Sinzine

Photographer : Nikki Q

In the first of two reports from September’s LondonEdge, Mik Scarlet sizes up the styles buyers have been filling their bags with at the UK’s only alternative fashion tradeshow, and which are set to fill rails at your nearest alt. emporium any day now.  From rockabilly-friendly full skirts and frills to skintight punky bondage strides, and steampunk goggles to steamy, barely-there burlesque garb there’s temptation for all.  Read on only if your bank balance is feeling healthy, or your significant other is feeling generous….



The LondonEdge trade fair is a Mecca for all things alternative fashion. It attracts buyers and shop owners from all over the world, all looking to find the latest trends. I know it sounds like an anathema, trends in alternative fashion but the scene is now such a global phenomenon that it mirrors the mainstream fashion world in many ways. Thankfully not in blandness.

The first thing that struck me as I entered Olympia's National Hall was the size of the event, and the amazing colours. I remember when the alt scene changed from the day-glo of Punk to the black of Goth and it stayed that way for ages. Some groups rediscovered colours, but it's back big time.

The most colourful trend setters were the fantastic retro 50's designers. They have taken the old school 50's chic and crossed it with a cartoon influences that make it something that cannot be ignored. From the hair that seemed bigger and brighter, with the girls sporting bright red Victory Roll styles set off with all manner of mad accessories, while the boys D.A.'s got blacker and bigger, through the clothes, with 50's dresses being printed in so many colours and designs that even one designer admitted to me that she had made the ordering process more difficult than it needed to be by creating so many prints, and great rock t-shirts and workwear, to the shoes, with TUK now making a range of brothel creepers that come in all shades... even dayglo green, a comic book sense of colour pervaded this scene. Designers like Limb (www.limbclothing.com), Lady K Loves (www.lady-k-loves.com) and Collectif (www.collectif.com) were at the forefront of this trend for women, and Toxico's Rednek workwear range (www.toxico.co.uk), Kreepsville 666 (www.kreepsville666.com) and Lucky 13 (www.lucky13apparel.com) supply the guys. Check out TUK shoes (www.tukshoes.co.uk) new range... I covet them greatly.

An offshoot of this scene is Burlesque, and that was everywhere too. Superb and sexy underwear, towering heels and tip top sparkly jewellery featured strongly all over the venue. Designer Miss Katie (www.misskatie.com) managed to create a cross breed of 50's retro and burlesque that is as sexy as it is classy. Kiss Me Deadly (www.kissmedeadly.co.uk) also had a stand filled with all manner of burlesque sexiness. There were also many designers that combined elements of burlesque with Goth, like Burleska (www.burleska.co.uk) who have created sexy corseted lace dresses and combinations that take the standard Goth dresses in a new direction. Their stand was packed every time I wheeled past, so watch out for their stuff in a store near you soon.

Many designers have carved out their own niche. The superbly creative American company Lip Service (www.lip-service.com) and the UK's Necessary Evil (www.katesclothing.co.uk) really push the boundaries and have created a range that have a recognisable brand identity. I know my wardrobe is crammed full of  Lip Service jackets, and I have my shopping list of NE's stuff all ready. Another label that is a mainstay of my wardrobe is Raven SDL (www.ravensdl.com). They have been around for years  and now have a range that covers every taste. The big thing in their latest catalogue is their superb SteamPunk range. Not only clothing but hats, sunglasses and goggles, knee pads and even canes have all had the SteamPunk treatment to great success.

Of course you can't mention SteamPunk without considering real Punk. I know I was over the moon when a pair of old school zip jeans popped up during the fashion show. The show had many punk influenced stands, from companies like Queen Of Darkness (www.queen-of-darkness.com) who pretty much was a one stop shop of alternative shopping with a Punk/Goth attitude to classic punk designer like Tiger of London (www.tigeroflondon.co.uk). While chatting with the guys from Tiger I discovered that many punk fans were "conservative" when it came to clothing... something that made me laugh until I considered that I had been ranting about "real old school zip jeans" during the fashion show. Gulp, am I getting conservative in my old age? Bloody hope not! Luckily I then found the Glam-Punk of Charles of London (www.charlesoflondon.com) which really appealed and was not at all conservative. In fact it was another highly colourful stand that took the old punk ethos and ran with it to somewhere most excellent.

