BILLET 8

If you are an unusual footwear lover, you have certainly heard of Amélie Pichard. The 32-years-old French designer is known for her unique bags and shoes and are anything but mainstream. Her creations, like herself, are unconventional and sophisticated. Her work has been published in crème de la crème fashion publications and has already reached a major female audience worldwide. As of now, she collaborated with shoe brand Le Coq Sportif, eyewear designer Garrett Leight and, more recently, the woman who made the red bathing suit a staple of the Nineties: Pamela Anderson, for a very personal and special project. Hard working and devoted to her passion, she graduated top of her class from Mod’Art Paris, a fashion design and creation school. Thereafter, she worked for renowned names such as Sonia Rykiel or Dice Kayek, but the most memorable encounter she made was with Madame Germaine, an authentic and traditional shoemaker from Paris. This woman had a life-changing impact on Amélie and taught her the basic knowledge of creating a pair of shoes from scratch. Footwear design became her number one obsession. Fascinated by its creation process, the apprentice was then taken under the wing of orthopaedic boot-maker Eric Lomain. It was just the beginning of a promising adventure, where Amélie will be creating bags and shoes under her name and become a successful accessories designer. After winning the “BATA shoe contest for young designers” in 2009, she launched her eponymous label AMELIEPICHARD in 2010, hitting the fashion industry with her unexpected and innovative creations. Mainly inspired by the TV-series she used to watch as a kid, where American bimbos were the main protagonists. She knows how to bring back tacky clichés from the past and she reinterprets them into improbable contemporary creations. In all of her collections, she deals with a minimal extravagance by remarkably giving her designs a new approach on what people consider ‘kitsch’.

For more pictures, go to: http://thefineprintmagazine.com/profile-amelie-pichard/

Please contact Estelle Gervais by email for more information. 

BILLET 7

Art today increasingly breaks down the barriers between the traditional categories assigned to artistic practices during the art historical canon. Lines are continuously being blurred between low and high art, painting and sculpture, etc… Holton Rower fits well in this category of contemporary artists exploring and experimenting with different media and techniques to see how far these boundaries can be moved around.

Grandson of Alexander Calder, he inevitably grew up surrounded by art, but also by a large amount of materials used in the construction business owned by his father. Best known for his “pour paintings,” where he pours up to 50 gallons of different brightly colours paints over blocks and panels. However, he works in a range of techniques, including assemblage, sculpture, installation, and painting. His pour paintings seem to find themselves somewhere between art and sculpture, as the paint pours and spreads around the object it is being poured on. The concentric circles formed from the excessive layering of paint morph themselves with the object, creating abstract psychedelic patterns in and around the object. Nevertheless, while these sculpture-paintings are entirely un-representational, Rower’s intelligent use of chance and gravity creates wonderful artworks that resemble elements seen in the natural world, such as tree trunk circles, or even the beautiful, vibrantly coloured geysers at Yellowstone National Park.

Since the early 1990s, Rower has been in numerous solo exhibitions, as well as a few group ones. He was last exhibited at the Hole Gallery in New York (2013), but has also been featured at the Galerie Maeght in both Barcelona (2001) and Paris (1998), the Moving Museum in Dubai (2013), and the Shizaru Gallery in London (2011).

For more pictures, go to: http://thefineprintmagazine.com/profile-holton-rower/

Please contact Estelle Gervais by email for more information. 

BILLET 6

Clio Peppiat’s boldly coloured and painstakingly detailed designs pack a real feminine, feminist punch.

The 24-year-old, South London-based designer recently presented her sci-fi inspired SS16 Collection “Kiss the Future” at London Fashion Week. Drawing from cult sci-fi films like Blade Runner and The Fifth Element, Peppiat brings laser stun guns and UFOs into her signature mix of kitsch and cute.

But make no mistake, as cute and girly as all that bubblegum pink and Polly Pocket purple may be, Peppiatt’s foundational philosophy is nothing to belittle. Since launching her label in 2014, Clio Peppiatt has made a point of exploring femininity in her designs, with the primary mandate of her work being to allow women to feel “happy, bold, and fearless.”

Everything she creates, from the purple leopard prints to the smiling cartoon clouds, unapologetically embraces the traditional “girly.” Her process also incorporates techniques historically associated with women and domestic crafts such as embroidery, crochet, and beading. All of these elements come together as Peppiatt builds each piece in layers of texture and colour from holographic latex to orange fur trim to sparkly rainbow appliqués.

Above all, Peppiat’s creations are just positive and fun. The SS16 collection, for instance, features silver beaded alien heads over a sheer purple top. Another piece sees a cat chasing a sparkly computer “mouse” over lavender and eggplant leather. All of the handbags of the collection, in addition to being decked out in hot pink snake print and happy silver clouds, have built in portable chargers for the tech-savvy modern lady. Peppiatt truly makes the future for women look shiny and adorable.

