Baghdad Fashion Week

On Saturday, March 14, 2015, the Iraqi city of Baghdad hosted its first fashion show in over 25 years. The festivities took place at the beautiful Royal Tulip Hotel, known to Iraqis as "Rasheed". Over 500 people gathered to watch 16 young Iragi female models showcase designs by six homegrown designers.

The collections were largely plays on traditional Middle Eastern themes and dress but many displayed a glamorous edge with nods to luxury fashion and other Western details that are not typically accepted in modern Iraqi society.

The last fashion show in Baghdad was held at the Palestine Hotel in 1988. While just a couple decades old, this seems like worlds away. Iraq in the 1980s was a very different place. Despite an 8 year war with Iran, Baghdad during this time was a vibrant, cultural hub. It was much less socially and religiously conservative and artistic freedom, especially for women, was much more accepted. Unfortunately that has changed over the years and extremism now dominates much of Iraq's society.

However, on this day, it felt like the old times. Five out of the six designers were women and the beautiful young models were able to walk down the runway for the first time in their lives. Meanwhile, just 100 miles north, Iraqi troops were engaged along the Tigris river with Islamic State militants who seek to overtake and control the region.

This event is notable for so many reasons. Those of us in the West cannot even begin to comprehend the defiance of many of these designers, models and patrons. Fashion is not something that is a traditionally "accepted" career field in today's society and for many involved this was a radical move of defiance. With all of the other fashion weeks taking place around the world, in many ways this might be the most significant. These individuals are using fashion and creativity as war of their own, against oppressive ideals and religious extremism. Nothing is more Brvtal than that.

-JRS

*all fashion week photographs by Ahmad Al-Rubay/AFP

Rigards Eyewear

In the over saturated market of luxury eyewear, it takes a lot to differentiate yourself from the rest of the crowd. That's why I've been so impressed with the incredible frames made by Rigards. Each pair goes through an incredible journey that went even deeper than I thought.

Rigards, from the French word "look" or "glance", craft their beautiful eyewear made out of natural horn. This material is biocompatible, lightweight and unique. Each pair has its own graining and color variations that are already embedded in to the material. Further, the horns used are byproducts of water buffalo that are responsibly reared on small farms in Africa. Each horn is handpicked for its quality and distinction. From there, each individual frame is hand made and polished by a skilled craftsman. This is a difficult process as the desired finish of the frames is matte and not a high shine (which just requires polish and a wheel). This adds yet another layer of variation to the already one of a kind frames.

The designs are influenced by the past but very modern with a bold and avant garde look. They are intended for fashion forward individuals who appreciate individuality and craftsmanship. These frames are no joke and this is an investment you will have for a lifetime as the natural horn will undergo its own aging process over time. They are also extremely comfortable with lower chance of irritation and come in European and Asian fits. If you're looking for truly unique and cutting edge eyewear, this is the brand for you. For more information and stockists please visit Regards.

-JRS

The Work of Anny Wang

We recently became aware of the work of Copenhagen based designer and visual artist Anny Wang on Instagram and have fallen in love with her 3D illustrations and furniture. Wang notes her influences as her childhood in the 90's and Art Deco. With the revived interest in Memphis Design, it seems like the perfect time for Anny's kitschy pastel dreamscapes to enter the commercial design world.

You can purchase digital prints of "Bell Jar" and "Golden" online at Arrivals.

For more information, check out her website: annywang.se
All images copyright Anny Wang.

-TB

Paris Fashion Week - A/W 2015

As far as the major fashion weeks go, there is no better event than Paris. The prestige, the designers and the setting, make it feel like the biggest and most glamorous of them all. In recent years, Paris has lived up to the hype and this season we've got some more great shows that are worthy of the Brvtal fashion paradigm. Ann Demeulemeester has not skipped a beat since the namesake designer stepped down from her own house. The clothes continue to channel the dark, romantic ethos and the leather gloves were perfect. Also included are the beautiful fur-trimmed pieces from Chalayan, which look so chic yet so comfortable too. Rounding out our picks are all time favorite Mugler, who continues to channel his special brand of forward thinking contemporary edge and unmistakable glamour. I was also pleasantly surprised with the punk meets pop art looks of Maison Martin Margiela. Finally the master, Yohji Yamamoto, presented a show with exaggerated gothic looks, perfect draping and conceptual art. With the weather already heating up in Southern California, these shows are getting us excited for fall fashion.

