Hand picked A/W12/13 men's/women's trend report by Marij Rynja for Dutch GlamCult

TIP: exhibition REƧƎƎИ - A Transformation of Visualisations, until the 22nd of Sept.'12 in Berlin

REƧƎƎИ is a journey that brought together creative talents from different artistic fields for an interdisciplinary exchange at MADE, a creative platform for artists, located in Berlin. 
For the exhibition project REƧƎƎИ:  A Transformation of Visualisations seven young Berlin based artists were handpicked to make a new art work inspired by the vast archive of urban culture photographer and film director Jonathan Mannion (b.1970, Ohio), who began capturing images of up-and-coming hip-hop and rap-stars in the mid 90s like Notorious B.I.G, Jay-Z, Snoop, N.E.R.D., Rakim, Little Wayne, Cash Money and Ludacris. 
For the first time ever - as MADE noticed - Mannion granted access to his entire photo archive, allowing the 7 artists to "cultivate an open dialogue with him based on mutual inspiration and putting ego aside – sparking a creative clash that resulted in 7 unique pieces, each shaped by the artist’s own talent and skills." 

I haven't seen the exhibition, but have seen the making-of-video (see below), where the whole project is wrapped up from starting point till the vernissage in the gallery. This kind of videos really make you appreciate more what artists created and what the idea of the (co)curator was - information that often is lacking or hard to find.  

The Berlin-based designers are:
Amine Bendriouich (Fashion), Christian Awe (Painting), Conny Dreher (Graphic Design), Ebon Heath (Typography), Good Wives and Warriors (Painting), Lukas Feireiss (Illustration) and Noelle (Sculpting).

The REƧƎƎИ Exhibition is still open to the public: September 4th – 22nd at MADE Alexanderstrasse 7 in BERLIN.

So, if you're there, go and see 'cause it looks promising.

www.made-blog.com
www.jonathanmannion.com

What caught my eye in London...upside down eco chandelier

What: 'Sky planter Chandelier' 

an upside-down garden chandelier of real plants and aesthetic light bulbs

Made by: Boskke (plants) & Plumen (light bulbs)

Where seen: The Old Shoreditch Station Bar/Cafe (London)

This chandelier really is astonishing, knowing the plants growing upside down out of their sockets are actually real. A smart water-filter system in the plant's socket does the trick. The brand Boskke (bosky means a fledgling forest) improves conventional gardening tools and products for contemporary urban lifestyles. 

Although it looks really cool, is it practical and make it sense? Why would you want to hang a plant upside down, to pull a trick on Mother Nature? The designer of the Sky Planter pots with its patented water reservoir, Patrick Morris, argued it reduces the watering of household plants up to 80% this way. But another doubt rises: it is not unlikely some dirt will fall down. So, is it as clean as a normal downside up plant? 

All and all, executed as a chandelier with beautiful low energy bulbs I think its the perfect fit and make sense. As a loose pot hanging upside down, I have my doubts.  

DE (CYBER)STRAAT ALS CATWALK VOOR EIGENZINNIGE MODEMANNEN

door: Marij Rynja (2011) 

"De straat is een plek waar mensen elkaar treffen, een sociale ontmoetingsplaats waar we elkaar bekijken en zelf bekeken worden, actief of passief.  Tijdens dit monitor-proces leren we ook meer over onszelf, van ons zelfbeeld in relatie tot de omgeving. Onbewust spiegel je jezelf aan anderen om jezelf te evalueren. Het is een aangeboren verlangen van mensen om jezelf te vergelijken en te spiegelen aan anderen [1].  Hoe je je als man of vrouw hoort te kleden, welke mannelijke modecodes leven in je omgeving, verzamel je deels door te kijken naar mensen in het dagelijks leven. Kleedgedrag is een performance van gender, van identiteit, van socialisatie. Hoe je jezelf naar buiten presenteert is een actieve en bewuste handeling [2].

