BHSAD / BA Fashion
BA (Hons) Fashion Graduation Show
Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week 2014
On October 24th BA (Hons) Fashion Graduation Show was held as part of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Russia. Six graduates of British higher School of Art&Design, namely: Yulia Erokhina, Anastasia Bernatskaya, Vera Kulshitskaya, Julia Pakhalina, Daria Shariko and Anna Azevich presented their collections.
BA (Hons) Fashion graduates are a new generation of Russian designers of international level with the British educational background aiming at reinventing Russian fashion and challenging the set stereotypes in the domestic market as well as internationally.
THE ABSORPTION OF THE SELF
Yulia Erokhina
"I was inspired by an incredibly talented Spanish painter Joaquín Sorolla. His works leave a lasting impression - each canvas is saturated with warmth and glows from within. Thus, the ocean looks more beautiful and powerful than the one in real life. Seeing his works for the first time won't leave you indifferent".
Yulia Erokhina
Designer
Unity with nature and realization of one's individuality are the main starting points for developing the idea behind the collection. This is about escaping from reality and transforming one's "self" by way of coming closer with nature and accepting one's essence.
DISPLACEMENT IN THE CITY
Anastasia Bernatskaya
"I am most inspired by people, their actions and life stories. For example for my latest collection I was inspired by Adam Purple. In mid-1970s he created a garden on a wasteland by his house in New York which then turned into site of pilgrimage for the locals. Unfortunately in 1986 the garden was demolished".
Anastasia Bernatskaya
Designer
The idea of camouflaging in the urban space is very relevant now, especially in Moscow.
There's lots of reasons why people prefer to melt into the urban environment. One of them is to become invisible for others. This idea is reflected in the prints which trace back to the illegal ads pasted all over the city. At the same time living in the city people are always longing for the nature and thus surround themselves with parks, gardens and plants. Hence the choice of colours, fabrics and textures. Comparison of the countryside lifestyle and of business dress-code brought about match of office shirts and rubber boots, jackets and backpacks, loose-fit parkas and classic coats.
CHIMERA
Vera Kulshitskaya
"It's been a few years since I became interested in the ancient civilizations of Bolivia and Peru. Multi-tonnage granite blocks of Machu Picchu located in the hardly-accessible areas of the highlands are fascinating. Complicated multidimensional architecture combined with enigmatic and mystic themes inspire me greatly and get reflected in all my works".
Vera Kulshitskaya
Designer
The main idea behind the collection is the creation of new "ideal" organism from different body parts of animals and humans known in science and mythology as chimera.
Inspiration came from the creation of a fictitious being as a result of a scietific experiment in the Mary Shelley book "Frankenstein". Surgical principles of linking body parts are reflected in embroidery and textures.
Medical uniform of 1800s and 1900s became the starting point for the silhouette. The base for the design of the surfaces were the micrographs of human cells reacting to implantation of foreign cells. Reflecting this strange interaction natural materials which were used – fur, leather and wool - combine with plastic and high-technology coatings.
Medical uniform of 1800s and 1900s became the starting point for the silhouette. The base for the design of the surfaces were the micrographs of human cells reacting to implantation of foreign cells. Reflecting this strange interaction natural materials which were used – fur, leather and wool - combine with plastic and high-technology coatings.
SILENCED
Julia Pakalina
"I was inspired by the works of Maurizio Cattelan. In the arts I stand for the form rather than the content. And I like that the work of this artist shows through its very form that creating it took a lot of time and physical efforts which is not typical of contemporary art where concept is superior to the shape. I call it – "life doesn't care manifesto" implying the Eye of the Omniscience, Its omnipresent vision and equity."
Julia Pakalina
Designer
The collection was inspired by a made-up diary of a young girl feeling anxious and desperate due to the failed relationship and a negative body image.
The collection is dedicated to the idea of the self-censorship and longing for the sense of protection, both physical and psychological. It is a kind of a reflection related to whether you are able and afford yourself in all senses to expose yourself for the society, whether you are able to control this process and what you will choose – to open up or hold back.
THE '5th PLATEAU'
Daria Shariko
"One of the most intriguing and mystic artists for me is Augustin Lesage, a representative of l'Art Brut whose works are associated with outsider art. His paintings allow me experience me the state of mind close to meditative".
Daria Shariko
Designer
The collection draws parallel between psychedelic experience and death comparison of which stirsabiding interest in scientific circles and is called the 5th Plateau.
One of the starting points for the collection was Gaspar Noe's psycholdelic drama "Enter the Void". Set in the neon-lit nightclub environments of Tokyo, the story follows the character during his out-of-body experience. Aesthetic of the collection, specifically the colour palette and textures combining fabrics with the elements of plastic and leather, reflect the visual imagery of the film saturated with bright colours submerged in the dark empty space.
The silhouettes were inspired by the Tibetan culture and copy the monk's attire typical draped and multi-layered as well as traditional Tibetan costumes notable for abundant adornments.
The silhouettes were inspired by the Tibetan culture and copy the monk's attire typical draped and multi-layered as well as traditional Tibetan costumes notable for abundant adornments.
PILGRIMAGE OF INSIGHT
Anna Azevich
"I admire the works by Santiago Calatrava because his buildings cease to be static resembling living beings and it seems that they are full of motion".
Anna Azevich
Designer
The main idea behind the collection is the attempt to reflect the connection between the outside world and the inner world of a person.
Pilgrimage as a journey into your inner self, analysis of your own thoughts and feelings. The silhouettes were based on the priests' ceremonial dress. Clear and pared-down silhouettes framed with strict geometric forms create the sensation of redemption and concentration. Square and triangular forms of the decorative finish of the collection completed with the help of the laser cutting present basics of the sacred geometry and represent space and time.
The British Higher School of Art and Design
