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jed| Erotica 2008 |
| 2008.12.02 21:22:40 | |
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There is always much excitement, anticipation and busy-ness in the run up to Erotica and 2008 was no exception. Like last year, I was blessed with some great help and support. Dave and Karen drove up from their home in Devon on the Wednesday night and helped with set up on the Thursday. Everything went pretty smoothly, including a fabulously well-timed meeting with Fiona, at the traffic lights at Vauxhall on the way home, who had some neck rings for the nipple clamps weights she makes for JPOL. We left the homestead at around 10.20am on Friday 21st November and Dave drove us in his boy-racer style to Olympia. At midday, the familiar annual November sound was heard over the loudspeaker and Erotica 2008 was open. Trade on the Friday seemed a little slow to start, but it soon picked up to a fairly steady pace. There was a lot of interest in the menswear and, as the weekend progressed, I was glad to have followed my hunch and made extra stocks of strap trousers, waistcoats, shirts and ties, as they were particularly popular items. Dave and Karen attracted much attention and custom. The three of us worked superbly together, with Dave and Karen generating leads with their good looks and charm, and myself closing the sales with my knowledge, enthusiasm and passion for the clothes. During the afternoon, Dave and Karen were approached by The Guardian newspaper and interviewed and photographed for a new feature called "Take Ten" which is due to start in January 2009. Saturday 22nd November saw a full quota of sales crew as we were joined by Phil and Simon. Phil's webmaster expertise was called on a couple of times as we were approached by web-based businesses wanting Jed Phoenix of London as a wholesale supplier. And a kilt-wearing Simon, despite not being on top form due to a bike accident injury induced bout of insomnia, increased the sales figures to make Saturday the busiest day of Erotica 2008. There were plenty of visitors, both new and familiar faces, to keep us upbeat. Erotica is open for 28 hours during it's 3 day run, and, after a day or so of being in The Grand Hall, it can feel like you've been there for weeks! Don and Kirsty were among the familiar faces who came and saw us on stand J20. Kirsty was dressed in her Victoriana jacket and long pinstripe bustle skirt, whilst Don looked most dapper in his cashmere strap trousers, Urban Squire waistcoat and purple lined strait jacket. To top off his outfit, I reunited Don with the fleece lined CP1 coat he'd asked me to modify to his specifications. We then chatted about the exciting possibility of a photoshoot using some of their military-style vehicles, before Don ordered a pair of new Empire trousers and they strode off to enjoy the rest of Erotica 2008. By the time the third and final day of Erotica comes along, there's often a palpable sense of relief amongst exhibitors that the busy events season is almost over for another year. There are usually comparisons to sales figures from previous years, and discussions about whether it's worth doing Erotica next year. Myself and the jewellry designer Richard Larson regularly agree that we take each Erotica as an event in and of itself. As long as there are punters coming through the doors, taking flyers, showing interest, buying our products, and having a good experience that they will hopefully tell their friends about, then Erotica is an important part of our business calendars. There are also numerous social and networking aspects of Erotica we benefit from. The stage show at Erotica 2008 was produced by Torture Garden. Both myself and Dave and Karen have worked with or at TG over the years, so it was good to see both Allen and David outside the club environment again. The stage itself was designed and constructed by Jim Hudson, who I know from the early days of Lost Vagueness and Glam-R-Us. He bought a pair of strap trousers a few years ago, so he was happy to be able to complete the outfit by ordering a waistcoat and a tie. With Phil, Dave and Karen manning the Jed Phoenix of London stand, I managed to escape with Caroline for long enough to see the Erotica 2008 stage show in full. The highlights for me were Crazeehorse and their gravity defying aerial activities and shows of statuesque strength, and Buck Angel's Local Authority defying final strip show. It was good to see the responses of other audience members to what for most was their first experience of seeing a naked trans-man. At 8pm on Sunday 23rd November, the voice over the loudspeaker announced that Erotica 2008 was closed. We packed down and loaded the van with the speed and efficiency of seasoned pros. Or was that just because we wanted some dinner? See you at Erotica 2009! Tags: Erotica 2008 Hits: 4 | Read more... |
| Whitby Goth Weekend October 2008 |
| 2008.11.04 19:48:55 | |
