Dark and Beautiful...Meet model Nala Diagouraga

What was very noticeable from Pierre's A/W 11 Royal collection  was a mixture of ethnicity's represented on the catwalk. As I am told by the stylist for the show the girls represented 'royalty' from different parts of the world. Personally I think it is refreshing to see a mixture of cultures represented in fashion and hope that many more designers follow suit.

But there was one particular model that caught my attention stand-out model Nala Diagouraga, 22, from Senegal/Mali in West Africa. An experienced but new face to modeling, Nala who lives in France started modeling back in 2008 for a friend. After her first couture show in 2010 she decided to make it a career the next day she signed with modeling agency Paris Slides and then later signed with London modelling agency Strike Model Management.

So far she in her career she has worked for top french designer Lanvin, Khaled el Masri, Martin Grant, Neil Barrett, Andrew Laurence, Alphadi Irakli Nasidzé and Thulare Monareng, appeared in French Grazia magazine to name a few.
London Fashion Week 2011 was very busy for Nala apart from walking the runway for our very own Pierre Garroudi, others designers included DTZ, Kirsty Ward, BodyAMR and Samantha Cole. 

Nala says that her inspiration and passion comes from being able to express herself and play a role.
"I do get inspired by anyone in particular but more outfits and makeup that I wear during the shows or photo shoots. [when I am doing shows] I play a character, I [become] the style that they adopt and  love to detach myself from things..."

In terms of her future hopes, Nala says, " I like to make people happy that love and support me and also get into makeup artistry. I am a fan and I have lots of project in mind to follow."

Take a look at her eye-catching portfolio of work, Pierre plans to use Nala for his future photo and video shoot projects, so look out for more updates soon.

Makeup Magazine for Ghubar



Makeup Mag by Emmanuel Thibault





WAD Magazine



















French Grazia





Models: Nala and Brandy @ Pierre Garroudi A/W 11










 



Nala and Brandy Pierre Garroudi A/W 11

A round of applause for Pierre at Oxford Fashion Week

During the beginning of March Pierre participated in the Oxford Fashion Week from 28 Feb- 6 March 2011 in partnership with Oxford Thinking Campaign. The event which is held annually aims to strengthen the creative community in Oxford by bringing together designers, artists, musicians or even thinkers. Pierre showcased  pieces from various collections on the last day which was 'The Couture Show'. Other famous designers that showcased their collections were Valentino, Alexandra McQueen and Matthew Williamson.

The Couture show was a black-tie event and was well received by local press and was even featured on Vogue.co.uk. 

It was safe to say that Pierre's pieces were the most exciting pieces of the night, receiving the loudest applause says Zoe Lower (fashion and beauty photographer). For Pierre it was a great networking opportunity for him to get his brand noticed.The event sparked further interest from one of the main fundraisers Pierre says;

 "They really loved it and applauded, they liked it so much that director of the fundraising campaign has showed interest to get involved  in other projects. Once the project becomes clear we will let you know."

Well done Pierre!

Images: WPhotographic and Zoe Lower

All of the Lights...It's so bright in here!

If you did not know Pierre has a fascination with lights! If you have not visited his gallery before, he has roughly 50 hanging lights that create a square shape around the centre of his gallery; all with beautifully decorated, colourful lampshades.

If your into interiors or are all about creating the perfect ambiance to compliment your living space? I am definitely sure you could find something in Pierre's 'couture' lampshade collection!

Please take a look at the images below all lampshades are currently on sale now.

More details to follow about how you can purchase online, otherwise please visit his gallery on Wednesday nights @ 8pm for the weekly Art and Design auction.

Pierre Garroudi Gallery, Wednesday nights 8pm @ Arch 6, Crucifix Lane, London Bridge, SE1 3JW

Pierre Garroudi Artwork

You can now get your hands on Pierre's paintings and artwork, aside from creating brilliant couture pieces he also enjoys dabbling in art in his spare time.

Art pieces are becoming a very popular long-term investment for some, depending on the artists career some can fetch up to thousands years later.

While its still affordable, take a look at some of the beautiful paintings Pierre currently has on sale to purchase at his Gallery.




















Our thoughts are with Japan!

Pierre and interns take a moment from their work to reflect on those that lost their lives from the recent earthquake/tsunami that happened in Sendai, Japan on the 11th March.

