The post Cristiano Ronaldo: Where Fashion and Football Meet appeared first on .
]]>Throughout history, we’ve witnessed numerous football legends. They lifted the standards and showed us the benefits of true dedication and hard work. However, not one player comes close to Cristiano Ronaldo when it comes to working to perfect their craft.
The football mega-star, who recently re-joined Manchester United and remains a key player there, even though he’s almost 40, constantly breaks barriers. Not only is Ronaldo dominant on the pitch, but he shows us that his intelligence goes way beyond football stadiums.
He’s known as a global modelling influencer as he’s got his clothing brand, underwear, perfumes, hotel chains, etc. You can say that Cristiano Ronaldo is the meeting point for football and fashion.
CR7 Underwear was launched in Europe in 2013 and in North America in 2017. According to Ronaldo, he had a hard time finding products that fit his performance standards. After a long period of struggling, he decided that it is much better to turn his preferences into his own brand, rather than scout the market.
After working on his line of underwear for almost 2 years, Ronaldo finally launched CR7 Underwear in November 2013. The products are manufactured by JBS Textile Group A/S of Denmark, a company that has over 80 years of working experience in the field.
The underwear products by CR7 include men’s briefs, trunks, loungewear and socks, as well as boy’s underwear, socks and loungewear.
And if that is not enough, you can also purchase various body sprays and Eau de toilettes. While you might think that the prices for these products are sky-high, the reality is that they are extremely affordable.
Similar to football stadium scams, when the price for a ticket is extremely low, it is likely too good to be true. That’s what some people think when they come across CR7’s products, but you can rest assured knowing that there aren’t any scams here.
Moving on, we go to Ronaldo’s clothing and footwear ventures. Good clothes are at the heart of fashion and with his products, Ronaldo keeps showing us that he’s all about fashion. These products are not scams – they are created by Ronaldo and teams of expert designers who are looking to make the player’s fans look crisp.
One would say that the clothes by Ronaldo and his ventures declined football hooliganism as they allow fans to focus on other things, rather than participating in a football stadium crime. How? They become aware of the normal, day-to-day activities of standard fans and realize how good the other side is. In other words, Ronaldo is their role model.
Let’s start with his footwear. His footwear stores offer various classic shoes that fit fans quite well when they are dressed in more formal clothes, such as tuxedos. Ronaldo overlooked the designs and made sure that they are a good and comfortable fit. Not only that, but they also need to look lavish, which is what they do.
As for eyewear, his brand offers both eyeglasses and sunglasses. They come with the latest designs and there’s something in store for every taste. All of us have often seen Ronaldo with his own eyeglasses at various public appearances, which is a good sign.
If a certain person is more than fond of wearing his products, then it means that there’s real quality in those products and are worth checking out.
As a final note to Ronaldo’s crossroad with football and fashion, it is worth taking a look at his partnership with Nike. There’s no denying the fact that he’s by far the most popular brand ambassador of the sportswear company.
Throughout the years, he’s partnered with Nike to create special cleats. These cleats have the most unique and futuristic designs. Not only that, but Nike has released quite a lot of football shorts, short-sleeve tops, hoodies, pants and tracksuits with his name.
These products are among the best-sellers for the company. In fact, they are so popular that Nike recently signed a lifetime deal with the football legend.
Reports state that the deal is worth almost $1 billion. With the deal, Ronaldo became only the third athlete that managed to sign a lifetime deal with the sports brand. The other two are none other than LeBron James and Michael Jordan.
One additional thing that is worth noting is that his yearly payments with Nike exceed $15 million and there are certain add-ons to that contract.
Few players managed to remain impactful on the world for a long period. One of those players is Ronaldo. Not only is he one of the best players in history, but he’s also a true embodiment of fashion. He’s not shy to venture into this world and his creative mind shows that he’s quite a good fit for this industry.
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]]>The post The V&A appeared first on .
]]>In this article, we will tell you more about the idea behind building V&A, the construction process, and the exhibitions in the museum.
