Fashion Makes Sense Fashion Film

Dressed for Protest: The Women’s March and Beyond, Glamour Magazine
by Amber Moelter at Noir Tribe

FASHIONCLASH Fashion Film Festival presents Fashion Makes Sense Fashion Films

A selection of short fashion films and documentaries that are showing that fashion can make sense.

FASHIONCLASH strongly believes that the art of fashion can stimulate critical debate about controversial issues in our society. Fashion film as a medium is an incredible discipline to tell stories, to address controversial issues, to create a dialogue and connect disciplines.

Fashion Makes Sense Fashion Films
Date: 4-11-2017
Time: 20:30 – 21:30
Runtime: 00:50:42
Price: €9,00 get your tickets

Fashion Makes Sense Award 2017

MUKASHI MUKASHI

FASHIONCLASH presents, in collaboration with Province Limburg, the ‘Fashion Makes Sense Award’, a stimulation award for conscious young designers. The Fashion Makes Sense award is awarded during the Dutch Earth Week (October 2017) in Maastricht. Out of the finalists, a jury chose one winner that’ll be rewarded with a money prize of €2.500. This prize will be used to produce a sustainable collection, which will be presented during FASHIONCLASH Festival 2018. In addition, an audience winner was chosen, this winner will receive a cash prize of €500.

MUKASHI MUKASHI by Birutė Mažeikaitė won the Fashion Makes Sense Award jury prize. The audience award went to Maastricht based knitwear label STRIKKS.

The jury, consisting of Carry Somers (founder Fashion Revolution), Desiree Kleinen (Ree projects) Jasmien Wynants (Flanders DC/Close the loop) and fashion designer Elsien Gringhuis, was unanimous about the sustainable fashion brand MUKASHI MUKASHI.

The awards have been presented on October 12 by Daan Prevoo, deputy of the Province of Limburg. Fashion Makes Sense Award is presented during Dutch Earth Week that took place from 10 -14 October 2017 for the first time.

In addition, Forza Fashion House organized a Sustainable Fashion Falk during the award ceremony. The talk, moderated by Elise Crutzen (fashion editor and writer) featured presentations by Jasmien Wynants and Carry Somers.

Fashion Makes Sense Award is a project by FASHIONCLASH, made possible thanks to support of Province of Limburg. The 9th edition of FASHIONCLASH Festival was dedicated to the theme ‘Fashion Makes Sense’, in which the focus was on the senses and the sense making in relation to fashion. The theme shed light on sustainability in fashion, by giving a stage to initiatives and designers and creating a dialogue between the audience and the fashion industry.

 With ‘Fashion Makes Sense’ FASHIONCLASH wants to excite young designers, the fashion industry and the audience and create awareness about sustainability in fashion. Fashion is of upmost importance in the economy, society, art, and creativity and for each of us. But, it has a downside: the impact on the environment, the exploitation on workers and the influence on our self-esteem. What is the importance of fashion in our society and how can fashion contribute to a better world and welfare.

FASHIONCLASH has the ambition to develop ‘Fashion Makes Sense to a returning part of the yearly FASHIONCLASH Festival and it is their aim to create awareness around this topic. With an annual prize, FASHIONCLASH introduced the ‘Fashion Makes Sense’ jury award and the ‘Fashion Makes Sense audience award. A prize for a promising fashion talent, that’ll have a relevant and innovative idea on the awareness and innovation around sustainability.

DOES FASHION MAKES SENSE?

The 9th edition of FASHIONCLASH Festival was composed and curated around the theme ‘Fashion Makes Sense’. Through ‘Fashion Makes Sense’ FASHIONCLASH focused on senses and making
sense in relation to fashion.
Several participants of the festival where asked the question: Does fashion make sense?

Video by Daniel van Hauten, WEDOVOODOO.TV

PRE-STIMULIS - Opening FASHIONCLASH Festival 2017

PRE-STIMULIS
A project by FASHIONCLASH & MAFAD, in collaboration with the Maastricht Academy of Performing Arts
The opening of FASHIONCLASH Festival took place on Thursday 29th of June at the Forza Fashion House in the LAB Building/Het Radium. This was also the official opening of the The Forza Fashion House, the new breeding ground for creative, cultural and entrepreneurial Maastricht and also the new FASHIONCLASH office. Directed by theatre makers Joost Horward and Nina Willems the evening contained interdisciplinary performances and installations by students from MAFAD and Maastricht Academy of Performing Arts.

