Chantelle Fiddy: http://www.chantellefiddy.blogspot.com/
About: Chantelle Fiddy is a journalist and renowned commentator on London's grime scene, whose music credentials include penning for Ctrl.Alt.Shift, RWD Magazine, Mixmag, Sunday Times Style and Dazed & Confused as well as presenting on Channel 4's 'Generation Next' and making multiple appearance on BBC Radio 1's Review Show. You'll mostly find her online.
What band's style influenced you at school? As a teen I was musically confused. My love for jungle and happy hardcore clashed on a daily basis with a growing appreciation for the likes of Morcheeba, Moloko and The Counting Crows. Random I know. Then there were the staple favourites - TLC, Salt & Pepper, Snoop Dogg... It's no wonder then that I changed my bag as often as the disc in my portable CD player (looking back, how the hell did we even fit those in our pockets?).
Describe your school style or you’re favourite accessory? As a result of my broadened musical horizons my school style flitted between record bags and (hideous) rave jackets (I hereby admit to rocking a Technics number) to holding my (entire mop of unbrushed) hair up with felt tip pens and wearing leg warmers alongside my yellow shirt and green blazer. I also attempted some trend setting early on, opting for the skirt over trouser look long before actual combo's went on sale on the high street. Probably not something to shout about.
Bags Inspiration: Chantelle collaborated with London based artist Wayne Chisnall to create her bag, coming up with a design that centred around sending messages to their younger selves. “Wayne’s dad was a tattooist and artist, and I’m a country girl which is where the hand-painted artwork and wild flowers come in. The crossed guns and flower design echo the 60s peace movement and the slogan reads ‘Fire with what you’ve got’, which is basically saying, work with and be happy with what you’ve got, and ‘be good at being you’. I also remembered lots of my favourite Happy hardcore logos used gun symbols, and as for the badges, they're from my massive badge collection but are applied in a very neat and tidy way - rare for me!"
Wayne Chisnall: http://waynechisnall.blogspot.com
What band's style influenced you at school? 80’s...Depeche Mode, I had Goth leans at one point, The Damned, Nick Cave.
Describe your school style or you’re favourite accessory? New romantic….Large, trousers zip tucked into boots. I had an old green canvas military kit bag that I used to lug around with me when I travelled around the country, following bands on their tours. These kit bags were a bit of a trend amongst some members of the alternative scene at the time and we used to decorate them with graffiti (and playful insults if we managed to scribble on someone else's bag when they weren't looking) and logos from our favourite bands.
We love Chantelle & Wayne's fresh take on the Converse duffel! Keep an eye on the blog for our final Converse installment!
