Germany: Design am Rhein for young & aspiring fashion talents

Adieu Tristesse! In hard economic times it is the creative industry that undergoes a noticeable boom, as is particularly the case now. People are searching for something new and fresh, they want to get back to essentials and reinvent themselves. Those looking for endless retro recycling will search in vain as this has long since gone out of fashion.
In cooperation with fashion and design school AMD Akademie Mode & Design Düsseldorf the Igedo Company is now tapping into this dynamism and will once again, also at the February 2010 edition of cpd, be initiating the competition “Design am Rhein” for young and aspiring European fashion talents.
“Design am Rhein” promotes dialogue between the creative minds in the sector. It arouses the public’s attention, dazzles, surprises and prompts new ideas. The cpd is an opportunity for the next generation: ten finalists will be competing here for first place with their collections. Awaiting the winner will be an individual sponsorship programme along with a presentation drawing effective attention in the media.
From the 92 international entrants ten young designers from six countries have made it into the final of this year’s competition. In a final show organised by the Igedo Company a top-class international jury of experts will select up to five winners who will receive a stand for two seasons at cpd. The first prize-winner will also be allowed to present their collection at CPM. The award ceremony will be held at cpd on at 4.00 pm on 7 February at Showcase Düsseldorf in Hall 11.
Exciting Looks for the Future showcased by…
Andrea Kristic was born in Sarajevo in 1986 and studied fashion design at the Artez Institute of the Arts in Arnheim. Her fashion follows an intellectual approach seeking a new interpretation of the modern woman where gender roles are broken up and male components play a major role. Her designs combine classic and high-quality fabrics with futuristic materials to create a partly flowing, partly static feel. Her current 2010/11 Autumn/Winter collection was inspired by the idea “panta rhei” – everything flows. Undulating folds in combination with flowing fabrics and billowing wool reflect shapes from nature and are a sign of total mobility.
Born in Belarus in 1982 Anna Jazewitsch studied fashion design at Bielefeld Polytechnic graduating from there in 2002.Her collection for Autumn/Winter 2010/11 entitled ‘Ofimatica’attempts to develop artistic and logical women’s workwear for today’s daily office work. The clothing might serve as a prescribed uniform for modern, future-oriented companies but also aims to generate a creative atmosphere and guarantee efficient work and wearer satisfaction.
In aesthetic terms this contrast is expressed using two contrary design approaches. On the one hand, the clothes provide very little scope for developing the beauty of the body enveloping it in fixed, austere, almost mathematical forms. With its colour scheme in largely blue, grey and cream hues plus black tones the collection initially looks fairly cool and official. However, this is contrasted with digital fabric prints featuring a colourful and organic pattern presenting a link with nature and water caught in the sunlight reflecting all the colours of the rainbow.