Chiharu Okunugi

This recent runway F/W 13.14 season a few fresh faces stood out amongst the sea of new models. One of these is Tokyo based, Chiharu Okunugi. 

The Japanese beauty, Okunugi, has an elegant and refined look which has helped her stand out. Okunugi is also rising to stardom riding the wave of the current high demand of Asian models led by Liu Wen, Xiao Wen Ju, Shu Pei and Du Juan among others. 

Okunugi debuted in S/S 12 walking for the likes of Hermes, Yohji Yamamoto, Mugler, and Moncler Gamme Rouge, following with a strong F/W 13.12 season. This season she walked a staggering 54 shows. She appears in the CR Fashion Book #2, Prada Real Fantasies S/S 13 Lookbook, and Vogue China

Eye Candy: LUKASZ WIERZBOWSKI

Polish photographer Lukasz Wierzbowski is literally the first flickr crush I ever had. Back then he went under the moniker fakeneverland and produced mostly digital works. Even in those days when he was still crafting his now signature style, it was apparent I was looking at something genius. It is hard to define Lukasz's work. Certainly not your typical fashion photography, it seems Lukasz is more pre-occupied with creating the fantastical world his models inhabit than simply the act of showing 'fashion'. With patterns on top of patterns and saturated colors, his subjects are often seen contorted into unnatural movements that lend a unique atmosphere to his works. There is always something off in his pictures that keeps viewers on their toes and speaks to his ability to create photos that are fresh and innovative.    

Lukasz has produced work for such publications as Penguin, Getty, Urban Outfitters and Saatchi and Saatchi and you can catch his interviews in such publications as Dazed Digital and Urban Outfitters.

The Future of Fashion

Last year I discovered a very tasty and healthy drink called kombucha. Kombucha is a fermented tea that originated in China. While researching the tea, I came across some fascinating articles on how a designer/scientist is using kombucha to create fabrics for her designs! Suzanne Lee is a Senior Researcher at Central Saint Martins, University of Arts & Design  in London. 

Lee developed a line called BioCouture.