Innholdsfortegnelse for November - December 2020 i frankie Magazine

kuwaii ss20 collection The folks behind Melbourne label Kuwaii want you to know that fashion doesn’t have to be trend-driven to be fun. It can also involve updates to designs you already know and love – timeless pieces that are built to last. That’s why this year’s spring/summer collection, Chronicle, is based entirely on silhouettes from the Kuwaii archive (albeit with a fresh floral pattern from local artist Charlotte Alldis). If button-up jumpsuits, cinched-in dresses and painterly prints float your boat, pop on over to kuwaii.com.au, quick smart. charlie crane rocks OK, sure – at around $470, this Charlie Crane baby rocker is a significant investment. But if you happen to have some spare clams floating around (or some very generous folks in your life), it’s a pretty swish way…

At their best, book clubs are about connecting with people and sharing new ways of looking at the world. Discovering words that sing and cry and hit you in the heart. They’re also, obviously, about wine and cheese. Which is how Blackfulla Bookclub started, too. Back in the beginning of COVID times, Merinda Dutton – a Gumbaynggirr and Barkandji woman – was looking for a way to stay connected to her gang of black lady lawyer mates, so she started a Zoom book club (BYO wine) where everyone could share what they were reading outside of work. Teela Reid, a fellow lawyer and Wiradjuri and Wailwan woman, decided to set up an Instagram handle: @blackfulla_bookclub. Within a week, they had 1000 followers. These days, it’s pushing 30,000. “What we’ve learnt…

By Tara Kenny One of my earliest boob memories is going to my primary-school friend Amelie’s house and ogling shopping-centre ‘glamour shots’ of her mum wearing a corset and holding a rose in her mouth. I was simultaneously embarrassed and in awe of the overtly adult images – in particular, her pumped-up, lace-covered breasts. Thanks to Margaret Simon – the spiritually confused protagonist of Judy Blume’s Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret – and her desperate but catchy chant of “I must, I must, I must increase my bust!” I learnt that big boobs are a hot commodity. Although, as a teen, I don’t remember ever wishing my own mosquito-bite boobs would get bigger. I put this down to both my love of athletics and coming of age in…

TAWNY FROGMOUTH Scientific name: Podargus strigoides. Description: It’s possible you’ve walked past a bunch of tawny frogmouths thinking they were just a broken branch on a tree. The birds are masters of disguise, thanks in large part to their textured, mottled plumage: a mix of grey, white, black and rusty red. (They’ve also nailed some rather effective branch-like poses.) Tawny frogmouths are stocky birds with big, yellow eyes and heavy, wide bills – the inspiration for their ‘frogmouth’ title. Favourite hangout: Found all round Australia, from coast to coast (and even over the Bass Strait), these feathery fellows are happy in most habitats, aside from dry deserts and dense rainforests. They’re nocturnal, so get most of their business done at night – daytime is for perching on branches, trying to…

The sun is in its place, and in this place the sun is like no other I’ve ever seen. Yesterday, when they brought a man here, when he first felt the sun’s heat, he’d swooned; they had to carry and drag him into the cage. He hasn’t woken yet, I’m told – their petty revenge for the extra effort they had to make delivering him has left him half dead. A thing of meat, cooking in the tin-shed infirmary, he’s unlikely to ever wake. I don’t expect him to join me out here where I am. I am stateless now. The law, the cops, border patrol has taken me from me, from place, from my country; left me with no country, no home at all. I am within bars, not…

What do you do for a crust? I run the Australian-made brand U&I Label, making sustainable, functional swimwear for ocean dwellers. I also freelance as a photographer and graphic designer and try to spend as much time as I can shooting fashion, products, landscapes and the ocean. How would you describe the area where you live? We live on a beautiful acreage bush block, so we get to look out on large, beautiful gums and there are plenty of kangaroos. Sometimes when we’ve been away for a while, they pretty much move in! We’re also a stone’s throw from the ocean, so we spend most of our spare time surfing or exploring the beach with our little man. Tell us about the house itself. The Sandy Bus is a retired…

