Author: starkstudio

Photography by Ulrika Luks
Featuring Lotta Lavanti

Words by Tegan Jaimie

German-American artist/illustrator DeWolfe now residing in Glasgow, Scotland has carved out a unique perspective to portraiture. DeWolfe’s work is filled with biomorphic gestures and inflated, almost cartoonish-like features. The term caricature is derived from the Italian caricare—to charge or load, essentially a “loaded portrait”. An apt definition for DeWolfe’s work. His exaggerated characters are primed with emotion; particularly the eyes which are oversized and piercing. With an almost bug-like quality, which in theory should verge on the slightly absurd, but instead, we are left with strikingly beautiful portraits.

DeWolfe’s Instagram account gives us a peek into his creative process with time-lapse videos of his practice. With the growing number of commissions, the artist often shares the reference image on which his finished pieces are based off. The comparison only aids to emphasise the artistic talent of DeWolfe. His playfulness with distortion is apparent while staying true to his style as an illustrator which never feels repetitive and is as individual as the human he is drawing.

As well as being photographed by LUNCH, we of course tasked DeWolfe with immortalising the photography in caricature form. The results are authentic to DeWolfe’s stylistic practice and a personal take on portraiture as he becomes the subject.

See more of Daniels work via his instagram or his website

Floral set design by Flowers Vermillion
Imagery by Bethany Grace

Words by Tegan Jaimie
Makeup by Claire Nisbet
Hair by Emma Diamond

Scottish DJ la la had her first experience of techno culture at 15 years old and has been carving out a successful career in the industry for almost a decade since. It’s no secret that live gigs have come to a complete standstill but la la is ready for the ‘rave revolution’ comeback. Speaking digitally, we caught up to discuss the Scottish music scene, her newly launched label Brand New Records, and her relationship with fashion.

How did growing up in Scotland Influence you as an artist?

Hugely. The Arches, Archaos, Sub Club, La Cheetah, SWG3, Barrowlands, King Tuts – these are venues with such history – the buzz around them growing up was something I could never ignore, it totally drew me in – house and techno weren’t necessarily popular with people my age especially my female friends, but once I experienced The Arches for the first time, I was 15,  – I could never forget it or stay away. Totally obsessed – with the music the energy – I saw Booka Shade play a live gig 7pm-10pm – in a band like set up, another really impactful moment in that first year (still 15!) where I was exposed to electronic music really being performed, at that moment I really got to appreciate this genre as an art form.

With all the success that you’ve rightly earned, what’s next for la la?

I can’t say I agree on the success part, but finally, things are starting to look up – the diary is getting busier the 2nd half of the year with some really cool parties – truly I’m grateful, for this year, for the time it’s given me to reflect & now after that reflection, I now have the ability to see clearer, appreciate everything, stay focused & excited – man I am so fucking excited to play to a room full of sweaty people.

I can’t wait to immerse myself back into music, my time is being managed by another job at the moment so it will be even sweeter when I leave & get back to it: this year I have the expectation to release some of my own work, along with supporting others on my newly birthed label Brand New Records – in summary, I don’t know what’s next in concrete but I know I’m re-entering the unknown better than I left it. Maybe more insecure but I’m sure everyone is feeling a bit of that at the moment.

How do you think nightlife and electronic music will bounce back after the pandemic?

I think it will hugely; I wholeheartedly believe in the ‘rave revolution’ where we get back to love, unity, amazing music & even better people, more grateful in the crowd and behind the decks.

How much does fashion play a role in you as an artist?

