KABK The Hague Fashion Show 2017

Roos Boshart

The Fashion & Textile department of the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague held their annual Fashion show on Saturday June 17.
The class of 2017 is a rather small class of four graduates, however all four profiled themselves in their own authentic way.

Roos Boshart presented the collection 'I am a slave of your perception, you are a slave of mine'. With this collection she explored the interaction between the body, the self and the other. 'By taking iconic and recognizable fashion pieces, which I presentwithout any context, I show the pure core of clothing in relation to the body.
Questions I investigated were, amongst others, how do we perceive each other and how can we influence this? How does fashion play a role in how we see ‘the other’?

Rachael Cheong presented an intruiging proposal titled 'We Know What You Are Hiding',  a collection that is build around the idea of dolls as the keeper of secrets. 'They sit in your room, watch everything you do, know what you mutter in your sleep and know your deepest, darkest secrets. Taking my obsession with dolls to another level, the body of a doll is seen as a surrogate body onto which we project ourselves.'

Thalojna Slui
'Out of Touch is based on schizophrenia and the sense of losing reality. Also, I got intrigued by Jean Dubuffet and Outsiders Art, and used that as inspiration to create my own installation. I hope to convey a message that although you might be suffering from a mental illness, the world you experience is still complete. It’s all a matter of perspective.'

Veronika Konvickova showed a romantic womenswear collection 'Silent Wonderlust' inspired by the relationship between silence and sound. 'It involves the search to escape the constant motion of a busy life and never-ending noise. I would like to inspire people to seek more silence in their life and surroundings, to slow down and take more time to reconnect with their inner self'.

In addition to the graduates the show also featured experiments by first year, ethnical and historical costumes. The stand-outs in the 2nd year where Lina Lau, Trumaine Huijts and Vincent Wong and the in the 3rd year students promising proposals where displayed by Laura Snijders, Nina Dekker, Yuki Ito and Nina Dekker.
Next to the shows there was an exhibition 'Exposed' where also the textiles students such as Joana Schneider and Min Gweon presented their work.

Take a look at the show highlights below
All images by brankopopovicblog

Craig Green - Spring 2018

Craig Green - spring 2018 collection at London Fashion Week
craig-green.com

Future Petroleum by Annika Kappner

Future Petroleum by Annika Kappner at Marres during FASHIONCLASH Festival
Date: 1 July
Time: 1.30 – 2.30 pm and 3.30 – 4.30 pm

Future Petroleum by Annika Kappner is an installation performance adapted for The Painted Bird at Marres to create a multi-sensorial tableau vivant that envelops the viewers. The work explores the layering of perception and the consumption of experiences offered by the fashion and entertainment industries, the corporate world and the art world. It wonders what form of energy source the vast stream of images that are created and consumed on a daily basis will eventually yield.

Annika Kappner (DE, 1980) crafts multi-sensory experiences in the extended field of painting, by reverting principles of virtual and digital realities into the analogue realm to create glitches in perception. Prompted by her experience as an investment banker, her work targets the evolution of consciousness in relation to mental patterns and the underlying forces that shape their systemic counterparts in nature, visual arts, technology and science. She is a co-founder of the cross-modal artist collective Elephants & Volcanoes. Performers: Fina Anjou (SE), Nicola Baratto (IT), Karolien Buurman (NL), Arie de Fijter (BE), Aurélien Lepetit (FR).

Future Petroleum is made with the support of the AFK (Amsterdam Fund for the Arts). The performance is part of Fashion Makes Sense, the 9th edition of FASHIONCLASH Festival in Maastricht (June 29 – July 2). www.fashionclash.nl

Tickets

ArtEZ Fashion Show 2017

Ruby Russell

On Thursday 1st and Friday 2nd of June the Bachelor Fashion Design of ArtEZ Institute of the Arts Arnhem presented its graduating fashion students . The catwalk shows took place in the renowed Musis in Arnhem. First part of the show contained work from the "Lobby Boy" project by first year students. Followed by 'Collectie Arnhem 2017' the collective work of the third year students entiteld "Freedom! Inconvenience! Madness! And a hard-boiled egg".

