Reference Festival Recap
by Adriano B.
From January 21st to 23rd, the second edition of Reference Festival was staged on a virtual platform, Reference Realities. Under the theme of Navigating Parallel Realities, activations for the largest part were created in physical space and expanded digitally which attracted a global crowd of more than 28,000 people. It set the perspective for virtual events and experiences.
In absence of a crowd the Zeiss Major Planetarium in Berlin was the festival’s key physical venue which saw exclusive, one time performances by Die Hässlichen Vögel, while in partnership with Carhartt WIP, Bill Kouligas’ label PAN presented Anne Imhof & Eliza Douglas, ‘Act 1’ by MJ Harper & David Jainz styled by Stefano Pilati in Random Identities, Pan Daijing, and Amnesia Scanner whose show was enhanced by after-effects from Freeka Tet that came to life on referencerealities.com. Each performance was site-specific, conceived for the planetarium, and optimized for the environment of the platform. A live chat function enabled registered visitors to communicate and share the experience. Reference Festival became a space of virtual togetherness for like-minded people across the globe.
Organisers Reference Studios gallery space on Berlin Schoeneberg’s famous Potsdamer Strasse became another physical site of cultural content production. It hosted a multidisciplinary exhibition which included a selection of sculptures by Tobias Spichtig for Balenciaga, the launch of a collaborative side table by furniture design duo Chapel Petrassi x Mowalola, an edit of Endyma’s Helmut Lang archive curated by Michael Kardamakis, an interactive installation by creative collective Treffpunkt, an exclusive film screening by emerging designer’s PunkZec’s COLRS as well as the presentation of a suit by contemporary creative studio acte™ in collaboration with Sucuk & Bratwurst that was created for the event.
More detached from location were the film for GmbH’s FW21 ‘Welt am Draht’ collection, 032c’s 20th anniversary activation which sent LCD paneled trucks across Berlin, a purely virtual Blue Room created by EBIT™ (Enjoy Being in Transition) in collaboration with Michel Gaubert, and an experience by Lost Souls of Saturn (Seth Troxler & Phil Moffa) premiered and hosted at the platform’s planetarium stage. The platform proved seamless functionality throughout.
Reference Festival closed with the announcement of a prize for emerging talent in partnership with Slam Jam, that will roll out with further information and the introduction of its full committee in the next weeks. Slam Jam offers an incubator program, while Reference Studios takes on the winner’s PR. The prize highlights underrepresented voices, no degree or even formal education is required to enter. More context was created in panels by Hans Ulrich Obrist and Honey Dijon, with features from Soo Joo Park, Kenneth Ize, Michel Gaubert, Tiffany Godoy, Michael Kardamakis (ENDYMA), Iolo Lewis Edwards (High Fashion Talk), and Michelle Elie.
Carlota Barrera Spring/Summer 2021
Givenchy Spring/Summer 2021 Campaign
Another exciting season at TRANOÏ just wrapped up during Paris Men’s Fashion Week.
Choreographer Lès Lesne is taking over the 35-37 on January 27th to reveal COR, a choreographic film shot in Lanzarote.
WALTER VAN BEIRENDONCK unveiled its Fall/Winter 2022 collection titled “OTHER WORLDLY” during Paris Fashion Week.
Givenchy is building on excitement around its newest footwear icon, the GIV1, with a fresh mix of visual signatures and a new style: the high-performance, unisex GIV1 TR debuts with the Spring 2022 pre-collection.
Jazz+ is the blend of MOOD, STYLE and ATTITUDE and thus cannot be limited to a single expression.
Otherworldly energy infuses AMBUSH Fall/Winter 2022 as YOON and her cast of characters step into a new reality.
For Fall/Winter 2022, the essence of Wales Bonner manifests artisanal knitwear, magical evening wear and technical sportswear.
Maison Mihara Yasuhiro’s Fall/Winter 2022 collection channels a theme of “SELF CULTURE”.
Using nostalgia as an impulse, Alled-Martinez revisits fashion codes from the mid-00s, emphasizing the homoerotic elements that he explores by referencing historical codes and queer imagery, intrinsic to the brand’s DNA.
Take a look at SOLID HOMME‘s Fall/Winter 2022 backstage, captured by the lens of Marc Medina, during Paris Fashion Week, in exclusive for Fucking Young!
Take a look at Bianca Saunders‘ Fall/Winter 2022 backstage, captured by the lens of Marc Medina, during Paris Fashion Week, in exclusive for Fucking Young!
REAL-TO-WEAR: an authentic wardrobe founded in a forward-thinking approach to fashion.
Inspired by the shifting landscape of Moscow in the 1920s, the WOOYOUNGMI FW22 collection carries an atmosphere of nostalgia and old glamour, revitalized by the modern elegance inherent to the house.
Television pilot featuring Colm Dillane’s Fall/Winter 2022 collection for KidSuper.
Mouty unveiled its Fall/Winter 2022 collection during Paris Fashion Week at Tranoï.
Davi’s eighth collection explores the secret life and mysterious obsessions of the poet Marcel Proust during his errands to the Parisian brothel Hotel Marigny with his friend Albert Le Cuziat.
Sacai’s designer Chitose Abe tells a story about believing in yourself with her newest collections.
For Fall/Winter 2022, Vuarnet explores the alluring and esoteric power of the mountains through the new campaign film Fellowship directed by Boramy Viguier, Creative Director of Vuarnet.
Lifting inspiration from the locked doors and quiet whispers that conceal the city synonymous with excess and aesthetic innovation – classic design codes are subverted into dynamic silhouettes.
The HOMME PLISSÉ ISSEY MIYAKE FW22 collection looks at a tent as a structure consisting of fabric and a frame and adapts elements of its construction for clothes-making.
For the FW22, collection Henrik Vibskov went to outer space while looking into different ways of archiving our dearest belongings and memories of earth.
With his new collection named ‘Pioneer’, Israeli designer Or Yair Bitton takes us on a sartorial -and symbolic- journey inspired by the kibbutz, fusing utility garments and tailoring with the idea of community.
The AURALEE Fall/Winter 2022 collection conveys a sentiment of comfort while keeping its minimalistic, sophisticated approach.
Intended as an ode to hypersensitivity, it is born with a deep sense of time and dreams of self-expression.
The JOEONE Fall/Winter 2022 season is inspired by the Tang Dynasty, which was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD.
