International Fashion Showcase 2015, British Council

The British Council and the British Fashion Council will present 110 emerging designers from nearly 30 countries in the largest public fashion exhibition of its kind. The annual exhibition now in its fourth year, is free of charge and will take place at Brewer Street Car Park in London during London Fashion Week between 20-24 February 2015.

A public programme of talks and events will run throughout the showcase, including a designer mentoring programme facilitated by London College of Fashion. The Designer Support Programme will bring together a network of LCF affiliated academics and researchers, to help designers prepare for the showcase by offering them mentoring opportunities and seminars on business development during IFS. A collaboration with Fashion Scout will offer designers involved in IFS the opportunity to show their work on the catwalk.

The exhibition will also feature an area curated by On|Off showing individual designers from countries including the Netherlands, Morocco, Pakistan and Thailand.

Exhibitions:

Austria – Another Austria: Writing Fashion
For its third showcase of young fashion talent in London, ‘Another Austria’ assumes an entirely new form – a conceptually- rich exhibition themed around text and literature and its relationship to fashion and the arts.

Set in a literary themed backdrop, the exhibition is a meeting place for international writers to respond to Austria’s rising fashion scene offering a unique ‘artist to artist’ experience.

‘Another Austria’ is supported by the Arts Division and the Culture Division of the Federal Chancellery of Austria (BKA), ‘departure’ – the creative unit of the Vienna Business Agency and Advantage Austria. The exhibition is designed by polimekanos and covered by Indie Magazine

Designers include: Carolin Holzhuber, DMMJK, Inga Nemirovskaia, Jana Wieland, Katharina Perkhofer, Sabinna

Brazil – Infinity Blue In Brazilian Contemporary Art
The colour blue is formed in our vision because blue light is not absorbed like yellow and red light. It is the influence of this ‘blue infinity’ that underpins the concept of Brazil’s showcase collection, conceived and curated by entrepreneur and creative director Lenny Niemeyer.

Taking ‘infinite’ blue waters as a starting point, the exhibition showcases the works of five talented Brazilian designers. The element of water is shown in its most representative way: through the oceans and seas.

The sea is a long extension of salt water connected with an ocean. The seawater i transparent but looks BLUE, green and even gray.

Designers include: Cecilia Prado, Fernando Cozendey, Sinesia Karol, Tavinho Costa, Triya, Virzi + De Luca.

Colombia – Framework
Colombia is on the path to achieving long-lasting peace. ‘Framework’ visually mirrors this historic moment through the use of scaffolding, building-work and solid foundations – the foundations of peace.

The scaffolding structure – central to the exhibition – is so significant as it has been used since ancient times to support people and materials in the construction of new things. Running parallel to this sense of ‘the new’, the designers have each created forward-looking and innovative collections. Proportion, silhouette, technical process and textiles have been carefully considered for maximum aesthetic impact.

Designers include: Lina Ibáñez Coronado, Miguel Mesa, Julia Männistö, New Cross

Czech Republic – Once Upon A Time
‘Once Upon a Time’ presents menswear, womenswear and accessories by five young Czech designers who are connected by an archetypical quality of imagination. Re-creating long-forgotten fairy tale landscapes, they weave poetic, witty and haunting stories into fabrics, furs, metals, skins and gems.

Here, fashion meets fantasy… Prepare to play in an immersive world where dresses are worn by monkey kings and mountaineers, foxes transform into women adorned by flower-shaped silver and pearls, gravel is turned into coats and rings, a child’s drawings come to life and forests of rabbit skulls remind us of the traps of vanity.

Installation by studio deFORM

Designers include: Janja Prokić, Markéta Martíšková, Mirka Horká, Petra Ptáčková, Štěpán Růžička.

Georgia – Art Fashion – Reconstruction 2 – Academy’S Labyrinths
This conceptual art-fashion project is centred on the reconstruction of the historic building of Tbilisi State Academy of Arts, an architectural monument of cultural heritage in itself.

A true cultural crossroads, the building’s exterior appearance is both artistic and eclectic. The facade is typically European, yet inside, the Baroque co-exists with elements of late Classicist and Iranian Qajar styles. Here, art and fashion are represented as a tool and an appeal for the survival of an iconic building.

Designers include: Eloshi, Lasha Devdariani, Salome Totladze.

Ireland – In The Fold
‘In The Fold’ presents the new wave of creative minds redesigning the contemporary landscape of Irish fashion. Their shared minimal aesthetic is based on innovative approaches to the body and tailored construction.

Using the medium of fashion to question and respond to their indigenous environment, the quiet purity of of these designers and their collective output offers a restrained alternative to a society based on digital immediacy and speed.

By grounding the garments as focal points, the exhibition invites the viewer to step inside and observe their construction. This ‘slowing down’ of fashion and highlighting of the smaller craft details reveals the influence of cultural heritage and traditions on practice.

In The Fold is presented by Irish Design 2015, a year-long programme exploring, promoting and celebrating Irish design and designers in Ireland and internationally.

