This week we’ve been busy creating a new collection of photographic art for our Saatchi Art portfolio. The collection, that we call the Miss Pagonini Series, consists of four abstract artworks available to buy now on the Saatchi website. The art is an adaptation of a shoot we did with Laura James Millinery, and was inspired by the eccentric headwear of Carmen Miranda. The artworks are a graphic combination of vibrant hues of red, blue, yellow and pink.
To view Kelly Irvine’s artwork on the Saatchi website click here
One of our latest projects here at Kooky Studios was a collaboration with the Liverpool based dressmaking brand; Ku by Spendlove. Founded by designer Mary Spendlove, the brand is a scouse favourite, specialising in unique eveningwear and fabulously designed made to measure garments. Ku by Spendlove’s clothing is loved by Liverpool celebrities such as Amanda Harrington, who the brand has worked closely with for years. This season, prepare for an array of stylish designs in monochrome shades, as well as some colourful printed pieces perfect for summer. Ku by Spendlove’s designs were recently showcased at the Hilton Hotel this past mothers day, hosted by Chic Networking. You can follow Chic Networking on twitter and instagram to find out about what happened at the event here, or check out their website here.
Ku by Spendlove is located at 139A Kensington, Liverpool, Merseyside, L7 2RE.
Nowadays our lives are hectic, and we all feel like we owe ourselves a break sometimes, or perhaps even a complete escape from the daily grind. Beth Creedon and Angela Davenport, are the architects of an organisation who offer women the opportunity to do just that. They host retreats of varying lengths in Didsbury, and Hebden where we visited them to take a closer look.
Hebden Bridge is located in the Yorkshire hills, the gorgeous backdrop to the retreats, where attendees are encouraged to connect with nature and with themselves. During the 1970s and 1980s the town saw an influx of artists, writers, photographers, musicians, alternative practitioners, teachers and activists who have given Hebden Bridge its reputation for creativity and who have brought so-called “hippy culture”. At a glance the weekend retreats appear to be an opportunity to relax, eat healthily and meet new people, however simply reading the testimonials of those who have experienced them shows just how much there is to gain.
My expectations were that I would come away with some good ideas about how to progress further with my career plans, meet some nice people and eat some healthy food. What I actually got out of the weekend is difficult to put into words, but I would say it actually totally changed the way I view the world and myself. Some really deeply embedded limiting beliefs shifted and I felt (and still feel) a deep sense of self acceptance and real clarity about what I want. – Suzie Poyser
The weekend itself includes both physical and emotional exercises, designed to give women the capacity to achieve their desires and confront their fears. Women emerge from their experiences revitalised with a new outlook on the world, thanks to the expertise of Beth and Angela.
One of the key aspects of the retreat is its dedication to instilling a healthy mindset into its visitors. Rather than simply encouraging healthy eating and serving nutritious meals, the Hebden Retreat goes one step further in that it teaches its guests to forage for their own ingredients. Sessions led by holistic expert, Jesper Launder, are designed to educate about how to find a range of herbs and fungi in common woodland, as well as teaching them about the enzymes, minerals and antioxidants consumed when they are eaten. Everything foraged by the group is then incorporated into the menu of the Hebden Retreat.
Perhaps the thing women find the most rewarding from their experiences at Hebden, is the strong unit of friends they gain from a few days spent together at the retreat. They claim that the open nature of the experience means they make unbreakable bonds with friends they carry throughout their lives, a testament to the work of Beth and Angela.
On the 6th March, Kooky Studios were delighted to be invited to the Women in Business Awards 2015 in the Hilton Hotel, Liverpool. We attended as a nominee for the Best Newcomer award, in an event which celebrated the hard work, determination and progress of women in business in Liverpool City Region.
The event was the third of its kind in Liverpool, designed by the Chief Executive of Downtown in Business, Frank McKenna, in order to commend the contribution women make in the business world, and to promote female entrepreneurs and female led businesses. Encouraging women to strive for higher positions in business is the key, in a society where women in the UK are still being paid around 10% less than men. We were honoured to represent the ambition and enterprise of women in our city, and were truly inspired by the fellow businesswomen and nominees we spoke to.
We may not have won, but being nominated alongside such influential women made us so proud to act as a role model for other female entrepreneurs, and to be a pioneer for women in business. We would like to congratulate Hana Awwad from Chocolate Envelope Designs, an innovative greetings card company, who walked away with the award for Best Newcomer 2015, and all of the winners and nominees. Together we are changing the dynamics of the business world, and inspiring other women to pursue their dreams.
To find out more visit the Downtown In Business website here
Having worked exclusively as a photographic studios for years, Kooky Studios is happy to announce their transition into fashion film! Kooky Studios previously filmed the collaboration video for The Sundowners (read about our work with The Sundowners here) and since then we’ve been working on some exciting new stuff. The photographer Nick Knight serves as a big inspiration for Kooky Studios work, favouring his artistic style and amazing fashion films. This inspired Kooky Studios to begin creating fashion films, as a way of expanding the company and experimenting with a new creative medium.
