Bringing in the new AQ/AQ!

First up a HUGE thank you for being an Aqua insider!

We have a big announcement today and want you to be the first to know.

From the 20^th June, Aqua by Aqua will be known as AQ/AQ.

Distilling the essence of Aqua by Aqua, AQ/AQ is an evolutionary step towards a more digital and global future. The flow of saying “A.Q.A.Q”  is closer to our fresh, bold, futuristic and dramatic new chapter.

We have lots coming to celebrate; International launches, new collections, collaborations, VIP parties and exclusive competitions with much more to follow.

Bring in the new #aqaq

AQ/AQ takes over where the lights are brighter and the music is louder.

Sign up to our newsletters and follow our social media to be a part of our bright new future.

Model Behaviour

Yesterday was casting day at Aqua HQ. Fuelled mostly by Red Bull and coffee we selected gorgeous girls to model our future monthly capsule collections, the Aqua Edits.

The volume was loud on the Aqua mixtapes whilst stunning creatures strutted around looking fabulous in the new collection. We can’t wait to show you the results but for now here’s a little taster.

Stay connected on our Facebook page, where we will be previewing the next Aqua edit.

In-Store Events at Aqua Leeds and London

May has been all about the Aqua stores. It was party time in London as we took part in the Grazia Carnaby Street Shopping Night. We had the music pumping, free champagne flowing and incredible discounts on offer.

Leeds won in the big party stakes though! The annual summer shopping night hosted by Victoria Quarter turned our store into the golden event, Charlie and the Chocolate factory style. Shoppers grabbed 30% discount off all full-price items, free styling advice from the Aqua team plus the chance for a lucky few to find the winning golden ticket.

If you want to join the guestlist and be first in the know for future in store events, sign up here.

Back at Aqua HQ new collections are bubbling away and there are BIG things coming in June. Watch this space to be part of the evolution.

Aqua x

Scott Wilson Talks Jewellery

Scott Wilson is a London based jewellery designer, who has worked with a who’s who of fashion labels, magazines and celebrities. From creating runway pieces for Jean Paul Gaultier, Peter Pilotto, 3.1 Phillip Lim, Givenchy and Matthew Williamson to commissions for Nicole Kidman, Kylie and Madonna, Scott Wilson’s unique modernist inspired jewellery designs capture the heart and imagination.

We got the chance to sit down with Scott Wilson to ask him about his design process and how he created the stunning statement pieces for our collection!

AQUA: You have a high fashion aesthetic having worked with many of the worlds leading fashion houses, what is it that brings your vision together with AQUA by AQUA’s signature?

SCOTT WILSON: I quickly realise when working with a fashion label when there’s a synergy, whether it be with a high end or more accessible label. Tapping into the Aqua aesthetic was immediate for me.

AQUA: We begin a new season with a creative brief and then start to discuss with you how the jewellery and clothing collection will work together, could you give us an insight into how this process works for you particularly for the new collection.

SCOTT WILSON: Well we start with lots of discussion around the seasons creative brief, identifying important elements of the clothing collection that I can then take direction for the jewellery from. This includes the key details: Silhouettes, necklines, prints and colours, with Private Benjamin SS13 for example we talked about modern psychedelia, tapping into that bond girl feeling, and creating a Warholesque, cocktail hour vibe and as soon as I came up with the idea of the Logo Hoop Earring and Rapture Ring we knew we were on the right track.

AQUA: Our collections are all about statement dressing, and the jewellery in our collaboration with you certainly reflects that, how do these amazing pieces come to life?

SCOTT WILSON: Scott Wilson x AQUA by AQUA is a capsule collection and it’s philosophy has always been about statement! Each piece has it’s own strong identity within the group, pushing the scale of the piece as much as the statement aspect is a trademark that Aqua by Aqua has developed successfully and it’s a direction that I’m happy within. The combination of the two dynamics creates something no one else dares to do on the high street.

AQUA: We love to have amazing design, great quality and keep everything great value too, how is this achieved in your jewellery collaboration? And how are the pieces made?

SCOTT WILSON: Everything is designed in-house at my studio in East London, I generally design the hero piece of the collection first, which then gives me a firm direction for the rest of the group. I keep an on-going dialogue with the Aqua by Aqua creative team to keep the jewellery on track so that the collaboration develops alongside the clothing collection. I start with sketches, then make prototypes in metal to test the scale and proportion and fit of each piece, before deciding on the finishing and finally the plating colour. 22karat gold plate was the immediate choice for Private Benjamin.

AQUA: Where next for the collaboration?

SCOTT WILSON: I am busy currently working on the new collection, about to make the first samples and looking forward to seeing the Pop Shop collection for A/W13 being available from some cool stores in parts of the world that the collection hasn’t reached before.

