When I was little and safety pinning my own fashion creations out of my mothers scrap fabric, my impression of Milan was that it was the center of the runway fashion universe. I shed this idea as I  grew, realising that no one really knows much of anything about a place unless they’ve been there, no matter how much you try.

So naturally, the next best thing to going there is to have someone on the inside!

Our first official contributor and Milaneer, Alessia Cesana is giving us an inside look at street fashion in a city so well known for runways, tall hot models and seared to memory names like Armani, Versace and Dolce & Gabbana.

Luckily there is a scene beyond the runway, and the Milan page is a good place to start. In addition to sending us images Alessia has also been helping us help you find the greatest places to shop for street fashion in her city. Check out her Flickr and contributions on the Milan page!

One of the oldest posters to out Flickr group is long overdue a handshake.. or a pat on the back.. or a hardy wink and double thumbs up, and nows the time!

Feetmanseoul on Flickr.com

FeetManSeoul has been around since the beginning, posting everything from Korean fashion events, street fashion and even hair styles from Seoul. The photos are professional, the subjects are amazing and the variety in the group is over 10 pages long and counting. I have to say,.. to have such a collection is a true accomplishment in the street fashion photography world and in defense of the worldliness of Street Fashion Worldwide (that’s us), we want to make sure everyone looks a little further than the western world.. at least some of the time. It’s so easy to miss whats going on in places where you’re not.

Spend some time checking out Feetmanseoul on Flickr and their blog, Feetmanseoul.com and let them know what you think!

That’s the word on the streets of New York. It’s hard to deny that with age comes experience and so naturally an advanced sense of style. New and already popular blog Advanced Style hails from a place parallel but several clicks higher than other street fashion blogs, in this case, clicks being age.

They found their niche in the world of the wise and mature, giving their respect and admiration to those who’ve been through a lifetime of bad trends, and came out on top. Ladies like Irene reside in this blog, and many many more.

Irene Williams

The Russian based Chicken Shit, captivated our interest with their clean lines and crazy faced “fuck you!” attitude, in the most desirable sense.  It’s not every day a designer comes along, so completely full of slick bohemian cool that looking away from them risks missing an important element of modern design culture. That’s Chicken Shit and here’s why!

SF:  So chicken shit, what sparked your interest in clothing design and how did it come about that you were able to start a company (friends, knowing the right people, money, luck)?
CS:  We started from thinking about designs, we were making 2 or 3 t-shirts and gave them to our friends who were the right people for the created images. As a result, there appeared a group of people longing to get more new presents! And right then we decided to create something more serious and we called it chicken shit.
Initial capital we gained while working as builders and we invested everything in manufacturing. But without being friends to right people, we mean photographers, fashion designers, band players, it would be even more difficult!

SF:  Chicken shit - is it only t-shirts?
CS:  Chicken shit team is not going to confine itself to making only t-shirts. We plan to make up jewellery with the help of laser technology, jerseys styled as half-gay and half-gipsy, and oversized bags big enough to keep all your fashion treasures.There will be complete collections interesting in the chosen themes. We pay much attention to the occult symbols that can be found in each Chicken shit collection.
Chicken shit also organizes exhibition, makes installations and fashion sessions.

SF:  why the name chicken shit?
CS:  One our friend of came to Russia from Africa and everything that was not clear to him or he just could not understand, he called “chicken shit”. We liked this expression because it sounds pretty vivid, easy to remember and its two components are the most popular words in the world!!!

SF:  who do you think is most drawn to your designs? (an age group, class, for everyone? and why?)
CS:  we say “no” nice sweet boys! We claim outlaws to be the new trend in the world of fashion. Our inspiration is Vincent Cassel. “He is the rightest prototype for our brand.Talking about girls, we really like Alison Mosshart from the Kills. She is one of a kind!!”

SF:  plans for future?
CS:   In October we bring to Saint-Petersburg one of the most famous and fashionable photographers – Knotan! His personal exhibition called Favourite Scandinavian photographers will be held in one of the most popular art gallery. In this connection, a new series of designs “collaboration with knotan” will be launched! (www. knotan. com)

Check out Chicken Shit Clothing at www.chickenshitclothes.com/
or see their Myspace here!

Enjoy!

Charms for Charity is an amazing example of a designer using her skills to change the world. We found her on Myspace of all places and are ecstatic to feature her concept on the site!

The Charms for Charity project is a side note for the clothing company Heathcock Clothing. The project was started by designer Ashley Heathcock early this year and can be found on her website MyCharmsforCharity.com.

As with many of us, starting a design career of any kind is an amazing financial sacrifice. Ashley is not without a debt for her skills, racking up a hefty $140,000 in loans at AIU London. Each charm gives a $3 donation to charity, while the rest helps Ashley get on with her promising design career! In a way, a buyer is donating twice!
Learn more about Ashley and Charms for Charity here