The last trend that was noticeable was crossover between urban street wear and alternative design. Many stands had all manner of t-shirts and hoodies that were covered in skulls and rock motifs, as well as brand logos that had been corrupted. Companies like Alchemy (www.alchemyengland.com) encapsulate this trend - and expect to see a UK rapper all kitted out in designs we wouldn't be ashamed to be seen in very soon. Not sure how I feel about that, but if it stops us getting hassled by groups of hoodie wearing teens I guess it's a good thing.

I've only scratched the surface of the show here. There were superb accessories and jewellery, like Prong (www.prongjewellery.com) and Now Voyager (www.nowvoyager.co.uk) and too many other stands to mention in one article. I haven't even touched on Ledge, the Skate area of the show. I'm not the best person to comment to extreme sports, so I won't. All in all the alternative fashion scene looks like thriving in the next year. One thing for sure is that it's growing and becoming a real economic force. Remember that when you get the old "how can you get a job looking like that?" line. Alternative is becoming more than just a look, it's becoming an alternative financial force. But let's support these real alternative designers, as not only will it keep the money in the family but might stop bondage trousers being sold in Tesco's!

Photos:
1 - Raven SDL
2 - Collectif
3 - Queen of Darkess
4 - Raven SDL
5 - Raven SDL
6 - Queen of Darkness
7 - Charles of London
8 - Tiger of London
9 - Miss Katie
 

A bi-annual barometer for what alternative fashion will favour in the season ahead, the LondonEdge trade show occupies Kensington’s Olympia every February and September, and gives retail buyers an opportunity to cast their eye over hundreds of collections by alt. designers from across the globe.  As the autumn event approaches, SinZine selects some highlights to head for.


Let's face it, the main way that we tell the world that we walk an alternative path to the masses is via the clothes we wear. Between the 4th and 6th of September at Olympia, London there is an exhibition that will shape what even those of us who feel we do not follow fashion will be wearing in the near future. A trade fair aimed solely at the alternative fashion retail industry, it will see designers that are either cutting edge or left of centre exhibiting their latest creations to an eager audience of buyers and retailers. Oh and I'm going too.

The show is split into three sections; London Central is aimed at the more mainstream designer market, but with a cutting edge attitude, The Edge is for the skateboarder/adrenaline junkie market but the London Edge is aimed squarely at the alternative community. Exhibitors from all over the world are coming to the exhibition, and the company putting on the event also plan to make it a show case for music and extreme sports. The London Edge will cover punk, 40's, 50s, 60's, 70's, 80's nostalgia, rock, industrial punk, tattoo, rockabilly, cyber, hotrod, steam punk, heavy metal, rockabilly, festival ethnic, gothic, biker to name a few.

SinZine office favourites Toxico will be there, unveiling new lines plus continuing their already famous lines. The classic styling of the Redneck Workwear range, plus the wardrobe standards of their Tees, Vests, Sweats etc will be there as well as new accessories, such as bags and jewellery. www.toxico.co.uk

Toxico

The independent punk label Charles of London will debut at London Edge. Expect tops, jackets and dresses for women with studs and iconic imagery plus menswear and accessories. Visit www.charlesoflondon.com to see their designs.

Puerto Rican designer Mementum Mori  will be there for the first time in the UK, who will bring a great range of dresses, men’s shirts, baby clothing and more, adorned with horror-inspired prints and Latin American tattoo art.

German exhibitor Longtime Gothic will also debut at London Edge, showing a range of bags and shirts featuring gothic illustrations. Their stand will feature three brands including Longtime Gothic, Creepy Creatures and Violet. See more at www.longtime-gothic.de.

Flying in from Long Beach, California is Leatherette Heart with ‘rock ’n’ roll clothes for rock ‘n’ roll people’. Designer Liz Abbott will be exhibiting a broad range of womenswear including corsets, jumpsuits, dresses and jackets alongside fun hair accessories featuring toy cars, fake food and mini birds! Colours include fuchsia, steel and black plus hand silk-screened graphic prints with fabrics such as waffle twill, stretch denim and silver lurex. Eclectic, fun and fierce!