After that, the main part of the show featured a 19 graduation collections. Mostly the menswear collection radiated freshness and attitude. Lizzy Stuyfzand and Ruby Russell are selected for Lichting 2017, and Lucas van der Velde and Raisa Kok are finalists for Mittelmoda Fashion Award 24st Edition.
From June 28th till July 2nd the graduated fashion designers will exhibit during “ArtEZ Finals” at Oude Kraan 26, near the Rietveld building at Onderlangs 9 in Arnhem. https://finals.artez.nl/discipline/Mode

All 2017 graduates:
Anna Anastazija Celic FOLLOWSUIT
Monique de Bruin CONVEX | CONCAVE
Christina Sotiropoulou NUMINOUS
Nine Parre CROSS THE LINE
Joséphine van Mastrigt 945142020//IDENTT
Maria Vogt МЕНЯ ЗОВУТ МAШA (My name is Macha)
Lucas van der Velde SHIFTING BEAUTY
Raisa Kok NOT ANOTHER CAMELOT
Mette Zijlema BROKE AS *$#@&%! (Broke as F*ck!)
Lawin Ramelinck AUX MERVEILLEUSES …
Roxy van Bemmel PLEASE FEEL FREE TO PISS IN THE GARDEN
Maxine van Kampen FÉLIN
Victor Klijsen VICTORIA
Francis Ames IS THAT ALL THERE IS?
Eva Sieljes ONLY GRAB THE TOP OF THE BLADE
Leroy van Halen OCH, WAS IK MAAR [BIJ MOEDER THUIS GEBLEVEN]
Rixt Rooks ROALDITE
Lizzy Stuyfzand CALL ME MAGPIE
Ruby Russell REBECCA AND HER DAUGHTERS

http://arnhemfashiondesign.nl/en

Highlights from the show
all images by brankopopovicblog 

Collectie Arnhem 2017

Antwerp Fashion Show 2017

Sanan Gasanov

The Fashion department at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts held its traditional year-end show on 2 and 3 June. The highly anticipated fashion show is the must-see event where fashion enthusiasts and industry professionals from Belgium and abroad can discover the latest fashion talents.

The Antwerp Fashion department is considered one of the most important and influential fashion schools in the world and known for being the breeding ground for fashion talent. The famous ‘Antwerp Six’ (Walter Van Beirendonck, Dries Van Noten, Marina Yee, Dirk Van Saene, Dirk Bikkembergs and Ann Demeulemeester) and Martin Margiela graduated from institute at the beginning of the 1980s. The list continues with Haider Ackermann, Kris Van Assche, Raf Simons, Demna Gvasalia and so on.

The 4-hour show that took place at Park Spoor Noord is a spectacular explosion of creativity. The show starts with experimental creations in the first year. Followed by the magical ethnical and historical costumes and promising 2nd year students such as Brendon Wen, Yelizaveta Volosovska and Marie Martens. The show continues with the 3rd year bachelor collections from designers such as Asha Swillens, Quinten Mestdagh and Noa Kapchitz.

Asha Swillens

Marta Twarowska

The class of 2017 is the biggest group of Master students to date, 18 designers presented their master collections and undoubtedly some of them will make it in the industry. One to remember is Rushemy Botter already got noticed at VFILES in New York last year after he went viral because of Young Thug who wore one of his looks. Marta Twarowska's collection is inspired by her growing up in the post-communist Poland. The masks she designed for the styling made it onto this year's show campaign.

Ken Boonsong Thaodee designed a collection out of paper and cardboard, re-interpreting silhouettes of the 50's and 60's couture. With this colletion he questioned the value of a garment. 'The things we make in the class cost a lot of time, work and money, but at the end of the year, when everything is finished, everything you make just ends up hanging in a closet at home. Only for a very short period of time, we attach a certain meaning to those pieces. I wondered: what if clothing was less strong and durable, what if clothing was more fragile?'

