COUTURE DE JOUR
CREDITS:
PHOTOGRAPHER: STEVEN VANDERIJT
STYLING: STEVEN VANDERIJT
COUTURE DE JOUR
BY PUTTING A LOT OFF PRESSURE ON HIS GRADUATION, STEVEN STARTED TO WONDER WHAT THE BEST WAY WOULD BE THE EXPOSE HIMSELF. HE WANTED TO STAND OUT FROM THE CROWD AND NOT FOLLOW THE REGULAR GRADUATION SYSTEM. ALSO THERE WAS THE BURNING QUESTION WHO STEVEN IS AS AN DESIGNER. A QUESTION THAT NEEDED SOME TIME TO ANSWER. SO MUCH TIME THAT THE CONCEPT FOR THE COLLECTION STARTED WITH THIS QUESTION.
STEVEN STARTED WITH A RESEARCH GOING BACK INTO HIS OWN HISTORY TO LOOK FOR DEFINING MOMENTS IN HIS LIFE THAT SHAPED HIM AS A DESIGNER. FROM LITTLE MOMENTS AS A CHILD LEARNING ABOUT STYLE FROM HIS MOTHER, TO MAKING HIS OWN COMPLETE COLLECTIONS WITH VISUAL STORIES.
AFTER REVIEWING ALL ASPECTS FROM THEN UNTILL NOW AND HAVING MADE A RESEARCH REPORT ABOUT STEVEN’S POINT OF VIEW ON HIS DESIGN ESTHETIC, THERE WAS A CLEAR VIEW ON WHO STEVEN WAS AS A DESIGNER AND WHAT HIS VIEW ON FASHION IS.
THEN IT WAS TIME TO GO AND PLACE HIM IN THE MODERN FASHION WORLD. WHAT WOULD HE DO? WHAT WOULD HE BE KNOWN FOR? ANOTHER GOOD QUESTION, IN A FASHION WORLD THAT IS RUN BY FUNCTIONALITY AND COMMERCIALISM AT THE MOMENT AND WITH STEVEN BEING A SCULPTURAL DESIGNER THAT IS NOT BUSY WITH WEARABILITY AND SALES.
THE FIRST THING THAT STOOD OUT WHEN RESEARCHING DESIGNERS THAT ARE COMPATIBLE TO STEVEN IS THAT LOTS OFF THEM ARE GIVING INTO THE FAST FASHION SYSTEM AND ARE STARTING TO MAKE THERE EXCLUSIVE COUTURE COLLECTIONS MORE WEARABLE EVERY SEASON. ALSO THE GROWING QUANTITY WITHIN THESE COLLECTIONS IS A NOTIBLE FACT. FOR EXAMPLE, IF YOU LOOK BACK AT 2006 COUTURE COLLECTIONS FROM THE HIGH END COUTUREHOUSES, THE AVERAGE AMOUNT OF LOOKS WAS AROUND 50 TO 60. LIKE THAT WASN’T ENOUGH, NOWADAYS THE AVERAGE AMOUNT OF LOOKS IS AROUND 90 TO 120. REMEMBER, WE ARE TALKING ABOUT COUTURE COLLECTIONS. THE EXCLUSIVE COLLECTIONS THAT REALLY SHOWS THE DESIGNERS HANDWRITING, IT SEEMS AMAZING THAT YOU NEED AROUND 100 LOOKS FOR THAT, EVERY SEASON.
IRRITATED BY THIS GIVING INTO THE SYSTEM BY ROLEMODELS TO STEVEN, HE WANTED TO MAKE A STATEMENT AGAINST THIS SYSTEM. LET COUTURE BE ART, NOT FASHION. HE STARTED WORKING WITH THE IDEA TO MAKE SCULPTURES WITHOUT SOMEBODY WEARING THE PIECE. TO MAKE HIS OWN MODELS AND MAKE THE GARMENT AROUND THE MODEL, SO THE MODEL WOULD BE TRAPPED IN THE GARMENT.
THEN THERE WAS THE DESSIRE TO PUT THE MODELS WITH GARMENTS IN ABSURD POSES TO MAKE THE WHOLE LOOK MORE UNCOMFORTABLE.
STATEMENT:
IT’S TIME FOR A NEW LOOK ON COUTURE. COUTURE, WITCH IS STUCK IN FAST FASHION, IS GIVING INTO COMMERCIALISM AND TRENDS WITH THE EFFECT THAT NEW DESIGNERS DONT FEEL COMFORTABLE JIONING THIS FAST FASHION SYSTEM.
NOW ME AS A NEW DESIGNER IS GOING TO DISCOVER A NEW WAY OF MAKING COUTURE ART AGAIN. I’M GOING TO SHOW MY WAY OF MAKING WHAT I THINK IS ART WITH THE AMBITION TO INSPIRE OTHERS TO SEE A NEW WAY OF SLOWING DOWN FASHION AND STARTING TO SEE CRAFTMANSHIP AND LOVE IN GARMENTS AGAIN.
TO UPPER THE STATEMENT STEVEN DICIDED TO DISTANCE HIMSELF FROM THE NORMAL FASHIONSHOW THE ACADEMY PROVIDES FOR THEIR STUDENTS AND MADE THE DECISION TO PRESENT THE WORK IN A EXHIBITION. HE WANTED TO PRESENT A MOMENT CAUGHT IN TIME. A MOMENT OF SILENCE WHERE 4 LOOKS WOULD BE PRESENTED AS 4 SCULPTURES FALLING FROM THE SKY BUT GOT STUCK ON THE WAY DOWN, REPRESENTING THE FALLEN GLORY OF COUTURE AND IT BEING STUCK IN THE CURRENT FASHION SYSTEM.
ALSO BY OVERWORKING EVERY LOOK WHERE IT WOULD LEAN TO BEING KITSCH OR JUST TO MUCH, STEVEN WANTED TO SAY SOMETHING ABOUT THE QAULITY AND DEPTH THAT EVERY SINGLE LOOK OR GARMENT SHOULD HAVE.