I have officially just finished my first book......

I have to once again start by saying sorry. I know I pleaded/begged you to give me 4 weeks and now I’m back 13 weeks on. To be honest, after the internship, I felt I was entitled to a well-deserved break, which lasted a week and then I guess-I got lost in ‘Lazy Ville’.

But hey, that’s not the purpose of this post. I have officially just finished my first book, which I believe is a great achievement for me. What shocked me most about it was the fact that I read 200 pages of content aimed at females and gay men. The book was called ‘If You Have To Cry, Go Outside’ and was written by Kelly Cutrone. I must say, it’s an amazing story about her life and the book with-holds many wise words.

Her story also has many references and tips in regards to the PR industry, especially towards fashion. Personally, I recommend anyone to give it a read, not just because of the success of the story, but for the life lessons. If you work in fashion PR and you haven’t read it, shame on you. The book would seriously make your junior/account executive job easier and help you to understand why your Director is such a ‘B*tch’…

As much as it was out of my comfort zone, I really enjoyed it and stole most of Kelly’s quotes.

To My beloved blog……

I can only start this by saying I’m sorry. It’s been over 2 weeks since I’ve logged in and I haven’t showed you any attention- please forgive me.

When we started our relationship last Christmas, I vowed to keep you in the loop, with you following me step by step and partnering me through my journey. Please be aware that I haven't been cheating on you, nor have I fallen for another. You are not the only person to suffer- ‘Music’ hasn’t seen me since my interview.

I know you will not believe it, but it’s all my because of my ‘internship’. I have been so busy keeping up with the work and learning so much, I haven’t had enough time to fit anything else in. It sounds crazy, but I’ve reached another great chapter in my story and made some great friends. I miss our conversations about fashion, new/old music, events and the daily ups and downs of life in London.

All I ask of you is to please be patient and bare with me for these last 4 weeks. I know you get lonely but I assure you, the completion of this internship will give me knowledge for us to use for a life time.

Mr A.Kay

Alert Interns… ‘Interns commission is set up’

The “horror” of which the BBC highlighted of unpaid interns has caused an uproar within the Public Relations industry. The show 'Who Gets The Best Jobs' which aired on BBC2 in February, highlighted the fact of how some companies have many keen and willing applicants working in paid positions for no wage whatsoever. This has led to the formation of the ‘Interns Commission’ (Nikki Wicks, ‘PR Week’). The Public Relations Consultants Association has assembled a group of industry professionals to not only assess the fairness of interns, but also to broaden access to the industry, especially in regards to ethnic minorities and disabled people.

The exact figure of industry professionals is 16 involving names such as; Francis Ingham, John Lehal, Bieneosa Ebite, Mike Morgan and more…

Being an intern myself, I feel this to be an amazing idea and would love to help.

.

Lets ‘Talk Future’……

Talk PR is a boutique consumer PR agency, who specialise in Fashion, Luxury Lifestyle and Beauty. Not only do they work with big companies such as ‘Proctor and Gamble’, but also use their expertise to nurture exceptional new talent and open doors of opportunity. One way they do so is through their initiative called ‘Talk Future’. They currently support three emerging designers by the names of; Holly Fulton, Louise Gray and Michael Van Der Ham.

 

London Fashion saw all three designers present their Autumn/Winter 2011 collections. Here are two reviews featuring Michael and Louise. 

Michael Van Der Ham

Known for his use of historic inspiration and fine crafting of classic fabrics, A/W11 brought us to another memorable event in Michael Van Der Ham’s career. This season saw him create a beautiful collection for what was his second showing at London Fashion Week, once again funded by the NEWGEN Scheme.

This new collection presented a mature approach from Michael, which saw a classic yet causal element to many of the pieces. Vibrant block colours were featured in the collection and were presented in intimate velvet fabrics. The line appeared focused on admiring the female figure, but at the same time encompassed comfort and confidence. Van Der Ham also catered to a variety of occasions with his elegant patchwork jumpers, daring frilled trousers and structured tailored jackets. The collection had a great balance of dresses and separates, which were complimented by modern rigid cuts.

