25 Faces to watch in 2009
Age: 18
Stomping Ground: London
Could be the next: Daniel Radcliffe
You might have recognised Alex from the kids’ action movie Stormbreaker when he was a young’un, or maybe one of the three Burberry campaigns he’s shot. He also starred alongside Emma Roberts in teen flick Wild Child.
Amy Bangs
Name: Ed Westwick
Age: 21
Stomping Ground: London and New York
Could be the next: Jake Gyllenhaal
Stop the press –Gossip Girl’s smooth-talking transatlantic playboy Chuck Bass is actually from Stevenage. When he’s not acting, Ed’s a budding musician (he sings in his band The Filthy Youth when he’s back in London). He might have to put his rock-star aspirations to the side though, as he’s been cast in the sequel to Donnie Darko and is the new face of K-Swiss shoes.
Amy Bangs
Name: Florence and the Machine
Genre: Folk with attitude
Stomping ground: London
Could be the next: Cat Power
First place in the 2009 BRITs Critics' Choice selection and third in the BBC's sounds of 2009 is a great start towards superstardom. But then having the backing of indie prima donna Johnny Borrell of Razorlight fame writing some of your tracks is surely a guarantee. Quirky lyrics and a boho sound are definitely going to be the order of 2009.
Alexander McNamara
Name: William Tempest
Stomping ground: London
Could be the next: Christopher Kane
This up-and-coming 22-year-old just missed out on winning last year’s Fashion Fringe, but kept himself on our radars by winning the Vauxhall Scout Merit Award. His name is on everyone’s lips now, as celebrities such as Emma Watson and Nadine Coyle have worn his pieces. William has previously worked for fashion maestros such as Giles Deacon and Jean Charles de Castelbajac, which may have helped shape his colourful, theatrical designs. We love his bright colourful pieces – they’re perfect for cheering us up in the middle of a dreary winter!
Natalie Berry
Name: Aaron Johnson
Age: 18
Stomping Ground: London
Could be the next: Nicholas Hoult
Aaron might be a familiar face, thanks to his roles in The Illusionist and Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging. He caught our eye, though, playing indie prodigy Owen in Nearly Famous, which probably helped him land the lead role in Nowhere Boy, in which he’ll play a young John Lennon.
Amy Bangs
Name:Kimberley Nixon
Age: 23
Stomping Ground: London
Could be the next: Keira Knightley
Kimberley could well be on the way to teen-icon status, with roles in Wild Child and Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging getting her fans the world over. She’s also landed the female lead in coming-of-age drama Cherrybomb withHarry Potter’s Rupert Grint – making a man of Ron Weasley is certainly one way to get noticed!
Amy Bangs
Name:Benga
Genre: Dubstep
Stomping ground: Croydon (yes we know)
Could be the next: Skream
This music producer from Croydon has been instrumental in developing the dubstep sound, which apparently all the kids are listening to. Its fusion of South London dubstep/East London grime with a twist of electro mean 2009 could be the year Benga makes it to the mainstream.
Alexander McNamara
Name: Alex Pettyfer
Age: 18
Stomping Ground: London
Could be the next: Daniel Radcliffe
You might have recognised Alex from the kids’ action movie Stormbreaker when he was a young’un, or maybe one of the three Burberry campaigns he’s shot. He also starred alongside Emma Roberts in teen flick Wild Child.
Amy Bangs
Name:Dakota Blue Richards
Age: 14
Stomping Ground: London
Could be the next: Drew Barrymore
Dakota got her big break when she played Lyra in The Golden Compass – given that she starred alongside Daniel Craig, we can safely say that it was the most jealous we’ve ever been of an 11-year-old . She also has a starring role in 2009’s The Story of Moonacre.
