With the collections of graduates of ArtEZ Fashion Design at the Designhuis, the Fashion Weekend couldn’t have had a better way to be officially opened. Not only the collections of the talented young fashion designers were shown, but also their portfolios.
(text and pictures by Jantine Albers)
The design house is an exciting backdrop for the wide variety of collections. One has colours all over, while others are completely white. One collection is particular because of its shapes and forms, the next one has its focus on self-made substances.
The exhibition opens with a speech by Dutch Design Week director Martijn Paulen. He praises the young designers for the way they include craftsmanship, attention to detail and passion. He finds it extra special that they have thought about topics outside their own disciplines.
“We can build what we want, but nature always comes back.”
Laudy Verschuren (in black dress on picture above) is the only designer with roots in Eindhoven. She was awarded in Milan for her collection ‘Biophilic’. Now she is invited for a paid internship for six months at the big fashion company Benetton. Not bad, if your graduation was only two months ago. Verschuren’ all-white collection was inspired by nature vs. the city. “I went to work on the shapes of modern cities. I created about 200 shapes, and placed them on the body”, Verschuren says. “From there I began to make contrasts with nature, the early signs of life: microorganisms.”
In making her collection, Verschuren was in a constant search for balance between the modern city and nature. This is reflected in contrasts: the collection consists of synthetic materials that are rigid and hard, as well as smooth organic materials. The moral of the collection? Verschuren: “We can build what we want, but nature always comes back.”
This weekend the city is dedicated to Fashion Weekend. All you have to do is search for the blue carpets. In the Designhuis the collections of the ArtEZ alumni are shown.
