House of Billiam caught our eyes with their fresh and carefully crafted designs. Worn by stars such as Tinie Tempah, Labrinth, and Fazer, House of Billiam is gaining more and more prominence as a fashionable label.

Today’s Fashion Spotlight is on Simone Williams, a talented designer from London.  Her latest range – The Life Collection -  is a journey through the different stages of life  and features a combination of stylishly classic and modern eveningwear.   Williams runs the label with her friend of over 20 years and business patner Ronke Lawal.  Speaking about the label Lawal says, “I envisage a future so bright and promising that it excites me to be part of this fantastic fashion label.”

http://www.simonewilliams.co.uk/

Koko Magazine has had an eventful year featuring some exciting and innovative fashion from the freshest and most talented young designers around.  Here are several of our picks from the past year:

Domingo Rodriguez S/S 2011 Collection

Former Fashion Pack alum Domingo Rodriguez previewed his collection for the coming year.  Check the whole article out here

SANA London

Brand new label SANA London brought standout style with their S/S 2011 Preview Collection, as modelled by Britain’s Next Top Model runner-up Alisha White.

Dat Tag Limited

Bright colours, a face in UK urban fashion and an imaginative top with a huge zipper.  Not to be missed.

Lyrics for Lyrics

We interviewed the creator of the Lego-inspired jewellery that everyone’s talking about. INTERVIEW HERE

Triple L Society

Lawrence Nurse’s Triple L Society pushed forward the concept of high-end urban fashion.  Get the full lowdown…

SANA LONDON are a new label mixing modern and vintage styles together.  Their pieces are versatile, and can be dressed up or down depending on the wearer’s mood.   Created by friends Natalie Smith and Samhar Faid,  SANA has recently shot their 2011 Spring/Summer collectionwith Britain’s Next Top Model runer up Alisha White.   Koko interviewed Samhar to find out more about the label.

How did you and Natalie begin SANA LONDON?

We both love fashion and want to create clothing that make women look great and feel fabulous. The concept of SANA LONDON as a brand that specialises in blouses was developed 6 months ago. We were having a conversation about fashion and the impact fashion has on self confidence and how it can be inspirational.

We both felt that there was a gap in the fashion market in terms of a brand that designs affordable yet fabulous blouses for every occasion. Our ambition for the brand is to make every woman feel like a million dollars when wearing a Sana blouse.

A blouse is a must have item. A simple sophisticated sassy chic blouse can be worn with anything from a pair of skinny jeans to a fitted black pencil skirt. We realised that this was a great business opportunity as there is not yet an established brand or store that only focuses on blouses.

What appeals to you about both modern and vintage fashion?

We adore modern and vintage fashion so design blouses to capture a vintage look yet have a modern twist. Modern fashion is extremely edgy and vintage fashion is chic and classical. Our aim is to create timeless blouses that are ultra feminine and make a fashion statement. With a mixture of our luxurious fabrics and bold pop-art colours and shades, designed in deep V and square neck cut blouses, we create pieces fitted to complement the female form.

Who are your style icons? Our style icons are Audrey Hepburn for her class,  Marylin Monroe for her glamour and more recently, Victoria Beckham and Kim Kardashian as they both have a sexy and sophisticated sense of style.

sanalondon.carbonmade.com

http://twitter.com/SANALONDON

You may not realise it, but you’ve been seeing a lot of Lyrics 4 Lyrics’ designs.  It’s the label behind that necklace Will.i.am was sporting last night on the X-Factor final.  Based in London and Los Angeles, Lyrics 4 Lyrics is creating a following both sides of the Atlantic. With fans such as the Black Eyed Peas, Pharrell, Ciara and Russell Simmons the Lego-inspired label is making its presence felt.  Koko Magazine caught up with its creator Paul ‘Bwoywonder’ Allimadi to find out more!

Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how you got into designing?

I’m a North London based designer, I graduated in Product Design from University of Hertfordshire and started my label lyrics4lyrics with my cousin Justin Mwaka back in 2005.

Why Lego?

