European Fashion Alliance Fashion Policy Round Table

The EFA Fashion Policy Round Table, held on December 4, 2024, under the patronage of Dr. Christian Ehler, MEP, and with the esteemed presence of Jessika Roswall, EU Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience, and a Competitive Circular Economy, highlighted the importance of shaping nuanced regulations that respect the creative identity of fashion while fostering innovation and sustainability.

“Fashion isn't just about creating objects; it's about creating dreams and embracing the art of constant reinvention. In times of societal transformation, these dreams are more essential than ever. The European Union and its institutions must actively support and nurture this spirit of creativity and innovation. Achieving this, however, requires a strong partnership between politics and industry. But the task to reach the mandatory climate target reduction of 55% is not only for lawmakers: also the fashion sector and industry has to make serious efforts on larger scale to achieve our common goals.” - Dr Christian Ehler, Member of the European Parliament

“As a new Commissioner, I want you to know that my door is always open. The transition to sustainable fashion isn't just about regulations - it's about collaboration, innovation, and shared vision.” - Jessika Roswall, EU Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy

At a critical juncture for Europe’s fashion sector, the European Fashion Alliance (EFA), which gathers European Fashion Councils, is committed to advocating for the singularity of the European creative fashion industry and its economic, social and cultural power. Founded in 2022, EFA stands as a collective voice, empowering the transition of European creative fashion towards a more sustainable, innovative and inclusive future. The power of the creative fashion sector in the sustainability debate is undeniable. Designers and creatives have already led the charge in promoting sustainable practices, pushing for environmental and social change. The full accomplishment of the sector, and particularly the SMEs, requires a fruitful dialogue leading to an adapted European legislative framework.

The “Status of European Fashion” Report 2024 includes a statement of values, an industry survey and a manifesto of recommendations. The survey was conducted by EFA stems from a study conducted with 211 industry representatives, carried out in a collaboration with EFA’s 27 Members. The European fashion industry is undergoing significant transformation driven by the need for sustainability, technological innovation, and workforce development. The sector faces growing pressure to address environmental impacts, adopt new technologies, and ensure its workforce is prepared for future demands. 

The ten recommendations established by EFA aim at value European creativity and power, measuring sustainability in a fair way, giving accurate and fair information to consumers. The two panels emphasized the importance of creation, quality and heritage, altogether key drivers of sustainability. They also underlined the urge to drive towards sustainability, the importance of crossing skills and building bridges within the fashion ecosystem in link with public authorities. They also addressed the importance of R&D policies and of the digital 2 transformation, enhanced by artificial intelligence, in particular in the perspective of the Digital Passport Product.

While there is a strong desire within the industry to embrace sustainable practices, many brands face significant barriers, such as a lack of knowledge, financial resources, and skilled personnel. Overcoming these challenges requires clear regulations, financial support, and incentives to help companies transition to a more ethical, transparent, and sustainable business model.

The Status of European Fashion Report 2024 is available for download here.

About European Fashion Alliance (EFA): Anchored in European values such as cultural heritage, diversity, and craftsmanship, EFA promotes an ecosystem that balances tradition with forward-looking innovation. Creativity is the driving force for these brands, which are committed to sustainability, quality, and high standards. The Alliance is dedicated to upholding sustainability as a guiding principle, nurturing creativity as a core driver, and fostering human-centered practices. It champions policies that address environmental challenges, enhance transparency, and support local production, while protecting the unique role of creative fashion brands in shaping Europe’s cultural and economic landscape.

EFA Board of Directors:
• Carlo Capasa, Chairman, Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana
• Pascal Morand, Executive President, Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode
• Cecilie Thorsmark, CEO, Copenhagen Fashion Week
• Elke Timmerman, International Relations, Flanders DC
• Caroline Rush, CEO, British Fashion Council
• Scott Lipinski, CEO, Fashion Council Germany
• Zuzana Bobikova, CEO, Slovak Fashion Council

https://www.europeanfashionalliance.org

Some impressions, photography by ©Elodie Meunier

Łódź Young Fashion 2024

The 8th edition of Łódź Young Fashion, the most important fashion event in Poland

Łódź Young Fashion is one of the most important events in the Polish fashion industry. Its organizers are the Academy of Fine Arts in Łódź and the Polish Design Association. The main partner of the event is the City of Łódź, and the partner is the Łódź Event Center. With the showcase of the most promising young Polish designers, presentations of competition collections, guest shows, exhibitions, Fashion Film Festival screenings and inspiring meetings with masters and industry experts, thanks to Łódź Young Fashion, from November 21 to 23, Łódź was again the capital of new generation of fashion design in Poland.

Branko Popovic of FASHIONCLASH team, took part in the jury panel of Fashion Film Festival. The jury included, among others, Małgorzata Szumowska - film director, Mateusz Tyszkiewicz - fashion photographer, Honza Boublik from VOGUE Czechoslovakia, Karolina Tomaszewicz journalist for "Twój STYL" magazine and Tomasz Poborca filmexpert and curator of the National Centre for Film Culture in Łódź.

The main prize, worth EUR 3,000, went to Barbara Iwańczyk for the film “House of Alba” for which she not only designed the costumes but also directed the film. Honorable mention went to The Leap, a film produced by FASHIONCLASH, and directed by Solar Vlaar, Amber Rozema and Yana Engelbrecht. In addition, FASHIONCLASH Festival 2024 campaign film by Ruben Hilkens was among the finalists.

The strength of ŁYF comes from the reputation of the legendary competitions: Złota Nitka and the Diploma Gala of the Fashion Institute of the Academy of Fine Arts in Łódź. Each year, their exciting finals gather the most important figures in the Polish fashion industry, opening the path to professional success for the winners.

Read the recap of the festival on Branko Popovic personal blog.

https://lodzyoungfashion.com

TALK - Fashioning the Body - Dutch Design Week

Fashioning the Body, a conversation about the relationship between fashion and the body, moderated by Aya Noël.

FASHIONCLASH in collaboration with The Body Collective

23 October, 12.00 – 13.30
Sectie-C area, Hall 10 - L, Daalakkersweg 10 -22, Eindhoven
Access Free with DDW Ticket

Moderator: Aya Noël
Speakers: Marlou Breuls (House of Rubber), Dirk Vaessen, Anouk van Klaveren (Das Leben am Haverkamp), Lisette Apeldoorn

Fashioning the Body
Fashion, seen as an extension of the body, connects us with ourselves (intuition, DNA, thoughts, memories) and the world (the other, society, culture). The relationship between fashion and the body is an inseparable bond with both complex and playful creative expressions potential. Designing with and/or around the body is a recurring approach to many design approaches. This relationship is often explored, questioned, contextualized and sometimes it’s ethical and applicable boundaries are being stretched.
FASHIONCLASH approaches fashion as an artistic discipline with a multidimensional vision where unexpected connections between people, fashion, different art forms and industries are made. By making unconventional connections, the role of fashion, the multimedia (fashion) language and new visions and practices are explored.
While this isn't a new conversation, it's an important one to have, precisely because the relationship between fashion and the body is so undeniable.
For this conversation we invited a group of designers/artists to talk about their approach to the body within their practice. We look at disciplines that work around the body, such as fashion, jewelry and performance, and the co-relation between these disciplines. And we look at the role of the body in the context of social developments.

The Body Project during DDW

The Body Project is an ongoing dialogue between different makers, their work and its focus on the body and to re-contextualize the context of jewelry by examining the relationship with the body as a framework and questioning the relationship between the body and the object.

