Crafting On Live TV!

Last week I was invited onto The Islam Channel to demonstrate some crafts live on air. I've never done live television before and I'm always up for promoting the world of making stuff so of course I said yes. The programme I appeared on is a daily lifestyle show called Living The Life. Each episode has special guests talking about specific topics. My craft segment followed on from a short film they showed about women in Syria who make and sell handicrafts to earn their own income. 
I spoke about the rise of crafts in the UK, The Make Escape craft night that I run and then got the presenters and other guests to make their own crafts.

The Islam Channel's offices are based in London, near Old Street. But as the show was aired at 7pm, it was pretty empty when I arrived. The channel has been in existence for 10 years, has approx 2.5million viewers in the UK and is broadcast in 136 countries. Wow!

Here's a peak at the studio where recordings are made which I took while waiting to go on air.

The other two guests were Imran Pasha, Head of Retail Banking at the Islamic Bank of Britain and also Ibrahim Thompson, Independent Financial Advisor, Citi Group. This was them waiting in reception. They had no idea what they were about to be involved in, having been booked to chat about 'professional stuff.'

Later they were asked to get busy with their hands. They both created their own canvas artworks with ribbons, trims and double-sided tape. If and when I get hold of a DVD copy of the show I'll try and add in a screen grab of what they made.

Although I don't generally cover my hair, I do when it's appropriate and I did for this in order to appeal to the viewer and to respect them and the channel. I actually enjoy wearing a headscarf, it's remarkably comfortable although on the tubes (London Underground trains) it did get a bit hot. It also opens up a whole new world of opportunity when it comes to styling and accessorising and as for the ways you can wear one...the creative options are endless. 

The good news is the team and producers liked me and have invited me to come back - so more crafty TV appearances to come soon, yay! 

The Islam Channel can be viewed in the UK on Sky, channel 813. 

British Asian Fashion: Has it finally got its own identity?

Asiana Couture Catwalk (L-R Mani Kohli Khubsoorat, Ashan's and Aada by Gudu G) Image: Rafyl

I've recently entered my 5th year of working on a British Asian fashion magazine. I've lost count of how many fashion catwalk shows I've been to, the number of trend reports I've written and the thousands of images I've sifted through. 

The fabrics, designs, colours and embellishments are always extraordinary but unless you pay attention to detail, it's hard to sometimes tell them apart. There are some key designers who set the trends each season but over and over again you see the same things happening. It's like fashion in general: trends go around in circles so to someone who doesn't know much about Asian fashion their immediate reaction may be...'it all looks the same'...and truth be told I wouldn't blame them. 

If you were to look back at the last decade of British Asian fashion you'll spot similar things occurring: red Latin inspired ball gowns, red and gold churidar suits, heavy Mughal embroidery...is it because British designers are too lazy to start setting new trends, they keep going back to the old ones?

This doesn't happen in India; their designers seem to be far more progressive. Take Manish Arora...

These snaps were taken at Paris Fashion Week earlier this month and customary with his signature style they are are bright, quirky and have personality.

Similarly the calibre of designers who exhibited at Lakme Fashion Week in India also in March this year were at the top of their game for being influential. In fact if the mainstream fashion press ever do want to look at the what's happening in South Asian fashion they'll go straight to these established designers in India and won't even thinking about looking at UK talent.

Well it's time they did. 

A couple of weeks ago a new kind of fashion show took place in Birmingham bringing with it evidence that British based Asian designers are finally realising the importance of developing their own style. The Asiana Couture Catwalk held at Edgbaston Cricket Stadium was a showcase of contemporary fashion for men and woman and for the first time showed signs of originality and 'trends' emerging which could so easily impact on the wider, mainstream fashion industry.

I felt the standards were good enough to compete on an international scale. I don't mean that to sound patronising...I just honestly think the clothes have got better to the point they don't look like 'British Asian clothes for British Asian people', but have wider appeal. 

