to everyone in the world, what would it be? A laugh.

What's your favourite food? At the moment, brown rice.

Top three bands at the moment? Queens of the Stone Age, Tool and Ten Foot Pole.

If you could tint the world one colour, what would it be? Blue.

What inspires you? I guess, just people having fun.

What made you decide to become a chef? It was probably more an accident than a dream. My girlfriend was doing chef school and it was just an easy way to have the same hours.

What's your favourite thing to cook? I don't know - I like to change it up.

If you woke up in a different city tomorrow morning, where would you want it to be? Somewhere in the south of France.

Why the moustache? Just because I can.

Joshua Sofaer

Joshua Sofaer is an artist based in the UK, particularly acting as a curator, producer and director of many large scale projects and events which explore the ideas of collaboration, public participation, and that of the artist as a leader and leadership as change. Sofaer is currently an artist fellow on the Clore Leadership Programme and is the first and current Thinker in Residnece at Carriageworks.

What inspires you?
Lots of things, really. I think one of the things that really inspires me is the sense of satisfaction that you get when people are understanding what you're doing. And I'm working towards feeling that feeling, I suppose. Actually, everything in life inspires me.

What was the first thing that made you realise that, wow, I really want to do this? 
I don't know if there's any one origin point but I've always been kind of doing stuff like this. My initial training was in theatre and then I went to art college afterwards. I had both a kind of training in performance and training in fine arts. And I think my work's kind of come together somewhere in between the two.

What has been the most exciting project so far? What project are you most proud of? 
The things that I'm most proud of are the people that have participated. It's them that makes me proud. But in a selfish way, the most exciting thing was working on this project [SFMOMA Scavengers, 2006], in the Museum of Modern Art in San Francisco when we finished the scavenger hunt and at midnight we had to start installing the exhibition and the whole technical team was there overnight, for the entire night, making the exhibition. And it just felt like everything was coming together. That was a very exciting moment.

Why was it important to make the prize giving at the end of the scavenger hunt so vulgar? 
I wanted to get some kind of edge in it. It wasn't just about people enjoying themselves. There's no critical state if people are just enjoying themselves - there's no movement. So, by creating a spectacle where you're giving one person, or one group of people, a cash prize (£2000) and everyone else gets nothing, it is vulgar. So, it's a kind of a comment.

The idea of a name has been explored significantly throughout history and by artists (such as Sofaer's Name in Lights, 2007 and Rooted in the Earth, 2009), does your name have a particular meaning?
My name, Joshua, has the same derivation as the name Jesus so it means 'Saviour.' And my name Sofaer is a very specific family name, it's an English transliteration of an Arabic pronunciation of a Hebrew word that means 'Scribe.'

| Joshua Sofaer |

Tom and Will, first in line for the iPhone 4S

Tom and Will are currently the first in line waiting outside for the release of the iPhone 4S, at the Apple store in Sydney city, which will be on sale from tomorrow (Friday, 14/10/2011) at 8am. They have been there since 10:30am, on Tuesday.

Tom (@Tom_Mosca)

Why is it so important to be here?

Because it's the next step in Apple iPhone products, so you know, I'm going get it

What did you think when you found out that Steve Jobs had passed away?

SteeeeeeeveEEE!

What other Apple products do you own? 

Laptops; phone; all the cases and adaptors - all that kind of stuff; iPad 

What do you think Apple means to the world now? Why is it worth waiting out here, why are there so many people inside this store?

Because Apple technology is unique from any other brand. They think outside the box... new and unique ideas

What is the first thing you will do when you get your iPhone 4S?

I'll set up Siri, and I'll probably say "Siri, I love you"

Will (@Willbatterham)

What do you think is great about the iPhone 4S?

I just really want to get it, and I like Siri

What was your first Apple product?

Macbook

What is your favourite Apple product?

Everything

What do you think Apple means for the world now, why is it so important?

Because Steve Jobs has changed the world, pretty much

Claire Westover, 2 years on

Photo by Oly Begg

What do you think of when you remember 2009? I remember saying it was my last hard party before year 12 - didn't happen

Best book you've ever read and why? The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton. [It] just gave you a lot to think about.