Collaborations between makers from different disciplines, moving at the intersection of different disciplines, such as, photography, performance, fine art and fashion will be the focus during the presentation. The body will be approached in “The Body Project” from different perspectives such as; culture, identity, objectification, de humanisation, power structures, social engineering, the future, the repressed body, the future body (post humanism), the superfluous body (robotics)

The Body Project participants; Lisette Appeldorn, Christiaan Bastiaans, Celio Braga, Kristin Beeler, Yarina Dai, Bill Durgin, Loan Favan, Maaike Fransen, Naomi Filmer, Anke Huyben, Esther Jiskoot, Jeannette Knigge, Lucy Macrae, Chequita Nahar, Onno Poiesz, Katja Prins, Ana Rajcevic, Juvana Soliven, Elke de Sutter, Ton Zwerver

DDW program

The Body Collective is an artist initiative, consisting of 3 artists/designers (Chequita Nahar, Anke Huyben and Katja Prins) who collaborate on initiating, organizing and producing exhibitions and other events such as lectures, talks, film screenings etc. We aspire to be a leading platform for dialogue and encounter between design and the visual arts.

https://thebodycollective.nl
www.instagram.com/the.bodycollective

"What does decoloniality mean in a Dutch context?" by the Lowlands Decolonial Fashion Network (LDFN)

The Lowlands Decolonial Fashion Network (LDFN) , consisting of FASHIONCLASH, the Linen Project, Crafts Council Nederland, Tailors & Wearers and the Research Collective for Decoloniality & Fashion, is inviting you to join us for a conversation on ‘What decoloniality means in a Dutch Context?’ .

An event within the context of Global Fashioning Assembly 2024.

On 11 October 2024, 40 people can join us in-person at the Jan van Eyck Academie in Maastricht, while others are welcome to join the conversation online ( please indicate when you register if you will be joining us in-person or online) to reflect on these questions and topics, while we put our hands to work.

You can register here: JOIN LDNF at Jan van Eyck or online.

What came before: Four field trips
In June 2024, the Linen Project invited the other network members for a one-day field-trip to a flax field in Arnhem to address the role of local resources and knowledges to solve current problems.

End of June 2024, FASHIONCLASH organized a one-week residency during which ten fashion practitioners reflected on questions of decoloniality in the Dutch context in general and in relation to fashion more specifically. The other network members joined them for one afternoon. The ten fashion practitioners are: Tevin Blancheville, Angela Jansen, Catta Labeij Donkersloot, Lena Winterink, Gabrielle Swart, Kenza Vandeput, Agatha Prieto Jeanty, Robin Nimanong, Andrea Kristic, Kuiyu Kang'ari.

End of August 2024, Tailors & Wearers commissioned three designers to ‘rethink’ the Surinamese angisa to address the role of cultural heritage through a decolonial lens. The other network members visited T&W and the designers to reflect on their work proces and their research.

Early September 2024, the Crafts Council Nederland organised an afternoon of Dutch crafting as a process to reflect on embodied knowledges, community building and intergenerational knowledge transmission.

The Research Collective for Decoloniality & Fashion has been coordinating the overall process of the Dutch hosting of the GFA24.

Impressions from the four field trips


About the Dutch hosting communities

FASHIONCLASH is a development and presentation platform for fashion (culture) that contributes through crossovers to, on the one hand, the individual talent development of the new generation of fashion makers and, on the other hand, to general awareness of the role of fashion in the world. Established in 2009, FASHIONCLASH initiates, produces and presents work of a new generation of fashion practitioners who research, reflect, contextualize and celebrate contemporary fashion(culture). FASHIONCLASH believes passionately in the positive contribution the art of fashion can make to personal and artistic development, identity building, society, culture and economy.

THE LINEN PROJECT investigates since 2018 and works towards reactivating the economic viability of small- scale local flax cultivation and linen production in the Netherlands. It seeks to reinstate the economy as a social, ecological and cultural domain and to strengthen socio-economic patterns and behaviours rooted in a commoning approach. The inherent connections between (cultural) heritage, education, agriculture, design, crafts, and the economy are activated as well as the exchange of diverse values, knowledge, skills and competencies.

THE CRAFTS COUNCIL NEDERLAND (founded in 2012) contributes to the development of crafts and the creative crafts culture in the Netherlands. CCNL is the initiator of a great and growing community of craftsman, museums and educational institutions, economy and government. Each party involved builds a link in the transition to a new form of meaning within the sector. Crafts knowledge belongs to the intangible heritage which gets transferred from person to person. Connecting people who still have this knowledge and people who want learn from it, is the natural result of our work.

TAILORS & WEARERS looks at Afro-Surinamese costume through the lens of craft, anthropology and photography. The purpose of the foundation is to research and preserve, present and provide education regarding Afro-Surinamese costumes. We do this by collecting and sharing knowledge, such as organizing events, meetings and presentations, creating educational material, providing workshops and acting as a knowledge platform, online and oNline, for interested parties and heritage practitioners.

THE RESEARCH COLLECTIVE ON DECOLONIALITY & FASHION (RCDF) is an experimental platform beyond institutional, disciplinary and geographical boundaries initiated in 2012. It aims to critique the denial and erasure of a diversity of fashioning systems due to eurocentricity, unequal global power relations based on the modern-colonial order and the Euro-American canon of normativity materialised in modern aesthetics. Transcending academe, the Collective aims to experiment with decentral and decolonial ways of knowledge-creation and sharing concerning fashion.

About Global Fashioning Assembly
The biennial Global Fashioning Assembly (GFA), with a first edition in 2022, is a unique online gathering of local fashion communities from all over the world to decenter and decolonise knowledge creation and sharing of body fashioning practices and heritages.

Rather than the event hosting participants, the participants pass on the hosting of the event to ensure self-representation, -determination and governance. Its main aim is to disrupt western-centric international fashion gatherings that often operate as gatekeepers to justify and perpetuate excluding and discriminating logics and validate English-centred knowledge.

Sparked by the grassroots-to-global possibilities of the digital, it goes beyond the limitation of one singular physical presentation, by bringing together a diversity of experiences, knowledges and cultural heritages by a diversity of institutes and communities that self- represent and self-narrate their cultural heritage. The decentralised format is inspired by around-the-world assemblies through which communities share in their own pathways to a politics of wholeness based on the principle that ’we can’t solve our crises using the same way of thinking that created them’ (Grassroots2Global).

Underpinning the GFA are collective ideation, decision-making and execution. Preparations take two years with the hosting communities meeting (bi)monthly to formulate the overall conceptual framework, thematic scopes, hosting communities, planning, budgeting and funding. Tasks are divided organically with smaller groups taking on different responsibilities (planning, budgeting, communication & production) according to the principle ‘by the communities, for the communities.’ Simultaneously, each hosting community decides on their own programme, content(s), format(s), language(s), aesthetics and participants according to its specific experiences and needs.

It is a uniquely innovative and impactful approach about living cultures, craft heritages and fashion knowledges that welcomes a wide diversity of voices and formats. Each hosting

community welcomes local stakeholders, communities and audiences, on and offline, in a combination of local languages and English. By using a shared language of ‘fashioning’, the GFA aims to:

  • create a hosting environment that is decentred, inclusive and co-created;

  • debunk the myth that the contemporary design and art is global, inclusive and for

    everyone;

  • demonstrate pluriversal craft heritages and living fashioning systems beyond the

    western paradigm;

  • bring attention to creative ecosystems that consider planet and people over profit;

  • raise awareness of the violence of the contemporary collections & the creative

    economy;

  • promote a just transition to ethical, regenerative and fair creative practices; and

  • foster counter-strategies against polarisation through art, design, fashion and culture.

For the GFA24, 20 communities in 26 countries, across 6 continents, are hosting between 1- 20 October 2024, for a total of 40 hours of local programming and 20 hours of Sharing Councils at different times to accommodate their local time zones. Programmes address practical approaches to decoloniality in everyday life, exploring the tensions and challenges that arise when design and craft intersect in their local contexts. How to use creative resistance to challenge capitalist, colonial, Euro-centric, anthropocentric, and patriarchal systems of design and education through sustainable, ethical, slow, ecofeminist, decolonial, and circular approaches to fashion?

