Home • 25th July 2025

Stitched Narratives: When Fashion Takes the Lead

In these films, fashion transcends mere clothing; it assumes a character-like presence, visually shaping identities, setting moods, and enriching the narrative. The industry is teeming with dynamic filmmakers and visionary creatives who draw from both the realms of fashion and cinema. By Marianna Michael The boundaries often blur in short films, particularly within the fashion film genre—yet amidst this ambiguous genre, gems emerge: narrative-rich works that captivate while seamlessly embodyi...

From Fabric to Fit: The Eco-Impact of Bespoke | NO • 27th May 2025

From Fabric to Fit: The Eco-Impact of Bespoke

Every piece takes time and requires not just skill but artistry. You’re paying for that painstaking attention to detail, for hours spent pinning, cutting, and stitching a garment that will fit you as if it were made from your skin. These aren’t clothes. These are statements. They require high-quality fabrics, and after some time and pretending this isn’t bankrupting you, there are fittings—and more fittings—until, finally, you have the perfect piece of something that, for just a moment, makes yo...

Home • 7th February 2025

A Tribute to Short British Cinema

by Marianna Michael From a young age, I was deeply immersed in film, but I believed that the best films came from America or Japan and that all great theatre came from Britain. Over time, however, my understanding evolved, and my perspective on the arts expanded. But it wasn’t until I started art school that I truly recognised the significant influence of British cinema—particularly short films—on the broader industry and other creative fields. The short films I was slowly discovering in m...

Fashion School: A worthy Investment or a defunct I • 8th August 2024

Fashion School: A worthy Investment or a defunct Illusion?

Some of the most pressing questions students posed when Not Just a Label asked them to share their doubts revolved around the following themes: the impact of fast fashion on creativity, strategies for overcoming creative block, navigating the competitive landscape to secure a position, balancing timelessness with trendiness and sustainability, mastering effective networking, and, perhaps the most profound question of all— wondering if the whole journey is even worth it. A thirst for knowledge kn...

Women Behind the Cloth: A Celebration | NOT JUST A • 8th March 2024

Women Behind the Cloth: A Celebration

From the untold narratives of the women who have shaped the very fabric of fashion history, to the revolutionary designs of Coco Chanel and Elsa Schiaparelli, globally, women have made indelible marks on the ever-evolving world of style. But the industry has often been at war with gender. We unravel the history of the female pioneers, trendsetters, and innovators whose vision transcended boundaries, challenging norms and redefining elegance, as we celebrate the enduring legacy of women in fashio

Marianna Michael • 5th August 2023

Immersive saturation? Testing the water with HocknEy

Since late February, David Hockney: Bigger & Closer (not smaller & further away) has taken over Kings Cross’ Lightroom. But in a city brimming with immersive art EXPERIENCES, is this one expendable, or does it possess a more profound significance? London is renowned for its vibrant art scene, and more recently, immersive art exhibitions have become a trend within the city’s cultural landscape. These innovative digital spectacles offer visitors a dynamic and sensory-rich experience that transce

Marianna Michael • 11th October 2022

Virtual Reality: The Death and Resurrection of Fine Art.

The work of a fine artist is one of texture and scale and is often heavily steeped in tradition; but as technology dominates society and inevitably the arts, is technology the death of fine art, or is it bridging a gap? The series of paintings In Time of Plague by Barbara Hope Steinberg is spread across two rooms of a VR gallery. We’re all a bit Zoom-fatigued but it’s still a valuable tool post-pandemic so we persevere. We, a diverse mix of artists, collaborators and friends are sat in our resp

VR Fashion: Madness or Genius? | NOT JUST A LABEL • 16th August 2022

VR Fashion: Madness or Genius?

The metaverse might sound like the latest sci-fi film and it’s not too far off. Instead, it’s a new realm of digital assets with a place dedicated to fashion and many high street and luxury brands are getting heavily involved. However, is it all it’s cracked up to be? Gucci, Burberry, Balenciaga, and many more are turning their brands towards a different world. An intangible one, and yet it seems to be working as NFT (non-fungible token) sales are blossoming in an industry built on objects. Mos

Is Made To Order The New Sustainable Norm? | NOT JUST A LABEL • 16th August 2022

Is Made To Order The New Sustainable Norm?