 

Auction Wednesday's @ the Pierre Garroudi Gallery

Unfortunately auction Wednesday's has been cancelled until further notice. Pierre plans to create something bigger and better in the near future.

Celeb sighting: Singer-Songwriter Patrick Wolf

 

Patrick Wolf and Agyness Deyn Burberry Fall 2007

Last week Pierre received a surprise visit from South London born, Singer-Songwriter Patrick Wolf.
The red-haired entertainer was seen trying on pieces from Pierre's previous couture collections.

Not one to shy away from fashion, Wolf  has previously featured as a model in the 2007 Burberry campaign shot by renowned photographer Mario Testino.

Wolf is known for his individuality in style and music which contains a mesh of genres from electronic, folk, indie and alternative rock. His new single 'The City' from his latest album was released yesterday (14 March).

Who knows? hopefully Pierre will work with Patrick on exciting future projects!!!
    



Patrick Wolf and Pierre Garroudi



Patrick Wolf, Pierre Garroudi and friends

Michael Barnes hair extraordinaire tells why Pierre’s show was his best work to date!

Michael Barnes, 52 based in South London has been hairdressing for 30 years. His experimental, avant-garde hair creations can be seen in trade and consumer magazines worldwide. When he is not trotting the globe demonstrating at big industry hair shows, he is the creative director of his busy salon Michael Barnes Hair based in the West End. With a loyal following the price doesn't come cheap, a snip with the boss could set you back roughly £100! Read on to find out more about his work and why Ombre is the top hair trend for 2011.

Michael Barnes Hair



Michael thank you for taking the time to interview with Pierre Garroudi’s blog. Tell us about your journey into hairdressing?

“When I was 13 I used to play truant from school and hang around Kings Road looking for odd jobs to earn money. Myself and a friend got a job cleaning and painting a cellar for Manolo Blahnik who wasn't that well known at the time. He paid us with a pair of shoes each, wish I still had them.”

Michael happened to get his golden opportunity when asked by Manolo's assistant if he wanted a job shampooing.“I took the job and the moment I started I knew I wanted to do hairdressing.”

Michael was responsible for some of the amazing avant-garde hairstyles seen in Pierre Garroudi’s AW11 Royal Collection. (See crucifix, castle and crown pictures)



What was the experience like working with Pierre to come up with these hair themes? “This is the third show I've done with Pierre. I love working with him because he gives me total freedom (apart from the color) to create what I like. I enjoyed the show; it was the best I've worked on for Pierre.”

What was the creative process like?

“I start working 4 weeks before Pierre’s shows to make the pieces. I run a busy salon so I do the work when I can. My inspiration was from Pierre's royal theme. I used a number of techniques for the Crucifix and Castle they are basically sculptures made from a two-part plastic foam, covered with acrylic hair using cooking gelatin. For the Crown I used acrylic hair and gelatin which is attached to a buckram base and finished with human hair. The messy looks I did were all acrylic hair backcombed and pinned onto the models own hair.”




Castle



Michael creating the crucifix hairpiece



How very resourceful. So where did you learn these techniques from?

“I started my training at Ricci Burns Salon and developed these techniques myself.”



Michael confesses he doesn’t do many fashion shows but mainly demonstrates at hair shows for hair companies such as Goldwell, around the world. “...My next one [show] will be in Vietnam.”



What do you find most challenging when demonstrating at        hair shows?

"I work with a company called Goldwell for hair shows. The shows are challenging because I'm demonstrating or presenting to my peers and they can be very demanding."



For budding hair enthusiast's Michael has somewhat ‘groundbreaking’ advice for you. “Same old cliches. Work hard, never give up, always be true to yourself and try not to compromise.”

and finally... What is the top hairstyle in your salon? What is everyone coming in asking for in 2011?

"The most sought after looks in the salon are Ombre colour and long soft 70s waves."

Sidebit: Ombre colour is created by gradually colouring or dip-dyeing hair from dark-to-light or light-to-dark to create this amazing effect. The style has been featured as a top trend in 2010 by Vogue and seen on celebrities alike. Noticeably catwalk trends have also been 70's inspired from designers such as Marc Jacobs and Fendi.





Sarah Jessica- Parker sporting the Ombre colour and 70's wave.











Will you be donning the Ombre look this season?  If so you can visit Michael’s salon http://www.michaelbarneshair.com/ and tell them Pierre Garroudi’s blog sent you!

 



Photo credits: lapoubelleverte.com and Michael Barnes