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FLIK HALL’S OCTOPUS ALTER-EGO

By Jenna Hawkins / November 15th, 2011 in Fashion / London / 204 views

London based designer Flik Hall’s SS’12 collection, I Hear You Calling, is an avant-garde recreation of wearable staples infused with intricate patterns and design elements reminiscent of the shapes and textures of an octopus.  Having interned at House of Holland and Giles Deacon after completing her studies at the prestigious Central Saint Martins school, Hall developed her love of prints, which came into fruition during her first collection in SS’10.

A year later and Hall described her most recent collection as “a range emblazoned with high-tech looking prints in globular shapes and fleshy or inky hues”.  Having previously worked directly with real octopi for an accessories collection has given Hall the insight and knowledge to recreate the sea creature’s aesthetic through colour, movement and texture.  Tentacle-esque patterns, harsh cut outs and fabrics such as silks and leathers are juxtaposed together forming hybrid creatures with oceanic connotations, much like a cacaelia (half octopus, half human).

Directed by Ashley Joiner, the film for I Hear You Calling, is much like Hall’s designs, a mixture of real life and fantasy, infusing elements of mixed media with the fluid movements of mermaid-like model, Claudia Devlin, a red-headed beauty who—with her elfin features—is a real life Ariel, stuck between the earth and the sea, while Hall’s designs are a second skin for her eight legged alter-ego.

DETAILS

• Directed by
  Ashley Joiner
• Starring
  Claudia Devlin
• Crew
  Jodie Herbage, Tim Deiling
• Release Date
  1 November 2011
• Band
  Phaedra
• Label
  Flik Hall

LONDON CONFIDENTIAL

Open Water: Flik Hall

Mollie Lloyd talks to the designer about her S/S collection and why octopi is where it's at

Written by Mollie Lloyd. Published this morning at 11:15 AM.

HAVE you ever thought that an octopus could be sexy? Neither did we, but London-based designer Flik Hall begs to differ. Hall’s esoteric Spring/Summer offerings, herald the coming tide of what’s set to be great about fashion next season; namely a fresh, phantasmagorical take on prints and a continued devotion to new ways to wear old staples.

From sweet, sea-spray coloured sleeves, edged with that pulpy tentacle print, to functional harem-style jumpsuits and structured bodies, peppered with sucker-like eyelets.

Take Hall’s spin on the classic tubular pencil dress. Flatteringly tailored and sliced with laser-sharp precision, a bold cut-out panel reveals an arc of skin across the torso (fashion’s new erogenous zone?). It’s modest yet daring and without as much as a hint of cleavage in sight. 

But what about the octopus?

“I worked directly with real octopi for an accessories collection,” Hall says, “so the textures that I used throughout my Spring/Summer collection resonate closely with the palette and touch of an actual octopus.” The result is a range emblazoned with high-tech looking prints in globular shapes and fleshy or inky hues. Set against panels of skin-like sheer or leathery fabrics, the result is undeniably mollusc, but it works.

“I find that sometimes I might not realise that something has inspired or even interested me,” she says, “but it emerges later as a much stronger idea… I find it fascinating that we are drawn to certain things but we don’t know why.”

Inspiration for previous collections of Hall’s have ranged from her father’s fastidious attention to timekeeping through to graveside eulogies to infants in Mexico. As part of that collection, titled ‘Mannequin Parade’, the stand out piece was a necklace made of life-sized plastic babies’ limbs. Not to everybody’s taste, but a bold move in the direction of reasoned outlandishness that still characterises her designs. 

It makes stylistic sense that Hall had worked at Giles, (for whom the term ‘statement’ could have been made for) before starting her own label as a graduate. “I loved the energy at Giles and how experimental it all was,” Hall tells us, “It was rewarding because we were working on beautiful pieces, and when they were all finished it felt like it was really worth it… But if I never tried to start my own label, I’d always be wondering ‘what if?’”       

As any artist worth their weight in salt knows, there’s no creativity without tension, and this latest collection swims the line between pretty and ethereal and pared-down utility. From sweet, sea-spray coloured sleeves, edged with that pulpy tentacle print, to functional harem-style jumpsuits and structured bodies, peppered with sucker-like eyelets.

Hall is keen to expand her label into footwear, eventually, but with the label still relatively young she is keen to be creative when it comes to business as well as fashion. What about doing a show? (Florence Welch popping out of a shell to provide the soundtrack, as seen at Chanel, seems to fit so perfectly.) “I like the idea of doing a show, but I don’t feel it is the only way to market a brand,” she says with suspense. 

Either way, Hall’s Spring/Summer ’12 collection is certainly healthy and humorous reply to the ever-recurring nautical trend that crops up every spring. With such delectably quirky items, we’re sure you’ll agree that calamari is all well and good, but who wants to eat seafood when you can wear it like this?

www.FlikHall.com

IDOL MAGAZINE

Since fashion label Flik Hall hit the scene in 2009, the amount of press attention has been on-going. A graduate of Central St. Martins with work experience from House of Holland and Marios Schwab under her belt, it would appear that Hall was already on her way to success. With publications including Grazia, Vogue Turkey and Elle US featuring her designs it’s no wonder the SS 2012 collection has been surrounded by hype and for good reason.

The latest collection is unique and unusual, focused on the ethereal look of cacaelia (half octopus, half human). Tentacle-like patterns splattering and panelling the layered silk gowns and leather shift dresses, give an eerie yet tough feel to the edgy label. Playsuits and jumpsuits in swirling prints of nude and muted tones with harsh cut-outs to reveal pure flesh, bring sea-like connotations to the waters of the human eye.