VintEdge

Also hailing from the USA is RockLove from Staten Island who will bring their handmade silver jewellery to the show in September. From chess-piece necklaces to nautical keychains, this jewellery is fun, quirky and alternative – right up our street! And that's just a tiny cross section of who'll be there.

There is also a large vintage section, with original clothing from The Vintage Wholesale Company and reworked vintage and vintage inspired from The New Vintage Clothing Company.

I'll be there on the first day exploring what will be hot, desirable and on our streets soon, so watch this space. If you are a designer or wholesaler and fancy exhibiting at LondonEdge visit their website for details www.londonedge.com

I've also heard that they may be looking for alt models, so if that is you then get your agent (or yourself pretending to be an agent) to contact the organisers.

As a shopping addict I must admit I'm really looking forward to it. One of the perks of being a journalist eh?

Charles of London

Founding dark music and lifestyle glossy Meltdown magazine in 1999, journalist, DJ and broadcaster Natasha Scharf has been on the UK Goth circuit's movers 'n' shakers list for more than a decade.  Since moving on from Meltdown in 2003, she has kept up appearances on the scene by creating content for Total Rock radio and Rockworld TV, and magazines such as Metal Hammer, Terrorizer and Classic Rock, whilst also becoming a driving force for increasing Goth’s visibility in wider media, through contributions to programming for BBC TV and radio, ITV and Channel 4,  This summer saw the release of her most ambitious project yet, debut book 'Worldwide Gothic - The Chronicle of a Tribe'.  Mik Scarlet reviews and speaks to the author.


This latest addition to the number of books on the subject of Goth, Natasha Scharf’s ’Worldwide Gothic…’ is a fast paced journey through the history of the movement. It traces how Goth was born out of the ashes of the Punk scene and grew to become a worldwide phenomenon in a highly detailed and entertaining way. Focusing mainly on the musical side of Goth, it gives an in-depth chronology of the bands and musicians involved, as well as explaining how each generation influenced the next; from the dark fun days of Siouxsie and Bauhaus, through the pomp and histrionics of The Sisters and The Mission, to the myriad of modern off shoots of the Gothic scene all over the world. In fact to an original Goth like myself, who was there at the beginning and who saw Bauhaus support UK Decay at Luton Tech College and heard Andrew Eldridge's first demo while working at the Great Gear Market in the Kings Road, the most interesting features of this book were two fold.

Firstly, the charting of how Goth came into being was pretty damn accurate and really captured how it changed shape and form until the word "Goth" stopped being seen as insult to anyone of us "Alternatives" and became an label that most wore with pride. Secondly, the description of how this small group of lost souls from the post punk blank gave birth to a scene that truly does encompass the entire world was fascinating. To discover that there are Goths in Iran and Egypt blew me away.

I must admit that I have now reached that age where nightclubbing and gigging is not the oxygen I breathe, but I still download as much Gothic music as I can and to be given a potted history of how the bands I enjoy from today (really am sounding like an old duffer here!) came to be and are related to each other gave an new layer to what they do.

As well as all the words, (which Natasha Scharf managed to write in under two months - she must have been chained to her computer) the book is filled with great photos. From the early black and white snaps, to the very colourful modern photographs, the way this book is illustrated gives a flesh to the strong bones of the text.

Personally I am glad to have Worldwide Gothic in amongst my book collection. My only regret is that I didn't get a photograph or two to the publishers in time. By not doing so I have missed out on claiming my place in what is a superb history of the Goth Movement.  Just before I received my review copy of Worldwide Gothic I met up with the Author, Natasha Scharf, for a chat.

Better known for her work as a journalist, writing for music publications like Terrorizer and Metal Hammer and editing Meltdown, and as a DJ, having worked on Total Rock and playing regular sets at the Electric Ballroom, Natasha arrived at my flat looking very much the Goth. I immediately knew that she had written this book because the whole scene was important to her, and so kind of knew it would be an honest look at a movement that tended to find itself misunderstood and the target of ridicule.