That coming face to face with someone you’ve long admired from afar will shatter your illusions – or worse, you’ll get so flustered and overwhelmed by their sheer awesomeness that you wind up squealing “I LOVE YOU SO MUCH WE SHOULD BE FRIENDS” in their face. Thankfully, such calamities were avoided when I sat down for a chat with Alanis-bloody-Morissette for this here issue. Despite decades as a musical icon – an ineffable font of cool and attitude, with glorious locks, to boot – she managed to woo me with her wisdom and unabashed playfulness. (Her favourite way to deal with anxiety? Backflips into a pool, of course.) I didn’t even babble about listening to Jagged Little Pill as I rollerbladed around as a kid, Walkman clutched tightly in my…

(SOMETIMES) LADIES MAKE BANK It’s a totally different world for female musicians today. When we were releasing “You Oughta Know” in 1995, we sent it to radio stations and the initial response from all the program directors was, “Oh, we’re already playing Sinéad O’Connor, so we’re good on women,” or, “We’ve hit our quota – we already play Tori Amos.” Literally one female artist was allocated to every radio station. I thought there’d be more of a sisterhood in the fame – that Sharon Stone would be patting my head by the campfire singing “Kumbaya” – but that wound up not being the case. Thankfully, things changed pretty quickly after that, because those suit peeps are very interested in the bottom line, and all of a sudden a woman became…

Who are you and what do you do? My name is Leonardo Ulian, I am Italian and I work as a full-time artist between London and Italy. Tell us about the Contrived Object series. Where did the idea come from to combine vintage tennis racquets with electronic parts? This new series was engineered with what I had in my studio during lockdown. Sometimes just by looking at an object, the unconscious mind knows how it would like to be transformed. The egg shape of the ‘head’ of these vintage tennis racquets reminded me of something familiar, but distant. The result is these compositions that vaguely resemble a human face, made with recycled objects from the past and clashing electronic elements. They also play on the idea of ‘pareidolia’, which can…

ZIP YOUR LIPS BY JAMES COLLEY Let me be clear: I want to talk during the movie. I’d love to talk during the movie. I’m sure I have a lot of fun insights and jokes to keep the good times rolling. Heck, it’s like having your own director’s commentary, right on the couch. What could be better? You know what I don’t want? Anyone to talk to me during a movie, ever. That, I believe, is the very core of this discussion. Everyone wants to be the one who talks; no one wants to be the one being talked at. And absolutely no one wants to be stuck next to two people having a full-on chinwag. The compulsion is understandable. It’s one I had myself, right up until the point…

For George Fowler to get to know himself, he first had to get to know his onstage alter ego, Hugo Grrrl: a kooky, campy fella with a curlicue moustache and, often, a fire engine-red ringleader’s jacket. Hugo is a bona fide star on the Wellington drag scene, but for George, he’s been a teacher of sorts, helping him understand his gender identity offstage. You see, it was just so damn fun – thrilling, even – to dress up as Hugo. “I love the phrase ‘gender euphoria’, as opposed to gender dysphoria,” says George, 29, who came out two years ago as a trans man. “I’d chuck on men’s clothes and be excited in ways I couldn’t articulate at the time. Hugo was a very organic representation of myself. He was…

What is Outsiders Division all about? ‘Outsiders Division’ was graffiti I wrote when I was a teenager. It became a brand for all those adults who still have the ability to dream and imagine. It celebrates the concept of joy and trying to find the best version of yourself. Our designs are dedicated to the child who lives inside of us. Describe the Outsiders Division aesthetic in five words. Grandpa meets teenager. Colour. Rebellion. What inspirations went into The Fantasy Department collection? My influences are always the same: attitude, vitality, and ways of understanding life and what surrounds me. I never work with closed stories or literalism – I prefer to create parallel universes. While designing this range, though, I listened to Talking Heads, The Smiths, and a lot of…

Have you always been an arty type? Yes, I’ve always loved art and design. From a young age, I drew and painted and made my own clothing and jewellery. Though I don’t know if you’d immediately know that by looking at me! I’m not the quintessential arty type from the movies – I don’t wear a beret that often. How did your Imaginary Beings series begin? I was looking around my studio and realised I had all these fabric scraps from sewing projects. They were so beautiful, but not large enough to sew with. I made my first Imaginary Beings with those scraps. I really wanted to build something monumental and indulgent, like a massive couture gown, but out of diminutive, unassuming sources. What kinds of techniques and materials do…

