Articles 

Wed, 10/03/2010 - Fashion is a part of what defines us, and what we wear is as much what we are as what we do. It is an extension of our personality; self-expression in its purest form. Clothes are to us what paint is to canvas and we ourselves are our own blank canvas. Getting dressed is a process of embellishing ... READ MORE...

Wed, 03/03/2010 - Paris and style have walked hand in hand since Louis XIV’s reign, with the Sun King’s rapture for opulent extravagance. The chic elegance we know so well continued, with France appointing a Minister of Fashion, Rose Bertin, under Louis XVI’s rule. Britain’s own Charles Frederick Worth went ... READ MORE...

Wed, 24/02/2010 - The grown-up of the four major fashion weeks, Milan represents the business-minded aspect of the industry and grants little attention to the frivolous see-and-be-seen culture that is often prominent in its peer cities. Mostly held in the Fiera di Milano, the Milan shows are in-and-out affairs. ... READ MORE...

Wed, 17/02/2010 - It’s nearly that time of year again – the time when the globes fashion elite flock to London for a week dedicated to pushing the boundaries of style and embracing Britain’s newest design talent. London Fashion Week F/W2010 is fast approaching, and after last season's spectacular 25th ... READ MORE...

Wed, 17/02/2010 - We are known for our fun loving and eclectic sense of style. And Brits are living up to this allusion. A big fan of the high street and designers, British girls mix designer buys, high street and vintage finds to achieve their quintessentially London Look. Brit, just carry on doing what we do best. ... READ MORE...

Mon, 08/02/2010 - It is no secret that street style photography blogs have gone from being a style-addict vice to becoming something of a must on the bookmark bar of anyone remotely interested in fashion in the last couple of years. As we have entered a new decade, the term “street style” is now an established ... READ MORE...

Mon, 08/02/2010 - Fashion magazines, dishy websites, and stylish stores all provide the mainstream media with a fashion fix; New York Fashion Week takes it to a whole different level. During this most stylish week of the year, the entire city is captivated: newspapers, TV stations, locals and even cabbies know ... READ MORE...

Wed, 03/02/2010 - The most intimate piece worn by a woman, a significant symbol of feminine history, and often an inescapable source of distress for its bearer – the bra is more than just a woman’s necessary tool of practicality and uplift. In the very nature of its design and function are also significant ... READ MORE...

Wed, 20/01/2010 - Utility trends, tuxedos and fur coats are just a few of the female wardrobe that still confuses many of my male friends. “Whatever happened to some jeans and a t-shirt?” one cringed at me while I paraded around the hall in my black corset and shorts paired with brown vintage boots and a peacock ... READ MORE...

Wed, 23/12/2009 - As the Holiday Season is upon us, we find ourselves reflecting on the past year and on those who have helped to shape our business in a most significant way. Dear designers, customers, members of the press and all supporters of NJAL, we value our relationship with you and look forward to working ... READ MORE...

Tue, 01/12/2009 - I love clothes but I don’t have many. I buy a few well-made designer pieces that I know I can wear a lot and not look like I’m wearing the same thing all the time. I mostly buy basics from pseudo vintage stores (more on that later), and try to avoid fast fashion brands. Apart from a few things ... READ MORE...

Tue, 24/11/2009 - Lady Gaga, Paris Hilton, Whitney Houston, Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Alice Dellal, Katie Holmes and Pixie Geldof are among the strongest supporters for NOT JUST A LABEL.com’s (NJAL) pool of designers. READ MORE...

Tue, 24/11/2009 - Land of hope, glory and the business of refulgent dreams cheaply sold, God Bless America, for it is also the star spangled home of cool. Much as we try, from the Southern Belles to Californian golden girls, silver screen lovelies to dive bar bits of skirt (or more likely hacked off hot pants), the ... READ MORE...

Tue, 03/11/2009 - I believe fashion has a power, to partially dictate what we wear, how we talk and walk, what we look like and learn, and even in some ways how we think. Or at least this is what I hope. Because as global issues are on the increase, from conflicts to climate change, I believe fashion truly has the ... READ MORE...