ABYA YALA Coalition (Latin America) Tuesday 1 October, 2:30pm UTC+2

'Imagining a decentralised footwear industry' by Cobbled Goods (Canada) Friday 4 October, 10:00am UTC+2

Reclaiming Community Practices: From Fashion Industry To Fashion Commons by Fashion Act Now (UK)
Saturday 5 October, 10:00am UTC+2

'Kazakh Fashion & Arts: Identity Sandwich' (Kazakhstan) Wednesday 9 October, 2:00pm UTC+2

UN/FOLDING_RE/FOLDING_FOLDED: Imiphindo kwaXhosa Season 2 - by African Fashion Research Institute (South-Africa) Thursday 10 October, 1:00pm UTC+2

'Fighting Fascism Through Fashion, Hacking White Supremacy' by the Austrian Center for Fashion Research (Austria) Friday 11 October, 11:00am UTC+2

'What Does Decoloniality Mean in a Dutch Context?' by the Lowlands Decolonial Fashion Network (Netherlands) Friday 11 October, 3:00pm UTC+2

DRESS AND BECOME (Chile) Saturday 12 October, 6:00pm UTC+2

SEWING A GREENER FUTURE FOR GHANA by GiFt (Ghana) Sunday 13 October, 4:00pm UTC+2

'Evolution of Ancestral Jewelry' by OwnYourCulture (Kenya) Tuesday 15 October, 2:00pm UTC+2

'Design Magic Through Craft: Textile Alchemy' by Witches of the East Collective(Turkey) Wednesday 16 October, 4:00pm UTC+2

Mendit Research Lab (Russia) Thursday 17 October, 11:00am UTC+2

Hui Auaha o Aotearoa - Open Day at the New Zealand Fashion Museum (Aotearoa) Saturday 19 October, 8:00am UTC+2

Decolonial Fashion and Design: A Global South in Portuguese-speaking (Brasil) Saturday 19 October, 5:00pm UTC+2

Stitching Stories - Kheta In The Classroom (India) Sunday 20 October, 12:00pm UTC+2

‘Not in Vogue: Decentering Fashion Narratives in Flanders’ by Losse Draadjes Collective (Belgium)
Monday 21 October, 1:00pm UTC+2

‘Needle and Thread – A Soft Discourse’ by Center for Research of Fashion and Clothing (Croatia)
Tuesday 22 October, 7:00pm UTC+2

Apnaiyat Pakistan Collective (Pakistan) Friday 25 October, 3:00pm UTC+2

'An Angolan Decolonial Performance' by Fashion + Urban Art (Angola) Saturday 26 October, 8:00pm UTC+2

"Our OLLA is not YOUR OLLA" by Fashion Liberation Collective North Africa Monday 28 October, 3:00pm UTC+1

WHO CARES WHAT YOU WEAR? goes to Vienna

‘Who cares what you wear?’ is a theatre project by FASHIONCLASH and Mayke Roels is developing further and set to premiere in Vienna!

What does a piece of clothing say about who you are and what you think? Who cares what you wear anyway? In ‘Who cares what you wear?’ two influencers go on a search for what young adults know about fashion, identity, and social responsibility.

FASHIONCLASH and Austrian Fashion Association have united their strengths in an exemplary international collaboration bridging fashion and theater.

In 2021, FASHIONCLASH commissioned theatre director Mayke Roels to co-create the theater piece ‘Who Cares What You Wear’, a participation project for a classroom setting with the aim to bring more awareness to fashion and sustainability to a young audience.

In autumn 2024 the Austrian Fashion Association will bring a newly produced iteration of the piece to Austria, in collaboration with Vienna's internationally renowned children's and youth theater, Dschungel Wien and with FASHIONCLASH ’s input.

This co-production combines the fashion expertise of the Austrian Fashion Association, the innovative vision of FASHIONCLASH , and the theatrical prowess of Dschungel Wien. The result is a unique theater and participation project for young people that highlights the connections between creativity, fashion, social change, and sustainable practices. By actively involving young people in conversations about fashion, identity, and climate change, the project showcases how cross-border collaboration can produce creative and socially impactful results.

This collaboration showcases the ability of both FASHIONCLASH and the Austrian Fashion Association to bridge different disciplines and countries, conveying complex topics innovatively while reaching new audiences.

Such partnerships are vital for the creative industry's growth, fostering idea exchange, expanding networks, and creating synergies beyond the reach of individual organizations. Both FASHIONCLASH and the Austrian Fashion Association position themselves as future-oriented partners, open to new collaborative forms and actively contributing to the fashion scene's evolution and social relevance.

Performance dates

Premiere: Saturday 21.09.24, 19:00
Sunday 22.09.24, 15:30
Monday 23.09.24, 10:30
Tuesday 24.09.24, 10:30
Thursday 13.02.25, 10:30
Friday 14.02.25, 10:30
Saturday 15.02.25, 16:00
Sunday 16.02.25, 16:00

Ticket prices

Children/Youth/Students: 14 Euro
Adults: 18 Euro (various discounts available)

Address: Dschungel Wien, MuseumsQuartier
Museumsplatz 1, 1070 Vienna

Director and Stage: Bianca Thomas
Costumes: Lisa Knoll
Video Artist: Vince Varga
Music: David Lipp
Acting: Nele Christoph, Crispin Hausmann

A production of the AUSTRIAN FASHION ASSOCIATION in co-production with DSCHUNGEL WIEN based on an idea by and in collaboration with FASHIONCLASH (NL) and Mayke Roels (NL).

Project partner: Smart Coop Austria
Age recommendation: 10-15 years
Duration: 60 min.
Language: German

State of Fashion 2024 - Ties That Bind

On 16 May, the festive launch of the State of Fashion Biennale | Ties that Bind took place. During the opening a special artwork was unveiled and performance presented by designer Ruben Jurriën and students of Thomas a Kempis College in Arnhem. Also on show was a live performance by participating artists Ülkuhan Akgül and Batuhan Demir.

State of Fashion 2024: Ties that Bind brings together creative practices in fashion, textiles and contemporary art from across the Global South. Curated by Louise Bennetts and Rachel Dedman in collaboration with Sunny Dolat, Kallol Datta and Hanayrá Negreiros, this decentralised edition unfolds across Arnhem, Nairobi, Bengaluru and São Paulo. Ties that Bind explores the complexities of tradition, the power of indigenous knowledge, and the political potential of clothing.

State of Fashion Biennale 2024 | Ties that Bind take place from 17 May to 30 June 2024.

From Wednesday to Sunday, 10:00-17:00, you can visit the Ties that Bind exhibition at the main location Rembrandt Theatre with spatial design by Maison the Faux. In addition, there is an installation at Museum Arnhem with live performace activation with artist Lisette Ros with who we collaborated for the FASHIONCLASH Festival 2019 campaign.

Furthermore there is exhibition at Rozet in collaboration with Fashion and Design Festival Arnhem where you can find projects by designers linked to Arnhem.

Ties that Bind features work by FASHIONCLASH participantS Bárbara Sánchez-Kane and Lukhanyo Mdingi among work by Alia Ali, Karim Adduchi, Maison ARTC, NKWO, Buziga Hill, ABOUT A WORKER, Melati Suryodarmo, Nous Étudions, Christopher Raxxy and many more.

A ticket for the State of Fashion Biennale costs €5, which gives you an immediate discount on the (paid) workshops. Would you rather enjoy everything the State of Fashion Biennale has to offer for several days? Then buy a multi-entry ticket for €12.50. Students pay €9.50 for such a ticket and for children under 12, entry is free.

