Elenany

BIRD OF THE YEAR 2011

2011-12-30T16:54:00.000Z

The Bird of the Year 2011 Award (posthumously) goes to Fluffy the Bird.

Fluffy was a complex bird. He was a brilliant bird. Like most geniuses, no one ever really understood him; he sometimes would not even understand himself.

Notable life achievements:

Heading a coup to overthrow the alpha male, which nearly worked.
Beating up other birds to impress and win over one Jameela the Bird, a highly desirable bird.
Trusting humans in front of other birds, making the other birds more trustworthy of humans.

Fluffy would always do his best to help other birds. He would not always be appreciated, but he never needed anyone’s appreciation, it just made him happy to feel like he was contributing. Maybe we could all learn something from Fluffy.

Fluffy the Bird: 2008 – August 2011.

Fashion, Muslims and Irony

2011-12-28T15:02:00.000Z

AS PUBLISHED IN KALIMAT MAGAZINE ISSUE 02, SUMMER 2011 www.kalimatmagazine.com

The word "fashion" usually conjures up images of almost-naked women parading down catwalks, indulgent after-parties for the beautiful and elite, and covergirl images so heavily Photoshopped even Hosni Mubarak’s plastic face looks more plausible.

It’s why you’re likely to get the “haraam finger” pointed at you when you talk about fashion in a “Muslim” context. The expression “Muslim fashion” seems to be as ironic as Lady Gaga calling herself a lady.

We generally accept fashion to be defined as a celebration of sexuality; the objectification of a woman; her empowerment through her 6 inch stilettos. But isn’t fashion just another word for “clothes”, and doesn’t everyone need to wear clothes? Yet, despite the rather simple definition of the latter, it is the more widely accepted former definition which informs the idea that Islam is at odds with “fashion”. As a consequence, Muslims who show an interest in fashion are deemed as unholy women, shallow and wasting their time with such pointless things. Rather than designers focusing on the challenging task of designing clothing which tick all the modesty boxes, whilst remaining relevant to the societies they live in, they’re too busy halal-ifying the very idea of modest fashion to the critics. Rather than trying to find solutions which allow Muslim women to have the same life choices available to them as they would do if they didn’t wear hijab, they’re too busy getting the approach to modest fashion wrong. The confusion is threefold:

1) The “Sheek Awee” method.

Take one plain, modest outfit. Make the outfit appealing by modelling it in a sexual manner. Complete the look by wearing so much makeup it looks like you’re sponsored by Maybelline.

2) The “Mu7tarram” method.

Take one plain black abaya. Get some nice plastic crystals and stick them to the abaya in a nice heart shape arrangement. Also, celebrate your Muslim identity by writing the word “Allah” in said crystals.

3) The “Filous kiteer” method.

Take one Emirati who condemns the hedonistic-bikini-wearing infidel to hell. Take the same Emirati who wears the Calvin Klein hijab –a brand which uses said hedonistic infidel to promote and represent their products. Forget about the irony of a luxury brand being used as a symbol for an anti-materialistic Islam: focus on the initial problem.

So what IS good “Muslim fashion” design? Maybe the operative word should be “design”. Maybe we start with a specification that defines what the product needs to do. Maybe the product prioritises empowerment and not how pretty a hijab can be made to look. Maybe the product reflects the sentiment of liberation of being a Muslim woman. Maybe we reclaim the word “fashion” and coin it by our own definition.

THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING SELF-IMPORTANT

2011-12-22T23:10:00.000Z

Forget progressive ideas, forward thinking design and hilarious yet thought-provoking social commentary, I’ve finally done what I should have been doing for ages to be a successful fashion blogger –post pictures of myself for mass adoration purely based on my looks and ability to strike poses which don’t really make any sense. Here I am wearing some new laser cut jewellery coming soon to elenany.co.uk. Of course the important bit is me and not the product –it’s a lot simpler to understand that way.

Stay tuned for more info (pictures that include me probably), of what I think is hot right now, seeing as I obviously know and obviously intelligent people care.