Tue, 27/10/2009 - The most exclusive of fashion and the most elegant people were gathered in one amazing venue this weekend. NOT JUST A LABEL’s first ever pop-up store was nothing less than an instant success. The NJAL team arrived the day before the big launch, with rails of designer clothes and boxes full of ... READ MORE...

Sat, 24/10/2009 - Young designer Dejan Despotovic is set to take the fashion world by storm. 23 year old Despotovic wowed the world during the 25th Belgrade Fashion Week and on top of this has won a series of accolades such as the Black and White Competition; in 2003 he also received the Silver Doe Award at the ... READ MORE...

Tue, 13/10/2009 - And finally I have found the eco post-it, made with recycled paper! This is the evidence of how eco is not just a trend but actually a necessity, or rather, that it has always been a necessity and has therefore become a trend. If we think carefully, all the trends, especially in the fashion world, ... READ MORE...

Tue, 13/10/2009 - After four successful months of the online shop, NJAL is bringing unique avant-garde design directly to the public with the launch of our first-ever Pop-Up Store on October 23-24. READ MORE...

Wed, 07/10/2009 - The designs of today strongly stem from nature but they are seriously cementing themselves in the concrete walls of our cities. Autumn/ Winter 09 caters for your grown up glamorous side, buffing up the country look with mature polish but at the same time juggling and maintaining the modern epitome ... READ MORE...

Wed, 30/09/2009 - Fashion weeks: those ceremonious, frenzied affairs that leave the insatiable salivating for more. They turn conservatives into eccentrics and allow eccentrics to overindulge. Though with the countless fashion weeks already in existence and more designers opting to show collections off the catwalk, ... READ MORE...

Wed, 23/09/2009 - “One could get away with more on the summer Riviera, and whatever happened seemed to have something to do with art”. F Scott Fitzgerald, “Echoes of A Jazz Age”. Not so long ago, wearing a bronze hue reputedly made fashionable in the very era of which I write, I took a walk ... READ MORE...

Wed, 23/09/2009 - Hot summer days are an invitation for many people to only wear a sweet nothing although their bodies are crying out for a lot of something. The most obvious place in the world to experience and explore such clothing habits are the lido, the lake or the beach. On extremely hot days when the air is ... READ MORE...

Wed, 16/09/2009 - Not Just A Label is finally proud to announce the winner of our London For London t-shirt design competition. We are excited to kick off a week of citywide focus on the project that on the 3rd of October will unite all Londoners out on the town in the biggest-ever fundraising event in the capital. ... READ MORE...

Wed, 16/09/2009 - 25 Years of British Fashion: Hope! A whole big truck load of hope! Loves, amongst the saturnine gloom and penny pinching that has turned many of us (even the hardiest decadents and whimsies) into Dickensian scrooges, is born some very beautiful things indeed. READ MORE...

Wed, 09/09/2009 - The red carpet: the ultimate catwalk, the ultimate time of judgment for an actress, and an actor (although menswear on such occasions is not so gossip-worthy) and all that counts is the Looks. And to make the Looks, the Dress is the key. On the red carpet new trends emerge, on the red carpet the ... READ MORE...

Wed, 02/09/2009 - Androgynous beauty. Statement jewellery. Padded shoulders. Understated elegance and powerful presence. Eighties icon and Warhol-play-thing Tina Chow embodies everything that is being emulated on the catwalks at the moment. A universal style and beauty icon, Chow’s combination of German-American ... READ MORE...

Wed, 26/08/2009 - Lara Stone, the iconic Dutch supermodel, who believes that “individuality is a necessity”, will be taking centre stage as THE SHOP’s curator from Wednesday 2 September. READ MORE...

Wed, 26/08/2009 - Many years ago Chicago was considered a fashion epicentre thanks to major retailer Marshall Field & Co. In more recent years the city has struggled to establish itself as a nurturing environment for emerging talent. Although from failed fashion weeks, to its recent plans to construct a type of ... READ MORE...

Wed, 19/08/2009 - Postmodernism in fashion has developed over the past twenty years with designers such as, Comme des Garçons, Alexander McQueen and Vivienne Westwood demonstrating its key elements. So how is Postmodernism still relevant in fashion today? Postmodernism has been widely used over the past two ... READ MORE...