Our fashion film features clips of The Sundowners from their collaboration with nationwide hairdressing brand Electric Hair, in promotion of the brand. You can read all about Electric Hair and The Sundowners, and view some images from the shoot on our previous blog post here.
For the film, we focused on using interesting lighting techniques, such as fluorescent lighting to add a rock and roll edge. As well as aspects of the recent photoshoot, the film includes clips filmed at The Sundowners recent gig at the Kazimier music venue. Working on this project required Kooky Studios to work closely within the music industry, which has heavily influenced the outcome of the fashion film. Featuring The Sundowners track – Medicine, the film features a strong grunge element, which is heightened by the location of the nightclub the Magnet.
We hope you enjoy the fashion film, and make sure to keep up to date with our exciting new work to come!
If you like the work of Nick Knight, make sure to keep updated with the blog for our latest blog post on the exhibition Alexander McQueen – Savage Beauty, to see the work of a designer involved closely with the photographer.
Kooky Studios has been busy collaborating with new vodka brand Iceberg Vodka, photographing their launch night at Playground Liverpool. Originally produced by the Canadian Iceberg Vodka corporation, the vodka is created using water from icebergs and blended with neutral grain alcohol, for the purest taste you can get. Iceberg Vodka UK launched to introduce their drink to a wider audience, and it certainly went down well with the Liverpool crowd. The vodka launched on mothers day at the Hilton hotel at the Chic Networking fashion show event, and the party carried on till the evening, at Playground nightclub. The event was created in collaboration with the fantastic PR company PKPR, with offices nationwide. You can follow PKPR here, or take a look at their website for more info here.
The event was a great success, with celebrities such as Amanda Harrington and Bollywood star Amy Jackson coming to sample the vodka, as well as Big Brother’s Mark Byron. After taking Liverpool by storm, Iceberg Vodka UK will be heading to Cheshire and London for more glamorous launch nights.
To keep up to date with Iceberg Vodka, you can follow them on twitter and instagram and check out their website here.
Make sure to take a stop at the Hilton hotel/Playground on your next night out to sample your new favourite vodka!
After my first day of interning at Kooky Studios, Kelly has asked me to write a bit about my experience. I’m currently a fashion communication student at Liverpool John Moore’s University, and was looking for a suitable part-time internship in the creative industry. I’m really into photography, and I love the style of Kelly’s work, admiring the artistic shots hanging around the studio space. My first task was to do some research on a few of the clients Kelly has, and write an article for the blog. I wrote my first piece on the collaboration between Kooky Studios, Electric Hair and the band the Sundowners. I find it really interesting to find out more about what great things are happening here in Liverpool; from fashion, music and art. The baltic triangle, where Kooky Studios is based is a brilliant representative of the talent Liverpool has to offer.
After lunch, I got to work re-designing some brochures and business cards for the clothing brand Silver Birch, a Liverpool based boutique selling individual bohemian style patterned garments. It was great to put my skills learned at University to good use, learning extra skills along the way, and building my portfolio of work.
I’m looking forward to the rest of my time at Kooky Studios, and I’m excited to see the new work that gets produced!
Once upon a time…… we were approached by the very lovely Laura Kate Mckinley of Liverpool based LIVA STRING QUARTET. She had a vision and needed THE KOOKY KOLLECTIVES help and expertise to bring her vision to life. She was looking for a fairy godmother (ok mother’s!) to refresh her website and portfolio and wanted “something a bit different” from all the boring and stagnent images we are all used to seeing out there today.
Well Laura, you came to the right place!
Formed in 2012, LIVA STRING QUARTET comprises four of the North West’s finest freelance string players, all dedicated and available to add that extra bit of magic and sparkle to any event, performance or recording.
They are all extremely experienced session musicians and love playing with bands, whether it be within the relaxed confines of the studio or out and about at live performances. Members of the Quartet have performed on various high profile recordings and performances with big names such as The Coral, David Gray, Massive Attack, Kaziah Jones, Susan Boyle, Future Sound of London and have even appeared on programmes such as Come Dine With Me, Songs of Praise and X Factor.
Laura was looking for 2 looks to appeal to both wedding clients and session clients. After a few meetings and a consultation with our stylist Kirsty, we had set a date and the ball rolling. We decided to go all out on a mad hatters tea party for our wedding look and something a bit more serious for our session look.
The whole team pulled together on the day and we had so much fun! Set designer Hayley Patterson joined the kooky kollective for the first time and brought some added sparkle with her props and with the Baltic social as a backdrop we couldn’t go far wrong! Its a great place to hire out for that special day and they even treated us to one of their famous ‘Punk High Teas’ which we highly recommend! The quartet helped us along with some beautiful live music as we were shooting, it was such a treat!