PRE-STIMULIS Project
Specially for the opening of the festival, FASHIONCLASH teamed up with MAFAD (Maastricht Academy of Fine Arts and Design). In the context of the new design curriculum ‘BODY, OBJECT & MATERIAL’, the second-year BODY design students were assigned to do artistic research on the ‘senses’ in relation to the festival’s theme 'Fashion Makes Sense'. In addition, each student has been connected to one or two students from the Maastricht Academy of Performing Arts. Based on the research of the design students, each team developed a concept in which they expressed their vision and findings on the ‘senses’ and new ways how to create an enriched embodied experience for the audience.

Marcel van Kan (MAFAD) and Branko Popovic (FASHIONCLASH), togehter with Joost Horward and Nina Willems coached the students during the proces of research and execution of the performances. The project concluded in nine participatory installations / performances.

Participants Students MAFAD: Ashley Luypaers, Max Niereisel, María Voth Velasco, Michelle Cornelissen, Dana Lipka, Julina Bezold, Natalia Rumiantseva, Empar Juanes Sanchis

Students the Maastricht Academy of Performing Arts: Anthony van Gog, Nora Ramakers, Diederik Kreike, Izak Berman, Luca Meisters, Anna Luca da Silva, Maarten Heijnens, Caro Derkx, Mees Walter, Maxime Dreesen, Anoek Oostermeijer

Photography: Team Peter Stigter

1. Michelle Cornelissen & Nora Ramakers
H2O  (ρ = m / V + 70 °C) - sin α = 1 . λ/d (c=f.λ)
Colour Fluctus, part 9

Colour Fluctus part 9 registers an unique footprint, captured by colour. The movement, translated by the pigments, shows a timetable and controls the colours and patterns. The impact of the movement becomes visible once the colour is poured into the water. At the same time, we archive and measure the body movements as manifestations of emotions. The pattern is a memory of this particular moment and tells a story about one's character.  
Performers: Laura Hogeweg, Froukje de Boer, Nora Ramakers, Michelle Cornelissen

Fashion Talks at FASHIONCLASH Festival 2017

Looking back to inspiring Fashion Talks 
at FASHIONCLASH Festival 2017

"We live in a rapidly changing world where progress is accompanied by environmental pollution and ethical issues. The fashion world is a mighty billion industry, and like no other is able to create an illusion and seduce us humans and excite our senses. Today's fashion industry is a reflection of society with a strong focus on aesthetics. Our society approaches fashion as a purely visual phenomenon and doesn’t always see the nature of the interaction with the body (of the wearer), despite the fact that fashion is the most intimate form of art, as it is literally worn “on the body”! As a second skin, clothing also enables us to express ourselves and helps us make sense of the world."
- FASHIONCLASH Team

(Does) Fashion Makes Sense? was the question posed during the 9th edition of FASHIONCLASH Festival. Although there is no answer that can satisfy this broad and complex question the panel at the  Fashion Talks provided positive food for thoughts.
Moderated by Saskia van Stein, artistic director at Bureau Europa, a stage was given to a several festival participants and professionals to engage in a discussion about the topic.
The first talk focused more on the senses and the body. Followed by talk that engaged a more broader view on the industry. Does fashion 'as an industry' make sense.

lecture performance Olle Lundin & Floriane Misslin 

Before the talks started, Olle Lundin and Floriane Misslin, provided the perfect introduction with their joint lecture performance.
By extracting postures and re-contextualizing them Olle Lundin hopes to denaturalize the body-language of high fashion. By doing this he has the intention to show the norms, ideals and invisible expectations that are inherent in the visual language discourse of high fashion advertising today! Floriane Misslin focusses on portraying non-binary identities in the mainstream media.  In the Fashion Makes Sense LAB she presented her current project ‘Uni-Sex’.

The speakers Emanuela Corti and Ivan Parati talked about their 'Sensewear' project. Their primary purpose is to stimulate and improve awareness of our senses, while training us to better use them all. Some Sensewear items are designed to mute physical sensations, some to sharpen them. The collection is inspired by therapies applied to Sensory Processing Disorders and developed with the technical support of therapists assisting people affected with autism. Anxiety, stress, panic attack are most typical autism’s symptoms but more and more people suffers them, therefore the collection is not addressed only to people with disabilities but it is aiming at enhancing everyone busy urban life.

Designer Sepideh Ahadi explained how she works and talked about her slow fashion approach. As a designer, Sepideh feels the responsibility to invite her audience to think about fashion in a different and more interactive way through her designs.

