#lichting2012

(images via team peter stigter)

yay!  we've already seen several of the other lichting 2012 participants at this edition of amsterdam fashion week (like miriam de waard, david laport, & sara veenstra), but it feels like the right thing to do to close out the ranks with the s/s 2013 collection of the winner (and my personal favourite show of the group), yvonne kwok! although i'm sure some might call it a little outlandish, i found the range, fun, colourful, wearable, and adventurous all at once. 

as we're on limited time/space right now, i'm not going to go into too much of the background, although you can read ms. kwok's full creative statement at the lichting site.  however, in a brief synopsis, elle quoted the designer as explaining it was  centered around (trans.) "the struggle with mental disorders caused by the restrictions which are applicable within the world of fashion."  the site also went on to opine that "Kwok translated this idea in the collection with the puppet focus and [by bringing] different elements of acarnival to use. This led to a wonderful mix of colours, fabrics and materials."

finally, the official photographers of afw's site, team peter stigter, quoted ms. kwok as noting that "(t)he translation to my collection is a bombastic use of color. Warm tones combined with bright accents and pastels are inspired by the colors of organs. The strained strings stand for the restriction and the folding reflects the humor where some parts of the body are being blown up. Also by playing with the different placements of the limbs from the marionette it’s being taken out of context."

(images via team peter stigter)

a graduate of the hague's royal academy of art, the young and very promising designer david laport was another participant of the lichting 2012 exhibition at amsterdam fashion week, showcasing his s/s 2013 range.  and really, much as i loveloveloved his crafty, delicate, and charming collection, like so many of the other exceptional designer upstarts (sara veenstra and miriam de waard, for example), he just didn't get the admiration and fawning due him in the press.  oh, pish. 

that means we'll have to make do with the lichting site's statement from the designer himself, and while we could perhaps be vexed about this, i tend to view it as a positive, considering that so often (i'm looking your way, berlin) we don't even have a decent description of what transpired, though we do get a lot of superficial observations on the subject (i'm looking your way, one po--i should stop with this digression, yes?  yes, totally). and so he posed the question, "(f)or which reasons do we choose discomfort in fashion?"

"During my research," he continued, "I stumbled across a theory by Thorstein Veblen: The Theory of leisure class. Veblen describes how women at the end of the 19th century choose uncomfortable clothing intentionally as a symbol of status. The more uncomfortable the clothing, the higher the status. As a result, the leisure class women wore outfits with bizarre shapes out of fragile, almost unspoiled fabric. These women are the inspiration for my collection. As such I took the notion of discomfort and translated it into modern day fashion."

"The women in my collection are afflicted by wind, facing the discomfort of blown up skirts and collars, unusual shapes and almost too delicate garments. I developed my own modern lace from leather, by using the laser cut. My blown up skirts are a combination of pleated silk and sisal."  beautiful and fascinating.  i want more.  and, arguably, i'd like to point out that this is still going on today.  look at rhianna and lady g.  they seem to want to stun us with their highhigh shoes.  but really, who besides a rich woman carried everywhere could manage in those?  working at a restaurant or on a sales floor?  certainly not.  and we could explore it more, but i don't want to sully these images with my ramblings, soooo...(check out some additional show images at fashionising)!

(images via team peter stigter)

okay, so i'm giving you permission with me to get rather vexed that young designer and lichting 2012 participant sara veenstra of the academy of fine art at zuyd university in maastricht didn't get much individual love for her marvelous s/s 2013 collection, which was presented at amsterdam fashion week.  true, as with some of the others, she got called out as part of a group (in articles i've linked elsewhere; i don't feel like giving them the hits again just now), but where was her separate acclaim?

i mean, geez.  with the bright colours, the vintage air, and the cheerfully quirky details, ms. veenstra's collection--if not necessarily the critical best among the lichting exhibitors--roused one to all but jump into her clothes from wherever they might have sat.  as for background, at least the lichting site was kind enough to do the honours, explaining that the range "is based on an American Carnivàle, a surrealistic traveling carnival during the dust bowl early ’30s; time of The Great Depression. Coping with extreme poverty, the carnival had to keep running and the available material was handled creatively."

i'm supposing the designer was probably also inspired by the late american television series carnivàle, though her continued description makes no individualised mention of it: "To survive in this time you had to stand out and be strong, which especially for women was not easy. The contrasts between rich and poor were large and to be perceived as strong, independent women a sexy dress arose with rags and conquers using women’s bodies. Carnivale represents the mysterious world between magic and reality, good and evil, heaven and hell. The 'freaks' of society came together and showed themselves in a completely unique way: edgy, a little strange and extravagant, but with style and pride."

(images via team peter stigter)

another participant of the lichting 2012 exhibition at the s/s 2013 edition of amsterdam fashion week, i must confess i was a little saddened that designer tess van zalinge didn't get as much media attention as some of her peers.  to be sure, she was named in various articles--such as one for couturekrant--about the event, but homegirl wasn't on the receiving end of quite as much individual love. 

but no matter.  we'll try to give her some of that just now, yes?  anyway, and fortunately for us, the lichting site took the time to question each of the designers about their individual performances, writing up just what they said.  "The concept of this collection is inspired on the urge I have to create my dream identity. The unlimited possibilities did not comfort me and my craving for careless decisions increased. Guidance is what I was looking for," is how ms. van zalinge began her explanation. 

"What if I believed, what if I had a religion? Would that limit the astonishing possibilities?" she continued by asking.  "Choices and decisions based on faith, choices that were complicated, would than seem straightforward. The reasoning within religion behind why you should do or should not do brings you guidance, peace and consolation. I am looking for what I want to be. This guidance I find in the faithful, chaste and old Dutch folklore in combination with the colorful, free and uninhibited African culture."

(images via team peter stigter)

honestly, i'm not exactly sure how the lichting events at amsterdam fashion week work--i think it's a parallel idea of promising young graduates of the sort we see exhibiting in sydney, berlin, and the like--but i do know we've been introducing to some interesting sorts, and at the 2012 event, during which each participant showed about five looks (i believe for s/s 2013, just like the regular afw presenters), things were especially good. anyway, the dutch site nrc has some background on the subject, if that's what you need today. 

meanwhile, another one of the new kids to catch opt's eye was a graduate of the hague's royal academy of art, young designer miriam de waard.  according to the lichting site, ms. de waard's spring range was called 'wake for them' and "is about female night watchers, watching over their sleeping group during nighttime using their natural nightly instinct. They are born with a high-alertness and instinct at night to protect and take care. These women are approachable, but have to keep a certain distance; they are both sensual and raw. Not afraid to face their own fears, neuroses and deepest dreams, they are brave enough to create a world where they feel safe."