The Raven / A Requiem by Daria Bukvić

Last Saturday I spontaneously took the train to Amsterdam to see 'The Raven / A Requiem', the latest play by my dear friend Daria Bukvić. It took me hours to get there by train with all the delays and I was almost too late. However the experience was breathtaking and worth it all.
I can go on with praise...but it is one of those performances you can't forget. ♥'s
It is a pitty that this was the last performance.

The Raven / A Requiem as directed by Daria Bukvić is a free interpretation of Edgar Allan Poe’s classic poem from 1845. A man is mourning a woman. A raven visits him… What can you do about a loneliness that can never be resolved? Poe’s dark masterpiece is revived in an intimate, visual performance. An ode to lost loves and lonesome lovers.
Daria Bukvić (Bosnia-Herzegovina, 1989) graduated in 2011 from the directing course at the Toneelacademie Maastricht. Dennis Kelly’s 'Puin' was her first Frascati Production, in the spring of 2012.

direction Daria Bukvić
performance Marius Mensink & Stephanie Dufresne
design Peter van Til & Dirk Sonneveld
costume Dymph Boss
coaching Carina Molier
text Edgar Allan Poe
translation Jibbe Willems
The Raven / A Requiem is a Frascati Production
http://www.theaterfrascati.nl

All images are by Anna van Kooij

Leather Series by Thomas van Rongen

Beautiful leather backpack, laptop sleeve and a credit card holder by designer Thomas van Rongen presented as part of the Design Academy Eindhoven 2012 Graduation Show.

LEATHER SERIES 
The supple and at the same time tough characteristics of leather have inspired Thomas van Rongen. He has brought the two properties together into a single piece of leather and used this to create his Leather Series: a backpack, laptop sleeve and a credit card holder for men.
The hard-wearing bottom parts of the products have been pressed inside a mould, adding strength to the leather and ensuring that it forms a safe cover for its content. The products are closed by folding or rolling up the supple upper part of the leather. Hand-stitched synthetic yarns and 3D-printed fasteners form a contrast with the traditional feel of the leather.

http://www.thomasvanrongen.nl

Function follows Beauty by Mathieu Frossard

French designer Mathieu Frossard presented his series of objects 'Function follows Beauty' as part of the Design Academy Eindhoven 2012 Graduation Show, in the connection to Dutch Design Week.
This was one of my favourite projects from 2012 Graduation Show.

'Function Follows Beauty' contains a serie of composite objects with intricate, eery details, which have unclear purpose or definition, as they are guided by beauty.

"Beauty is considered one of the pillars in the definition of design since its conception", Frossard says. "

Although designers tend to put higher value on the concept or the use, it would be hard to find any designer who claims to work hard to make something ugly or unnoticeable".

Read more at Domusweb.it 

My Knitted Boyfriend by Noortje de Keijzer

My Knitted Boyfriend is a very cool graduation project of Noortje de Keijzer, alumni from DAE Design Academy Eindhoven. I saw at the Graduation exhibition of DAE during Dutch Design Week and at 21 masters exhibition (Wool Week 2012).

My Knitted Boyfriend is a cushion with a story. A cushion with a personality. A cushion to kiss! Or, well… to cuddle, to caress, to hug, and to smile with. Because this man is always happy. And he is flexible as well. He will have a mustache if you prefer mustaches. He will wear glasses if you prefer glasses. He likes to sit on your floor, on your couch or at you dinner table. But most of all he likes to lay down next to you in bed. With your head on his chest and his arms wrapped around you. This way you will never feel alone ever again. With this man you can be sure, he will never leave you. 

For more: http://www.noortjedekeijzer.nl/work/my-knitted-boyfriend-2/

SHYLIGHT by Studio Drift at DDW 2012

SHYLIGHY A moving DRIFT project by Lonneke Gordijn and Ralph Nauta /  2008-2012

stainless steel, aluminium, silk and high powered LEDS

www.studiodrift.com

The Embassy of Design

The Embassy of Design at Studio Joost van Bleiswijk & Kiki van Eijk

Joost van Bleiswijk and Kiki van Eijk were appointed as one of the 3 ambassadors of the Dutch Design Week 2012.
Joost and Kiki hosted the Embassy of Design exhibition in their amazing studio. In The Embassy of Design they presented their new design collections.
http://www.kikiworld.nl/
http://www.joostvanbleiswijk.com/

21 Wool Masters and Opening Wool Week 2012

The first edition of the Dutch Wool Week is officially launched with the opening of the exhibition '21 Wool Masters' in Amsterdam. 21 top fashion designers and promising fashion alumni are showing unique woollen creations at Hotel Droog.

The Wool Week is an initiative of Campaign for Wool. From 5th to 11th of November 5th 2012 you can find scattered throughout different locations in Amsterdam the unique properties of wool. With their surprising designs, the 21 Dutch 'Wool Masters', are showing  that wool is not just the sustainable natural product with a long history in fashion but also a product with a promising future. Wool is hot!