ELENANY PHOTOSHOOT IN ISTANBUL 12.10.2011

2011-10-12T20:26:00.000+01:00

AS TAKEN FROM THE ELENANY.CO.UK BLOG (http://www.elenany.co.uk/page/blog)

We did a shoot in the beautiful and historic city of Istanbul! Click the image below to view the photoshoot images on our Facebook page!

BUMLICKING AMREEKA + DAS @ LONDON FASHION WEEK

2011-10-12T20:15:00.000+01:00

I wrote two articles for Kalimat Magazine. Both are hilarious, believe me. One is me reviewing the new collection by DAS at London Fashion Week, the other is my usual complaining about stuff. Please check them out at the following locations:
"Bumlicking Amreeka" http://issuu.com/kalimat/docs/issue03/77
"DAS Collection: London Fashion Week" http://issuu.com/kalimat/docs/issue03/125

A POEM ABOUT LONDON FASHION WEEK.

2011-09-24T19:18:00.000+01:00

I was at London Fashion Week recently and was so upset about the bad fashion it inspired me to write a poem. Here it is.

A POEM ABOUT LONDON FASHION WEEK
Inside the mind of a designer

I’m in a panic, I’m in a state
I need a collection that’s really great
But I’m stuck for inspiration
I need some styles to cause provocation
What to do, what to show?
Oh, I’ve got it, now I know!
I’ll the show the bum, to make the clothes fun
I’ll show the breasts, to get me some press
Good design is not essential
They’ll still call me influential
And all because of this see-through shirt
And hideous, backless Hawaiian grass skirt.

TRIPLE 9 PERCENT & OMAR OFFENDUM

2011-09-20T23:15:00.000+01:00

AS TAKEN FROM THE ELENANY.CO.UK BLOG (http://www.elenany.co.uk/page/blog)

We sent a couple of our menswear tees in the direction of Hip-Hop superstar Omar Offendum. We’ve heard that Omar puts the t-shirts on to inspire him when he’s writing songs. We didn't really hear that, but it's probably true.

ELENANY FOR THE NARCICYST

2011-09-18T09:26:00.000+01:00

AS TAKEN FROM THE ELENANY.CO.UK BLOG (http://www.elenany.co.uk/page/blog)

Earlier this year Elenany designed a bespoke piece of jewellery for rapper/actor/phenomenon The Narcicyst. We wanted to create something that truly reflected the spirit of his work so we studied his lyrics, delved into his philosophy and compiled a comprehensive image directory of all the things he’s ever worn….but just to make sure we got it right, we just asked him what he wanted and made that instead.

The result is this.

We made this piece of forearm armour for him by laser etching gold leather, laser cutting walnut and finishing with brass plated buckles and strap ends.

Follow The Narcicyst on Twitter @TheNarcicyst

ELENANY PROFILES: DANAH ABDULLA

2011-09-18T09:22:00.000+01:00

AS TAKEN FROM THE ELENANY.CO.UK BLOG (http://www.elenany.co.uk/page/blog)

We’ve always wondered how people come up with great ideas. Obviously, we mean how OTHER people as well as ourselves come up with great ideas. Elenany recently started writing for Kalimat magazine, an exciting new magazine providing an outlet for political, cultural and social expression within the Arab region and its Diaspora.

We love pioneers so we wanted to find out more about its inspired creator….so we tracked her down and asked her a bunch of awkward questions to try to figure out how she came up with such a great idea.

Elenany: Who are you?
Danah: I am the founder, editor and creative director of Kalimat Magazine. Currently, I am a Master of Arts in Social Design student at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore.

Elenany: What is your vision?
Danah: My vision with Kalimat is to turn it into a media and design production house. Kalimat not only encourages Arab creatives to submit their work and pursue careers in creative fields, media and politics without facing the difficulties of censorship, we also work collaboratively with writers on the editing process. Our end goal is to implement media and design training centres within universities. We want to teach people within the Arab region the creative fields inside and out and how they can utilise these skills to better their communities.