Woojic Jo

Iuliia Gulina presented 'My Angel Likes It Rough' collection with striking masks looking like the models came out the Avatar movie. For the prints she collaborated with the designer German Lavrovsky.

Woojic Jo presented a well-tailored menswear collection with a twist of humor. Being a fan of Mt Bean, the starting point for the collection 'Bean's tailoring' was the question he asked, 'What if Mr Bean were a tailor?'. One of the striking looks contains a giant turkey-shaped tweed mask accompanied with an English-cut suit.  

Sander Bos proposal was a womenswear collection 'Dames' ('ladies' in Dutch), a word that is derived from 'domestication', the actuall overall theme for his collection. Starting from his personal experience in his family he dove into research of various artists focusing on topics 'God', 'Skin' and 'Surrounding'.  Nastasia Fine was inspired by dolls. 'For me they perfectly represent the spirit of woman who have a body like a child but who can also be very sexual'.

Sander Bos

Sanan Gasanov dove into family archives, discovering his grandmother's embroideries made by hand seventy years ago. Although he has never met his grandma, she died before his birth, this project felt like a spirutual collaboration with her. 'I feel spiritually connected to my grandmother and I know her through stories my family told me. The title of this collection is a pun, 'GRAND_MA' stands for 'grand master' - because receiving my Master's degree from this school is a huge deal - and 'grandma' speaks for itself. I thought it was beautiful how it all came together.'

With words of Sanan I can only add that it is such a delight to see the work of all this passionate and hardworking designers who show stay true to their believes and personal life stories. Life itself is afterall the everlasting mystery driving us into sublime thoughts and dreams.


Below some more highlights from many talented designers who showed their work.
All images are by brankopopovicblog.

www.antwerp-fashion.be

Brandon Wen

David Ring

Iuliia Gulina

SHI[R]T

Do you wear a SHIT-SHIRT?

SHI[R]T is an innovative platform that focusses on transparency, honesty and locally produced garments, founded by Eva Wagensveld and Jeffrey Heiligers. The online platform offers a collection of progressive, young designers that get a chance to put their garments on the market and sell them. Inspired by the Fashion Manifesto of Lidewij Edelkoort; “How can a garment be cheaper then a sandwich?” the two designers started this initiative. The goal is to create awareness about the buying behaviour in our society and the impact it has on the environment. “We noticed that a lot of people do not make conscious purchases when they shop.” according to the founders Eva en Jeffrey. “With this platform we want to make them more aware of their buying behaviour and change this.”

Encouraging a conscious choice when it comes to buying clothes has been a starting point of SHI[R]T. Focussing on bringing designers together that embrace a sustainable vision towards fashion and society. The platform distinguishes itself by giving designers the freedom to form a unique mix of sustainable production methods and / or material use. SHI[R]T shows that sustainable clothes do not necessarily have to be dull but can be very innovative and inspiring.

To interact with society SHI[R]T asks the following question: “How much do you value a T-shirt?”. You can donate money in exchange for a SHI[R]T. The money raised will be used to continue the development of the platform for young and upcoming talent with a sustainable vision.

The initiative will be launched during the opening evening of FASHIONCLASH Festival, focussing on the topic ‘Does fashion make sense’ in Maastricht on June 30 - July 2.

More information and a video are showcased at our website www.shitshirt.nl.

About Eva Wagensveld 
Eva Wagensveld (1992) is co-founder of SHI[R]T and has her own sustainable label named BLACKBLEACH. During her studies Fashion & Design at AMFI she had always been fascinated by the amount of waste in the fashion industry. After her graduation collection based on the mass consumer culture, Eva wanted to commit to change. By designing her garments out of second-hand items and left-over fabrics she found a solution that suits her impulsive design aesthetics. This makes every item unique and carrying three stories: The previous owner, the story of BLACKBLEACH and the new owner.