Carolyn Mair, the Chartered Psychologist and Chartered Scientist with a PhD in cognitive neuroscience, became an 'instant darling' with her point of view and knowledge.
She developed the MA Psychology for Fashion Professionals and MSc Applied Psychology in Fashion at LCF.
Another expert that shared her knowledge was Rosemarie Ruigrok. After selling her own company, Promax Corporate Fashion, she worked at Amnesty International, Fair Wear Foundation and as CSR consultance at Elsewear Foundation, known by “Green is the new black and as International cotton manager for Fairtrade. In 2007 Roosmarie founded Clean & Unique.

Another speaker was local designer Ebby Port, who expressed her challenges as being a young designer who wants to change the world but feels not as responsible, her statement was that the big companies should take the lead and take responsibility.

Jeffrey Heiligers and Eva Wagensveld talked about their project online platform SHI[R]T.
"The psychology behind fashion has become less about quality or durabilty and more about being fast, cheap and easy to replace. Does fashion make sense if the quality of the products is high, labour conditions are good and the environmental impact is minimal? In other words: Do you want to buy a shit-shirt, or rather invest in something fair?"

On Friday night they presented a participatory performance in the fashion show program, stirring the audience by literally facing a mirror to everyone.
Several members from the audience were randomly invited on the runway who were then donned with mirrored panels on their chest and back. Mirrors were then held up to seated guests, as questions such as “Do you buy because you can?” and “How come that a sandwich is cheaper than a sweater?” echoed in the background.

Photography Sem Shayne, FASHIONCLASH

Coffee Break Story #5

Together with our partner Coffeelovers we will be sharing a Coffee Break Story almost every Sunday as of the 4th of June! 5 Local designers who are part of FabricAge will be sharing their “Cup of Inspiration” and “What tickles their fashion senses”. 

Our last Coffee Break is with: 

Maarten van Mulken | www.maartenvanmulken.co | WINNER RADIKAL FASHION FILM AWARD 2017

Maarten Van Mulken, 26, is a Dutch fashion designer living in Maastricht. Last year he graduated from the Maastricht Academy of Fine Arts & Design (MAFAD). This year he will be introducing his new womenswear collection at FASHIONCLASH Festival 2017. Next to creating own collections, he is working as a costume designer for a theatre, which fits perfectly with how he likes to design. He is thrilled with a project like FabricAge, where nobody is left out, and everyone can participate. Together with the rest of the team, he came up with the design that withholds three different kinds of crafts, creating a ‘gesammtkunstwerk’.

Photo: Team Peter Stigter

A.P.monde - FASHIONCLASH Festival 2017

photo Christina Stohn

Meet Anja Perisic. She designs Kimonos for her brand A.P.monde, She also designs costumes for stage productions and develops patterns for the brand Ann Demeulemeester. 9 years ago she finished her studies at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp and at the Kunsthochschule Berlin Weissensee. Anja was born in Sarajevo, but grew up in Antwerp, Belgium. She lived in Berlin for a while and now she’s back in Belgium. Anja always knew that she wanted to work in the field of design. She grew up between art galleries and theaters. Choosing to make design her profession felt very natural for her. The real surprise was starting her own business. She has worked for great minds like Ann Demeulemeester, Terry Gilliam, Christoph Waltz and Jan Fabre. But winning Fashion One’s first season of Design Genius gave her the mental and financial boost she needed to create her own brand, so far Anja’s biggest pride and joy. At the moment Anja is designing the next A.P.monde collection. She’s developing patterns for Ann Demeulemeester 2018 and she’s mentoring a master costume design program at the Antwerp Academy. The thing she loves most about her profession is how we need to go through various stages in order to develop a new design. Research, sourcing, drawing, experimenting (when there is time), development of a collection, shoots, marketing, sales, and then it all starts all over again. Each time the journey takes you somewhere new and unexpected. That to Anja is exhilarating.

SENSES AND FASHION - INSPIRATION

“Fashion is about bodies; it is produced, promoted and worn by bodies. It is the body that fashion speaks to and it is the body that must be addressed in almost all social encounters”  (Entwistle, 2000).