Elenany: What was the one defining moment of your life?
Danah: I guess I can relate it back to my second visit to Palestine. I lived in Dheisheh refugee camp in Bethlehem for a few weeks and had the opportunity to experience the lifestyle of the residents, the way they think, etc. There was something about it that made you want to come back and do some form of educational work and that was a goal I had set in my mind. When I got back, I was inspired to clean up the place, create recycling and garbage programmes because there’s trash everywhere and I couldn’t understand why or how people could live like that. I worked a lot in activism after that. And then in 2010, I returned to Palestine, this time living and working at An-Najah University in Nablus. This time I was coming with ideas on how to do something for the entire region, as opposed to merely focusing on Palestine, which many people do, often neglecting similar problems in the vicinity.

Elenany: How has this translated into your work now?
Danah: It has translated into Kalimat, which is what I am devoted to and it’s also my area of study. The MA programme I’m pursuing right now works directly with the East Baltimore community. As opposed to living in an apartment in a nice part of town and coming in during class time to work with the community, we live in the community and make up a part of it. That’s real community work and helps us better understand our surroundings and the people and places we are making things for. The programme is directly related to making change happen/instigating change through design.

Elenany: How is your work making the world a better place?
Danah: With my work, I hope to make people question the role of the media and design – how can these fields articulate change, how can we use them to better our environment and community and what is the role of a designer, an architect, a journalist? My goal is to have people rethink the educational system in the Arab world and the presence that these two fields (which influence numerous fields alongside it), play.

Elenany: Whose work do you like (artists/designers/musicians)?
Danah: One of my main inspirations is minimalist design so and the work of Massimo Vignelli inspires me for sure. I am also absolutely in love with the Andalusia region, the architecture and history is phenomenal.

Elenany: What’s your favourite Elenany piece/ graphic?
Danah: The Eskimo Coat! And the awesome Elenany logo buttons.

Elenany: Where can we find out more about you?
Danah: On my website at http://www.danahabdulla.com/ or on my blog www.yuppieactivist.blogspot.com and by following me on twitter @theyuppie

Check out Kalimat Magazine at http://www.kalimatmagazine.com/

ELENANY FOR THE SCOUTS

2011-09-18T09:18:00.000+01:00

AS TAKEN FROM THE ELENANY.CO.UK BLOG (http://www.elenany.co.uk/page/blog)

If you thought Girl Scouts spent their time baking cookies and helping old people mow their lawns, you were misinformed. Well, they do do that stuff, but they also get up to rather more exciting activities like hang gliding, mine exploration and zorbing. Yeah, zorbing.

Earlier this year, Elenany was asked by The Scouts to design a new inclusive uniform that girls from all backgrounds could wear to allow them to run, jump and climb mountains as much as they wanted without making the girls feel uncomfortable or exposed. Here’s the breakdown:

THE LOOKS
After several discussions with focus groups made up of girl Scouts and Scout leaders, we created two pieces of uniform which can be worn in conjunction with existing Scout uniform. We created a hoody dress for them, incorporating the bright i-Scout orange for the hood lining and print. We also created a shirt dress, made from a heavy t-shirt fabric in traditional Scout beige –with flashes of i-Scout pink on the sleeves.

THE PRINT
We couldn’t let them go without plastering a massive Elenany graphic all over the clothing –so that’s exactly what we did. We’re excited that the print might be used across the boys Scouting range (Cubs, Beavers, Scouts) too, on t-shirts and polos.

We got our inspiration for the print from all of the exciting activities Scouts get up to, so if you look closely you can see kayakers, windsurfers and Scuba divers arranged in a nice geometric pattern.

The uniform will be available at the end of this year to anyone and everyone from Scout Shops, online. The uniform will be limited edition, so if you love the new pieces, there’s no time to waste!

Islamification, Bad Nostalgia and British Design Genius.

2011-01-11T01:07:00.000Z

I came across an article recently titled “the Islamification of Britain” in The Independent. I didn’t read it though, because I have a short attention span and Independent articles are always really long and use a lot of big words. I like to write but I don’t like to read. What does that say about me? Probably that I’m a narcissist. Oh well. Anyway.

