Jack the Ripper on the runway with aliens: Meet London’s top 10 talents
Where do disruptive creations meet the future of fashion, phygital experiences and much more? Graduate fashion shows. There, the spotlight is always on the brightest stars emerging from a constellation of fashion programmes. We at Maze35 are excited to introduce you to the 10 stand-out designers who shone at the latest Istituto Marangoni London catwalk.
To celebrate the school’s 20th Anniversary, Istituto Marangoni London presented for the first time a phygital graduate fashion show titled DISRUPT/DISTORT to blend two aspects of today’s fashion world: the material world and the metaverse.
Backstage at the latest Istituto Marangoni London graduate fashion show
Ten promising students made a bang with their talent and creative designs on an innovative runway announcing the universal world they are walking in.
Guided and mentored by acclaimed designers and industry encounters, the IM London students accomplished the goal to DISRUPT/DISTORT the boundaries of fashion with an experimental edge, radical creativity and innovative thinking.
A few moments before the show, Fashion Design Programme Leader Stelios Geros oversaw the final fittings backstage along with his collaborators, who did an outstanding job perfecting the collections for the audience, press and industry to see.
Backstage final fittings
Among the visible tension, some of the students confessed – this is what we were dreaming of, the fashion world we want to be part of after long hours in the pattern-cutting lab; this is what we expected and worked for!
The show was streamed on the new Istituto Marangoni platform as a unique, immersive virtual world, The talent district: an unexpected universe where fashion, art and design express their universal power.
Curious to know more? Let’s meet the up-and-coming designers from class 2023 at the Istituto Marangoni in London. FYI, they are more than creative, inspired by everything from Jack the Ripper and extra-terrestrial events to mountaineers’ dreams… and one has even come up with a revival of Don Quixote.
Student of the Year: Hyun Jik Yoo from South Korea
Collection: Psychopathic Murderer, Jack the Ripper
Hyun drew inspiration from London’s most famous serial killer Jack the Ripper, who operated around the Whitechapel district, exploring the area’s darker past.
The designer’s curiosity about the identity of Jack the Ripper led him to develop a collection focused on dark atmosphere, contradiction, knowledge of anatomy, and ostentatiousness.
Student of the year Hyun Jik Yoo from South Korea created a collection inspired by London's most famous serial killer: Jack the Ripper
Adjusting the concept to the garments, Hyun Jik created an interchangeable silhouette that worked with drawstrings, straps, and collars to simulate the murderer’s hidden identity under oversized shapes with skilled tailoring and manipulation skills. He used a variety of fabrics and textures, such as rough wool, tweed, felt, jersey organza and gabardine showing extensive knowledge of materials and a dark colour palette to create a frightful mood.
Hyun Jik received recognition for his methodological approach to creating a unique collection with a fresh point of view.
Anna Savchenko from Russia
Collection: Not Broken
Anna focused on using paper materials to apply the concept of sustainability to fashion. She got inspired by the concept of resilience over fragility to overcome struggles and conflicts. The garments were crafted by manipulating waterproof and water-soluble papers over layers of newspapers draped to resemble shattered glass windows.
Anna Savchenko got inspired by the concept of resilience over fragility
By carefully studying the material to create a technique, Anna Savchenko turned the fragility of the media into a strength, resulting in innovative designs.
Angelynne Viorenique Andersen from Indonesia
Collection: Shedding
Angelynne was inspired by the natural process of shedding or discarding as a vital process of regeneration and transformation of all living beings. She worked on the aesthetic aspect of the natural shedding transforming into fabrics.
Andersen's collection took inspiration from the natural process of shedding as a vital step of regeneration and transformation
Through research, Angelynne Viorenique Andersen and the Canadian artist, David Altmjed, incorporated art expression with fashion design. Working with different yarns, Angelynne exceeded manipulation of losing garments and scrap fabrics, showing high performance in traditional knitting techniques, needle works, crochet and cobweb with a personal illusion of shedding in vibrant and contrasting colours.
Hamootal Blair Hen from Israel
Collection: On Wednesday, We Wear Black
Fictitious Dictatorship was the inspiration concept of the collection. Hamootal worked on the personal level of her childhood diagnoses of ADHD and Dyslexia and strains with the discipline interpreting it as a design development method.