·         “With aging, sensations may be reduced or changed. These changes can occur because of decreased blood flow to the nerve endings or to the spinal cord or brain. The spinal cord transmits nerve signals and the brain interprets these signals.” Pen State Hershey

 “Sensation is fundamental to our experience of the world. Shaped by culture, gender, and class, the senses mediate between mind and the body, idea and object, self and environment.” - The Senses and Society

         "Fashion in the context of art makes sense as an evolving form which offers ongoing exploration in understanding the self and in helping me to create connections with others through shared experience." – Jo Cope

        "The senses are one of the things that make us more sensitive as human beings, connecting us to experiences in an intimate way. The sense of the self and the relationship and development of the inner being and how that might be projected outwardly is explored in some of my work." – Jo Cope

        "Does fashion make sense if the quality of the products is low, the labor conditions are poor and it harms the environment terribly? The psychology behind fashion has become less about quality or durability and more about being fast, cheap and easy to replace." – SHI[R]T.

·         "It is inevitable to think of the human body, in any aspect of fashion, without the relation to the senses. They are meant to be provoked, teased and challenged to a game that will result in pure pleasure." – LUDUS

·         "Clothing is in a close relation to the human body because of its tangibility. Body feels the fabric and decides whether it will accept it or not. When they match, they become one. Clothing and fabrics shape the body reacting differently on each person. Clothing serves the body's appearance and also helps a person to express themselves." – NIKA TOM

·       “Clothing, as an extension of the skin, can be seen both as a heat-control mechanism and a means of defining the self socially.” - Marshall McLuhan

Foam of the days - FASHIONCLASH Festival

Kristina Ivkovic is a young designer from Serbia who recently graduated from the  Academy of Fine Arts Brera, Milan. In 2011, she co-founded Skochypstiks, a parkour clothing brand and she plans on moving to London soon to launch her new brand Foam of the days, which will be showcased for the first time at FASHIONCLASH Festival.

Coffee Break Story #4

Together with our partner Coffeelovers we will be sharing a Coffee Break Story almost every Sunday as of the 4th of June! 5 Local designers who are part of FabricAge will be sharing their “cup of inspiration” and “what tickles their fashion senses”. 

Our fourth Coffee Break is with:

Photo: Marloes van Doorn

 Jolijn Fiddelaers | www.ixxcreates.com

 Jolijn (1979) is born and raised in Limburg. In 2002 she graduated at the Maastricht Academy of Fine Arts and Design (MAFAD). She is a passionate initiator, creator and entrepreneur and since 2002 she has worked as an academic teacher and industrial textile designer for various international companies. She is owner and art director of IXX. Jolijn is one of the designers in this year's edition of FabricAge. In collaboration with Maarten van Mulken and Suzanne Vaessen she is also responsible for the design of the first FabricAge creation.

1.What makes the social design label & project FabricAge so unique? Why do you wanted to be part of FabricAge?

I love the entire concept of FabricAge as it uses design to build bridges between different worlds, on various levels. This is what I intend to do with my design studio IXXcreates and slow fashion label KARIGAR as well. I preferably contribute to projects that are design-focused AND have a strong a
social/sustainable pillar as well. As a designer FabricAge is a wonderful playground to explore new and old techniques and various materials in big-scale artworks. Working together with senior craft experts and workshop attendees is inspiring because I learn from their skills and creativity, also on a practical level. And just as important: I am amazed by the aliveness and vibrancy I meet in their eyes and personalities. They truly inspire me, and again and again, I see the beauty of being creative.

2. What can we expect from you during FabricAge, FASHIONCLASH Festival 2017 and/or in the future? 

FASHIONCLASH is a great place to be inspired by the work of young designers, and I will visit as many events as possible! I am curious to see what moves them and how it expresses in their work. With two business partners, I am building an international presence for KARIGAR, our slow fashion brand for which we work with traditional artisans in India. A commercial follow-up for the design work I started doing in 2010. It is exciting and rewarding to see how my pioneering is now paying off and our beautiful hand-woven products such as capes, shawls, scarves are finding their way across
the globe. Currently, we are working on a new collection to show at Dutch Design Week in October 2017. We have just received the cape-prototypes for a new colour range, a fashion shoot is planned in July and I am preparing for another India trip this winter, to start up new collaborations with textile artisans. Besides establishing KARIGAR as a brand, there are a few nice design projects for IXX. My work now is a beautiful blend of creative expression and commercial viability, and I enjoy it!

3. How does Fashion Make Sense to you nowadays?

Fashion Makes Sense when it is looked at from a broader perspective. Beauty-, identity- and self-expression are intrinsic and healthy values for human beings, and fashion is a great playground for this. Of course, how our creations are produced matters as much as how we wear them. There is a growing sense of responsibility amongst designers and creators. And don’t get me wrong: this can be fun! Travelling a new road is challenging and exciting.

