Supported by London College of Fashion, UAL

Fashion film, a relatively new arrival to the short film festival scene, has been described by some commentators as the new music video. While the two worlds of fashion and music have a long standing relationship, post-internet short film has reinforced this symbiosis. With similar evolutionary beginnings, fashion film and music video can echo one another in process and form and have forged some compelling audio-visual dynamics. This series of films have been selected for their innovative or considered use of fashion image and sound. A multi-sensory treat, these aim to thrill aesthetically and acoustically.

The screening will be followed by a panel featuring Leonie Cooper (Senior Staff Writer at NME), Katie Baron (author of Fashion Creatives Shaping Pop Culture) and Lynden Campbell (Head of Syndication at Domino Publishing), hosted by Nilgin Yusuf (London College of Fashion, UAL)

ABJECTIVE  (03.45) Marie-Therese Hildenbrandt, 

LCF, MA Fashion Media Production, 2017

A contemporary, experimental soundtrack by Richard Eigner of the band Ritornell scores this short fashion film. Exploring Julia Kristeva’s notion of the abject, hair transforms from a symbol of desire into one that triggers disgust.

PLASMA VISTA (07.00) Harriet Fleuriot and Sarah Cockings

The sound for Plasma Vista was produced by London-based composer Luke Fraser and echoes the comedic, unsettling and surreal concept of a film  between performance and art; a meditation on the domestic and the extraordinary.

PEHLIVAN/WRESTLERS (02.04) Harun Güler

LCF, MA Fashion Photography, 2016

Pehlivan is the fourth of Güler’s films where Turkish music or sound is re-contextualised into Western frames of reference. Here Germany’s fashion blogger Riccardo Simonetti and the androgynous performer Leni Bolt are cast as opponents in a Turkish Oil wrestling match to patriotic verses from sports commentators. 

BUBBLE GUM (2.00) Rose Hendry. 

The desire for freedom is expressed through the heart-rending sonic composition of Fraya Thompsen which uses the voice as an instrument. One girl stuck in her own bubble dreams of the world outside which is externalised through sound and image.

NEATLY (02.33) Raki Huang Cheng

LCF, MA Fashion Media Production, 2014

The track Mary and Eddie by Clinic (Domino Publishing) builds a mounting tension in this short film about Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. OCD is a condition that compels an individual to uncontrollable, recurring thoughts and behaviours. 

TURBULENT SELF (2.00) Annie Lai

LCF, BA Fashion Photography.

A deliberately dislocated, out of sync sound track underpins the relationship between solitude and social interaction in this quirky fashion film. How we look and how we feel is not the same thing; the whispers of the crowd throughout contrast with feelings of anxiety and isolation. 

ILLUSTRATIONS IN MELANCHOLIA (2.00) Uma Danke

LCF, MA Fashion Photography, 2017

Gloom that follows us like a cloud is played out in this visually compelling fashion film. Erick McNerny’s soundtrack conveys both melancholia and longing.

DE WINTER (05.33) Kathleen Nellis

LCF, MA Costume for Performance, 2017

Joshua Platt’s composition, Struggle heightens the dramatic arc of this short film inspired by Daphne Du Maurier’s novel, Rebecca. Here, Mrs De Winter whose life is initially filled with hope is tortured by dreams of the past into which she takes a leap.

THE MELODIES OF LIFE (2.00) Anya Oderyakova (Tammet) 

LCF, MA Fashion Media Production, 2014

The hypnotic and melodic sounds of Silk Road by Pram (Domino Publishing) is the track to this quirky, black and white fashion film inspired by the silent movie era.  Both sound and vision tell the story of an unfolding journey.

NO LABEL FITS ALL (2.00)  Nieke Reinds

LCF, MA Fashion Media Production, 2016

London artist BiLLy created the soundtrack for this short digital campaign that sets out to challenge contemporary conventions of beauty. Aiming to dissolve the distinction between ‘normal’ and ‘other’ this is a virtual alternative catwalk that pops out of the screen with bold energy.

HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN (02.47) Olivia Rose

LCF, BA Fashion Photography, 2014

Produced by Kid D and taken from NoLay’s recently released EP, Grime, Guts and Glory, Have You Forgotten is archetypal Isabella Gotti; this is considered, powerful, evocative writing that punches straight in the gut. What’s captured on screen is the unexpected camaraderie and vulnerability of street life.