Amy Bangs
Name: Dev Patel
Age: 18
Stomping Ground: London
Could be the next:Gael Garcia Bernal
We had assumed that Dev was a one-trick pony after seeing him play funny guy Anwar on Skins – typical, then, that he’s now got award nominations coming at him left, right and centre thanks to his lead role in Slumdog Millionaire! Dev’s BAFTA nomination alongside Hollywood heavyweights Brad Pitt and Sean Penn only confirms his talent.
Amy Bangs
Name: Erdem
Stomping ground: London
Could be the next: Louise Goldin
Erdem is renowned for his representations of romance; his SS09 collection is elegant and ethereal, with pastel colours, French lace and ruffles all featuring. His clothing range is stocked anywhere and everywhere prestigious, with London Harvey Nichols, Harrods, Liberty and Selfridges queuing up to stock his designs. He won 2005’s Fashion Fringe and more recently scooped the £50,000 BFC Fashion Enterprise Award. Currently Erdem is busy creating a range of luxury accessories, including a range of sunglasses.
Natalie Berry
Name: Robert Pattinson
Age: 22
Stomping Ground: London
Could be the next: David Boreanez
Until the Twilight premiere, we had never before seen such hysteria surrounding one individual; Robert has some kind of psychological hold over the teens of the world (looking at him, we do kind of see what they mean). Not to mention that he actually can act; after he’s done with Twilight, Robert will probably be able to hand-pick any role he wants.
Amy Bangs
Name: Chipmunk
Genre: Dirty dirty grime
Stomping ground: East London – obviously?!
Could be the next: Dizzee Rascal
Not in any way associated with Alvin and his squeaky brothers, Chipmunk is the latest hope of the London Grime scene. What’s grime you ask? A combo of garage, drum and bass and hip hop. Despite being only 17, he's already won Best UK Newcomer at the 2008 MOBO awards and even though he’s called Chipmunk, we advise you NOT to attempt to squeeze his cheeks.
Alexander McNamara
Name: Hayley Atwell
Age: 26
Stomping Ground: London
Could be the next: Emma Thompson
Hayley has undergone a meteoric rise after becoming Woody Allen’s muse and starring in Cassandra’s Dream in 2007. She’s got an old-fashioned charm about her, as previous roles in The Duchess and Brideshead Revisited have shown, but she’ll be stretching her abilities to a more modern setting in upcoming TV drama The Prisoner.
Amy Bangs
Name: Little Boots
Genre: Electro
Stomping ground: Blackpool
Could be the next: Lovefoxx
Not daunted at the tender age of 16 ny her failure in Pop Idol, 24 year old Little Boots (real name Victoria Hesketh) decided to pick up the zany Tenori-on, the instrument favoured by the Japanese avant garde, and drop the pop in favour of delightfully seductive electo beats. Her little moments of genius have landed her the top spot in the BBC's sounds of 2009 and with the weight of Hot Chip behind her to refine the pure synthy sound, we can see why.
Alexander McNamara
Name: Noel Clarke
Age: 33
Stomping Ground:London
Could be the next: Ben Affleck
Noel’s acting skills are truly multi-faceted – he’s gone from edgy, urban roles in Kidulthood and Adulthood (which he also wrote!), yet was equally appealing as comic relief in Doctor Who. He’s also just won the BAFTA ‘Rising Star’ award, making him a dead-cert success for 2009.
Amy Bangs
Name: La Roux
Genre:80s-endorsed electro pop
Stomping ground: Brixton, London
Could be the next: Human League
With our belts tightening and our wallets being squeezed we may be subconsciously wishing ourselves back to a time when mobile phones, big sunglasses and electronic watches meant we had money to burn. La Roux (meaning the Red Hair One in French) is more than happy to bring back our love for the opulent 80s with her sexy synthy electro. <a href=”http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=LMBNZ6mDSYk”> Check out her video for Quicksand</a> and you'll be fooled into dusting off your big sister's wide shouldered jacket and leg warmers.
