MTV Swatch Playground: Scene@ SWISS JERKS

Now then, I'm the first to admit I haven't done the best job of keeping up with my MTV Swatch posts of late, what with Relocation#1 and Relocation#2 demanding a whole lot of attention. Nevertheless, blogging from a new Southern 'sphere location I'm about to get back on track. 

Creativity and collaboration are central elements to the Swatch MTV Playground; along with music and fashion, previous posts have showcased the talent and projects from collaborative artists Rankin, Alex Noble and Frank Butler. Taking it in a new direction, Scene@ looks further down the fash' chain, focusing on individuals, travelling the globe to explore emerging trends. With music as the focal point, Switzerland makes for the hometown of Swiss Jerks.  Check out the video below!

Whilst I would take being called a jerk as somewhat derogatory, in Switzerland it's accepted a compliment. As well as being the home of Lindor, swiss cheese (and whoops, I almost said Ikea), Switzerland is famed for its Jerk dance scene. Which if you didn't know, began as a lively Californian '60s dance craze, now adopted by a more hiphop crowd, and taken on as more than just a dance genre: it's a lifestyle. Characteristically, well, 'jerky', popping moves and shoulder-shugs seem pretty frequently used.  Having explored it online, and read up on the MTV Scene@ content, it seems the Swiss have tendency to break out said moves everywhere and anywhere, taking Pringles' "once you pop you just can't stop" slogan rather literally. Style-wise, the uniform seems to consist of the ever popular skinny jean, graphic tee and snapback baseball cap. I don't know what you think, but it sounds like something Fresh Prince O'Bel Air would've taken to perfectly. Read all about it here.

Now, I wonder how Sydney's  scene will take to me throwing out some of these moves tomorrow night...

SWATCH MTV PLAYGROUND: FRED BUTLER AW11

NO, YOU'RE NOT TRIPPING. NOR HAVE YOU BEEN CATAPULTED TO YOUR YOUTH FOR A SHOW AND TELL FEATURE WITH POLYDRON. THIS IS IN FACT A REAL AUTUMN/ WINTER COLLECTION, FROM THE CREATIVE, CHARACTERISTIC AND YES, SLIGHTLY INSANE FRED BUTLER. 

THE COLLECTION EMBRACES TECHNIQUES AND SHAPES LEARNT FROM A RECENT EXPLORATION TO NEW YORK'S CHINATOWN. (WHICH I SHALL ADD, IS A MERE FEW BLOCKS FROM MY DAY JOB). EXPLORING PUSHING BOUNDARIES, CONFLICT AND CONTRAST, SHE HAS CREATED STRUCTURAL ACCESSORIES AND HEADPIECES.  SHOWING THEM TO THEIR FULL POTENTIAL, PHOTOGRAPHER ELISHA SMITH-LEVEROCK SHOOTS THE PIECES AMONG REPLICATED OVERSIZED PROPS. 

THESE ARE SOME OF THE SHOTS FROM HER FASHION FILM, WHICH YOU CAN WATCH RIGHT HERE. 

INCANDESCENT META-MORPH-INCESSANT

DIRECTOR/ PHOTOGRAPHER: ELISHA SMITH-LEVEROCK

STYLIST: KIM HOWELLS

FRED BUTLER ON MUSIC

FRED BUTLER, I TOLD YOU ALL ABOUT HER. AND YOU REMEMBER, RIGHT? (OKAY, RECAP)

BACK TO THE POINT, THIS IS THE FIRST OF A DOUBLE POST ON SAID LADY, FRED. AS A DESIGNER AND A FULLY FLEDGED CREATIVE, SHE WORKS WITHOUT SPECIFIED TRENDS, INSTEAD REAPING INSPIRATION FROM HER SURROUNDINGS, HER FRIENDS, MAGAZINES AND INTUITION. EMBRACING COLLABORATION AND NEW MEDIUMS, SHE COUNTS HER FASHION FILM AS MAJOR CAREER HIGHLIGHT, GIVING WAY TO NEW AUDIENCES AND NEW IDEAS OF LOOKING AT FASHION.

