Modefabriek

Iris van Herpen, who graduated from ArtEZ Institute of the Arts and did an internship with Alexander McQueen, combines traditional craftsmanship with latest technical innovations. As heritage and in this vein craftsmanship play a major role in fashion today, her concept doesn’t sound that unique. What is distinctive though is her approach. She thinks out of the box and doesn’t shy away from renewals that have nothing to do with fashion design in the first place. This is why she makes use of laser cutting which has actually been invented for the autobmobile industry. Her designs are innovative, exceptional, still beautiful but unwearable in everyday life.

A fashionable copy of the way the gabbers dressed in the early 90s. Although I think he could’ve been more inventive within this theme, Nijhuis had the guts to make a bold statement. Sad enough it’s a rarity in this day and age. By Tom Nijhuis.

From all the emerging designers in The Netherlands I have Hyun Yeu high on my list. When thinking about who’s doing menswear, the list gets even shorter and he may actually be on top. If I could name any emerging designer in our country to keep an eye on, Hyun Yeu is definitely one to watch.

German designer Frederick Hornof portrays a perfect example of this kind of work ethic. For his master’s collection ‘This is My Neophyte’, he was inspired by leading ladies from movies as Sunset Boulevard, Great Expectations and Grey Gardens. The resemblance between the three women lays in their passion for a glamorous appearance while balancing on a thin line between madness and sanity. Or as Hornof put it: ‘its about the evolution of a wealthy woman, loosing all her property, while keeping up the façade of a diva-esk lifestyle.

Moon Spoon Saloon could be best described as <3 0MFGL0L EP!C <3 + <3. Or, to put it differently: it’s the fashion brand of a digital hipster generation. For those who do not immediately understand what is meant by this term, check out this Tumblr, this Tumblr or this Tumblr.

Shaun Samson, a British- trained menswear designer, was born and raised in San Diego, California. Growing up between surfers, skaters and Mexican gang members, the inspiration for his last collection is home- based. In an interview Samson tells about the fashion statements and hair styles back then: “everyone was wearing black corduroy house slippers being worn with socks – even Birkenstocks! (…) It was really popular to have a shaved head with long fringe that you could comb back. You were even cooler if you had a tail, because that took a while to grow. I knew these Asian girls who bleached their hair and wore blue contacts, you know, to accentuate an Asian’s naturally blonde hair and blue eyes, ha.”

Anntian: This label has the same focus like monsieur Henrik Vibskov: a huge passion for prints. Formed by graphic designer Anne Hilken and fashion designer Christian Kurt the Berlin based duo makes beautiful knitted sweaters, dresses and jumpsuits.

Jennifer F. M. Murray’s collection ‘Cirque d’Amen’, in which she compares the role of the catholic church with the circus, proves that fashiontech doesn’t only has to exist out of smart textiles or moving fabric. The 24- old worked closely together with Preciosa, a Czech company that is innovative in combining lights and jewellery. The result is a subtle collection with a tech feel and spiritual references. In other words: fashionable. It’s an element that is somewhat missing in a lot of wearable technology these days. To be continued.

The creations of Don’t Shoot The Messengers, the moniker of young designer duo Jen Gilpin and Kyle Callanan, show a clearly defined style, which unfolds with each collection. Attitude is key and black dominates. Experimental craftsmanship and a desire to create precious objects, along with geometry in relation to the body, is the essence of the label. Leather is used to define the lines and contours of the body, while silk adds a sense of fluidity and levity to meticulously crafted forms.

Berlin Designer Sissi Goetze graduated with a diploma in fashion design from HTW (Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft) Berlin and an MA in menswear from Central Saint Martins in London. There is a kind of purity about Sissi Goetze’s work, which stems from her conceptual approach to design. Her collections combine precise simplicity with refined cuts, high quality of materials and outstanding craftsmanship.

Neoprene fabric and 3D hats BY Kay Kwok.

Bliss Lau is completely devoted to the body  and every season a new body part is crowned as her ‘muse’. What’s inspiring about her work is that we check our heads once again. No longer we raise the question if we could pull of a smoking, the question we ask ourselves now: can we replace an actual (textile) dress with a jewellery dress?  (A question Paco Rabanne asked himself in the sixties, which resulted in this famous dress: the ‘Aluminium Tunic Dress’)

Read more