Tue, 11/08/2009 - Shoulder pads, peaked shoulders, boned shoulders. Do these phrases instil you with panic? Fear? Horror? Do they inspire 1980s flashbacks of Amazonian models, power women and excess? Well stop right there! Despite preconceived horrifying visions of big, bad hair with matching big, bad shoulders, the ... READ MORE...

Wed, 05/08/2009 - Recently (well, for a long time really), I have been talking to a lot of people about travel, particularly about my obsession with Amanda Lepore's hometown, NYC. When I ask people why they love it, why they went there, or how it changed them, most seem unable, or perhaps just unwilling to formulate ... READ MORE...

Wed, 29/07/2009 - Guerrilla Art: sounds a little dramatic I know. But visionary may or may not actually be a better word. (I’m going with may.) Inspirational may be another. Or delivering. Redeeming. Whatever. The term implies a sense of anonymity, rebellion and that of it being a covert operation. It’s all ... READ MORE...

Tue, 21/07/2009 - The Poles are beginning to make their mark on international fashion. Edyta Knapinska explores the Polish connection: Generous Mother Nature has blessed Anja Rubik with legs as endless as the Great Wall of China, silky blonde hair, dazzling blue eyes and a Colgate smile. She is the face (and yes, ... READ MORE...

Wed, 15/07/2009 - The French have been quintessentially elegant and fashionable since, well, forever. I’m sure even Joan of Arc had the most delicate lace stockings underneath her armour (I’m being a little over-imaginative perhaps!) This leads to one question: pourquoi? Well, it’s unlikely that it’s just ... READ MORE...

Wed, 08/07/2009 - Moving millions and sparking media frenzy, the late Michael Jackson was the undeniable master of mixing timeless music, moon walking, and style into a single identifiable image. The King of Pop was one of the greatest style icons in popular culture– a king of style, if you will – branding a ... READ MORE...

Wed, 01/07/2009 - Being chatted up in Tesco is never a pleasurable experience, however when an employee chose to interrupt my morning dash with friendly banter, I felt rude not to humour him. When it came up that I worked in menswear, the inevitable question arrived…”So, what should I be wearing next season?” ... READ MORE...

Mon, 22/06/2009 - In the blue corner, we have the Independent graduate show. Five big wins this year with strong candidates like Central Saint Martins and London College of Fashion. And in the red corner, we have Graduate Fashion Week, with an 18 year career and a major sponsor in the high street retailer, River ... READ MORE...

Mon, 15/06/2009 - Central Saint Martins, London College of Fashion and the Royal College of Art are known for nourishing students that challenge the banality of much that surrounds us today. This year was no disappointment as Elizabeth de Groot found out for NOT JUST A LABEL. READ MORE...

Mon, 15/06/2009 - For me graduate fashion week isn’t just about clothes, or about the specific designs, what I personally love most about GFW is how the students navigate tomorrow’s trends. For example Westminster University has shaped the British fashion industry beyond comprehension. Bringing us the likes of ... READ MORE...

Mon, 08/06/2009 - So last week I went out to the theatre with a friend of mine who I haven’t seen in years. She was late (some things will never change) but she managed to arrive just in the nick of time for the performance. She was out of breath, panting and telling me all about the London Fields to Shoreditch ... READ MORE...

Mon, 25/05/2009 - For 9 years now, Unit F büro für mode has been pursuing a committed support strategy that has successfully accompanied many Austrian fashion designers along their way towards internationalisation. It has been the main incentive for the team around Ulrike Tschabitzer-Handler and Andreas ... READ MORE...

Wed, 20/05/2009 - NOT JUST A LABEL gives birth to a new kind of shopping experience offering unique, one-off designer garments. Addicts and admirers alike now have the opportunity to purchase special and limited edition pieces from designers recognised as the leaders in avant-garde fashion. READ MORE...

Sun, 03/05/2009 - Nearly a year ago, Scott Schuman featured a post depicting two masculine European men in skirts on his famed fashion blog The Sartorialist. Fashion journalists throughout the Western world have since been in heavy discussion over the masculinisation of such an identifiably feminine piece and the ... READ MORE...

