News From the Future
As part of a new Educational Programme and Toolkit — developed by the Fashion for Good Museum team — a selection of up-and-coming talents composed of Dutch fashion students and emerging designers have been asked to respond to the question: “what could the future of fashion look like?” Their answers are revealed in the exhibition in the form of garments, videos, installations and more. This is a future-forward exhibition where you can explore different fashion perspectives beyond the climate crisis, giving hope and, perhaps, a reality check.
What does the future of fashion look like?
Post-consumer waste, overconsumption and the pollution of our waterways are just some of the industry issues we are currently facing. Mirrored against rising temperatures and increasingly unstable weather conditions, the global shift as a result of climate change is inevitable. What does this mean for our future generations? How do we move forward from here? This raises one central question: What does the future of fashion look like?
News From The Future, the new exhibition at the Fashion for Good Museum, invited Dutch students and new creative voices to reflect on these questions. The emphasis on emerging talent is a common thread throughout the exhibition’s and the look and feel is designed by upcoming graphic designer Sara Biatchinyi.
Participating artists and designers include students from art and fashion schools across the Netherlands from the University of the Arts Utrecht, Zadkine MBO, MBO Rijnland and Saxion College. The students’ work was chosen after they participated in the educational programme “Classroom of the Future: the Stories Behind Cotton”. This programme was developed by the Fashion for Good Museum’s Curator and Education Coordinator Alyxandra Westwood and Education and Fashion consultant in sustainability Yophi Ignacia founder of The Future Mode, in collaboration with the aforementioned schools.
To further enhance these narratives, and to facilitate and promote a space for connection between emerging talent, the Museum invited Current Obsession Magazine — an interdisciplinary jewellery platform and magazine — to co-curate an installation and reflect on the future of jewellery.
Designer Kevin Paraiso (Paris/Benin) showcases a creative workshop in the museum, featuring looks from his Cosmic Summer .Dolkrey collection, which was presented during Spring/Summer ‘23 of Paris Fashion Week. “Cosmic Summer reflects on our desire to bring vibrant colours and a sense of uplift to the fashion of today and tomorrow. A cosmic news from the future.” A hopeful collection, with future-forward elements seamlessly integrated from the use of deadstock, circular materials and an on-demand tailoring business model with inhouse printing – presents a positive outlook.
Recognize the Reconstruct by Pepijn Jonkhans, Ricky van der Zandt, Manuel van Sijl, Lotte Beaart. Photo by Elzo Bonam.
Recognize the Reconstruct by Pepijn Jonkhans, Ricky van der Zandt, Manuel van Sijl, Lotte Beaart. Photo by Elzo Bonam.
Dune by Zoë Zinhagel. Photo by Elzo Bonam.
Netjes by Soof Stoop. Photo by Elzo Bonam.
Treasure made from your Fuck Ups by Michelle Zhang and Misha Bleijs. Photo by Elzo Bonam.
Deinfluence by Silke Heinen and Sophie Bannink. Photo by Elzo Bonam.
Dirty Denim by Romy Elling. Photo by Elzo Bonam.
.DOLKREY Cosmic Summer S/S (2023) collection. Photo by Elzo Bonam.
Meet the Artists
Lotte Beaart
Part of the collective “Recognise the Reconstruct” made a multidisciplinary installation for the exhibition. The collective communicates through their work the urgency in which society must take on to reconsider the value of objects which already exist – but in more creative ways and forms.
“My goal is not only to create aesthetic designs but also to have a positive impact on the environment and spread awareness. I want to help people understand how wonderful our Earth is and why it’s important to take care of it!”
Manuel Vansijl
Part of the collective “Recognise the Reconstruct” made a multidisciplinary installation for the exhibition. The collective communicates through their work the urgency in which society must take on to reconsider the value of objects which already exist – but in more creative ways and forms.
“The concept of reconstruction serves as a powerful source of inspiration, highlighting the potential to create diverse and innovative products through practices like dumpster diving. I hope that my work will show that there are so many more materials that the fashion industry uses other than textiles.”
Ricky van der Zandt
Part of the collective “Recognise the Reconstruct” made a multidisciplinary installation for the exhibition. The collective communicates through their work the urgency in which society must take on to reconsider the value of objects which already exist – but in more creative ways and forms.
“I hope my museum pieces spark contemplation about fashion’s diverse possibilities. I encourage viewers to see beyond norms, embracing fashion’s capacity for bold statements and unique individuality. Each piece subtly rebels, urging a reevaluation of everyday objects’ potential and their playful, impactful role in fashion’s diverse tapestry.”
Pepijn Jonkhans
Part of the collective “Recognise the Reconstruct” made a multidisciplinary installation for the exhibition. The collective communicates through their work the urgency in which society must take on to reconsider the value of objects which already exist – but in more creative ways and forms.
Michelle Zhang
Co-creator of “Treasure made from your Fuck Ups” project, focusing on how the fashion industry is one of the most polluting industries in the world.
“For me, it’s about really understanding and liking a fashion item. We usually just see clothing as something we wear and miss the beauty in how they’re made and shaped. This project is meant to change how we see them, allowing us to think about all the different ways they can look.”
Misha Bleijs
Co-creator of “Treasure made from your Fuck Ups” project, focusing on how the fashion industry is one of the most polluting industries in the world.
“Everything is made from second-hand jeans. I always want to show the imperfections in my work. So I tore the jeans all apart and put the pieces back together in different ways like a puzzle. Because it is torn, you can see many threads still hanging and that reflects the imperfection.”
Soof Stoop
Creator of the installation “Netjes”, answering the question: what if we could give plastic waste a new life and space to acquire a different kind of value?
“I always try to see beauty in things others no longer see as beautiful, for example in plastic waste or old torn clothes. The waste we create in our society has so much potential to have a new life and become something new with value.”
Silke Heinen
Co-creator of the installation ‘Deinfluence”, focusing on the question: how aware are you really of what you wear?
“In our consumer culture in which clothing is sold for the lowest possible price, fashion is often still seen as a disposable product. This way of thinking and our behavioural patterns have to change, and I believe that our young generation is open to this positive transformation.”
Sophie Bannink
Co-creator of the installation ‘Deinfluence”, focusing on the question: how aware are you really of what you wear?
“Sustainability is a crucial topic these days, and it holds profound meaning for me. Our installation is primarily focused on raising awareness. The more aware someone is, the better they can make sustainable choices.”
Zoë Zinhagel
Creator of the video project Dune. In her work, Dune, models gracefully form a circle, which symbolises the infinite cycle of possibility which clothing has to her. All pieces have been sourced secondhand and recycled into new creations.
“Together, we need to redefine what we wear!”
Romy Elling
Creator of the installation and research project Dirty Denim, where she explores the impact of the denim industry environmentally due to the rise of the fast fashion industry.
“Experience the complicated entanglement of fast fashion through the art of spoken word.”
Kevin Paraiso
Kevin Paraiso is the designer of .DOLKREY, a young clothing brand based in Paris, in collaboration with Elise Demuth and Gabriel Chesnelong. Their collection Cosmic Summer (2023) presented here, debuted earlier this year at Paris Fashion Week. The brand’s mission is to continuously bring culture and materials together in the contemporary context. The silhouettes of the brand’s pieces are rooted primarily in workwear and streetwear; whereas the colour palette and mood of the garments reflect on .DOLKREY’s West African heritage.
Buy tickets
Entrance to the world’s only interactive fashion museum for the future of fashion, where we tell the stories behind the clothes you wear and how your choices can have a positive impact on people and our planet.
