Teun Seuren presents I Decline

God is a Woman!? project

Teun Seuren, is a 25 year old Dutch designer from Limburg. Last year he graduated from HKU University of the Arts Utrecht as a Fashion Designer specialized in men's fashion. His work gives of a message by posing questions with different perspectives such as homosexuality gender and vulnerability. For this collection, 'I Decline', he has been inspired by the theme of the FASHIONCLASH Festival 2018, Fashion, My Religion!.
His collection explores the relationship between religion and gay power, making a statement about being gay and having faith.

TEUN's collection will be presented at the Show Program on Saturday the 16th of June. Get your tickets here.


You can also see Teun's work at Centre Céramique as part of God is a Woman!? project exhibition.
More information about the project:here 


What made you realize that you wanted to work in (fashion) design?
I realized that I wanted to work in fashion after making the mistake to study electrical engineering. This wasn't the right career for me and I had to make a radical change. One of my teachers gave me the recommendation to visit a fashion school. When I stepped inside that school I knew thas was the place for me and it felt like I was home.

Why did you choose fashion?
As a child I always loved to dress up and play around in my grandma's workspace. Once I made an entire collection for my nieces, made from old fabrics and curtains. This was my first experience with fashion and I loved it. I can definitely say that I got the sewing skills from my grandma, and I am really grateful that she let me help her all the time, even when I was always standing in her way because of my curiosity.

What would you say are your main achievements in your career?
After I graduated I was selected for the "Lichting Show" at Amsterdam Fashion Week, this was definitely the icing on the cake after 4 years of hard work. I didn't win but being part of this amazing event was worth all the hard work.

What are your sources of inspiration?
Mostly I get inspired by things that frustrate me. I want to highlight these frustrations and transform them into something good.

'Y So Serious' - Rena Jansen

Rena Jansen is currently in her final year of her Bachelor's of Design at the HKU in Utrecht. She strives to make clothes that are both wearable and conceptual at the same time. Her work is often bold and colorful, she loves to play with clothing archetypes and reshape them to create something new. Her newest collection, 'Y So Serious', uses overstock fabrics as well as leftover materials from a bouncy house, to support sustainability in fashion. The collection shows a critical analysis of her generation, known as millennials. Embodying the childhood nostalgia millennia's are known for, she expresses this while acknowledging that it is not a sustainable state.

Her collection will be presented at the Show program on Saturday the 16th of June at the SAM-decorfabriek. Get your tickets here.

What made you realize that you wanted to work in (fashion) design?
As a child I always knew I wanted to work in a creative field. At the age of 11 I started to experiment with my own appearance, and throughout my teenage years I changed my wardrobe a lot. I have explored multiple subcultures and identities, and through this I experienced how fashion influenced me as the wearer, how it could make me feel better and how it enabled me to express myself.

Why did you choose fashion?
Fashion turned out to be the medium in which I could best express myself. I remember when I went to the first all-fashion exhibition, I think I was 14 years old, and I saw this video-compilation of Hussein Chalayans performance-like shows. This opened my eyes to how fashion can be a form of art. It is the most intimate form of art and that always fascinated me ever since.

What would you say are your main achievements in your career?
Since I’m currently still doing my bachelor, my career has not really started yet. Being part of FASHIONCLASH 2018 is definitely my biggest achievement in fashion so far!

What are your sources of inspiration?
I get my inspiration from lots of different places. Most of my inspiration comes from youth rebellion, Japanese culture, surrealism, cult movies, consumerism and childhood nostalgia. I get most inspired when I’m strolling through a museum, when I’m watching some weird movie or when I’m deep into some fashionable person's Instagram page.

Why did you decide to participate in FASHIONCLASH 2018? What are your expectations?
To be honest, I am pretty proud of what I’ve made, and I just want to show it to the world. It would be such a waist to work on a collection for months for it to only be shown at your graduation show, and continue its life catching dust in storage. I want my collection to live and to be used for what it is meant for: To me worn.

What do you love most about (fashion) design? What are the biggest struggles faced by young designers?
I love how you can help people by dressing them in beautiful clothes that make them feel good about themselves. I love how you can enable people to express themselves. The biggest struggle to me is that images of every design that has ever been made can now be found on the internet, so during my design-process I am constantly exposed to ideas similar to mine on my Instagram-feed. To me that is very discouraging, it makes me feel like I’ll never be able to create something that hasn’t been done before. Many people tell me that it is impossible to create something that has never been done before, but I don’t believe that. I will always strive to create something new.

