Tag Archives: brand

Aug 30 2012
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August 2012

Sisters in Arms…Spotlight: Jennifer Williams-Bafoe

Here at ANTITHESIS it is no secret that we are great lovers of and firm believers in the powerful 21st Century woman. With this in mind we stop to take a moment to tell you about the inspirational and lovely Jennifer Williams-Bafoe, who we have been lucky to have had great support and mentoring from over the past few months.Jennifer has been a wonderful advisor to us, and that is why we couldn’t be more excited to get the opportunity to work alongside her with the launch of our first collection at one of her fabulous Ladies’ Nights on the 6th September at the Park Plaza Hotel, Primo Bar.Originally trained as a designer and with over 17 years in the fashion, creative and business industries under her belt Jennifer decided that there was much-needed space in the market for a company that would lend help and support to small, up and coming creative businesses. So, in March 2005 Jennifer founded and set up her successful business Willbaforce Ltd and with her wonderful team of experts they have continued to provide assistance and advice from Project Management, Events, Pr & Styling to Business Development and Product Management.

Often referred to as “Willbaforce” or just “The Force” Jennifer has a wide range of connections within the creative industries and has mentioned before that one of her proudest moments was “on my work at The British Fashion Council by acknowledged by Drapers Record and being referred to as a person running the Industry’s Dating Agency”. With all this in mind, it’s no wonder that it has been such a pleasure to have been given the chance to work with such a presence in the Creative industries.

For more info on Jennifer Williams-Bafoe, follow her inspirational Twitter feed @willbaforceltd, visit www.willbaforce.com, or come down to our launch event and see ‘The Force’ in action!

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Aug 26 2012
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August 2012

Manufacturing Files I: Neobotanic

Welcome to the first of a series of articles dedicated to the wonderful people behind the production of Antithesis’ clothing! Finding a good manufacturer is not easy, especially for a start-up brand with tiny orders. Yet we have managed to find two London-based production units who accepted to cut and sew our reversible/modular/transformable pieces.

One of them is Neobotanic, a bespoke production unit located in the shadows of the Olympic stadium in Hackney Wick. Founded only two years ago by Olga Ankudinova, it already employs four full-time machinists and one cutter. All the workers are women who emigrated from East European countries such as Ukraine and Latvia to work in the UK, where wages are much higher. They usually work a minimum of 8 hours a day but are always happy to work overtime to compensate for the off-season period where the factory sometimes needs to shut down.

It was not part of Olga’s plans to start up her own manufacturing unit. With a fashion diploma from the St. Petersburg State Academy of Art and Design in hand, she moved to London to find her dream job. After a few months of unfruitful job hunting, she was offered a small pattern cutting and sampling contract, which then turned into a production order. With the help of a skilled friend, she spent countless hours sewing dozens of dresses, which had been cut directly on the carpet of her flat! She gradually built up her clientele by word-of-mouth.

Neobotanic is not only a manufacturer, they also design and produce women’s and men’s collections. Using bright and bold graphics inspired by natural elements such as flowers and plants, they offer their customers the chance to make a flamboyant fashion statement.

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Aug 20 2012
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August 2012

Save The Date – ANTITHESIS launch 06/09/2012!

Antithesis has finally arrived! We are happy to announce our launch event will be on Thursday, 6th September 2012 hosted by the Primo Bar, Westminster Bridge Park Plaza from 6pm.

We’d like to tell you a bit about our journey in the hopes of encouraging you to come down and join us in celebrating the formal birth-day of our label. Although it’s been a pleasure carrying our baby to term, like most expectant mother’s we are now excited to see the fruits of our labour in the world!

ANTITHESIS was born when Managing Director, Zahra Ash-Harper and Creative Director, Renée Lacroix teamed up to produce their final MA projects at London College of Fashion. It was our shared belief that not only could modular/multifunctional design be a major influence in slow fashion it could also facilitate creativity in personal fashion styling, which brought us together.

Inspired by powerful women of the 21st century, who maintain frantic work schedules whilst cultivating successful family lives, as well as communing, travelling and socialising internationally. ANTITHESIS decided our first call to action should be to dress these women in a capsule collection sympathetic and befitting their chosen lifestyles. It just so happens we are those kinds of women – we are mates with them, we admire, love and celebrate them too!

So… after months of hard work and organisation, we couldn’t be more excited to finally be launching our first collection the ‘Carry on Closet’ a 10 piece  transformable capsule collection, easily packed into  a multifunctional carry-on-case specially designed in collaboration with Charlotte Goldthorpe.

Our launch night promises to be full of wonderful things, between 6pm-8pm our lovely guests will have the chance to try and buy our Autumn/Winter collection. We encourage you to enjoy a night for the ladies! Pitch up with your girlfriends and share a fashion secret!

The bar will also be open for you to enjoy a cheeky cocktail whilst you shop, and at 7pm we will be holding a short catwalk presentation so  guests can get a feel for the versatility ANTITHESIS garments offer. There will also be a “try-it-on raffle” where every time you try on one of our pieces from the collection you will receive a raffle ticket and if you’re lucky even win a prize!

If all this didn’t sound like the perfect evening out with the girls, the hotel’s Ladie’s Night will start from 8pm onwards, with live music, £4 cocktails and free Mandara Spa treatments! Its an evening not to be missed, so if you would like an invite then simply e-mail us at info@antithesis.co (don’t worry your eyes have not deceived you, our e-mail address is just .co)

We would love for you guys to pay us a visit!