After looking at her new book, and seeing the way the pictures did change from gloomy black and white to super saturated colour it occurred to me that this was true of the way Goth evolved too.

"Yeah, you can't call them Black clad masses anymore"

So when did Natasha think Goth started?

"Well that's the big question. Especially as when Goth started it wasn't called Goth. When you write a book like this you have to have a beginning. So I decided to start the book in 1976, at the 100 Club during the Punk All Dayer, at the first Siouxsie and Banshees gig. While punk had been around before the Sex Pistols, it came into public awareness at this time. Siouxsie and the Banshees were doing something that was a little bit different, and little bit unusual and a little bit avant garde. A female vocalist, a strong image, and lots of black of course. If you start it there, then you can track it on to the post-punk bands. People might say they aren't Goth but they were doing something different from punk. Bands like Gloria Mundi, PIL and Killing Joke plus a whole load of bands. Then you get into the bands that in hindsight people do think of as fairly Gothic, like Bauhaus, Joy Division and whether they like to refer to it or not The Sisters of Mercy. I think you can trace it back to 1976, although I am sure that some people will say it started earlier than that. I mean The Doors were referred to as Gothic, as were the Velvet Underground"

Weren't they some of the acts that influenced the early Gothic music pioneers? I then had to chip in my feelings on the birth of Goth, and give the acclaim to Bauhaus. Mainly as they seemed to be the template that all early Gothic bands wanted to follow, especially male Goths who dreamt of being an thin as Pete Murphy (Mr Murphy has always been the bane of any Goth male - unless they were as painfully thin with superb cheek bones).

"Bauhaus released the first Gothic single of course"

And Bowie was a major influence of Bauhaus. I felt I had to ask... what exactly is Goth?

"I get asked that SO much." She pauses readying the standard answer to my unoriginal question... "My definition of Goth is a dark aesthetic. That's what I always say. You can't really put your finger on it. It means so many things to so many different people. Read the book, in it I explore where it came from." I have now, and it does. "Gothic has been part of our lexicon. People understand what it is. Style of architecture, of art work, but it doesn't really translate to what Goth is. The interesting thing is when I started doing the research for the book was speaking to people in other countries and understanding how it translated to them. The older Goths" (i.e. ME) "think of it as post punk. Then in the 80's horror comes into the mix, and in the 90's it changes again with Cybergoth, Gothic Lolita and Steampunk. By the time you reach the present day you find yourself asking what is Goth now? It's such a mish mash of different things and it means different things to so many different people. How do you put a finger on it?"

At this point I began regaling poor Natasha with my own potted history of Goth, as if being there made me an expert. I won't bore you with it here, but if you want to laugh at seeing me show my age check out the video of our chat (address below). Suffice to say, it involved New Romantics discovering black and Marc Almond crimping his hair. After a short rant I put my journalist head back on and asked a question...

So how did Goth spread, from a little English thing to the whole world?

"Well people think of it being English, with Sex Pistols and Vivienne Westwood and it was very British, but there were punk scenes happening in other countries as well." I can feel it coming... "Look at America, the garage punk scene with the Stooges, the Ramones and the avant garde scene with Patti Smith and the whole New York scene which wasn't Goth per say" (or even punk... but that's my opinion - this rewriting of history that Punk started in the US took place in the mid 90's. Before then there was the US New York scene, that gave the influences to what became Punk. Oops, I've started again. I wonder was I the right person to cover this story?)

"There was elements of Gothic about... Take the Cramps, who were thought of a having something gothicy about them, although in hindsight we'd say 'No they were psychobilly'."

I chipped in (again) to comment that this was very fluid era, this Post Punk Blank

"Or Positive Punk, as the NME called it."

I must admit I didn't remember it as positive. In fact the battle cry of my teenage years was I'm So bored. So if there were all of these various music scenes all over the world, how did they all become Goth? If you said to the man in the street... what's Goth?... they would all kind of describe the same thing.

"Marilyn Manson" Natasha replies like a shot, causing much mirth. She goes on to answer a question I asked way back. (I am not excelling at this interview!)

