photographs by Christopher James

Everytime I see something new from Charlie Le Mindu, I can't help but say 'this is his best work yet' or something to that effect. For the last three seasons of his participation in London Fashion Week, he's blown us all away with the artistry and plain ridonkulousness of his creations.

This season though, Charlie has shown something more mature; more sophisticated, and in his own words, more French (or, a little English guard-esque as it were below - but of a much more sexy and fashionable variety, of course). Blonds, brunettes and even redheads were out this season, instead Charlie made his girls out in silky, inky black locks.

The lovely Grace Joel was in attendance for me and this is what she had to say:

East London’s club kids were up early, as London Fashion Week kicked off with Charlie Le Mindu’s extravaganza. With the energetic and amazingly dressed audience - their own hair coloured, sprayed and shaved to perfection - watched Charlie’s ever more impressive hair cascading from wigs, hair pieces and capes showed his unique skill and creativity. Shiny black manes covered crucifixes, fabergé eggs and black lacquered roses, all having been given Charlie’s magic touch. It was thrilling and filled the void that Gareth Pugh left when he packed up for Paris. It was an upbeat, optimistic start to the week, with the youth, creativity and optimism that London Fashion Week is all about!

*LAAARGGH* amazing. Below is the Fabergé egg all tricked out in Swarovski crystals (who get heavily involved with many designers' work), and hair so black and straight, all y'all light haired girls who be permed and waved out will kill yourselves for these locks that are dead straight and shiny-as-the-damn-crystals.

In a development on the rat-pelt 'hijab' Charlie did in his first season, this time round he's gone from ratty to foxy, YES YES that be bonafide fox ladies and gents, blinged up with blue Swarovski crystals in their eyes.

Luxurious, excessive and utterly fabulous (don't you die for the bag too? By Charlotte Hardwick).

Here check it, On | Off's video of the show, and a gallery of all the amazing looks below that - sick soundtrack by Kap Bambino of course:

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Charlie in the studio, East London

photograph by yours truly

By now you've all been sickeningly fascinated/sucked in/unwillingly riveted by the Lady Gagz video. Not surprisingly at all, a number of Charlie Le Mindu pieces have found their way onto the newly nosed Gaga; least of which crowns the top of that McQueen ensemble she werks in the middle of the clip.

Yes yes, it's one of Charlie's SS 2010 coiffures.

Worn backwards, that is.

Lips, darling.

In the meantime, Charlie has been named Fudge's Hair Ambassador (whatever that means), amongst styling hair for various hot bands video clips as well as his cut and style residency at Tatty Devine's Brick Lane shop.

In the midst of this update, I hit him up for 5 tracks he's been listening to lately, and here's what he hit me back with:

Charlie Le Mindu and his right hand gal, Lara Jensen backstage

photographs by Christopher James

Charlie Le Mindu's latest collection was above and beyond the most creative and boundary pushing collection that showed at London Fashion Week - fact.

Just check it below and you'll see what I mean.

Here are two of my favourite looks from the show below, including the bags that we told you about earlier made by the uber talented Gabriella Marina Gonzalez. Latex body suits by House of Harlot

And here you go again, the latest catwalk mix that the ever amazing Kap Bambino duo did for the show:

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Margiela's mask

FRANKEN-FASHWAN! What a delightfully dark and of course, inevitably beautiful-to-look-at concept. It's the theme of the latest issue of Dazed and Confused, where they roped in a bunch of designers like McQueen, Gareth Pugh, Margiela, Chalayan, Cavalli and Castelbajac to make masks for them (cue me seething with jealousy).

Anyway, as a part of this issue, director Alex Turvey made a short film that was screened at the British Film Institute, which included everyone's favourite hair artiste Charlie Le Mindu being commissioned to make wigs exclusively for the film. Menacingly beautiful, dark and not a little surreal, with contributions of props by MADE and clothes by Nathan Jenden, Rupert Sanderson, Hannah Marshall, Louise Goldin and Manjit Deu and a soundtrack by Benjamin John Power of Fuck Buttons, how could it NOT be amazing?

Check some pics of the mask project editorial below:

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Charlie Le Mindu

With New York Fashion Week in full swing (we'll do a wrap up of our fave shows after it's done and dusted), we're down to the final days in the countdown to London's anniversary edition.

Yes yes, it's been six months already since the last one and Charlie Le Mindu is gearing up once more to present his sophomore collection. This year's collection is based on the concept of Birds of Paradise, and it's going to be called 'Girls of Paradise'.