As I lay staring at the ceiling listening to Radiohead that evening, I was awash with bad nostalgia. You know, bad nostalgia, the opposite of good nostalgia such as being choked with tears of joy at hearing the theme tune to The Mysterious Cities of Gold which you haven’t heard since you were 10.
Radiohead took me back to my late teens. The emptiness of youth. The disenchantment of reality. The indifference of it all. Yeah, I was proper Emo back then. In fact, I was Emo before Emo was even invented.
People often ask me why I started practising Islam and I never give them a proper answer because I can’t actually remember, but Radiohead reminded me. And I think it might be the reason for the rest of Britain, or at least elements of it :)

So why specifically Britain? Oddly enough I think the reason that British design is the best in the world is for the same reason for such Islamification. Wow. How did I even connect those two?! Here goes, using Newton’s 3rd Law of Motion:

Action: The British Stiff Upper Lip.
Reaction: Not showing and expressing emotion, or the fear of doing so can make people cold and unfriendly. This makes sensitive people become more introverted and seek approval from other humans by means of the work they produce. It makes people define themselves by their ideas. It makes people want to go into their sheds and invent stuff.
Spiritually, it makes people seek love in something that is bigger than a loveless society.

Action: The British Social Hierarchy/Class system.
Reaction: Historically, social class has massively informed social politics. Think about the monarchy versus the paupers and how that linked to value of oneself. It has filtered down through the ages and is still felt today. British people love fairness as a reaction to unfairness of being treated according to status. You are not the car you drive, etc.
Spiritually, this fairness translates into a yearning for equality.

Action: The Autonomous British Culture.
Reaction: Brits don’t like being told what to do, so we think a lot about what we think should be right. We decide what’s right. We develop a style. We work on this style. We refine it. It becomes brilliance itself.
Spiritually, there is a realisation that the truth is bigger than the self, but there is a need for rationale.

So because all of these things cause a reaction of wanting to feel free of whatever it is that is oppressing us, such is the liberation that is also required to be a good designer and explains twofold the British Islamification phenomenon and the path to British Design Genius. Thank you.

Muslim Bashing

2010-12-29T15:19:00.000Z

Muslim bashing. Well, everyone else does it in the press, so I thought I’d have a go too. But I’m going to going to attempt to deliver this blog in a witty and light-hearted fashion despite its venomous attacks. I’m confident I can do it: one time in a presentation I told a lefty joke to a room full of middle and upper class white folks but I got away with it because I’m pretty and I smiled at the end (I also got a laugh).

On my journey of realising the concept of “Muslim fashion”, I have learned a lot about The Muslim in a British context.
Growing up not practising Islam, this has been a fairly new revelation to me: both understanding Muslim social politics and the perception of me as a Muslim by ordinary British people.

I’ve compiled some observations which I would be grateful if you should look at as to why there seems to be a massive disconnect between Muslims and British people and Muslims and Muslims. For which reason? An insight as to what makes me sigh at the irony of life.

So here goes.

“The clique phenomenon”
I have met people in their 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, who don’t know the first thing about Muslims. Not a bean. That’s a bit weird isn’t it, since it’s London, the ol’ Cultural Melting Pot, I’m talking about…So when those fascists at The Daily Mail etc spin their tales of woe about Muslims in the press, is it any wonder the masses believe them if they don’t have any points of references to check with?
Muslims hang exclusively with Muslims. I understand the practical and heck, religious benefits of the luxury of sticking to our own, but in a time where Muslims are so misunderstood and badly represented, is it really a luxury we can afford? I personally don’t think it is.

“The Dubai Contradiction”
Step aside “Infusion d'iris” by Prada and “Gucci” by Gucci, here comes the new fragrance, “Contradiction” by Muslim Folk.
Example: person X will relentlessly update their Facebook status with phrases such as “Don’t sin, Allah is watching” and, “Dunya is so not worth it, man” etc…followed by the posting of a link to a Nancy Ajram video (that’s trashy Arab pop music for those not in the know) and spending their annual holiday in luxurious, ostentatious, capital of materialism, Dubai (then coming back and bragging about it for the remaining 351 days of the year)…There’s something massively wrong about that isn’t there? There’s something wrong with an acceptance of two very polarised concepts….isn’t there?