MATERIALS 500g uncooked farfalle pasta hot glue gun and hot glue sticks hairdryer A4-sized photo frame, preferably white paintbrush paint tray 1 tube of light blue acrylic paint 1 tube of white acrylic paint crystal glitter paint 1 cup water a cute picture or photo to display HOW TO First, separate the outer frame from the backing, glass and other internal bits. Put these somewhere safe while you get busy with the frame, the pasta and the paint. If the frame is white, give yourself a pat on the back. If not, take this opportunity to paint it white. Once the frame is completely dry, it’s time to fire up the hot glue gun and start sticking the individual farfalle bows to it. Place the bows in different directions and…

Hello! How did you first start out in design and illustration? First, I completed a design degree, where I was able to experiment with image-making, typography, film, photography and animation. It was totally computer-free (!) and after I graduated I landed a full-time position in a design agency. From there, I became a creative director with a focus on brand creation and campaign development. Post & Co is for projects that live outside my client work. What’s the first artwork you remember making? I was always drawing and colouring in when I was little. When I was five, I painted a flower to enter into an art competition at the local shopping centre. It wasn’t particularly incredible, but I won first prize and it had a huge effect on me.…

What is YEVU all about? YEVU is a business with purpose: with fair and sustainable employment opportunities for women at its core. We’re proudly Ghanaian made, reaching consumers all over the world with the loud and vibrant prints of the West African marketplaces, which are curated and crafted into fun and functional wardrobe pieces by our team of skilled makers. What made you start the brand? I founded YEVU in 2013, while working in Ghana’s capital, Accra, in the international development space. Women in Ghana’s informal sector (many of whom are highly skilled seamstresses, makers, artisans) are underemployed, lacking access to sustainable income and working in precarious and unsafe environments. I wanted to build a business that created jobs for women that were well paid, safe and dignified, so even…

AEROBICS // Like many young Australians, one of my fondest childhood memories is turning on the television to catch a bit of Cheez TV before school. Annoyingly, though, as an early riser, I’d often have to sit through Aerobics Oz Style first: a group of disturbingly perky women high-kicking and squat-thrusting in front of notable attractions. “Isn’t it a beautiful day on the harbour!” one of them would exclaim during a particularly active grapevine. And here I am, many moons later, attempting an aerobics workout of my own. Surprisingly, it was incredibly fun. I’ve never enjoyed cardio exercise outside of a gym because that usually involves running, and in my opinion, only two types of people should run: athletes, or criminals fleeing a scene. But aerobics got my heart racing…

Rose Matafeo is all for being enthusiastic and obsessive about things – or in her words, being “horny” for something. She’s felt this way since she was a kid, starting endless clubs at school in Auckland, before venturing into stand-up comedy at the tender age of 15. “I was a fucking nerd,” she says of her early years. “I had no life experience, so did a routine about Sesame Street and the Denny’s theme tune.” If you’re a Kiwi, you’ve probably seen Rose on TV or caught her on the stand-up circuit. She’s a classic overachiever who’s managed to make comedy, writing and acting her full-time thing since she was a teenager – though she has no idea where her flair for performance or relentless ambition come from. “My dad’s…

Doomed romance and inner turmoil may be the hallmarks of a Soko song, but right now, the French-born musician and actor is in a really good place. Discussing what brings her joy comes easily: her young son Indigo, her girlfriend, the Californian ocean, building pillow forts. But four years ago, when she began making her latest album, Feel Feelings, she was almost like a totally different person. “I had a slew of toxic relationships,” she explains. “I was just done and wanted to move on.” Soko – real name Stéphanie Sokolinski – has always been a hopeless romantic. She’s struggled openly with anxiety and depression, too, channelling her rawest moments into music. Before she began writing Feel Feelings, she wanted some clarity over her emotions. So she booked herself into…

INGREDIENTS For the cake: 1 1/2 cups caster sugar 2 1/2 cups self-raising flour 1/2 cup cornflour 1/2 tsp fine sea salt 1 tbsp baking powder 200g vegan butter (room temperature), cubed, plus extra for greasing 190g unsweetened vegan yoghurt 3/4 cup dairy-free milk 1 tbsp vanilla extract few drops of pink food colouring For the Italian meringue buttercream: 265ml water 7g potato protein or soy protein large pinch of xanthan gum large pinch of bicarbonate of soda 375g caster sugar 500g vegan butter, chilled 2 tsp vanilla extract 1/8 tsp salt pink food colouring For the icing: 250g icing sugar 1 tsp cornflour 1/4 tsp xanthan gum 3 tbsp water (you may need more or less) pink food colouring To assemble: 250g rhubarb compote 800g–1kg pale pink fondant dragées…