Show 2006 Royal Academy of Antwerp

[Scott]

I think kus has a very good point too. What a costume might be percieved by some might be completely comfortable for other people. And sayan,is right,the Academy has always been about one's identity and creating an inspirational world of beauty....not about mere commerce design. If you want that,go to a technical school or one of the American colleges in NY. You will not get that at Flanders at all. This is the exact moment when students can really explore and really show, finding themselves before heading out into the real world. Besides underneath it all,accessible aspects are there it's just not displayed explicitly....these shows are about pure vision and talent.

 

[battles]

scott basically said everything i wanted to say here. nice pictures, thanks for sharing guys... kus, exercise is good too!

 

[tricotineacetat]

freely expressed creativity is not what I am complaining about, it's just that some of what I have seen had simply been overloaded so that the clothes rather ended up looking "busy" than exciting. I strongly believe that in most cases, less is more and that you have to take away something if you want to add something elsewhere.

also in some cases, I was missing a lack of direction with some of the graduate collections - in terms of silhouette, materials or colour palette. even somebody as "crazy talented" as rei kawakubo puts her themes together well when it comes to presenting her mainline collection... for example with the S/S 2005 "skirts" collection... it's certainly a reason why her shows always have impact.

apart from that, I don't see how you want to grab attention with really outsized, crinolined silhouettes with big hairdo if everybody keeps on sticking to this formula... I don't see anything particularly individual in there anymore.

 

[kus]

less is more
is not true to these collections.
less has never been more.
there is no formula.
that's why everyone sticks.
to it. metal.

 

[susie_bubble]

Just to add my very small two cents to the discussion, I've always thought the purpose of a graduate collection was to demonstrate the potential of a designer and to have complete free rein to be extravagant and over the top. There is no other time in most designers' career where they'll be allowed such an opportunity and freedom to explore the limits of their design vision - obviously, in effect, you would be taking away elements of wearability because everything is so heightened. Tric is right - less can be more and I'm not one for unecessary embellishment either but I think that this year, practically every collection had direction and felt powerful in intent. They all have long careers ahead of them to cements themselves as designers of 'wearable' garments.

Having seen a lot of the grad shows in London, I also disagree that the collections in Antwerp were formulaic. Flamboyant, they all may be, but samey, they weren't. Despite drinking mucho after the show, I still remember each collection distinctly.

 

[Angie C]

Some backstage photos from hintmag.com, photos by Sonny Vandevelde

Berivan Meyer:

 

[Angie C]

hintmag.com, photos by Sonny Vandevelde

Hanne De Wyngaert:

 

[Angie C]

hintmag.com, photos by Sonny Vandevelde

Johanna Trudzinski:

 

[Angie C]

hintmag.com, photos by Sonny Vandevelde

Koji Arai:

 

[Angie C]

hintmag.com, photos by Sonny Vandevelde

Mikio Sakabe:

 

[Angie C]

hintmag.com, photos by Sonny Vandevelde

Nele Feyen:

 

[Angie C]

And some of my useless thoughts:

If you go to an art school (FFI is under the royal academy of fine arts after all) the cleverest choice of graduate project is of course to pamper your ego, live your dream, do useless beautiful things. You'll have plenty of time to hold your horses, wrap up every collection as a nice little package, answer to what there is a demand for etc in the future... That is probably also a bigger challenge. But if you were interested in that while studying then you would't apply to a school like Flanders either.

If it's true that trends move on from art, through fashion, then design, then advertising and then finally becomes mainstream. I would definitely put this show on top of that list. Everything that comes from this school will have an impact on what fashion will look like in the following years some way. Some bad, some good, some unforgettable, some that noone will like.

Blah blah, anyway I love them all for making me feel you can still do things that haven't been done before.

 

[kus]

crazy coffee cool, Angie C,
pics I mean, and opinion

 

[tricotineacetat]

If it's true that trends move on from art, through fashion, then design, then advertising and then finally becomes mainstream. I would definitely put this show on top of that list. Everything that comes from this school will have an impact on what fashion will look like in the following years some way. Some bad, some good, some unforgettable, some that noone will like.

Blah blah, anyway I love them all for making me feel you can still do things that haven't been done before.

I don't really believe that trend derives from art, I rather believe that fashion is a reflection of zeitgeist, of mood and the world hat we are living in, fine arts are just part of it. art itself is not much different than fashion in that regard, but doesn't serve as much of a driver for fashion. to each his own opinion though.

It's undeniable that the Antwerp academy enjoys a great reputation building up young talent and breeding great fashion designers, and I agree that a graduate collection doesn't have to look like a commerce-intended showroom collection...good god.

I simply think that creativity has to be somewhat focussed into a direction where a message is articulated clearly, be it in the colours, the silhouette or a re-occuring details...especially given the fact that you only have like... 8 silhouettes to get it clear.

it's a red thread that I was missing in some, not all of these collections.

 

[Scott]

Okay now that I see these added images and everything a bit closer...Koji was inspired by Pinocchio or more so just wood dolls! That's precisely what I see from the collection. And obviously what the wood bits represent-woodshop-and the pointy hats.

Loving Sakabe too. The prints are amazing and the silhouettes are gorgeous.

No pics of Astrid Van Damme Sonny took? Thanks though,angie

Anyway,more on the discussion...I understand what you're saying now,Tricot. Besides being a bit lacklustre,I think that's actually been one of the missing elements in the last few years,continuity...consistency. But I think that has more to do with the execution. The only previous students,in the last years,who did it and did it brilliantly was Christopher de Vos,Alexandra Mein and Peter Pilotto. But these collections,as Susie said,there's something here that's alot more distinct compared with previous years.

 

[Angie C]

I don't really believe that trend derives from art, I rather believe that fashion is a reflection of zeitgeist, of mood and the world hat we are living in, fine arts are just part of it. art itself is not much different than fashion in that regard, but doesn't serve as much of a driver for fashion..

Of course I didn't mean fashion derives solely from art. I mean more like this, when an artist touch a theme it's often by asking a question, and that question is often exactly about the zeitgeist, mood and the world we live in. Then fashion often take that question and make it into something more... legible perhaps. And maybe you could say these designers are more question-askers than "reflectioners".

That said, I don't totally disagree with that there was a lack of a clearly articulated message in some collections. But for me the positive impression outshined all flaws.

Scott: No, no Astrid van Damme-s up on hint, those were all

 

[LAMALONE]

Yes please post more pics.This is a very interesting fashion show.

 

[Spacemiu]

Some of it is to costmey for me, and yes a bit formlaic. But some is very good, I really really like Demna Gvasalia, I think he could be 'one to watch'.

 

[Deleted member 7575]

Antwerp mentality is a show mentality. It's fashion as statements and never ever as a clothing industry. The teachers want us to pull out of us the most personal possible approach, to create a world and to be inspiring. It's fashion as art without any compromise.

I become skeptical about artistic expression when (like Parsons and CSM) all the work looks the same. I can barely tell the work apart, it's just a huge mess of fabrics and colours. I don't mean to say that I don't appreciate the amazing work (and there is no doubt that it is amazing). But I'm bored and I would like to see some work that wows me in a different way.

 

[travolta]

Of course I didn't mean fashion derives solely from art. I mean more like this, when an artist touch a theme it's often by asking a question, and that question is often exactly about the zeitgeist, mood and the world we live in. Then fashion often take that question and make it into something more... legible perhaps. And maybe you could say these designers are more question-askers than "reflectioners".

agreed. it's all reductionist from here on out. they obviously got the skills to pay the bills, so they might as well lay it all out on the table.