Favourite foods? Tacos; my mother's chicken and leek pie; avocado on toast with taco sauce

Favourite make-up product? Liquid eye-liner

What is the first thing you think of when you wake up? Nothing special, general plans for the day - I always make to-do lists

What's the last thing you think about before you fall asleep? "Time to give up on the internet"

If you could give advice to your younger self, what would it be? Just relax, things will get better

Best sauce? Anything with garlic - I love garlic

What's something you've done recently that you're proud of? 

It's not something that I've really done, I've just changed my outlook on life. Just do what makes you happy; nothing is so bad that you can't get through it - don't panic... I can also blow smoke rings, that's pretty cool

Favourite plant? Passionfruit vines and coriander

Favourite planet? I'd have to say Saturn... God liked it so much he put rings on it. Also, it has a pretty symbol

How wide are the plugs in your ears? They're 8mm at the moment but I'm upsizing to 10 next week 

What was the last dream you had? I was playing monopoly with friends and some seedy ass guy came along and tried to steal all the pretend money. I chased after him and screamed at him to give it back like it was real money that he was taking

Put your music on shuffle - what's the first song that comes up and why is it there? 

Brulee by Ratatat - sometimes you just enjoy a song without lyrics. Sometimes you want to add your own story to the song

Favourite artists? Frida Kahlo, Banksy, Rohan Anderson, Sara Blake

If you were an animal, what would you be? An owl, of course

Next tattoo? A big owl on my thigh

When was the last time you were really shocked? When I saw my friend who's been overseas for a year and I didn't know she was back - best surprise ever

Favourite chocolate? Any dark chocolate, really

Favourite musical key? Anything in a minor key, I find them far more interesting than major

Best concerts you've ever been to? Top 2: Sound Relief when the Presets played because there was a big thunderstorm and everyone was dancing in the rain. And Coldplay, where all the butterflies came out 

What's something that you've done that you never expected to do? I was vegetarian for a while 

If you could only eat at one cafe/restaurant/person's cooking for the rest of your life, where would it be? There's a few: Harold Park Hotel in Glebe, Barzura in Coogee, and home - nothing beats mum's cooking

Favourite quote? Douglas Adams, "Time is an illusion, lunch time is doubly so"- from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galazy

Favourite number? 9

Marty Webster

FILM Vanessa Low 
MUSIC 'Can I Borrow These Words' by From Trees 
FILMED AT  Tastevin 
SPECIAL THANKS to Gemma Flynn 


Marty Webster is the head chef of the French restaurant and wine bar Tastevin (which recently placed second for People's Choice in Time Out Sydney's food awards). He is also a musician, performing under the name 'From Trees,' and next year will be off to France!

Favourite food? My favourite food is spaghetti bolognese, but it has to be made by someone's mum. It can't just be any sort of spaghetti Bolognese - it's always better when it's made by someone's mum. And I love [that] it's always different... sometimes there's capsicum in it, mushrooms in it, that's my favourite thing. Peas and spices, it changes with every mum and I love that. It's really good.

What's something you're looking forward to? Next year I'll being going to France for my first time

What inspires you? Everyday, music is one of my greatest influences and has been for a really long time. So often my life experiences and the past, or my present life experiences, or future life experiences is what influences my music, hugely. In cooking, again it's what I feel... what mood I'm in is what I cook.

If you could wake up tomorrow in a another city, where would you want it to be and why?
Anywhere in France. Maybe Lyon, I'm really excited for this city, I hear the food there is amazing, the culture is amazing.

If you could bring one fictional character to life, who would it be and why?
Can I be creepy and say Tyler Durden [from Fight Club]... he would be a really animated character to meet

Can you explain the process of how you write a song from inspiration to the final recording.
I write basically what i feel at the moment. Lyrics in my songs change hugely throughout the creative process. I basically will start playing something that sounds good and that I enjoy... and whatever words come to me at the moment is what the general idea of the song will be. Then throughout I'll adapt to have the lyrics make more sense or to have the lyrics rhyme better. And then finally, recording is where it becomes tricky because often you're working with other people where they're going to poke a couple of holes in something you're really proud of. But that's part of the process as well... the final thing is someone else's imput on whether the song's good or not.