We teamed up with the gorgeous girls from PRACTICAL MAGIC VINTAGE for both looks. They supplied some very beautiful and elegant pieces of wardrobe and Jewellery for the shoot.
I’m sure you will agree, all of our energies and efforts produced some amazing images that we are all very pleased with… A happy ending after all!
For information on how to book the LIVA STRING QUARTETclick here
Here at Kooky Studios, we’ve been busy with some exciting work for national hairdressing brand Electric Hair.
With salons around the UK, Electric Hair has been hailed one of the most important brands, and one to watch in the industry. The award winning hair stylist behind the brand, Mark Woolley, created a range of styling products combining the best ingredients and ensuring a salon finish every time. Electric Hair has been coveted by celebrity figures such as Paloma Faith and Sienna Miller, and continues to impress, being recomended by the likes of Harpers Bazaar. Kooky Studios have been chosen to promote Electric Hair’s new hair product, E-Spray hairspray, ready to be released in Spring this year. Containing cotton oil extract, jojoba oil, bamboo extract and shea butter, the hairspray has been specially designed for catwalk and photo-shoot ready hair, with a natural but strong hold. In addition to this, the hairspray protects against UV damage, contains moisture enhancing ingredients to avoid hair from drying out, and a non oily formula that drys on the hair with a flawless finish. You can purchase E-spray here and you can book an appointment with your local Electric Hair salon here. Electric Hair is also available to purchase at selected stores such as Harvey Nichols Beauty Bazaar.
For our photo-shoot, we collaborated with the amazing Merseyside based band, Sundowners, made up of Alfie and Fiona Skelly, Niamh Rowe, Tim Cunningham and Jim Sharrock. With an array of musical influences such as the Rolling Stones and Fairport Convention, the Sundowners are taking the UK music scene by storm, having performed at the prestigious BBC introducing stage at Glastonbury Festival. The Sundowners are represented by Liverpool based record label, Skeleton Key Records, ran by Neville, Ian and James Skelly, members of the indie rock band, the Coral. Liverpool bar/nightclub The Magnet were kind enough to let us shoot Niamh Rowe and Fiona Skelly, the bands leading ladies to promote the new product. If any of the fabulous vintage jewellery worn in the images caught your eye, you should definitely check out Niamh’s etsy page IntoTheLightVintage here and Fiona’s etsy page ShikobaSpirit here. The leather trousers worn by Fiona in one of the shots, have been customised by the talented stylist Kirsty Price, who you can learn more about on her page. Sundowners eponymous debut album was released February of this year, and has been inspired by a range of brilliant artists, such as Tame Impala, Portishead and the Velvet Underground. Listen to the album here or buy tickets for their remaining tour dates here or to buy tickets to watch the Sundowners support Paul Weller at Halifax on the 18th March click here.
Remember to keep up to date with the Sundowners on facebook and twitter.
Here at Kooky Studios we are always looking support and promote local designers and businesses. This is something that we all feel strongly about and we really enjoy! It gives everyone a chance to network and get whatever it is your passionate about seen.
We recently had the pleasure of teaming up with gorgeous local sisters and business partners, Melissa and Rozz Holmes of ‘PRACTICAL MAGICVINTAGE’ for our ‘LIVA STRING QUARTET SHOOT’. We managed to showcase some wonderful and elegant pieces from their stock which i am very excited to show you all! (more on this to come!)……
Located on Newington Street, below the fabulous egg cafe, they have a prime location just off the busy and eclectic Bold Street. The sisters opened the doors in December and things have been going from strength to strength ever since….
Their philosophy is ‘quality not quantity’ (girls after my own heart) and you won’t find rail upon rail of unwearable fancy dress like stock here! All of their handpicked vintage clothing and footwear is to die for and comes at a really affordable price. Dresses from as little as £15 and they also have an ongoing £5 sale rail for all you bargain hunters!
They really are a breath of fresh air on the Liverpool vintage scene and with a semi precious stone jewellery collection to boot, what more could us vintage loving girlies ask for!
They have most definitely cast their spell over the Kooky Kollective and we look forward to working with them on lots more future projects. We wish them all the best on their family venture…
here is a sneak peak at a photoshoot we did with the help of Practical Magic Vintage, Styled by Kirsty Price.
They are open Monday to Saturday from 12pm-4.30pm so what are you waiting for, get in and have a nose! Thats if we don’t get there first!
You can check out their facebook page by clicking here
Located on Newington Street, below the fabulous egg cafe, they have a prime location just off the busy and eclectic Bold Street. The sisters opened the doors in December and things have been going from strength to strength ever since….
They really are a breath of fresh air on the Liverpool vintage scene and with a semi precious stone jewellery collection to boot, what more could us vintage loving girlies ask for!
Kooky © 