It is no secret that the power of design education lies in its lack of restraints. While the ultimate goal of any university degree is to best prepare us for ‘real’ life, it might just be that avoiding the limits of everyday reality, offers the best preparation a design student could get. When we speak about any design practice – graphics, product, or fashion – forgoing the limits of commercial production – marketing rules, costs, distribution, and so on – is at the core of research and innovation.
This line of thought appeared to be at the basis of Antwerp Royal Academy of Fine Arts Fashion course, whose 2014 final show presented a series of projects inspired by child-like freedom and mind wandering. Differently from its British counterparts – Royal College of Art and Central Saint Martins – Antwerp school’s runway didn’t strike us for its impeccable sartorial quality or conceptual research. Rather, its students were capable of capturing the unique spirit of the moment, transforming it into a vision for the future.
Among its ten 2014 graduates, the one that immediately stood out – bringing home three different awards – was Raffaela Graspointer. Titled “Holi Blush Bubble Crush”, this explicitly meaningless title captured the essence of her collection made of apparently random and unexpected combinations of materials, colours and shapes – fused together in a series of eclectic kaleidoscopic looks. On the other hand, Hyein Seo or Eran Shanny’s collections were perfectly summed up in their respective titles. Seo’s “Bad Education” featured bold graphic garments and punk aesthetics, toned down by simpler cuts and essential lines, while Shanny’s “Wild Hearts” designated a menswear collection full of hart-like cuts, shapes and décors.
On the other side of the ‘let your mind wander’ spectrum, were the collections of Clara Jungman Malmquist and Madeleine Coisne, who concentrated on tactile and textile research rather than playing with conceptual puns. Therefore, their collection featured bold patterns and colourful, yet refined juxtapositions, fused with brainy silhouettes, showing, as usual, that Antwerp is still the hot spot of creative freedom and exceptional fashion education.