For more pictures, go to: http://thefineprintmagazine.com/clio-peppiat-ss16/

Please contact Estelle Gervais by email for more information. 

BILLET 5

Humans have an undeniable fascination with the morbid, the disfigured and the unknown. It has always been this way. Rubbernecking at people who have lost limbs, succumbed to burns on their bodies or faces – there is something that drives us to stare at corporal disfigurements. Why do we shy away from these subconscious, surreal interests?  

Brooklyn-based artist Christian Rex Van Minnen does not distance himself from swollen, curled or incomplete artistic representations of the body. His pieces present Dali-esque visions of the human body, manipulated in ways that contort the very essence of what it means to be a human soul within a rational fleshy body.

Van Minnen creates beautiful portraits, with the foreground’s vivid colours highlighted by subtle, darkened backgrounds. If looked upon from a distance, one could perhaps surmise that these paintings are carefully directed portraits of famous politicians or thinkers. It is not until one is brought face to fleshy, bulbous face with the true characters of Van Minnen’s work. Faces lacking humanistic features, sporting bubbling or elongated excess skin; wrinkled heads with cartoon-like faces seemingly tattooed on; colourful, gelatinous entities propped atop sets of human shoulders – these are only a few of the surreal manipulations that Van Minnen takes on when presenting these displays of the viscerally humane.  

Van Minnen has had solo exhibits from Seattle to Los Angeles to Copenhagen, with the most recent – Golden Memes – being displayed in 2015 at the Robischon Gallery in Denver. His pieces indeed blend the surreal, old-timey painting style with the contemporary. One piece, entitled “Duckface” – presumably referencing the social media selfie craze – presents an oblong head with a cartoon duck’s face etched upon the skin. A literal take on one of the many internet-borne concepts.

The work of Christian Rex Van Minnen can be found on his website as well as on his Instagram account. His representing galleries include the Gallery Poulson in Copenhagen, as well as the aforementioned Robischon Gallery. Keep up to date with his work – do not shy away from the uncommon or the disfigured – there is beauty found in all, and Christian Rex Van Minnen rarely misses in stating such.  

For more pictures, go to: http://thefineprintmagazine.com/profile-christian-rex-van-minnen/

Please contact Estelle Gervais by email for more information. 

BILLET 4

What would happen if you fell into a wormhole? Would you find yourself being transported to a distant land? What would the process look like? Would it be a perpetual blackness? Or would colours and shapes explode and whiz by you? There’s no answer to those questions here, but staring at a sculpture by Los-Angeles based artist Jen Stark might offer you possible theories to those questions.

Jen Stark’s 3D sculptures can be likened to the experience of looking at a series of objects found in nature through a microscope in your junior high biology class…If you ingested copious amounts of hallucinogens before class. Her sculptures, which are predominately created with paper (although she has experimented with wood, metal and plexi sculpturing as well), collapse into themselves in dizzying, cyclical, jagged and colourful ways. They stretch out from a base, beckoning the audience into their limitless pinpointed centers; daring the viewer to decipher where a corner begins and ends.

The effect of Stark’s sculptures is that of overwhelming immersion into the symmetrical, rainbow-infused kaleidoscope. Such intricacies and tactile layering can offer an appearance of infinite sequences, infinite processes and infinite destinations. Staring at a piece by Jen Stark may cause spiritual epiphanies; they may suck an audience in – much like a wormhole – and spit them out into a baffling world of optical ecstasy.

 Jen Stark also engages in 2D artwork – paintings, murals and billboards being a few of her mediums. These 2D creations, while unable to share the same intrusive and ever-stretching characteristics as Stark’s 3D sculptures, they still present chaotic, colourful landscapes, which seem to melt across the field onto which they are drawn.

It is no surprise that Stark was awarded the prestigious South Florida Cultural Consortium’s Visual and Media Artists Fellowship in 2008, as her meticulous, otherworldly approach is truly unique and offers a transcending experience of art. She has had solo exhibitions at the Cooper Cole Gallery in Toronto, Ontario; the Martha Otero Gallery in Los Angeles and the City Arts Center in Oklahoma City, among many others. Follow Jen Stark on Instagram @jenstark and visit her website (http://www.jenstark.com/) for more awe-inspiring work.

For more pictures, go to: http://thefineprintmagazine.com/profile-jen-stark/

Please contact Estelle Gervais by email for more information. 

BILLET 3

Miguel Becer, 31, is a talented Spanish fashion designer that you should be following. As the artistic director of his own label, ManéMané, since 2012, he became the pride of Spain in such a small amount of time and is now a true reference for the Spanish fashion industry. He won the “Who’s On Next” contest in 2015, an event organized once a year by Vogue in collaboration with Inditex to reward younger talents. Based in Madrid but constantly traveling the world, he is followed by more than 16 000 people on his personal Instagram. He is definitely the cool kid to watch.