In the studio/salon

French electronic thrash duo Kap Bambino (click the link for the interview and last season's catwalk mix for Charlie Le Mindu) are in charge of the soundtrack once more and I'll be backstage yelling at the models again - and I'm telling you, the collection is shaping up to be even more jaw dropping than last season's show. Definitely one to watch!!! Stay tuned for exclusive backstage pics of the show as well as runway shots...

Gabriella Marina Gonzalez

Lookbook shots by Leon Mark

Dropping in on Charlie Le Mindu working on his collection for the upcoming London Fashion Week, ogling the pieces and wishing I was blonde, I met the fresh Central St Martins Womenswear Graduate, the extensively named Gabriella Marina Gonzalez, who had a couple of pairs of the ridonkulous shoes she made for her collection with her.

Shoes for the Emotionally Dispossessed (and strong of ankle)

Made of suede and mock croc patent leather, these insane platforms - which are 7inches in the back and 4inches in the front!! - with an uber square toe remind me of a Harajuku bondage girl on steroids. These babies make a grrrrrl TALLLLLLL.

Her graduate collection, named 'Clothing for the Emotionally Dispossessed' is based on the fact that for her, London is an ocean of people who've come from small towns, who were obviously too big for their pond. Gabi told me that:

"There is an over abundance of talent and people here who are here based on the fame and fortune London promises. The reality check comes when people realise the illusion of this, and that they need to get off their high horses and look into themselves and their art and take the fame aspect out of it; to personally and emotionally get involved with work, because there are too many people here for the same superficial reasons. Emotional dispossesion I guess, is the jaded feeling you get of being here because its very easy to lose your vision."

Gabi is in charge of the realisation of some pieces in Charlie Le Mindu's show. TRUSSSSST watch this space. Mad skillz ahoy.

Charlie Le Mindu!

via Tatty Devine

You know you've officially arrived when someone makes a brooch with your face on it right? Well, besides everything else he's done it's reached our ears that Charlie Le Mindu has been honored by the wonderful Tatty Devine with a collection based on Charlie's smoking blonde logo!

Already holding a Friday afternoon residency at the Devine Brick Lane boutique lopping locks, the next logical step was to of course create a line of accessories to adorn the freshly shorn and styled clients of the French hair artiste.

Check some of the collection below..

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Kap Bambino

Photography by Christel Escosa 

Kap Baminbo have a little whiff of the suicidal about them, like a remedy to the vague, yet ever present perfume of stinky old life. But all together, Kap Bambino’s music makes you feel aggressively glad to be alive. They’re like the bite of alcohol to clean a bloody slash; a sharp intake of breath at the sting, making you writhe and thrash and revel in the glorious mess of things. The French duo have been described as harnessing the spirit of hardcore and punk bands - minus any live instrumentation – which is true; but above all else, Kap Bambino is an expression, an outlet for both Caroline Martial (vocals) and Orion Bouvier (laptop wizard) to unleash themselves onto the hungry and wide-ranging masses.
 
It was the day after the mega-hyped Kap Bambino gig at The Old Blue Last. Everyone was feeling a little worse for wear after cutting sick on the moshpit, thrashing about, sweating it out (breaking a couple of the Old Blue’s antique cinema seats in the process) and generally laying the crowd to waste. Orion was dying for a cigarette so much that he lit up in the severe and austere white walled art space we were sitting in.

And besides coming away from their gig exhausted and exhilarated early that morning, I also came away from talking to them with a new found respect – and you know what, I really liked them too. They’re really nice people. Apparently unlike another duo that they are often put next to, who are becoming more and more infamous (and unpopular) as they go. I mean, when your antics on and offstage are being talked about more than your music, it’s gotta be a bad sign. I know Caroline and Orion hate the association, but it must be made, particularly in light of the most recent Crystal Castles debacle (with Vega at the Granada Theatre in Dallas).

Respect to Kap Bambino. True artists who have continued to do what they do despite someone else having stolen their thunder; moving through the world, touring incessantly with their uncompromising (zero life, night) vision. But whatever, if I’m going to wax metaphorical and call Crystal Castles the ‘thunder’, then Kap Bambino were most definitely the lightning before the rumble.

The aforementioned ’thunder’ might’ve made people start at the noise, but the brightest illumination is definitely Kap Bambino – the ones who truly heralded not only their American counterparts, but the frenetic, noise filled storm which came after them.

Check the interview after the break

And exclusively for I M // U R, here's the catwalk mix that Kap Bambino did for Charlie Le Mindu. WERK your way around that!