4. What magazine or book does every creative/fashion designer should have on their coffee table?

Honestly, I hardly ever use books or magazines to get inspired. The only book that I always have with me is my notebook. I prefer to create my own stories.

From 1 June until 15 July 2017 Jolijn will be working with four other designers and six craft experts during various FabricAge workshops, covering the techniques of (experimental) knitting, embroidery and weaving. Together with the senior (55+) participants, one spectacular textile design will be created for the city of Maastricht. Wanna join one of the FabricAge workshops? Check out www.fabric-age.nl/workshops (NL)!

FASHIONCLASH Festival preview at Catwalk Maastricht

FASHIONCLASH Festival preview performance at Catwalk Maastricht.

Today, the audience in the city of Maastricht experienced a small tasty teaser of to expect during the festival. In cooperation with SESSIBON and MAFAD the newest local talents presented their work at Mosae Forum and Entre Deux shopping areas.

The displayed red outfits are designed by 3-D year students from the Body department at MAFAD. The red represented the urge to protest and speak out. Does Fashion Make Sense? was the question posed while parading among the streets dominated by fast fashion shops.
The statement was not there to judge the people but mostly to engage a dialogue in the streets, afteral the street is the biggest display of 'fashion'.
Moreover the performance happend to give voice to the new generation of designers and the eight MAFAD students: Ashley Luypaers, Max Niereisel, María Voth Velasco, Michelle Cornelissen, Dana Lipka, Julina Bezold, Natalia Rumiantseva and  Empar Juanes Sanchis

Fashion Makes Sense, the 9th edition of FASHIONCLASH Festival will take place from June 29 till July 2 in Maastricht.

More about the FASHIONCLASH Festival program: www.fashionclash.nl

NENUKKO at FASHIONCLASH Festival 2017

NENUKKO presents vegan collection Interlude.Disrupted at FASHIONCLASH Festival 2017

Saturday 1 July, Polish Nenukko will launch the vegan collection: Interlude.Disrupted on the 9th edition of FASHIONCLASH Festival at the SAM-decorfabriek Maastricht. The genderless NENUKKO models will run the catwalk in show 5 (from 20:30 – 21:00 hrs.). Don’t miss it! For tickets got to www.fashionclash.nl/tickets

STRIKKS | FASHIONCLASH Festival 2017

Meet Maartje Boer and Suzanne Vaessen, the designers behind STRIKKS. Their studio is based in Maastricht, the Netherlands. Maartje graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Maastricht (NL), and afterwards, in cooperation with her co-designer Suzanne, she opened her design studio. Their main focus is knitting, co-creation with other designers and companies, as well as research of all possibilities in the field of clothing production. STRIKKS has showcased at several design weeks in cities like Eindhoven, Milan or Brussels. Their designs are published in various magazines and newspapers. During the 9th edition of the FASHIONCLASH Festival STRIKKS will showcase a research project regarding the way people respond to a knitwear collection that can be personalized. The project will be interactive and the prize might be a personalized garment from STRIKKS, so don't miss it! Find out more about the program and tickets here.

What are your biggest struggles as a young designer/artist?
Time, I would love to have more time! Time to spend on the knitting machine to invent new knitting structures, samples and yarn trials.

Does fashion makes sense to you? 
Fashion is our second skin, let’s make it worthy. As designers we should cherish our skin and make a beautiful and both functional layer for it. Life is too short for dressing down.

Do you think that fashion can contribute to a better world / better well-being, and what do you do to make a difference?
I find it important that people are aware of their clothes and production. That’s why I am investigating a new way of making fashion: a sustainable collection in which personalization has the lead.

What does a fashion collection look like, when model, color and knitting structure can be customized? 
With an interactive method I aim to engage the customer in the design process and give her more freedom of choice and better fit. This engagement is key for creating emotional value for clothing, and it leads to longer wear.

What senses are engaged in your creation process? 
My collection and our knitted designs are all about touch and sight! Touching fabrics and experiencing the feeling of a knitted fabric, the way the stitches are formed, it’s a very tangible thing.

How does technology change your creation process? 
In our studio technology is used both in the creation and in the production of our designs. More and more we use automated knitting machines to take over the job. But designing is also about zooming out, taking a step back and analyzing results. Craft and manual work will always be part of the process.