Miguel Becer lives for fashion. It does not bother him when he needs to  have late night drawings, pattern making or sewing sessions. Creating garments represents his way of translating his concerns and happy thoughts about the world’s current situation. The brand gives the customer a continuity of product thus maintaining its own identity and rigor in the quality of the traditional  fabrics’ choice – wools, silks and cottons – and thorough finishings of the garments.

The brand was born during Becer’s graduation year at Arte 2, an art school in Madrid, during his fashion design and creation program.  A very personal story is behind the name ManéMané – this is what Miguel Becer called his twin brother when he was a child. He thought choosing this name for his brand would never sound boresome to his ears since it is a part of his life.

Four years ago, at only 28 years old, he managed to gain a foothold in the industry. He had his own runway show for the first time at the Samsung Ego event during Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in Madrid, where novice designers receive great visibility and the opportunity to showcase their collection on a professional catwalk. He immediately got the attention of national and international popular magazines, that helped him gain the recognition he deserves. Since then, each season, Becer and his team have been reinventing Spanish traditional codes, by mixing them with current trends’ inspiration.

For his Fall/Winter 16 womenswear collection, Becer went for a cheerful collection, catching teenagers’ interest with a mature modern edge added to it. The ManéMané girl is young and fun, a feature that is reflected in traditional stylings, sprinkled with hints of Spanish folklore and deconstruction of the patterns. The garments are patchworked, creating a perfectly under-control mess of fabrics mixed together. The designer presented a combination of influences from the most diverse inspirations – from completely deconstructed hip-hop pieces to traditional Spanish plaids, strips that hang from absolutely everything and open leg seams. The logo of the brand is omnipresent in different sizes on almost every piece. The shades of green, blue, burgundy and black are seasoned with touches of yellow to highlight and give shape to the color palette.
The young designer exercises a balanced view between creativity, sensitivity and business. ManéMané presents collections each season that shine for their consistency and stylistic sensitivity. Miguel Becer understands how fashion is an exciting instrument beyond clothing.

For more pictures, go to: http://thefineprintmagazine.com/profile-manemane/

Please contact Estelle Gervais by email for more information. 

BILLET 2

The Fine Print launched its second print publication, The Transition Issue, on May 25th at White Wall Studio in the heart of Montreal’s Plateau Mont-Royal.

Throughout the night, impeccable service was provided by our friends at Forand Événements while the delicious cheeses, charcuteries and nibbles were curtesy of the lovely Elle Traiteur. This is our second time doing business with both local entrepreneurs and we highly recommend their services for any of your personal or corporate events, they truly make an incredible difference!

As for alcohol sponsors, we would like to recognize the presence of local brewers Cheval Blanc and Smac Cidre from La Face Cachée de la Pomme. Rise! was generous enough to provide us with some delicious kombucha for our guests.

Local brands Lafaille and Slush B. set up shop during the night, selling their garments and handbags respectively.  Paintings by Tereza Tacic, an installation by The Doodys and a video installation by Lauren Pelc-McArthur were curated as an exclusive one-night-only art exhibition. International DJs Ours Samplus was behind the decks to keep our crowd dancing all evening long. 

One last big thank you to The Ants for helping with the coordination of this awesome night!

We love you all and thank you so much again for coming, means to world to the entire team. We hope you enjoy The Transition Issue!

Pictures by Laura Mogollon and Gabrielle Beland 


For more pictures, go to: http://thefineprintmagazine.com/the-transition-issue-launch-party/

Please contact Estelle Gervais by email for more information. 

Tous nos amis au lancement! 

BILLET 2

The Fine Print launched its second print publication, The Transition Issue, on May 25th at White Wall Studio in the heart of Montreal’s Plateau Mont-Royal.

Throughout the night, impeccable service was provided by our friends at Forand Événements while the delicious cheeses, charcuteries and nibbles were curtesy of the lovely Elle Traiteur. This is our second time doing business with both local entrepreneurs and we highly recommend their services for any of your personal or corporate events, they truly make an incredible difference!

As for alcohol sponsors, we would like to recognize the presence of local brewers Cheval Blanc and Smac Cidre from La Face Cachée de la Pomme. Rise! was generous enough to provide us with some delicious kombucha for our guests.

Local brands Lafaille and Slush B. set up shop during the night, selling their garments and handbags respectively.  Paintings by Tereza Tacic, an installation by The Doodys and a video installation by Lauren Pelc-McArthur were curated as an exclusive one-night-only art exhibition. International DJs Ours Samplus was behind the decks to keep our crowd dancing all evening long. 

One last big thank you to The Ants for helping with the coordination of this awesome night!

We love you all and thank you so much again for coming, means to world to the entire team. We hope you enjoy The Transition Issue!

Pictures by Laura Mogollon and Gabrielle Beland 

Tous nos amis au lancement!