I would say I look at fashion as an extension of who you are – telling people something without opening your mouth is wicked – but I don’t know how important it is to be an artist in this industry, music in a broader view yes but not this particular part of it. When I play I like to be comfortable but to be honest, I’ve not always had that outlook – I used to ‘dress up’ in pieces that made me feel great that were figure-hugging for example – but I suppose I felt pretty judged, vulnerable & eventually uncomfortable – being a female playing out over the last 9 years has been a learning curve for many reasons but fashion is for sure a part of that lesson – I love clothes in all forms & gravitate towards different styles depending on how I’m feeling but sometimes it’s influenced by them all, I really hope to go ‘back to work’ not really giving a shit about what people have to say about how I look what I’m wearing as long as I feel good who cares, wish me luck 🙂

Interview by Tegan Jaimie
Photography by Marilena Vlachopoulou & Bethany Grace

Lucia and the Best Boys are a tidal wave of musical force spearheading Glasgow’s thriving music scene renaissance. The latest evidence of this lies in the success of their most recent EP ‘The State of Things’ which sees them back for a second wave with a slate of remixes. Not one to stick to the status quo, each collab was handpicked by vocalist and songwriter Lucia Fairfull, a champion for other women in the industry. The remixes are as diverse and eclectic as Lucia’s own music taste.

We sat down with the front woman Lucia to chat about the band’s latest releases, being a woman in the industry and how her lyrics, glisteningly raw as they are, are to be used as a musical confessional for the younger generation.

LET’S START WITH YOUR ‘COVER GIRLS’ IGTV SERIES, WHICH YOU BROUGHT BACK LOCKDOWN STYLE. WHAT WERE YOUR REASONS FOR WANTING TO DO COVER SONGS?

There’s a couple of reasons. One reason was literally just for fun. I learned to play guitar through playing covers. I didn’t go to a single guitar lesson and I learned through watching people do covers on YouTube and stuff and I used to love doing it. When you’re young you sing songs all the time, throughout your life, whether they just pop into your head or whatever. So it’s a fun element to add and people can also see what kind of music I’m into by the songs that I’m covering.

The other reason, which I guess was the more important reason was that I wanted to use my platform to celebrate women in music. Because, and it’s not just in the music industry, women get pushed to the back a lot of the time. People don’t realise how many women there actually are in the music industry, they just always assume that it’s men. Even from the outside people become ignorant because the actual music industry itself only promotes mainly male artists, which I’ve personally struggled with. I’ve played festivals where I was literally the only woman on the lineup. 

ALMOST LIKE THE EXCEPTION TO THE RULE… 

Yeah, exactly and I’ve started to notice a lot more sexism within the music industry as I’ve gotten older. Initially I was a little bit more naive and I was just really focused on wanting to do music. But of course, there was always that element of me that was like, am I allowed to be aggressive or this bold on stage? Or does that come across as unattractive or intimidating? I always had that slight element in my head. But there was also that part of me that was just like, I don’t really care.

It’s interesting that you say how aware of it you were, regardless of how you handled it, that it’s still subconsciously in the background as part of being a woman in the industry.

100 percent and I know that I’m lucky that ever since I’ve been about 17, personality-wise, I’ve always been quite direct and confident. But some people aren’t like that, you know. It’s hard coming into the industry when you want to do music as a woman. I want to lift people up and I want people to notice and recognise other women in the industry. So with ‘Cover Girls’, I was going to artists that I felt were inspiring or weren’t getting the limelight that they deserve. Obviously, we’re still a growing band and I can’t give them all of that but I still felt like it was important to collaborate with them.

WHAT IS YOUR CURRENT PERCEPTION OF THE GLASGOW MUSIC SCENE? 

It’s such a good time to feel proud to be a Glaswegian band because the Glasgow music scene is thriving so hard. There are so many amazing bands and it’s the one thing that I always end up getting passionate about in an interview. I cannot fault it in any way. There’s no competitiveness and it’s such a safe space to be a creative. I’ve met so many people since first moving to Glasgow and I feel like it’s been really inspiring. To be on the same boat as so many other people and grow with so many other people that have also become like a family to me. But everything that I’m doing right now is to make my voice heard and be a worldwide band. A lot of people we speak to in London are like, ‘Oh, I want to come to Glasgow’, whereas before when I first started everyone would be like, ‘when are you going to move to London?’ And I was always like, ‘nah, why do I have to?’ And the fact that none of us have has created this rock-solid recognised scene here. And we have always said if you move together, you’re gonna make bigger waves. We’re all different artists, everybody has their own thing going on but we all move together, which is a really nice thing to experience.

