Fashion: King of glamour Ali Mahdavi

The Cultural Frontline

As Fashion weeks launch around the world, The Cultural Frontline is looking at the glamour and spectacle of the world of fashion. Photographer and artist Ali Mahdavi has photographed countless celebrities, capturing some of the world’s best known faces. He explains why he’s obsessed with unconventional beauty and old fashioned Hollywood glamour. The Fashion industry has a huge environmental impact but high-end designers are starting to address the glaring issues of overproduction and waste. Australian designer Kym Ellery explains why she teamed up with upcycling expert Duran Lantink to dig out and recirculate the growing pile of unsold stock in her warehouse and turn it into a whole new collection. Designer Abi Sheng sees the future of fashion as being less about traditional garments and more about designing alternative bodies. Her latest work, a gender transformative suit, aims to change the appearance of the person wearing it, creating a fluid gender identity. Abi Sheng discusses how she designed and printed the suit and her vision for the future of what we wear. Writer and campaigner Sinéad Burke made fashion industry insiders sit up and take notice with her fashion blog about the lack of inclusivity in fashion and design. She explains why she decided to take on the industry and how fashion can put people with disabilities at the heart of the design process.