Sun, 26/04/2009 - As you sit on your rickety, all stops train, or your lumbering claustrophobic bus home, it is easy to feel disillusioned with the life you lead – your job, the rising cost of living, your relationship issues, global warming, the fact that you cant afford to put petrol in your car anymore, even ... READ MORE...

Mon, 20/04/2009 - “Edie danced to her own tune, and I imagine this is what inspired Warhol and Dylan as much as it did me. She created her own identity…she may only have had 15 minutes of fame, but her style and image influenced a whole generation” - John Galliano READ MORE...

Mon, 06/04/2009 - What would you do if you woke up tomorrow morning and you realised that you were the only person in the world? The first thought would be to go to the best restaurants and clubs, get the latest I-Phone model (if you don't have it already), ”borrow” your favourite paintings from the most famous ... READ MORE...

Mon, 23/03/2009 - We are young. We are oh so cultured. We are ever so slightly obsessed with our own alternative individual style. We are the borrowers. Of late, our concept of the 'in' thing has slowly but surely completely transformed. Gone are the days when High fashion authorities such as Vogue magazine had the ... READ MORE...

Mon, 16/03/2009 - In addition to that incessant talk about the ultra prevalent 1980's trend at nearly every show, during every major fashion week this season, there was a much grimmer common topic of conversation. What labels will survive this nuisance of an economic downturn? Exactly how will the buyers divvy up ... READ MORE...

Mon, 09/03/2009 - Friday evening, its Berlin Fashion Week: I ask the taxi driver to take me from the heavily debated white Mercedes-Benz tent to Berlin central station. “When is your train”, he says and I replied I was about to meet friends: Eva & Adele asked me to meet them at the train station, they had just ... READ MORE...

Mon, 16/02/2009 - NOT JUST A LABEL DESIGNERS HIT THE CATWALK DURING LFW UNDERLINING THE IMPORTANCE OF EMERGING TALENT TO THE DESIGN INDUSTRY: As the leading global platform for emerging graduates and design talent, NOT JUST A LABEL is proud to announce the debut collections of Mary Katrantzou, Jaiden rVa James ... READ MORE...

Mon, 02/02/2009 - I interviewed Despina Papadopoulos in her Brooklyn, NY studio in 2008. Papadopoulos is the lead interaction designer at Studio 5050 in New York City. She focuses on the linkage between clothing and wearable technology and invents new devices in order to explore the way people communicate with each ... READ MORE...

Mon, 26/01/2009 - In the summer of 2007, Sven Krüger - then still a student of Fashion Engineering at the FHTW (University of Applied sciences) in Berlin - funded the projektGALERIE showrooms. The inspiration for an alternative fashion fair came after a long consideration of the emerging fashion scene in Berlin. ... READ MORE...

Mon, 15/12/2008 - Kids in the seventies were no strangers to creation through destruction. Currently, the fashion renegades of today are familiarising themselves with that D.I.Y. punk notion, only this time, it’s personal. With vicious snags and rotten rips, tights must have done something to really piss us off. READ MORE...

Mon, 08/12/2008 - When the chips are down and the cookie has crumbled all over the shop, something stable and consistent, like a best friend or a pep talk from your ma can help oodles. Other times, attending a fabulous party with a cocktail permanently glued to your grasp and fabulously fickle fashion can serve as ... READ MORE...

Mon, 17/11/2008 - Garments to most people are an expressive tool to project one’s identity, social class and political stand. However living in the 21st century, the current crisis in oil shortage, the high demand in organic cotton outstrips the available supply and the rise in suicides in cotton farmers are ... READ MORE...

Mon, 03/11/2008 - Paris, London, Tokyo and Milan are recognized as the traditional major fashion cities in the world. The home of the industries most celebrated and renowned designers as they showcase the season’s must haves at the industries semi annual event: fashion week. However, although these four cities ... READ MORE...

Mon, 20/10/2008 - NOT JUST A LABEL has been kindly invited by Moda Lisboa to attend this season’s local fashion week in Cascais, a picturesque seaside resort not far from Lisbon. Who would have known that Lisbon would be at the forefront of one of Fashion’s most promising cities? Well, to believe is to see it ... READ MORE...

