Graduate to Watch: Matil Vanlint from HEAD Geneve

Fashion, to some, might just be clothes for sale, but for Belgian designer Matil Vanlint, it is a career path that allows her to feel comfortable within her own body and a space to empower others through sharing her trauma.

Vanlint is a rising talent who graduated from HEAD Geneve’s MA fashion course in November 2025 with her award-winning ‘V’ collection centred around three words: victim, violence, and victory. The collection was her way of sharing a part of her journey, using garments as a manifesto for life, turning her physical memories of suffering and shame, and transforming that trauma into physical distortions, from exaggerated pointy shoes inspired by her bunions to silhouettes featuring distorted lumps to the hip and chest crafted using millinery techniques.

“Through this collection, I share a part of my journey, as a manifesto for life with the pieces crafted in the way that pushes the monstrosity and the distortion up to the head and up to the feet,” explains Vanlint.

Her collection made such an impact that Vanlint was awarded two prizes, the Vahabzadeh Foundation Prize for the best MA collection and the Association of Swiss Women and Empowerment (ASWE) Prize.

FashionUnited spoke to Vanlint following her graduate showcase to find out more about her journey to become a fashion designer, the inspiration behind her collection, and what it was like to study at HEAD Geneve, as well as her plans for the future.

Why did you want to be a fashion designer?

First, because it’s the only thing that can keep me focused and thrilled for hours and hours. Plus, it is thanks to clothing that I found a way to feel comfortable within my body.

Through clothes, one can tell a story, be anyone they want. You can decide to fit into some places or to fool them. It is both for the passion I have for clothes, for the techniques it requires to make them, and for the ‘psychic’ aspect, for the power clothes can have on us and on society.

What was the inspiration for your graduate collection?

My personal journey. How through fashion, my practise and the collective I found alternatives to survive and to be happy.

There is a quote from Jack Halberstam that says it better than I would ever: “There is activism in being happy and celebrating forms of joys that persist when the only images of ourselves presented to us are those of misery”.

What fabrics/techniques did you use in your graduate collection?

I used a lot of tailoring techniques. I also created my own technique to build volumes, mixing millinery with traditional tailoring.

For the fabrics, I used a lot of felt and wool. The wool was provided to me thanks to Loden Steiner, who kindly sponsored me. I also used the amazing technical textiles created thanks to my collaboration and support with Gruppocinque.

Then, I used quite a lot of upcycled materials, such as bed sheets and old T-shirts.

What are the signature piece/pieces in your MA collection?

All the felt pieces made using my millinery/tailoring technique. Creating those pieces is what led me throughout the year. It was so satisfying to explore and find ways to make it work. Also, it’s an endless technique that I can’t wait to explore even more.

You won the Vahabzadeh Foundation Prize for the best MA collection, as well as the Association of Swiss Women and Empowerment (ASWE) Prize. What did it mean to you?

It was an incredible honour. Also, on a more personal level, it’s the ending point of something. I have transformed the ugliest things in my life into something good that can also speak to others. That’s an incredible chance for me.

Why did you choose to study at HEAD - Geneve?

For many reasons, but two main aspects make this school so special. First, the obvious one, the facilities are just beyond amazing. The spaces for each and every one of us, the machines, the workshops, it’s crazy how good it is.

Then, it’s a fashion school that works hard to push every one of their students to find their own design language and to develop it as much as possible. It won’t try to fit their student into a chosen and fixed identity.

What was the most valuable thing you learned from your course?

To trust my gut, never give up, collective is the key, and mostly have a lot of fun. It has been the two best years ever!

What do you wish you had been told before you started your MA?

I had the chance to work for two years between my bachelor's and my master's. I think that it gave me the consciousness of the incredible privileges that come with being able to do this kind of study in that amazing school. I knew I had to enjoy every single bit of it. I did it and wish I could do it again.

What are your plans now that you've graduated?

I am just starting a 6-month internship at Bottega Veneta. I am beyond happy to join the team and so thrilled for this experience.

I am also applying to Hyères Festival, but the main plan for the moment is to carry on learning in a house that values craftsmanship.

What advice would you give someone considering studying fashion?

Have fun, this is an enormous privilege, enjoy every bit of it. Never give up.