“The Religious Veto”
The manifestation of this practise is twofold:
1) A seemingly “more religious” person will have used a technique known in the trade as “guerrilla marketing”. Said person will consistently use religious words and over a period of time will paint a picture of themselves that they are infinitely more religious and wise. Example: >ring ring, ring ring<, >answers phone<, >Assalaamu alaikum, InshaAllah, can I speak to Fluffy, Masha’Allah<.
2) People using hadiths (traditions of the Prophet Mohammad PBUH) which are out of context. For example, one time someone ultimately came to the conclusion that making someone laugh was haraam….(I think the actual hadith was referring to while someone was praying etc). No further comments.

In both cases said person(s) will ultimately have the “deciding vote” on what is halal and haraam by instilling a fear into everyone else that they must be right because they are more religious, and if you do whatever it is, you are a shameful person. Because, let’s face it, we do get awfully defensive when someone accuses us of being haraam, so we’re likely to back off and become victims to the religious veto and not ever try to change things for the better.

So what is the solution or resolution to this delusion and confusion? I leave you with this nugget of wisdom from the great philosopher, Michael Jackson “I’m starting with the man in the mirror”.

Big Smile :D

Fashion, Business and Bad Ideas

2010-12-19T11:57:00.000Z

There’s a running theme of my blogs which indicates that I’m not really a big fan of “fashion” and today’s episode doesn’t break the tradition. I’d compare my relationship with fashion to the behaviour of that of a sine wave...but actually spend time more time troughing than peaking...how would you draw that mathematically? I don’t know. Anyway.
So, today’s outrageous and bold statement is the following:

Fashion is about business, not ideas.

Contrary to popular belief, fashion is actually quite conservative and doesn’t really embrace new ideas. Conservative. Ironic, isn’t it? What with all those exposed nipples and such you would think that fashion was about being free and liberal etc.

Now let me explain. Have you ever watched a fashion advert and thought “that doesn’t really make sense”? Stop worrying that you’re a philistine and don’t understand it because you’re not cultured enough, it’s not actually supposed to make sense. It IS however, supposed to make you feel something, or connect with something, or make you want to be something, even if those things are shallow and/or dirty...welcome to the business of fashion, or at least, how Elenany sees it.
I recently had the privilege of having a chat with the director of one of the best fashion PR companies in London who told me straight, “Honey, fashion isn’t interested in anything controversial or political or religious, it’s shallow!”.
Ohhhh, so THAT’s why everyone uses sex to sell their products and rely on a celebrity wearing their stuff to raise their profile, rather than the actual quality of the idea of the garment itself. Rather than evolving culture, it just reflects and rides off the credibility of other arts.

Example: remember when Jordan wore Juicy Couture and it got really popular? I mean, come on, velvet tracksuits? What was that all about man?

So how does Islam and Muslims and modesty fit in to an industry that uses sex to sell its products? It would seem that it doesn’t. Or, it would mean the focus of the products would have to be on good product design, that is embraced at a grassroots level. It would mean that the design of the actual garment was paramount, and the marketing aspect was secondary; contradictory to the standard process. And where the marketing aspect was introduced, it would mean that the methods would have to be credible, rather than sexual. Kind of like the stuff that Elenany does. Thank you.

Creatively Retarded

2010-10-25T22:50:00.000+01:00

Graffiti style. The universal socially acceptable graphic art form.

I was at an event yesterday which triggered suppressed emotions I have for this style. I saw a lot of people selling t-shirts emblazoned with “Islamic words” in a graffiti font, as if writing it in such a way somehow made it relevant and acceptable to the masses.

Argh! Graffiti! I never understood how something which was predominantly associated with American hip-hop culture had any relevance to my life and more to the point, relevance to me as a Muslim.
It bothered me that this was the graphic identity that young Muslims had adopted to symbolise their culture. It bothered me that they were borrowing someone else’s culture. It bothered me that they weren’t trying to create their own identity, especially since Islamic history has such deep connections with art; beautiful art. As you can see I was quite bothered.

