Dutch designer Nanna van Blaaderen designs that posses an aesthetic that attributes as much importance to art as it does to fashion.
Her two collections, 'More or Less' and ' Species: a Tribute', boast pieces that are visually striking. Van Blaaderen keeps a focus on the environment and offers these designs as an alternative to fur.
Her achievements have not gone unnoticed, with a collaboration with Maison Martin Margiela and exhibitions at numerous museums, under her belt.
Her 'Species: a Tribute' collection is a result of experimenting with knitting and braiding techniques. The result is one that takes requires an adjective that far surpasses the likes of 'enthralling' and 'amazing'.
Every now and again amidst the plethora of e-mails we so happily receive each day, we like to take a moment to trawl through the search engines in a bid to find some inspiring images of the most beautiful pieces by the worlds top designers.
Today, we just so happened to type in Jean Louis Scherrer's name and was awe struck to find some incredible shots from collections past.
The Chambre de la Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne alumnus and former assistant to Monsieur Dior, the designer is unabashedly renowned for elegance and high quality pieces that were determinedly not driven by trend.
It's time to jump back from all the hot new designers we have been taking a look at recently and to focus on the veritable rock star of the 80's and 90's New York fashion scene and VagaBond favorite, Stephen Sprouse.
Having amassed influence from the likes of Warhol, Halston and Bill Blass through a midst of internships and alliances, Sprouse was a designer who thoroughly embraced fashion as art and worked to imperatively combine the two.
Throughout his career, Sprouse merged between overwhelming success and disappointing career lows as time and again his businesses failed.
Sprouse was the genius behind the Louis Vuitton graffiti bags, a result of an invite to Paris by Marc Jacobs to assist with the collection. Needless to say, the bags were a monumental hit with the designer admitting that even he could not get his hands on one.
Debbie Harry, the veritable Edie Sedgwick to Sprouse's Warhol, lived for a number of years with the designer, with him styling her for Blondie's 'Heart of Glass' video. The chanteuse fully embodied the Bowery girl look and with Sprouse's engagement, quickly became a style icon for a generation who's looked is echoed in that of Ms. Moss today.
Stephen Sprouse was a designer, an artist and an innovator. Despite his roller coaster of a career, his work is of the utmost importance in fashion history. He broke the bounds of fashion and challenged it, assuring his name will forever be in association with the legends of times past.
If there's anything Irish people are good at (I know what you're thinking and this has nothing to do with liqour!), it's bundling up! Scarves are de rigeur in the Emerald Isle, winter is cold and as we say at home the wind 'would go through you for a shortcut.' Not really too sure what that means either..
It only makes sense then that an Irish designer would take on the challenge of creating an interesting and unique line that houses that much needed accessory. Electronic Sheep are surely paving the way for the must have accessory of winter '11. Their neon digital prints are nothing short of cool and the company have been increasingly gaining attention in European media circles lately.
