ÖÖ: London edition
ÖÖ: London Edition is an installation showcasing the work of three designers born in Estonia: Marit Ilison, Magnus Lõppe, and Kaspar Paas. ÖÖ [û:], Estonian for night, is organised by the London-based event curator Keskula in collaboration with the Embassy of Estonia and is part of the first International Fashion Showcase, which is taking place during London Fashion Week in February 2012.
The International Fashion Showcase consists of exhibitions, installations and screenings presented in various venues across London and involves over 20 countries. Due to the city’s reputation as the place to discover diverse talent, the theme of this year’s Showcase is ‘Emerging Talent’.
Three designers representing Estonian emerging creative scene have all gained experience and reputation outside the countries borders. Arising from a passion for concepts and pattern-making, Marit Ilison’s work is a mesh of complex strands of thought and impeccable technical execution. Having worked in London, Copenhagen, Antwerp and Paris for labels like Bruno Pieters and Camilla Staerk, her own site-specific fashion installations have been noted by reknown trend forecaster Li Edelkoort and presented at multi-disciplinary exhibitions in Europe and the US, most recently at BIO EST in New York. Magnus Lõppe is a menswear designer born on a small island near the west coast of Estonia. After studying Fashion Design at TEKO in Denmark he enrolled at MA Menswear course at Royal College of Art in London. Magnus’s graduation collection won the Designers’ Nest Award at Copenhagen Fashion Week in 2011. At ÖÖ he will show his third menswear collection 003 – unustamise project / the project of forgetting. Kaspar Paas is a winner of SÄSI – Estonian Young Designer Award. He discovered his passion for shoemaking 10 years ago while studying to become a graphic designer. Realising the know-how and skills of creating hand-made footwear had almost disappeared, he moved to London for an apprenticeship at John Lobb, one of Britain’s last remaining bespoke shoemakers. After five years at Lobb, Kaspar also started to design and make shoes under his own brand and aspires to launch a School of Bespoke Shoemaking in London.
The Showcase marks the London 2012 Olympics and takes on the Olympic values of international respect, excellence, equality and friendship. The project is initiated in the partnership between the British Fashion Council (BFC) and the British Council. Sarah Mower, BFC Ambassador for emerging talent, chairs an advisory panel judging a new International Award given to the country presenting the best Emerging Fashion Talent showcase. The advisory panel also includes Anna Orsini (BFC), Claire Catterall (Somerset House), Jess Cartner-Morely (The Guardian), Oriole Cullen (V&A) and Penny Martin (Gentle Woman) among other experts from the business and cultural sectors of the fashion industry.