Designers include: Caoimhe MacNeice, Jocelyn Murray Boyne, Laura Kinsella Millinery, Michael Stewart, Rory Parnell Mooney, Naiose Farrell.

Japan – Crash Pop
Fashion is in a constant state of flux just as Japan’s natural landscape faces perpetual change.

With the passing of each year’s seasons, the land is gradually refashioned, eventually bringing great changes. It is impossible to tell when devastating earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis or typhoons may strike, transforming the landscape in an instant.

The creativity of the Japanese people – echoing the process of natural change – is also unpredictable, producing a huge range of unique works.

The emerging designers featured in ’Crash Pop’ take inspiration from their own diverse backgrounds and reflect the reality of contemporary Japan.

Designers include: Akiko Aoki, Kotoha Yokozawa, Noriko Nakazato, Soshi Otsuki, Ryota Murakami, Wataru Tominaga, Yuki Shimane

Korea – Style Sharing
‘Style Sharing’ explores the symbiotic relationship between Korean and British styles. Showcasing the work of Korean designers inspired by British life, it will highlight distinctions between classic ‘Britishness’ and ‘Hallyu’ – a Korean term for South Korean culture’s popularity in the West.

Progressive and fast-paced modern life provides the backdrop for the exhibition, exploring the cultural exchange between Korean Culture and British Life.

The garments will reveal the relationship between British and Korean fashion, showing both how close – and how diverse – the countries are stylistically; blurring and contrasting the boundaries of fashion and culture.

Designers include: Ha Sang Beg, Heohwan Simulation, Hyunsoo Heather Park, J Koo, J Moon, Nayoung Moon, rokh.

Nigeria – 5: Metamorphosis
GuarantyTrust Bank Lagos Fashion and Design Week in collaboration with Nigerian Export Promotions Council, presents “5 Metamorphosis” – an experiment in time that admires both the naturally – subtle and wildly – obvious progressions in the trajectory of a designer’s fashion artistry.

It is the designer’s distinct, innate personal characteristics that creates an opportunity to bear witness to the fruition of their art. Too often, the journey of design can be a blur, but this showcase attempts to focus, contemplate and reflect on the oft-overlooked design qualities of these fashion artisans. The exhibition concept is designed by A White Space Creative Agency.

Designers include: Grey, IAMISIGO, Kenneth Ize, Orange Culture, T.I. Nathan

Philippines – Philippine Folklore: Redefining Tales
Curated by award-winning theatre designer Gino Gonzales, the Philippines exhibition at the International Fashion Showcase is an allusion to the mystery and melodrama of Philippine folk tales.

Here, six young Filipino designers investigate new shapes and forms in a theatrical and thought provoking rendition of mythical creatures from Philippine folklore. These mythical creatures evoked both irrational fear and obsessive fascination among the Filipino folks of old, and have been a rich source of captivating tales and legends that dominated culture and society.

Designers include: Jaggy Glarino, John Herrera, Ken Samudio, Michelline Syjuco, Renan Pacson, Tony Evan.

Poland – Warsaw Calling
‘Warsaw Calling’ is a response to the enthusiastic reaction of a group of influential British fashion journalists to Poland’s vibrant fashion scene. The exhibition shows the collaborative nature of fashion: designers working closely with textile, accessories and shoe designers as well as set designers to create the ‘end look’ of their collections.

Four labels: Ewa Stepnowska, kaaskas, Joanna Wawrzyńczak and Zofia Ufnalewska occupy three spaces, inspired by shop windows and Warsaw’s famous 3D theatre the Fotoplastikon.

The exhibition – overseen by Studio Design UK with shoe design by Piniak Shoe and MYS shoes and surface design by Justyna Medoń – richly mirrors Poland’s contemporary fashion scene.

Designers include: Ewa Stepnowska, k a a s k a s, Joanna Wawrzyńczak, Zofia Ufnalewska

Portugal – Bloom: Sun, Energy, Technology
BLOOM is a project developed by Portugal Fashion to discover and promote new Portuguese designers. For a second year, Portugal’s exhibition at the International Fashion Showcase will be under Bloom moniker, promoting the work of five designers.

Continuing from last year’s greenhouse, – where spectators could observe the stages of the designer’s growth and development, – this year’s exhibition will show the development of the organic greenhouse in a more technological way.

Elements that sustain and promote artificial growth will be embraced. The energy of the sun is the heart of this installation as the driving force for the growth of this new technological movement and the catalyst for nurturing talent.

The exhibition is designed Miguel Bento in collaboration with NU.AS Architects and project managed by Mario Quina and Marlene Oliveira.

Designers include: Carla Pontes, Hugo Costa, João Melo Costa, KLAR, Mafalda Fonseca

Romania – Untamed Skin – The Romanian Blouse
‘Untamed Skin – The Romanian Blouse’ shows the origins of the exquisite Romanian blouse – an untamed, yet delicate garment, traditionally worn close to the skin of its wearer and handcrafted from natural textiles and pigments and embroidered with primordial symbols and patterns.

