During the 11th edition FASHIONCLASH Festival 2019, the Class fof 2019 from the
Maastricht Academy of Fine Arts & Design presented their graduation collections in the framework of a collective show 'Body Alumni'.
All six designers impressed with their presentations. The opening performance by
Wholina was a beautiful example of poetical narrative and the 2019 state of mind that was felt at many graduation shows in the Netherlands. This state of mind can be best described as 'togetherness'. She presented a sustainable biodegradable collection that is a result of a well-researched process that has it roots in a holistic design manifesto inspired by the ancient Chinese philosophy Wu-Xing.
Jolieke Kessels' presentation was accompanied by a live harp player, suiting her crafted collection. Fascinated by different cultures coming together and her personal background of being involved in urban dance scene,
Dana Lipka gave an energetic show with hip hop dancers.
Ashley Luypaers explored the manifestation of selfexpression
within menswear. Her collection “Peacocking” reflects how mens fashion has been limited
by traditionally and culturally informed ideas of
masculinity.
The collection features traditional tailoring, combined
with inspiration from the MMA and (kick)boxing
culture, including bold prints, fabrics and silhouettes,
challenging traditional norms, associations, and
expectations of male fashion.
Michelle Cornelissen created an alter ego MICHI’M portrayed as a villain and based on her personal
characteristics.
"The MICHI’M collection is a combination of the
esteem of both the classical uniform and the status
of a trend. The uniforms are absolute identities
that manipulate the wearers character. They are
created out of army materials from the DDR era.
MI stands for personal identity. CH connects
I’M, I’m who I wanna be. This confirms the infinite
expression and equality. We increasingly mimic the
characteristics of a villain in the desire to become a
princess, pursuit for perfection.
‘’SOMNIUM VERUM EVADIT’’"
Max Niereisel' collection Eternal Splendor is caricature of popular culture
on social media and luxury. He got inspired by camp aesthetic and aimed to express the change of the
luxury market.
"My collection is an expression of the changing
luxury market and social media that is a filtered
and exaggerated image of a self-created persona.
I based my collection on new status symbols that
are not suitable for daily life. I am fascinated by the
manufacturability of mankind that embraces artifice
and exaggeration."
Michelle Cornelissen won the Public Award based on audience votes and Max Niereisel was named winner of the Chapeau Magazine Talent Award 2019.
Body Alumni is a group of individual
designers that recently graduated from the
Maastricht Academy of Fine Arts & Design
(MAFAD). Their approach is to examine the
in-betweens of the human body, fashion,
material and the environment. As their
education allowed an in-depth research for
fields like history, identity, social & political
issues and philosophy, the outcomes are
just as offbeat as the young designers
themselves. All the individual works of this
small group, visually as different as possible,
deal with the same themes at the end of the
day: They are operating between abyss and
luxury, culture and identity, body and mind;
Continuously questioning the role of the
designer in today’s times.
Body Alumni designers are Ashley Luypaers, Jolieke Kessels, Lipka, Max Niereisel, Michelle Cornellisen, Wholina and Natalia Rumiantseva (who gradiated with a collection of jewellery designs).
Photography Pasarella Photography