The Campaign for Wool is a global community of sheep farmers, retailers, designers, manufacturers and you, the wool lover! We are united by our patron His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. The Campaign for Wool aims to educate as many people as possible about the incredible benefits and versatility of wool in fashion, furnishings and everyday life. This in turn, supports many small businesses and local farmers whose livelihoods depend on the wool industry. Every year The Campaign for Wool holds ‘Wool Week’ a week long celebration packed with woolly stunts, events, artisan workshops and gorgeous wool fashion.
Check out our global calendar to see where Wool Week travels to next, but for now enjoy Wool Week Amsterdam.
http://www.campaignforwool.nl/
http://www.facebook.com/CampaignForWoolNederland
http://www.campaignforwool.org/

The New Shoe School - Watch Our Steps!

For the first time ever the best footwear graduation works from around the globe were shown together at'Strijp Klokgebouw' during Dutch Design Week in Eindhoven.
The exhibition, 'Watch our Steps', is a trend forecast that gives insight into directional style themes, new technologies and sustainable ideas, coming straight from the footwear designers of the future.
The participating schools include Deutsche Schuhfachschule Pirmasens, ArteZ, Stedelijke Academie Sint Niklaas SASK, Royal College of Art, London College of Fashion (Cordwainers), Polimoda, Hiko Mizuno, Bunka College, and HAMK Wetterhoff.

The exhibition is accompanied by a digital book, featuring background information about all participants and their collection.
You can purchase the book from the website: http://www.slem.nl.
The audience of DDW and an expert jury selected a winner from the participants and awarded with the SLEM Global Footwear Design Award.
Aku Bäckström (RCA London) from Finland has won the SLEM Global Footwear Design Award.
Giulia Tannini (Polimoda Institute) won the audience award.

Cat Potter

Cat Potter

http://www.slem.nl

Cat Potter

Items selection on Dutch Design Graduates 2012

Anke Muijsers

Every year, Items, the leading Dutch design magazine, selects its favourite graduation projects from the art academies in the Netherlands and Flanders. The complete selection is published in a print edition of the magazine 'Items 4/5 2012'.
Items showcased the Dutch Design Graduates 2012 selection during Dutch Design Week 2012 at Strijp-S.
For me this was one of the highlighs of this edition of DDW.
http://www.items.nl/

Happy Birthday Tessa and Lisa

Happy Birthday Tessa and Lisa
Congrats to All Things Disorderly Attached

Designer Tessa Koot and photographer Lisa Klappe showcased their mutual love for the unanted and the useless during DDW2012.
Stating everything is designed; 'Happy Birthday Tessa and Lisa' celebrates the birth of a dysfunctional family of overlooked objects and hand-on design.

http://www.lisaklappe.com/
http://tessakoot.nl/

Graduation Gala 11 at FashionPhilosophy Fashion Week Poland

Agnieszka Natasza Splewińska

The Władysław Strzemiński Academy of Art Łódź (ASP Lodz) presented its best talents. The show started off with potential with an fresh collection by Karolina Marczuk with a name 'Machu Picchu'.
Following a great surprise, amazing collection by Agnieszka Natasza Splewińska. I already fell in love with this collection at FASHIONCLASH Maastricht 2012. Those shoes! (FC team was very proud). Fruther in the show one of the best collections in general of the fashion week, strong menswear from Joanna Startek. She was the one going home with several awards. Another menswear collection, a bit more wearable but nice, was by the only male student Kamil Parcheta. The show ended in style with a beautiful scenery and collection of Małgorzata Jachowicz.
In general this was an outstanding show and my favorite as I back to FashionPhilosophy Fashion Week Poland. This show proves that Poland is an emerging fashion nation.

Magdalena Kubalańca at FashionPhilosophy Fashion Week Poland

Magdalena Kubalanca graduated with success from Academy of Fine Arts in Łódź in 2008. She was awarded for her graduation collection and the winner of Gruf Fashion Show in 2009. She launched her label in 2012 and based on what I have seen there I see potential. At moment this collection reminded me of Maison Martin Margiela and Demeulemeester.
The collection is availible at http://fullofstyle.pl/magdalena-kubalanca-o_p_146_1.html

Gutowski Ewert at FashionPhilosophy Fashion Week Poland

Gutowski Ewert is a brand new label by a duo, Szymon Gutowski and Jaroslaw Ewert.
The collection 'Artificial Coincidence' emphasize the way of fabric usage and unique colour applications. The collection is a a result of two visions and a different approach to fashion design and that was clearly the case. The mask and the accessoires pieces seem to be made out of tooth sticks. The collection was quite wearable but the styling gave it a more avant-garde twist and a more daring approach.

http://www.jaroslawewert.pl/

Bola by Ola Bajer - FashionPhilosophy Fashion Week Poland

Ola Bajer graduated from Academy of Fine Arts in Katowice. She launched the label Bola in 2009 and since then she has been featured in several international magazines. The mens- / womenswear collection 'Ultra', that she presented in 'Off Out of schedule' program at FashionPhilosophy Fashion Week Poland was clearly inspired by raw geometry. She designed the graphics in the collection. I really liked her subtle make-up styling. Personally I was more excited about the menswear pieces.
http://www.bajerola-bola.com/

IMA MAD at FashionPhilosophy Fashion Week Poland

IMA MAD show presentation was one of the most surprising during the latest edition of FashionPhilosophy Fashion Week Poland. The collection was presented in an intimate setting and the choreography of the show built up the right tension for the finale. Every single outfit seemed relevant. Ima Mad is brand new brand and its debut shows a promising start.
The overal red collection is inspired by Middle East folk, where women are influenced by beauty canons all year long. Check it out! http://www.facebook.com/IamImaMad