FASHIONCLASH, located in Maastricht Netherlands, is an international festival that offers emerging designers and creatives the opportunity to showcase and celebrate fashion, film, and art. The festival, founded in 2009 by Branko Popovic, Nawie Kuiper, Els Petit and Laurens Hamacher, has hosted over 700 talents from 30 different countries over the past 15 years. The event provides a space for fashion creatives to gain exposure and receive feedback from press, consumers, and industry professionals. Over the 3 day festival, KEYI was able to experience this celebration of emerging design and creativity.
“FASHIONCLASH initiates, produces and presents work of a new generation of fashion practitioners who research, reflect, contextualize and celebrate contemporary fashion(culture).” – FASHIONCLASH
This Year’s FASHIONCLASH Festival
For the creators of FASHIONCLASH, inclusivity is a foundational principle. The festival embraces design, performance, and film in a significantly more accessible way than traditional fashion events. All tickets are either free or low-price, and open dialogue and unapologetic self-expression are at the core of the project. The event is dedicated to opening up the world of design by prioritizing visibility. This is evident throughout the festival, from the participants to the topics that it chooses to amplify.
FASHIONCLASH constructed this year’s main catwalk at St. Anne’s Church in Maastricht, over the altar. Megan van Engelen, Julia Burak, SHIFT Studio, brzkna, and Paula Dischinger were among over 100 designers and artists who took this unique opportunity to showcase their work.
The program for last November also included performances from The Clash House and films with Lumière Cinema. Additionally, Fashion Makes Sense hosted talks amid various fashion and art exhibitions, workshops, and of course, an afterparty.
Central themes throughout the festival included accessibility, queerness, evolution of the body and beauty, sustainability, and design technology.
Designer Katharina Spitz and artist Manka Menga’s performance I See You Seeing Me, examined the human body’s experience within society. It touched on the multitudes of womanhood, and a yearning to find comfort in a world that normalizes the opposite.
The Future of FASHIONCLASH
Future attendees of FASHIONCLASH can expect the festival to continue providing a welcoming space for the fashion community to share their creations. Designers interested in participating can find more information on the FASHIONCLASH website.
Next year’s edition of FASHIONCLASH Festival will take place in Maastricht, on the weekend of November 14-16th of 2025. More information and content about this year’s events, designers, and performances can be found on the FASHIONCLASH website and Instagram.
Photos by Laura Knipsael (FASHIONCLASH FESTIVAL 2024)
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Berlin Fashion Week Event by KEYI Magazine on February 3rd at OXI!
