FRANCIS LEON STUDIOS

BIOGRAPHY FLEET ILYA

Fleet Ilya has become renowned for employing cleverly utilitarian and creative concepts to produce high quality leather goods. The brand encompasses the combined creative effort of Ilya Fleet and Reshna Sharma to envision their masterful designs.

Ilya received his training in Coventry, under the guidance of a master craftsman and saddler. He is heavily influenced by his father, a Russian sculptor, whose constructivist tendencies shine through in Ilya's work as a rigorous pursuit of functionality and a sublimity of form. Reshna is a London born graduate of Central St. Martins and co-art directs the collections.

Their designs often display a strong sense of stylized surrealism, in the form of corset- like harnesses and waist clinchers, extravagant masks and headpieces, and cleverly incorporated sculptural detailing. The collections can be broken down into three distinct lines -Classic, Concept, and Restraint.

The Classic line consists of a range of bags, belts, and leather accessories, which draw from the more surrealist and risqué elements of the other two lines to create something for the everyday. The Concept line is a place for endless exploration and fantasy, to capture the imaginations of the creative industry and provide unique pieces for editorial and aspiration. The Restraint line is commonly dubbed as the epitome of luxury bondage, and it is where Ilya's impressive mastery of leather and form are presented in their most extreme precision.

Fleet Ilya's designs can be purchased in boutiques throughout the world and found in the pages of magazines such as Numero, L'Officiele, and Vogue.

BIOGRAPHY RIKE FEURSTEIN

Rike Feurstein was an attorney for a private equity company when she found herself picking up dusty vintage millinery books in the library where she should have been researching international trade law. The third generation in a family of textile manufacturers and jewelers, Feurstein grew up fascinated by the colorful fabrics and traditional craftsmanship that surrounded her. Captivated all over again, she soon abandoned her corporate job and dedicated herself to the nearly extinct art of hat-making, apprenticing at the last remaining couture milliner houses in London and New York.

In 2006, Rike Feurstein launched her own line of accessories for women and men in Berlin, where she also opened her eponymous atelier. Working with the finest natural materials - plush fur felt, hand-woven straw, Italian silk, leather, and cashmere - Feurstein combines an old-world quality of artisanship with a pure, sensuous, emphatically modern aesthetic.

Feurstein's obsession with technical innovation led to her development of a patented stitch for her richly hued signature wool knit line, while her sculptural fur felt and straw hats playfully reference classic finishes and silhouettes - a trompe-l'oeil grosgrain ribbon, an insouciantly angled fedora - to create a sense of wearable whimsy and ease. "A hat should never be a mere embellishment, but something integral and essential to the wearer.

Rike Feurstein accessories are sold in luxury department stores like Barney's New York as well as exclusive boutiques worldwide. Her hats are regularly featured in VOGUE UK, VOGUE US, ID, Elle, and InStyle - and have been glimpsed on famous heads from Hollywood to Paris and beyond.

BIOGRAPHY SWASH LONDON

Swash is a whimsical print-heavy London-based fashion label developed out of the creative collaboration between Sarah Swash, influenced by the eccentric English humour, and Toshio Yamanaka, a perfectionist pattern cutter.

After both graduating from the prestigious Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, the pair undertook a vital exploration of the rich ideas and forms that grow forth from the meeting of their combined cultural heritages – Cornwall and Tokyo – and their creative minds.

Initially launched selling their designs in Japan, Swash moved on to achieve acclaim in Europe, notably winning three prizes at the 19th Festival International des Arts de la Mode Hyeres in May 2004, including the main honour, the Fashion Grand Prix.

Central to the Swash design is the duo's main influence, Maria Sibylla Merian's botanic-inspired illustrative work from the late 18th century, with nature-based, fantasy like prints featuring heavily in their Ready to Wear collection and line of complimentary silk scarves.

Through the years, Swash has continued to achieve praise across the world, including being selected by luxury brand Hermes to return to the Festival Hyeres to create an installation and workshop, and illustrating a cover for the Sunday New York Times.

BIOGRAPHY MACHA

'...Macha is about a quiet rebellion, not necessarily 'beautiful', but not without nobility either, rough and warm-hearted and full of ripe character. It's witty, tenacious and defiant with an air of old fashioned peace...'

Fine jewellery brand Macha was conceived by Irish designer Bernice Kelly in late 2007 as a reaction to the corporate fashion world which had become her career after nearly ten years.

Marrying style, craftsmanship and a sympathetic approach to materials that opts for a rough-hewn look over polish and flash for both men and women, pieces are traditionally handcrafted, with a subtlety that develops into classic forms with the passing of time.

Gaining international recognition as an effortlessly cool brand with continued commercial success, Macha has attracted a serious cult following, counting Florence Welch and Coco Sumner among fans.

Sold in such stores as Darkroom and Wolf and Badger in London and Earnest Sewn in New York, Macha has been singled out by online tastemakers Cool Hunting, Elle and Nylon fashion magazines and Daily Candy's insider guide, all recognizing Macha as a brand with a cutting edge attitude.

BIOGRAPHY J BRAND

The pioneer driver of the dark washed skinny jean trend, J Brand was founded with a purpose to create classic and sophisticated jeans with an emphasis on fit, timelessness, and the inspiration to make a woman look and feel beautiful in her jeans. With this mission, J Brand have achieved a winning combination of style, comfort and sexiness in denim.

Bringing with him extensive knowledge of the market and over 30 years experience in the fashion industry, Jeff Rudes co-founded J Brand in 2004. With a vision to create a jean that fit so perfectly it followed the contours of one's body, he launched the label as an exclusive line at Ron Herman's Melrose Jean Bar in the Spring of 2005, immediately becoming a success with consumers celebrities and influential editors.