            De straat is daarmee een belangrijke informatiebron voor het construeren van je eigen identiteit. Met name voor mannen blijkt uit eigen onderzoek dat de directe omgeving hem zijn belangrijkste modekennis verschaft. De straat is zijn modemoment waar hij leert over nieuwe ideeën van mannelijke modes, als mede hoe hij zichzelf van de heersende modes kan onderscheiden [3]. Terwijl mannen andere mannen op straat bekijken, denken zij: ‘O dat is geloof ik nu in de mode aan het komen. Is het wat voor mij? Hoe die meneer zijn pak draagt, vind ik cool, dat ga ik ook eens proberen’. Bij wijze van.

            Straat roept associaties op met dynamiek, representatie van de werkelijkheid, het werkende leven, de arbeidersklasse, een creatieve broedplaats, een plek van vrijheid. Maar de straat symboliseert ook gevaar, criminaliteit en overleven. De straat leeft en doet zo zijn eigen ding. Mede daarom heeft straatcultuur een sterke aantrekkingskracht op de mode-industrie. Hier valt veel inspiratie op te doen.

           

Bregje Lampe verruilt Het Parool na zeven jaar voor de landelijke Volkskrant - een interview met Bregje over haar rubriek STRAATSTIJL

Na het vertrek van Milou van Rossum als trouwgediende Volkskrant mode-redacteur, die overstapte naar de NRC, viel er enkele maanden nauwelijks iets te lezen in de Volkskrant omtrent mode. Gelukkig dient per 1 augustus 2012 zich een plaatsvervanger aan: modejournalist Bregje Lampe.  

Sinds 2008 schoof Lampe met haar Stijlbijlagen voor Het Parool en haar modespecials de Amsterdamse modecultuur naar voren en maakte deze voor een breed publiek in woord en beeld toegankelijk, onder andere via haar rubriek Straatstijl. In 2011 interviewde ik Bregje Lampe over de veranderende mannenmode die zij op straat aantrof en portreteerde, als onderdeel van mijn afstudeerconcept 'The Transgress Journal'. Wat maken deze mannen ons duidelijk over hoe zij hun visuele identiteit en hun mannelijkheid naar buiten brengen? Is mode eindelijk ook een mannelijkheidskenmerk geworden? Dit artikel is niet eerder verschenen, dus waarom niet nu op het moment dat Bregje definitief afscheid neemt van Het Parool: 

STRAATVERLICHTING

Modejournalist Bregje Lampe belicht de bijzonder geklede man op straat

door: Marij Elisabeth Rynja (2011, herschreven 2012) 

uit: The Transgress Journal #1

Iedere dinsdag viel hij bij mij op de mat: de PS stijlbijlage van Het Parool. Naast dat PS STIJL veel aandacht besteedde aan de Nederlandse modeindustrie, werd ook de gewone man van de straat in de schijnwerper gezet:  een volle pagina gereserveerd voor het Amsterdamse stijlportret, verrijkt met een kort interview over de opmerkelijke kledingstijl van de man of vrouw in kwestie. 

At Soepboer & Stooker you can still admire the graduation collections of Morta Griskeviciute, Poul Brouwer and Jolka Wiens of The Rietveld Academy 'MMXII' - mentored by Niels Klavers and Oscar Raaijmakers - UNTIL July 28th 2012

The Rietveld Art Academy in Amsterdam hasn't have a name when it comes to its fashion department and every year the number of graduates in fashion design declined, with probably this year as it's all-time low with just three fashion graduates. But better fashion times are coming. 

Since a year the fashion department has a new director, and not the least: fashion designer Niels Klavers. Together with another big fashion name Oscar Raaijmakers, Klavers trained and mentored the fashion graduates Morta Griskeviciute, Poul Brouwer and Jolka Wiens. These graduates told they had the best final year of their fashion education thanks to Klavers and Raaijmakers, because just being with three students you can get the most of attention and guidance, especially from two enthusiastic and professional teachers. 

The energy and quality of this years graduation collections is high and stood out in clear concepts, research process and experimentation. 
All and all, this year gave a new appeal to the Fashion Department of the Rietveld. Result: a dozen of future fashion students have chosen to apply for the Rietveld now instead of the better-known fashion academies out there.  

SALON/Workshop 'Amsterdam-Istanbul' - what are the designers working on for the Istanbul Design Biennial?

