It was great to catch up with Kestin Hare at the #HeraldFashion awards in Glasgow recently, and an honour to be a winner alongside one of Scotland’s leading creatives.

He’s come a long way from printing t-shirts at Uni, the origin story he shared on this blog last June, and his latest venture is a dream come true.

The former Creative Director of Common People and Head of Design at Nigel Cabourn is launching a new menswear label under his own name, Kestin Hare.

He will debut his eponymous brand’s latest collection, titled “White Noise”, at London Collections: Men AW15, with the backing of his Japanese distributor Masataka Fujino. The new brand will combine Hare’s core values of UK production and quality fabrics with craftsmanship and the clean, contemporary aesthetic for which he is known.

The collections will be designed from the Edinburgh store/studio on St Stephen Street, Stockbridge, which will also be rebranded come January 2015. Much of the business will be brought in-house to allow greater control and consistency across his new label.

The collection will also be available to purchase online with the new website www.kestinhare.com launching in January 2015. The brand’s visual identity and contemporary branding will reflect Hare’s core values.

The Autumn Winter ’15 collection “White Noise” is inspired by the static audio and visual waves found on old television sets, which Hare recalls from his youth. The white noise marks the end of a program and the period of anticipation before the beginning of the next. This mirrors the end of the brand Common People and the period of excitement and wonder of what the future will bring, before the beginning of a new venture, the launch of the new label “Kestin Hare”.

Specially developed “White Noise” inspired fabrics and prints have been expressed across jersey, track pants and sweats with marl-like textures reflecting the visuals of the theme. Outerwear is as strong as ever, with pieces constructed in technical sports-luxe fabrics, cut with raw edges and flashes of colour prominent across the range. The result is a clean contemporary collection, with quality held as top priority.

The designer said “I’m incredibly excited about my new venture. To have my own label, Kestin Hare, has been a lifelong dream. The investment from Japan is very special to me, as not only does Masataka and his company share my vision and values for the brand, but it’s going to be a very long, strong and genuine relationship. The opportunity to grow globally with a proposed store in London and perhaps further afield should start happening next year.”

So when you support local independent designers, you could be investing the next big name in fashion.

Onward!

Gx

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I caught up with photographer Tom Cairns as he prepares for the launch of his first exhibition. Tommy and I share a passion to spread the message to all young creatives out there that your best years lie ahead…

So, you’re a well-travelled man. Tell us about your journey from corporate to creative

I guess the creative has always been hanging around in there. From back in the days when I used to do a lot of drawing with pencil or pen and always having a camera around when the mood took me, I guess it just needed a push.

I had a fantastic career in ‘corporate’ working as a sales guy in Enterprise Software and Consultancy, latterly at director level. Probably the most fun I had was with my time at Oracle. I was there just at the the inception of internet technology, the dot com bubble and all that. It was amazing to see so many revolutionary businesses come and go and to see the world become truly connected.

After 25 years of pretty much being away from home every other week, the spark slowly was dying and I needed a new challenge. The penny took quite a while to drop but when it did, there was no turning back. Having a business background, it was more the business of photography that interested me rather then the photography itself. I went on a four day course by Aspire, the A-Z of business photography. It fired me up that much that I came home and decided this was the right time. I did my sums, drafted a business plan and pretty much left work a few weeks later.

It took me at least a year to find the style of images that I wanted to produce and the ‘markets’ that I wanted to work in. I simply didn’t want to be the same as everyone else, so it was key to have the right vision and philosophy about what I was doing and why I was doing it as my style developed, and it didn’t stop here. Change is a wonderful thing if you are willing to embrace it. Every shoot for me has to be better than the last one, I’m always looking to try to add that something to what I’m trying to achieve which keeps me so motivated.

Jean-Paul Gaultier took a stance against ageism at Paris Fashion Week with a grey-haired punk on the catwalk. What was your reaction when you were recently signed as a model?

Kinda struggle with this a bit as I’m not a model. I do a lot of photography work for Superior Model Management in Glasgow and one day when I was in their offices, Isla commented on my ‘new look’ i.e. the beard and, not having anyone else on her books like me, she felt it would be good to have me on board. It’s great fun to say that I’m on there and the little work I’ve had has been a hoot! I think what JPG did with the grey haired punk look was fantastic and age should never be a barrier to anything we do. However, I certainly don’t see it as a career path for me.

