TEAM WORK IN ARNHEM
June 23, 2004
Now running for six years, Collectie Arnhem is a project made possible by the Arnhem Insitute for the Arts' third year fashion design students under the leadership of Alexander van Slobbe, Sayone Daan and Jon van Konkhuijsen. Arnhem Institute of the Arts has seen such alumni pass through their halls as Vikor+Rolf The students design a fashion collection in class, but are in charge of the financial aspect as well. Next to encouraging teamwork, this project gives the students a reflection of the practical run of the fashion world. They learn about such important aspects such as what a collection is, what kind of styling goes with it, what kind of show to develop, what kind of photography, how to get people interested, how to attract sponsors, and how to organise a runway show. All this, with twenty two cooperating together. Every year in September the students start collecting materials and ideas, which inspire them for the collection. Gradually they join their views and based on this they start designing. At the end of October a month of sample sewing starts which will become the collection. Each student starts executing his/her own design and during this month they decide which designs fit into the collection and which do not, a colour range is chosen and fabrics to match. Of course there are lot of discussions in class about where the collection is heading to and which outfits should stay or go in order to make it a better collection. At the end of December the sewing is over and all the garments should be ready. The students start preparations for a runway show. They organise everything themselves; from the casting of the models, styling, music, the order in which the sets are shown to the lighting, runway and invitations.
Collectie Arnhem 2004 started with a workshop called "top to bottom" in cooperation with L'Oreal in September 2003. Usually ideas on hair, make-up and shoes come up after designing a collection but the students decided to turn this around. After a couple of intensive weeks of research, some inspiring ideas appeared and the students were able to start designing the collection. The result is 'Marilyn Monroe Goes Street', skater culture mixed with pin-ups. The legendary white Marilyn-fan-dress crammed in baggy pants, tiny corset laced up with fat laces, supersized nylon raincoats on coquette, and pleated skirts. Elegant and sexy evening dresses are completed with rough zippers, and pleated cummerbunds which turn into bags. Forty-one in all, these sets are cheap and luxurious, weightless nylons mixed with wool, taffeta silk and satin.
Team work that's what we like. Arnhem doesn't build superstars, they form good future professionals of the fashion business, people who can adjust their creativity to the overall picture in order to obtain better results as a team; fashion designer who create imagining the production as a whole, from the fabric to the styling of the outfits in a shop window, ready to be sold.
This is what the fashion biz needs, this is what young fashion designers need to understand and to apply
Has this aroused some interest? The previous Arnhem collection can be seen at www.collectiearnhem.nl