Here are some of the outfits to explain what I mean:

Mani Kohli - Khusboorat (London)

Bombay Stores (Bradford)

Gul's Style (Ilford)

Adaa by Gudu G (Birmingham)

Arinder Bhullar

Kiran's Creations

Ahsan's (Birmingham)

Kyles Collection (London - jewellery)

There is absolutely no reason a Western A'list celebrity shouldn't wear one of the bold, red evening dresses by Kiran's Creations, that a slender popstar star can't wear the gold lace catsuit by Gudu G or a British woman of any ethnicity wear one of the floaty, summer festival themed kaftans available from Bombay Stores. 

Similarly I've met white English men fascinated by Asian men's sherwanis - they aren't all cream and gold and made for weddings; this darker pair have a smart theme to them which could easily crossover as an 'acceptable' form of menswear in public by again, a man of any ethnicity, without him looking like he's just come back from travelling, or leads an alternative/New Age lifestyle.

So what does this actually mean and does it matter?

Well sadly I think we are still many years away from a mainstream Western fashion magazine featuring clothes by Asian designers...but if these designers continue to keep their standards high, try and push boundaries and 'design' rather than copy each other or rely on past collections then I hope one day they'll gain wider recognition and become a more valued part of the British Asian industry as a whole. 

And that's just for starters...

As for what I wore to the fashion show, I'm currently going though what I'm calling my orange 'Oompa Loompa' phase and this ensemble kind of just came together from things already in my wardrobe. I'm pictured with the best-dressed man at the show, jewellery designer Anees Malik. Whenever I see him he always looks unique, also I so rarely meet (or see) Asian men that have perfected their own original image so he deserve a special mention!

If you're interested in finding out more about what's happening in the world of British Asian fashion then you should check out Asian Fashion Blog, Author Nazma does a sterling job of keeping abreast of the industry and her blog is packed with great pictures and keep an eye on Asiana.TV. Enjoy! 

All catwalk images taken by Rafyl 

My new project: Craft and Travel

You heard it here first! I have a new project on the go. I've just launched a website called Craft and Travel which yes, does what it says in the title. A resource that celebrates and showcases crafts from all over the globe. 

A long-term ambition of mine is to travel the world learning different crafts. Trouble is I've been sitting on this dream for too long. I'm still far from fulfilling it, in fact it may never happen...so this is the next best thing. 

Over the years I hope it will turn into a valuable resource that people from all over the world will turn to for information and inspiration - I also hope to engage contributors from every corner of the globe to share their stories and experience of different crafts. 

This is my chance to travel the world through craft, I hope you'll join me on my adventures by keeping an eye on it. 

I won't do too much cross-posting, as this remains my personal blog - but from time to time I may give a few links. Starting with a post I put up yesterday about Bangladeshi Rickshaw Art. 

Here are some photos taken from the article, from my recent visit to Bangladesh...

Which you can read in full here. 

Table Top Sale At The Forum In Greenwich

I'm a bit broke at the moment and I feel like I've outgrown my flat. So much stuff, not enough thinking space. So after seeing a sign for a Table Top Sale at my local community centre I decided to seize the moment. I signed up instantly, went home and started bagging up some of the things I no longer need: clothes, accessories, books, CDs, random bits and bobs...even a jar of unopened coffee and lots of unused toiletries and make-up.

The Forum is a brilliant space, it has a cafe, loos, baby changing facilities, a hall and various rooms for hire, a bit like a village hall only this is South East London so it's harder to find places like this that still exist!

My prices ranged from 10p-£10.

I had an entire suitcase filled with clothes and accessories for just 50p each!

But some of my 'posher' clothes in good condition were sold for a fiver.

I'm not sure why Jumble Sales turned into being called Table Top Sales, but I've always been an avid fan of rifling through other people's unwanted things so it was a fun way to spend a few hours being one of the sellers for a change.

The other stall holders were really friendly, I particularly liked this girl's merchandising.

And this gentleman was clearly a pro as he knew exactly how to make the most of his space.

This lady was selling handmade items as well as signed copies of a book she's written.

Stall hire at the Forum's Table Top sales is £7. They take place monthly on Saturdays 11am-3pm, to book one, pop in and sign up at reception or call 0208 853 5212 - the next one takes place March 29th.

