Beckmans fashion students explore the future of couture
March 09, 2023
The result is 12 visionary concepts and creations where artistic design and traditional and visionary craftsmanship meet the challenges of sustainability and material renewal. The creations were presented during a fashion show at Nordiska museet on March 9.
- Couture is about working with a strong sense of form and creating clothes through careful material choices and solid craftsmanship. Students' visions include new lifestyles and values, a different approach to quality and an exploration of new materialities. New modular forms emerge sculpturally alongside traditional embroidery embellishments and draped pleats," says Elisabet Yanagisawa, Fashion Design Course Director at Beckman College of Design.
The Nordic Museum's exhibition The Paris of the North shows the source of inspiration: original creations from the legendary 20th-century commissioned atelier NK's French tailor shop. In the couture ateliers of the future, the presence of the hand is evident alongside laser cutters and 3D printers.
- Couture is making a strong comeback today as fashion's most free, creative and sustainable form of expression. It's fascinating to see how the students at Beckman College of Design , with their fashion-schooled eye, have transformed inspiration from the couture of the past into ideas for the future that are as relevant as they are visionary," says Susanna Strömquist, fashion critic and curator of the exhibition The Paris of the North at the Nordic Museum.
Lookbook and catwalk images can be found on the Beckman newsroom.
Concept and participating students:
Emma Carling - Turn
An armhole can become a neckline and three pieces can become two that can become one. The three parts of the dress can be disconnected and put together in new ways like a puzzle. Man has always wanted to renew himself, this is a way to renew himself and be creative without having to buy something new. Sustainable and the future of couture.
Material: Cotton velvet, metal buckle, padding.
Technique: Embroidery.
Sofia Ericsson - Frameworks
In my vision of the future, the appreciation and understanding of craftsmanship increases as fashion becomes more sustainable. By letting embroidery hoops determine the shape of the dress that grows out of frames, I want to highlight that craftsmanship is always present in a garment.
Materials: Mixed media, iron thread, embroidery hoops.
Craft techniques: Laser cutting.
Jens Nilsson - Fractal Space
Fractal Space is an exploration of geometry in a couture context. Using laser cutting, doubling and various hand sewing techniques, a conversation is held between the importance of the hand and innovation. Fabric has been cut, doubled and modulated in an attempt to answer questions about structure, color reproduction, movement and what menswear might be in the future.
Materials: Wool, cotton, silk organza, tulle.
Craft techniques: Laser cutting, doubling, modulation.
Tim Bunwassana - Heritage
In a future where boundaries do not exist between gender, sexuality and nationality, the inspiration for this couture look comes from traditional garments around the world. The garments have elements of worked tailoring techniques found in formal dress.
Material: Ullsatin.
Craft techniques: Traditional tailoring and embroidery.
Paul Shutrick - Lifebuoy
Today we live in a busy world. Every single moment of our day can be streamlined, utilized and made the most of. We eat our lunch on the go, email on the train and Instagram on the toilet. Eventually, it feels like the water is rising around you and we are one false step away from drowning.
Materials: Bonded neoprene with wool, colored tulle, embroidered hand-knotted knots of outdoor rope, PVC, silk, cotton.
Craft techniques: Bonding, lacemaking, embroidery.
Ingrid Norberg - Pollution Couture
In the future, all couture will be created from recycled materials. The view of what is considered luxurious will lie in the history each piece of fabric carries with it. When the unique pieces are assembled, the result will be a couture look unlike any other. In this project I have collaborated with Stadsmissionen.
Materials: recycled silk ties, raincoat and gold chains.
Craft technique: appliqué and assembly.
Rasmus Georgiadis - A Train of Tradition
An interpretation of how the traditional wedding dress codes reflect a bygone zeitgeist. A skin-colored dress reflects the bride herself rather than the expectations of the norms. These are put behind us in product design by a white train in duchesse with laser engraved lace.
Material: Duchesse, silk chiffon, organza, rhinestones.
Technique: Laser engraved lace.
Edina Petonjic - Human Remains
The future is often seen as a time when civilizations lose the human hand due to mechanization. This creation comments on the relationship between our present and future and is based on the idea of skewed images that evoke discomfort.
Materials: horsehair, parchment, wool.
Craft techniques: wet shaping of parchment, embroidery.
Miranda Berg - Negative Space
A creation that harmonizes with the changes of the body and pays attention to those women who live in hiding or have lost their lives due to destructive relationships. The garment expands when necessary, to free the body. A creation that grows with life, and life with it.
Material: Leather, silk.
Craftsmanship: Hand-cut leather that is wet-formed, and patinated silk that is embroidered.
Hampus Ekman - Bloom
Elsa Schiaparelli was often told she was an unattractive child. So she went down to the flower market in her Italian hometown and bought seeds. She planted them in her nose, ears and mouth, hoping to bloom. Become as beautiful as a rose, as confident as a lily. This was her first surrealist experience that shaped her entire creative life.
Material: Velour, satin, linen blend.
Crafting technique: Pleating.
Albin Vikström - Car battery charged ballerina
We present a biological evolution within our double helix that embellishes man's place within a society without natural selection. Apathy equals death.
Material: Fiberglass doubling.
Technology: Thermoformed electrical tubing.
Pierre Westerholm - 0cc
An idea to transfer craft techniques and expressions from the Chopper Scene of the motorcycle world. A world where craftsmanship, materials and product design are crucial to the end result. An exploratory work where I tried to embody these vehicles and reinforce the position of the body.
Materials: Fiberglass, polyester mesh and rubber.
Craft techniques: Sculpting, airbrush, doubling and hand sewing.
