CLASH Project

Fashion design / Events

What happens when you ask non-fashion designers to create an outfit for the catwalk, with the only condition being that it has to be wearable? The CLASH Project, which happened as part of FASHIONCLASH Maastricht.

By Jeanne Tan /asdf 16-06-2010

For the second year running, the Maastricht-based festival FASHIONCLASH featured the CLASH Project on its agenda. FASHIONCLASH is a three-day fashion event featuring catwalk shows and exhibitions by established designers and students - mainly from Europe - and fashion walks through Maastricht.

Curated by Matylda Krzykowski, the CLASH Project asks non-fashion designers to create an outfit for a catwalk show. The brief to designers was left deliberately open with the only limitation being that the creation had to be wearable on the catwalk.

Ten European artists and designer were selected this year to take part. "The participants were chosen for their skills within their own profession. We also wanted 10 participants from various backgrounds and from different countries," explains Krzykowski.

On the catwalk was a nostalgic outfit paying tribute to woollen blankets by Eindhoven product designer Jo Meesters, Dutch artist Manja Hunger created a striking graphic paper ensemble and British designer Regina Pelszus and artist Sascha Mikloweit used Tyvek - a synthetic material normally used for waterproofing, medical packaging or car covers - to fashion a wearable bag. Italian design studio Dissociate knitted a duo tone conceptual outfit while Polish designer Monika Potrowska's dress pays a tribute to her native country.

"Working with non-fashion designers is probably more exciting, because the outcome is unpredictable. It's not about trends, materials and colours. It's mainly about form and the skills of the participant. I like that some of the pieces betray the designer's true profession."

So as a result of this project, what fashion designers can learn from non-fashion designers and vice versa? "Fashion designers can learn various skills away from traditional textiles and forms from non-fashion designers and non-fashion designers can learn what it really means to work with the human body."

Main image: Manja Hunger (NL)
Image 1: Jo Meesters (NL)
Image 2: Dissociate (IT)
Image 3: Regina Pelszus and Sascha Mikloweit (UK)
Image 4: Monika Potrowska (PL)
Image 5: Karel van Laere and Jivan van Ende (NL)
Image 6: Nanouk Schrader (CH)
Image 7: Marco Lorusso and Britt Helbig (BE)
Imge 8: Nicole Michniewski (DE)
Photography: Peter Stigter