About Studio Jeffrey Heiligers 
Jeffrey Heiligers (1988) is co-founder of SHI[R]T that he founded together with Eva Wagensveld. After his studies in mechanical engineering he graduated from the Design Academy Eindhoven in 2014, within the departement ‘Men and Well-Being’. With his own label Studio Jeffrey Heiligers he reflects on both disciplines and combines technology, movement and the human body. His graduation project ‘Posture’ shows a new angle within the fashion industry. He designed garments that not only focus on their appearance but also have a technical aspect to them. By re-designin the back pattern of a garment he provides a simple solution to remind the user to sit up straight.

Ji Won Choi

Ji Won Choi is one of the winners of the Parsons x Kering Empowering Imagination award. Together with designer Emma Cleveland she has won the mentorship from Kering and $10,000 to invest in their brand. 

'The concept of my thesis collection is entirely about highlighting consumer waste in our society and our habits to possess in our closets much more than what is actually worn. My work is a visual statement of this issue of waste through graphic symbolism and construction. The design of each garment is developed from the concept of a stripe to symbolize an “item” in our closets and is multiplied to create a visual representation of an average closet. Various elements within my garments can easily be manipulated in order to create multiple silhouettes; thus, creating more options of wear and decreasing the need to keep adding more items to our closets.' source: vogue.com

HERMIONE FLYNN - LAWLESS

Hermione Flynn presents a new collection 'LAWLESS'. 

Berlin based designer, Hermione Flynn presents another strong concept collection 'LAWLESS'.
In line with her previous work Hermione is gaining momentum with her unique design vision and style that goes beyond trend and seasons. Recently she has showed the collection at Hyères Festival where she was one of the nominees of this prestigious annual prize. In 2016 she has won the 2nd KALTBLUT Magazine Award at FASHIONCLASH Festival.

"As technology advances exponentially, the law as we currently know it struggles to maintain authority. Physical borders have become redundant in the face of an uncontrollable, lawless digital realm. It is the prospect of “lawless-ness” which is at the heart of the new HERMIONE FLYNN concept collection."

“LAWLESS”
As a point of departure, FLYNN staged a technological experiment featuring long-term dance collaborator, Moo Kim, and the use of a 3D Sensor Motion Capture system. Through this work, FLYNN explored how the limitations of the technology and the physical body, translated onto a digital figure. The most profound result portrayed a digital figure who did not recognize the “borders” of their own “flesh” or “skin” – arms passed through the torso, legs dissected one another, the head punctuated through the shoulders…

Utilizing the imagery, FLYNN has developed a collection which features classic menswear items, yet caters to the misplacement or duplication of limbs, portraying the physical realizations of a “borderless” or “lawless” reality. With a specific focus on the Western attire of the predominantly white, male law-makers, garments such as work suits, blazers, shirts, and trench-coats have been twisted, shifted, duplicated and reversed, creating an allusion of political disturbance and disorientation.

Photographer: Fredrik Altinell
Assistant: Halla Farhat
MUA: Francesca Maffi
Models: Ben Brun, Golo Pauleit, Joanna Krawczyk, Piere Luigi (VIVA Models)

hermioneflynn.com

Encounter with Emir Medic

Meet Emir Medic, an emerging designer based in Hamburg (Germany), originally from Doboj (Bosnia and Herzegovina). In addition to his self titled fashion brand he works as a costume designer for various theatre companies and productions. Recently he presented his latest collection during Sarajevo Fashion Week. While following his work online and after the release of the new collection I got curious to find out more about Emir and his aspirations. 

Have a look at Emir Medic's latest collection and read what he has to say about his work.

BP: Can you tell me something about the inspiration behind the collection?
 
EM: In a dialog with Caroline Hauff’s pictures the impulse arouse to work with boundlessness time and perception. We create collages from our own inspiration. The past and the future exist only as non-measurable time, more so as a spiritual abstraction. Wouldn’t it be fascinating to consciously experience things our mind hides from us? I discovered the answer to this question in my collection „Infinite AW17/18“. I’m experimenting in many ways and trying to grow with every collection. This collection is a collage inspired by materials and forms, by the feeling that it transports when carried and being looked at.  