The Dundonian V&A is named after the famous Victoria & Albert Museum in London. The London venue opened during Queen Victoria’s reign in 1852, and it’s the world’s biggest museum of art and design.
The V&A in Dundee is a Scottish version of its English counterpart, which was made to exhibit various works relating to art and design. The project was meant to bring tourists to Dundee and boost its popularity.
The original V&A in London is a building with classical architecture, which went against the grain at the time it was constructed. Rather than building it in the popular of the mid-1800’s Gothic style, the architects went with the North Italian Renaissance style.
The Dundonian V&A, by contrast, is an extremely modern building – a statement of our times. It was designed by the Japanese architects Kengo Kuma & Associates, who also designed the Olympic stadium in Tokyo for the 2020 Summer Olympic Games.
Kuma said he wanted V&A Dundee to provide a welcoming environment, to be some sort of a ‘living room for the city’. Indeed, the building has many seating areas that are lit by natural light, which makes for a cozy learning experience. The building itself is very interestingly constructed. For example, there are no straight external walls – they are all curved, which makes the V&A look suspiciously a lot like a ship docked in the river Tay. This resemblance is reinforced by the museum’s placement – overseeing the river, and right next to the docked expedition ship HMS Discovery.
However, the architects themselves claim the museum is meant to appear like a Scottish cliff face hence the 21 curved wall sections. Whatever it is, it’s awe-inspiring.
The project was not only meant to visually represent the future, but to also represent the future ideals. This is why the project managers sought to make the V&A environmentally-friendly. The V&A uses renewable energy, that is geothermal energy.
The whole project cost £80.11m, which includes design, construction, and fit-out.
As the first museum of art and design in Scotland, the V&A was officially opened by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, who also have the Scottish titles of Earl and Countess of Strathearn. The official opening was on 29th January 2019, almost four months after the museum opened its doors to visitors on 15th September 2018.
Duchess Catherine wore an appropriate coat of blue and green tartan and greeted visitors as the new patron of the V&A. The event brought a large group of people who wanted to meet the royal couple and visit their new museum.
The Dundonian V&A reached an important milestone on 17th April 2019 – it welcomed its 500,000th visitor! It took a little over six months to meet that target, which the museum expected to reach in a year of opening.
The V&A has exceeded everyone’s expectations by attracting lots of tourists, many of whom even return for another visit.
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]]>The post London Fashion Week This Year appeared first on .
]]>This year the event ran from 17th September till the 21st September. In keeping with the coronavirus restrictions, the event wasn’t exclusively physical. It instead opted-out for a hybrid model combining physical with digital appearances. The organisers proceeded the same way that they did with the London Fashion Week in February.
This article will discuss this curious new model and it will give you an overall idea of what London Fashion Week was like this year. Learn about the hottest fashion trends and the designers that brought them to life. Enjoy reading!
When the plans for this year’s London Fashion Week were released to the public, many were left disappointed due to the announcement that some of the events would be held online, rather than in-person. Although this was not the first hybrid event in London (London Fashion Week in February did it first), fashion fans hoped things would be different this time around.
The same discussions around the hybrid model were repeated yet again. Some believed that the event would lose its “magic”, while others reasonably argued that designers who were not allowed to hold physical catwalks would be at a disadvantage, and that they were unfairly treated by the event organisers.
We, however, thought it would be interesting to see how the organisers would implement their hybrid model and how designers would create digital catwalks. Let us tell you, we weren’t disappointed with the results!
All in all, 105 designers presented their newest creations through 41 physical shows and 69 digital ones. The digital shows were broadcast live and free of charge, but for those who missed them at the time, you can watch them for free on London Fashion Week’s website.
Those who had tickets for the physical shows had to present a proof of vaccination approved by the local authorities, along with negative lateral flow test taken within the past 48 hours, in order to attend. Guests were also asked to go to the venues using personal or private vehicles, or go there on foot in order to minimise exposure to the virus.
We are excited to tell you more about the renowned designers that took part in London Fashion Week ’21, as well as the newcomers who captivated the fashion world.