The show was attended by know industry names such as; Elle’s Anne Marie Curtis, Caren Downie from ASOS, Grazia’s Charlie Miller and renowned blogger Bip Ling; With the shy designer closing his show giving everyone a quick wave.

Here’s a few picture taken from ‘Style.com’:

Louise Gray

This year’s London Fashion Week saw Scottish designer Louise Gray put her expertise in textiles and patterns to the test. ‘Up Your Look’; the name of her 2011 A/W collection, graced the catwalk on the 19th of February 2011. Louise said about the new line- "I was trying to think more of a wardrobe of what a woman wants" (Style.com).

 

The collection was a mixture of busy patterns, carnival themed fabrics and outlandish volumes, all of which wowed the audience and kept everyone’s attention. 

The line featured bulky colour-block Aran knitwear with Scottish heritage presented in some of the separates. The shirts and t-shirts had a unisex feel about them and many of the pieces consisted of complex combinations. For example, her red bomber jacket definitely caught many eyes with its cropped cut and burst of colour; which is sure to bring a glow to this coming winter. The collection also featured loose fitting flared dresses that had a very casual influence towards them.

The models hit the runway with dazzling balloon hats designed by Nasir Mazhar. The footwear used was thigh high heeled Wellington boots designed by Nicholas Kirkwood, complementing the overall eccentric look.

All in all, the show was an eye catching affair, keeping the attention of the likes of Jameela Jamil, Brix Smart Start, Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman, renowned journalist Sarah Mower and fashion commentator Colin Dowell. The show closed with a quick wave from Louise, signifying another great moment of her career.

Here’s some pictures of the line taken from ‘Style.com’

Holly Fulton also had a great show with her A/W 20011 collection which was titled ‘kiss me quick, squeeze me slowly’. With reviews from Elle and Vogue, need I say more but have a look at this amazing collection.

As for Talk Future, the opportunities and consultancy provided has helped all three designers massively and continues to groom their careers. Roll on AW11…..

‘Ghetts’ being ‘Ghetts’....

I have always had respect for Ghetts stretching back to when he was in Nasty Crew. One thing that I have always admired is the fact that he doesn’t hold back, especially in regards to his lyrics. This song is a great example of his fearlessness and I seriously don’t know how he didn’t make it as one of the MTV’s top 10 UK MC’s.

Easing Back....

I know I’ve been away for a week and I do apologise. I’ve been busy giving my all to the Taylor Bennett/Talk PR internship that I’m blessed to be on. Aside from this, I am very excited to see that my number one shop is getting coverage and a lot more exposure. Ease The Squeeze work really hard at bringing quality pieces from places all around the world and always show gratitude to their customers. I was happy to find these pictures on the Clothes Show Live website.

For more information, visit their blog (Ease The Squeeze). They also have a boutique on the ASOS Marketplace or you can visit them in person at the Truman Brewery on Brick Lane.

My ‘Dreams ‘N’ Ambitions’….

My journey so far to me has been a great one and here I stand to aspiring, I’ve been through crazy highs and crazy lows but they have all made me the man I am today.  We all have dreams me especially, but it is our ambitions and follow through that make them our reality. I’m not sure what on your list, but here’s a few that's on mine;

The ‘Uproar’ of a simple tweet.

Twitter trends and tweets are one of my key resources in keeping up with current affairs. I personally find ‘twitter’ faster than the news. But it was this article by Danny Rogers ("The problem with spontaneous tweets") taken from the ‘PR-Week’, which I found most amusing.

New York designer Kenneth Cole a week or two back used twitter trend ‘Millions are in uproar in #Cario’ to leek his new spring collection. Some found this offensive as this was at the peek of broadcast in regards to the issue. I guess it’s just free PR and that good or bad press, it's still coverage. Although the designer did announce an official apology and understood his tweet my have been seen as ‘insensitive’.

As this represents a brand, do you think the reputation of it was put at stake? My answer would be no, but many may disagree. What do you think?

