In two weeks, creations from Duran Lantink and Ronald van der Kemp’s recent fashion collections will go on display at the TextielMuseum in Tilburg. Alongside pieces by a dozen other national and international fashion designers, they aim to inspire a more sustainable future for fashion, as part of an interactive exhibition that encourages visitors to participate. ‘Long Live Fashion!’ runs from 25 September 2021 to 27 March 2022.
The corona pandemic has turned the world upside down and further exposed the environmental problems associated with the fashion industry. Prolonged lockdowns led to warehouses full of unsaleable stock. With ‘Long Live Fashion!’, the TextielMuseum presents an interactive exhibition that aims to positively inspire visitors to use clothing more sustainably. In the different exhibition spaces, visitors discover how textiles can be reused, they can get hands-on with repairing and upcycling techniques and even commission a custom garment made from recycled textiles designed by Christien Meindertsma. Ronald van der Kemp, Duran Lantink and a dozen other fashion designers provide plenty of inspiration with sustainable couture and streetwear made from recycled materials.
Ronald van der Kemp
Many leading fashion houses pulled out all the stops to launch their new collections during Paris Haute Couture Week early this year. According to sustainable fashion designer Ronald van der Kemp, that was inappropriate during a global pandemic. In contrast, the theme of his online runway show was ‘Has the world gone mad?’ He took a different approach, making do with what he had to hand. The drop in business because of corona meant he had significantly fewer leftover fabrics to work with, which led to creative solutions such as painting some of his pieces by hand. His SS2021 couture collection was described as ‘an avant-garde ball party’ in a glowing review by the French newspaper Libération. The exhibition features two pieces from his collection, La Fée Volante and La Robe Peinture à Franges, as well as the poetic video presentation Behind Closed Doors.
Duran Lantink
The fashion industry works seasonally, and couturiers and fashion houses present several collections per year. This significantly increases the urge to buy new clothes. Duran Lantink believes there is another way. The acclaimed Dutch fashion designer, who has worked with stars such as Billie Eilish and Janelle Monáe, introduced an exceptionally long fashion season with his collection called Springsummerautumnwinter 2021. The collection comprises unworn items from his previous collections, second-hand clothes and high-end fashion fabrics that he transformed into eclectic couture pieces – regardless of the season they were originally made for. The sparkling Oscient Otiose Dress from this collection is included in ‘Long Live Fashion!’
The exhibition ‘Long Live Fashion!’ is made possible by structural support from Provincie Noord-Brabant, Gemeente Tilburg and the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. The expo is organised in collaboration with designers Christien Meindertsma and Harm Rensink/New Order of Fashion and textile recycling company Wolkat.