Alexander McNamara
Name: Lois Winstone
Stomping ground: London
Could be the next: Dita Von Teese
Some of our favourite style icons are sisters: Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, Peaches and Pixie Geldof, Paris and Nicky Hilton – but they’ve got competition in the form of Jaime and Lois Winstone! Like her sibling, Lois is no stranger to the red carpet, but it’s her new role as the face of Ann Summers that is set to grant her style-icon status. Lois brings a sexy and sophisticated look to the new burlesque range, which embodies Dita Von Teese-esque glamour.
Natalie Berry
Name:Master Shortie
Genre: Happy happy Hip Hop
Stomping ground: South London
Could be the next: Kanye West
2009 looks set for another big crossover and this year it could well be the hip hop and electro sets that are putting their gloves down and embracing each other. Could this cheeky chap be the one to pass the olive branch between your neon clad Shoreditch ravers and their new found low trousered brethren?
Alexander McNamara
Name: Olivia Rubin
Stomping ground: London
Could be the next: Matthew Williamson
British born Olivia Rubin is taking fashion by storm and 2009 is set to be another busy and successful year. Her pieces are strong, bold, refreshing and bright, with the main focus of her latest collection being distinctive, colour-rich prints. To make her signature styles and unique cuts available to everybody, Olivia is designing a collection for ASOS, which is set to launch in March – get in line!
Natalie Berry
Name: VV Brown
Genre:Soul for the dance generation
Stomping ground: Northampton
Could be the next: Amy Winehouse
VV Brown's catchy and poppy tracks ache with soul. Eschewing the standard six strings in favour for one on the guitar, this multi instrumentalist is going to be causing a stir on the scene with perhaps a little bit more dignity than Ms Winehouse.
Alexander McNamara
Name: Rebecca Hall
Age: 26
Stomping Ground: London
Could be the next: Cate Blanchett
Rebecca’s been acting since she was ten, with experience on the stage and on the box preparing her for her first cinematic roles in Brit-com Starter For Ten and dramatic blockbuster The Prestige. She also acted inFrost/Nixon, and got herself a Golden Globe nomination for her work in Vicky Cristina Barcelona – a pretty good way to kick off your career!
Amy Bangs
Name: Tolula Adeyemi
Stomping ground: London
Could be the next: Daisy Lowe
She's gorgeous and has red-hot style - no wonder luxury sportswear label Hari snapped up Tolula to be their new face. The newly discovered British model is Vivienne Westwood’s latest muse, and will be walking in her London Fashion Week show alongside last year’s model-of-the-moment Daisy Lowe. The designer also picked her to be part of her current Gold Label campaign, which was shot by Jurgen Teller.
Natalie Berry
Name: White Lies
Genre:Moody indie
Stomping ground: West London
Could be the next: Ian Curtis
Sounding like a mix of Joy Division and The Killers, this moody indie band have been picking up speed in 2008 and now look set to make us realise we aren't the only people who are looking a bit glum at the moment. That said, they'll be smiling soon no doubt with a predicted number one hit and a spot on the <a href=”http://www.nme.com/news/white-lies/42326”>ShockWaves NME Awards Tour.</a>
Alexander McNamara
Name: Felder Felder
Stomping ground: London
Could be the next: Colette Dinnigan
These German-born twin sisters studied at Central Saint Martin’s, then launched their own brand in 2006. The label quickly won the attention of the international press and editors with their signature rock ‘n’ roll style. Their first two seasons featured studded leather, oversized buckles and skimpy black dresses, but this year’s collection sees a move towards very feminine and elegant styling, with romantic pastel colours, lots of silk and loose, flowing ruffles.
Natalie Berry
Name: Matthew Robert Smith
Age: 26
Stomping Ground:London
Could be the next: David Tennant
Matt was revealed to be the newDoctor Who at the beginning of the year, and he’s been generating media buzz ever since. The newest photos of him show a darker, more serious Doctor than his predecessor, but we’re definitely fans of the new Timelord!
Amy Bangs