How would you define fashion?
Fashion is the most intimate form of art there is, because it’s the only form of art that is directly on the body; it is a form of art in which the wearer is just as important as the work itself. Fashion is a reflection of the world we live in today, it has the ability to visualize things we can’t put into words.

LAU by Laura Verdonk | FASHIONCLASH Festival 2017

Photo by Kimberley Zondag

Meet Laura Verdonk.
She is a Dutch designer, based in Houten, The Netherlands. She obtained her first diploma in graphic design in Eindhoven, and then moved to Utrecht to study fashion design in 2011. Four years later (in 2015), she graduated as a menswear designer from the Utrecht School of the Arts. She realized she wanted to work in fashion at the age of 10. She owns a cat named August and she loves him dearly. One of her many guilty pleasures is Christmas music.
Currently she is working on her newest collection named Alexander, which will be presented during the FASHIONCLASH Festival on 1st of July.

"The 'Alexander' collection is inspired by romance and shows an elegant young man with a romantic feel throughout the entire collection using soft colors and fabrics and looking for the boundaries of feminine silhouettes and details."

Find out more about the festival's program and tickets: here.


Q&A with Laura Verdonk

What fascinates/inspires you and why? 
I love to get inspired by striking man types.

What do you want to communicate with your work in general?
With my work I always present an elegant and nonchalant man. I also always push the boundaries between the masculine and feminine.

LAU - by Laura Verdonk at FASHIONCLASH Festival 2016

Meet Laura Verdonk, based in Houten (Netherlands). Graduated from HKU in 2015, Laura presented her new collection 'Benjamin' under her brand LAU - by Laura Verdonk during FASHIONCLASH Festival in Maastricht.

Describe yourself in three words:
Driven, secure and devoted

When did you realise you wanted to be a fashion designer? Since I was 10 years old

What are your main achievements in your career at this moment? I just graduated, during my studies my collection received media attention

In what projects are you involved at this moment?
Mijn eerste collectie als LAU – by Laura Verdonk.

Who are your artistic influences or inspirations and why?
I get inspired by striking men types

Can you tell us something about the collection you presented at the FASHIONCLASH Festival 2016?
I presented 'Benjamin' collection, dedicated to nonchalant and elegant man by combining decorative and sportive elements. the collection contains many subtle details.

Why have you decided to participate at FASHIONCLASH Festival?
FCF is a nice stage to show my first LAU collection.

What’s a standard day for you?
Ik heb een drukke baan als Visual Merchandiser en mijn vrije tijd besteed ik aan mijn label.

What’s your favourite song, food and movie/TV-show at the moment?
I love R&B but I also have many guilty pleasures.

What is your bad habit? Impatience

Are you a people's person or a loner? A real people's person

Do you have a pet? Yes, a very sweet cat named August that I took from the ayslum

What’s your favourite city? Londen, without a doubt

Are you going on holiday this year? If so, where are you going?
I hope to go to Edinburgh Schotland with my boyfriend

What/Who do you miss the most when you are not at home? my cat August

More information: http://www.laubylauraverdonk.com

Naomi Rachèl Timan at FASHIONCLASH Festival 2016

Naomi Rachèl Timan is a Dutch designer, who is fascinated by; textiles, colours and shapes. With her work she loves to create sustainable alternatives. At FASHIONCLASH Festival 2016 she will showcase her “I was a ….” collection made from recycled leather, with huge pride. She graduated from BA in Fashion Design at HKU The University of the Arts Utrecht.

You can see and buy Naomi Rachèl Timan's work at Designer Market. Friday July 1 open at 18:30 and Saturday July 2 open at 16:00 (free entrance).

What challenges did you face during the design process? 
Because it depends on what kind of recycled leather I find or get from people, (think of what size, colour, suede or flat leather) I never know for sure what my newest collection will be like. This makes it more fun to me, as every collection will never be exactly the same.

What do you want to communicate with your designs in general? 
My designs can be defined as minimalistic. Because of the story behind the material, the shape can’t distract too much. Every design has no lining, so you can see the total beauty of the leather when opening a bag.

Studio Kiekebos at FASHIONCLASH Festival 2015

Fotografie: Olga Simonenko

Charlotte Kiekebos is a young promising designer, based in Utrecht, the Netherlands, who will present her new collection at FASHIONCLASH Festival 2015. From a very young age, she was fascinated by design and graphic arts. In 2013, she graduated from the Fashion Design Department at HKU in Utrecht. Recently, she has created her own fashion label ‘Studio Kiekebos’.