TALK TO ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHY YOU DECIDED TO RELEASE A SLATE OF REMIXES FOR THE ‘STATE OF THINGS’ EP.

I have such a wide range of taste in music and for me, the remix EP was one that I’ve always wanted to collaborate on more with other women artists. I do a lot of writing sessions and I always end up in rooms with men, like don’t get me wrong I’ve met some great people through that and they’re all very talented but I’m at a stage where I’m like you have to practice what you preach. I choose wisely which songs I thought would suit the artists the most and I wanted to keep the EP really diverse. Rather than just being like, I’m a band, so I should get other bands to remix my EP because I care about all types of women in music, not just my type of women in music. Like for example Chlobocop, she’s just doing her own thing and I’ve always found her really inspiring because she’s such a strong character and she stands out from the crowd so much. Then there’s Jessica Winter, I’ve done writing sessions with her and she is so multi-talented and she did this proper 90s Cher version of Let Go, which at first was very humorous but after listening twice I was like, this is so fucking good.

YOU MENTIONED PAST WRITING SESSIONS, HOW DO YOU THINK YOUR SONGWRITING HAS PROGRESSED OVER THE YEARS?

I think it’s changed drastically, but at the same time has stayed very much the same. I’ve never been someone that writes about political things or you know, universal worldly things. It’s always been more about very personal things that I know loads of people in the world will have experienced. I’ve always  naturally wanted to be very direct within my lyrics and wanted to connect with a variety of people, but particularly the younger generation because I know what it’s like to grow up and go through challenges.  I always aim to be direct and offer connections so that they know that they’re not alone in these situations because I had music that did that for me when I was younger and I wanted to be able to do that for other people.

You recently released the music video for ‘Forever Forget’, collaborating once again with director Rianne White and set designer, Furmaan Ahmed. What is the creative process around bringing your lyrics to life?

It’s funny a lot of people I speak to say they find the videos the most tricky part or at least the most tiring part but I love it because I’m such a visual person. As soon as I start writing a song I have imagery in my head and more times than not the images that I have in my head whilst writing are the ones that I end up using for the video. Rianne elaborates on those ideas and Furmaan brought the set design to life, both adding their twist to it.  We just got on so well, it’s so much fun.  

I like that it gives the song its own space so people can visualise in their head when they’re listening to it. It’s important to give yourself an identity and it’s important just as a creative, I guess, to experience other things and work with other creatives in different ways. My favourite part is just seeing some small idea that you had in your head all of a sudden come to life as an actual thing that you can watch.

YOU TOUCHED ON THE IMPORTANCE OF IDENTITY, COULD YOU ELABORATE ON THIS?

I think, you know when you’re younger and you go through so many phases well I feel I’m still such a chameleon, like, I was talking to my friend the other day about this actually and I think it must be a creative thing because when you’re so attracted to visual things I feel like it makes me want to be a different character every day. I get that musicians should have a very specific kind of image because it makes them more identifiable and I’m not saying that we don’t have that but I think we have really slowly built our identity and people who listen to us will recognise us. I’m so easily influenced by like, a movie or something I see or just how I’m feeling, and I love dressing up. The boys are also the same as me. They definitely have very individual styles and they dress how they want to dress but I think with us all spending so much time with each other, we’ve morphed into very similar styled people which is a very good thing. But we also still have hints of our own characters.

YOU’RE SET TO GO ON TOUR WITH DREAM WIFE – WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO WHEN YOU CAN START PLAYING GIGS AGAIN?

