How does Rob Rusling create fashion imagery to a budget?

'I have a really wonderful group of people who I work with to create things I think are really quite sellable', says Designer / Fashion Editor / Illustrator Mimi Wade, in conversation with Writer / Editor / Broadcaster Lara Johnson-Wheeler. 'I just ask myself, is that something that people would want? And how much is it worth?'   Constantly inspired by old movies and her Hollywood grandmother Granny Pammy, to collaborate with Warner Bros. was a dream come true for Mimi Wade. Coming together for her first major catwalk show, the collection featured elevated versions of styles the London-based designer's fans have come to know and love. Saccharine silk slips and marabou trimmed cardigans joined printed pieces in a menagerie of Miminess, injecting the fun, sex and joie de vivre into her label that Mimi Wade always maintains. Mimi founded her eponymous label after studying fashion print at Central Saint Martins in 2015 and debuted her work - intricately hand painted leather party dresses - with Lulu Kennedy's incubator programme Fashion East in 2016. Alongside creating and illustrating garments, Mimi is Tatler's Contributing Fashion Editor and (in pre-pandemic times, of course) was regularly papped at parties, sporting her own designs. In this episode of The Fashion Slashie: A ClickerMe Podcast, Mimi and Lara discuss her unique approach to collaboration with big brands including Polly Pocket, MAC and Warner Bros and the rollercoaster ride of carving out her own position in today's shifting fashion system.    ClickerMe is the fashion network, helping creatives connect and collaborate better. https://clickerme.com/ The Fashion Slashie: A ClickerMe podcast has been recorded remotely, due to circumstances inflicted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Interviewer: Lara Johnson-Wheeler Producer, Editor: Tom Zambaz

'For me, the starting point of designing is an existing clothing piece,' Artist / Designer / Upcycler Duran Lantink tells Writer / Editor / Broadcaster Lara Johnson-Wheeler. 'It's really important to upcyle luxury brands,' he continues. Based in Amsterdam, Duran Lantink aims to produce collections that are sustainable, ethical and innovative. His work shot to the fore of the cultural conversation with a pair of pink 'Pussy Power' pants for Janelle Monáe's PYNK music video in 2018. Dubbed 'instantly iconic' by Dazed, the design was one Duran thought he'd never see again. He has since managed to shake the spectre of the design, working with diverse communities such as the homeless community in Amsterdam and transgender sex workers in Cape Town. Duran also won a special award in 2019 at the International Fashion Showcase as selected by the British Fashion Council and the British Council and was shortlisted for the prestigious LVMH Prize. Duran and Lara chat about his commitment to upcycling in spite of teachers attempting to dissuade him and working to create celebrity commissions for the likes of Billie Eilish and more. ClickerMe is the fashion network, helping creatives connect and collaborate better. https://clickerme.com/ The Fashion Slashie: A ClickerMe podcast has been recorded remotely, due to circumstances inflicted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Interviewer: Lara Johnson-Wheeler Producer, Editor: Tom Zambaz

'Don't care about what other people think of you', Creative Director / Designer / Artist / Comedian PZ Opassuksatit tells Writer / Editor / Broadcaster Lara Johnson-Wheeler. 'I give them what they want, but adding my universe.'   The work of PZ Opassuksatit has been described by Highsnobiety as 'absurd, bizarre, bonkers and ironic'. The Thailand-born Paris-based fashion slashie sells design and concept through her company, PZToday. Her object-based wares include a champagne glass candle, a necktie indicating whether you’re single or taken and a loo seat scarf designed to reveal the life of a toilet - so you can see Highsnobiety's point. After finishing studying at Institut Français de la Mode in 2015, PZ secured a role in visual design at Vetements. In this episode of The Fashion Slashie: A ClickerMe Podcast, she tells Lara of the freedom she had at the role and how she secured it simply through emailing Demna Gvasalia. This year alone, PZ has collaborated with Helmut Lang and was named one of 2020's New Wave Creatives by the British Fashion Council as part of the Fashion Awards. PZ and Lara discuss her collaborative work for the podcast; installations at Dover Street Market and her book — a partnership with IDEA — which features contributions from Martine Rose, Kim Chi and Virgil Abloh.   ClickerMe is the fashion network, helping creatives connect and collaborate better. https://clickerme.com/ The Fashion Slashie: A ClickerMe podcast has been recorded remotely, due to circumstances inflicted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Interviewer: Lara Johnson-Wheeler Producer, Editor: Tom Zambaz