Q&A with the designer Charlotte Kiekebos:

How would you describe your work? What is your technique? 
My work is influenced by the basic rules and codes of fashion design. However, my objective is to create a new atmosphere by manipulating the basic rules of design, e.g. by adding detracting or combining elements. This perspective is soundly reflected in all ‘Studio Kiekebos’ designs and it creates a new reactionary experience. In principle, I prefer to place my designs within a decor, in which I add abstract and graphic elements. During the design process I use Moulage, a technique that creates shapes with fabric on the human body.

Saba Tark at Centraal Museum Utrecht

photo: Richard Terborg

Saba Tark: Nomads of the World exhibition at Centraal Museum in Utrecht

This is the first in a series of exhibitions in which Centraal Museum and HKU (Hogeschool voor de Kunsten Utrecht) present the work of a promising talent. Each autumn the museum will showcase the work of an art or design graduate from HKU. The series kicks off with Saba Tark (1987, Baghdad), who studied at the MAFAD (Maastricht Academy of Fine Arts) and Design and at HKU. As a young fashion designer from a multicultural background, she is inspired by traditional craftsmanship and experimentation.
Her graduation project Nomads of the World is displayed in the New Utrecht Galleries. The collection is inspired by the fabrics of nomadic people, in which function and beauty are paramount. In this collection, it is as though Saba has created a modern tribe that has fled the hectic nature of everyday life in search of peace, quiet and freedom. In this collection, she has sought a new approach to design that translates craftsmanship and innovation into clothing: she has developed new materials and techniques, adapted design methods and changed silhouettes.

FAB / Runway Malta designer competition at FASHIONCLASH Festival

The focus of Saba Tark’s graduation project was haute couture and craftsmanship, creating a new image with age-old techniques combined with various materials. She draws attention to the cut, hand sewing and finish. Using moulage techniques (draping fabric on a tailor’s dummy) and a ‘zero waste’ design method, she created silhouettes with geometric forms, reducing waste material by 80%.

All the garments, fabrics and shoes are inspired by areas inhabited by nomadic peoples.

-> Sit-In at Central Museum 28 sep with director Edwin Jacobs. 

http://centraalmuseum.nl

Saba Tark participated in various FASHIONCLASH projects.

http://www.sabatark.com/

Saba Tark at FASHIONCLASH Festival 2012 exhibition

Marieke van Geffen

Today we have the pleasure to introduce you to Marieke van Geffen, who’s a 24-year-old Dutch fashion designer. She graduated from the HKU Utrecht in 2014 and established her own label, Marieke van Geffen. Marieke's collection will be presented at the Fashion Show Programme.

Hello, Marieke! Please introduce yourself. Who are you? Where do you come from? What is your field of specialisation?

Hi there! I’m Marieke. I am currently working on my new collection SS/AW2015, which is planned to be released on June 15. Besides working on my collection I follow a course at the Dutch Shoe Academy in Utrecht, where I am learning the craft of making shoes, so  I can fulfill a long-term wish of mine: to be able to design and fabricate a total collection from head to toe.

Where are you based?

I live and work in Utrecht. It is a beautiful old city in the heart of the Netherlands, such a nice place to both live and work!

What inspires you in general?

The human body is what inspires me the most. I am always thinking about how to protect the  body for what the future will bring us. It is challenging, because only time will tell us what is really going to happen to mankind. Therefore, I make my own prophecies about what the future will bring us. My collections are based on these stories.

What place or city do you find inspiring?

This is a hard one! I find inspiration in many places and people. Ideas sometimes just pop up out of the blue. But you if you want me to choose just one place, I would say Stockholm. The calmness and the atmosphere there give me a happy feeling. The old town and the beautiful nature with a lot of water give me the rest I need in order to create new work. Also, the Swedish way of living and style fits me well. 

“Social End-tity” by Likeme(N) Gertjan van der Linden

Collage Inspiration Damage
Photographer Gertjan van der Linden

1. Please introduce yourself to our readers. (Who are you, where do you come from and what is your field of specialization?) 

I am Likeme(N) by Gertjan van der Linden, I’m 23 and I live in a town called Drunen in the south of the Netherlands. I studied Fashion Design and graduated in 2011 from the HKU, Utrecht. My field of specialization is making warning-concepts, as I like to call it myself. 

I try to preserve what’s left of the society, by warning them about several issues and by this giving the society the message to be on guard. Most of the time, I’m trying to do this by creating a combination of bitter truth and humor. Furthermore, I like to make textured designs and fashion illustration.