Sold-out Atrium was thrilled by 6 diploma collections – Grace Wales Bonner
says goodbye
The Show Modeklasse 23
in the sold-out atrium of the University of Applied Arts Vienna took place yesterday evening. The students thrilled the audience
with their designs, which testified to the outstanding artistic and creative training of Modeklasse. Imogen Snell and Riccardo
Castano from ISSTUDIO London were responsible for the art direction of the show for the second time. Live close-ups of the
looks were broadcasted on a large screen in the middle of the atrium, as well as the bustle of the show backstage, giving
the audience a multi-perspective view of the students' work.
Six students are graduating from the Fashion
Department this year and their outstanding diploma collections are a testament to the explosive creativity that is fostered
at the Angewandte. The final defilé was an impressive testimony to the expressive diversity of Modeklasse: The designs ranged
from experimental to wearable, from sculptural ensembles to body-hugging silhouettes, carried by theatrical opulence, ironic
distance or hopeful utopia. The outfits were worn by a diverse cast, for which Casting Director Kyra Sophie scouted new models
in Vienna, celebrating diversity and body positivity.
Prizes:
The RONDO
fashion prize powered by Authentic Beauty Concept (Euro 3000,-) was awarded to diploma student Johannes Hartmann.
With his final collection maybe there is an alternative, the 25-year-old Viennese examines the privatisation of joy
and happiness in capitalism and counters this appropriation with the possibility of a collective experience. The individual
pieces of his collection are printed with fragments of a scanned painting: Only when put together does the collection/picture
make sense. Hartmann thus underlines the importance of community and solidarity in neoliberalism. Both the garments and the
textile sculptures were designed and prototyped with the help of 3D programmes, and digital prints on recycled fabrics were
used in the production of the collection. These prints were complemented by silk, cotton and wool fabrics from dead stock,
as well as upholstery fabrics and knitwear made from merino wool.
Shuzo Matsuhashi
was able to convince the jury of the Wien Mitte THE MALL Award in the amount of Euro 2500,- with his collection The
Future We Choose. In the spirit of speculative design, Matshuashi created a kind of survival collection for the year
2050, based on the forecast of global warming of three degrees Celsius. Under extreme climatic conditions, we would spend
most of our time at home and online. Accordingly, the collection consists mainly of purist and comfortable clothing in muted
tones, but impresses with ingenious, rethought cuts and innovative knitwear.
Diploma Collections:
Karolin
Braegger titled her diploma collection The Dernier Cri, in which she explores questions of value and transience
in relation to "original" and "fake" in fashion. Based on research into the history of copying as a cultural-political practice
as well as the use of references, nostalgia and archives in fashion, Braegger developed a collection that takes familiar silhouettes
of merchandising clothes and upgrades them with the help of textile manipulations and material experiments. The collection
of the designer and artist (Braegger completed her studies with Heimo Zobernig at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna in 2021)
thus becomes a multi-layered commentary on the value of originality in fashion.
Erifyli
Garoufalia named her diploma collection Eros & Thanatos, after the Greek pair of terms Sigmund Freud
used to explore his theory of the drives. Taking up the minimalism of the 90s, feminine silhouettes symbolise the diploma
student's exploration of the complexity of love, passion and sexuality. The screen prints on latex stand for the sensual chaos
of human desire, the colour palette of the flowing silk fabrics reflect the feminine, soft aspect of romantic love.
come
down dawn is the name of Julian Schock's diploma collection. Based on the works of the artist duo Michael
Elmgreen and Ingar Dragset, the 26-year-old diploma student has dealt with liminality, border areas and the state of being
in-between. His collection is based on his own experiences of queer, male subjectivity and combines complex cut construction
from men's tailoring with sportswear elements.
Laura Madge Hörmann, on the
other hand, tells the story of Richard Wagner's great opera in her diploma collection Nachtgeweihte - Tristan und Isolde.
The silhouettes are meant to visually embody the work and the music, while colours and fabrics tell the story of Tristan and
Isolde's longing and striving for each other. The collection unfolds in three outfit pairs: sculptural, spectacular evening
gowns for Isolde meet historically inspired, romantic ensembles for Tristan.
The different
blue tones of the sky and the Mediterranean as well as the golden-yellow facets of sunlight characterise the playful menswear
collection Days of an Hour by graduate student Marily Elmezoglou. In her work, the Greek-born designer
cites male archetypes that have shaped the history of her homeland and brings pirates, captains, sailors and mercenaries to
life on the catwalk. Printed cotton, tweed and viscose silk knits were used to bring relaxed volume to traditional silhouettes
and to create outfits that subtly break codes of masculinity.
Grace Wales Bonner says
goodbye:
The Show Modeklasse 23 show also marks the farewell of Grace Wales Bonner, who has led the
Fashion Department since autumn 2020. In her three-year tenure, the British designer encouraged students to develop a broad,
holistic understanding of fashion design, and she has promoted a deeper, research-based engagement with fashion. This profile,
adapted to the demands of the contemporary fashion industry, prepares Modeklasse graduates for a successful start in the international
fashion world.
A livestream of the show via Instagram made it possible for those not present on
site and especially those internationally interested to follow the Show Modeklasse 23.
