University of Applied Arts Vienna: Craig Green presents first graduate show as department head

Last Thursday, June 6, one of Austria's most important fashion spectacles took place in Vienna.

This year's ‘Show Modeklasse’, the fashion show by design students from the University of Applied Arts in Vienna, Austria, offered guests a dazzling variety of creativity on Thursday evening.

Alongside six prospective graduates of the fashion class diploma year, young designers from the first, second and third year also presented their designs on the catwalk.

The evening also marked the debut of the new head of the fashion design department, Craig Green. The British fashion designer took up his professorship at the University of Applied Arts in October last year with the aim of promoting innovation and originality in fashion design.

The future of ‘people-led innovation lies not only in the acceptance of technology’, Green said in a statement from the university. It is also important to understand that truly original ideas come from ‘physical craft and hands-on interaction with materials’.

Green's approach was also reflected in the venue, a building in the city centre's Ringstrasse that serves as the university's second main building: In the modern atrium of the listed building, cubic contrasts are juxtaposed with tradition.

Rondo fashion award encounters Palestinian flags

Prior to the fashion show, the Rondo Fashion Prize, which comes with prize money of 5,000 euros and was sponsored this year by Polestar, a company owned by car manufacturers Volvo Car Corporation and Geely, was awarded to the graduating students.

Oliver Kuzma was the recipient of this year's Rondo award. The inclusion of Edwardian and Victorian forms in his ‘Spleen’ collection and his exploration of the concept of ‘luxury’ in today's world won over the international jury.

Another prize, ‘The Mall Wien Mitte Award’ from the Viennese shopping centre of the same name, went to Marie Matondo Nsimba, a second-year student, with a cash prize of 1,000 euros and Felix Schmidt, a third-year student, took home 1,500 euros in prize money.

For demonstrators, the high-profile event seemed to be a convenient platform to voice political concerns. During the opening speech by dean Petra Schaper Rinkel, a Palestinian flag that was lowered over the floors of the inner courtyard provided a surprise. A rain of leaflets and loud chants followed.

Shaped by the past

It was clear to see that the past and tradition have left their mark on the minds of the young talents. Some of the collections reinterpreted Austrian traditions. With ‘Unpicking Memories’, graduate Alissa Herbig showed a skirt with a lederhosen look, as well as rustic whale jackets and traditional costume elements combined with the old craft of eyelet embroidery. The aim was to break with gender narratives.

Third-year student Alara Koçman combined elements of past centuries in modern interpretations of ruffled collars and baroque dresses.

The collars were appliquéd from jersey onto sweatshirts and a wide rococo hoop skirt was turned 90 degrees. The highlight of Herbig's collection was a sweeping, gathered cape reminiscent of that of Empress Sisi, which exposed only the wearer's head. The designer played with misappropriations - bras served as skirts and pearl necklaces were worn on the feet.

Another graduating student, Viola Kollár cites her forays through flea markets and vintage shops as a source of inspiration. In her graduation collection ‘Today’, she presented detailed looks: Wooden beads, reminiscent of car seat covers from the 60s, made an appearance in the form of jackets or bag handles. Pink accents brought the collection that was otherwise dominated by earthy tones into the present.

Multi-layered femininity and futuristic joie de vivre

With her graduation collection ‘I gave up counting’, Martyna Bierut addressed the socially defined division of labour and made a feminist statement with crocheted looks in colourful, flowing shapes.

Under the title ‘Here just to scream’, graduate Yuliya Hlazun invited the audience on a journey into the future. Oversized, extraterrestrial-looking sequins are paired with elaborately draped silhouettes, garish wigs and many a bare leg.

In Pouran Parvizi's ‘Maybe it's all just a dream in the end’, coat hooks were transformed from a tool into an accessory. Her final collection explored the power of the gaze and celebrates the complexity of femininity. Flowing shapes and clear structures lent the designs a high degree of wearability.

Playful provocation

The younger students also had the opportunity to show creative outfits that ranged from flashy to colourful and from provocative to suitable for everyday use, offering experiments with shapes, materials and attitudes to life. Eleven first-year students exclusively presented looks in which the colour white was chosen, to place the focus on the design process itself.

Second-year student Leon Cole carried oversized bags down the catwalk. Materials with perforated coatings were used throughout the collection.

Marie Matondo, also currently in her second year, covered up the models on the runway and drew attention to her extravagant designs, which consisted of a multitude of layers.

Finally, Liam Noel Pfefferkorn showed a sporty mix of materials and colours. He combined wide-cut trousers with green wellies and a quilted top reminiscent of motorsports.

This article was originally published on FashionUnited.AT. Translation and edit from German into English: Veerle Versteeg.