If you were a serial killer, what would your trademark be?
If I was a serial killer, or what is my trademark?... I'd be a calling card kind of a serial killer. Maybe I'd leave... a whisk by the side... It'd be something hilarious.

What's your favourite chord?
A C major chord... So many songs are based around the C chord

If you could tint the world one colour, what would it be? Probably blue. A really nice sky blue over everything.

From Trees  / Tastevin

An Afternoon With Sharon

Music Tuolumne - Eddie Vedder

Where is home? Adelaide

What do miss most about Sydney? My friends

If you were a musical instrument, which would you be? Flute

Favourite place in the world and why? Malaysia, because that's where my parents grew up and where most of my family are. And of course, for the food.

If you could buy one thing for everyone in the world, what would it be? Shoes. Everyone needs a good pair of shoes

Favourite Wii game: Mario Kart

What was something you recently did that made you feel really proud? I moved to a new city, without any connections, on my own

If you could tint the world one colour, what would it be? Yellow

I love: shoes and coats (possessions). Travelling, swimming, dancing, singing, doodling (activities). Stamps, jewellery, fortunes from fortune cookies, soft toys, hard drives and usb's (collections)

Favourite time of the day and why? Bed time, which for me is movie time

When I grow up I would like be: a lot of things. At this stage, I'm working towards being a neuroscientist

The most recent pair of shoes you bought? Thigh high purple suede heeled boots

My favourite food is: I don't know what it's called - but they're crunchy noodles and on top was some kind of thick soupy sauce. In it was chicken, fishcake, Chinese spinach... but the main point was that the noodles were still crunchy when you ate it... it's really good

As a child I thought: I would be a ballerina but at the same time a lawyer

If you could swap lives with someone else for one day, who would it be? Galileo

Favourite musicians? Yiruma, Lady Antebellum, Celine Dion, Death Cab for Cutie, Iron & Wine, Joshua Radin, Secondhand Serenade, Norah Jones etc

If you were a serial killer, what would your trademark be? A shoe

Little Mons✝ers

Why do you love Lady Gaga? How could you not love Lady Gaga? I mean, she's amazing in every form of way possible

What did you think of the concert? Well basically I'm left speechless and, you know, and I'm going to hunt her after so I mean, you know of course I loved it. If she just sat there, you know, and was reading a book, you know, I'd still be going crazy

Jen Bern

photograph Lewis Mirrett

Fill in the blanks: My name is (Jennifer Bernstein), and I am an (artist) from (Toronto, Canada). The first thing I think about in the morning is (usually yoga and meditation and starting the day off on a good note) and the last thing I think about before I fall asleep is (how to calm my mind before sleep. (I get a lot of my ideas from dreams... it's important for me to remember them as much as possible and be aware of what I am dreaming about.))

Your body of work incorporates a variety of materials, styles and techniques, such as photography, drypoint etching, relief printing and the use of both paper and fabric - when and how did you learn to printmake? 
One of the great things about being at a fine arts university is that you have access to incredible studios and professors who are extremely experienced and influential artists. I think it was just a natural progression for me to move forward into the printmaking field. But I really learned about the process and technique through school.

What inspires you? My inspiration usually comes from fleeting moments or things that are overlooked, marketplaces, people, stillness, dreams, the list is long!

What is the process, from idea to completed work, of how you create a print?
I tend to let things happen organically but when I am doing print related work I try to have an idea of what an image might look like. Before I got into print, my illustration work already incorporated a lot of elements of printmaking, especially layering - which translated really well once I moved more into print. I sort of look forward to mistakes, or happy accidents, because that is usually the turning point for me when I can put together a final piece.