Vivienne Westwood, the British-born designer, held her show online showcasing her spring/summer 2022 collection. The collection titled “Save our Souls” is a clear reference to her 1998 collection called “Tied to the Mast” due to the nautical theme that she chose.
The nautical theme also meant to shed light on environmental crises we face today, and Westwood said that 90% of the clothes were made from sustainable materials. The digital show also paid homage to British punk both through the outfits and the music.
Simone Rocha is another well-known designer from Ireland who debuted at London Fashion Week ’10. Her autumn/winter 2021 collection also debuted online. Rocha chose the church of St. John’s Hyde Park for her catwalk that explores fragility and rebellion with school-girl like outfits followed by gentle pink silk adorned with flowers. She called the collection “Fragile rebels”.
The French designer behind the successful Paul & Joe, Sophie Mechaly, chose to present at London Fashion Week for the first time to celebrate her brand’s 25th birthday. The Paul & Joe physical show took place in Dartmouth House, Mayfair. The models walked around historical paintings wearing bright girly outfits combining the spirit of Parisian and Londoner fashion.
Osman Yousefzada’s show in Amazonico (London restaurant) was highly anticipated. The British-born designer of Afghani ancestry, much like Westwood, highlighted the importance of sustainable fashion by using Tencel, a filament made from wood pulp, which is an eco-friendly alternative to silk. He called his collection “What happened to last season’s clothes” in a critique to the fashion business that generates excessive amounts of clothes.
The end-result was a sensual exploration of various textures and materials. One could see the influence of both his British and Afghani upbringing in the styles.
The fashion world was looking forward to seeing the creations of newcomer Feben who only recently graduated. She brought a nomadic touch to her show, as someone who has lived in many countries and feels like a nomad herself. Feben centred the collection around her own identity – the woman she was expected the become and the woman she became. Risky and surrealist clothes dominated the catwalk.
Bradley Sharpe also centred his collection around women and how they are perceived. He chose tent-like dresses, which looked very futuristic, but were meant to satirise dresses from the distant past, especially 18th century fashion.
Labrum’s collection titled “The Sound of Movement” had a deeper meaning that explores the relationship that African and Caribbean immigrants have with Britain. The brand shows how immigrants from the Windrush Generation contributed to British fashion by displaying ready-to-wear flamboyant suits with bright colours and interesting silhouettes.
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]]>The post Powerful English Queens appeared first on .
]]>We want to discuss this ongoing trend and give you more information about the new series in the making.
Undoubtedly, the mini-series The White Queen was the trendsetter. The TV show was developed by BBC One and it premiered on 16 June 2013. It’s based on three novels (The White Queen, The Red Queen, and The Kingmaker’s Daughter) written by the English author Philippa Gregory.
The TV series chronicles the life of Elizabeth Woodville, wife of King Edward IV, amidst the turmoil of the War of the Roses. The show also follows two other powerful women of the time – Margaret Beaufort, mother of future-king Henry VII, and Anne Neville, daughter of the Earl of Warwick and wife of King Richard III.
The reason why Gregory picked these women as her books’ narrators is because history in general is not usually told from a female perspective. This is why The White Queen captivated the audience and generated interest for similar projects. Viewers seem to want female-centred narratives, and considering the role of these women in the battle for the English throne, we believe it was necessary to create it.
There are certain historical inaccuracies though. Gregory has a history degree, but she still writes historical fiction rather than history books. Certain details are added to heighten the drama, which is, of course, understandable.
The White Princess is the sequel to The White Queen. It’s based on Gregory’s book bearing the same name and follows the life of Elizabeth Woodville’s eldest daughter – princess Elizabeth of York – as she marries the Lancastrian heir King Henry VII to become the Queen and to finally bring peace to England.
Arguably, this TV show is riddled with more historical inaccuracies than its predecessor. This is because Gregory decided to entertain two popular theories from the 15th century in her book, which were never proven to be true. We don’t want to spoil the series by telling you, so we’ll let you be the judge when you watch it.
This time, Starz adapted Gregory’s book rather than BBC One. Although Starz is an American company, they worked closely with English creatives and employed English actors for the show, so it could be said that the production is both American and English.