Tue, 14/10/2008 - Alas, as we turn the page to our final chapter of the Spring/ Summer 2009 shows in Paris, leaving the best to last is certainly the case. However before I elaborate further, let’s look back briefly at what were gathered so far. In short, London rekindled their love for Pac Man and computer game ... READ MORE...

Mon, 06/10/2008 - If I were to describe the overall look for the Spring/ Summer 2009 collections, the words inspiring and exhilarating would stride together down the runway, hand in hand as we arrive at one of the most favolosa and oh so glamorous cities, Milan. Let’s begin quite simply with the Greek Goddess, ... READ MORE...

Mon, 29/09/2008 - As I approach my 58th Paris collection, NJAL has asked me to write something about fashion today: the environment of smaller labels and young designers, the hurdles they face. I show in Paris because it remains the most competitive designer arena in the world for advanced research and design. I ... READ MORE...

Mon, 29/09/2008 - From New York we cross over the Atlantic Ocean, approx. 5580 Kilometres landing at the Spring/ Summer 2009 collection in London. Separated by a vast ocean the extensive distance between both cities clearly emphasized the vast difference in trends, thus bringing forward a whole new chapter of our ... READ MORE...

Mon, 15/09/2008 - NOT JUST A LABEL joined forces with video artist Richard Warwick to create this season's short film, which was presented during London Fashion Week. The video reflects 11 upcoming designers that have been carefully selected by NJAL and Richard Warwick. To celebrate the opening of the new Fouberts ... READ MORE...

Mon, 15/09/2008 - If I could break down all the key trends that were shown at New York’s Spring/Summer 2009 shows, my list would be short. It seems as though designers are seeking a similar Spring/Summer look, which is not a bad thing, on the contrary it leaves no confusion. From the very beginning of the shows, ... READ MORE...

Mon, 25/08/2008 - I have always had my doubts when it comes to non-profit organisations, and have always questioned whether the money that we donate actually goes to the people who need it. Of course nowadays there are thousands if not millions of non-profit organisations, all fighting towards different causes and ... READ MORE...

Fri, 15/08/2008 - NOT JUST A LABEL introduces new features in order to continue be the source and epicentre for fashion designers of tomorrow: NOT JUST A LABEL (NJAL), only four months after its soft launch, has become the leading global platform for graduates and young designers to showcase their collections. To ... READ MORE...

Mon, 28/07/2008 - The other week I had the pleasure to meet Vega Zaishi Wang, a Chinese fashion student who has freshly graduated from CSM and who has more recently become renowned for her exquisite white garments which illuminated in the dark at the finale of the schools annual graduate show. Vega’s innovative ... READ MORE...

Mon, 21/07/2008 - Time for a summer break: Monday, July 21 2008, we just unpacked our bags from our latest trip. After all the graduate shows and fashion weeks which brought us to Antwerp, Milan, Paris, Barcelona and finally Berlin, we are back in good old Londontown. READ MORE...

Mon, 14/07/2008 - Sophie Hulme meets NJAL for a one to one appointment to discuss her unusual marriage of military clothing with luxury: After graduating from Kingston University only a year ago Sophie Hulme has dazzled the industry with her sequinned military parkas and jackets armoured with jets. For such a new ... READ MORE...

Mon, 30/06/2008 - Would Galliano and McQueen, who are amongst Central Saint Martins most exciting British designers, receive such great success if it wasn’t for their graduate show? Nevertheless, how much exposure to the other courses in the school receives in comparison to what’s become, London’s most talked ... READ MORE...

Mon, 16/06/2008 - London shoe label honour the past and embrace the future with an exceptional collection of handcrafted shoes: Exploring both the classic and the contemporary, designer Lena is a London based Shoe designer for Red By Wolves that shows great pride and honour to the old traditional English shoe. I ... READ MORE...

Sat, 31/05/2008 - A retrospective featuring the come back of Space Invaders and old school 80’s game toys, where we look at the various ways in which it has influenced, fashion, food and design. READ MORE...

Tue, 01/04/2008 - London is a city so unique it should really be its own island. Every few years, a fresh generation is spawned and bursting onto the scene are the new young militants that fast become the foot soldiers of fashion as a reactionary revolution, to social, musical and artistic hegemony. READ MORE...