Remaining true and authentic to the customer while delivering inventive designs and collaborations, J Brand continues to be an industry leader and purveyor in the premium denim market, with initiatives including a J Brand boutique, a line of unique washes and design details, an exclusive denim capsule collection within Topship, seasonal denim collaborations with famed designers such as Hussein Chalayan and Proenza Schouler, and a biker-chic capsule collection with famed rock and roll denim connoisseur, Henry Duarte.

Featured in over 2,000 specialty stores and luxury retailers including Barneys, Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, SAKS Fifth Avenue and Nordstrom in the United States, Harvey Nichols and Selfridges in London, and Le Bon Marché in Paris.

BIOGRAPHY NUMERO 10

Numero 10 takes the finest quality Italian leather and handcrafts it into unique bags that not only look and feel amazing, they are the perfect practical statement makers.

Founder Alberto Mondini began his career at the early age of 16 in his mother's renowned leather workshop in Bologna, Italy where he was inspired by the artisans and their skills to study design in Milan before starting Numero 10 in 2004.

Each piece is individually cut, dyed and finished by the hands of a master artisan, a process that reveals all the care and attention of those who have created it. These age-old techniques create a timeless design that only gets better with wear.

BIOGRAPHY NEW KID

Designed to get the metaphorical 'new kid' noticed, New Kid shoes are practical and classic with an unmistakable attitude. Drawing inspiration from international street style, Australian-raised Italian-based designer Rachel Beagley strives to make interesting, unique footwear whilst trying to remain attainable.

Shoes have always been in Beagley's blood. A childhood spent moving from place to place meant she bonded with new friends over a love of footwear. After studying shoe design in Milan she established her own label in London in 2004 before moving it to Italy in order to work closely with the artisans and craftspeople that bring her designs to life.

Constructed in a small factory outside Florence, every season the range is decorated its own way with novel shapes and artistic embroidery. New Kid is for every slick adventurer, moving where it likes, with curiosity.

BIOGRAPHY GRENSON

Founded as William Green & Son in 1866, Grenson Shoes take English heritage to a whole new level with their iconic styles and exquisite leathers.

Produced in the same factory since 1895, their philosophy of 'quality first' is easy to see in the craftsmanship and is one that has endured the test of time. Creative Director Tim Little utilises the brand's century-old techniques to form modern designs that fuse vintage sensibilities with current trends.

World renowned as 'England's Master Shoemakers' and showcasing new collections each year at Florence's Pitti Uomo, Grenson shoes are where traditional English notions of propriety meet modern Western aesthetics.

BIOGRAPHY GARY BIGENI

Gary Bigeni is one of the most inspiring designers on the Australian fashion industry today, carving a niche from draped, folded and twisted jersey to create an intense, fluid sensuality.

A graduate from East Sydney Design Tech, it didn't take long for Bigeni to catch the attention of the Australian fashion power players with his artful and refined yet edgy multidimensional tailoring. A Gary Bigeni piece can be utterly abused by a suitcase - worn hard and put back in a crumple - and still emerge smooth and unaltered.

Showing for the past few years at Australian Fashion Week, the collections, often simple upon first glance, are always masterfully intricate in their detailing. Constantly striving to achieve new successes, Bigeni's Spring/Summer 2011/12 collection, 'Distance' saw a celebrated collaboration with innovative footwear label tom gunn.

The label has gone from strength to strength, garnering international acclaim and the notice of publications such as Vogue and Harper's BAZAAR. This inimitable and exciting design house truly represents the modern Australian aesthetic: simple, refined luxury.

BIOGRAPHY OWL OF EDEN

Owls of Eden's dazzling designs exude a romantic, bohemian vibe and add more than a smattering of seduction to any look.

Launched in 2009 by designer Louisa Smeeton, the label has made a name for itself exhibiting stunning colour combinations in eye-catching pieces that make any wearer the life of the party. Handmade in Australia using predominantly Swarovski crystals, Owl of Eden offers women high end quality costume jewellery with the diversity to be paired with casual, work or evening glamour.

With a growing celebrity following from the likes of DJ Havana Brown, Pia Miller and Rebecca Twigley the label's unique pieces show off mountains of personality and sparkle in any setting.

BIOGRAPHY OLIVER GOLDSMITH

Oliver Goldsmith is synonymous with glamour, stars and style. First to see glasses as fashion accessories, first to make winter sunglasses, first to work alongside fashion houses to create one-off pieces for the catwalks, first to appear in Vogue and first to be worn by celebrities and Royals, the brand pioneered a new concept.

Founded in 1926 by P. Oliver Goldsmith, the family run label revolutionised the world of spectacles and was instrumental in the rise of sunglasses as a fashion statement from the mid-fifties onward. Fans throughout the years have included the likes of Grace Kelly, Peter Sellers, Ursula Andress and Nina Simone, calling to mind the golden age of Hollywood glamour.

With a new generation at the helm of this classic brand, the current range sees the re-release of bold, futurist designs from the '60s and '70s. Still handmade in England (overseen by some of the original craftsmen) these modern classics will thrill today's fashion frontrunners as much as they did their predecessors.

BIOGRAPHY LES NEREIDES

Blooming from a classic love story between its founders, Les Néréides focuses on romanticism, elegance and the art of detail to create its feminine range of costume jewellery.

Launched in 1980 in Nice under the good omens of Mediterranean nymphs by Pascale and Enzo Amaddeo, who met as love struck teenagers, the label has grown into a worldwide family business. The iconic brand takes inspirations from their Parisian surroundings, Greek mythology and a touch of the abstract in the form of far-off dreams.

Each piece is intricate, delightfully unique and carefully handmade, characteristically imbued with miniature detailing, colourful gems and understated baubles. Skilled artisans perform the sophisticated metalwork to bring life to the designer's vision, passion and creativity.