"It reached all over the world due to touring bands. When bands like Siouxsie and The Banshees, The Cure, The Cult, The Sisters of Mercy and The Specimen started playing in other countries people looked at them and thought they have an interesting way of dressing and an interesting sound and they started translating that into their own thing. That's not to say to say there weren't people flirting around with that kind of thing prior to that, because there were things happening in France and as I mentioned in America. The Deathrock explosion that came out of the metal scene rather than the punk scene. There were things happening all over the place. Bands come over take a little bit of this and a little bit of that and then the band goes back again.
One of the interesting things I talk about in the book" (good girl, get back on track, you're here to plug a book) "where you have the influence between The Batcave and Deathrock. Where people from opposite ends of scenes and from very different countries trying to do a similar kind of thing. The Batcave, as The Specimen, goes over to America and takes a little bit of Deathrock and then Christian Death comes over to the Batcave and takes little bits of Goth and it all kind of cross pollinates. Same with Australia, with acts like Birthday Party and Dead Can Dance, who come over to London takes a little bit and then goes back. So it all went back and forth and influences each other"

So it was that influencing each other that led it become a worldwide movement. How has Goth influenced mainstream culture?

"The mainstream takes little bits and pieces. In the 80's Goth was very mainstream in the UK. When I think of the 80s I think of Goth. You could go into C&A and buy your gothicy kind of things. Nowadays the more people from our scene are in the public eye the more people take influences from them. There are even rap bands sampling Siouxsie and the Banshees, which is kind of WHAT?"

We both break out into a nervous laugh, as the idea is kind of as frightening as it is funny.

"TV soaps now even have Goth characters. The more popular it becomes the more it speaks to a younger generation, the more it comes into popular culture"

I think this question does highlight the only flaw in Natasha's book. It focuses almost entirely on the music scene and has very little on other types of art or culture. In a world of Twilight and True Blood, and South Park's Goth Kids surely the Gothic scene has had an effect on how people think that extends beyond what music they play?

I wondered what the future might hold for the Goth scene?

"I think it is just going to continue to evolve. I mean Goth has been going for so long already, let's say 35 years, possibly even longer if you include the Doors, the Velvet Underground and even to some extent the Beatnik Generation who were quite Gothic in a way, so I think it will continue to evolve. Whether it is still called Gothic or Goth remains to be seen. But there's new stuff happening all the while. There's new bands coming out of Shoreditch at the moment that have a very post punk sound. O'Children or Romance. If you listen to these their influences are Joy Division, The Sisters and The Cult but yet they don't identify with being Gothic and they don't look like Goths look. It's interesting as it's an evolution. I think things have to evolve in order to survive. It's natural selection if you like"

With the interview in the bag, and my own opinions on this important issue aired, I wanted to know what was next for Natasha?

"Well... lots of plugging for the book, lots of writing and I have some other books that I already been working on which I plan to tweak and get out there."

With that I thanked Natasha and we turned off the camera. Afterwards we chatted some more, I continued battering the poor woman with my own views on the history of Goth while she nodded politely and we had a cup of tea. After she left I found myself feeling the need to put on some old Goth hits, and some of the newer stuff I had found trawling the Internet. Now my wife and I are planning to go down the Slimelight again, after a few years away and a visit to the Electric Ballroom is on the cards too. I also look at the video and wonder where has the old Mik gone? Sitting there in jeans with my peroxide growing out, I don't even look like a ghost of the old Goth me. So it looks like meeting Natasha and reading her book has rekindled the Goth beating deep inside of me.

Worldwide Gothic - A Chronicle of a Tribe is available now via IMP Books

Marnie Scarlet is a tough cookie to categorize. Creating performances incorporating play piercing and striptease, which nonetheless can be readily interpreted as feminist statements, she is also a skilled costume designer - whose threads invariably standout, whether seen onstage at a burlesque or fetish event.

All Mik Scarlet (no relation) can say for certain of her appearance at Club AntiChrist’s 7th birthday is that it’s gonna get messy…     

 

Every latex lover knows that long nails and studded accessories can be the ruin of a perfect outfit.  So how did Claire Leftwich-Winchester, a former employee of hallowed London rubber retailers House of Harlot, come to establish Prong - a jewellery line as spiky, and sharply designed as its name suggests?  Mik Scarlet investigates.