Emir Medic

BP:What do you aspire with your 'fashion brand'? 
 
EM: I do not think that my goals are any different than those of other young designers. For now, I am looking to place my label in specific stores and online-shops. To start off, the collection will be available on my website. In the near future I would like to expand my studio and maybe even move it to Bosnia, but all in due time. The importance is never to lack new ideas and motivation.

FASHIONCLASH Festival 2017 - Program

L'EGSQERE
photo Photography Anouk Nitsche

WHAT TO EXPECT!

Fashion Makes Sense, 9th edition of FASHIONCLASH Festival 2017
29 June - 2 July 2017 | Maastricht

The unique four-day fashion festival FASHIONCLASH promises to exceed all expectations with unique work from more than 150 young designers and artists from all over the world including countries such as Italy, Spain, China, Switzerland, The Netherlands, France, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Uruguay, Australia, United Kingdom and Belgium. Expect extraordinary fashion shows, crossover theatre and dance performance, the wilfully 9th edition of Clash Project and the Fashion Makes Sense LAB especially composed for this edition. This LAB will include expositions, a designer market, workshops and fashion talks. Moreover, the long expected opening of the new incubator, the Forza Fashion House Maastricht will also be part of this year’s edition. FASHIONCLASH is a unique opportunity to stimulate your senses, to be inspired by the world of fashion, to meet new upcoming international fashion talents and obviously to enjoy the fashion city of Maastricht.

Sepideh Ahadi
Photo Dennis Leiding

What can you expect?
Take a look at fashionclash.nl and the complete FCF 2017 participants list.


Practical information

When: from Thursday 29 June to Sunday 2 July 2017.

Locations: - Festival Main venue (30 June – 2 July): SAMdecorfabriek, Meerssenerweg 215, Maastricht - Opening Forza Fashion House Maastricht (29 June): 2nd floor LAB Building/The Radium, Lage Frontweg 2A.

Other locations: Jan van Eyck Academy, Marres and Thiessen Wijnkoopers

Tickets: FASHIONCLASH Festival is accessible for everyone and mostly free (excl. the fashion shows). Tickets for fashion shows are available in presale online for €12,50, tickets are available at the door for €15, students get a discount and pay €5 at the door. Tickets are available at www.fashionclash.nl and during the festival at SAMdecorfabriek.

Robert Mapplethorpe - Kunsthal Rotterdam

From Saturday 22 April the Kunsthal Rotterdam will present a large-scale retrospective of the life and work of Robert Mapplethorpe (1946-1989), one of the most influential artists and photographers of the 20th century. More than two decades after his death, his work remains controversial and tests the limits of what is artistically possible. The exhibition offers an impressive survey of his career, from early works in the late 1960s to the art world success he established in the 1980s.

More info: kunsthal.nl

Rob Elford - The Vacanti Man

The Vacanti Man explores an allegorical visual narrative of pixelated body horror inspired by the experiments of Charles Vacanti, who cultivated human limbs under a subject’s skin. It explores Freudian, quasi-religious projections of masculinity, which are represented by the reoccurring imagery of the eye and the hand. The hands and arms originate from 3d scans of actual limbs. These have then been subjected to a literal process of decimation, where a computerised algorithm reduces the original scan data into simplified tessellated shapes. This decimation explores the reductionist nature of masculinized gender norms and current political trends of backwards facing social conservatism.
The project consists of a series of exaggerated and fantastical sculptural accessory pieces. Each piece is 3d printed in full-colour sandstone.

https://www.robelford.co.uk

Fashion Revolution Week

Have you ever asked yourself who made your clothes?

It's Fashion Revolution Week, meaning the ethics of the £2 trillion industry.

Today marks the four year anniversary of the Rana Plaza factory collapse in Bangladesh, in which 1,138 garment factory workers were killed and a further 2,500 people injured.