More information: https://stateoffashion.org

Melati Suryodarmo feat. Lisette Ros

Ruben Jurriën and students of Thomas a Kempis with official opening moment with Secretary of State Culture and Media Fleur Gräper-Van Koolwijk

10th edition of Zlin Design Week

The 10th edition of Zlin Design Week took place from May 8 – 14 in the town of Zlin in Czech Republic. This was not only the 10th anniversary of this design festival but also the 15th edition of Best in Design competition that is part of the program.

Branko Popovic from FASHIONCLASH team was part of the jury panel of the Best in Design contest and also attended the event.

Composed around the theme FUTURE IS!, with this edition the organization behind the festival aims to look forward and reflect on what kind of future is created by design. Questioning the potential of current innovations and trends in design for a better future. The program, spread all over Zlin, contains exhibitions, lectures, workshops, fashion shows, talks, award ceremony, pop-up shop, networking events and parties.

Exhibition program consisted of the main exhibition Future is! at the Zlín Castle. Curated by, Michala Lipková, Future is! explores current challenges and trends in design and presents projects that can shape our near and distant future. The selection of projects has focused on meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), resilient design, use of new technologies, and inclusive approaches.

The second exhibition in the G18 gallery was centered around the finalists of the international competition Best in Design 2024, a showcase for new talents in the fields of Product & Industrial Design, Fashion Design, Communication Design, and Service Design for fifteen years.

The finalists of the 15th year of the competition were selected by a jury panel and their work was on show in the exhibition program. On Saturday evening, May 11th, the awards were given out at the impressive Tomas Bata Memorial (Památník Tomáše Bati), a functionalist building built in 1933.

Best in Design is an international contest for young designers. There are not only financial rewards from 200 € up to 1 500 € at stake, but it’s also a great opportunity to get a feedback and network. Jury is mix of various professionals and previous winners.

In the fashion category the first prize went to Rafał Zakrzewski’s project ‘Reconnect with cloth’, second to Aidan- Jayson Peters ‘Danusa life of a garment’ and third to ‘Embracing Female Healing’ by Ziyao Xiao.
Barbora Kramná was awarded first prize in the communication category and Dorothea Wagnerberger in Service Design. Marek Kuźmiński, finalist of the Product & Industrial Design category, took home most awards, including the media award and the overall Best in Design Award.

Furthermore in the program platform was given to aspiring fashion designers. On Friday evening the festival’s main Fashion Show, under the title Future is spectrum! took place outdoor on Platform 14/15 of the Bata Institute.The concept of the Jubilee Fashion Show revolved around the idea that the future is not a linear path but a dynamic spectrum of possibilities. The fashion show featured ten designers from Czech Republic and abroad: Tereza Helánová, Pavel Mikliš, Terezie Kožíková, Karin Elízová, Kateřina Klozová, Jakub Mikulášek, Zuzana Vrábeľová, Valerie Vrbová, Marija Petraityte and Ema Domanická.

One of the highlights happened on Sunday evening, when OUR SHIFT presented a performance in collaboration with Škoda in an emptied parking space. OUR SHIFT is an activist textile and fashion startup launched in 2022 in Copenhagen. The founder duo Milan and Barbora aim to empower individuals and companies to make a shift enabling a more responsible world through activism and textile upcycling. They combine design and upcycling techniques to create unique upcycled styles. With their activist slogans and responsibly-made products, they aim to contribute to the inevitable shift in the fashion and textile industry. In addition, they use their knowledge and experience in the textile upcycling processes to help other companies reuse their left-over textiles and shift their business models into more sustainable ones.

And there was more. Check out https://zlindesignweek.com @zlindesignweek

Fashion in Flux Showcase #1 - FEELING FASHION

Fashion in Flux Showcase #1 - FEELING FASHION

Sunday 2 June, 15:00 - 19:00 / Location: The New Institute, Rotterdam

Does sustainable fashion exist? Ghanaian visual artist Sel Kofiga does not think so. He does believe in sustainable relationships between makers, wearers, materials and land. Kofiga: ’Producing sustainable relationships relies mostly on understanding the implications of what we wear – that's what I'm interested in.’ (Source: Courier Media).

From 2 to 7 June, Fashion in Flux invites Sel Kofiga to the Netherlands to connect and exchange with the Dutch fashion network. For this occasion, we asked Branko Popovic, artistic director of FASHIONCLASH, to curate an afternoon inspired by Kofiga’s vision and work.

Along new textile work by Sel Kofiga, Popovic will showcase creations of three up and coming fashion makers who - like Kofiga - are interested in the relationships that lay hidden in the cloth of garments. To make their stories even more tangible, Popovic invites four performers, who gently invite us connect to the showcased garments, without seeing or touching them.

Join us for a one-of-a kind and intimate afternoon of music, performance, film and of course: fashion.

With works and words by:
Sel Kofiga (kumfo domfo f.k.a. The Slum Studio)
LESTER DAVID (fka. Ariah Lester)
Hélène Vrijdag
Jelena Bondt
Kimberley Agyarko
POViS (Povilas Gegevicius)
Tevin Blancheville
Luis Bracamontes (Unwanted Words)

Organized by: Fashion in Flux

Programme breakdown:

15:00
Doors open, walk-in in auditorium

15:30
Start program of performances, short films and talks

17:30
Drinks & bites in café
Opportunity to visit pop-up exhibition FEELING FASHION

19:00
End

Photo credits: Image: kumfo domfo (fka The Slum Studio). Photography: Kevin Kwabia

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Between Borders features many designers from FASHIONCLASH community

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Between Borders - Migration, power and boundless imagination
3 June - 22 October 2023

On Friday June 2nd Tussen Grenzen (Between Borders) exhibition was opened at Museum Arnhem. The exhibition features designers that have been part of one or more FASHIONCLASH projects. Branko Popovic, artistic director of FASHIONCLASH team as one of them.

On Sunday June 18th, the Talk | Perspectives on Unions with State of Fashion will take place. During this interactive talk, moderator Branko Popovic explores with Denzel Veerkamp, ​​Loïs Brandsen and Kalkidan Hoex how connection is reflected in their work. How can connecting cultures, backgrounds and perspectives bring about change in fashion? The (fashion) makers will not only speak, but will activate and present their work in a unique way.
More info: here

With the exhibition Between Borders, Museum Arnhem offers different perspectives on contemporary migration. The museum invites visitors to delve into personal stories about migration. These are stories by visual artists, designers and the public itself. The experience of migration, recognition and empathy is central to this.

All over the world, people move across borders for all kinds of reasons. In the 21st century, more people than ever migrate for all kinds of political, economic and environmental reasons. At the same time, travelling is increasingly difficult for a great many people. How difficult, or easy, it is, is often determined by your passport. Which countries welcome you and which do not? And when you are in another country, when do you feel at home? In the exhibition Between borders, artists, fashion and jewellery designers, and Arnhemmers alike share their answers to those questions.

Between borders consists of two parts. From 3 June, young fashion and jewellery designers living in the Netherlands will show work about living and working between two worlds. From 15 July, (inter)national artists and Arnhemmers will also share their personal experiences with borders and migration.

Migration and fashion
The first part of Between Borders opens on June 3. It shows body-related design, such as fashion and jewelry, by 19 designers living in the Netherlands with a migration background. Migration has long been a topical subject in the fashion world, especially with young makers such as Armia Yousefi, Lisa Konno and Denzel Veerkamp. Interest in this theme is also increasing in the jewelery industry. This becomes visible in the work of designers such as Luisa Kuschel, Kalkidan Hoex and Fleuri la Belle, who graduated from ArtEZ. The exhibition focuses on the personal stories of the makers and their experiences as designers in the Netherlands. Seven of them made new work especially for Between Borders. In addition, filmmaker Elisabetta Agyeiwaa is making a documentary in which nine participating designers have their say.