SALON/ ran a workshop targeted towards the transmission of designers’ works and ideas through visual presentations while collaborating with the creative industries, craftsmen and designers based in Istanbul. During the SALON/workshop, a round table discussion took place last March, whereby the designers communicated their works, ideas and philosophies via visual presentations and responded to the students’ questions. In this way a dialogue exchange was made possible between the designers and participating students.

The workshop provided opportunities of encounter between fashion and product designers such Mattijs van Bergen, Vroonland, Desiree Hammen, Hyun Yeu, BCXSY, Antoine Peters, Borre Akkersdijk, Noman and Reinier Bosch who travelled to Istanbul for this project, with various organizations and ateliers that could offer co-operation. These young and independent designers working on new ideas and techniques, shared their knowledge of legacy and craft, the significance of the unique, and the confrontational encounters between hand-crafting techniques and new technologies, with the artists, designers, craftsmen and producers of the creative industry in Istanbul. The sites visited by the designers and the students included the ateliers where the art of Ebru painting is performed, the Topkapı Museum which houses Turkish carpets, caftans and seating groups, leather ateliers, artisans’ shops in Tahtakale and the rug sellers in the Sultanahmet area.

In the period up to the Istanbul Design Biennial in October, whre SALON/ is part of, the designers will use their experiences and observations of the unique characteristics of Istanbul to create new products that pay homage to their originals by clearly revealing their ties to them.

At the Museum Willet-Holthuysen SALON/ lifts a corner of the veil to unveile what the designers are working on. Here we can see their progressions and research, a journey from idea to final product. The workshop was organized collaboratively by the Royal Netherlands Consulate and the Dutch DFA as part of the celebrations for the 400th anniversary of Dutch-Turkish diplomaitc relations, and was hosted by Material ConneXion Istanbul in Yapı Endüstri Merkezi.

Mattijs van Bergen investigates, decomposes and melts images of his previous four collections, in order to restore the parts into a renewed but still iconic Mattijs item. At the museum Mattijs reveals four paper collages representing his research process. 

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Placed on an antique diner table the scetches, drawings, grayons, inspiration images and Antoine’s coffee cup are right where he left it. Fashion designer Antoine Peters is working on a laser printed self portrait he calls ‘hide and seek’, referring to the revealing and concealing of laser cut and printout techniques. -->

Pauline van Dongen made contact with one of Istanbuls biggest industrial companies, which also develops and applies new production techniques and high tech materials. Pauline van Dongen’s sculptural scientific designs are made of materials not common in the fashion industry, what can transgress the possibilities of moulage and the appearance of fashion design as we know it.

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Traditional craft techniques are still a flourishing part of Istanbul’s rich culture. One of them is Gold Embroidery, a rare technique that has its origins in Turkey. Being specialized in this technique Desiree Hammen will explore it further as part of the SALON/workshop to combine contemporary and traditional embroidery techniques. Desiree Hammen shall create a conceptual altar where she honors our daily ‘industrial’ clothes and the clothes created by craftsmanship. In her research and in the garments she presents in the Willet-Holthuys her passion for craft is a key element, as well as the positive vibes of the encounter of the west and the east.

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Furniture label Vroonland challanged itself to re-invent the pouffe. Leading in the design process for Vroonland is the overall question: is a chair purely functional? In Istanbul Vroonland noticed people rather sit on the ground or on pillows than on chairs. How will a cross over between a Western chair and an Eastern pouffe look like and be confortable, using wicker-work techniques? Examining and exploring the means and usage of design classics will create new perceptions and functions. This eventually leads to a pedigree or an evaluation within the Vroonland collection.

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NOMAN presents the starting point for an installation called ‘Project Osman’. Intrigued by images of evolution fashion designer Selina Parr en set designer Lara Tolman of NOMAN decided to make a mutation of a traditional Turkish carpet into five steps. They analysed its patterns, colours and images and gave these elements a contemporary, abstract interpretation. The rectangle flat shape of the carpet will evoluate into a 3D object, using rubber, a modern counterpart of the traditional knotted carpet. The knots are replaces by wood for connection. The rubber parts of the object shall also serve as a contra product to accentuate the tension between hand work and machine work. --> 

Borre Akkersdijk has a thing for thickness, volume, knits and double weaves. He is driven by the idea to transform something two dimensional into a three dimensional item. For SALON/TR he developed double knitted fabrics, the patterns of a jacket sticked into it.

