FAIIINT

Demobaza AW13

Covet

Demobaza AW13 collection, draped, grunge, gothic, dark styleDemobaza AW13 collection, draped, grunge, gothic, dark style

Demobaza Autumn/Winter 2013

We are only just getting a little summer here, but Demobaza’s AW13 collection is having me dreaming of cooler days and wrapping up under layers of moth eaten, deconstructed jerseys & knits. These are the type of clothes I’d want to be wearing, should I find myself in some desolate, post-apocalyptic wasteland. They instantly conjure in my mind images straight out of The Road, with a good hint of scifi thrown in, of solitary nomads wandering across vast barren landscapes.

Based out of Bulgaria, Demo and Tono the brains behind the brand describe it as ‘Statement designs with minimal and futuristic looks, expressed in cool sporty shapes. A Uniform built of trashy and deconstructed looking elements’.

You can buy the pieces directly from their store, or they are also stocked at Luisaviaroma, and surprisingly the prices are very reasonable, the coats being the most expensive at around £360. The knits & wraps are what I have my eye on though, and their awesome neoprene leggings too, I don’t know how anyone could put a pair of those on & not feel like a total badass.

Taupe

Style

Fashion blogger Stephanie of FAIIINT wearing Cheap Monday taupe draped dress from Surfdome, Braza bandeau bra, Topshop black gladiator buckled wedges, Lion claw pendant, Balenciaga city bag. Casual dark style, street style.Fashion blogger Stephanie of FAIIINT wearing Cheap Monday taupe draped dress from Surfdome, Braza bandeau bra, Topshop black gladiator buckled wedgesFashion blogger Stephanie of FAIIINT wearing Topshop black suede gladiator buckled wedges heels shoesFashion blogger Stephanie of FAIIINT wearing Cheap Monday taupe draped dress from Surfdome, Braza bandeau bra, Topshop black gladiator buckled wedges, Lion claw pendant, Balenciaga city bag. Casual dark style, street style.

Cheap Monday Drape Dress c/o Surfdome * / Lux Coronette Lion Claw Pendant / Topshop Buckled Wedges (dyed & distressed) / Balenciaga City

The past few days have been hot, sticky & gross, so I’ve been turning to looser, less fussy things & dresses in particular in an effort to keep from melting. I think I may be subconsciously turning to lighter colours too, this Cheap Monday dress has barely left my back since it arrived, just in time for the heatwave. It’s loose, low cut armholes and the beautiful draping to the back make it one of those great elevated basics, plus how beautiful is the taupe colour? I think I need more of this shade in my wardrobe immediately.

This is actually the first outing of these shoes on the blog since I dyed them way back last year from a chocolaty brown to this distressed black. When I first dyed them they came out a perfect, jet black & they seemed a little too pristine for this style of shoe, so out came my trusty wire brush. I gave them a good buff with that wearing away the top layers of black, revealing a hint of the brown underneath & giving them this much more aged black colour, whilst transforming the fluffy suede into more of a flat nubuck texture too. I’ve worn them so much more since dying them, to be honest I’m not sure who I was kidding thinking I would get much wear from chocolate brown shoes!

Zatchels Factory Visit

Life

FAIIINT Zatchels factory shop opening Leicester, pink Hello Kitty satchel bags lined up in the factoryFAIIINT Zatchels factory shop opening Leicester, workers making satchel bags in the factory, sewing machinists, leather fabric materialsFAIIINT Zatchels factory shop opening Leicester, rolls of leather fabric ready for making satchels in the factoryFAIIINT Zatchels factory shop opening Leicester, Leather sewing machinist stitching metallic gold satchel bag at the factoryFAIIINT Zatchels factory shop opening Leicester, Cupcakes from Bitsy's Cupcakery, strawberries & cream, fresh orange juice, British summer foodFAIIINT Zatchels factory shop opening Leicester, Red polkadot leather satchel, british madeFAIIINT Zatchels factory shop opening Leicester, Orange & Navy Blue leather duffel bag backpacks, British madeFAIIINT Zatchels factory shop opening Leicester, Metallic Gold & midnight purple foil leather satchels, British made FAIIINT Zatchels factory shop opening Leicester, pink Hello Kitty & black polkadot leather satchel bags

On Friday I was invited down to visit the Zatchels factory, to celebrate the opening of their new factory store. The company is based right here in my home city of Leicester, where their small team of skilled leather craftspeople hand make each satchel to order. Leicester used to be one of the major hubs for clothing & accessory manufacture in the UK, but sadly these days most of those factories are now abandoned, demolished or being turned into apartments, as most of the work has gone abroad. So it makes me really happy, and a little fuzzy inside to see great local companies like Zatchels keeping it British & local too, and of course I wanted to lend my support & help them celebrate!

We were given a tour of the small factory where the bags are made, and it was so interesting to see the various processes each bag goes through before it becomes the final, finished product. Stacks upon stacks, and roll & rolls of leather are piled up in one corner, every colour & finish imaginable. My eyes had a field day taking in all of the colours & textures. These are then cut out into the individual components that make up each bag, then passed along to the machinists who skillfully turn these pieces into finished satchels. Rivets, buckles & other hardware are then added before being passed along to quality control to make sure it’s perfect. Any bags that do not make the grade are not sent out, instead they are taken to the factory shop where they are discounted upto 40% depending on severity of the fault. I have to say though, looking at the bags in the shop, I could barely notice the imperfections, often it’s a tiny scratch in the leather or a slight wobbly stitch. It’s nice to see that their standards are so high.

Along at the shop we were able to browse the huge selection of bags & treated to cupcakes, strawberries & cream and fresh lemonade & orange juice. My favourites were the metallics, the gold & deep midnight purple especially. I’m still daydreaming about how beautiful the almost blackened purple would look against my all black outfits, giving them a subtle hint of colour & a little extra dimension with the foil finish. The Hello Kitty collection also caught my eye, although I wouldn’t personally wear them (even though a little part of me really wants one!), I must admit I did squeal ‘cuuuute!’ as soon as I saw them. Any of you who’ve seen my Hyper Japan post will know I have a soft spot for anything kawaii!