The month of June is fashion month in Arnhem. In Arnhem, various partners (State of Fashion, ArtEZ, Fashion + Design Festival Arnhem (FDFA), Rijn IJssel and Museum Arnhem) work together in the field of fashion. Museum Arnhem and FDFA have joined forces to choose eight makers who are affiliated with the city of Arnhem. Their work is shown in Between Borders.

Designers
In Between Borders you can admire work by Armia Yousefi, Branko Popovic, Chequita Nahar, David Paulus, Denzel Veerkamp, ​​Fleuri la Belle, Garcia Bello, Kalkidan Hoex, Karim Adduchi, Lisa Konno, Loïs Brandsen, Luisa Kuschel, Marcos Kueh, Maja Simišić , Mehdi Mashayekhi, Murat Akbas, Xhosa, Yinka Buutfeld, Zyanya Emperor. 

Premium Program 2023: A decentralized and inclusive selection procedure

A decentralized and inclusive selection procedure: ”How can we develop a methodology for a decentralized participant selection process to enable a bottom-up decolonial and multi-voice perspective?”

With this research question in mind, FASHIONCLASH took part in PREMIUM 2023, Maastricht University’s honours program. FASHIONCLASH was paired to a multidisciplinary team (“Fashion of the Future” - team) of students including Yasmina Abi Raad, Orla Barr, Anna Fomina, Daniel Rivera Rodriguez and Sofia Sgriccia. For five months, they have been researching and collaborating to create suggestions how to organize decentralised and inclusive selection procedures.

Not only in our practice, but for many organizations, the selection process of participants is a challenge. We all want to work more inclusively, but that requires a systematic transformation. And in cultural organizations, projects often start with a selection process. As an international and interdisciplinary platform, FASHIONCLASH has always been trying to run as broad and diverse a practice as possible. But we want to go further and apply a decolonial perspective to the selection process so that we can give stage to new and unheard of stories in the fashion sector from the bottom up.

In today's globalized world, the need for diverse perspectives and inclusive decision-making processes has become increasingly apparent. It is crucial to ensure that all stakeholders have a voice and are represented in various aspects of society, including participant selection processes. The team "Fashion of the Future" aimed to explore and develop a decentralized methodology for participant selection at FASHIONCLASH, with a focus on enabling a bottom-up decolonial and multi-voice perspective.
Decentralization in the context of participant selection refers to the distribution of decision-making authority across different individuals or departments rather than relying on a centralized system. Organizations can promote inclusivity, diversity, and the recognition of multiple perspectives by adopting a decentralized selection procedure.

On Wednesday 31 May, PREMIUM 2023 concluded with a festive ceremony in Novotel in Maastricht. All teams presented their posters, that summed up their project.

PREMIUM is Maastricht University’s Honours programme for high-performing, motivated master’s students. Once selected, students are grouped together in interdisciplinary teams and given a project to complete for a client from the (local) business or government sector under the guidance of a project mentor. Alongside their project, students receive individual coaching focused on personal competence development. Lastly, students attend several workshops to help cultivate valuable skills and knowledge to prepare them for the job market.

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Zlín Design Week 2023

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From 3 to 10 May 2023, the Zlín Design Week (CZ) took place. The programme of the 9th edition of the festival introduced visitors to universal design principles at various locations in Zlín. Build around the theme of ‘Design for All’, the programme focus was inclusivity in design.

This years edition contained ‘Best in Design’ competition exhibition, a fashion show of young designers, parties, an award show, a conference, and so on. 

Like last year, Branko Popovic from team FASHIONCLASH , was invited to take part in the jury panel of ‘Best in Design’ competition. In addition, he took part in a panel by Design CANTEEN. Together with Jeffrey Heiligers from 1m2 Collective, the conversation involved inclusivity in festivals.

The ‘Design for All’ exhibition offered an overview of how universal design involves our lives, with several examples of specific solutions.
“Our intention was to see the exhibition as a place where a clothing designer, a furniture company owner, an urban architect, and a local cultural enthusiast can meet, and the projects on display can pass on something to each of them – a reflection on the value of design in our lives, on what a universal and inclusive approach brings to us, a spark for debate about the possible barriers we all commonly encounter. We are very pleased that the curators Thea Urdal and Herman Greng Billett from Norway and the duo of Slovak architects Tomáš Tholt and Danica Pišteková have been involved in the preparation,” says festival director Jitka Smolíková. The exhibition was set in building 61 of the former Bata industrial complex.

Best in Design Competition for Young Designers

Zlin Design Week supports new talents who want to discover and develop new paths for design and they do so with the ‘Best in Design’ competition for creatives under 30. The finalists of the fourteenth edition of the competition were exhibited at the G18 Gallery. The exhibition provided a space for connecting clothing, visual communication, and industrial solutions, products, and services. The work of the finalists and winners across the past years of the ‘Best in Design’ competition is presented in a fashion show set in the unusual space of the Tomas Bata Memorial in Zlín. The Fashion show with respect to the Tomas Bata Memorial took place on 10 May, preceded by a programme of discussions and workshops related to the universal design and inclusive fashion festival theme.

Winners of Best in Design competition 2023

Fashion Design category winner is Marija Petraityte from Lithuania. In the fashion category second and third place was taken by Katarína Mydliarová and Jana Vaterková.

Michal Zmek won third place in the Product & Industrial Design category, the second place went to Timea Kepová and the first place to Zuzanna Wójcik.

Tereza Vašková placed third in the Service Design category, Alina Karl took the second place and the winner of this category was Matêj Malecha.

In the Communication category, co-creators Tim Stange and Fabian Meyer shared the third place, Julie Ditetová won the second place and the winner was Adrián Gubrica with impressive Mariupol Memoirial project.

And the overall winner of the entire Best in Design competition is none other than Zuzanna Wójcik!

Zlín Design Week

Zlín Design Week is a week-long design festival where everyone can find inspiration. Through the festival, we are creating for the ninth time a platform for presentation, expression, sharing, unexpected connections, and meeting young designers with professionals. We support young talents and bring fresh air to the design field. The project was created in 2015 at the Faculty of Multimedia Communications at Tomas Bata University in Zlín thanks to the interdisciplinary collaboration of design, marketing, photography, and audiovisual.

EUROPEAN FASHION ALLIANCE: Time for a prosperous creative-driven future of fashion

Greener, more innovative, more creative – at the first summit on Gran Canaria, the members of the European Fashion Alliance “EFA” put together a package of measures and actions for a sustainable and inclusive future of the European fashion industry.

At the invitation of the Gran Canarian fashion network Moda Calida and the local authority Cabildo de Gran Canaria, the members of the European Fashion Alliance (EFA), founded in Frankfurt in June 2022, gathered in Maspalomas on October 19 and 20 during the Gran Canaria Swim Week – the only European Swim Wear Week - for their first summit.

The aim of the summit of 59 representatives from 23 European countries was to discuss and agree on a package of measures and actions that can support and promote the necessary transformation process in the fashion industry in Europe. The alliance, which consists of 29 member organizations, including numerous fashion councils, fashion weeks, research and educational institutions, represents more than 10,000 European companies in the fashion sector, ranging from micro-enterprises to large corporations.

 One of the main topics during the meeting was the “Green Deal” formulated by the European Union in 2019 by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to reduce net emissions of greenhouse gases to zero by 2050, to which the fashion industry must also urgently contribute, according to the commitment of the EFA. The Alliance aims to contribute significantly to achieving a CO₂-neutral, environmentally sustainable, non-toxic and completely circular textile industry and to raise and sensitise the awareness of fashion producers, designers and consumers.