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After years of knowing about Whitby Goth Weekend, I finally bit the bullet and booked a stall at the October 2008 WGW. Myself, Simon and Imogen left London on the afternoon of my 38th birthday and seven hours later, with the aid of Simon's sat nav, we arrived at our hotel in Scarborough. We were greeted by Helen, the owner of Fountains Court Hotel, and her dog, Badger, and offered a cup of tea in the lounge before being shown to our rooms. The following morning, after 6.30am breakfast, we drove across the beautiful Yorkshire Moors to the historic town of Whitby. It took a couple of hours to set up. We were in the smaller room of the Leisure Centre, along with 5 other stalls selling a range of products, from corsets to jewellry, sock creatures to photographic art. In the main room of the Leisure Centre, there were more regular Whitby Goth Weekend traders. In between the downpours of hail stones, WGW visitors arrived, on their tour of the sights of the festival. Some of the care and attention to detail in people's costumes was quite stunning. There were women in full length Victorian bustle skirts, corsets, jackets and hats with veils, and men in top hats, tails, white shirts, cravats and waistcoats walking proudly with their ornate black and silver canes. The range of people at the Whiby Goth Weekend also included younger emo goths, Whitby locals and others interested in, or just curious about, the goth and alternative lifestyle. Trade on the Friday was steady, though the room we were in was audibly quiet at times. This we rectified on the Saturday, as I raided the CD collection in my van for some appropriate EBM, industrial and 80s music, and Jeremy, the Leisure Centre manager, obliged in playing it through the sound system normally reserved for up beat aerobics music! The atmostphere and weather on Saturday were much better, and trade was brisk. At around 5pm, we finished selling for the day and headed down the hill to the Elsinore, one of the busy goth friendly pubs in the town, to meet up with a few friends. We were hoping to go and eat at the Shepherds Purse, a vegetarian cafe/restaurant on the south side of the estuary, but it was only open until 7pm, so we wandered down to Shafiq's on the waterfront for a curry instead. On Sunday morning we checked out of the holistic hotel in Scarborough. If we could have stayed for longer, I'd have taken advantage of some of the facilities and treatments. All we managed between us was Simon and Imogen having a hot tub on the Friday night (I was too full of the locally caught fish and proper chip shop chips to join them). The weather on Sunday was pretty dire and I think the rain kept many WGW visitors from venturing up to the Leisure Centre. We were hoping for a busier day, as the stalls in the Metropole were only open on the Friday and the Saturday, so there was only the Spa, Rifle Club and Leisure Centre to tempt Sunday shoppers. There were a few last minute sales and orders, though, and they provided enough ready cash (rather than credit card payments) so that I could pay for a pitch in the main hall of the Leisure Centre for April 2009 Whitby Goth Weekend. All in all, our first WGW was a success. The festival attracts a different crowd to any of the other events we do, but we sold enough strap trousers, tailcoats, bustle skirts, waistcoats, empire trousers and fleece-lined coats to make Whitby Goth Weekend one of our regular events. See you all there in April 2009! Tags: Whitby Goth Weekend Hits: 44 | Read more... |
| Prize draw - write a review on Free Index & win LAM cash! |
| 2008.08.11 22:19:10 | |
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This is a start of a series of prize draw giveaways!! For this one, all you need to do is become a registered user of the Jed Phoenix of London website (totally free of charge), write a review of the Jed Phoenix of London website using the following link:
Tags: LAM cash | prize draw Hits: 135 | Read more... |
| Jed Phoenix of London, alternative fashion designer, and the brand new website |
| 2008.07.10 14:34:40 | |
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I started selling my unique brand of alternative designs in The Electric Ballroom Sunday market in 1999. The Electric Ballroom, part of Camden Town's infamous alternative fashion scene, provided me with just over five years of meeting customers from around the world and building a solid foundation of inspiration and confidence as an alternative fashion designer. In 2005, I left London's Camden Town to concentrate on exploring other markets, including the goth and cyber fashion scene at events like Infest in Bradford, and the fetish fashion scene at Birmingham Bizarre Bazaar and London Alternative Market. As time as gone by, I have noted what customers are looking for, what shapes and sizes they come in and has added more and more items to the range, including the very popular pinstripe skirts that come in eleven different sizes as standard for the alternative plus size woman.
Tags: fashion | alternative | designer Hits: 197 | Read more... |
| Passion |
| 2008.06.19 17:31:39 | |
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Passion, with it's glamorous pink and black carpets and sensuous styling, debuted at Earls Court on May 24th and 25th 2008. As one would expect for such a show, it was an adults only event, and one with oodles of temptations and a stunning fashion show featuring some of the top alternative and fetish designers not only from the UK but from overseas too. Being the first ever Passion, numbers through the door were a little disappointing, especially for those exhibitors who are used to events like Erotica. But Passion have a great team of organisers and promoters who will, no doubt, work their socks off again for next year's event. From little acorns, oak trees grow, and if that's done with Passion, well, who knows what it'll grow into?! Go to the gallery to see photos from the Passion Fashion show that feature designs by Jed Phoenix of London Hits: 208 | Read more... |