IMAGES:
1) Flash Gold Choker
2) Rapture RIng
3) Bounce Gold Bracelet
4) Nu Gold Necklace
5) Logo Hoop Gold Earring

Volt Magazine Edit

Cynthia Lawrence John, Fashion Director at Volt Magazine ♥ Aqua Man. She tells us acid hues are here to stay and how to do effortless cool in beautifully cut t-shirts and colour block shorts from The Platoon Collection.

Published twice yearly, VOLT MAGAZINE is unbound, printed on organic recycled B1 size paper using vegetable based ink and hand folded by 10 people over 3 weeks. Volt magazine is a labour of love showcasing highly original content brought together by a group of photographers, stylists and writers united in their desire for creativity and authenticity.

1) PHASE SHIRT – It’s all in the name with this shirt. In Aqua’s trademark slim fit it phases between a crisp white to an acid green. The sleeves have the interesting detail of being semi transparent.
2) CONTAGION SLEEVELESS T-SHIRT – More is more when it comes to camo. This season Aqua are feeding us with the freshest take on camo. The print is inspired by traditional camouflage but in this particular vest the classic print is combined with an abstract graphic print.
3) PREDATOR SLEEVELESS T-SHIRT – Another fresh take on the camouflage is the predator T-shirt. Rather than opt for the route of merely taking a traditional print and flipping the khakis to acid, the print has been stretched, pulled, pushed and squashed to create an abstract ‘illusion’ of camo with an underlying graphic print of block yellow and grey stripes.
4) NEO VEST – What I like about this vest is it’s classic yet modern feel. The modern being the mesh fabric it is made from. There are whole sites and blog threads dedicated to should men wear vests as outerwear?’. On the whole my sensibilities are slightly ruffled when men do BUT this is one vest that definitely gets a green man walking!
5) LOCKDOWN T-SHIRT/HUSTLER SHORTS – This outfit makes a statement but not with a struggle. The T-shirt and shorts have a modern tailored fit while still having that understated feeling. Styled here with Kicks but this ensemble could just as easily be worn with a knackered pair of DM’s in a light colour.
6) BASE T-SHIRT – Simple tailored white t-shirt yes but not in this case. The base T-shirt sees Aqua playing around subtly with bold geometric shapes, rendering them more abstract than we have seen in previous collections. I am not super keen on blatant logos and graphics on T-shirts, reinventing symbols and shapes to create abstract forms I do find fresh.
7) GREEN FIT JEANS – The Green Fit Jeans are one of those rarities in jeans these days. They do what they say on the tin. A good fit and ‘sans’ any cats whiskers, zebra crotch or machine- made rips and fraying. These are a sterling example of a classic pair of skinny jeans.
8) DIMENSION JACKET – Great classic bomber, with good slim fit and no bulk! Boys beware…this is one of those pieces which any females in your life who know their stuff will be prone to permanently borrow aka nicking off of you.

Designers Edit

We get the info on the latest trends from Paul Beckett, Menswear designer. He’s talks us thorough digital printing for popping colour, reinventing camo and using innovative materials to keep it fashion forward, wearable and comfortable.

‘We always like to experiment and innovate through surprising and non-traditional use of fabrications in the collection and this season we have used a specialty fabric I call Basket Jersey. One of the benefits is that this fabric can be rolled or scrunched and doesn’t easily crease, it always looks great. We have three colours of this a white, navy and pink. I really like this part of the collection because it means that even if you wear it casually all day, you can still wear it out to a club or bar at night’.

‘Another key story in the Mens collection is Neon Camouflage, a fresh update on the camouflage trend that is taking over menswear globally and set to be strong over the next two seasons. We have designed a new take on traditional camouflage by redesigning the shapes and layering them. We injected it with neon-colour and totally re-appropriated the pattern to be bright and bold rather than subdued as camouflage is usually designed to be. To make sure the colours are as strong and vibrant as possible we have digitally printed them which a much more interesting way of printing than using traditional silk screens and inks. The colours really do POP’.

Rockers Issue 2.

ROCKERS ISSUE 2. Girls Edition.

Highly recommend this paper – come – magazine – come – book.

Boobs/Smoking/Girls galore. Only 500 printed and a steal at €15 – comes from Berlin Babes.

Featuring Kates Campaign for Aqua.

Get yours by emailing info@katebellm.com

Aqua Does Extra’s

…we do.

Aqua does Extra’s. Long live The Mixtape. Without delving too much into The Brand history – music has always played a huge part in our culture. So it only made sense for us to offer something to get your weekend started – other than whatever you wear. Deep, I know. Sniff, sniff.

Listen to them HERE

When we met Company Magazine.

Last month Company magazine came over to have a poke around our flat. What I was expecting was a 2 man band, what we got was an entourage. Frantic hoovering at 7am, etc, etc.

We sat, we smiled and we were interviewed.

Octobers issue is out now.

S is for Spring.

We’ve just spent 2 days working on the creative for Spring Summer 13. Exhausting. Elating. Fuelled mostly by sugar.

Amazing crew. Now to cross the Ocean.