Great News…..

I am very happy to announce a recent achievement of mine. It gives me great pleasure to say that for the next 9 weeks, I am to officially be a Taylor Bennett Foundation intern.

You can find out more info here: Taylor Bennett Foundation but to sum it up, it is a 10 week paid internship programme for aspiring public relations practitioners of black and minority ethnic backgrounds. ‎​In this first week alone, we've had the chance to attend London Fashion Week, meet Gene Cleckley at Fremantle Media, go to Taylor Bennett's amazing office and sit down with some of the directors of Talk PR (the host agency).

I’m still shocked I was selected as it was an extremely tough application process. Getting that ‘morning phone call’ was one of the happiest moments of my life. PR is something that interests me and that I adore- so to be paid whilst getting the opportunity to meet inspirational people, go to great places and also to be trained in the field; it's like heaven to me. Yes, it’s going to be a lot of hard work, but as they say, it’s not work when you love what you are doing. So… look out for my journey- it should be a fantastic one.


Here's some of the past interns....

Milan Fashion Week Winter 2011….

I’m not sure if you are, but this year I’m really excited about London Fashion Week. With it going on as we speak, I find my self glued to twitter and blogs for a sneak peek at the new lines for this coming winter. With is this in mind I thought I will give you a little insight in some winter lines from Milan Fashion Week a month back, which I found on fellow blog Until Tomorrow. It features some big names and gives a snippet into what to look for this winter.

Tinie Tempa live in LA…….

Last year saw the serious rise of UK ‘Wonderman’ Tinie Tempa, with his first smash hit ‘Pass Out’ produced by
Labrinth really paving a great career for him. This has led on to many more achievements over the space 2010 in the UK, but I was particularly happy to see that his music has made it across the pond to the States. We all witnessed the collaboration with Snoop Dogg on the remix of ‘Pass Out’ which was also performed at the Glastonbury festival last year; here he is again performing in LA on the Jimmy Kimmel show.

‘Sexy Shoes’ is a requirement……..

As a man, after many years experience with females, I’ve come to understand that shoes are a very important component of a women’s outfit.... especially ‘sexy shoes’ one might add. But it was this video directed by ‘Mistry Of Habs’ which recently brought this to my attention once again. After watching the video, I have even decided that if I see a female and her shoes are not sexy, I’m not interested, also I really feel as if they should have casted me in the video somewhere lol.

Event Alert….‘Lord Of The Ribs’

This is a must attend event and comes to the Indigo2 on the 13th February 2011. This is going to be great night of laughter, especially in regards to African comedy. I will not bore you with the line up or information; I’ll just let this video speak for itself, while I try find myself a ticket.

Hard work pays off……'G Frsh'

G Frsh is a man who has put a lot of hard work into the game over the last few years. Not only just in music, but in film production and in fashion, owning his own clothing line 'Frsh Clothing'. 

It was great to see him finally get a record deal and this seriously shows ‘hard work pays off’. A key component that I admire is his entrepreneurial drive; I believe there will be a lot in store coming from him. So watch out, and also have a look at this video- It displays some interesting facts about him.

‘The Charlatan' by iamISIGO

It gives me great joy to introduce Nigerian fashion designer Bubu Ogisi. With her eccentric sense of style, and unique ability to mix various trends and cultures, I was very pleased when I found her clothing range ‘iamISIGO’.

Founded in February 2009, starting as a small business, it’s great to see this company's continued growth.

‘The Charlatan' by iamISIGO is a line of t-shirts inspired by the fact that we all have “a little pretence in all of us”. It sees a character presented on each shirt; this is also via polo or crew neck and comes in a range of colours.

I can’t lie and say this is a new idea, but I did find the concept and shirts cool and so, when I am in Nigeria again, I will surely purchase one.

For more information: iamISIGO

A musical Icon…. ‘Lauryn Hill’

Although there are many female artists I have grown to love through my passion of music, an all time beloved of mine has to be ‘Lauryn Hill’, known to many as an ex Fugee’s member and later on married, wife of Rohan Marley.