You are attracting a strong global following across your social media networks. How has the hashtag helped you?

This goes back to my background as a sales guy. I know how to get myself out there and to promote my work. Social media is basically a free advertising/marketing tool and having an integrated social media strategy is so important to most businesses out there today. The vast majority of the work I do comes from my clients seeing my work on FB, Instagram, Twitter etc. It’s important not to over promote yourself, people will get bored, but having a strong image/brand/product and keeping it sharp and on message, can drive so much work your way.

You are about to launch your first photographic exhibition An evening of Luminous Style. Tell us more about this and your penchant for natural light

Over the years I continually strive to master the art of creating images by merging the abundant natural light in our world with the light that exists within my subject.

Ambient light has a softness and an ability to almost caress a subject and make everything and anyone more beautiful. When I’m taking photographs, I’m seeking out the natural beauty in everything around me, the light, my subject, a natural emotion. I always strive to capture something authentic, and to me natural light innately possesses that quality.

It envelopes the subject, allowing their natural beauty to emerge as opposed to bringing the much harsher qualities of artificial light into a shooting situation. When it comes to making beautiful images, I find it incredibly satisfying to use what is already there.

Natural light offers an added benefit in that you are able to capture a scene as you see it, thereby preserving the overall feel of that moment in time.

For me, regardless of how flash is used, it creates an “artificial” scene, one that only your camera can see when the flash is used as the main (brightest) light source.  Fill flash is less artificial because the flash is only being used to supplement the (brighter) natural lighting.  Flash creates lighting that does not exist except in that fraction of a second the exposure is taken, creating an ‘artificial’ environment that does not exist to observers of the original scene.

In my opinion, the use of natural, ambient, available light produces a quality of image that ‘artificial’ light simply cannot produce.

As someone who’s taken the leap from the 9 to 5, what message do you have for aspiring creatives?

When you have a passion for something you have to follow it and have no reservations or regrets, but what a difference it can make to you and others.

There are the practical things in life that we just have to do, so I appreciate that not everyone can simply drop everything and go out and ‘do their thing’. But when you find that inner drive that compels your creative side to take over, you simply have to go with it. I earn a fraction of what I used to but it’s not about that anymore. Producing something that gives you enormous, emotional pride and to see and feel the reaction from your clients, well that is worth so much more than cold hard cash…

Just do it!

An evening of Luminous Style exhibition will be launched in Glasgow on Friday 8th August, from 6-9.30pm at Minted, 7 King Street, G1 5QZ. All are welcome.

Gx

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Last autumn, Scottish model Chris Millington, photographer Stew Bryden and I sat in a bar in Glasgow, where we shared our passion and dreams for the creative potential in this land. A lot has happened since then…

Chris, you travelled to New York City for the first time in April this year, what were the highlights, and did the experience alter your perception of Scotland?

I think that my initial venture to New York was just one giant culmination of brilliant events, to be honest. I got there initially through an incredibly spontaneous conversation between myself and Genuine Scotland that completely took me by surprise. Getting there in itself was amazing, seeing the city outline from the distance, the big city lights, all of it was genuinely breathtaking.

The days that followed were spent with some dear friends of mine and I met some people from across the pond that I’d connected with via social media, which just created such a brilliant atmosphere and experience for me. Spending time with The La Fontaines on their first adventure in the US was amazing, I love those boys and everything they are doing right now, watching them take to the stages of New York with not a single hint of anything less than sheer class was truly inspiring.

I was fortunate enough to be there during “Tartan Week” which basically meant that the city was a giant version of Edinburgh, to put it simply! There were kilts everywhere, Scots had travelled from far and wide to enjoy the events, all in the name of Scottish pride. Those days changed my perception of Scotland forever. A nation so humble, unassuming and often regarded as the underdog, making waves across the ocean that I never imagined possible, it was incredible.

Now, having had more time to reflect during your adventures across North America, where do you gauge Scottish creative talent from a global perspective?