I thought I had dealt with these emotions long ago, but I clearly had not yet had closure. Journey, I journeyed to the ends of the realm of my logical capabilities and explored the possible answers to these questions keeping me awake at night.
I will now share with you the possible answers I came up with on why we don’t seem to have our own identity.

Is there a lack of value for creativity? I know that being of Arab origin I rarely impress any of my family members when I tell them I’m a designer. Most of them say something along the lines of “You should’ve studied something useful, then you could have done your designing in your spare time”. And with my Asian friends parents it’s simply “No, you’re going to study medicine”, or possibly engineering.

Is it because of the negative association of the culture of “innovation”? In Islam, there’s a term for “innovation in religion” called “biddah” which refers to people inventing new things into religious practise. It’s a very bad thing. So is the whole “nature of innovation” frowned upon? Islam is after all, about letting go of your ego.

Or is it because Muslims today haven’t self-actualised? Are we still on the penultimate step on the Maslow Pyramid? Why is this? Why are we embarrassed? Is it because generally religion is frowned upon in the West and we constantly feel like we have to apologise?

......Or, do we for some reason just like how graffiti looks and I’m thinking about this way too much?
I feel like, we should be forging our own identity. We should be taking elements of our native, adopted and Islamic cultures and creating something beautiful. And I don’t mean graffiti in an arabesque style font. I mean, the kind of stuff that Elenany does :) Thank you.

I’m not a fashion designer.

2010-07-03T19:09:00.000+01:00

There have been malicious rumours circulating in some press lately that I am a fashion designer. Particularly hurtful have been things like that I’m inspired by The Catwalk, and mix trends with “hijabi fashion”. I mean, how upsetting. I’d like to clear this up once and for all with the following statement:

I hereby declare that I am not a fashion designer.

I never have been. I’m not interested in fashion. One time when I started out I tried to convince myself that I was really into shoes, but I just couldn’t sustain the lie for very long at all.
But I design clothes, right? Yeah, but I am a product designer who designs products, and my products just happen to be clothes. Look, I studied Engineering Product Design, not to brag that I can do engineering or anything, rather, to illustrate the point that there is a very practical/ pragmatic approach to my clothes design. The reason why I started the label was to provide very wearable products, that could work within a context relevant to the culture “Western Muslims” lived in and still be covered up and modest. I really could not care less about fashion-y fashion or what The Saturdays are wearing or what the latest gimmick to grace The Catwalk is. Really. Seriously. Believe me.

I think the most cutting of comments is that I’m inspired by the latest trends. How insulting. To imply that my work will only be good for one particular 6-month season is really hurtful. Nay, my clothes can be worn this season, next season, so last season. In other words Elenany clothes are timeless. Good design is timeless.

But in all seriousness I think it’s the reactions to expressions such as “Muslim fashion” which sparks the most interesting debate. It’s by and large the opinion that Muslim and fashion are contradictory terms which I would agree with, but going with the definition that “fashion” is showy and attention grabbing by its very nature. I therefore hope with the explanation of the ethos of my brand above, that’s not how I roll, at all. The more interesting reaction is “why do we (the Muslims) want to fit in and be a part of mainstream society?”. That’s the real debate. Start talking.

Religion, Politics and……Design?

2010-05-15T22:45:00.000+01:00

It’s probably a couple of weeks too late to be talking about politics. A bit irresponsible of me really, what with my 6 blog followers, I’m obviously influential enough to have made the difference in deciding the outcome of the election.

Why am I even talking about politics on a design blog? Because politics is important to me as a designer. Why so? Because politics is about life and the way I design things is a product of my life.
Design makes the world better and easier. It improves the way people live their lives. It simplifies things. It is at the service of the people. It brings people together. It breaks barriers. It makes the world smaller. Proper design anyway, not showy design which only serves to make the “designer” some cash.
As a designer I need to be intuitive in order to assess everyday problems and find ways of finding solutions to these problems. I need to have an open mind, a free mind, an independent mind. And be creative, obviously. I also need an environment where I can be subject to these conditions. And what does politics do except dictate the conditions which I live under.

