Meet the Students

The exhibition MoMu x Fashion Department, which celebrates the work of the students at the Fashion Department of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, continues through 10 November. The students' drawings, books and silhouettes give you an insight into their creative process. We asked four of them to give us a sneak peek.

CONOR TURLEY: "The pieces in this collection are best described as “feminine menswear”. They are traditionally masculine silhouettes with girly elements. There's something humorous and campy in that duality. I adopted the cut and fabrics, such as the grey wool for this silhouette, from menswear of the 1930s. To that, I added elements from the women's clothing of the 1950s. The corset and extended torso give this look a feminine feel, and yet it looks masculine because they accentuate a man's body."

DELARA TAVASSOTI: "With this collection, I wanted to blur the line between outerwear and underwear. I wanted to create pieces that feel like collages. Working with different patterns and layers, each piece tells a story of hidden elements becoming visible. I was also inspired by the concept of “hidden in plain sight” and the tension between wanting to be seen and not seen. That is why I worked with various forms of camouflage and patterns from Persian miniatures, in which landscapes and interiors often merge together into a single composition. That duality fascinates me enormously."

ANNAËLLE REUDINK: "The inspiration behind this collection is the chaotic feeling of being a woman. Like when I get up late and put on the wrong clothes in a hurry or forget to comb the back of my hair. It is precisely those flaws, and not perfection, that make life beautiful. So even the wigs were not allowed to look too neat, because that's not how I am or how I work. The inspiration for the wig accompanying this silhouette is a bird's nest, complete with eggs and feathers. It also contains a cage that is actually a basket from the waste bin. It's as if you throw your hair into the bin, take it out and put it back on again."

LULU DRAWBAUGH: "This year, we were asked to create a look inspired by the men's shirt. I therefore incorporated a chemisette and sleeves with classic button closures into my silhouette. I wanted to create something that looks sweet and innocent, but becomes more disturbing the longer you look at it. It bears a slight resemblance to a sexualised baby doll, with the tutu that folds up at the back and the hat with bows that looks bunny-like, but is actually based on BDSM masks that you button up at the back. So you can interpret my look in two different ways: as something naive combined with an element that's unsettling."

MoMu x Fashion Department is on view through 10 November 2024. More info and tickets available here