I’ve come to realise that talent, gifts, visions and creativity can come from any corner of the earth and those who are often overlooked tend to be those from cities outside the usual areas of influence.

Scotland has some immense talent in the creative industry, with our fashion and music sectors absolutely booming at the moment. I have found that we are just as capable as anyone else; our location holds no bearing on the amazing talents that Scotland has to offer. It is vitally important that we draw attention to Scotland, from within Scotland.

We don’t need to leave our country in search of acceptance or to be known, or to be discovered as a designer or creative, depending on what field we are working in. As a model, I have had no option but to chase the work down in the major fashion cities, sadly forcing me to leave Scotland in pursuit of success in this side of the industry. I’ll be returning permanently to Scotland in a matter of months, where I intend to create and build new things that I hope will flourish from within our country.

In your journey through life you are nurturing your own creative talents through photography and writing. Could you tell us a little bit about this, and especially about your new blog?

I’ve always been a firm believer in chasing your dreams, believing in yourself and nurturing your spirit in ways that only you can discover through creativity. I feel at peace when I write, or when I am looking at photographic art, moving into those fields in some respect, was a natural and inevitable transition for me, a transition that I am incredibly excited about!

When it comes to photography, I’ve taken great influence from two Scottish photographers – Richard Gaston and David Eustace – that have inspired me with not only their work, but their outlooks on the industry.

When it comes to my blog, I think it is just something that makes sense to me at the moment and I feel that it is a market that I can definitely capitalise on. I’m a bit of a business-head when it all comes down to it, I think that social media can be used in many ways and spreading views on things like fashion can be a very important one, in my opinion.

You are a self-taught master of social media, as thousands of us have witnessed through glimpses of your own clothing brand Alaska Supply Co. Can you reveal any more about this project?

Thank you! I guess the social media thing made sense to me early, I just had to learn how to manipulate the ‘reach’ of social media in order to create a larger and larger following organically. I’d like to one day sit back and say that I’ve succeeded! With Alaska, it’s a project that my brother and I have been working on for many, many years. We spent countless nights thinking of ideas, concepts, designs and plans for the brand. Even the name took us over two years to decide on! I’m pleased to say that we have discovered a vision and a goal that suits our dreams for the brand and is one that we hope the public will enjoy.

Our first product will launch in a matter of weeks as a preview to the full collection released this winter. Alaska will be a winter-wear brand with a more fashion-based approach. Thicker materials, sturdier design and longer lasting fabrics are the goal. We may compromise a more widespread audience’s attention as a result of entering into such a niche area of the market but it is the vision that we believe in and I am really, really excited to see where it will take us.

You’ve just been nominated for a prestigious Scottish Fashion Award for Scottish Model of the Year, how does this feel, considering you were working in a call centre only last year?

It’s been a truly eye-opening and spiritual journey for me. I’ve been fortunate to have seen a large chunk of the world in a very short time; this means the most to me. I have met some incredible people and I’ve worked with some unbelievable brands and designers. I can’t even describe how surreal the whole situation still feels for me, being nominated for such a prestigious award came not only as a shock, it also made me realise that in my short time as a model, I have succeeded in doing what I set out to do when I began.

I always believed I’d go on and do different things with my life, I just never expected it all to transform and become the whirlwind life that I now lead, so quickly.

What message do you have for creatives in Scotland, and are there any emerging talents we should look out for?

If I could say anything to the industry in Scotland as a whole, I’d tell them all to remember every single day why they started their journey in the first place. This industry is hard at times and I’ve been left to feel like I should give in, only to remember the reasons I chose to do this.

As far as emerging talents go, I’ll speak from my perspective as a model. There are a lot of great young models in Scotland now and it is essential that their mother agencies nurture and develop them in the best way. To list a few bright names, I’d like to mention Leighton Neill, Jack Devlin, Blair Dobson, Paul Cogan, Kieran Docherty and Neve Caffrey. Those guys have genuine talent and a massive amount of potential, I only hope that they are developed in the right way by their agencies.

Gx

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Yes, we’re living in the love of the Common People clothing brand, the brainchild of dad, designer and hard worker, Mr Kestin Hare.

