BRANKOPOPOVICBLOG: HKU Fashion Graduation Show 2019

Armia Yousefi

On June 26th, at in Utrecht, HKU fashion design graduates showcased their final collections.
'THE DON'T KNOW SHOW expressed perfectly the free spirt of the class of 2019. Designers who had approached their projects more experimentally showed the interesting proposals such as Esra Copur who with her project 'Programmed Society' analysed the society’s daily habits and routines in relation to consumer behaviour. She wants to portray people as programmed individuals who are constantly buying items because of the routine they got stuck in. Or Iris Otten who showed a performance with models attached to objects, struggling with imposed restrictions. She visualised her project with a live performance and in a fashion film.
Studio Noij (by twins Dafne and Nikki Noij) researched the role of the traditional cliches of The Netherlands such as tulips and windmills and the contradiction that these nostalgic symbols do not play a role in the contemporary Dutch culture.
Jiske Kosian addressed the mental issues such as burn-out epidemy. With her collection she aims to break the taboo surrounding negative emotions in particular in regard to men, and to address that vulnerability can exist without diminishing masculinity.
Sophie Wantia presented a playful collection 'Need to Play' as an antidote to the daily pressures, both in society as well as in design methods. While Laila El Alaoui got inspired by hyperreal tourism, Anouk van Kampen Wieling sent her models to a journey to Rockall in Atlantic Ocean, posing a question: How do you prepare for a yourney to nothing?
Armia Yousefi impressed with a personal collection inspired by his Persian heritage, mythology, politics and old photos of his parents' wedding. "The photos date from the late 1970s and were taken in Tehran during the revolution. I was inspired to design my own wedding scenario, and I made a collection that includes elements such as mythology, romance and mixed martial arts."

Featured fashion designers: Leila El Alaoui, Dewi Barend, Esra Copur, Kim Fransen, Janique Hamers, Melanie Hazeleger, Patrick Hiemstra, Eef Hietbrink, Dennis Huizinga, Anouk van Kampen Wieling, Teddy Kamper, Jiske Kosian, Studio E (Ellis van Loosbroek& Elise de Wit), Veerle Martens, Pam van der Meijs, Studio Noij (Dafne & Nikki Noij), Iris Otten, Loes Pennings, Sophie Wantia, Armia Yousefi

www.hku.nl
All images are by brankopopovicblog