Fashion Utopias: International Fashion Showcase 2016

Throughout history, and across cultures, people have imagined better ways of living in the hope that by imagining that another world is possible empowers us to create it. Although the practice is as old as human civilisation, Thomas More was the first to give it a name, capturing the human imagination ever since.

Exhibition concept: defining the meaning of 'Fashion Utopia'?

Throughout history, and across cultures, people have imagined better ways of living in the hope that by imagining that another world is possible empowers us to create it. Although the practice is as old as human civilisation, Thomas More was the first to give it a name, capturing the human imagination ever since.

While it means both ‘no place’ and ‘good place’ Utopia is often imagined as a physical place - an island, city or realm – happened upon by a traveller who discovers new ideas which present solutions to challenges they face in their own country. At the heart of Utopia is the understanding that we can learn from different places, peoples and cultures. In this spirit, the International Fashion Showcase 2016 will create a space of possibility, aspiration and anticipation where our audience can encounter the imagination of the world through fashion.

By placing an emphasis on the varied viewpoints of contemporary Utopias from the perspective of each designer, nations separated by thousands of miles become neighbours.

Designer Award Winner: Hala Kaiksow (Bahrain) for her impressive design showcased in the Next in Line exhibition.

The garments displayed, weaving artisanal craft with modernity, inspire the visitor to explore, compare and contrast.

Here, visitors bear witness to the evolution of fashion: a utopian fashion that transcends the imagination, dynamically merges heritage and innovation, and takes its place in the veritable paradise of Africa and beyond.

'Across the Bleed' utilises readily available virtual reality technology to transform visitors back and forth between a physical, interactive installation and dreamlike, alternate world shaped by potential futures.

Reflecting upon the multitude of opportunities that the information age offers to emerging designers in Nigeria and beyond, the showcase conjures tantalising bridges between our earthly reality and the myriad utopias we envision in out perpetual search for better.

The designers selected for this exhibition bring their collective vision of Ukraine to the international stage, helping create a future for the sector and inspiring a new generation of Ukrainian talent.

The Tree of Life and the lotus flower stand as metaphors for the young designers drawing upon the region’s rich past in order to look forward to the popular dream of ‘a better life, a better Egypt’.

For them, the way to overcome the Utopian dilemma – that the ideal reality is always just a bit farther away – is collective and collaborative perseverance.

The installation is realised using eco-friendly cork – native to Portugal – in partnership with Amorim.

This ideal world straddles the line between natural and artificial, a reflection of the designers’ attention to the re-use of materials and development of new techniques in the hope of achieving a socially-conscious fashion ecosystem that is both individual and global in its reach.

Centred on the concept of reversals, 'Utopian U-Turns' presents an uplifting insight into the ways young designers from the Philippines are combating global forces with creative endurance.

Having no firm assurance that an ideal world will one day prevail, they reverse and set out again in new and experimental directions.

Trading on cultural traditions, storytelling and family expertise – and reinterpreting them for the contemporary world – these designers know that even small triumphs will further the journey.

The architectural arcades admit streams of light into the home’s central room, a space where past rituals shape daily life and where eight young designers have found mutual inspiration.

Playing with the Utopian co-existence of light and the material world, the exhibition is a re-imagining of familiar space; a reflection of Lebanese fashion’s journey from convention towards a future still grounded in Mediterranean heritage.

Curation Award Winner: Tala Hajjar of Lebanon.

Four Indonesian designers come together in this exhibition, representing the four elements of fire, water, air, light and the ever-elusive quintessence.

The exhibition forwards the view that in order to grow, we must return to our collective and cultural roots. The result is a nourishing and sustainable harmony of modesty and the avant-garde.

‘Fashion Source Code’ recognises the struggle for designers to balance creativity with business strategy, a fact that motivates fashion professionals to consider the ever-changing nature of their art.

The selected designers exemplify the re-adaptation of Slovak craft traditions that is shaping the country’s developing fashion ecosystem, propelling it toward a global future.

With a focus on – and deep respect for – the promotion of artisans and artisanal traditions, they employ a magic touch to overcome the challenges of working in a country in developmental flux, bringing Guatemalan tradition into the 21st century with universal appeal.

‘The Last Fata Morgana’ draws upon the concept of an ephemeral mirage, where garments, accessories and jewellery are suspended from a tree, like exotic fruit.

Considering ideas of taste, the role of the individual and the relevance of fashion in a global world, lights shine upon young Czech designers’ efforts to redefine their ideal world – one that no longer need be a trick of the mind.

Country Award Winner: Czech Republic for its exhibition Last Fata Morgana.

The exhibition reinterprets the age-old tale of lost treasure, hidden by Romania’s ancient Dacian civilization in the face of imminent Roman invasion.

The treasure and its contemporary counterparts are presented as living organisms, continuous and sedimentary, and embedded in collective memory. Here, their values transcend to one that is universal – a cultural and artistic Utopia.

With a modern, streamlined approach, they return to the essence of clothing and the body, making use of freely accessible resources

As with previous editions, ‘Another Austria’ aims to cultivate a sense of open exchange between creatives in Vienna, London and beyond.

Through an exploration of Korean designers’ relationships with magazines – often their first contact with fashion – the exhibition delves into the potential of print to inspire, captivate and promote cultural exchange.

The energy of these designers’ – high in conceptual designs – proves that, in this Utopia, print is certainly not dead.