He is flying south to London Collections: Men, to present ‘The Bird Watchers’ collection for SS15.

“The theme for the SS15 collection comes from a book I came across whilst on my last trip to Skye called: “The Birds of the West Indies” by James Bond.  In our family house in Waternish we have a shared bookshelf full of old books and music. I was looking through the collection of books on my last holiday and one caught my attention, as it would any Bond fan. I thought that this was a bit unusual and was not the James Bond that I knew… After doing some digging it turned out that Ian Fleming had spent time living in Jamaica and as a keen bird watcher was familiar with Bond’s book. He chose the author’s name for the central character in his series of iconic spy novels, which started with Casino Royale in 1953.”

This collection maintains a clean aesthetic with versatile lightweight garments and minimal detailing. The modern cuts and technical fabrics are contrasted with a nostalgic 1950’s colour pallette. Cool base tones of navy ranging through to steel, with subtle tones of khaki and sand and bright accents of teal, coral and canary yellow make up the SS15 colour palette. Hand-drawn repeat bird prints are present throughout the collection in shirtings and linings of garments.

Could you tell us how the theme ties in with your own childhood memories in Skye?

“I have always spent time up on the Isle of Skye, both as a child on summer holidays, and now on holiday’s with my own children. It’s a really inspirational place. It inspired the theme of our current Spring Summer ’14 collection “Summer Rambling Tales”, which was based on field trips and Scottish walks. I think when you are away from the distractions of running a business, with no reception on your phone, or internet access; you have the peace and time to think. It allows your imagination to run away with you, in a creative way.”

Your story is extraordinary, from printing T-shirts at Uni, to selling selling your garments across Japan. Could you share some thoughts on your time on the famous Kings Road in Chelsea?

“It was my first ‘real job’ working in fashion and during the placement year of my four-year degree I won a competition to work for the high street retailer Reiss, which was based on Kings Road, in Chelsea. At the time, I was I aware of the fashion history of Kings Road: Mary Quant and Vivian Westwood had both started out by having shops there. You could feel it in the air, the excitement, the beautiful people, the wealth, and the style! This was a far cry from the old mining town of Tranent, which was where I was brought up.

“My time at Reiss was invaluable and I found that if I worked hard and really tried to learn from the people around me, they responded to me well. There were other students on placement at the same time, but I was the only one that David Reiss saw at 7 o’clock in the evening still working in the studio, and there in the morning before he got in. I think he must have thought I didn’t have a home to go to! Surviving on £120 a week in London, it was probably better to be at the studio in Chelsea. When I finished the year placement David said he was really impressed and helped me by sponsoring my final year show providing me with all my fabrics and trims. After graduating from Northumbria University with a first class honours, David offered me a job to go back and work for him.”

What message do you have for aspiring independent designers?

“I cannot stress enough the importance of hard work! If you are studying at college or university it is imperative for you to find industry placement to gain experience, whether this is included as part of your course of if you have to find an industry placement in your summer holidays. This is where you will really learn how to apply your skills to the fashion industry. Learn about fabrics, and how they behave – the more you know about your materials, the better. Having good hand drawing ability is always a great starting block for any designer, but for industry being able to use Photoshop and being able to illustrate your designs on Adobe Illustrator is key!”

LC:M provides an excellent platform for British brand Common People to exhibit alongside other global menswear brands and to meet influential buyers and industry leaders…

Onward!

Gx

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When I was a teenager, we used to cut out posters of our idols from magazines, and plaster them across our bedroom walls.

Now, in the digital age, we flick through images on our smart phones and tablets, tapping on our favourites… Welcome to the age of the small screen idol.

One man has maintained his iconic status throughout advances in technology, admired and adored for his nonconformist individuality, and we remain captivated and curious about his life to this day. His name is Steve McQueen, and he is our modern day ‘Man-Crush Monday’ #mcm

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The new Tommy Hilfiger store in the capital celebrated the official opening on Thursday, in association with the Edinburgh International Fashion Festival.

Located on Multrees Walk – an exclusive open-air retail boulevard home to premium brands – it is the latest addition to a growing portfolio of Tommy Hilfiger stores worldwide.