Now in it’s third year, Fashion Revolution Week remembers those that had their lives cut short in the name of fast fashion and works to improve the conditions and wages of the 75 million garment workers across the globe.

Fashion Revolution was co-founded in London by fashion designers Orsola de Castro and Carry Somers.

The movement has now spread to almost 100 countries. It has support from celebrities and big names in fashion including Stella McCartney, Lily Cole, Livia Firth and Lauren Laverne.

Globally the fashion industry is worth more than £2 trillion. At least six of the world’s top 20 richest people listed on Forbes billionaires list are in retail - including Amancio Ortega from Zara, and Bernard Arnault CEO of luxury goods conglomerate LMVH.
At the other end of the scale, 90 per cent of cotton farmers and factory workers have no possibility of negotiating their wages or conditions.

"Have you ever wondered who makes your clothes? How much they’re paid and what their lives are like?," asks Orsola de Castro. "Eighty percent of them are women between the ages of 18 and 24. Many of the people who make our clothes live in poverty. This needs to change.” 

How can you contribute?
Take part in Fashion Revolution Week! Take a label selfie, tag the brand and ask them #whomademyclothes on Twitter and Instagram account.
Last year, #whomademyclothes reached 129 million people through 70,000 posts. Around 1,200 brands responded, some with an opaque link to their CSR policy, others with detailed information and even photos of the garment workers.

More information about Fashion Revolution Week: http://fashionrevolution.org

Sruli Recht develops transparent leather

 Sruli Recht develops world's first transparent leather for latest fashion collection 

Fashion designer Sruli Recht used translucent cow skin leather to create the Apparition collection for Dutch company ECCO. The collection is the result of a three-year project, during which Recht and a team from ECCO's Netherlands leather lab aimed to create the world's first transparent cow-hide leather.

Sruli Recht is often noted for his innovative – and sometimes controversial – use of materials. In the past, the designer has made use of blackbirds and stillborn lambs, leather made from dolphin skin, and even a slice of skin surgically removed from his own belly.
More information: http://eccoleather.com/en/apparition

http://srulirecht.com

Il Bussetto “Shaped by the sea”

 Shaped by the sea  
“Shaped by the sea” is a journey through a man’s memories. Looking through mementos his past, this film is a jump into a series of events that have shaped his and his son’s heart. This film stands as the journey that every man makes at one point in his life, a search for one’s identity filled with excitement, anticipation and wonder. It’s the nostalgic feeling of what has been, of past love story comfortable in your knowledge that this journey has led you to the confident man you’ve become.


Credits:
Directors: Lamyna ( Lapo Bernini and Yu sung Cho)
Agency: Straypeople 1/AC: Eleonora Castiello
Gaffer : Elena Minotti Styling - Erica Suzuki
Make/up - Alice Fantini
Set Design/PropMaster - Martina Nardulli
Audio - Luca Mezzadra
Set PH - Paola De Marini
Actors:
- Man: Ludovico Colella
- Young Man:: Michele Gobbi
- Young Woman:: Erica Suzuki

Il Bussetto
Il Bussetto was founded in 2004 by Mauro Gobbi in Milan. The luxury accessories brand focuses on small leather goods devoid of any seams, moulded together through a unique Tuscan leather craft technique. This process allows for no weak points, making each piece strong, resistant and durable. The brand expresses both tradition and modernity with its range of unique and recognisable handmade products. The range includes wallets, cases, bags, watches and accessories, with each piece made more personal by the natural ageing of the finest Italian leather.

www.ilbussetto.it

BIO Lamyna
Born in the same year (1987) on the opposite sides of the world, Lapo Bernini and Yu sung Cho grew up with the same passion: telling stories through video. Graduates from the Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera, as a directing duo they combine their experience as Assistant Director and Operator/Camera Assistant for several commercials, TV shows and documentaries. Their most recent work - CAMO Movie Collection Ep 01 - was featured on Vogue Italia and won Best Video of the Day on the online video platform Votd.