Art Power – Elle Belgium, June issue/ photographer: Hicham Riad/ graffiti artist: Kid Acne/ styling: Anne Rabeux/hair & makeup: Vasko Todorof / model: Robin Hölzken/ images source: fashiongonerogue.com
Author: laviniaban
Vanessa Schindler
Just when you thought you’re already tired of discussing fashion issues, emerging trends, early signals and impossible ideals, something special pops up to feed your enthusiasm.
Vanessa Schindler, a fresh graduate of fashion design caught my interest with her experimental menswear collection. Exploring basic pieces in men’s wardrobe (jackets, sweaters, shirts, shorts and shoes), she adores playing with unexpected fabrics and redesigning the silhouettes.
Peculiarly titled Oui c’est du renne du bord de la route, Vanessa Schindler’s Bachelor Collection (from University of Art and Design HEAD Geneva, Switzerland) leads us in a different world, ruled by new forces, alternative shapes and amusing details.
Curious about her fashion inspiration, personal vision and future plans, I took Vanessa a short interview:
How it all started?
It started a long time ago when I begun to collect different materials found in my hometown in Switzerland. Supermarket ropes and elastic threads, cow hide, reindeer fur, wood, lycra… This collection became a play between the man’s classical wardrobe and these materials.
The main accessory is a stick of wood painted in yellow. In each silhouette, it disturbs the regular shape of these garments. It runs through them, exaggerates them, lifts them up and stretches them.
To me it was a way to think about fashion. How our eyes get used to abstract ideas. Pushing the boundaries. Seeing how far I could go with the yellow stick. See how we are able, or not, to get use to new shapes on a body. This collection is more a reflection and amusement about menswear. Six masculine totems, masculine sculptures, a men’s collection.
(Literal translation of the title: “Yes this reindeer was found by the side of the road”)
Why menswear?
I chose menswear because I believe it is more liberated from social stigma, it allows more humor and constructivism around its form. And simply because I wanted to built these men figures.
What was your favorite part in the design process?
Maybe when you start visualizing the final result, when you begin to see what it will become, and if the result fits with the idea you had in mind. This moment when you just race to make it become real!
How do you feel as a fresh graduate? what’s next?
I feel well! I already did a few internships, one at Etudes Studio and another at Balenciaga. Today I’m an intern at Henrik Vibskov Studio in Copenhagen. Next? Probably a new personal project focusing more on accessories and installations.
I attached below some images selected from Vanessa’s research book, to get a glimpse of the complex documentation process and inspiration behind this fashion collection.
Photo Credits: Julien Chavaillaz and Philippe Fragnière
Doublefaced
Sebastian Bieniek, Doublefaced photo series
What makes an artist different from everybody else is probably his ability to reshape the reality, adding a creative spark to the most common circumstances. At first glance, Sebastian Bieniek’s twisted portraits from the Doublefaced series (work in progress…) may confuse the viewer. But after all, they’re also intriguing, graceful, funny and bizzare, echoing Picasso’s famous demoiselles.
Sebastian Bieniek, a German artist well known for his experimental and subversive artworks, scores once again. I guess this time it’s not for the highly conceptual content, but merely for the casual and emotional approach to our daily conventions.
Find more images from this series here
500
The Business of Fashion, the professional resource for fashion industry insiders, launched BoF 500 – an innovative, multi-channel initiative that examines the people shaping the global fashion industry. Gathering together various roles in the business of fashion (from designers, stylists, models & muses to executives, entrepreneurs and fashion catalysts), the list displays well-known figures of the fashion scene and also introduces influent people working behind-the-scenes (investors, teachers, retailers etc.). Find the full list here.
To accompany this exciting project, BoF has also created a very special limited-run print edition, containing in-depth feature articles on some of the most interesting members of the BoF 500. To get a copy of this special edition, click here or visit Colette in Paris, Opening Ceremony in New York, London and Los Angeles, Le Mill in Mumbai and Sneakerboy in Melbourne.
As Imran Amed (Founder and Editor-in-Chief of BoF) underlines, “the BoF 500 is not a crude ranking, nor a simple list of names, but an ever-evolving index of fashion’s most dynamic global players.”
(therefore, it’s a must-read whether you’re a fashion industry insider or you’re looking for a break in)
Smaranda Almasan S/S 2014
Smaranda Almasan‘s S/S 2014 collection, recently presented at MQ Vienna Fashion Week, was a pleasent surprise. Designer’s black & white signature outfits were counterpointed with tropical accents, delivering an unexpected mix of streetwear and homewear. There’s a casual/funny approach, much needed in the sobriety of the last seasons, especially in menswear.
Trending – Barcode
Duckie Brown, S/S 2014
Proenza Schouler, S/S 2014
Ravishing Silhouettes at J.W.Anderson
If I have to name one designer able to entirely redefine the male fashion silhouette, that would definitely be J.W.Anderson. The revolution in womenswear started a long time ago with borrowing elements of man’s attire. What J.W.Andersons demonstrates with each collection is that a true revolution in menswear is possible by doing the reverse – picking certain pieces from the woman’s wardrobe and converting them to menswear. The fact that such a translation is possible without losing “masculinity”, it’s due to designer’s talent and smart solutions. Introducing column-like silhouettes, he stays in his favorite goemetric zone, yet delivering a poetic, twisted discourse. The outfits – neoprene tunics, relaxed high-waisted trousers, scarf-tops, are spiced up with surprising details: front oversized pockets, armbands, assymetric cuts. While most of the forms recall elements from Anderson’s previous collections (especially his women’s Fall 2013 collection), they become reinforced as being part of his fashion vocabulary and signature design.