FASHIONCLASH

Our ever-present curious eye for new talent has officially been taken under the wing of the multifaceted FASHIONCLASH festival. Though still beyond our physical reach, FASHIONCLASH doesn’t stop for nobody, crafting a creative solution to these dystopian times. FASHIONCLASH – the Maastricht based annual festival, showcases upcoming (soon to be leading) designers and performing artists from all over the globe – and luckily for us, has been completely digitized! The digital program of the 12th edition is promising us all kinds of inspiration: ranging from interactive interviews and exhibitions to fashion performances, intertwined with fine art showcases of theatre and dance. Bringing a total of seven dynamic events, the festival has three exciting live programs: The Locals, The Clash House and the Fashion Makes Sense Award. The Glamcult fam’ is all about hyping innovative, interdisciplinary, conscious and norm-bending designers, so from february 26-28, we know which virtual spaces we’ll be divulging in! 

Traditionally, FASHIONCLASH has always taken place in the pittoresque village that is Maastricht. The Local’s event is exclusively created for designers that have a connection to this area, granting them the opportunity to exhibit their collections. Because this is an interactive event, there will also be opportunities to get to know more about the talents and their work. The talents each have their own outlook and approach. One of the participants is Teun Seuren, a queer fashion designer from Hilversum, who likes to play around with the definitions of masculinity and femininity. Similar to Teun, Heerlen based Ashley Luypear’s collection ‘Oh God Its David’ is the endproduct of her ruminations on self-expression and identity in the current hegemony around men’s fashion. And then there’s Maastricht Academy of Fine Art & Design graduate María Voth Velasco whose  sustainable streetwear brand ‘Turtlehorn’ is locally produced and often involves social projects, including artisan women. 

To make things more interactive, The Clash House stimulates contact between the designers and the audience through performative experiences and active experiments (sounds mysterious, we are so here for it!). We will be guided through the production processes of the participating designers, to really get a close up of the core of their new collections. One of the participants we’ll be keeping an eye on is the dynamic duo Benji and Nemo from The Nightmare Disorder. Through both design as well as photography and styling, the brand’s identity rests on storytelling and character building, forming a balance between beauty and creepiness. Marlou Breuls also has a multidisciplinary background, and uses craftsmanship to create amplified avant-garde silhouettes in her work. Her collection ‘objectification of the body’ represents an unnatural, ritual process of morphing human bodies (sounds just right up our street!). 

This event focuses predominantly on designers who are changing and challenging the current narratives around the fashion and art industry. Through questioning dominating societal norms around production, consumption, gender and inclusivity, they pave the way for a more sustainable (and fashionable) future for all of us. Fashion journalist Philippe Pourshami will be guiding a stimulating dialogue with these boundary breaking talents. Collaborateurs Anouk van Kampen Wieling and Nina Dekker share a love for unconventional textiles, and will be displaying their collection ‘Unconventional Overload’ using rubber boat and old tent materials. Clara Chu, a multidisciplinary artist, mixes mundane, mass products and materials with her very own handicraft to repurpose them.  Then we have the -also multidisciplinary- Bulgarian duo Gjorgji Despodov and Anelia Antova who’s collection ‘The Martian Chronicles’ take us on a trip to Mars using 3d visuals, graphic design and both conventional as unconventional materials. 

Class of 2020, it’s in the name. The purpose of this event is to give a selected few fresh graduates from Dutch fashion & design academies a boost! The dialogue will be moderated by Rolien Zonneveld, so that we can get all the juicy details about their experiences on graduating during the restrictive times of miss Rona. Our own Haily Kim from the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague is one of the participants! She will be showcasing her collection, a celebration of independent female sea divers in South Korea, her motherland. Along her side will also be AMFI graduates Josephine Malcorps and Katja R, Lara Warson, Ilse Kremer and LINN from the Willem de Kooning Academy and IdanGrady from Gerrit Rietveld, as well as Charlotte Simons from Design Academy Eindhoven, Hanakin Henriksson from the Royal Academy of Art and Studio Mus Ruijg from the HKU University of the Arts. 

The Living exhibition is has a very interdisciplinary nature: think of it as a digital house where all kinds of art, ranging from fashion and performance to visual art and film, simultaneously take place. Who said we should ever be restricted to only one discipline?? Another familiar face, performer and film-maker Luca Tichelman, will be participating in this exhibition. His ‘shirt stories’ is a series that highlights the personal value of your average white tee. Conceptual body designer wholina (J.V Bezold) and choreographer Roshanak Morrowatian have come together as ‘the metadonnas’ to elaborate on the concept of the sensitive body. For FASHIONCLASH they will exhibit their performance PLASMR: anomalía and video installation PLASMR: bloopers, to explore everything that tingles and stimulates our body. 

Specially crafted for lovers of both theatre and fashion are the Individual Events. A selection of (local) artists and designers will give us an intimate insight in their work through all kinds of art mediums (thinking of visual portraits and reports). For example, students from the iArts Maastricht and initiator Linda Valkeman will be hosting a dialogue on decolonization, as part of the ‘Decolonial Counter Archive’ project. SHROUD, another collaborative project between FASHIONCLASH, Valentine Kempynck and Toneelacademie Maastricht, revolves all around the symbolization and costumes of cremation. The presentation will be brought to life by the students of the Fine Arts, both from a fashion and scenography background.  

This award is specially created to stimulate eco-conscious designers of the next generation. All participating components look very promising, but we have selected a few designers who we are definitely keeping an eye out on. Andrea Grossi is an italian menswear designer that fuses craftmanship with progressive technology, using Tuscan and Umbrian leather. His collection ‘Welcome to Deusland’ is a meditation on the future of social sustainability. Bosnia born designer Marko Feher is a Central Saint Martins student whose main work ethic rests on recycling. ArtEz graduate knitwear designer Kevin Pleiter’s upcoming collection ‘Insert Artifact’ is entirely zero-waste, because of his artisanal and genuine approach. Lastly, London based South Korean SANKIM has produced a complete inflatable collection out of his roommates used plastic bags (the collection even consists of Covid-proof masks!). 

It’s fair to say that there is an abundance of inspiring and aspiring talents out here. The designers we’ve highlighted are only the tip of the iceberg! For the full three-day program, check the FASHIONCLASH website here.