Hamootal Blair Hen used a poem her mother wrote on a warning letter about uniforms
Hamootal Blair Hen brought to the garments the challenge to perform over authorities using a poem her mother wrote on a warning letter about uniforms. So, she disrupted school uniforms into messy layers, extreme silhouettes, enlarged bows and flying neckties with checked black & white palettes to be disruptive again.
Giju Kim from South Korea
Collection: Rebirth of Don Quixote
The Spanish epic novel of the 17th century Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes, inspired Giju’s collection concept. Giju interpreted the delusional dream of an older man who undertook an epic journey to chase the long-time gone knighthood.
Giju Kim took inspiration from the epic Spanish novel Don Quixote, by Miguel de Cervantes, interpreting the delusional dream of an older man in an epic journey
As a designer, Giju Kim portrayed his vision and ambitions in fashion through an idealistic knight walking the runway. In garments, Giju deconstructed the tailoring design of menswear with oversized capes, jackets and shirts to symbolise Don Quixote’s wounds over failures and disillusions, playing with fabric layers envisioning a textiles-made armour walking down the runway.
Jiaxi Zhuang from China
Collection: Vintage Toy
Jiaxi refers to her childhood innocence and her passion for vintage toy collecting and assemblage, bringing a deconstructing combination of fabrics and shapes to the design.
Zhuang referred to her childhood innocence and her passion for vintage toy collecting for her collection
With three-dimensional effects, Jiaxi Zhuang brought to life the flatness of garments through manipulation and playful movements with unusual patterns, fabrics and colour combinations. Using traditional tartan and houndstooth mixed with printing on organza, satin and cotton, Jiaxi balanced the composition with heavier materials, wool and corduroy, to constantly play between whimsy and vintage craft.
Lucrezia Grazioli from Italy
Collection: Declassified
The inspiration behind Lucrezia’s collection came from her fascination with conspiracy theories surrounding extra-terrestrial phenomena, myths and visual evidence of flying sources collected in Nevada’s Area 51 since 1947.
Grazioli's collection took inspiration from conspiracy theories surrounding extra-terrestrial phenomena from Area 51
Lucrezia Grazioli utilised documentary images and stories to create garment silhouettes and shapes resembling the silver surfaces of flying saucers. She used silvery leather, velvet fabrics and synthetic materials such as scuba, spandex and nylon to recreate skin effects and prints that imitated the texture of the moon’s surface.
Lucrezia’s collection dared to innovate the future of fashion through Clo3D design, with unconventional visions that allowed her to escape reality.
Natálie Kabeláčová from Czech Republic
Collection: Ups and Downs
Natalie wondered what mountaineers dream about to envision a collection that intertwines the world of mountaineering with the ethereal realm of lucid dreaming.
Natalie's collection wondered what mountaineers dream about, and intertwined the that world with the ethereal realm of lucid dreaming
With a strong focus on reducing waste and creating versatile garments, Natálie Kabeláčová used sustainable fabrics only. Her innovative design techniques lead to transformative pieces that adapt to various wearability needs while drawing inspiration from Nepal’s Sherpas and their colourful heritage.
Rudraksh Singh from India
Collection: Sufiana
In his research, Rudraksh explores Hinduist beliefs from his cultural background and Islam’s Sufism. The collection aims to move beyond prejudice and preconceptions by looking back at the origins, using fashion as a bridge between Hindu and Islamic communities.
Singh transformed the struggles of an insensitive society into garments with movements, and explored his Hinduist beliefs and Islam's Sufism
Rudraksh Singh transformed the struggles of an insensitive society into garments with movements, turns and twists into drapes, pleats and gathered details, and fluid silhouettes in timeless gender-neutral colour palettes.
Ummehani Kanchwala from India
Collection: Blue City
Ummehani was inspired by the architectural shapes of the ancient “Blue City” of Jodhpur in the Indian state of Rajasthan.
Ummehani was inspired by the architectural shapes of the ancient "Blue City" of Jodhpur
Ummehani Kanchwala envisioned a collection design that incorporated geometric patterns, angular shapes, and vibrant blues inspired by urban architecture, focusing on sustainability in fashion. Every garment and technique used aimed to design a true-to-life garment for a zero-waste process starting with a virtual design process on Clo3D.
Silvia De Vecchi
University Librarian and Editor, London