Many people ask me why I chose to use Lego in my designs/clothing, I say why not! as a designer I was taught to not only be inspired by things around you but also USE them.

What’s the best thing about designing?

The best thing about designing is not knowing the end result until you reach it, sure I may have an idea or concept how it should look like but it always slightly differs from the image you have in your head.

What about the more challenging aspect?

Designing for others is simple when the client is creative or has laid out a full brief, the challenge is when even they don’t know what they want and leave you with a 1 word concept i.e. “design something theatrical!”

How long does it take you to create each piece – from concept to finished product?

Each piece takes me 20-40mins, customised Lego jewellery can take much longer as I am doing it for the first time.

What’s your favourite piece from your collection, and why?

My favourite piece of Lego jewellery that I have created is and will probably always be my first creation, the Super Mario like character which I premiered.

What has been your biggest achievement so far?

Biggest achievement so far is getting my products out to the states, Europe and far east!

What can we expect from Lyrics 4 Lyrics in 2011?

More sculpture pieces, stronger more theatrical designs and hopefully more people following the LEGO brick road!

www.lyrics4lyrics.com

http://twitter.com/bwoywonder

http://l4lblog.wordpress.com

Pushing the fashion envelope that bit further, Gnarly Trippin combines slick sophistication with effortless cool. The appeal of the label lies in its fresh and fashion-forward outlook, a credit to creator Mayowa. “The label was borne out of my desire to have a label that was both elegant and powerful, so that both men and women could wear it with confidence.”

More than a mere label, Gnarly Trippin’ wear is the stuff of inspiration for today’s generation. “The label signifies a philosophy and purpose. The label’s mission is to confer power and elegance (borne of out confidence) on any and all who wear a piece from any collection. I want people to feel they are a part of a lifestyle when they wear Gnarly clothing, that lifestyle being ‘anything is possible’. The way the label sets out to do that is to create pieces with flair and intelligence.”

Flair and intelligence is something the Gnarly label has in abundance, especially given Mayowa’s vision and passion for fashion. Tired of the dull, repetitive state of men’s clothing, he decided to do something about it. “During a conversation about men’s fashion, a friend convinced me to turn my ideas/concept into a label. Also, as a child, I used to help my mother’s customers (she had a boutique) match their clothing and accessories, so I guess you could say I was born into fashion too.”

Speaking of his self-designed mythical half-horse-half-lion logo – the Triptaur – Mayowa explains, “Gnarly represents the power of the lion – which is also the top part of the brand logo – and Trippin represents the elegance of a horse – the lower part of the logo.”

Another thing that sets Gnarly apart from its fashion-savvy rivals is the invention of three different ranges: silver, gold and platinum. “The three ranges came from the reasoning that each piece, each design, is precious. The difference between the ranges is the number of pieces made per design: so a design from the silver range would be more accessible than one from the gold range, and one from platinum would be the most exclusive.”

As is the purpose of the label to inspire the ‘anything is possible’ ethos, it is fitting that Mayowa’s favourite design is called ‘Unknown Legend’. “That is because it captures what I believe what the label and – God willing – myself are: new, and therefore relatively unknown, but with great potential to change the fashion game.”

It definitely appears to be the case that Gnarly Trippin is taking those steps to greatness. With plans already in motion to stock the label in more UK stores, the label is set to expand in the overseas market, particularly in the US, Nigeria, South Africa, Europe and the Middle East.

In the meantime, the upcoming range of jeans is something that the Gnarly label is set to put its own creative spin on. The project is a well-kept secret of which Mayowa reveals, “The focus will be on elegance, class, comfort and style.”

With rising success, the future looks bright for the new label. “Gnarly Trippin has done extremely well. The label is already in a trendy Notting Hill store. It actually debuted in the store within a year of the label being created.”

Despite the economic climate, Mayowa recognises that the Gnarly Trippin label must retain its identity. “With the recession, it is essential that the plan going forward is robust, yet flexible, and that the label maintains its uniqueness and wow factor. That is currently what we are doing with the label.”

http://gnarlytrippin.com