Last year you travelled to Italy - what were the top three things you liked about your trip?
After I did my first year of university, I woke up one morning with this very strong desire to move to Italy. I found myself on a plane not very long after that and ended up taking 2 years off from school to continue exploring Italy and other parts of Europe. I was working at a holistic retreat centre [Jen has recently returned to Italy and is currently working at the same place] and I feel really grateful to have had a non-touristy experience. If I had to pick 3 things...
1) The village I was living in - everyone is in everyone's business, the older women gather on the same stairs everyday at 4:30 and share the gossip; cows and sheep would be in the middle of the street; down the street from where I was living there is an area that's like a bath/fountain combined where we get fresh mountain water. All of these small elements added up to one big thing that really made me re-evaluate the pace in which I was moving and living my life.
2) the food!
3) learning the language also really enabled me to be fully immersed in the culture and I was able to connect with people in more remote villages who don't speak a lot of english - pretty wonderful stories!

Can you tell us the backstory behind this picture? 

I took this at the centre where I work. In June we have a summer solstice festival that revolves around meditation, dance, yoga, and just celebrating life with good friends and good food. This is my friend Meera, from India, making a mandala with rangoli powder (the pigment).

What is your favourite book and why?
I love reading... and it is so hard for me to pick one. But one of my many favourites is Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts. Firstly, his life story is pretty unbelievable, and his writing is so powerful. Reading Shantaram was like going on a journey, and there are so many points in the book where I wanted to stop and record what he says because it's so true, raw and beautiful.
 
Have you always desired to be an artist, how have you got to where you are now - what has been your journey so far? 
I have definitely always wanted to make art. I am very lucky to have such supportive parents - they really instilled a lot of trust in me and let me carve my own path. I was choosing to go in a direction that may have been seen as "unconventional" but that would make me happy and my family just encouraged that. That truly made all the difference.

If you could buy one thing for everyone in the world, what would it be? Crayons - it's important to embrace your inner child.

What roles do India and Africa play in the creation of your works? What draws you to these two cultures? 
It's so hard for me to find the words to answer this. A part of me wants to say that my experiences while traveling really solidified this connection... but at the same time I think it runs a lot deeper. I am still trying to navigate my way through this pull and am continually exploring this through my work.

Something that I always look forward to is: traveling.

If you could only eat one food or from one restaurant or one person's cooking for the rest of your life, what would it be? 
I love fruit, and I would probably not be able to give up berries, mango or watermelon. But if I had to choose someone's cooking, it would probably be a family friend from Israel - her name is Basia, and when it comes to food, whatever she makes is magic.

Do you have a favourite artist or art period? It's hard for me to pick... I love art history and there have been so many incredible artists before me but there is also something to be said about many of the contemporary artists today.

Imagine that you are a dj to the world - list 5 songs/artists/albums that you think everyone should listen to and why. Wow, this is a hard question indeed. Okay... 1) Harvest Moon by Neil Young - an always favourite of mine. And since I'm having difficulty with this one, I'll just tell you what I'm listening to right now: 2) Canadian musician Charlotte Cornfield. She is so honest with her music. Listening to her is a beautiful experience. 3) Right now I'm listening to Foster the People a lot... definitely worth a listen, it's good summer music. I like the songs Waste, Don't Stop (Colour On the Walls), Pumped Up Kicks and Helena Beat. 4) Another really wonderful up and coming Canadian artist is Ben Caplan. He has a lot of solo stuff but he also has a band called Ben Caplan and the Casual Smokers. What a voice! If you give him a listen, you'll know what I mean. 5) I'm sure many people are already listening to them, but I have to say Mumford & Sons.

You have done some collaboration with the photographer Matin Zad (example on left), how did this collaboration emerge and what are the benefits of working in a team? 
Matin and I met in our first year at OCAD (Ontario College of Art and Design), we were in the same drawing class. We were always supportive of each others work and the collaboration just sort of happened once I came back to school this past year. I think working in a team, regardless of the field you're in is incredibly important. It's so good to be challenged, to find new ways of looking at something, to trust someone else and their ideas, to just let go and see what you have the capability to create when working with someone else.