What is your bad habit? 
When I’m stressed, I start biting my nails, very nervously. It makes me think faster although it doesn't beautify my nails.

Are you a people's person or a loner?
Both, actually. I am a team player but I enjoy working on my own. Mostly on a quiet location without any music or people around me. In such situations I can deliver best.

Your favorite quote?
“You should not sacrifice your dreams to make other people happy”

Your favorite hashtags #?
#knitistheshit

Your favorite social media app?
Insta! And I think www.instagram.com/strikks is a very inspiring account :)

Maartje and Suzanne have a website where you can check out their collections and other projects that STRIKKS was involved in. If you are interested, click here.

Fashion Talks at FASHIONCLASH Festival 2017

sensewear
photo Eddy Adlan

Fashion Talks at FASHIONCLASH Festival 
Sunday 2nd of July, at SAM-decorfabriek 
Meerssenerweg 215, free entrance 

(Does) Fashion Makes Sense? 
Come and join the dialogue on July 2. 

Through ‘Fashion Makes Sense’ FASHIONCLASH this year focuses on senses and making sense in relation to fashion. Focused around these two topics the Fashion Talks provide an interactive dialogue with the designers, the audience and the fashion industry.

Moderated by Saskia van Stein, artistic director at Bureau Europa, a stage will be given to a several festival participants and professionals to engage in a discussion about the topic. In addition, this is an opportunity to get to know the designers and discover their vision on the future of fashion.
A space will be given to a few designers to talk about the two subjects and make personal contact with other designers, the audience and the fashion industry.

Files Motwary at the Fashion Talk at FCF 2016

So, Does Fashion Make Sense?

We live in a rapidly changing world where progress is accompanied by environmental pollution and ethical issues. The fashion world is a mighty billion industry, and like no other is able to create an illusion and seduce us humans and excite our senses. Today's fashion industry is a reflection of society with a strong focus on aesthetics. Our society approaches fashion as a purely visual phenomenon and doesn’t always see the nature of the interaction with the body (of the wearer), despite the fact that fashion is the most intimate form of art, as it is literally worn “on the body”! As a second skin, clothing also enables us to express ourselves and helps us make sense of the world.

The Fashion Talks are part of the Fashion Makes Sense LAB Sunday program at the SAM-decorfabriek during FASHIONCLASH Festival.

PROGRAM
13:15 – 14:15 Fashion & Senses
- Lecture performance: Olle Lundin x Floriane Misslin
- Talk panel: Sensewear (Emanuela Corti & Ivan Parati), Sepideh Ahadi and Carolyn Mair (Course leader for MA Psychology for Fashion Professionals and MSc Applied Psychology in the Fashion Business School at LCF).

14:30 – 15:30 (Does) Fashion Make Sense? 
- Talk panel: SHI[R]T (Eva Wagensveld & Jeffrey Heiligers) Lucia Chain (CHAIN) and Roosmarie Ruigrok (Clean & Unique).

MEET THE SPEAKERS

Floriane Misslin is a native French creative researcher born in 1992. Her central focus is on portraying non-binary identities in the mainstream media. She followed an education in applied arts near Strasbourg and moved to Paris shortly after, to learn more about fashion design. Feeling too limited by the educational system she left the school in Paris, and moved to Eindhoven to attend the design academy. The wide approach to design brought her back to a more theoretical and critical perspective. She is currently developing her project ‘Uni-Sex’ and works as a freelancer on the side.

Sensewear is a collection of clothes and accessories that emphasize the use of senses. Sensewear consists of two designers, Emanuela Corti and Ivan Parati. Their primary purpose is to stimulate and improve awareness of our senses, while training us to better use them all. Some Sensewear items are designed to mute physical sensations, some to sharpen them. The collection is inspired by therapies applied to Sensory Processing Disorders and developed with the technical support of therapists assisting people affected with autism. Anxiety, stress, panic attack are most typical autism’s symptoms but more and more people suffers them, therefore the collection is not addressed only to people with disabilities but it is aiming at enhancing everyone busy urban life.

menswear, photo Eddy Adlan

All garments are produced using 3d knitted fabrics Gaetano Rossini and Alcantara. Textile sensors and actuators are produced and developed by Comftech our technical partner. Sensewear has won three health and design related award (Lexus Design Award 2015, Wearable Technology at Venice Design Week 2016, AXAPPP Health Tech & You Future Award 2017).