I don’t want to get my hopes up and I know that this has been a hard time and nobody should rush straight into going back to normal life but I am still really looking forward to the day when we can do that. I think we’ve evolved a lot during lockdown, spending a lot of time with ourselves and reflecting a lot. I’ve become a lot more certain of who I am and the music I want to make and I think the boys are very much the same as that. I think that our live shows are just going to get so much better because we feel so much more comfortable in our own skin. I’m looking forward to playing all the songs that we’ve released during lockdown that we haven’t had the chance to yet and yeah, I’m just really looking forward to being inspired by that side of life again. Also seeing other bands play live because I used to love going to gigs as much as I loved playing them.

You can keep up to date with Lucia & The Best Boys on instagram or via their website

Words by Tegan Jaimie
Photography by Carla Marcia

With the design credentials that the Beckman School of Design graduate Jade Cropper has you could easily be mistaken in thinking she was a seasoned Swedish fashion designer. Despite this, Cropper only graduated in 2020 and has already been making waves in the industry. Her signature designs have already caught the attention of celebrity stylists and have graced the Instagram feed of Kim Kardashian, as well as artists Jorja Smith and Madison Beer to name a few. She was also part of LUNCH Concept’s inaugural drop.

We caught up with Jade, one of our ‘Made to Order’ designers here at LUNCH, to discuss her small but prevailing brand.

Describing it as “deconstructed femininity” with a focus on the details and handmade prints, Jade also credits her grandmother as a muse.“She had her own style and was very feminine. But not in the stereotype of sense which is what I am trying to do too. She had her own life and no one would tell her what to do. Living her whole life by herself, no man, and she travelled the world,” she says.

Jade’s intentions to challenge the conventionality of femininity is clear as she talked more about her creative process to innovate her designs. “I’m always working on different things to find new shapes and textures. Whether I’m draping to find new shapes that I find interesting and that I haven’t seen before or I’m painting or drawing to create new patterns and prints,” she says.

Jade is currently busy working on a mini collection of bodysuits and bikini for the summer and a bigger ready-to-wear collection coming in future months, which after the success of her debut collection is anything to compare it too, one thing is for certain the talents of Jade Cropper can only grow from strength to strength.

Words by Tegan Jaimie Gallacher
Featuring Rosalind and her illustration work

Personal reflection fuels the work of Scottish illustrator Rosalind Shrinivas. Photographed in the LUNCH debut drop, she tells us more about her expressive practice as we give her free rein to graffiti the images in unique Rosalind style.

Acting as a portal to her mind, you could spend a long time staring at an illustration by Shrinivas and keep discovering more. Her highly-detailed intricate line drawings are packed with hidden narratives, messages and symbols, brought together with digital manipulation. She says, “I used to journal a lot, one of my favourite things to do is evaluate a life quality to the furthest extent, how I react to things and why I react that way. I guess I couldn’t always put it into words perfectly, so for example, I’ve journaled this random set of words, how am I going to make this into something that is conceptualised and almost a form of therapy. For me it was like art therapy, so I would write these lists of words each day and I would use that to create a piece of art.”

Studying Fashion Design marked her first exposure to illustration. Watching her tutor draw was a catalyst to her interest in the medium. “It wasn’t photo realism in any way and I just loved how free it was because it was a piece of art. If you detached it from the fashion illustration, it still was a beautiful piece of art. I was like, I want to be able to look at an image and translate that fast in a style that I’m proud of and know that I can create something very strong.”

Since the years that have passed from her studies and self proclaiming ‘failing to get a design graduate job’, Shrinivas focused her attention on refining her skills. Relatively self-taught, her work is undisputedly hypnotic; with a multitude of cloned surrealist faces, etched in jet black, that fill the canvas. “I would look at the face and think what are the features that I like the most? So cheekbones, heavy eyebrows, the eyes, and then the hair texture; so I sort of started with that. And then I started drawing tears which was like my own connection to my emotions. And I wanted to weirdly express that at that time.”

