On Friday 6 and Saturday 7 June, the graduation shows of the fashion department of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp (Kaska) took place in the Waagnatie in Antwerp. FashionUnited visited the showrooms of the fourteen master’s students prior to the show and attended the catwalk show, where prominent representatives from the fashion world were present. Among them were Stefano Galici, creative director of Ann Demeulemeester, and Walter Van Beirendonck, former head of the fashion department.
This year’s fashion pasters are confronted with current challenges within the sector; Ranging from job insecurity to global economic tensions and the speed of technological developments. The mood among the graduates is best described by Brandon Wen, creative director of the fashion department since 2022: “The atmosphere is currently anxious, confused and uncertain.” He emphasizes that Antwerp is known for its artists and designers, who do not primarily operate as business people. Wen continues: “Creativity includes not only the art itself, but also the business model and the structures around it.”
Despite the current uncertainties within the fashion industry, the students remain hopeful. Many of them convert their feelings of doubt into inspiration. For example, Annaëlle Reudink tells about her graduation collection: “This collection started with a question I hate:” What is your plan for the future? ” The truth is: I don’t know. ” Her work is based on different versions of itself. Social themes also have a place in the collections. Hoyt Zhang focuses on political depression in his men’s fashion collection “Drive My Car” – a deep sense of sorrow that comes from the current political situation. The collection of Amar Singh, entitled “Mama, I see clowns …” and inspired by a psychotic slump of the designer, was received with deafening applause.
Wen concludes: “In the name of beauty and hope, these young designers make the world think and find their own way within a complex sector.”
The Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp Master Fashion Show 2025 in Beeld
María Alborés Lojo (Spain) – “Lost in Tradition, Found in Galicia” a tribute to the Galician woman and a reflection on tradition and culture.
Emiliano Alvarez Torres (Mexico/US) – “In A Violent Nature” a study of archetypes of women and their representation.
Sybrand Jansen (the Netherlands) – “Shattered Peces Kept Forever” a collection that investigates vulnerability and conservation.
Ji Young Ahn (South Korea)-“Fake Energy, Sliced Time” investigates the tension between technology, speed and reality within materialism.
Jaden Xinyu Li (China) – “Love Letters to the Unwanted” An emotional exploration of rejection and love.
Floran Polano (the Netherlands) – “Embraced Me, Strangled Silk” interweaves materials and emotions in an experimental collection.
Chloë Reners (Belgium) – “Dot Dot Dot” Conceptual collection with a focus on open interpretation.
Annaëlle Reudink (Belgium) – “Too many Me’s, Not Enough Hangers” reflection on identity and over -consumption in fashion.
Lille Schmid (Switzerland/Germany) – “Loophole” exploring hidden ways within strict systems.
Amar Singh (the Netherlands/Suriname/India) – “Mama, I see clowns …” based on mental health problems, an ode to escapism.
Beilu Song (China) – “Error” a collection that focuses on the beauty of imperfection and mistakes.
Delara Tavassoti (Austria/Iran) – “Almost a Mess” puzzle dress as a metaphor for chaos and order.
Paula Van Dyck (Belgium) – “Black Mascara” a collection that investigates beauty, superficiality and performance as a tool for survival.
Hoyt Zhang (China) – “Drive My Car” Political and Mental Health as the starting point of the collection.