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Istanbul has captured the western imagination for centuries; especially the boundaries between private and public fascinated the West. Looking at what was not supposed to be seen was a particular popular theme in the arts during the 18th and 19th century’ Europe and formed the base of a romanticised idea about the East. This historical data has been the inspiration for the installation of Studio Reinier Bosch. It is a study of the process of looking and being looked upon; the way the outer world looks at you and the way you look at the outer world. The room divider reflects the fine-grained boundary between realities and cultural images, it mirrors the play of cultural image-forming, and invites the redefinition of a cultural image. Design: Studio Reinier Bosch; Research: Marleen Folkerts; Thanks to Kim Amankwaa, Anil Van Der Zee, and Hyun Yeu.  -->

<-- Turkish Delights is an installation by BCXSY. BCXSY is a balanced combination of two unique talents (Boaz Cohen and Sayaka Yamamoto) creating multidisciplinary experiences through the creation and development of concepts, identities, products, graphics, interiors and atmospheres. For SALON/TR they created a kaleidoscopic projection of food images, collected in Istanbul, projected on the ceiling of the Willet-Holthuysen's dining-room, using a modified old slide-projector. Food, as a organic product, is an important element in their work in general. And food is strong related to a culture. Their passion for food is their way of getting familiar with other cultures.

pictures by Marij Rynja

Previous blogpost on the SALON/ amsterdam-istanbul workshop visit this link: http://salon1amsterdam.blogspot.nl/2012/05/pictures-taken-by-participants-pre.html

TIP: exhibition 'High Fashion-Low Countries' - July 13, 14, 15 - 2012 @ Nes 45, Amsterdam

High Fashion Low Countries will be presenting the work of six Dutch and Belgian designers at The Flemish Arts Centre 'De Brakke Grond' in Amsterdam (NL). Why? 

The creative industry, more specifically fashion, architecture and design, is a major focus point for the Dutch Foreign Economic and Cultural policy. The Netherlands Embassy in Brussels has converted the rising attention for these topics into specific events over the last years, such as the Dutch Design Days in 2008 and the Benelux Architecture Days in 2010.

In 2012, fashion will be in the spotlight. Over the last years, themes of sustainability and slow fashion have gained a lot of attention in the fashion industry. Therefore the embassy will incorporate these themes in its upcoming event. At the same time the focus on sustainability and slow fashion perfectly fits within the ‘bio-based economy’ activities undertaken by Department for Economic Affairs of the Embassy. This will be translated into different activities on fashion and textile.

The events for 2012 will take place in Brussels, Antwerp and Amsterdam. The embassy has a twofold objective: firstly, strengthening existing partnerships between Belgium and the Netherlands; secondly, connecting relevant actors in the sector such as students, teachers and designers in order to share knowledge and expertise on durability and entrepreneurship. 

Sustainable development, craftsmanship, the use of alternative materials and a less-seasonal view on fashion have gained attention amongst entrepreneurs and emerging designers in both countries. The new luxury market demands for long lasting and sustainable products. These products could be created through reinventing traditional crafts, researching on alternative materials and using new technologies and local resources.

This working ethos gains more and more followers in the Dutch and Belgian markets and this places both countries at the forefront of a new fashion trend.

With this project they aim to support outstanding Dutch and Belgian talent working in this field and encourage more development and knowledge sharing.

The project High Fashion Low Countries will be on view for the first time through a capsule exhibiton at the cultural venue 'De Brakke Grond' (adress: Nes 45) from July 13th – 15th (free admission) in collaboration with The Green Fashion Competition and Amsterdam Fashion Week.  

As second stop, the project will travel to Antwerp during the first week of October for a series of lectures programmed in collaboration with Flanders Fashion Institute (FFI) on the 11th of October. 