But this post is not about her life, but about her music. Blessed with a soulful voice, followed by the fact that she can seriously rap, Lauryn has always had deep meaning and great teachings behind her songs. Tittles such as; ‘Lost Ones’, ‘Sweetest Thing’, ‘Ex Factor’, ‘Doo Wop’ and my favourite ‘Turn Your Lights Down Low’ featuring Bob Marley; there are many more these have just came to mind.

I feel as if her music always presents itself as timeless and is structured like a piece of art. A real fact that I love about Lauryn also is that as beautiful and as a true Nubian queen which she is, I’ve never seen her selling sexual content or creating a sexual persona about herself. She has always let the music speak for her. Although she hasn’t come out with an album in years, what she did in her many years in the industry makes her a serious icon to me.


Its funny how this video below shows her at thirteen being booed. I bet they could have never imagined the mark she would make in music today

Another big movement for Team UK……

As a fellow artist, I feel this was another significant movement for UK music; to see P Diddy and his group Dirty Money partying / showcasing their album (Last Train to Paris) alongside our UK stars- just shows you have far we’ve come. Skepta, Chipmunk, Wretch 32 and Tinchy Stryder all performed and made this night really come to life with their new releases. I’m proud!

Nicky Minaj…. In the UK

With her crazy/wacky flow, alongside the colourful dress code and I must say, amazing physic; I was pleased to see Nicky Minaj finally come to the UK.... especially with that perfect English accent she puts on. I’ve followed her all the way from her 2008 ‘The Come Up’ DVD, where see did an outstanding cover of Notorious B.I.G’s ‘Warning’. Since then, we’ve seen her become the princess of Little Wayne’s ‘Young Money’ empire, release a few mixtapes, feature on nearly every hit of last year and set a whole new standard of female rap.


Here she is on the 'Manny Norte Show' live on BBC 1Xtra….. 

A summer must have … Jean//Phillip

I'm no expert on Danish designer Jean//Phillip, but I was made aware of him recently, and was blown away by his 2011 Spring/Summer collection. I support fellow blog 'Until Tomorrow ' in saying this collection is 'on a more edgy touch' and might not be everyone’s cup of tea.

However, I would probably wear every piece of this collection, I feel as if it has a ‘Greek God / Gladiator’ vibe and all of the shorts are a must have this coming summer.

For more information- Jean//Phillip 

The Lovers Corner……

No matter what you are going through; joy, heart break or just problems with your partner (or your bit on the side or the person you are seeing).... I’ve come to realise that there is literally a 'Slow Jam' for every situation. As corny as it can be to relate to these songs, I can’t lie and say they haven’t helped me at times, particularly in regards to intimate intervals...lol.

With all this in mind, I give you a mix which I call ‘The Lovers Corner’ mixed by Mr C.L.I -Live in the Mix'….

Slow Jams Mega Mix 2011 by cliliveinthemix1

The Trainers I must own before I depart…….. lol

Although it still pains me till today that I don’t own (or can't yet afford) a pair of Kanye West’s designed 'Louis Vuitton' trainers, my opinion is that they could be some of the best footwear I’m yet to have seen designed in this modern day and age. I know this is a big statement and it isn't just because I’m a big fan. I feel as if the coming together of these two majors brands (Kanye and Louis Vuitton) signify how fashion and music have come to work hand in hand.... producing an aspirational product.

And yes, I know I’m very late- the shoes were released in March 2009, and were produced for two seasons with new designs and styles. However, unfortunately for me they have since been discontinued. Which basically means I will have search on ‘Ebay’ or look for a vintage pair in 20 years from now.... I just feel that they make such a statement by themselves and are also easy to work with....A pair of slim fitted jeans, Ralph polo, a Varsity jacket and you’re good to go.

They are prestigious and bring that 'exclusive' feel to your dress code. I’m not saying that other brands cannot be worn in this way, but I know for sure I don’t see Kanye’s Vuittons everyday.