………So which system allows me these conditions? Capitalism makes me a slave to materialism; it therefore contradicts my right to be free.
Where does this leave me? Somewhere on the Left….Most good designers and fair people are.

Let me complain a bit more about capitalism and its followers. Thanks.
I think most people who vote conservative consider themselves to be “hard working and good people”. I however, would generally consider them to be “ordinary people”. To be good, implies that you are doing something extra-ordinary. Like, for example, not just doing the ordinary instinctive thing and caring about yourself; but caring for others to an equal extent.
I think that capitalism/materialism encourages us to own things which we think will make us happy. Anyone who has ever travelled to a poor country and has seen that people can be happy without nice cars and that they treat each other with kindness will understand that people don’t actually need nice things to be happy. Likewise, anyone who has ever met someone with a crazy amount of money and is unhappy and unfulfilled will realise the same thing. I believe life is like design. The best kind of design, is simple design. It’s about taking out the superfluous crap that doesn’t need to be there. And capitalism encourages us to strive for superfluous crap. And be competitive for this crap and not like each other in the process of attaining it.

So now let me talk about the Left. I think that Islam is basically socialism but with God and rules. It puts the well-being of the people above the well-being of the individual. It allows me to express myself and be relaxed and open in doing so. It means I don’t feel that I am less than someone just because they own more things than I do. It allows me to feel safe around other people. It provides the environment I need to feel free and therefore be a good designer. This is why politics is important to me.

So to say I am disappointed that Cameron is our new Prime Minister would be a gross understatement. Cameron and his party philosophy are only good for him and his rich friends and setting the bar at the height of being like him and his rich friends.
Like design, I think that life should be inclusive; for all.

The final chapter. For now.

2010-03-25T13:52:00.000Z

Now safely back in the UK I conclude my Indonesia blog with my overall impressions of this enchanted country. I have gathered my thoughts on varying elements and present them to in three sections: People culture, Tradition culture and Fashion culture.

People culture:
Indonesians are one of the most laid back, polite and friendly people I have ever met. You don’t get a feeling of social hierarchy there. We met quite a lot of important people and yet they never made us feel like we owed them anything, or that we had to kiss their asses. The Indonesians don’t stare at you for being a foreigner. They show love. This might be because Indonesia has been occupied, invaded and visited (by the Dutch, Japanese, Arabs etc etc etc) so many times over the years, new cultures don’t phase them….Each culture that has come has left its mark without the Indonesians being resentful about it, be it in art, religion or whatever. One of our tour co-ordinators said that he spends he holidays travelling around the islands of Indonesia staying each night with a different family, who he doesn’t know, who invite him in. That’s pretty cool. Such is the people culture in Indonesia.

Tradition Culture.
Tradition and heritage is alive and strong and celebrated. There is Batik everywhere. Both young and old people wear it and are inspired by it. There is a story behind each design and there are thousands of designs. That’s a lot of stories.
The food is……nothing like I’ve ever tasted before……If I were to describe Indonesian food using music, I would say it was like Aphex Twin……
There are also many other traditions which have been preserved and are practised on a daily basis whose product’s largely provide the domestic market such as wood carving, weaving and art using natural elements…like bones for example.

The "Singing Fish" dish and a worker at a weaving machine

Fashion Culture.
Fashion isn’t really that “big” in Indonesia but it is growing. While we were there, people kept asking us how we could export Indonesian fashion to The West, for commercial reasons of course. Indonesian products might be too traditional for Western tastes how they stand but careful/sensitive collaboration between the two cultures can potentially create something beautiful. You would just need the right designer. And that’s where I come in.

Imran getting papped and a cool piece of Batik

I hope you have enjoyed my blog. I might start blogging properly now if/when I have interesting stuff to share.

Return to Jakarta

2010-03-22T16:27:00.001Z

“What’s the name of the hotel we’re staying in again? Is it The Sultan or The Turban?” –May Cortazzi; genius.
Just arrived in Jakarta from Solo, after a very dodgy flight. So dodgy in fact, that the girl three seats next to me puked from the landing.