WITHIN THE WORLD OF MUSIC, FASHION IS AN INTEGRAL ELEMENT. LADY GAGA EMERGED AS AN INSTANT SUCCESS, AIDED NOTABLY BY HER FASHION CHOICES AND AVANT-GARDE STYLE, AND HAS LED THE WAY FOR OTHER ARTISTS TO FOLLOW SUITE. OPTING FOR THE OUTLANDISH PATHWAY HERSELF, FRED BUTLER IS KNOWN FOR HER CREATIVE PIECES AND SCULPTURAL ACCESSORIES. INTEGRATING HERSELF INTO BOTH MUSIC AND FASHION, SHE COMBINES THEM BOTH IN CREATING PIECES FOR MUSICIANS' ON-STAGE PERFORMANCES, ENABLING THEM TO BE WHIMSICAL, STATEMENT-MAKING AND DARE I SAY IT, A LITTLE IMPRACTICAL. CHECK OUT THE VIDEO TO SEE WHAT SHE HAS TO SAY ON THE MATTER, AND SEE SOME OF THE PIECES ON THE ARTISTS BELOW. 

(FRED BUTLER)

TALKING OF MUSIC AND FASHION, MY LATEST MUSIC GIRL CRUSH, OH LAND. AND OH BOY, HAVE YOU SEEN HER? SPORTING CAPES AND FLOATY ROBES IN A BETTER-THAN-FLORENCE KIND OF A WAY, HER SONGS AND HER STYLE ALIKE MAKE FOR MAJOR MUSING. 

OH LAND, SON OF A GUN

SWATCH MTV PLAYGROUND: Perret Schaad

THE WHOLE POINT OF THE SWATCH MTV PLAYGROUND PROJECT WAS TO ENCOURAGE CREATIVITY, COLLABORATION AND COMMUNITY. OPENING MY EYES TO NEW THINGS, NEW PEOPLE AND NEW PROJECTS, IT’S EXCITING TO STAY TUNED WITH THE NEXT BEST THING.

NOW I’M THE FIRST TO ADMIT, MY GERMAN FASHION AWARENESS ISN’T THE BEST. RESIDING HERE IN NEW YORK, I HAVEN’T DONE THE BEST JOB AT STAYING TUNED WITH ALL-THINGS-DEUTSCHLAND. (PRESUMING WE’RE NOT COUNTING PRETZELS AND BECKS, THAT IS.) THAT SAID, WITH MY EYES OFFICIALLY OPENED THANKS TO THE TEAM OVER AT SWATCH, I’VE FOUND A NEW BRAND CRUSH IN THE FORM OF BERLIN-BASED PERRET SCHAAD. CHARACTERISED BY SIMPLE SHAPES, STRIKING SILHOUETTES AND SIMPLICITY IN COLOUR, THE LABEL’S AESTHETICS ARE OFTEN COMPARED TO FELLOW MINIMALIST ICON, JIL SANDER.

JOHANNA PERRET AND TUTIA SCHAAD ARE THE BRAINS AND BEAUTY BEHIND THE BRAND, WHICH HAVING ONLY BEEN ESTABLISHED IN 2009 IS ALREADY MAKING ITS MARK ON THE INDUSTRY, HAVING RECEIVED INVITATION TO DEBUT THEIR FIRST COLLECTION AT BERLIN FASHION WEEK. WITH PASSION FOR PATTERN CUTTING AND A PENCHANT FOR DRAPE, THEIR PIECES SHOW FLUIDITY AND FEMININITY, WITH UNDERSTATED AESTHETICS OFFERING FUNCTIONALITY. 

(SWATCH MTV PLAYGROUND)

SWATCH MTV PLAYGROUND: alex noble and music

REMEMBER ALEX NOBLE? (NO, WELL I TOLD YOU ABOUT HIM HERE.) 