“I’m excited to open our first store in Edinburgh and have the opportunity to share our classic, American, cool collections with shoppers in the city. Preppy Style was born in the UK and our consumers have embraced the iconic, heritage styles at the heart of our brand – from classic tartans and pinstripes to versatile plaids and pop colors.

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Gordon J Millar speaks to Alan Moore, founder of luxury fashion brand ten30, about contemporary Scottish style, the creative industries and why being nice is important…

“Design has to have meaning. Without meaning or story, a product is shallow, with small appeal and short life span. ten30 design tells a story, it has depth, it is timeless.”- Alan Moore, ten30.

On a glorious evening in Glasgow, I had the joy of attending the opening reception of the Gentleman’s Emporium For Luxury Goods pop-up boutique.

The brainchild of Alan Moore – ten30 founder, director, designer – the store featured some of the best new Scottish luxury brands; Catherine Aitken Boutique, Kennett and Buchanan Bespoke, all housed in one of Glasgow’s most decadent shopping malls, Princes Square.

Alan said: “The idea was to open a pop-up that was completely different to what has been done before in Glasgow. There is a great emerging luxury fashion scene in Scotland, with a real focus on unrivaled raw materials and true artisanal craftsmanship, which needs to be highlighted. I wanted the shop to be traditional yet contemporary and to be executed to the highest standard, to help cement a new reputation of a hard working, tasteful, modern Scottish society, with an appreciation for luxury and an awareness of contemporary high fashion.”

The guests were warmly greeted with a dram and a smile, in splendid surroundings, with an air of excitement and awe at the craftsmanship on display.

“The event went well, it was a roaring success for everyone involved. For my brand, ten30, I was keen to get sales (which we did) but I was also keen to meet new customers, explain the brand to them and give people the opportunity to see our garments. The customers could feel the quality of the Harris tweed cloth that we use, and see, in detail, how well our garments are made. It was a fantastic opportunity to show people how transparent we are, explaining our sourcing and manufacturing processes, something that people seemed to really appreciate. The reaction post event has been equally successful, it has raised brand awareness and instilled a lot of confidence in new customers.”

Mr. Moore is the definition of dapper, and I asked him to describe his own personal style:

“My style is ever evolving and can change from day to day. I enjoy quality in clothes and make sure whatever I purchase is high quality, and not ‘on trend’. I tend to go for basics and use details to put my own stamp on the look, usually a vintage silk handkerchief or tie pin. A white shirt is an absolute must for me, it’s the one thing I will buy over and over again. I like to dress well and and take care of how I look, I am obsessive about polishing shoes and really enjoy doing it. I think a gentleman’s style should look effortless, I hate matching and over thinking or trying too hard with an outfit, the Italians sum it up perfectly with the phrase ‘Sprezzatura’ – which is loosely defined as ‘a certain nonchalance, so as to conceal all art and make whatever one does or say appear to be without effort and without any thought about it’.”

Alan and I wholeheartedly agree that this year, more than any other, we are in a very strong position to define what it really means to be a Scottish creative in the 21st century, and it’s a hugely exciting time for us to take the lead and place Glasgow firmly in the same breath as Berlin, New York, Milan, and London.

With this in mind, I asked him what message he had for emerging creatives across the land.

“Work hard and don’t give up. The creative industries are tough and unpredictable, and you’re always ‘on’. You will get told no plenty of times, and things won’t work out, but you have to have the passion and the determination to keep going in the face of adversity and despite what the naysayers think. It is worth it! Believe in something. I believe in myself and I trust my instincts, I trust that the decisions I make are the right ones, and I am confident that I know what I’m doing, and why I’m doing it. I’ve made a lot of mistakes, but it’s important to make mistakes, to learn from them and know not to make the same mistakes again. Be nice. You are the brand, you represent your work every day, you are an example of your work. That includes how you dress, your time-keeping, your politeness and your personality. You will meet a lot of people along the way, some you will fall in love with, some will fall in love with you, but not everyone will and it’s important to always be yourself and never pretend to be something or someone you’re not, just to please others. Above all, have fun: working in a creative environment will take you on a fantastic journey and you will experience things you had never imagined. You will meet the most interesting people and you will inspire others.”

Onward!

Gx

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