Solo was such a cool place (not as cool as Bandung though). This afternoon we had lunch at Madam Obin’s house, she’s kind of like an Indonesian Vivienne Westwood: completely bonkers and really influential in the cloth world. She also had a workshop next to her house which was awesome, you felt like the workers enjoyed coming to work.

Lunch at Madam Obin's. See her wonderful work www.binhouse.com

We also got our first taste of some “real Indonesia” –we’ve been pretty sheltered so far with staying in nice hotels and eating in fancy restaurants….we went to a real market for real people.

From Bandung to Solo and MANGOSTEEEEEEEN!

2010-03-21T15:23:00.000Z

Today we went round the Mayor of Solo’s house and we ate and he put on a fashion show especially for us and we did a mini tour of his palace. He looked a bit like Obama.

Yesterday in Bandung, I finally tasted my beautiful mangosteen! Although I got a bag full I accidentally left it in the fridge in the hotel so I’m back to square one. But check out the precious below.

I’m really gutted I didn’t take more pictures of Bandung, the camera on my battery ran out. It is so beautiful and one day I want to live there. It’s also a very hip town with a strong youth urban culture. My stuff would go down a treat ‘round these parts.

Farewell Jakarta

2010-03-19T16:33:00.001Z

Another awesome day spent learning about the “Indonesian Muslim Fashion Scene”. Bare peeps want to hook up with me, it’s exciting!! It’s our last day in Jakarta today, tomorrow we go to Bandung where apparently both the weather and the people are cooler.
Today we spent some time discussing stuff at BINUS university, the best business school in Indonesia. Tomorrow I post pictures, but today you enjoy the ones below.

2010-03-18T16:52:00.000Z

Dear Diary,

Sorry for not staying in touch like I said I would, it has been an intense and immense past three days. Everything is cool: the Indonesians, the weather, the food, but especially the Indonesians who are possibly the friendliest and most welcoming people I have come across. The hotel we’re staying courtesy of Femina Group is so luxurious there is a man who plays a Grand Piano in the lobby wearing a tux, but I’m not taking pictures of him or of the waterfall, or the 40” Plasma in my room because that’ll make me look really poor.
By the way I forgot to mention in the body of the first blog that you can check out the other contestants May, Justin, Imran and Susi here http://ukyfe.wordpress.com/ Check out their work too, it’s good stuff.
Still no sign of mangosteen after the third day, apparently it’s not in season, but we have been sampling other strange fruits, like Snake fruit, which May said tasted like “dry apple and hairspray” (it’s in the pic below). I personally thought it was more pineapple and hairspray.
We have done a LOT of eating. People keep feeding us. Relentlessly. Every day. Every meal. The Indonesians have made us feel really special.
I’ve only managed to spot some local birds but they were so quick I couldn’t snap them. Going more rural to Bandung on Saturday so hopefully I’ll see more exotic ones.
Check out some of the highlights below……until then, lots of love, talk soon xxx

Fig 1: Highlights Medley

Clockwise from left: Snake fruit, May tries Batik, a garden someplace, Imran in an elaborate hat by young indonesian designer , eating session, traditional batik fabric.

Elenany is going places. Literally.

2010-03-14T15:54:00.000Z

Hello viewers and welcome to the first ever entry of my blog. I have been shortlisted for the British Council's Young Fashion Entrepreneur of the Year for Elenany which means I get to go to Indonesia. I leave tomorrow. I'm well excited!
The trip is a tour of the Indonesian fashion industry which, amongst other things, will see me schmoozing, liaising and collaborating with Indonesia's finest in fashion. I'll be reporting on a regular basis (hopefully daily) on the wonderful things I do and people I meet so hopefully you will join me on my industry exploration adventure.

Other things I am also looking forward to in Indonesia:
I'd like to state at this point that I am an extreme bird fancier and will be on the lookout for Indonesia's tropical birds.
Mangosteen. A magical fruit native to Indonesia, I will be eating several of these every day, even if it makes me sick. One time I ate 9 Alphonso mangoes in a day. And it made me sick.
I am also hoping to be inspired by Indonesian Islamic culture...it was a trip to Morocco a few years back which ignited my love for Islamic graphics -so I wonder what marvellous things Indonesia will show me...