To this end, four pillars on which the targeted measures are to be based were defined during the meeting in Gran Canaria: sustainability, education, policy and innovation.
The European Fashion Alliance believes that sustainability and digital transformation, together with innovation, education and labor market measures, will be the drivers for the fashion industry to make textiles more durable, repairable, reusable and recyclable. To accelerate this transition process, EFA will therefor also focus on the cross-cultural exchanges and interactions between creatives and support young talents as drivers of change through actions, research and campaigning.

CECILIE THORSMARK – COPENHAGEN FASHION WEEK “A fashion week can take advantage of its position to accelerate change and demand change – to move the industry forward. But fashion weeks must also take responsibility in sustainability, keeping in mind a reduced amount of ressources in production, lower carbon – emissions, etc.

For the period from 2023 to 2027, the European Fashion Alliance translates this belief into four main objectives based on the four defined pillars:
1.    Definition of an ethical, social and sustainable code of conduct for EFA members and by extension for the fashion industry.

2.    A new Green Deal for fashion at European level representing fashion culture and business, founded on a European-based circular and social fashion eco-system based on shared data and a shared measurement data system.

3.    Creation and enforcing of sustainable and technological training and social & cultural responsibility practices for EFA key stakeholders.

4.    Empowerment of Generation Z and the new generations as leading forces of value in digital, circular and social transition of the fashion industry.

The members agree that the vision and objectives of the EFA must be translated into concrete action plans and policy frameworks within the next two to three years to drive change. This can only be achieved with a solid understanding of the needs and challenges of the fashion industry, especially the creative and design-oriented stakeholders.

DILYS WILLIAMS – CENTER FOR SUSTAINABLE FASHION “We should not only change the content of fashion, but also change the rules and goals of fashion. Fashion is often evaluated in economic terms by growth and numbers. But it is important to create value in cultural terms. To communicate what fashion can contribute to people's well-being and what impact – positive and negative – it has on our society.”

For 2023, EFA will therefore launch a Europe-wide survey through its members to investigate the needs and challenges of micro, small, medium and large enterprises operating in the fashion and textile industry, as well as education and research-oriented and other industry-related stakeholders.

The knowledge gained from this should enable EFA to create a priority-driven policy framework in response to the current legislation resulting from, amongst others, the European Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles and the creation of new EU policies and programs to support fashion and creative industries. The aim is to give stakeholders a better understanding of European legislation – an area in which many creative entrepreneurs are still “lost in translation”.

Moreover, EFA will involve and empower young talents and voices by actively engaging them in leadership roles and activities within the organization alongside established brands and organizations. 

PASCAL MORAND – FEDERATION DE LA HAUTE COUTURE ET DE LA MODE “Fashion goes beyond the market, it’s about culture. We are in a market economy; it also concerns those who are not in the market to understand that creative fashion can play a sustainable engine role more globally”

ABOUT EFA

The European Fashion Alliance is the first transnational alliance of European fashion institutions. It aims to promote a fertile, sustainable and inclusive ecosystem for European fashion. EFA acts as a strong collective voice advocating and accelerating the transition of European fashion to a more sustainable, innovative, inclusive and creative future.

 

ASOCIACION CREADORES DE MODA DE ESPANA – AUSTRIAN FASHION ASSOCIATION – BALTIC FASHION FEDERATION – BRITISH FASHION COUNCIL – BULGARIAN FASHION ASSOCIATION – CAMERA NAZIONALE DELLA MODA ITALIANA – CENTER FOR SUSTAINABLE FASHION – COPENHAGEN FASHION WEEK – COUNCIL OF IRISH FASHION DESIGNERS – ESTONIAN ACADEMY OF ARTS – FASHION COUNCIL GERMANY – FÉDÉRATION DE LA HAUTE COUTURE ET DE LA MODE – FÉDÉRATION FRANÇAISE DU PRÊT À PORTER FÉMININ – FINNISH TEXTILE & FASHION – FLANDERS DC- GLOBAL FASHION AGENDA- HUNGARIAN FASHION DESIGN AGENCY – ISLANDIC FASHION COUNCIL - MODA-FAD – MODALISBOA – MODA CALIDA - MODE SUISSE – NORWEGIAN FASHION HUB – SKOPJE FASHION WEEKEND – SLOWAK FASHION COUNCIL – SWEDISH FASHION COUNCIL – TASKFORCE FASHION – THE PRINCE’S FOUNDATION – WALLONIE-BRUXELLES DESIGN MODE.

An update from Team FASHIONCLASH

FASHIONCLASH has moved organically over the years, driven by commitment, intuition and friendship. Since 2009, we have realized more than 200 projects and offered more than 1000 designers and artists a stage and supported them in their practice development. Always driven by a community of designers, friends, family, entrepreneurs, visitors, volunteers and other colleagues or passers-by. The campaign of the 14th edition of FASHIONCLASH Festival is an ode to that. 

Things are constantly changing. Nawie Kuiper and Laurens Hamacher have decided after 14 years to further develop their dreams and ambitions outside of FASHIONCLASH. They will leave the team on December 31 2022, and step down from the board of the foundation. 

Branko Popovic, Els Petit and Jessie Beurskens continue in the same vision, mission and spirit of FASHIONCLASH to use fashion for a positive change in the (fashion) world and support the new generation of designers. They build on a hospitable and indestructible house on which Nawie and Laurens have left an indelible mark. 

FASHIONCLASH is entering a new phase, professionally and personally. It's exciting, but it always has been. Filled with pride, love and carried by friendship, we thank all who have supported FASHIONCLASH, and in advance everyone who will continue and/or do so. 

Our biggest THANKS goes out to champions and top colleagues, in heart and in deed, that are Nawie and Laurens. Founders and honorary members of FASHIONCLASH Family! 

All photos: Laura Knipsael

FASHIONCLASH in De Makers Podcast #131

De Makers Podcast is dé podcast voor makers, artiesten en liefhebbers. Theatermaker Dide Vonk bevraagt in deze podcast andere makers hoe zij leven & ondernemen in de kunst & cultuur sector.

Aflevering #131 van De Makers Podcast staat in het teken van… FASHIONCLASH Festival! In deze aflevering spreekt ze met co-founder Branko Popovic en deelnemers Jessica Joosse en Fabienne van der Weiden van fashiontech studio LABELEDBY en Joline Kwakkenbos en Britt Liberg van Elliot Collective. Ze hebben het over hoe je een modelabel opbouwt. Hoe kom je aan geld en hoe start je samenwerkingen? En hoe zorg je dat je volhoudt? Dit, en nog veel meer hoor je in de ruim 1 uur durende aflevering!

Heb je er liever beeld bij? De aflevering staat ook op YouTube!

Winners of Bilbao International Art&Fashion BIAAF Contest 2022

Jef Montes, Tal Maslavi and Asier Quintana Villa, winners of our VIII edition of the Bilbao International Art&Fashion BIAAF Contest.

The young designers have been awarded, respectively, with the Best Apparel Design Award, Best Accessory Design, each with a prize of 10,000 euros, and the Iñaki Azkuna Award for Best Emerging Basque Designer, with a prize of 5,000 euros.

The Dutch designer Jef Montes won the Best Design Award; the Israeli Tal Maslavi received the Best Accessories Award; and the Biscayan Asier Quintana Villa received the Iñaki Azkuna Award for Best Basque Emerging Designer.

La Terminal Building, in the renewed creative area of Zorrozaurre, was the venue for this year’s awards ceremony, which was attended by the Mayor of Bilbao, Juan Maria Aburto; the Provincial Councilor for Economic Promotion of Bizkaia, Ainara Basurko; the Councilor for Economic Development, Commerce and Employment of the City of Bilbao, Xabier Otxandiano, the Councilor of the Youth and Sports Area of the City of Bilbao, Itxaso Erroteta, and the Director of the Youth and Sports Area of the City of Bilbao, Idoia Uriarte, among others.