Sepideh Ahadi, as a multicultural brand, is bridging the gap between her pure Middle Eastern background and European life experience. In her work Sepideh embraces the simplicity of the traditional techniques used in Iran, her home place with the elegance found in Italy where she finished her M.A in fashion design and the practical aesthetic of German lifestyle, where she lives and work now. The brand is dedicated to slow fashion and sustainable practices, in that the designer creates her collections through a considered and experimental process.







The collections mostly reflect social issues in the modern lifestyle where the designer challenges herself to find an artistic way to contribute to making a difference. As a designer, Sepideh feels the responsibility to invite her audience to think about fashion in a different and more interactive way through her designs.

Carolyn Mair is a Chartered Psychologist and Chartered Scientist with a PhD in cognitive neuroscience. She developed the MA Psychology for Fashion Professionals and MSc Applied Psychology in Fashion at LCF. In the beginning of her career, Carlyn was a graphic designer and visual merchandiser, she worked for department stores, where she designed and installed store window displays, in-store installations and advertising materials. She was interested in fashion, this led to her designing clothes for herself and friends.

SHI[R]T is an online platform/webshop for designers that offer fair or sustainable products. Not the dull goatysocks kind we all know. But one supporting [young] designers with their own vision. No mass production but small and local production. As a brand being transparent is key, know what you buy. The two people behind this brand are Dutch designers Jeffrey Heiligers and Eva Wagensveld. The psychology behind fashion has become less about quality or durabilty and more about being fast, cheap and easy to replace. Does fashion make sense if the quality of the products is high, labour conditions are good and the environmental impact is minimal? In other words: Do you want to buy a shit-shirt, or rather invest in something fair?

CHAIN is an emerging fashion label based in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Their work has been shown several times at Buenos Aires Fashion Week, Fashion Edition Buenos Aires and International Fashion Showcase – London Fashion week. Committed to the environment, the designs are made by hand with eco, and sustainable fabrics, all natural plant based fibers and uncycled plant based dyes. Zero waste patterns, a-gender fits and sustainable production are important methods of their work and make the clothing to test time.

By extracting postures and re-contextualizing them Olle Lundin hopes to denaturalize the body-language of high fashion. By doing this he has the intention to show the norms, ideals and invisible expectations that are inherent in the visual language discourse of high fashion advertising today!

photo Ayaan Haanewald

Starting as a textile buyer, Roosmarie Ruigrok discovered her passion in fair supply chains. After selling her own company, Promax Corporate Fashion, she worked at Amnesty International, Fair Wear Foundation and as CSR consultance at Elsewear Foundation, known by “Green is the new black and as International cotton manager for Fairtrade. In 2007 Roosmarie founded Clean & Unique. A foundation that help brands and starters in fashion to learn more about sustainability. Today Clean & Unique transformed into an agent for change to create more knowledge and awareness about sustainability in fashion, workwear & textiles by giving advises, training, workshops, inspiration sessions and organizing events. Roosmarie is an International speaker for 15 years and spoke during Premier Vision Paris, Mare di Moda in Cannes but also in Berlin, Rome, London and in the Netherlands. Last March Clean&Unique celebrated it’s 10th anniversary.

FLORIANE MISSLIN - FASHIONCLASH Festival 2017

Floriane Misslin is a French designer based in Eindhoven. After having pursued classical and technical fashion studies at The Duperré School of Applied Arts in Paris she became interested in analyzing the fashion body from a sociological perspective. She graduated from The Design Academy Eindhoven in 2016.

She is currently working to develop Uni—Sex, a visual analysis that observes how the male and female bodies are represented in an idealized context of gender neutrality.

She is passionate about creative and critical thinking, media imagery, represqentations of the body and their cultural meaning.

Floriane Misslin's work can be seen at FASHIONCLASH
Festival during the Fashion Makes Sense LAB  on June 30 - July 2 at SAMdecorfabriek. On sunday (July 2th) Misslin will join the panel at the Fashion Makes Sense TALKS.

NIKA TOM | FASHIONCLASH Festival 2017

Meet Nika Čuić, the designer behind NIKA TOM, from Zagreb, Croatia. She is  26 years old and she holds a degree in Fashion Design and Costumography, and also economics. What she loves the most about being a fashion designer, is that she can be herself. At the moment she is involved in the making of her FASHIONCLASH collection and she is also preparing for an exhibition in Zagreb, as well as designing costumes for a short movie. If you want to check out Nika's and other amazing collections, be sure to buy the tickets to the festival here.