Piercing jewellery and more practical restraints and collars aside, finding accessories which add that finishing touch to any fetish club-ready ensemble can be hard.  So with a background at House of Harlot noted, it's hardly surprising to find that Claire Leftwich-Winchester and her Prong collection have near-cornered this niche in barely a decade.

While trademark corseted, padlocked or D-ring detailed 'posture collars' and tasselled or sequin encrusted nipple pasties still represent Prong's deviant roots, an ever-diversifying range now reaches out to any number of sub-cultural tribes. 

Lately, a set of tan leather 'n' cream lace creations, accented with copper hardware and channelling alternative fashion's present passion for all things steampunk , has suggested that Prong pieces will remain a staple of alt. jewellery boxes through many trends to come.  Though Claire's focus on the future shouldn't leave latex aficionados feeling forsaken; rubber remains a favoured material, being crafted into hair bows, chokers and even a sleek, shiny boa!

So Claire, when did you start Prong?

Prong Jewellery was created almost by accident, in the Autumn of 2001. 

How did you get into making jewellery?

I have worked in fashion all my life, graduating from London College of Fashion in 1999 with a degree in tailoring, so I was always creative.

I'd been working at London's House of Harlot for several years, and making my own designs as a side project, so I had cupboards filled with fabrics, buckles - you name it, I had it! It was one of those times when I needed a bit of extra pocket money - the Rubber Ball was approaching, along with other endless parties, so I decided to see what I could create to potentially sell to like minded folk. And so the first few pieces began to take shape.

Robin Archer, the boss at HOH very kindly offered to sell them through the Holloway Road store, and the customers loved them!

So I went home and made some more.

And then, some more.

And that's really where it all began!

So how did you come up with the name "Prong"?

Quite soon into making these accessories, I thought about a name to give them, and I wanted something that told you what the styles was before you even saw it, and Prong was the perfect choice.

I wanted something that would describe the big, heavy, shiny, spiky and sparkly creations that were in my mind.

The more I made the more I realised that I enjoyed making crazy jewellery more than actually making clothes, and to me, it's all about accessorising! Just come to my house and you'll find an Alladins Cave of trinkets, shoes, handbags etc!

Could you desribe the types and styles of jewellery you make?

Nowadays, the range has become so big it's difficult to know what pieces to retire - there are still some of the very first pieces that people still buy all the time. 

Do you have a current favourite piece?

My personal favourites have got to be the posture collars. In particular, the crystal posture collar. It's massive, full on, and whenever anyone wears it, they're the centre of attention! The same has to be said of the two mirror posture collars, the plain one, and the one with claw spikes. Paris Hilton can be seen wearing the plain one in Tatler June '09, and Gabriella Cilmi wore the same one for her music video for On a Mission. I love it when I see people who aren't alternative getting into Prong, it really makes my day!

Who would you say wears Prong?

Typically, my customers are into the fetish scene, but of course there is a lot of alternative/gothic/steampunk people who love the Prong style, and I try to take influence from everything and everyone around me.

How do you start designing a piece?

When I begin designing new pieces, sometimes I have a goal in mind - like with the new Steam Punk styles I launched in February. All made with really soft brown leather, trimmed with cream laces and ribbons, or antique rivets and brass pendants. When I'm not sure, I go out to all my suppliers and see whats new - that's generally my approach. To find new components, even if they're not meant to be used for jewellery, I'll get ideas from what I can find around me. Then I'll pair them up with something totally random, and think, "Hey, that would make a really cool bangle / pair of earrings / hair band, etc..."

What influences your personal style?

I grew up being really into the glam rock/cock rock of the early nineties, late eighties, with all the bands like LA Guns, early Guns n Roses, Hanoi Rocks, Skid Row and Faster Pussycat, and it was all about the clothes, hair, make up - and accessories. I blame everything squarely on that! In my mind, it's all a logical progression of sleazy punk style, through into the fetish scene, though into Prong, the crowning cherry in every cool and sexy chick and sexy guys wardrobe!

www.prongjewellery.com