If Dutch designers are often low profile, they are nevertheless hard workers who stick to their guns, the best example being Lucas Ossendrijver, who has been creating stunning collections at Lanvin for more than a decade. Dutch fashion schools are vibrant, exciting and often full of ideas, blending the raw with the conceptual, historicism with global concerns. This was my first time being part of the jury at Lichting 2017, a great initiative launched in 2007 by HTNK and FashionWeek Netherlands. The purpose of Lichting is to promote the best graduates from the country and award them with 2 prizes: the international jury awards the winner of the competition with 10.000€ while the audience prize, worth 3000€, goes to another graduate. This year, 3 menswear collections clearly stood out.
Lizzy Stuyfzand -who graduated with a BA in Fashion design from ArtEZ in Arnhem- delivered an energetic collection inspired by London club kids and Austrian craftsmen. She walked away with the 10.000€ jury award, which she will use to pursue her textile research. Bold, confident and playful, her clothes were a convincing mix of contemporary tailoring, fancy accessories and contrasting textures, associating sheer fabrics with embroidery techniques, man-made materials with high-quality yarns. Her collection also played with the current gender divide while keeping a strong masculine vibe, even when she sent out a transparent green skirt on the runway, worn with a lurex trimmed shirt. Teun Seuren, who graduated from HKU in Utrecht, was inspired by hooligans and gay power, printing swear words and homophobic slurs on his delicate mesh t-shirts, which subverted the classic language of sportswear. His message was powerful, yet subtle, focusing on wide-legs pants and a softer silhouette, as well as a restrained color palette of red and white. Sophie Roumans, who graduated from Utrecht’s School of the Arts, also had politics in mind with a collection that focused on global warming. Entitled “The Promise”, her clothes hinted at the ambiguity of human behavior towards the planet, creating and destroying it at the same time. Her draping was beautiful, as well as her loose tailored pieces and use of knitwear. Placing drawstrings on several pieces, she managed to play with hems and proportions, offering garments that were intelligent and seductive at once.
If those 3 graduates play their cards well, you’ll probably hear from them in the near future.
The Prada FW21 collection by Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons takes as its basis an intimate and personal wish for contact, our urge to exchange and relate. The foundation of all is the individual: the human body, and its freedom.
Han Kjøbenhavn’s presented its Fall/Winter 2021 collection during Milan Fashion Week, featuring dramatic silhouettes and hard shapes mixed with refined craftsmanship techniques.
Tokyo James Fall/Winter 2021 collection entitled ‘OGIDI OKUNRIN’ (‘The Strong Man’) looks at the concept of unity and masculinity through the gaze of the modern Nigerian man.
Iceberg’s Creative Director James Long unleashes a Fall/Winter 2021 collection that channels the carefree eccentricity and angst of the 1990s Brit Pop, underground rap, and acid rock scenes.
In his Fall/Winter 2021 collection, David Catalán revisits the essence of the brand. The collection is developed upon the necessities of the work-wear mixed with the classic wardrobe.
The kick-off episode sees Polish American artist Julian Klincewicz work on an eight-piece collection driven and inspired by a sense of play and a return to childhood, with imagination in motion.
Continuing a long tradition of acclaimed designer collaborations, H&M announces today a new collaboration with the London-based fashion designer Simone Rocha.
To celebrate the upcoming Chinese New Year, Gucci Creative Director Alessandro Michele has envisioned a dedicated collection of special items featuring the famous Japanese manga and anime character, Doraemon.
Yungblud is more than a pop-rock singer who reshaped the current pop culture, Yungblud is about a community and how confident we need to be in our daily life.
We think of manhood as eternal, a timeless essence that resides deep in the heart of every man. We think of manhood as a thing, a quality that one either has or doesn’t have. We think of manhood as innate,… »
Rich Brian photographed by Hengyi Liang for our most delicious issue
“Food is sex. Food is injustice. Food is insecurity. Food is security. Food is dialogue, it is even a confrontation of ideas. Food is memory”
This issue encompasses an extensive range of subjects from veganism to the time Paris ate its Zoo. Ghetto Gastro, Etienne Russo, along with designers Emily Bode, Masahiro Ino of Doublet, Mats Rombaut, and Priya Ahluwalia all join in on the conversation and share some of their favorite recipes!
