European students wowed on the first day of solo shows at Feeric Fashion Week
Feeric Fashion Week kicked off yesterday the series of individual fashion presentations within the Feeric Hub, a program that aims to revitalize the importance of fashion education by providing students around the world with a platform to launch into global fashion. Ana Farîma opened the Feeric Venue presentation series at Cine Gold with the “Metamorphosis” collection, a collection about the concept of human transformation throughout life.
The collection “Metamorphosis” is about the concept of human transformation throughout life. The stages of human development are series of phases through which man passes throughout his evolution, from birth to death. And all these 7 stages of life are transposed into outfits, these being: prenatal stage, birth, childhood, adolescence, maturity, late maturity (old age) and death. More precisely, in each outfit is transposed a stage of life. This collection illustrates the evolution of human, his experiences throughout life starting with the first breath of air, the development of senses , feelings, emotions, thoughts, fears and ending with the last breath. It is a collection about the psychology and philosophy of human, how he works due to the surrounding factors, especially be cause of nature.
The key terms that describe this collection are: transformation, human nature connection, retrieval, experiences and feelings.
Then, Camelia Ienciu from the Faculty of Arts in Oradea presented the pieces of a collection inspired by Ricardo Bofill’s famous architectural work, Muralla Roja, and the last presentation was a collective one, by students from New Bulgarian University.
When you want art to come to life, you become the brush and textiles become the canvas.
I decided to let my creativity take shape and dress the woman in confidence, strength and elegance, having as a source of inspiration the famous architectural work of Ricardo Bofill, Muralla Roja. A challenging game started out of love for the world of fashion, for all that we are as individuals when we decide what to wear and what we want to express through our clothing style. The outfits, created with soul and craftsmanship complement each other in a total harmony of shapes, pleats, volumes, symmetries, asymmetries and many colors. The clothing creations are designed to be worn in a bold streetwear style combination, they can be very easily incorporated into a cocktail outfit and of course when it comes to dresses and jackets, it fits perfect for an elegant, simple but the in same time it’s an out-of-the-box style.
New Bulgarian University
Designers: Nora Gotseva, Viktor Spasov, Maria Boneva, Nelina Stoycheva
The “Recycle/Upcycle” collection was created by second-year students of the Fashion Bachelor’s program at NBU as part of one of their semester assignments. The collection aims to transform, deconstruct, and breathe new life into old denim garments. The clothing in the collection is entirely made from upcycled denim and incorporates various techniques such as deconstruction, patchwork, hand dyeing, and others that highlight the designers’ thought processes and work. This creates a sense of incompleteness and uniqueness in each item of the collection. The students who worked on this collection are Nora Gotseva, Viktor Spasov, Maria Boneva, and Nelina Stoycheva.
Lead Designers: Christina Savova, Kristina Kolodeeva
Assistant Designers: Maria Boneva, Ralitsa Nikolova, Lora Prodanova, Ivayla Petrova, Nikol Ivanova
The “Ex Voto” collection by FASHION X NBU, a university fashion label at New Bulgarian University, showcases the creative collaboration between students and professors. It provides students with practical training and a simulated designer fashion house environment to hone their skills and understand industry challenges.
Inspired by votive gifts and the idea of contribution and grace, the “Ex Voto” collection presents contemporary fashion garments for 2024. It blends rustic style, street fashion, elegance, and classicism. The clothing and accessories feature a fresh perspective, combining retro elegance with sustainable materials. The standout “Contemporary Ex Votos – Spiritual Hand” pattern symbolizes the connection between the inner and outer worlds. Vibrant colors like purple, ultramarine, and sulfur yellow create striking and eccentric visuals, complemented by the calm elegance of the light ecru shade.
Lead Designer: Viktor Spasov
Assistant Designer: Stefan Radev
The “INDIVIDUALISTIC” collection is the work of designer Viktor Spasov and his brand Atelier VERÈDIA. “VERÉDIA” is the name of the fashion brand founded by Viktor in 2022 with the aim of creating innovative fashion, changing people’s view of fashion as a necessity. Each of the VERÉDIA models is handcrafted to perfection, strictly adhering to the taste and style of the Hollywood glamour of the last century. “VERÉDIA” is an imaginary being, the creature we all have inside want to bring to the surface. “VERÉDIA” gives freedom of expression, releasing the glamorous personality hidden in each of us. Still, it doesn’t hurt to look dazzling.