Participating designers are:
-Pauline van Dongen (NL)
-Natalie de Koning (NL)
-Jantine van Peski (NL)
-Katrien van Hecke (B)
-Lena Lumelsky (B) and
-Celine de Schepper (B)

More information: www.highfashionlowcountries.com 

(text by High Fashion-Low Countries. Curated by Eve-Marie Kuijstermans and Javier Barcala)

TIP: Antwerpse MoMu Award 2012: Manon Kündig - Mannelijke prieelvogels verpakt in pretentieuze stoffen

 

Elk jaar reikt het ModeMuseum een prijs uit aan een masterstudent van de modeafdeling van de Koninklijke Academie, Artesis Antwerpen. Deze prijs, die in juni overhandigd wordt tijdens de proclamatie van de jury, biedt een student de mogelijkheid om zijn of haar afstudeercollectie te presenteren in een tentoonstelling in de MoMu-galerij. De MoMuprijs wordt toegekend aan een student die gedurende zijn of haar studieperiode een boeiend parcours aflegde en wiens werk opvalt omwille van een unieke beeldtaal. 

De MoMu Award 2012 wordt uitgereikt aan Manon Kündig(zie beeld), met de collectie 'Bowerbird': 

De mannelijke prieelvogel, een klein wezentje dat het vrouwtje verleidt door een vreemde compositie te maken van zowel natuurlijk als synthetisch restafval, met als bedoeling zijn creatief talent te demonstreren, is een echte freak of nature. Hij vormt ook de centrale inspiratie voor de eclectische silhouetten in deze collectie.

'Door het mixen van goede en slechte smaak, onbewuste mode en  mannelijke pronkzucht, toont de collectie hoe schone schijn ophouden op een creatieve en spontane manier kan gebeuren.'

Stoffen die pretenderen iets te zijn wat ze niet zijn, camouflageprints die niet zijn wat ze lijken, namaak carré foulards die tot jas omgetoverd worden, in Kündig’s wereld liggen afval en haute couture niet ver uit elkaar.  

Net zoals de prieelvogel, keek Manon Kündig ook naar haar buren voor inspiratie: als Zwitserse in Borgerhout, integreerde ze typische versieringen materialen en silhouetten die men kan vinden in de culturen van dit district en vele andere. Als een volleerde pick-up artist, verzamelt Kündig inspiratie vanop eender welke plek waar ze er vindt, waarmee ze de schoonheid toont van l’art du hazard. 

De installatie van de MoMu Award 2012 loopt van dinsdag 12 juni tot en met zondag 14 oktober 2012 in de MoMu Galerij in Antwerpen en de toegang is gratis.   

Hieronder de video van de graduationshow van de Antwerpse Fashion Department 2012: 

MODEKERN - Institute for fashion heritage is coming next year! A professional image archive to preserve substantial Dutch fashiondesign

Modekern is an initiative of Premsela, the Netherlands Institute for Design and Fashion; ArtEZ Institute of the Arts; the Museum voor Moderne Kunst Arnhem; and the Gelders Archief.

WHAT IS MODEKERN?

Modekern collects, provides access to, studies and exhibits the archives of internationally significant Dutch fashion designers in order to broaden and deepen understanding of modern Dutch fashion history. Modekern is an initiative of Premsela, the Netherlands Institute for Design and Fashion; ArtEZ Institute of the Arts; the Museum voor Moderne Kunst Arnhem; and the Gelders Archief. It avails itself of existing infrastructure based on each organisation’s strengths and expertise. Modekern receives support from the city of Arnhem and the province of Gelderland.

Modekern exhibits designers’ sketches, clothing-making techniques, and look books, invitations and other publicity materials online and in physical space. Designers, students and amateur fashion designers can use the archives for study and inspiration. Modekern Arnhem organises exhibitions of acquired materials and operates an educational programme for technical colleges and secondary schools.

So far, Spijkers en Spijkers, Piet Paris and Alexander van Slobbe have promised to provided their archives. Each has played a crucial role in the evolution of Dutch fashion.

www.modekern.nl 

For the Dutch readers: Lees ook het stuk van modejournalist Georgette Koning over het archiveren van Spijkers & Spijkers door Modekern, klik HIER