Where sustainability needs to be a part of every conversation surrounding fashion, and to some extent is, many seasoned fashion houses are falling at the feet of the industry with narrow vision and a new type of consumer — a conscious one. The tenets of luxury fashion haven't changed much, however, the integration of sustainable practises and a sustainable ethos behind a brand is fast becoming one of the most important. As sustainable fashion has solidified itself into the bones of the luxury s

WHEN FASHION PLAYS WITH POLITICS | NOT JUST A LABEL • 16th August 2022

When Fashion Plays With Politics

There are many different ways to view the link between fashion and politics. Sometimes it can be brazenly written on clothing – be it a political slogan, word or image. Other times it’s through an exhibition or film exploring fashion’s relation to politics and socio-economic dynamics. But how are artists and designers using fashion for politics today? Artist, designer and researcher Prof. Helen Storey, created a garment from a decommissioned UNHCR refugee tent. From Zaatari Camp, Jordan, the te

The EU Textile Strategy: A Focus on Design | NOT JUST A LABEL • 16th August 2022

The EU Textile Strategy: A Focus on Design

It’s been some time since the European Commission announced a new plan to help “pave the way towards a carbon-neutral, circular economy, and announced an EU Strategy on textiles." It’s a great step forward in helping move closer to a more sustainable future with a focus on the fashion and textiles sector. But in practice, what does this mean for present and future designers? Designers are at the centre of the fashion design process but it’s become apparent over time that designers are often seg

Contemporary Fashion • 8th February 2022

The Best Short Fashion Films — Contemporary Fashion

The nights draw in early and the temperature has dropped, so spending more time indoors is inevitable this season. And whilst many will choose to watch their guilty pleasures for comfort, there’s no harm sprinkling in a few short fashion films into the mix. Fashion films are slowly but surely becoming more mainstream, or at least they’re becoming far more apparent amid the mainstream film scene. It's evident that a fashion film by definition today is far beyond a commercial which it has been for

17th September 2021

Sweaters on Screen – FAK

More than ever, ‘Sweater Weather’ has become a cult term- its own ideological occurrence even. And one thing that has aided sweater’s emergence into popularity is cinema. Bridget Jones can’t go a new film without an iconic, outlandish and fuzzy Christmas jumper. Clint Eastwood’s poncho (yes, it’s a sweater akin to Burberry AW15) in The Good, The Bad And The Ugly. But what about Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast and Tiffany’s, or Sally Albright (and Harry Burns’ even chunkier knit) in When Harry Met S

Music is To Blame • 26th March 2021

Chemtrails Over The Country Club - A pop of colour in an other wise bleak month

When Born to Die came out, I had the album on repeat for months. With my headphones in and the volume turned up high, Lana Del Rey's smoky voice blanketed my morning commute from London's suburbs into the city. I couldn't get enough. It was the first album in my adulthood that felt like mine and mine alone. I still get a thrill seven years later when I hear her voice, but does Chemtrails Over The County Club hit the same? COVID may have halted production, driving the initial album release date

Using Fashion to Rescue Our Cities From Visual Peril | NOT JUST A LABEL • 16th February 2021

Using Fashion to Rescue Our Cities From Visual Peril

Architects and fashion houses collide for excellence, infusing Luxury brand identities with a building's facade. The results? Entrancing design and another way retailers evoke sensory experiences for a shopping encounter that's been on hold for far too long. It takes a particular combination of experimental and conventional design to build a city. But with emerging technologies, surplus diverse materials and creativity facilitated more so now than ever before, why do our cities feel like tinted

2nd February 2021

Covid Aftermath: Will Our Shopping Habits Be Changed Forever?

Music is To Blame • 19th January 2021

THE LATHUMS - I SEE YOUR GHOST - Single Review

This steadfastly alternative/indie band hailing from Wigan might still be in their infancy, but they’re making a name for themselves and their Single ‘I see Your Ghost’, is helping pave that way. “Our words are worth their weight in gold” opens the song and there couldn't be a more apt phrase that sets the tone for politics ’20/’21; listen further, however, and this song lends itself to a stock of songs on broken relationships and the haunting of loves lost. But this track is anything but downb

Marianna Michael • 12th January 2021

Normal Life on Screen

Like so many cinephiles I love the complexity of a twisting, juxtaposing, plot. I can devour an art-house film or analyse a film beyond comprehension, though I’ve yet to see The Green Mile or Toy Story 4 – but I’ll write about that another time. We indulge in a film for escapism and yet there is something beautiful, sometimes even harrowing when it comes to watching the everyday lives of others. These are the films that can enlighten you and break you in equal measure. Be it a single line of di

8th December 2020

On Making A Documentary on Barbara Hope Steinberg

Rewind Vintage • 26th November 2020

OUR GUIDE TO CHOOSING CHANEL LEATHERS

Inside the illustrious world of Chanel there’s an array of colours, styles, sizes and fabrics to choose from, so how do you choose the right material for your purchase? With Chanel, there’s a lot to consider, but one thing that’s rarely at the forefront of your mind is the choice in fabric, yet it’s quite an important one. The material of your handbag affects not only the way that it looks and feels, but also how much care it will need, and ultimately, how well it wears. And don’t forget that