'I would like to make money - let’s hope so - but profit? Big chunks of dirty old profit is not my goal. I would much rather be known as a designer to make clothes that are accessible.', Sustainable Designer / Stylist / Communicator / Consultant Lucinda Graham tells Writer / Editor / Broadcaster Lara Johnson-Wheeler.   Based in Northern Ireland, self-proclaimed eco-punk Lucinda Graham is driven by a millennial's hunger for reality in the digital age. Through her fashion practice, Lucinda promotes and encourages ethical consumership. It's no simple task to come face to face with the ecological and humanitarian issues inherent in the fashion industry, but Lucinda is determined to hold herself to account through activism and education. In this episode of The Fashion Slashie: A ClickerMe Podcast, Lucinda and Lara debate and discuss fashion's London-centric obsession and the need for size and mobility inclusivity in garment design, as well as speaking candidly on the effect of freelancing on one's mental health.  ClickerMe is the fashion network, helping creatives connect and collaborate better.  https://clickerme.com/ The Fashion Slashie: A ClickerMe podcast has been recorded remotely, due to circumstances inflicted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Interviewer: Lara Johnson-Wheeler Producer, Editor: Tom Zambaz

'I've always - up until now, with social distancing - made a point, even if it's the simplest nail, to stay there all day. I'm part of the team, I want to be credited.' Nail Technician / Artist / Consultant Sylvie Macmillan explains to Writer / Editor / Broadcaster Lara Johnson-Wheeler.    From Mugler to Mowalola to Maximilian, Sylvie Macmillan creates nails for fashion's coolest clientele. Having started her practice as a model-maker, Sylvie tells Lara she wasn't seeing the kinds of nails she wanted in fashion and that's what inspired her to break into the industry. Well, now she's creating the kind of cutting-edge talons we all want. In this episode of The Fashion Slashie: A ClickerMe Podcast, Sylvie Macmillan talks about the ability to be selective when taking on work, the importance of crediting your team and the cruel irony of the lack of nail tones for darker-skinned people in an industry that - as she eloquently puts it - 'was built upon the time, money and creativity of Black women.' To view the images discussed in this episode, head to Sylvie Macmillan's profile on ClickerMe! https://clickerme.com/podcasts/the-fashion-slashie/sylvie-macmillan ClickerMe is the fashion network, helping creatives connect and collaborate better.  https://clickerme.com/   The Fashion Slashie: A ClickerMe podcast has been recorded remotely, due to circumstances inflicted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Interviewer: Lara Johnson-Wheeler Producer, Editor: Tom Zambaz

‘Everyone has a brand and it’s about making your brand as appealing and serviceable as possible. What are you going to be able to give them that they don’t have?’  Creative Director / Business Owner Tayler Prince-Fraser talks to Writer / Editor / Broadcaster Lara Johnson-Wheeler. Tayler Prince-Fraser’s keen interest in brands and the cultural commentary clothes can provide has led him, in partnership with his brother Koen, to work with a plethora of clients including Nike, Sony and Louis Vuitton. Marrying his interest in sports and style, as well as a desire to influence social change, Tayler co-founded Last Pick Athletics Club (LPAC) and has directed editorials, documentaries and music videos. In this episode, Lara and Tayler discuss his work on @originalshift, an ever-expanding platform that provides crucial commentary on fashion and its intersections and unpick the purchase of a Supreme hat that was a pivotal piece in Tayler's burgeoning fashion career. To view the images discussed in this episode, head to Tayler Prince-Fraser's profile on ClickerMe! https://clickerme.com/podcasts/the-fashion-slashie/tayler-prince-fraser ClickerMe is the fashion network, helping creatives connect and collaborate better.  https://clickerme.com/ The Fashion Slashie: A ClickerMe podcast has been recorded remotely, due to circumstances inflicted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Interviewer: Lara Johnson-Wheeler Producer, Editor: Tom Zambaz