 

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Jul 16 2012
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July 2012

Intern-al Affairs 1: Leu

Today let us introduce you to the Antithesis team’s latest member: Leu Solomon. Leu has been assisting us in the studio since the beginning of June. She has been doing such a great job that we decided to share it with you! Originally from Minneapolis, she’s the oldest of five kids. She first got a degree in Journalism and Public Relations and worked in buying and marketing before changing fields to design. She’s now living in East London and just about to start a BA in Womenswear at the London College of Fashion.

What are your objectives/ambitions for the future?

To have my own fashion label. I want to be an influential designer. My biggest fear coming to London was that my creations and designs wouldn’t be able to compete with the talent here. Students who attend LCF come from all corners of the world with the same dream I have. It’s competitive. Completing a foundation degree and obtaining this internship has validated the work I’ve done so far and what I aspire to be.

Why did you want to work for Antithesis?

I knew I wanted to work for a womenswear company and I loved the fact that Antithesis was a company on the cusp of launching their brand. I really wanted to be a part of the process rather than an intern who gets coffee and does the filing.

What have you learnt so far during this internship?

You name it and I’ve done it. Pattern cutting, sourcing, product design & development, creating spec sheets, blog writing, research and attending fashion events. Actually, my favorite part so far has been applying the theoretical skills about design that I learned in school and seeing how it really works when producing a garment. In my first week, Renée had me sketch possible attachment ideas, source materials for it and then produce a toile of the sketch. It was conception to completion and I loved it!

What do you think this internship will bring you?

Just being chosen for this internship was a confidence booster, it was the first time I had shown my design work to anyone professionally. So confidence definitely but also gaining experience working in a studio atmosphere has been beneficial. There are so many parts to owning and running a clothing company that I didn’t know. This internship also gives me a reference point for what to expect for the future and more importantly, it’s been really fun.

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May 29 2012
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May 2012

Good Fashion, Sun & Bamboo

2012 Good Fashion Show Predicts our summer style favourite: Colin Leslie

Back in February 2012 Antithesis attended the very first  Good Fashion Show , which took place in the impressive surroundings of London House, Bloomsbury. Founded by Antoinette Saxer, the ethical and not-for-profit event coincided with London Fashion Week and was open to press, trade and public. Being hailed a ‘must-visit destination for fashion’s insiders and outsiders’ we were eager to see what the showcasing brands had to offer the ever growing ethical fashion market.

The event encompasses a shopping emporium showcasing the work of more than 45 eco-ethical designers, a fairtrade food market, a makeover station and an exhibition of artwork ranging from fashion photography and illustration to fine art and video installations. As if that wasn’t enough the highlights of the event were a series of fascinating talks on fashion’s ethics as well as an evening runway show. We think the Good Fashion Show was an impressive platform for UK ethical fashion scene and is rightly here to stay!

Antithesis is always on the look out for well designed ethical fashion products we can support, and it was at this years’ Good Fashion Show that we came across Colin Leslie, his signature bamboo sunglasses are an absolute ‘must have’ for this summer. His best sellers the Eco Unit.T wide-eyed sunnies, as worn by the Loveable Rogues on BGT are currently on sale! (with an additional 20% discount for all those who entre the magic code 2012FF).

Colin Leslie styles follow the classic Aviator and wide eye Wayfarer shapes so popular with the urban geek chic crowd but with an added twist using natural bamboo. We love Colin’s fresh take on a retro classic, available in Unisex styles.

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Apr 08 2012
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April 2012

Behind the Seams

We thought we would tell you a little bit about us, the team behind Antithesis. Renée Lacroix and Zahra Ash-Harper met just over a year ago during an event, How to Start-Up in Fashion, organised by University of the Arts London. After realising how much we had in common business-wise, we decided to partner up for our final MA project. Our ideas gradually evolved into a brand and, upon graduating, we decided to follow our dreams: launching our own label.

While we had the same business idea, offering versatile and multi-functional womenswear, our vision unfolded from two distinct paths. As a designer concerned by over-consumption and its environmental impacts, Renée’s interests are primarily linked to sustainability. With a philosophy degree under her belt, Zahra’s motivations are driven by the idea of empowering female consumers by providing choice, facilitating individuality and co-creation in fashion garments.

With a career background in project management and communications, Zahra is responsible for overarching business strategy, day-to-day management of the business, marketing and communications. Trained as a womenswear designer, Renée is responsible for art direction, developing the brand image and product management from research to design and production.

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Sep 08 2011
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September 2011

Introduction

This blog is a diary of the thoughts, feelings and inspiration behind the development of our slow fashion brand, Antithesis, which we aim to launch in September 2012.

Countering fast fashion, our aim is to design garments that are physically and emotionally durable. We are focused on developing clothing regardless of trends or seasons and offer women the opportunity to wear stylish yet timeless clothing that will stand the test of time. Being a strong advocate for slow fashion, we believe good design should last and be cherished.

We are young, aspirational women and would like to share our journey with you. Hopfully we’ll get to the destination we seek. However, of real importance is the journey, and we’ll be using this blog to first and formost document where we go and how we get there!

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