The winners of the three categories were chosen from among more than 1,300 proposals from promising young designers from 92 different countries who participated in the contest. The international jury was chaired by Javier Alonso Partner of Let’s Grow in Fashion and Lifestyle Business Angel, with representatives of the LVMH group, Vogue and the Balenciaga Museum, as well as leading Spanish fashion designers such as Miriam Ocariz and Mercedes de Miguel, who chose the 30 finalists of the contest in May.

The 30 finalists’ pieces can be seen until June 19 in a unique exhibition at La Terminal Building.

This edition has been characterized by artistic and cultural references such as Pop Art by Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein, the novel ‘1984’ by George Orwell, the film ‘Inception’ by Christopher Nolan, the mobile sculptures of Alexander Calder, Dadaism or Performative Art. The proposals received, in fact, have shown this year that “fashion is above all a means of artistic and creative expression,” stresses the organization.

The 30 finalist collections reflect the concerns and hopes of these young designers, many of them students at prestigious universities and fashion schools around the world (Parsons, FIT, Central Saint Martin’s, London College of Fashion, Shenkar, Kyoto Seika University, KADK, Royal Academy of Fine Arts of Antwerp, Polimoda, IED…).

Despite the incredible designs that were finalists in this edition, only three of them were the winners of the three prizes that were awarded that night.

The award for Best Outfit Design was for Jef Montes (Netherlands – ArtEZ University of the Arts). The Dutchman took the first prize for his collection Marinero. Manufactured by rain, Marinero is a work that is inspired by the growth of flowers and plants. The sea and water have been very important in his work, as Jef Montes has used new materials and techniques in the creation of Marinero. From algae materials to create yarns and dye prototypes to filaments of smart materials, all of it brought together in a provocative and innovative design that has created unique 3D shapes.

In the accessories category, Tal Maslavi (Israel) from Shenkar College of Engineering and Design won the award for Best Accessory Design. A groundbreaking accessories collection, based on the cynical reality in which we live that seeks to challenge and rethink things in the world, this is how the artist described his work. Inspired by Dadaism, the collection’s accessories try to reflect the cynicism and lack of clarity of the era in which we live.

The last award of the evening for Best Emerging Basque Designer was received by Asier Quintana Villa, a student at the Royal Danish Academy, for his Logela collection. The Basque designer was inspired by the combination of Performance Art and the design process to shape a collection that explores five emotions connected with the bedroom: fear, roots, refuge, creativity, and self-discovery. Asier employed different shades of black in the process that helped him tell a story through the various textures of each garment. This combination of materials and shades results in an innovative project that reveals the tailoring techniques applied.

Jef Montes

European Fashion Councils create first European Fashion Alliance

Taskforce Fashion, a coalition of three Dutch fashion platforms (State of Fashion, M-ODE and FASHIONCLASH) has joined European Fashion Alliance.

Frankfurt Agreement: 25 European fashion institutions creating the “European Fashion Alliance”. A powerful new network of fashion organisations aiming to unite and change the European fashion landscape.

Berlin, 21 June 2022. The first real transnational alliance of European fashion councils and institutions is founded by 25 European fashion organizations aiming to empower a prosperous, sustainable and inclusive European fashion ecosystem. During a two-day summit in Frankfurt at the end of March 2022, Fashion Council Germany brought together the most leading European fashion organisations to form a coalition of change, with the support of Messe Frankfurt and its global Texpertise Network.

Inspired by the words of Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, and Mariya Gabriel, European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth calling for the reinforcement of the fashion industry on European level, the Alliance aims to be a strong common voice advocating for and accelerating the transition of European fashion towards a more sustainable, innovative and inclusive creative future.

With the Frankfurt Agreement, the European fashion organisations decided to join this new industry coalition and the intention to develop collectively an active and reactive strategy for the industry’s need to change in the next months.

The Alliance is created to strengthen and enlarge a new network of councils and institutions to develop a common understanding of practical objectives of how the fashion industry and its multiple actors, support organisations and indirectly SMEs and large companies and professionals, can collectively help to transform the industry and protect the planet and all its inhabitants better. With this Alliance, the European fashion organisations who are representing a large and unique part of the fashion industry, aim collectively to reinforce European fashion on a sustainable, inclusive, innovative and promotional level and to accelerate the translation of these objectives into realistic actions and policy recommendations.
With this one-of-a-kind network of European fashion councils, promotion institutions, incubators and clusters the new Alliance aims not only to share, educate and research market knowledge, contacts and best practices but also to advocate at European level with different economic, political and social stakeholders for a prosperous future.

Mariya Gabriel, European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, stated in her opening speech at the Frankfurt summit on 23rd of March 2022: “Fashion is a key industry for creative design. I know that you have come together today, to discuss amongst others, the possibility of creating the European Fashion Alliance. I personally think this is a brilliant idea. See me as a facilitator and count on my support.”

The first summit in March was supported by Messe Frankfurt, the world’s leading organiser of textile trade fairs. Messe Frankfurt’s Texpertise Network, a combination of a global network and expertise in the international textile business held in high regard worldwide, currently comprises 60 international events for the entire textile sector including the segments of Apparel Fabrics & Fashion, Interior & Contract Textiles, Technical Textiles & Textile Processing, and Textile Care. Today, 21st June, the European fashion alliance uses this international platform to present its vision & mission during a panel talk.

The EFA members invite other similar mindset organizations to support its mission and ambition to create a better future by joining the alliance. The next summit of the European Fashion Alliance will take place during Gran Canaria Swim Week by Mode Cálida from the 18th till 21st of October 2022.

Members of the European Fashion Alliance:
Asociación Creadores De Moda de España (Spain), https://creadores.org/
Austrian Fashion Association (Austria), https://www.austrianfashionassociation.at
Baltic Fashion Federation (Latvia), https://bffederation.com
Bulgarian Fashion Association (Bulgaria), https://www.bgfa.eu/
Camera Nazionale Della Moda Italiana (Italy), https://www.cameramoda.it/
Copenhagen Fashion Week (Denmark), https://copenhagenfashionweek.com/
Council of Irish Fashion Designers (Ireland), https://irishfashiondesigners.com/
Estonian Academy of Arts (Estonia)https://dima.artun.ee/
Fashion Council Germany (Germany); https://www.fashion-council-germany.org/
Fédération de la Haute Couture de la Mode (France), https://fhcm.paris/fr/
Fédération Français du Prêt-à-Porter Féminin (France), https://pretaporter.com/
Flanders DC (Belgium), https://www.flandersdc.be/en
Icelandic Fashion Council (Iceland) , www.fatahonnunarfelag.is
Global Fashion Agenda, https://globalfashionagenda.org
Gran Canaria Moda Cálida (Spain), https://www.grancanariamodacalida.com/
MODA-FAD (Spain), https://www.fad.cat/moda-fad/en
Mode Suisse (Switzerland), https://www.modesuisse.com/
Modalisboa (Portugal), https://www.modalisboa.pt
Norwegian Fashion Hub (Norway), https://www.norwegianfashionhub.com
Slovak Fashion Council, (Slovakia), https://slovakfashioncouncil.sk/
Swedish Fashion Council (Sweden), https://www.swedishfashioncouncil.se
Finnish Textile & Fashion (Finland), https://www.stjm.fi/
Taskforce Fashion (Netherlands), https://taskforcefashion.nl/
The Prince’s Foundation (UK), https://princes-foundation.org/
Wallonie Bruxelles Design Mode (Belgium), https://www.wbdm.be

www.europeanfashionalliance.org


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FASHIONCLASH x Balaton Sound

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FASHIONCLASH teamed up with Balaton Sound festival, that will take place June 29 - July 2 in Zamárdi - Lake Balaton (Hungary).