-JRS

London Fashion Week 2015

London Fashion Week 2015 is hands down the most brvtal fashion week of the year. Warriors, harlequins, diamond dogs and ghostly shadows all walked the runway - some wore leather, some wore lace...and feathers, PVC, fur and silk.

Below are some stand out brvtal collections from Gareth Pugh, Giles, Pam Hogg, Phoebe English, and Marko Mitanovski.

-TB

New York Fashion Week 2015

With news that the worst trend of the 90's, JNCO Jeans, might be returning to racks, I figured a glass of pinot grigio and a look at New York Fashion Week might be in order.

Shayne Oliver, the man behind Hood By Air, began screen printing shirts in Williamsburg at his NY party GHE20G0TH1K (Ghetto Gothic) in 2006. After being scouted by industry heavy hitters and winning a substantial cash money and mentor prize from LVMH, HBA is upping the luxury factor in their latest runway presentation. "Youth excellence" is their motto - gender neutral, fresh and fun. The show sort of screamed Zoolander to me - and I'm not mad about. (Images 1-7)

Pierre Costin of Porsche Design presented what he calls his "ideal uniform of the future" - clothes that make you feel bolder and stronger (or what I call, "back up bitch") is his angle. I do love a good totalitarian vibe and this collection has it - structured military inspired looks with a futuristic spin. (Images 8-14)

It's no secret I love Chromat for a variety of reasons. I never get tired of the architectural aesthetic, diversity of models (curvy builds and trans models, represent) and sexy fun vibe. Also, latex and patent leather always enchant me. (Images 15-20)

Assembly New York, perhaps truly the most 'ready to wear' designer in this post, showcased sleek jackets and constructed layers for their Fall 2015 collection. An opportunity to bundle up while still looking long, lean and sophisticated. (Images 20-25)

-TB

New Year's Eve 2015 - Los Angeles

Yes, it’s just a couple days away and if you don’t have plans now, you may or may not be panicking. Personally, I’m more of a stay at home on NYE but for those that like to indulge in the underground nightlife of the City of Angeles, there’s a couple events that may be worth going to. Here’s a quick rundown:

Noire’s Eve - The Complex

Black Bomb Productions Presents

“In Darkness There Is Always A Light”

A New Year’s Eve party of Dark Music EXTRAVAGANZA,

including Dark Electronics Industrial, Goth, Dark 80’s, New

Wave, Shoegaze, Ethereal, and everything in between!

With:

DJ BLACKEYED (Noize Faktory, Batcave)

DJ DOOMIE (Violane)

DJ GHEIST (Chamber, Discord)

DJ FRANCK HBOMB (Das Bunker, Noize Faktory, Batcave)

Complimentary glass of champagne at Midnight

accompanied by a mini Strawberry Shortcake (vegan)

courtesy of Das Baker and Doomie’s Home Cooking.

More info here.

Sublevel Space Explorer 13 Year Anniversary - Secret Location

Dj Pierre

Doc Martin W/Sublevel live

The Focus DJ’s:

Josh Billings

Nonfiction

Wobs

All Pre-Sales include 1 free CD,and 1 free Beverage

Tix: http://sublevelcalifornia.com/bass/tix/]

RA: http://www.residentadvisor.net/event.aspx?652897]

No Frills New Year’s Eve - Cafe NELA

If you’re in the mood for some classic punk and no bullshit, then check out Cafe NELA in Cypress Park for a rare appearance by The Controllers.

More info here.

Honeycut 54 - Honeycut

Spend New Year’s in style with two of my favorite ladies, Lady Monix and Whitney Fierce.

More info here.

Don’t drink and drive and good luck with surge pricing. Happy New Year!

Best of The Brvtalist 2014 Bonus - Mixes

Had a little extra time so I thought I would dedicate a bonus round of the “Best Of” to another medium I hold near and dear - mixes. Between podcasts, souncloud and internet radio, there’s an incredible amount of material out there. While some disagree with the ethos behind the mix, I love what it’s become and it truly can be an art form and a great way to promote your brand/aesthetic as well. Here are some mixes that stood out for me this year:

Samuel Kerridge - Red Bull Train Wreck Mix

Kerridge displays such an incredible mix of brvtalising sound and artful technique. When I heard Suicide over Covered in Sand to kick things off I was blown away.

Kerri LeBon - Jealous God Issue No. Five

One of my favorites of 2014. Kerri’s mixes cover such a wide array of genres and eras, yet manage to find a common thread every time. I loved the whole feeling of this mix and hearing Body of Light with The Wake and Silent Servant was amazing.

