20 January - 27 March 2022
Textielmuseum Tilburg
Commissioned by and in close collaboration with the Creative Industries Fund NL, Taskforce Fashion started in 2018, as a unique, multidisciplinary and research-based collaboration between fashion platforms FASHIONCLASH, M-ODE and State of Fashion. In co-creation with Dutch design talent and in dialogue with the (inter)national fashion field and other disciplines, the three platforms investigate the transformative role of fashion in relation to social issues with various experiments.
In the autumn of 2020, a second experiment was launched under the title Residency for Responsible Fashion. The designers were challenged to question the current reality and the fashion system, in order to eventually offer possible solutions for the future. Through field trips, desktop research and in-depth conversations with experts from the field, the teams investigated the social-cultural challenges of the cities Tilburg, Maastricht and Rotterdam.
Corona challenged our designers to find new ways of presenting their design-through-research. Rather than merging the different team projects into one presentation, each team created their own local platform. This way, the projects could be presented in a meaningful place with a close relation to the research. From an exhibition space to a primary school class: unconventional and creative solutions were thought of.
Results are presented in a short documentary in which the participants reflect on the process and methodology. In addition, the research is depicted in, among other things, photography, workshops, textiles and jewellery.
The city of Maastricht is culturally flourishing and creatives many opportunities for young and emerging creative artists and companies. However, its region, South Limburg, is the unhealthiest region in The Netherlands. This current problem is tackled through various policy programs, including Positive Health, a concept that covers a much broader area than just your physical functioning. Team Maastricht worked on solutions that can contribute to Positive Health: living a resilient and meaningful life. They looked at physical, psychological and spiritual functioning, as well as quality of life, social participation and daily functioning. How can fashion design contribute to better well-being? Special attention was given to the social participation of children and youngsters in society.
Team Maastricht hosted a day full of workshops with the children of the ‘Manjefiek Malberg school’. Through a series of fashion-related workshops the designers stimulated the kids to talk about their emotions in a fun and playful way. How do they dress up to represent the emotions of ‘amazement’, ‘anger’ or ‘happiness’? What memories do some of their t-shirts recall and how can we exchange them? These and many more questions formed the foundation of the workshops. In addition, the team wrote a manifest on the close relation between social and emotional development.
The team consists of designers:
AnoukxVera, Daisy van Loenhout, Antoine Peters, Iris Claessens and Esra Copur, under the lead of Branko Popovic (FASHIONCLASH).
Team Tilburg
Various projects are being developed from the policy to give the city a boost. Most recent example is in Tilburg North with the project ‘ForwArt - Moving forward with the power of art: from a place to hide to a place of pride’ – which was the starting point of the research of Team Tilburg. They explored how fashion design can contribute to more happiness, welfare and prosperity with a social focus on creating inclusive encounters and stimulating ownership.
The team organized two photoshoots on the power of diversity; diversity in people and in fashion styles. With the help of a local team, Team Tilburg portrayed the striking and diverse youth of Tilburg Noord: the results, more than 25 portraits, were presented during the pop-up photo exhibition ‘De Stijl van Noord’ in NS16. De Stijl van Noord gives the young people of Tilburg Noord a face. Without fuss, without filter, but with a lot of style and personality. No professional models, but (future) role models. The photos and the exhibition put these authentic young people from underexposed Tilburg North in the spotlight in a positive way.
The team consists of designers:
Katja Ravina, Jessica van Halteren, Laura Luchtman, Marionella Hanley and Gabriel Fontana, under the lead of Iris Ruisch (M-ODE).
Team Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second biggest city of the Netherlands and considers itself as the country’s only ‘real’ metropole; with its skyscrapers, cultural highlights and bustling port activity on the one hand, and metropolitan challenges, such as poverty, segregation and polarization, on the other hand. Like any other international metropole, the city is incredibly rich in diversity and hosts more than 173 nationalities. Yet, there is a huge divide between inhabitants with different backgrounds, education and incomes.
Team Rotterdam investigated the role fashion design can play in increasing contact and social cohesion in the areas where diversity is high.
Rather than focusing on overcoming the differences between inhabitants, the designers chose to focus their research on ways to find shared values and stories. Team Rotterdam proposed a set of tools that encourage new conversations with inhabitants of all ages and backgrounds. With fashion & identity as a base, the designers looked for common ground and connections between longtime residents and newcomers.
The team consists of designers:
Bobbine Berden, Juris Efernis, Kalkidan Hoex, Lisanne Janssen and Lena Winterink under the lead of Esther Muñoz Grootveld (State of Fashion).
IMPRESSIONS FROM THE EXHIBITION
Results video documentary
More images from the proces and results
TEAM ROTTERDAM
photography by Laura Knipsael
photography by Xaoux
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