With few exceptions, Shrinivas’ work is strictly in black and white. When asked the deliberateness behind her palette of choice, Shrinivas is quick to make the link back to her emotive self. “I found it just resonated with me more and I see everything in my life kind of in black and white as well. I do a lot of things that are heaven and hell, dark kind of pieces, I think that harks to that too. The narrative I’m creating is very emotional, sometimes dark, but turning it into something beautiful, you know, a negative into a positive – the black and white kind of represents the negative and the positive, I guess.”

Shrinivas’ work is a veneration for highly emotive expression. Personal contemplation rife throughout her work, therefore when LUNCH asked her to draw over the series of photographs of the illustrator herself it was undoubtedly a cathartic experience. “I looked at photos of the heart and the organs and biological diagrams which I feel obviously links to your feelings, your heart and how you process things. It really works well with the idea of me almost laying myself bare in the photos and who I am as a creative.”

As for what’s next for Rosalind, while the pandemic has put a halt to exhibitions she can’t wait to produce larger scale work for a tangible art experience again. “It’s nice to see a full reaction in-person and watching somebody look at your work, coming up close and looking at all the details is even more satisfying.” But until that time comes you can continue to follow her work digitally on her instagram @rshrini and via her website

Interview by Tegan Jaimie
Art Direction by Teddy Reynaud
Photography by Bethany Grace

New York based, Maŕa Peralta Studio is the eponymous jewellery brand by the experimental artist and DJ. Born from the techno rave culture of NYC where Peralta regularly gigs, MPS pieces are bold, utilitarian and challenge the status quo. From the early conception of her namesake label where Peralta started creating vinyl bags to carry her music to and from gigs, functionality and utility has always been the epitome of Peralta as an artist. Her designs are timeless yet strike a sense of dominance; from the brand ethos to the material itself, stainless steel. Self described as ‘for the resistance’ MPS pieces are built to last. It’s evident that the brand is prevailing in its sustainable intentions and that makes it worth its weight in stainless steel. At LUNCH we focus on promoting season-less designers so we sat down with Peralta to find out more about the brand, her love of NYC and its underground music scene and of course her ideal LUNCH.

What inspired you to start a jewellery collection? / How did you develop an interest in jewellery?

My fashion journey began in 2013 when I moved to Brooklyn from Upstate New York. I started producing experimental and ambient music and for my DJ gigs, I was really into designing my own skirts that were very ‘Comme Des Garcon’ and these mini vinyl bags to fit my CDs and USBs I would attach chains as the handles. I always felt music had an incredible influence on my designs, and the approach in composition is all connected. I started evolving that idea of metal, then steel became a new medium for me as an artist.

Maŕa Peralta Studio is an alternative project to to my music project, applying musical/conceptual intelligence to fertilize design, the jewelry label is the research into the human identity. I believe in the idea of breaking boundaries between different artistic domains, designing hybrid identities that evolve with time. The inspiration behind the pieces are colliding these interests of fashion, art and sound together to create timeless pieces.

As an experimental artist, DJ and producer, how does the music industry influence your jewellery?

Music has always been my drive, it’s culture and community has been my true inspiration and injecting ideas into a new medium was something that we talked about often. Our goal is to create a jewellery label that blends underground music and fashion communities together. The ideas of uniformity, utility, and functionality are some things that we learned from being actively engaged with techno rave culture in New York and Berlin.

You describe your brand as ‘for the resistance’ with a focus on functionality, uniformity + attachment. What does this mean to you?

We focus on communities that are underground and resisting the status quo in music, fashion and art but we do wish to create a larger community that understands our mission and can relate through our pieces. We challenge the wearer of our label to be as resistant as our accessories, to break societal normalities, we want to reach as many people as possible with the concept of the pieces to always evolve with you. Designing pieces that will sustain a lifetime and are durable and have many ways to function but also are a uniform accessory for all your looks.

You’ve chosen to use stainless steel for your designs. Why did you decide to use steel instead of say gold/silver?

