The future looks bright for Alpha's talents
LÆS DEN DANSKE UDGAVE HER
Alpha, Tuesday, January 30, 2024 at 18.00, Øksnehallen
Ten of the Nordic region’s most formidable design talents, meticulously chosen by an expert jury comprising editors, talent managers, and creative directors, graced Copenhagen Fashion Week under the Alpha umbrella on Tuesday night. They offered us a brief peek into the future of fashion—an insight into the minds of design students and a preview of upcoming trends, techniques, and silhouettes.
Something constantly under experimentation and exploration are the techniques, be it knitting, shaping, weaving, printing, or textile manipulation. Numerous young designers have committed themselves to honing their craft and delving into its possibilities. This is evident, among other instances, in the work of Kelly Konings, who has focused on weaving, producing intricate structures and patterns for coats, jackets, and dresses. In one particular dress, the weave incorporated tinsel, imparting a somewhat festive, albeit whimsical and pleasant, semblance reminiscent of an adorned Christmas tree.
Fun should be a key element in talent shows, especially where students get the chance to showcase their abilities without being bogged down by sales figures, orders, or commercial considerations. In this space, they should seize the opportunity to exhibit their full creative potential. While some garments may take a considerable amount of time to create and may not be suitable for mass production or real-world sales, they are far from irrelevant. Here creative muscles should be flexed.
This was particularly evident with Anni Salonen’s complicated leather jackets, where large roses twisted like one large three-dimensional detail, and which landed her the production and sale of a capsule collection for Browns Fashion on the grounds that “her leather jacket in particular made all of the jury members swoon”. Because Alpha fashion week performance is not just a show, but a competition with quite significant prizes which can really boost the budding careers of the talents.
Knitting remains a favoured craft among Alpha designers, and this year was no different. In Ingrid Petterson’s collection, machine-made knits in Mondrian colours were arranged in geometric fields, offering a lively and soft homage to Yves Saint Laurent’s iconic 1965 collection. Thelma Rut Gunnarsdottir ventured into crochet, creating adventurous and sculptural showpieces that twisted around the models, emitting an elf-like aura—a touch that instinctively evoked the thought of an Icelandic contribution, incidentally the first from that nation under the Alpha umbrella.
While last year’s Alpha finalists placed a strong emphasis on large volumes and down filling, this year saw a more subdued approach. However, some designers couldn’t resist the temptation entirely. Tilde Herold, also featured in this summer’s Royal Academy graduation show, crafted a sizable chalk-white quilted dress. On the other hand, Liana Paberza offered a more whimsical interpretation. As a print designer, it can be challenging to showcase designs in a traditional fashion show, but she ingeniously incorporated various printed figures like the “doge” meme dog, a typical souvenir dolphin, cats, unicorns, and wolves. These figures, stuffed with down or cotton wool, adorned an entire dress, resembling a bouquet of helium balloons from Tivoli, creating an effective display of the print.
The organizer’s decision to let each designer choose the music for their entrance, featuring five models each, is a stroke of genius. With limited tools, the ten finalists must quickly showcase who they are as creatives and provide a glimpse into their future careers. Music serves as a potent mood creator, setting the tone even before the models make their entrance. Combined with the distinct walks of the models, the event transformed into ten mini-shows in one. While the question of whether ten shows might be a bit overwhelming and affect the audience’s focus is up for debate, there was a palpable restlessness among viewers towards the end, which was a bit unfortunate for the last participants. However, for those who stuck it out, they were treated to a preview of what the future designers have in store, and it looks very promising.
In addition to the designers mentioned, Idaliina Friman, Andreas Hermann Bloch, Alex Luonto and Ruusa Vuori were also among the Alpha finalists. The winner of the Alpha prize of DKK 50,000 and a study stay at the UEDA College of Fashion in Osaka in Japan was Ruusa Vuori. Tilde Herold and Andreas Hermann Bloch both won a one-year mentorship with Olya Kuryshchuk, the founder of 1 Granary. Anni Salonen was selected to create a capsule collection for Browns Fashion, while Idaliina Friman will do a paid internship at The Row in Paris. Last but not least, Ruusa Vuori and Tilde Herold will be part of a group exhibition at the National Museum in Oslo.
See a selection of the show looks below and see the entire collection here.