Pandora’s Jukebox - Mega.Mix.One.

While maybe not the most Brvtal mix, I included this because Pandora’s Jukebox is the queen of assembling sexy, sultry after-hours type vibes and you can always envision yourself at an underground avant garde party smoking cigarettes and drinking champagne with interesting people. And I like that.

S13 - Burning the Existence

Secret 13 has easily the most unique, in depth, fringe mixes out there. I learn something new every single time a mix comes out. When “Burning the Existence” was released on Halloween it took things to another level. 3 hours of the outer edges of goth and post punk. This will be played for years to come.

Violet Poison - SWQW Podcast 005

I love the whole aesthetic of Violet Poison and they create dark, powerful music that can fit into multiple genres. This is clearly on display here with a great darkwave mix that lets you peer into the mind.

Silent Servant - Powell Melon Magic on NTS Radio (April)

I could have also went with Silent Servant’s LN-CC mix, Fabric X Jealous God and a couple others but I just had the most fun listening to this one. Juan continues to show that he is one of the most versatile and skilled producers/djs out there.

CVLT Nation - Deathrock 2014 curated by Oliver Shephard

These deathrock mixes have been going for a couple years now and they have not lost any steam in my opinion. The deathrock scene is currently going strong and these are a great way to discover old and new.

Jock Club - Red City Deep House Mix

This is short but powerful and most importantly, DEEP. This could have been mixed by an old school Detroit legend but it’s by the young and up and coming deep house member of Ascetic House. They win again.

Rrose - Little White Earbuds

A rare mix from Rrose this year. I love h/er whole performance art concept and these mixes always come with dark, brooding techno, perfect for the endless nights.

Ryan Elliot - Panorama Bar 06

Ok fine, this is obvious but it really is that good!

Best of The Brvtalist 2014 - Music

I’ve almost been dreading doing this one because of the level of difficulty involved. Decided to just go in and put what came to the top of my mind. Here’s everything from across the board.

Black Rain - Dark Pool

A sorely under-appreciated musician from New York, Stuart Argabright shows that there are great forces that have been at work under most noses for years. Thank you to Blackest Ever Black for exposing more people to Argabright, and Dark Pool is perhaps one of the most brvtal releases of the year. With a soundtrack-like vibe, this record lives and breathes in the shadows. When Protoplasm was released ahead of the album, I knew we were in for something special.

Godflesh - A World Lit Only By Fire

How big of a year was this for Godflesh?? Not only did they return to tour the states and CRUSHED everybody, but the first album in 13 years came out and they didn’t even miss a beat. Justin Broadrick continues to build on his prolific musical output and my favorite part about this record was that it wasn’t pandering to the older fans or sound. “A World” sounded fresh, current and even more punishing than I could have imagined.

Lucy - Churches, Schools and Guns

Dark, complex techno for the cerebral set. Some had issues with “Churches” slight departure from Lucy’s previous full length, “Word Play for Working Bees”, but I loved the new output. It was pensive, heavy and sophisticated. “The Self as Another” and “Illusion of Choice” remain strand out tracks of the year.

Jealous God 04 - Broken English Club

There was definitely some excitement when word broke that Oliver Ho/Raudive would release some new material on Jealous God going even deeper in to his post punk and industrial roots. We just didn’t know how good it was going to be. “Plastic Bag” was a near game changer this year and further cemented the Jealous God label as a premiere brand for dark, underground techno and noise in the post punk vein.

The Body - I Shall Die Here

Many may expect pure Doom when sitting down with this, but it is much MUCH more. This two-piece from Portland has been around a while but this has to be their most powerful record to date. The black atmospherics have more in common with Black Rain than doom metal bands and the production value on this is superb.

Marshstepper - A New Sacrament of Penance

From the far off lands of Tempe, Arizona, dwells a group of up and coming musicians that are producing some of the most exciting projects in music today. Marshstepper is one of the preeminent acts of the Ascetic House collective and for good reason. They create music fans of techno and black metal will both agree on. With bvtalising rhythms and ritual performance pieces, this band may have defined what I wanted in music this past year and beyond. After getting picked up by Downwards North America and doing what may become mythical live shows from LA to New York to Berlin, I could not be more excited about a single project.