As for how I got on, I did well for a first timer. Unused beauty products followed by games did the best - though I didn't sell any clothes or accessories. I made enough to pay for a 1/3 of a course I want to do. My idea was to Swap Clutter for Creativity - a mantra I'm going to keep repeating to myself. It also means I'll probably return to do it again soon...after all I still have some more money to make to pay for that course! 

Book review: DIY Fashion Photoshoot Book

Photoshoot in Brighton 2010 Image by: Nick & Jolekha Shasha

The aspect of Selfie culture I like the most is these days the average person is so much more creative when it comes to taking photos. It's no longer just about standing in front of a building to remember you went somewhere, even if you're not a photographer, photography is an accessible form of creative expression. I'm not on Instagram but I do enjoy taking and starring in photos; especially when there are colourful backdrops involved. A few years back I directed myself in photoshoot just for fun one Saturday afternoon in Brighton (my brother-in-law and sister had the honours of being behind the camera.) This was a random wall we discovered down a random street, which just happened to have half my name on! Sometimes you can't plan for when and where a great photo could take place....but with a little help from this brilliant new book, you can make sure you're prepared for it. 

Aimed at the teenage market this is the book I a) wish I had when I was younger and b) wish I had written! Filled with kooky, crazy pictures and ideas, craft projects and inspiration about creating your own fashion shoots, it's the ultimate book to put to use over the school or college half-term holidays. It's written by We Are Photogirls, an organisation that engages young girls through the media of fashion, style and photography and is run by Emily and Celia who met at art college. Printed on sketchbook style matte paper and with a clean yet quirky design, it's good for flicking through as well as reading page by page.
These are some of my favourite sections. Be warned. After reading, you most likely will want to grab the nearest camera and take some photos!

MANIFESTO

The first page in the book sets the tone. There is no right or wrong in photography, it should be treated as a full-on creative experience without ever feeling intimidated by the professional industry who they point out is all airbrushed anyway. It's a positive message and one you can read over and over again.

IDEAS

Every page in the book has ideas but the one that I remember the most is this - taking a drawing and trying to recreate it just because of this remarkable example - a live installation of what was originally a children's sketch. I absolutely love this concept. 

MAKE-UP

Make-up isn't just about contoured cheekbones and false lashes...I've always been a fan of make-up but for this age group, it's often not explored in the right way. Instead of copying celeb looks as most mainstream magazines talk about, the books looks at make-up in a much more creative way like experimenting with face-painting techniques. 

Craft Projects

There's also an informative section about Art Direction which explains about the visual composition of an image like considering whether it's indoors or outdoors, what backdrops may be needed and if you can't source the props, tips on how to make them yourself. 

ORIGINAL CONCEPTS

It couldn't have been easy deciding which imagery would make it into the book but their choices are spot on. They've selected some seriously cool pictures to provide the visual eye candy. 

INSPIRATION

I love this concept too. Rather than just keeping scrapbooks filed with ideas from magazine clippings they, suggest taking one photo a day of something that grabs your interest. No need for flashy snaps either a quick mobile phone pic does the job. I need to follow this advice myself.

STREET STYLE

Finally they haven't overdone the street style element. They could have filled pages with it but limited themselves to the best street fashion in the world, Japan....oh how I wish I had a rubber duck necklace!

DIY Fashion Shoot Book by We Are Photogirls is out now and is published by Laurence King. 

Oh I do like to be beside the seaside...

Bins of Kolkata

I wasn't expecting to ever publish a blog post about public litter bins, but since Kolkata has a lot of unique 'garbage cans' I thought it was worth a share. 

These images were mainly taken in a particular park but that was only because the light bulb clicked at that moment to capture them. I had previously spotted creative bins around town, particularly in public spaces. 

The jaw shape on this croc isn't the most practical of designs...

Not all the public bins in India are overflowing with litter as one may be led to believe

This one would have been happier stationed at a swimming pool rather than a park

Conclusion? The bins in Kolkata are far superior to the bins we have in London! 

I should point out. Indian fire extinguishers are pretty cool too: