This spring the memorable 70’s bell sleeve is back on the hot fashion trends radar. Making an appearance in Christian Siriano and Ba...
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| L’Atelier MXG |
I come from an American mother and a French father. I grew up in Switzerland and moved to London at the age of 17 to be a part of an innovative and dynamic environment. I studied fashion, photography, painting and other types of art at London College of Fashion and Chelsea College of Art and Design. I then moved on to get my masters degree at Sotheby’s Institute in Art Business.
How did you start L’Atelier MXG?
The art world is a very male dominated one, and I understood early on that I would never be able to find my ‘spot’ and didn't manage to find a team who could recognise my drive and eagerness. I felt that the field lacked the creativity needed for me to ever be satisfied with a 9-5. So I started making jackets at home for fun, and kept getting asked about them in the streets, so I decided it was time to commercialise them and start L’Atelier MXG.
What does 24 hours look like for you?  |
| L’Atelier MXG |
I usually wake up around 8:30, make my cup of coffee and go through my emails (in bed). Each day is different as I run this on my own – so from social media, to marketing, sewing, PR, content creation, photoshoots and fittings I do a little bit of everything each day.
To be honest, I am not the most organised, so I pretty much take the day as it comes. However, most days almost always consist of computer work, sewing labels, running errands around the city and dashing out to buy paint.
I’m aware all of your jackets are handmade. How long does it take to design and create each piece?
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| L’Atelier MXG |
For my latest collection, I spent a good day or two coming up with digital designs, and creating a series of digital images on Indesign and Photoshop. After this, I then think about how I want it to look on the jacket. Designing the idea is the longest process, but once complete I can make about 4 or 5 a day given that I have the appropriate material.
Who and what inspires you?
Have you faced any challenges so far? And if so how have you overcome them?
As I kind of just started this for fun, I didn’t think through most of the things a startup should consider. The workload is more than I had ever imagined and I would have definitely organised myself more efficiently. I also wasn’t ready for the financial aspect and the online accounting courses! YouTube tutorials and Google are currently my best friends, as I’m still learning as I go.  |
| L’Atelier MXG |
Art really inspires me. I love anything visually appealing. I also adore contemporary culture, street fashion and music – these really have a major impact on my stimulus.
What is your most proud moment to date?
My proudest moment it probably getting contacted by the biggest fashion publication to date. I don’t want to name drop but that kind of stuff undeniably gets me up in the morning.
What would you say to a young woman trying to start up her own company? And what are the three attributes would you say she needs to be successful?
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| L’Atelier MXG |
Make sure you have your 3 P’s: perseverance, patience and passion. Things get difficult so perseverance is key, and if you work alone it can be hard to get yourself out of bed and keep pushing through. Some days you’ll have zero motivation, the desire to drop everything and get the first job that comes your way because you’re afraid to fail. That’s why It’s important to be surrounded by people who will push you and constantly remind you of why you started.
Patience, because great things take time. Celebrity gifting for instance, can take up to a year before you start seeing results and even building a loyal Instagram following takes a lot of time as well. So, yes patience is a major element. And finally, passion... because that is what’s going to help you overcome obstacles and the rainy days.
What do you wish you knew before you started the entrepreneurial journey?
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| L’Atelier MXG |
I really wish I knew more about the business side to running a fashion label. For example skills such as accounting which are crucial to running a successful business.
Where do you see L’Atelier MXG 10 years from now?
I have no idea, I sort of see it as a living thing and hope to let it organically grow and evolve into what it is meant to be.
What advice would you give to The Beauty Run readers who are interested in starting their own fashion label?
Surround yourself with people who love you and want you to do well. Don’t trust everyone in the industry, and stay true to your vision and designs.
Shop: www.atelier-mxg.com/
Instagram: www.instagram.com/ateliermxg/
Words by: Malika Isles
... Set up at the beginning of the year, L’Atelier MXG is paving a way for itself as a London-based streetwear brand which specialise...
