The ACF engages with the theme of fashion in-house with a special evening event. Together with the launch of our second Design Showcase, Austrian designer Sophie Skach presents a performative display of her menswear collection inspired by mathematics. The Design Showcase will feature accessories and showpieces by AWARENESS & CONSCIOUSNESS, Sonja Bischur, HARTMANN NORDENHOLZ, Maiken Domenica Kloser, Wie-yi Lauw, Geraldine Massing and Konstanze Prechtl, selected through an open call in late 2013, will be displayed for a whole month as part of their on going Design Showcase.
The Showcase Designers
Konstanze Prechtl
Frosted Buttons
In previous works traditional ornate metal buttons where already part of the jewellery pieces. These buttons from traditional Austrian clothes have been used as base for silver rings. In the current pieces from the series “Frosted Buttons” these buttons are again the starting point. The buttons are reproduced trough a series of molding and casting processes and rearranged into amorphous shapes. The final pendants have a colorful sugar-frosted like appearance but reveal the traditional patterns and shapes from the buttons upon closer inspection.
Konstanze Prechtl's works spans the area between showpieces and fashion jewellery. She mainly designs pieces which features rich colors and invite the wearer to interact with the jewelery through hidden details and moving elements.
Wie-yi Lauw
„Her artistic research focuses a lot on the body in the space like a shaman who dances and with its body- momevents defines its powerful spells.“ - Juliana De Nicola, www.designcatwalk.com
Delicate anatomical fragments - from bones to hair and feathers - are usually the main components of portable sculptures by Wie-yi Lauw. These objects, hanging elegantilly on a piece of string, depict and create an interest in history and myths. Characteristics/signs can be interpreted intuitively. The latter arouse archaic moments and give us an insight into the eternal cycle of birth and death.
www.wieyi.at
Geraldine Massing
unscrewed
Because of my eagerness to experiment, I always refer to new and unusual materials that I 'm using in my jewelery. The aspect of recycling old and used everyday objects is an important point for me. It is exciting to tool and alientate these materials in order to get new structures and meanings, and therefore also more attention. In this work arise from industrially produced toothpaster closure through the alienation of organic structure, reminiscent of coral or fungal growths and serve as jewelery object.
HARTMANN NORDENHOLZ
This German-Austrian fashion label founded in winter 2000 by Filip Fiska and Agnes Schorer, is named after their Grandmothers maiden names. The two designers met during their studies at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna, Austria.
Agnes, born in Tübingen/Germany, studied fashion design in Master class of Marc Bohan, Helmut Lang and Jean-Charles de Castelbajac. Filip, born in Vienna/Austria, studied in Master class of Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, Viktor&Rolf and Raf Simons.
The bag collection can be defined by precious handwork with an edgy approach and a love for surrealism. Within the collection the designs play with an architectural approach, break too strict geometric patterns and play with surfaces. As patchwork with leathers, different in structure and differently treated, is the base of these pieces, new organic surfaces come into being.
Awareness & Consciousness
www.awarenessandconsciousness.com
Awareness & Consciousness was launched by Christiane Gruber in 2005. Key elements of her sensuous, soft flowing collections are high-quality jersey materials. All items undergo a handmade bleaching and special dyeing process which creates unique patterns and colour combinations. As a result each piece is one of a kind.
Christiane Gruber studied fashion under Raf Simons, Victor&Rolf and Jean- Charles de Castelbajac at the University of Applied Arts Vienna. In 2002 she was honoured with the fashion award by Austria’s Federal Ministry for Education, Arts and Culture which got her the opportunity to gain further international experience working for designers like Haider Ackermann and A.F.Vandevorst. 2005 until 2009 she has been presenting her collections during Paris fashion week. In Autumn 2012 Christiane Gruber launched A&C BASIC including a hand-dyed Collection of Accessoires & Babybodies based on organic cotton, one of which we have included in our showcase.
Sonja Bischur
Vienna-based jewellery designer Sonja Bischur is not afraid of a challenge and it shows. For almost two decades her work has blurred the line between fashion and jewellery design through audacious cross- over styles and an eclectic mix of materials, shapes and production methods. Her creations have been featured in renowned international magazines such as DAZED & CONFUSED, SELF SERVICE, I-D, W-MAGAZINE, NUMERO, HARPERS BAZAAR, ZOO and PURPLE FASHION.
Maiken Domenica Kloser
Maiken K.’s headpieces celebrate the embracing of contradiction. They extoll a re-imagining of the transformative power of the art of dress, and the creation of harmony from the unexpected. Each piece is unique and hand-crafted by the designer. Through her headpieces, she expresses a mystical perspective, sprung from the space between fashion and theater.
Maiken K. has extensive professional experience in costume design for the stage, which is also a major influence for her work. Maiken is currently completing her degree in 2014 at the University of Fine Arts in Vienna, a city with a rich theatrical history and a strong contemporary theatre and fashion scene. These combined elements of the historical and the current are interwoven into her designs, creating visions of endless fantasy throughout her collection.
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Sophie Skach
From One to Many Geometries
Master Collection MA Menswear, London College of Fashion
The driving force behind Sophie Skach‘s creative work, one that makes it so special, is mathematics. The knowledge she gained during her study of technical mathematics is transformed into pieces of contemporary menswear fashion. By visualising mathematical characteristics via pattern cutting and knitting technology, Sophie‘s approach to fashion is highly scientific, yet romantic. She has become a representative for intellectual design thinking.
For this Autumn/Winter collection, she has devoted herself to astrophysics and the history of science, especially looking on a mathematical discipline called dynamical systems. Looking at a golden era of astronomy, the 17th century, the collection consists of equations that distort garments and create an opulent volume. To bridge the gap between historical references and modern science, precious silks are being used next to high tech fabrics and traditional wools next to recently developed knitting techniques. The collection is another evidence that fashion, such as science, too, is a work of mind.
