By Cassandra Pizzey / 21-06-2012

During the (over) two-hour long show held at the amazing The Hague town hall, we saw first to fourth year student collections which included shape studies, ethnic costume and outspoken takes on contemporary fashion.

First year students presented form studies of the skirt, the dress and the trenchcoat which included some pretty impressive prints and constructions. Second year student work showed an interpretation of historical costumes and came down the runway in the form of beards, top hats and ruffles, all with a modern aesthetic and feel.
Then third year students were up, sending first a parade of ethnic costumes along the catwalk followed by their personal take on the theme.

We were especially enamoured with Anouk van Klaveren’s rather hysterical animal-inspired collection, Janna van Vlught’s take on Eastern men’s dress and Bastian Visch’s amazing prints which seemed like a combination of a graphic manga novel and Japanese ink drawing.

Graduate students each presented a ten-piece collection representing their personal vision on fashion. Using innovative materials, laser-cutting, pleating and dyeing techniques, the eight graduates showed an impressive line up.

David Laport was one of the highlights, his pleated sheer materials in combination with laser-cut patterns and a fresh use of colours seemed to wow the audience. Models wore almost architectural yet light-as-air dresses, tops and skirts made from a pleated gauze. This, combined with silks in rich, contrasting colours and what seemed like laminated materials featuring laser-cut flowers made for a wearable yet innovative collection.

Another graduate to use pleating, this time in combination with a dip-dye effect was Miriam de Waard. Her models came down the runway as modern warriors, again with architectural yet weightless pleating. The combination of sheer panelling, bold forms and dark hues gave the girls a sensual look yet powerful appearance.

Impressive dyeing techniques and (fake?) furs courtesy of Tessa van de Meerendonk who showed a coulourful collection. Geometric prints in neons combined with photo prints taken from nature and great combinations of sheer and thicker fabrics made this collection one of the most wearable and current.

It was Mary Katrantzou meets Iris van Herpen in ‘Axis Mundi’ by Chrissie Houtkooper. What looked like tattoo prints were combined with three-dimensional garments, some of which completely altered the shape of the models’ bodies. The monochrome looks were power dressing to the max yet evening wear wasn’t shied away from; cue sequin-embellished trousers and jacket. The ingenious prints and shapes most definitely show Houtkooper’s interest in construction and technique.

The other graduates of 2012 are: Bao Yao Fei, Charlotte Greeven, Hoi Man Cheung and Evelien van Pruissen.

The overall styling, hair and make-up of the show was spot on and really enhanced the various collections. Also it’s great to see how students from across the board are encouraged to push their creativity by presenting their collections on the runway during the KABK fashion show.  

Main image: Third year ethnic costume
Other images: 1. First year trenchcoat 2. Second year historic costumes 3. Anouk van Klaveren 4. Janna van Vlught 5. Bastian Visch 6. David Laport 7. Miriam de Waard 8.Tessa van de Meerendonk 9. Chrissie Houtkooper
Images 3.-9. Ron Stam Photography

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