What's next?
I am open to whatever should unfold! But for now, I am really happy to be back in school. Ideally, I would love to continue building a life for myself that allows me to see as much of the world as possible, while telling stories of my experiences in life through art.

jen-bern.blogspot.com + flickr

Matt Walters

Carla, Miranda and I first saw Matt play at the Metro in 2009 when he was the support for Jenny Lewis. We've been hooked ever since. Who was this singer who threw off his harmonica in frustration, sang such delicate narratives and worked the guitar with such talent? Two years later now, after many more support acts, Matt has brought out his first album since, and after living off the four songs on his 'Echo On' EP and past albums, it can be said that it was well worth the wait. Carla, Miranda and I interviewed him after his first headline show, at the Vanguard, for the release of his new album, 'Farewell Youth.'

How does it feel having your first headline show? 

Very overwhelming. It's just been a beautiful journey. You do what you love and what you're passionate about and good things come; good people come into your life. I'm really interested in doing a career so the way I'm going about it is exactly how I want to go about it. Put music out and play the shows, put another album out and just keep going. 

You mentioned [during the performance] having difficulty with recording albums. (Matt has already made two: 'Like Therapy' (2001) and 'The Moon, the Stars, the People')

Well, 'Like Therapy' - I was fifteen when I made that. It was terrible. Then I quit for a while and went to uni and then I couldn't take it anymore. 

What did you study at uni?

Film, at RMIT in Melbourne. I wanted to be a filmmaker.

How has your album making journey been? How many have you made, or tried to make? 

Well, when I got signed back in '08, we tried to make it in London. That didn't work out. I just wasn't happy with it. Then, in Sydney we gave it a shot, and then Melbourne, and then I headed back to Sydney and made it - and that was that record. It felt right and good... I wanted to be happy with it and it took me a while to get to that point. 

Where does the title 'Farewell Youth' come from? 

For me, I feel completely different about where I'm at and who I am now. So at twenty-five, I feel very comfortable, feel very happy to be doing what I'm doing, don't really care what other people think as much. Younger years are filled with a lot of anxiety... so it's about all that stuff - anxiety, self consciousness. But now I feel really happy to be alive and really loving what I do, and I love music. So it's all the stuff that came out of that time. Also, it's a really pop-y record, for me. 

What do you think about when you're on stage? What does it feel like?

It's f**king weird. I feel like a bit of a clown. But I've gotten better at trying to enjoy playing the song. 

Do you have a favourite song to play? St Peter's Gate

What are your inspirations? Books, a lot. Other music, definitely. 

What was the last book you read? A music biography about a band called the Blue Nile. I love music biographies, I really like non-fiction. 

What's your songwriting process? Painful. I get an idea - so that as well is part of the Farewell Youth thing - an idea would circulate in my mind for a while. And I'm not a very proactive person with creativity. In every other aspect of my life - I have a really clean room, I'm not an all-over-the-shop person. But with creativity I'm completely all over the shop. So, I'll get an idea, think about it, then I'll doubt it, and I'll think 'Oh, it's actually pretty good,' well maybe that theory could work. So it's slow. I'm trying to get a little quicker at it. So those songs [on Farewell Youth] are over of couple years.

Is it like being a perfectionist? Maybe. You just feel right when it's cooked. It's like being a chef, I guess - you know when it's right and ready to do something. There's nothing worse than having something that's undercooked.  

Where's your favourite place in the world? New York City

Who've you enjoyed working with the most? 

Meg Washington was pretty cool, she's very talented. Kim Richey, on the album. Pete Karpin, who signed me at Universal, he's amazing. 

Where do you hope to be in five years time? I move to the States next year. So I guess, I'll be there.

Where abouts? I'm going to be based in Austin, TX for a while - there's a really cool music scene there. Also, I just did a publishing deal, so I'll be writing a lot of songs for other people as well as myself. 

Myspace

Alex Trimmer, designer of SOSUME

Sourcing eco-conscious materials from across the globe, SOSUME designs tread lightly on the earth. Alex Trimmer, the brains behind the three year old Melbourne-based label, tells of the journey so far...

Fill in the brackets: My name is (Alex Trimmer) and SOSUME in three words for me would be (sophisticated), (timeless), (understated)

Put your itunes on shuffle - what is the first song that plays and explain why it is there/why do you like it.
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – Ain’t No Easy Way. It’s there because my mate used to make these amazing mixes for us all when we backpacked. This was the second track… It’s a good sounding track, what can I say?