A LONDON BASED CREATIVE, HE'S DONE IT ALL. DESIGNER, ILLUSTRATOR, CURATOR, AND SWATCH MTV PLAYGROUND GUEST EDITOR, IT'S THE LATTER THAT BRINGS HIM TO MY ATTENTION. HAVING DESIGNED FOR THE LIKES OF LADY GAGA, AND LAUNCHED HIS FIRST LINE AT LFW, HE'S EMERGING AS HOT BRITISH TALENT. WITH STRIKING AND AVANT-GARDE DESIGNS, HE TAKES INSPIRATION FROM A RANGE OF SOURCES, INCLUDING ART, PERSONALITIES AND NOTABLY, MUSIC. LISTENING TO MUSIC WHILST HE WORKS, THE DIFFERENT GENRES AND TEMPOS ENCOURAGE HIS DIVERSITY. WITH BJORK, GAGA AND VARIOUS THAI-POP TUNES IN HIS PLAYLIST, HIS CO-FOUNDED RECORD LABEL BATTY BASS FURTHER ACTS AS A PLATFORM FOR INSPIRING CREATIVE GOINGS-ON. (Check out the labels quirky graphic art) BELOW, SOME OF HIS WORK, INCLUDING FLO'S HEADBAND WORN AT LATITUDE. AND BELOW THAT, THE LATEST SWATCH VIDEO WHICH IS TOTALLY WORTH A WATCH.

WORKING AT NYLON, THE STRONG LINK BETWEEN FASHION AND MUSIC HAS BEEN EMPHASISED TO ME NO DOUBT. A PUBLICATION SYNONYMOUS WITH ALL THINGS HIP, MUSIC IS A HUGELY IMPORTANT ELEMENT TO INSPIRATION IN REGARDS TO ART AND FASHION. THIS POST COULDN'T HAVE COME AT A BETTER TIME, WITH THE CURRENT EDITION OF THE MAGAZINE BEING THE MUSIC ISSUE. SPORTING FASHION FAVOURITE FLORENCE WELCH ON THE COVER, AND THE COOLEST RISING MUSIC STARS INSIDE, YOU HAVE TO CHECK OUT THIS MONTH'S MOST AWESOME MAG.   

(NYLON MAG via MYFDB)

OH, AND WHILST I'M ON THE SUBJECT OF VIDEO'S, I PRESUME YOU HAVE ALL WATCHED THE NYLON TV + FLORENCE WELCH, RIGHT?

SWATCH MTV PLAYGROUND: geometry scheometry

HAVING STUDIED HARD AND ENDURED AN IMPOSSIBLE EXAM IN WHAT WE COULD ONLY CALL 'WHIMSICAL GEOMETRY THEORY', YOU WOULD THINK I'D HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF ALL THIS TESSELLATING, POLYGONAL NONSENSE; BUT APPARENTLY NOT. FEELING MORE INSPIRED THAN EVER, BRIGHT COLOURS, HARSH PRINTS AND POLYGONAL PATTERNS SEEM TO BE EVERYWHERE THIS SEASON, COUPLED WITH CITRUS FRUIT MOTIFS AND KITCH ZEBRA SHAPES. NOT ADOPTING IT DIRECTLY, IT'S DEFINITELY INFLUENCED MY RADAR. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF MY NEW WASH BAG AND LAPTOP SLEEVE?

(fuelling a complete ikat weave obsession, urban outfitters)

NOT EXACTLY ONE TO BE NEWLY DIRECTED, INSTEAD A DEFINITE PIONEER, FRED BUTLER TAKES GEOMETRY IN HER STRIDE WITH STRIKING PIECES, CRAZY SET PROPS AND EYE-CATCHING ACCESSORIES. UK-BASED, SHE HASN'T LET THAT HOLD HER BACK WITH GLOBAL STYLE ICONS SPORTING HER DESIGNS; UP-AND-COMING, SHE IS UNDENIABLY ONE OF LONDON'S MOST INNOVATIVE, FASHION GEMS. WITH NO SKETCHPAD, AND INSTEAD A WHOLE WALLSPACE OF CLIPPINGS AND IDEAS ENCOURAGING HER TO LIVE AND BREATHE CREATIVITY, IT'S NO WONDER HER PIECES ARE QUITE SO PLAYFUL. MOVING IN TO FILM AND VIDEO CONTENT, HER WORK FEATURES IN THE MOST BEAUTIFUL 'SUN SHOWERS' BY ELISHA SMITH-LEVEROCK, VOTED BEST FASHION FILM OF THE SEASON. TAKE A LOOK, IT REALLY IS MAGICAL.

THE SUNSHOWERS VIEDO MAKES ME ALL A BIT DELIRIOUS; GOLD, NAKED, WHEAT, SWAYING, SLEEPING, WHATEVER NEXT ENCHANTMENT?