Fashion designers Alexandru Nimurad and Alexandra Abraham and jewellery-designer Vika Tonu developed their collective clothing, accessory and jewellery collection around the blouse as an organic structure, honouring its distinctive local background and visual history.

The seductive Romanian blouse became fashionable in the interwar period when Queen

Marie of Romania began wearing it as a symbol of belonging. The blouse was made famous by Matisse and fashion luminaries Yves Saint Laurent, Jean Paul Gaultier, Emillio Pucci and, more recently, Tom Ford.

‘Untamed Skin’ is a collaboration between GALATECA Gallery of Contemporary Art and Design, Bucharest and the Romanian Cultural Institute in London.

Designers include: Alexandru Nimurad, Alexandra Abraham, Vika Tonu

Scandinavia: Denmark And Norway – Who’s The Creator
The fashion world is dominated by visual impressions – the flash of the photoshoot and the spectacle of the catwalk – and yet the minds behind them often remain hidden backstage or behind the camera.

The concept behind ‘Who’s the Creator’ stems from a desire to break the monotony of fashion photography and to draw the designer into the foreground. Instead of a stream of interchangeable models, the exhibition examines the personalities behind the clothes.

Photographer Kajsa Gullberg’s candid portraits show designers wearing their own pieces, underlining the relationship between creator and creation. By presenting these images alongside the designers’ collections, the exhibition represents fashion as art installation. It offers viewers an insight into the personality beyond the brand, inviting them to consider the creative process of fashion design from a fresh – and more human – perspective.

Designers include: Tilde Bay Kristoffersen (DEN), Maria Sloth (DEN), Line Frank (DEN), Madelen Ljunggren (NOR), Peter Schamaun (NOR), Marthe Andreassen (NOR)

South Africa – Futraspective
In a showcase alongside 13 other countries in an increasingly interrelated world, we aim to show how South Africa is asserting a new identity through fashion.

The work of three designers are presented – all of whom imbue the next wave of South African self-expression through well researched, unclichéd, and ambitious design handwriting.

As the title of the installation suggests, the designers’ work manages to look back with a view to looking forward – all with clear ideas about what to leave behind, and what to take with them.

Designers include: Adriaan Kuiters & Jody Paulsen, Akedo, MaXhosa by Laduma

South Africa – Futraspective
In a showcase alongside 13 other countries in an increasingly interrelated world, we aim to show how South Africa is asserting a new identity through fashion.

The work of three designers are presented – all of whom imbue the next wave of South African self-expression through well researched, unclichéd, and ambitious design handwriting.

As the title of the installation suggests, the designers’ work manages to look back with a view to looking forward – all with clear ideas about what to leave behind, and what to take with them.

Designers include: Adriaan Kuiters & Jody Paulsen, Akedo, MaXhosa by Laduma

Spain – Giving Light
Society, culture and our cities constantly reinvent themselves and evolve. The Spanish
‘City of Design’, Bilbao, is a true example of how innovation may transform urban physiognomy – from an industrial space to a more human, hospitable one.

‘Giving Light’ shows the transformation of Bilbao by using light as a central element. It aims to give light to the artistic powers hidden inside each designer.

The designers in the exhibition pass through a filter of light, in a seemingly hidden, dark place. The place becomes warm and light upon examination of the details and meticulous work of the pieces on show. The young designers showcased link the artistic
movements that inspire their work with future innovation, opening up their art by expressing it in their finished garments and communicating with their audience by interacting with exhibition visitors in this game of light and shadow.

Designers include: Antxia, Daniel Santos, David Catalan, Howl by Maria Glück, Leandro Cano

Switzerland – Visionaries
‘Visionaries’ presents work from recent graduates and students of Switzerland’s two principal fashion courses. Both university courses aim to support students while they develop their own vision of fashion and also to help give shape to this vision.

The body is a blank canvas, both boundary and playground simultaneously, allowing the designers’ visions to grow. The young designers have all broken the shackles of mainstream aesthetics.

The resulting vision represents a new generation of talented Swiss designers, using their sensitive feeling for the present and future Zeitgeist. In their visions, the designers reflect on individualism and the notion of the body as a means of communication.

Tanzania – Serengeti Sirens
‘Serengeti Sirens‘ explores how femininity – particularly Tanzanian femininity – is articulated through fashion and how this expression is informed by other contemporary Tanzanian ideals of status, modesty and faith across the country.

Whatever their interpretation, the Sirens remain proud, regal and truly Tanzanian. The aim of the exhibition is to view the female form as adorned by the creations of the various designers through their eyes and their vision.

These diverse visions are all inspired by the regional nuances present throughout Tanzania, as well as exposure to global ideals – all equally valid and uniquely Tanzanian.

Designers include: An-Nisa Abayas, Eve Collections, Jacqueline Kibacha, Nakadhalika-NK, Nau Nuhu