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When the sun comes out, it’s time for your makeup to look light, flirty and fun. As the weather gets warmer that full coverage foundation and dark heavy lip loses its appeal and most of us like to start opting for a lighter more dewy, sun kissed glow. As spring is the season for nudes, we picked out our favourite lip products on the market at the moment, helping you achieve spring ready lips.
NYX Butter Gloss - £6.00
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| NYX Butter Gloss in Eclair |
With over 30 colours available, you literally can’t go wrong with NYX Butter Gloss. Amongst the diverse range of shades, their nude selection is pretty good which boasts colours such as Crème Brulee, Fortune Cookie, Praline and Eclair. I usually find it hard to find a lipgloss that is high-shine and non sticky but somehow NYX contrived a winning formula.
These glosses are also really lightweight and manage to keep your lips moisturised throughout the day. In my opinion, these are WAY better than MAC’s £15 Lipglasses which often leave my lips feeling super sticky and chapped. Buy a selection of the Butter Gloss nudes to double up (Tiramisu and Ginger Snap is a killer combo) and let your luscious lips do all the talking for spring.
These glosses are also really lightweight and manage to keep your lips moisturised throughout the day. In my opinion, these are WAY better than MAC’s £15 Lipglasses which often leave my lips feeling super sticky and chapped. Buy a selection of the Butter Gloss nudes to double up (Tiramisu and Ginger Snap is a killer combo) and let your luscious lips do all the talking for spring.
MAC Pro Longwear Lip Pencil - £15.50
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| MAC Pro Longwear Lip Pencil in Morning Coffee |
Slightly more pigmented than MAC’s regular lip pencil, a few strokes of this will have your lips pop and is a perfect product if you want to achieve either a slight tint or a full on pigmented lip.
Described by MAC as “A new form of long-wearing lip pencil technology that saturates lips in rich colour”, these Pro Longwear lip pencils are probably some of the best lip pencils I own as they are really smooth on application and the finish is soft. For a nude lip in spring, my go to shades are In Anticipation which is a soft yellow pink and Morning Coffee which is a dirty rose shade.
Vaseline Rosy Lip Therapy - £1.95
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| Vaseline Rosy Lip Therapy |
Now, you’re probably thinking “this is just a lip balm”, but the rosy tint makes your lips look so luscious for those warmer sunnier days. If I’m going for an au naturale sun kissed face beat, this Vaseline Rosy Lip Therapy is my go to.
Paired with a nice blusher, such as the YSL Kiss and Blush, this balm will have your lips totally moisturised and nourished. Infused with rose and almond oil this product is definitely one for your spring/summer beauty collection.
Kylie Matte Lip Kits - $29.00
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| Kylie Matte Lip Kit in Candy K |
What would be a nude spring lip recommendation post without a matte lip cream? I’m usually more of a gloss girl, but as cliche as it sounds the Kylie Matte Lip Kits in shades Dolce K and Candy K are my faves. Although quite expensive, the formula smells amazing and it lasts all day.
Other cheaper options where you can achieve a similar look are the NYX Lip Lingerie collection, and Barry M have recently launched their own version called Matte Me Up which also come with a lip pencil like Kylie’s. NYX’s Liquid Suede Cream Lipstick’s are also really good too, especially the shade Soft Spoken.
Words By: Malika Isles
... When the sun comes out, it’s time for your makeup to look light, flirty and fun. As the weather gets warmer that full coverage fo...
Founder and Editor Malika Isles takes a look back at the month of fashion in a special FW17 highlight feature...
As always, fashion month is a busy one. From New York, to London, to Milan and then finally Paris I’m more often than not left feeling confused, frazzled and overwhelmed. One amazing show closes, you prepare to write up a review, and then BAM something else beautiful is presented by yet another designer which leaves you at a mental halt. As a fashion lover reading this, I’m sure you feel exactly the same and don’t really have a clue where to start. So I decided to take a look back at the month of fashion and present you with the highlights:
Sid Neigum
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| Sid Neigum FW17 |
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| Sid Neigum FW17 |
During the busy few days of London Fashion Week, I had the opportunity to get down to see the Canadian designer’s FW17 presentation up close and personal. Sid’s Fall/Winter 2017 palette is his boldest and perhaps most symbolic to date. Opulent gold velvet and red jacquard are used in excess, exaggerating Sid’s signature golden ratio proportions. One look that stood out the most was a wide sleeved white blouse which gathered at the waist, and a gold long sleeve velvet top which was characterised by a three tie up knot detail on the back.
