W+K London

May 27, 2009

Platform for new talent goes live today!

Sam writes:
For those of you who have been following our blog, you’ll know that for the past
6 months Lucy and I have been developing a new talent incubator, which is
called, you guessed it, PLATFORM. We have been very busy defining the business
plan + model, recruiting patrons to help us connect to the best talent and
create challenging briefs for applicants to work on at Platform. We are also in
the middle of building an interactive, virtual Platform which forms the
infrastructure for the entire way of working and the holding page for this
platform is now ready!

So, the search for the best and as yet
undiscovered, creative minds from the worlds of arts, sciences and technology
from around the globe starts today. We are looking to find people from diverse
backgrounds and skill sets, who possess inspirational and curious minds. The
chosen ones will work as a collective to solve live business problems in
conjunction with W+K, as well as working in isolation on specialist projects
awarded for their particular skills.

Applicants should visit
platform.wk.com. Here you will find a prospectus explaining everything they’ll
need to know about Platform, together with a brief to enter. We would like
candidates to answer the creative brief as well as create a personal video
profile. We will go through all creative submissions then invite the selected
candidates into the agency for an open day where there will be a number of other
challenges.

Platform
will be situated in a dedicated space at our offices on Hanbury Street, East
London and will function alongside the agency itself. We have expanded into
The Black Eagle Brewery building where Platform will sit, surrounded by a number
of other environments, including a research lab, product development unit,
auditorium, flexible gallery space, workshop and additional Wieden + Kennedy
work areas.

So, if you’re interested in being part of this innovative,
new talent experiment then check out platform.wk.com
now.

Closing date for applications for initial intake is July 3rd.

May 22, 2009

Dr Frances Corner talks to Wieden and Kennedy about how the London College of Fashion imbues creativity

Dr Frances Corner, Head of College at London College of Fashion came into the agency to share what the UK's only college to specialise in fashion education, research and consultancy does for the world of creativity. She gave us a fascinating insight into how LCF is challenging the traditional stereotype of fashion as a lightweight subject by extending fashion's influence on culture, economy and environment. Dr Frances says, "Fashion is a catalyst for change: by offering new models of consumption and gaining a better understanding of consumer behaviour we will encourage social and economic change."

http://www.fashion.arts.ac.uk/

I asked a couple of people who attended the talk to share what they found most inspiring about Dr Frances Corner's talk.

Dave Stevens
"That the LCF attracts an exceptionally high rate of international student applications came as a surprise; whilst it might seem obvious to say London is an international city we forget that its relative ease of access (both geographically and visa-wise), offering of teaching in English (vs. having to go to lectures in German in Berlin or Italian in Milan) as well as its uniqueness (the home of 'street' fashion) make it not only highly appealing but also hugely competitive.

"Secondly, I was impressed by the sheer breadth of the course offering. The blending of the arts with the sciences to create a cosmetics course where you can develop your own lipsticks demonstrates a progressive approach that doesn't exclude the sort of expertise you might not expect to discover at a fashion college."

Liana Chang
"I was impressed to hear how LCF was advocating and defining sustainable fashion, not just from a materials innovation and technology point of view but also from wanting to change the relationship consumers have with their clothes, to appreciate quality, details, and the act and event of wearing them. It seemed completely counter-intuitive to the trendsetting that happens from season to season, but makes sense when you think about how couture houses, bespoke tailoring, and independent designers are being crowded out by the high street fashion machines like H&M."

I would personally like to thank Dr Frances for inspiring us with her vision and passion for fashion. Oh, and of course, for agreeing to become a patron of W+K Platform.

Cheers

Sam

Links to interesting stuff going on a the London College of Fashion
http://www.fashion.arts.ac.uk/pigeonsandpeacocks/
http://www.fashion.arts.ac.uk/snapshot/?s=broadwick+street+pop+up