The outfits from the “INDIVIDUALISTIC” collection are inspired by the style of the 1950s, but modernized and adapted to today’s world. The idea is to give a “second chance” to the silhouettes, and for them to get a breath of fresh air from the 21st century. The inspiration is taken from several places, stories and people, starting from ancient Greek mythological tales, the Samodivi, the legendary forest nymphs, the twelve Labours of Heracles are presented as outfits. Elvira Mistress of the Dark, Anjelica Huston and Carolyn Jones as Morticia Addams, also some Disney villains such as Maleficent, Cruella de Vill and Ursula play a role in the inspiration behind the collection. The villains we love to hate but secretly dream of being.
On the external stairs of the Promenada Mall, in a geometric setting close to perfection, the students of the Faculty of Arts and Design of the Western University of Timișoara presented a group collection representing an eclectic selection of creations extracted from the undergraduate and dissertation projects of fashion design graduates. The students’ collections tackled various topics, current in fashion and contemporary society, with a sustainable substrate: from the psychological and emotional necessity of belonging, to the importance of choices, the elevation of a loved one who has passed away, the importance of pure moments as an impact on the present, the integration of ecofeminist moments in everyday clothing, female power and vulnerability, up to the satire of an unlucky day.
The industrial decor of the hall at Festival Lake proved perfect for the two presentations held there. The two winning students of the Idea Moda competition launched by New Bulgarian University presented the winning works, they are Teodora Chifutis and Annie Hadzhieva.
Annie Hadzhieva: The inspiration of the collection is based on the cultural heritage of old families, somewhere up in the Rhodopes, inhabited by the Ahrene. Narrow paths guide us through the stone walls and along the slopes of the mountains. Hand-woven and colorfully dyed carpets spread across the floor. The small deep windows reveal the beauty of the exclusive mountains in the perspective.
The modesty creates a sense of mystery. In a world where everything is being exposed, they choose to remain a secret. The rounded shapes of the hills create a sense of softness in the silhouette, recreated with draping and layering. Repeating rhythmic alternation of materials are folding into handmade pleats. The manipulation of fabric creates texture, reminiscent of the mountain’s surface.
The woman is presented in the frame of her cultural and religious world. The collection targets women who want to wear a clothing with a message, that pays homage to the history, culture and tradition.
Teodora Chifutis: In the last few months, the act of walking around our blocks of flats, yards and neighborhoods has become a necessity. For those of us who kept the orders and quarantines at home, these daily walks were vital to our common sense. The act of wandering now has a new meaning, largely defined as a meditative and hopeful experience to keep us going. even if the way forward is stony and unclear. My designs this season are really fantastic: dreamy wandering women gliding through the current state of the world. Beauty can lift our spirits and push us forward in dark times. Each design of the garment will be designed to move freely on the female body as my color scheme and handmade textiles will help. I responded to the idea of discovering magic. wonder and myth in nature.
What makes this collection so fascinating is the way I will combine everyday life wit magical handmade touches.
Then, Sophia Katsimicha, representing Athens Fashion Club, delighted the audience with a collection inspired by a hybrid between the designer’s search for individuality through dystopian aesthetics, tradition and a slow approach to creating in an era of industrialization. The collection is deeply driven by texture, fabric, color, detail and silhouette, capturing an aura of simplicity and thoughtful sensibility.
The last presentation of the day brought the guests of the fashion week from Sibiu to the Prodial sorting station in Tălmaciu, where it was the turn of the students of the University of Arts in Belgrade to present their works from their years of study. The collection titled ’24’ explores the intersection of fashion and the performing arts, embodying avant-garde characteristics – challenging existing structures, breaking norms and embracing open and non-committal forms. The “24” in the collection symbolizes a personal connection, as it reflects the designer’s years at the time of his creative beginning – maturing, exploring personal desires, fears, dreams and values, and undergoing internal transformations during this phase of life.
Feeric Fashion Week is an event organized by the Mitichi Foundation and co-financed by the Sibiu City Hall. Main partners: Ford Sibiu and Promenada Sibiu.