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| Sid Neigum FW17 |
The use of rich gold was SO refreshing. AOFM Pro was on makeup, and created a simple stripped back dewy look on the models. Some of you may have seen clips of the collection on our Instagram Stories, but of course this couldn’t compare to how beautiful the pieces looked in real life.
David Koma
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| David Koma FW17 |
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| David Koma FW17 |
Now the collection felt very 2011 Kim K, and by this I mean the heavy use of leathers, khakis and fur. Taking inspiration from the choka, a traditional “warrior dress” worn by Georgian men – looks included a floor length waist coat, diagonal square stitched puffer coats with dramatic fur lapels and also a black leather mini skirt with a khaki fur trim. This collection was truly beautiful, and was definitely one of my favourites from London Fashion Week.
Roberto Cavalli
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| Roberto Cavalli FW17 |
Since the departure of Peter Dundas, an anonymous design team have taken the reins whilst the fashion house appoints a new director. Despite this, the collection presented at Milan Fashion Week was nothing short of stunning. Instead of a runway show, the label hosted a 28 look presentation in Milan’s decadent Palazzo Crespi.
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| Roberto Cavalli FW17 |
The choice of venue, along with the style of the collection felt extremely representative of regality. Some of the looks were so intricately detailed that they looked more like pieces from a couture collection, as opposed to ready-to-wear – such as the floor length sheer gowns. The choice of colours were also very simple and classic as the majority of the looks were either black or white. The high-waist wide leg white trousers, paired alongside a flamboyant ostrich feather coat was one of my favourite looks.
Moschino
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| Moschino FW17 |
Jeremy Scott never fails to impress me with his fun and extravagant take on high fashion. The hard invites sent out to attendees resembled swiss cheese which were attached to an end of a mouse trap, representing the collection theme of “cardboard couture”. This theme was part of the wider narrative of a rich clothes horse gone broke. In the collection we saw a innovative take on the classic trench, which had ‘fragile’ and ‘handle with care’ notes printed onto the crumpled finish of the coat.
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| Moschino FW17 |
Chanel
Only Karl Lagerfeld can launch a full blown rocket at the Grand Palais in Paris. The galactic theme of the Chanel FW17 collection saw a new take on their classic staples. The models wore metallic, glittery lunar boots, sparkly tweed and even oversized mirrored aviators, looking as though they were ready to venture out of this world into space. Although still very representative of Chanel’s signature aesthetic, Lagerfeld successfully presented a modern take on the Chanel we know so well and love.
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| Chanel FW17 |
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| Chanel FW17 |
Founder and Editor Malika Isles takes a look back at the month of fashion in a special FW17 highlight feature... As always...
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As the collection progressed, the looks were characterised by detailed patchworks, jacquard, embellishment, leather appliqu̩, metallic studs, tassels and fringe Рhighlighting Rousteing's skill in craftsmanship. Starting off with browns and gold, as the show progressed we saw deep Earthy red tones emerge, all the way to silver and even a number of looks in stark black. Rousteing went all out with the prints this season, clashing a number of different textures which felt a little different than any of his previous collections.
Most of the outfits were worn with long suede boots which progressed way above the usual thigh-high. Although aspects of the collection felt very similar to the colonial feel of his SS17 collection, Olivier added an extra layer with the incorporation of 90's grunge. The t-shirt's of the wolf and the moon, together with the fire effect tie-dye prints that emerged throughout the show reinforced this grunge feel.
Olivier Rousteing successfully incorporated Balmain's utilitarian meets luxe aesthetic once again. Although the looks were busier than usual, Rousteing did extremely well.
Words By: Malika Isles
... Running 30 mins late in true Balmain fashion, classical music led by the sound of violin played as attendees filled the space. The l...