What does your brand represent?
My brand NIKA TOM represent the extension of myself. First of all, TOM stands for my mothers shortened family To continue, my work represents me, respectively, my mind, feelings, thoughts and everything that an individual can't describe with words I have always had a need to express that in one way and, by set of circumstances, had always been surrounded with a sewing machine, fabrics and all sorts of materials helped me to achieve that.

What are so far your main achievements in your career? 
I have participated in lots of shows and exhibitions during two years period, and one of the most notable was Berlin Alternative Fashion Week. I was also a part of the Designers Profile in the Mays issue of British Vogue- page designed with the intention of showcasing a range of upcoming designers.

What are your biggest struggles as a young designer/artist?
Lack of financial resources, technology, materials.

How would you define fashion?
I wouldn’t really define it. Every individual speaks and does for himself, respectively, creates something which he or she finds accurate. You can really communicate with clothing, and I think that is the goal here - to speak out.

What fascinates/inspires you and why?
Literally everything! I always have a different inspiration, but there always has to be a reason and connection why did it happen. These inspirations are often connected with my personality, surroundings, everyday situations, emotions, people, art , music…

What do you want to communicate with your work in general?
I want to transfer my ideas and stories through clothing. The goal is to achieve perfect imperfection, meaning a set of rules that you made by yourself and that are not so common but with its wrong unexpected details they become perfect .

Can you tell us something about the project you will present at the FASHIONCLASH Festival? What do you try to communicate with your project?
The project I will present is named 'Peripeteies'. It deals with balance between reality and the inner one made in our thoughts and felt through emotions. The question is what is real and how to delineate it from the mind of a self and is this real just a confirmation of our expectations and beliefs. On the other hand, the mind is living its own reality which is created by interconnectedness of yourself with lived experience, it is a gateway between the finite and ad infinitum. Letting the mind communicate with the reality enables a possibility to create its own reality which is then known only to ourselves. The mean is to represent both worlds, many realities on the same piece and let them connect together. Since the mind of oneself is hard to be grasped with words and expressions, my goal is to express it through clothing and in that way to explore the possibility of functionality of this balance.

Why have you decided to participate at FASHIONCLASH Festival?
I decided to participate at FASHIONCLASH Festival because  it focuses on supporting emerging young designers and gives them the opportunity to experiment with fashion and create something unconventional.

FASHIONCLASH is already working on future themes. What are the topics you find interesting?
Topics that interest me are people, their relations, human body, mind and what can be produced with it.

Does fashion makes sense to you?
Most of the time not, because it had gone to extremes of consumerism, rapidly changeable trends and uselessness. On the other hand, communicating with it, expressing yourself, making something different, long-lasting and with good quality does make a lot of sense.

What are your thoughts on making ‘fashion’ more environmentally-friendly?
I think every individual also has to think and work towards sustainability as much as he or she can for the benefit of the unity.

What are your thoughts on the senses in relation to the human body?

Clothing is in a close relation to the human body because of its tangibility. Body feels the fabric and decides whether it will accept it or not. When they match, they become one. Clothing and fabrics shape the body reacting differently on each person. Clothing serves the body's appearance and also helps a person to express themselves. 

What senses are engaged in your creation process? 
I am using my emotions, intuition and (sub)conscious through every step of the process. Every single sense is engaged , mostly touch and sight as feeling the fabric and seeing its result when its created.

If you want to find out more about Nika and her brand, please check her out at Not Just A Label and Instagram.

Coffee Break Story #3

Together with our partner Coffeelovers we will be sharing a Coffee Break Story almost every Sunday as of the 4th of June! 5 Local designers who are part of FabricAge will be sharing their “Cup of Inspiration” and “What tickles their fashion senses”.

Our third Coffee Break is with:
Verena Klein | verenaklein.tumblr.com 

Verena Klein studied fashion design at the Maastricht Academy of Fine Arts and Design and launched her label one year ago. She loves Maastricht and the people so much that she decided to stay. “In a restless world it is scarce to find a place where creativity pulsates, and you can find serenity and tranquillity at the same time”, she thinks. Verena combines two passions in her work: handcrafted garments made out of pure natural textiles and contemporary dance. It is important for her that the medium of presentation and the goods complement each other. Connecting these two disciplines enables her to tell her subtle but emotional stories. Verena is one of the designers involved in the FabricAge project. She will also present her collection as part of the Peace Stones Studios collective at the Designer Market during FASHIONCLASH Festival.