Dezeen school shows: we’ve selected seven design projects featured in Dezeen School Shows that explore identity and self-expression through fashion.
These fashion design students have created clothing that suits different social and cultural environments through experimentation and a combination of traditional and modern textile techniques.
This preview includes a collection celebrating Ukrainian culture and a clothing range inspired by 1970s British punk.
A selection of projects comes from fashion design and textile design courses at international institutions including Linz University of Art, Hong Kong Institute of Design, Kingston School of Art, Design Institute of Australia and Bath Spa University.
KitschCampCraft by Johanna Rappersberger
BA (Hons) Fashion and Technology student Johanna Rappersberger has created a collection that aims to experiment with conventional textile traditions.
Named KitschCampCraft, Rappersberger’s collection plays with different parts that form fashion processes such as textiles, visual patterns and garments.
“Textile habits are undermined. Visual patterns are disrupted. Conventional clothing is infiltrated,” Rappersberger said. “KitschCampCraft explores new ways of dressing, seeing and making.”
Picture by Anna Breit.
Student: Johanna Rappersberger
School: Linz University of Arts
A course: BA (Hons) Fashion and Technology
Watch the whole school show ›
Unstrained by Cowen Yeung
Cowen Yeung, a student at HD Fashion Design Studio, designed a series of clothing pieces inspired by punk music, rebellion and a sense of dissatisfaction with society.
Through the spirit and meaning behind the term punk, Yeung’s collection titled Unstrained aims to give voice to the ideas and thoughts of young people.
“The theme of unrestrainedness comes from the 1970s during economic instability in Britain,” Yeung said. “Punk spirit has a primitive meaning: be yourself and boldly practice your ideas in the moment.”
Student: Cowen Yeung
School: Hong Kong Institute of Design
A course: HD in fashion design
Watch the whole school show ›
Where is my teenage dream? by Lydia James
BA (Hons) fashion student Lydia James created eight different looks combining knitwear and denim to convey her emotions growing up during her teenage years.
Where is my teenage dream? she drew on James’ personal experience as well as the music and movies she loved as a teenager.
“Where’s My Teenage Dream? explores coming of age, the ever-changing landscape of adolescence and the trauma of growing up,” said James. “Silhouette [of the collection] imitates as if you are a teenager, irresistible, oversized, playful and voluminous.”
Student: Lydia James
School: Kingston School of Art
A course: BA (Hons) Fashion
Watch the whole school show ›
Skyfox by Emma Daley
Emma Daleyan, an Advanced Diploma in Applied Fashion Design and Merchandising student, has created a series of garments that feature hand drawings screen printed on satin.
Called Skyfox, Daley’s collection aims to convey the human emotional response to different times of the day by combining traditional hand-manipulated textile techniques with digital technology.
“The Skyfox collection expresses the natural wonders of the sky and captures a sense of reverie, wonder and imagination,” said Daley. “The cloudy sky is satin and digitally printed tulle, which feels soft and muted, and the water cloud is weighted crepe de chine, heavy and dense.”
Student: Emma Daley
School: Design Institute of Australia
A course: Advanced Diploma in Applied Fashion Design and Merchandising at North Metropolitan TAFE
Watch the whole school show ›
Complex divorce of Zhanna Moskalyova
Zhanna Moskalyova, a BA (Hons) fashion student, designed a set of clothing that celebrates her Ukrainian roots.
Titled Complex Divorce, Moskalyova’s collection conveys her split heritage between Ukraine and Russia, while referencing photographs of abandoned former Soviet countries.
“In the last few months, with the ongoing war, the development of my collection has taken on a deeper and more personal meaning,” Moskalyova said. “The research behind the collection forms the basis of the constructed story surrounding my family history.”
Student: Zhanna Moskalyova
School: Kingston School of Art
A course: BA (Hons) Fashion
Watch the whole school show ›
The embodiment of Elena Alexander
BA (Hons) Fashion and Technology student Elena Alexander has designed a “corset” that aims to redefine the traditional look and use of a garment.
Called Embodiment, Alexander has produced a corset that aims to do the opposite of the body suppression that this historical type of clothing is known for.
“Clothes can act like a cast, compressing the body as it builds a kind of armor, a distinction between the outside world and the inside,” Alexander said. “The process forms a new body shell – a shell of anonymity, androgyny and armor.”
Picture by Anna Breit.
Student: Elena Alexander
School: Linz University of Arts
A course: BA (Hons) Fashion and Technology
Watch the whole school show ›
Kimono design by Sophie Bowen
Textiles MA (Design) student Sophie Bowen has produced two kimonos that aim to connect people with nature.
Bowen’s design process began with hand drawings, which she later translated into a variety of sustainable textile techniques, such as natural dyeing, printing and hand embroidery.
“These ‘heirloom’ pieces are considered journeys meant to embody the process of being with a sense of acceptance and gratitude toward change and growth,” Bowen said. “The Japanese Zen tradition and Wabi-Sabi influence the philosophy of this project, reflecting the idea that truth comes from observation in nature.”
Student: Sophie Bowen
School: Bath Spa University
A course: MA (Design) Textiles
Watch the whole school show ›
Content of the partnership
These projects are presented in school programs of institutions that are partners with Dezeen. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.