The main reason we experiment with stainless steel is because we want these pieces to evolve and grow with you through time. All stainless steel metals do not rust or tarnish and are hypoallergenic, so they are good to your skin and body. And most importantly stainless steel is the most recycled material on the planet, steel will be and can be reused and recycled.

Has living in New York played an influence on your creativity?

Living in New York has always been a beautiful influence on my creativity and designs, I moved here in 2013 and once I did that and explored the city I felt a rush of connectivity here to the people, artists, and the underground scene. The deep root of my creativity with sound and also designs just released and I felt comfortable to take that path, it was a very special moment and still is evolving each collection.

Have you got a personal favourite piece of your collection?

I mean I love all the pieces, they are all special to me, but I am in love with some classics and our custom pieces. We shall be releasing those with two permanent collections which will include my favorites.

What does being a sustainable brand mean to you?

Our criteria is to not affect the future generation and development, we want to maintain a clear intention and concept. Maŕa Peralta Studio is founded on the idea of ready-made, using material or product already created, and using material that is reusable and can be recycled safely. It is important for us to consider what materials we are putting into the environment and that is why MPS is so connected to steel. Not only can we recycle it but it will not fade or rust, the pieces will last with you.

How do you hope to evolve as a brand?

I hope to collaborate with an influential brand to design accessories and jewellery pieces for their upcoming ready-to-wear collection but most importantly to keep giving people the courage and confidence when wearing MPS pieces.

A day of working in your studio, what’s your ideal LUNCH?

Listening to Andy Stott, making a hot matcha tea, wearing my Issey Miyake and my vegan eyeliner and my N1 necklace while sketching new designs.

Featuring Marilena Vlachopoulou
Hair by Emma Diamond

Athens born, Glasgow based, Marilena Vlachopoulou is a portrait and documentary photographer known for photographing the Scottish music scene on a variety of analogue formats. But with the cancellation of live music due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Marilena has since turned to the streets of Glasgow to document daily life through a pandemic photo diary. With every film roll she captures a variety of atmospheric black and white streets shots and portraits of local creatives that are all then developed at home. Now its time for Marilena to step in-front of the camera for LUNCH as we capture her in our studio wearing pieces from our inaugural drop.

See Marilena’s pandemic photo diary and atmospheric imagery here.

Words by Tegan Jaimie
Featuring Katie James
with hair by Chrissy Hutton

To take pause and watch Katie James, Scottish dancer and movement director, whimsically perform on our small screen should be taken as a moment of solace. In a world of the 24-hour news cycle and instant hits of information on social media, people are often too busy to stop and appreciate their own bodies. “There is pleasure to be found in a myriad of ways out-with our body but there is so much pleasure to connect within it,” says Katie.

Like many of us, the past year has seen a huge shift in normality for the creative industries. With the closure of venues, the arts have struggled to exist in its previous form. However, for Katie being on stage hasn’t been a focus for her career. “The years of obsessive training that culminated in a meltdown that saw me lose what I thought my career and future would be; but movement is forgiving and loyal, it stays with you. The parameters and composition of it might change, but it’s still there. My fear of being on stage ended up translating to a love of being on screen and performing for small audiences. Instead of wanting to do large scale performances I became drawn to creating intimate moments, collaborating with artists of different disciplines and redefining what performance meant for me.”

Watching Katie rhythmically move, alone, there is a power there in portraying the body in its purest form. We are not distracted by any extravagant production, instead we are left with a reclamation in the strength of vulnerability.

An awareness and appreciation for the body seems to come effortlessly to Katie, however this hasn’t always been the case. Now a qualified yoga teacher and a desire to facilitate other people to connect with their bodies: “I started practicing yoga during my first year of dance school. The suggestion came from my ballet teacher in a moment of concern because I was really pushing myself, probably too hard. The more yoga I practiced the more sensitive I became towards my body’s signals and boundaries.”

Katie’s movement, however, is unwavering in its confident tenderness. Like all of her work, while us the viewer are never sure of her next move, it knows exactly what it’s setting out to do.