Wrangler - LA Spark

Wrangler is made up of Cabaret Voltaire’s Stephen Mallinder, producer Ben Edwards, and Tunng’s Phil Winter. All three have been in the business for quite some time. This record pretty much came out of nowhere for me and wouldn’t leave my speakers for a while. An amazing mix of dark, gothic vocals with an incredible danceability that is nostalgic but still very new. I hope they do another record. Outstanding.

Blut Aus Nord - Memoria Vetusta III – Saturnian Poetry

Arguably one of the most prolific and versatile names in Black Metal since the 90’s, Vindsval’s band continues to show that they are a cut above almost everyone else out there. Not many bands can use the blank canvas of Black Metal and paint something so different, yet so distinctive each time. Some people didn’t like some of the experimentation of the 777 trilogy records and I was maybe one of them at times. However, I always respect their direction and willingness to push the boundaries. “Memoria” went back to some of the older roots but reinvented their punishing, genre bending sound even more. Tracks like “Forhist” remind you that this guy can really compose a song. Beautifully brvtal.

Sumerian Fleet - Just Pressure

Between Wrangler and Sumerian Fleet, we pretty much figured out that time and age mean nothing because both of these acts are producing some of the best material in their careers. Sumerian’s dark wave was so amazingly goth that there wasn’t a loud enough volume on my speakers. Alden Tyrell, Mr Pauli and vocalist Zarkoff hit the nail so dead on the head it’s going to be hard to top. This was was timeless dark wave yet very of the moment.

Bruno Nicolai - All The Colours Of The Dark

A special release by the great minds at Finders Keepers, this is quintessential giallo. Diabolical, devious and sexy all converge in this incredible package which includes red vinyl and an absolutely amazing poster. I nerded pretty hard on horror movie soundtrack re-issues (so much good stuff out there), but this one stood above the pack for me.

Ok there’s 10 of my favorites from 2014.

-JRS

Best of The Brvtalist 2014 - Fashion

It wouldn’t be a proper “Best of” week on The Brvtalist without some Brvtal Fashion. 2014 was a pretty good year in the fashion industry (for our tastes) and it’s good to go back and take stock of some of the standout pieces of the year. Maybe you can get them on sale now too!

The Acne Gibson S/S 2014 Moto Jacket in Metallic Silver. It’s hard to get me to be interested in something other than black, let alone something this shiny. However, the way this jacket is done is on some kind of glamorous futuristic level that really resonates with me.

Alexandre Plokhov FW2014 Double Zip Ankle Boots. Handmade in Italy from horse leather, these became the holy grail of boots this year. The double zip closure and asymmetric side panels are unrivaled.

South 2 West 8 Park Tote - This Japanese brand makes raw, rugged accessories that are ready for the elements. This tote is made from military grade ballistic nylon with raw leather handles and matte black hardware. I happen to have this one and it’s held up great and I love the small deer skull logo too.

Surface to Air Ski Mask - Nothing looks more Brvtal that wearing a full coverage ski mask, and I love the S2A sigil on the back of the one.

Sandro Paris “Hell” Blazer - Sharp, smart and evil blazer with a leather lapel. Wear this everywhere and you’re set.

Actual Pain x Straight to Hell Leather Moto - Brvtal looking moto with nice hardware and marble lining all for $315.

Mykita x Damir Doma DD 01 - Incredible lightweight aviators in matte black with a clear inner trim. Details are amazing.

Helmut Lang Chunky Zip Sweater - Off center zipper with shawl collar in chunky wool. Love Helmut Lang.

Acne Studios Hans Bomber Slip On - Made out of the same material as military bombers, the muted black with a cushioned padded leather inner is sleek, casual yet refined.

April 77 Joey Skinny Jean - This Parisian brand was a cvlt favorite a few years ago, then stopped production and is now back with a big bang. They’re all rock n roll inspired and like to use vegan materials. The Joey jeans are a great fit with really nice details at a good price.

Oak NYC Combo Leather Backpack - Nice, American made, leather and canvas backpack with enough white to get noticed.

Goti Malleable Metal Bracelet - One of the most unique pieces I’ve come across. This Goti bracelet is made in Italy out of thick, slightly tarnished tin. You can mold it to do whatever you want and it doesn’t feel flimsy at all. Definitely an eye catching piece.

Fashion is hard. Brvtal Fashion is even more difficult. In some ways it’s easy because you know what the look for, but in other respects there’s just too much crap to sift through. Luckily, there”s quite a few brands out there that slant towards dark, high concept fashion and here’s hoping these designers keep pushing the boundaries.

-JRS