René Schopf, owner of the The Hunter Berlin concept store, bends over the cardboard boxes that just arrived from Antwerp. The last-minute organization of the showroom for Berlin’s Fashion Week was a bit chaotic, but worth it: six unique pieces from six young Antwerp designers will provide distinctive, eccentric impressions for Berlin’s fashion lovers.
The six designers were chosen during the fashion show of Antwerp’s Royal Academy of Fine Arts, by a co-worker of The Hunter Berlin, who managed to sneak in as a model in order to find the six treasures. Simple and unpretentious, “The New Anwerp Six” does not aim to push the regulars off their thrones: The Hunter only wants to demonstrate that the achievements and evolving vision of fashion, which established Antwerp as a city notable for fashion design, is still present in the work of the new artists emerging from the Academy.
Indeed, the young designers have a pronounced sense of observation of the world around them: The inspiration for Frederick Hornof’s collection “Gondwana”, for example, is at the first glance somewhat obscure, but with the segments of fabric interfering with each other, the forms distinctly refer to the evolution of life and its origins.
Eva Dunis observes how people move – their body language: “I really like the contrasts which present themselves to me in Israel. A part of my family lives there, and my sister likes to be sexy and provocative, which is totally the opposite of most of the religious people there”. Naturally, we find this inspiration in her outfits: feminine bodies and showy hats, but with sleeves tied close to the body and fabric hiding almost everything.
Paula Selby Avellaneda also plays with the value of femininity and virility; by experimenting with different fabrics and textures, she creates a masculine man who wears female garments – the designer herself interprets this as a counter action to androgyny.
In contrast to all this, the lightness provided in Glenn Martens collection and the very serene atmosphere, reminds us of dream worlds beyond time and space.
Lion Blau’s collection “Elvitheroi”, derived from the theoretically physical possibilities of time travel, and Setareh Mohtarez’s space-art related prints, which rightly claim the award of the most photogenic collection, are a look into the future and its mysterious opportunities.
By combining past, current and future perspectives of mankind, the young Antwerp students prove that fashion can be intellectual and go deeper than superficial looks. (ET)
“The New Antwerp Six”, showroom at The Hunter Berlin, Winsstr. 42, until 8 July, 11-8 pm.