Within the context of their fashion show programme Belgian fashion designer Sander Bos will showcase work from his Miss Bos brand.

Especially for FASHIONCLASH community, there is a 15% discount Promo code which can be used until 14 June. Promo code ‘FASHIONCLASH’ is valid for passes and tickets only. Discount code will get you 15 % off your purchase when applied at online checkout and only can be redeemed for 1 pass or 1 ticket at once.

Get your tickets!

Balaton Sound, one of the largest and most colourful open-air electronic beach festivals in Europe, set in the sunny and scenic Lake Balaton in Hungary, is returning for 2022 offering an unrivalled luxury VIP experience featuring some of the biggest global electronic music artists, such as Alesso, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, as well as the award winning Martin Garrix, Marshmello, Fisher, Paul Kalkbrenner, Robin Schulz and many more.

https://balatonsound.com

Miss Bos is the brand and brain child of designer Sander Bos. Sander was born and raised in Hasselt Belgium. After studying Art is high school, he decided to take his love for art and take it to fashion. He completed his Master of fashion design from the Royal academy of fine arts in Antwerp. Swiftly after that he started his own brand which would "become a Belgian fashion house that projects impressions from modern art".
Not much after that Sande Bos entered Making the cut, a tv-program which focuses on a fashion competition, where he landed in the finals. The Miss Bos line is a subline of the Sander Bos brand. Keeping the essence of Sander Bos, the line stays a reflection of modern art, but adding a layer of wearability. The clothing comes from the same inspiration, but a different perspective.

www.missbos.be

Zlin Design Week 2022

The Best in Design – Best of ´22 exhibition opening
photo Vojtěch Plhák

Branko Popovic, co-director of FASHIONCLASH, took part in the jury panel of the The Best in Design international competion that takes place in the context of Zlin Design Week. In addition, he attend the design week in person and was invited to provide a workshop.

After two hybrid years, affected by Covid-19, Zlin Design Week returned in full force. From May 6th until May 13th, the extensive program of exhibitions, workshops, fashion shows and conferences took place at various locations.

Although perhaps an unknown destination for many foreign design enthusiasts, the city of Zlin with its industrial past, manufacturing industry and strong educational network has the perfect ingredients to function as a platform for design thinking and showcasing. The program is not only extensive in its set up, but especially in the multi-layered attention to quality and content.
In addition, the program has a strong focus on inclusive design, which is not so far-fetched at all; Bata's socialist ideal and caring for workers provides a foundation for this narrative.

Read the full report on Branko’s blog.

On Sunday evening May 8th, Zlin Design Week presented a live fashion show for the first time.
The show featured collections by Lukáš Krnáč who studied at the Tomas Bata University in Zlín, Michaela Hriňová (Aimoffcl), Tamara Koperová, Studio 3 a collective of three designers, Miyogiji, promising brand Famale Official by Petra Famlerová, Šárka Zejdová, Alexandra Kondačová and Zuzana Ľos-Božiková who is currently a 4th year BA student at the Fashion Design Studio at the Academy of Fine Arts in Bratislava. Singer Giudi supported this year ZDW with her live performance, which added a nice element to the packed fashion show.
More about the fashion show on Branko’s blog.

top 3 of the fashion design categoty of Best in Design contest:
Kristýna Šenkýřová Lovasová, Václav Černý and Milan Florián Flíček

photo Sára Mašková

FASHIONCLASH winner Inspiratieprijs Cultuurfonds Limburg 2021

FASHIONCLASH wint Inspiratieprijs Cultuurfonds Limburg 2021

Branko Popovic, Nawie Kuiper, Laurens Hamacher en Jessie Beurskens, oprichters, inspiratoren en coaches van FASHIONCLASH winnen dit jaar de Inspiratieprijs van het Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds Limburg. Zij vallen in de categorie digitale technologie als ambacht binnen kunst en ontwerp. Edmond Staal, vice-voorzitter van het Cultuurfonds Limburg, reikt de prijs op 25 november uit. De prijs bestaat uit een bedrag van € 15.000 en een glasobject van kunstenares Ruth Houkes.

Sinds 2009 is FASHIONCLASH onder leiding van Branko Popovic, Nawie Kuiper en Laurens Hamacher actief als een ontwikkeling en interdisciplinair showcase platform voor mode. Sinds een aantal jaren is het team aangevuld met Jessie Beurskens, die net als de grondleggers afgestudeerd is aan de Kunstacademie van Maastricht. De prijs is tijdelijk verhoogd door een toegenomen behoefte aan steun aan initiatieven in cultuur en natuur in deze periode.

Branko Popovic, Nawie Kuiper, Laurens Hamacher en Jessie Beurskens belichamen de reden waarom deze prijs wordt uitgereikt. Voor jong en oud in de kunsten zijn zij een voorbeeld voor de wijze waarop zij thema’s zoals inclusie en diversiteit bespreekbaar en zichtbaar maken. Hun maatschappelijk engagement en verbindende rol is onlosmakelijk verbonden met de wijze waarop zij het platform aansturen. De cultuurregio Zuid-Limburg heeft met deze inspiratoren een parel in huis die gekoesterd moet worden naar de bescheiden mening van de jury.

Uit het juryrapport:

“FASHIONCLASH durft letterlijk de clash op te zoeken, door diverse disciplines en media - waaronder digitale technologie - in te zetten om de eigen positie en die van de deelnemers te bevragen in een verrassende CLASH. Zij weten talenten op een innoverende manier mee te nemen in de jaarlijkse thematieken die een kritische reflectie zijn op maatschappelijke vraagstukken, beeldende kunst en vormgeving. FASHIONCLASH speelt voor die jonge talenten de rol van katalysator.”

De jury bestaat uit Chequita Nahar, voorzitter jury en bestuurslid Cultuurfonds; Peter Missotten, lector Technology Driven Art ZUYD; Hans Gubbels, algemeen directeur Discovery Museum; John Gubbels, bestuurslid Cultuurfonds en Mariëlle van Eijs, jurysecretaris.

Over het Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds

Het Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds brengt mensen, werelden en ideeën samen om cultuur en natuur te laten leven. Dankzij onze bijdragen, fondsen en prijzen ontstaan nieuwe culturele initiatieven en wordt cultureel erfgoed behouden. Dat doen we met schenkers en makers, liefhebbers en experts, bedenkers en beschermers. En met de bijdrages van de VriendenLoterij, de Nederlandse Loterij en van al onze donateurs. Het Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds Limburg is een van de twaalf provinciale afdelingen. www.cultuurfonds.nl

OBSESSED! Jewellery Festival - ‘Local and In-depth’

OBSESSED! Jewellery Festival ‘Local and In-depth’ Edition
30October —30November

2021OBSESSED! is a biennial jewelry festival that takes place in various cities throughout the Netherlands -Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Apeldoorn, Den Bosch, Eindhoven and Belgium -Antwerp.

The upcoming third edition of OBSESSED! connects the best jewelry related events -museum and gallery exhibitions, artist open studios, pop-ups, lectures, fairs and book launches -into one intriguing program curated by Current Obsession.
@currentobsessionmagWith this edition's overarching theme of 'Local and Deep', CO seeks to highlight and support local 'gems' -by opening museum archives and studio doors to our global audience.

Share your OBSESSED! experiences via #obsessedwithjewellery
See full programme on www.obsessedwithjewellery.com

Animation by Marc Ferrer Vives @msistemaand | soundscape by Matthias Kispert @mkispert | Website by @www_stuudio