 ‘See if anyone knows a way in, or maybe they know an email address. It really does come from literally an email address - that's all you need.’ Stylist / Creative Director / Consultant Kate Iorga chats to Writer / Editor / Broadcaster Lara Johnson-Wheeler.   An alumni of London College of Fashion, Kate Iorga's styling career kicked off at i-D, working alongside fashion editor Jack Borkett. From there, she assisted renowned stylist Jane How. Now a fully-fledged freelancer, Kate brings a distinctive penchant for powerfully feminine looks and raw sex appeal to her collaborations, often styling those she feels a symbiosis with. This characteristic has seen her work with the likes of Aquaria, Di Petsa, Rina Sawayama and Jorja Smith. A self-confessed Google Drive addict, Kate tells Lara about the need for rich references and the power of an email in this episode.  To view the images discussed in this episode, head to Kate Iorga's profile on ClickerMe! https://clickerme.com/podcasts/the-fashion-slashie/kate-iorga ClickerMe is the fashion network, helping creatives connect and collaborate better.  https://clickerme.com/   The Fashion Slashie: A ClickerMe podcast has been recorded remotely, due to circumstances inflicted by the COVID-19 pandemic.  Interviewer: Lara Johnson-Wheeler Producer, Editor: Tom Zambaz

‘Everything that I do, really, is activism. A lot of my work has a sense about retelling black stories, it has the black narrative. That in itself is activism.' Artist / Publisher / Art Director / Stylist Theo White speaks to Writer / Editor / Broadcaster Lara Johnson-Wheeler. Jamaican-born and London-based, Theo White is a fashion creative who uses imagery to represent intersectional experiences. Theo has shown work with Soft Opening and at NOW Gallery, as well as working with the likes of Cosmo Pyke, WizKid and Say Lou Lou. During isolation, he brought together work from the likes of Anish Kapoor, Edward Enninful, Ib Kamara and Kai-Isiah Jamal in his latest publishing project, 6ft Zine, to raise funds for the UK QTIBIPOC Emergency relief & Hardship Fund. In this episode of The Fashion Slashie, Theo tells Lara about his interest in publishing and printed matter, his ‘juicy education’ and the importance - particularly as a black male stylist - of having a diverse portfolio.  To view the images discussed in this episode, head to Theo White's profile on ClickerMe! https://clickerme.com/podcasts/the-fashion-slashie/theo-white ClickerMe is the fashion network, helping creatives connect and collaborate better.  https://clickerme.com/ The Fashion Slashie: A ClickerMe podcast has been recorded remotely, due to circumstances inflicted by the COVID-19 pandemic.  Interviewer: Lara Johnson-Wheeler Producer, Editor: Tom Zambaz

 ‘Socialise. Go to fashion events, fashion parties, try to talk to as many people as possible. Fashion weeks are always a good moment,’ Photographer / Creative Director Eva Losada tells Writer / Editor / Broadcaster Lara Johnson-Wheeler.  While she wouldn’t refer to herself as a stylist, Eva Losada, also known as Eva Al Desnudo, has a distinctive style that has certainly shaped her career. Having started out in the industry as a street style photographer, Eva was snapped in her signature dark lip and stand-out selection of clothes as often as she herself was snapping. She now covers the global fashion weeks, working backstage at brands such as Dior, Raf Simons, Undercover and more. A regular contributor at Highsnobiety, Eva has been nominated within the British Fashion Awards’ New Wave: Creatives category twice. In this episode, she talks to Lara about her aesthetic, meditation in the face of rejection and building a fashion community.  To view the images discussed in this episode, head to Eva Losada’s profile on ClickerMe! https://clickerme.com/podcasts/the-fashion-slashie/eva-losada ClickerMe is the fashion network, helping creatives connect and collaborate better.  https://clickerme.com/   The Fashion Slashie: A ClickerMe podcast has been recorded remotely, due to circumstances inflicted by the COVID-19 pandemic.  Interviewer: Lara Johnson-Wheeler Producer, Editor: Tom Zambaz

'It doesn't mean that the idea has got to be any less, but there are cheap ways to do things,' Photographer / Artist Rob Rusling says, in conversation with Writer / Editor / Broadcaster Lara Johnson-Wheeler.  From shooting campaigns for A-COLD-WALL* to collaborating with Jazzelle Zanaughtti (@uglyworldwide), Rob's career spans the commercial as well as the cultural. Formerly Nick Knight's assistant, Rob worked at SHOWstudio for 3 years before branching out as a freelancer. In this episode, Lara and Rob chat from isolation, considering commercial fashion photography, the impact of visual culture on society and how to reduce costs for a shoot.  To view the images discussed in this episode, head to Rob Rusling’s profile on ClickerMe! https://clickerme.com/podcasts/the-fashion-slashie/rob-rusling ClickerMe is the fashion network, helping creatives connect and collaborate better.  https://clickerme.com/ The Fashion Slashie: A ClickerMe podcast has been recorded remotely, due to circumstances inflicted by the COVID-19 pandemic.  Interviewer: Lara Johnson-Wheeler Producer, Editor: Tom Zambaz