You originally have a degree in commerce - have you always been drawn to fashion, or has your involvement begun recently?

I’ve always had an appreciation for some types of fashion but yes, I’ve only been seriously drawn to it in recent years, since the inception of SOSUME.

What is the best piece of advice you've been given?

Go with your gut and know how to turn negatives into positives.

SOSUME was established in 2008 - can you recap where the idea first came from and how it was evolved?

I saw a gap in the market for contemporary sustainable fashion. I remember always seeing very dull, clichéd garments that were claiming to be organic or “green” in some way or another. The fabrics were coarse and the drape was unflattering. I embarked on a mission to source sublimely soft jersey that are cashmere to the touch and are sustainable, even more so than organic cotton. I’ve evolved over the seasons and offer a larger range of styles with varying sustainable fabrics.

If I could only eat at one cafe/restaurant/friend's kitchen forever, it would be: my mother would rank highly although I would have to say Il Solito Posto in Melbourne

Why is 100% Australian manufacturing important to SOSUME?

It’s about quality control, flexibility in manufacturing cycles and processes, keeping the Aussie textile manufacturing industry alive, supporting Aussie jobs, minimising freight costs (and pollutants!), and retaining relationships.

What inspires you?

What I see on the street through to history and even costume design from old films. Everything really. Colour usually comes from interesting interiors- they always seem to nail colour coordination.

Fill in the brackets: As a child, I really liked (BMX bikes), and hated (spiders)

If you were reincarnated as a character from a book/film/myth, who would you want to be?

A bird. Flying is awesome.

SOSUME's designs use emu leather from North Queensland, lyocell (made from vegetable matter/wood pulp) from South Korea, micro modal (made from 100% beach wood cellulose) from France, GOTS certified sheep wool from Uruguay and PETA certified raw silk from India - What is the importance of sourcing ecologically conscious materials, particularly for the fashion industry?

It’s showing that you don’t have to sacrifice your current style to wear sustainable clothes. All of these fabrics have beneficial properties such as high breathability, good absorption rates, warmth, comfort, etc, not to mention have significantly reduced water consumption, potential landfill issues, and reduced chemical runoffs to their conventional counterparts.

My favourite place in the world is: New York

What actions have you taken to reduce your personal carbon footprint?

Well I started an eco-friendly company in the hope to take over the market share of other non-sustainable companies… besides that I sold my car, work close to where I live, wear a lot of my own designs and use energy saving lights throughout my house!

What is your favourite piece from SOSUME's newest collection? Why?

The Long Coat (see middle picture below) because I’ve never made a piece like it and it feels so dramatic. When someone wears it, they look so powerful and dominant.

If you could make a public holiday, what would it be called and what would the day's customs involve?

I would make a public holiday the day after another current public holiday and call it “another day off” and you wouldn’t have to do a thing. Everyone loves 4 days off ☺

Describe the process, from inception to the final product, of how your designs are made.

Source inspiration (history, interiors), sketch and annotate images, discuss with pattern maker, go to toile, fit, correct if needed, go to first sample, fit, correct if needed, go to second sample, fit, should not need any corrections. Duplicate for sales and press, then start showings! Apply to about 40 designs and hey presto!

From where does the name "SOSUME" originate?

“So sue me”. It was first reaction to the fact that someone in Canada had the naming rights to my original brand name idea!

If you could only wear one outfit for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Hmmm, white tee, black jeans, leather jacket, and desert boots. Seems like that would work. Or Pyjamas- gotta be comfortable!

Do you have a favourite artist/artwork?

I actually love a lot of the works you see in cafés around the neighbourhoods of different cities.

Where do you see SOSUME this time in 3 years?

I would like to see a collaboration of some sort, whatever that might entail. I would also like to expand my Australian wholesale accounts, not to mention keep slugging away in the US. I would love to see a following from Europe but I’m really interested in expanding in East and South East Asia first.

If you were a serial killer, what would your trademark be?

A smiley face- it creeps me out.

SOSUME website