Bringing in a touch of shock appeal, an electric blue structured blouse and a pair of jodhpur-style trousers shake up the rhythm of the aquatic theme, giving variety to the mix.

With luxury and innovative fabrics featured within the range, from neoprene (most commonly used for wetsuits) to sheer chiffon the oxymoron of incorporating stronger materials with the more delicate reinforces the true hybrid direction of this otherworldy designer.

Flik Hall puts sea sick out of the picture and sea cool into the waves of the fashion world.

Spindle Magazine

 

This season Flik Hall has collaborated with Miranda Keyes to create an enticing accessories collection to compliment her ready-to-wear collection. Miranda Keyes is a young designer based in Glasgow that createswearable art from sea creatures and botanical specimens.
Flik Hall’s SS12 collection was inspired by obscure close up imagery of octopi. The collection embodies prints of abstracted structural forms of octopi in fleshy tones that twist over leather, emblazoned with eyelets to represent the octopi’s suckers. Miranda’s unique choice of materials caught Flik’s attention and they began designing a visceral accessories collection made from real octopus.

The collection of pieces includes a bra made entirely from tentacles; a crown that cast underresin is restored to the beauty the octopi hold in the water. This ornate material becomes ambiguously enticing when preserved in a sold state as part of rings and chocker’s, amongst other intricate pieces. Letting both the form of the tentacles and the curve of the body dictate the end result, these pieces ally themselves seamlessly with the body.
These pieces draw on intricate and naturally occurring forms; ordered formation of tentacles recast into wearable art challenging, by their composition the established conventions of bodily adornment.

Flik Hall Baby Cut-out Dress in Bullett Magazine

I caught up with Flik Hall last week to ask her a few quick questions about what inspires her and how she goes about designing pieces for her collections. She's a very talented young designer and, being home-grown talent, I couldn't pass up the chance to pick her brains on where those ingenious patterns and textures combos came from! Check out her story below...

You use an awesome mix of fabrics in your work - I love the combination of hessian
with leather! How do you find which materials work best with each other and what are
you planning on experimenting with for your next collection?

The materials that I use each season depend very much on what has inspired my work and
the effect I want to provoke. I find it interesting to work with material that are unorthodox
or foreign, those with a purpose perhaps more commonly associated with something other
than clothing; or materials that we don’t get to see used very often - used in an unexpected
way. It’s more exciting because it’s about discovery and the unfamiliar. I’m currently more
inclined to choose fabrics that oppose each other in their qualities and characteristics. I love
to choose fabrics that look would be perceived as awkward together when in conception,
but combined in a configured way really work for each other. I love leather at the moment
because I’m finding it so versatile and dynamic and amenable to the ideas that I have. For my
next collection I am continuing to work with leather but with new twists!

What has been the highlight of your fashion career so far and what are you looking
forward to?

I would definitely have to say the shoot for my first collection ‘Scope of Time’. Although
I have been much more excited by more recent things, for me when you actually see your
clothes work as a piece of art for the first time....apart from in your imagination that has to be
the strongest memory.

I love the dolls arms on your SS11 collection! Where do you get your ideas for the
prints you use?

I took imagery from looking into the lives of Mexican families and the composition of
alters that they display in their homes. The alters would appear chaotic but seemed very
beautiful to me at the same time. Many of the alters are juxtapositions of items such as family
memorabilia, a white horse, dolls, cords, religious paintings and even sweet corn. I became
particularly interested by alters that were present in the home in memory of children that had
died. They would be filled with dolls of all description in various outfits, some bigger and
smaller than others. I was fascinated by the interesting spaces shaped in-between the dolls
which was what led me to experiment with porcelain dolls arms for my print. Much of the
colour palette was inspired by the state the walls had been left in the home during various
hurricanes. The hessian I used in the collection is a fabric that plays a great part in their lives
used as table clothes, clothing and even as bags for collecting sweet corn.

Do you dress in your own designs? If not, what sort of style do you adopt?

IRIS APFEL

Yes, I do wear my own designs, all of the items I design I resonate with. Sometimes part
of my inspiration is thinking about what’s not out there; or what is, but improved upon or
expanded upon (subjectively). I think that although it is important to know your market,
having enthusiasm for a garment you would love to wear yourself brings about a much
stronger piece.

I think that style is a continuous evolution so if I was to attempt to categorize my style
it would be an inaccurate description very soon. For the moment I would say I am quite
unbounded and flamboyant, how I dress communicates who I am from day to day.

Whose style do you admire?

I love Iris Apfel, her style; attitude and vision are so unique; she is one of a kind and totally
exotic! I also really admire Francoise Hardy’s effortless elegance.

Flik Hall moved to London following her school years and moved into Hackney soon after. She enrolled at Central St Martin’s college where she pursued her options, and quickly developed her curiosity in fashion design. Flik Hall discovered and developed a love for print design in particular. She then left college to take placements with various designers such as House of Holland and Giles Deacon, where she engaged in all areas of the design studio. During her time there, she began setting up her own label. She launched her first season SS10 “Scope of Time” soon afterwards.
Flik Hall’s work is brightly hued where the garments movement and print takes centre stage. Employing a wide range of prints nothing is quite what it seems in Flik's work where contrast is key. Flik’s SS11 collection, “Mannequin Parade”, is a showcase of Flik’s signature aesthetic of bold silhouettes and captivating prints.

Flik Hall's work is available to buy on Not Just A Label.com