The White Princess ran from 16 April 2017 to 4 June 2017.
The Spanish Princes – another sequel produced by Starz adapted by Gregory’s Tudor novels (in particular, The Constant Princess and The King’s Curse). This time, the protagonist is Catherine of Aragon who is learning how to navigate the royal court after marrying the Prince of Wales.
In contrast to the first two series, The Spanish Princess has two seasons (first: 2019, second:2020), because the story was written that way. In the second season, we see how Catherine takes on the role as the queen of England.
Catherine of Aragon is perhaps one of the most ignored queens of Henry. She’s often been portrayed as a mere obstacle that Henry had to overcome to marry his paramour, Anne Boleyn. However, she was a loyal wife and a beloved queen for over 20 years, and the Starz series attempts to show us this perspective.
The show decided to also portray another interesting woman – Lina, a lady-in-waiting to Catherine with Moorish roots. Although many viewers thought that Lina was a fictional character, because they didn’t expect Catherine to be waited by a black woman, Lina did in fact exist. The showrunners made a point of showing us her perspective, which was otherwise lost in time.
It was announced that another TV show about a queen of England was in the works in November 2020. The protagonist would be Eleanor of Aquitaine, a French royal who first married King Louis VII of France and then married King Henry II of England. Eleanor was one of the most powerful queen-consorts of Medieval Europe, and we can’t wait to watch the series.
The TV show would be based on the books of Alison Weirs – Eleanor of Aquitaine: A Life and Captive Queen. The first book is a biography of the famous queen, while the second one is a historical fiction novel.
Although we don’t know when the show is going to be released, we do know that it’d be a part of anthology series chronicling the lives of “lesser known” women in history. This means that we will keep getting these fantastic TV series about these complex female figures that changed the course of history.
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]]>The post Welcome appeared first on .
]]>On this page, you can find out more about the creative life in the UK, as well as information about the blog such as the content we intend to produce. It’s really nice to have you here and we hope that you become a regular visitor to our site.
How can we even begin discussing the history of creative industries in the UK? Do we start with the art created by Celts and Anglo-Saxons or do we begin with the Normans and their French influence?
It’s impossible to give credit to all the great artists that have lived on the British Isles without missing the majority of them. It was, for example, the norm not to sign poems with your own name back in medieval times so as not to appear prideful of your art.
That’s definitely not the case anymore, but the point is that we can’t, unfortunately, praise each individual who contributed a little or a lot to British art. However, we can look at the present and popularise famous contemporary artists and newcomers to the scene, which is exactly what we intend to do.
Sadly, it is not easy to forge your path in one of the many creative industries in the country. The demand would unfortunately always be lower than the supply. Lately, the situation has been even worse.
The Covid-19 pandemic hit the creative world even harder than other industries – cancelled musical performances and art exhibitions, postponed TV and film projects, closure of venues – and that’s only scratching the surface.
In these times of need, when artists from all around the country were struggling to find work, the British government not only did not address the problem, but also laughed at their faces. There was a disgusting campaign promoting jobs in cyber security with one ad saying “Fatima’s next job could be in cyber. (She just doesn’t know it yet)” on the backdrop of a ballet dancer.
Everyone was quick to criticise the tasteless ad, which appeared to tell young creators to simply choose another field, because their dreams are apparently worthless. Many comments stated the obvious – even this ad used a huge array of creators such as copywriters, hair stylists, photographers, and so on.
It’s ignorant to claim that the creative industries are unnecessary when they are everywhere around us. They are, however, invisible sometimes as it was the case with that infamous ad. This is why we intend to highlight the importance of the creative industries in the UK.
We intend for our blog to cover the contributions of various fields to the creative industry in the UK. We believe that our small but dedicated team of writers will be able to bring a diversity of topics that you can read about. Here’s what we will attempt to cover:
These are the overreaching themes, which we will explore in the upcoming months. If you have any suggestions for topics, we will be very happy to review them. We want you to be an active participant in our new adventure, and we hope that you enjoy reading the articles on this blog. Thank you!
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