Issue 21 – In Conversation with .. 10!

With FASHIONCLASH being a platform for
reflection, have you witnessed any concrete
changes in the industry resulting from
discussions or presentations at the festival?
Difficult to come up with concrete examples
here. Within the scale in which we operate and
our target groups, we see that our working
method resonates and has a positive influence.
Sometimes it is literally about how we work and
interact with people. Creating safe conditions to
be and express yourself is not self-evident.
We always tried to provide these conditions, and
were always struck that designers and people we
work with would highlight how rare that is.
It is shocking, that still, there is so much to
change within the system so that we have
more equality and justice. We often hear that
experience witFASHIONCLASH positively
inspires in the way of doing and working.
Another example from artistic point of view.
We have been committed to crossovers between
fashion and theater in the early years. People
sometimes thought what we showed was strange
or not ‘fashion’, but now you see that more and
more. And what is fashion and who gets to say
what fashion is and should be?
Also, we have always been invested in creating
participatory projects such as inclusion of
seniors, refugees or young people with aim to
break the normative ways in how fashion is made
and presented.
The urgency of social issues such as social
inequality, inclusion and decolonization,
sustainability and well-being concerns the
new generation of fashion makers. Due to the
urgency of these issues, the intrinsic motivation
of the current generation of fashion makers to
contribute to
a better world is greater. This ensures that they
are more critical but also more open to new
visions, approaches and working methods
in fashion. They are open to experiment,
collaboration and mutual exchange. These
principles have been inherent in FC's working
methods for 15 years, meaning that the profile
it has built up fits seamlessly with the current
generation.
We invest a lot of time in our own content and for us online
is an extension of the physical stage.
We see that thanks to media we can really make an
impact and showcase designers. Even though many people
have not yet been to Maastricht, many people know
FASHIONCLASH, or at least heard about it in some way.
Interview by Marcel Schlutt
Follow Branko and FASHIONCLASH via
@brankopopovic and brankopopovic.blogspot.com
@fashionclash_festival
bio.site/fashionclash
Photos by Laura Knipsael @lauraknipsael
Mitch van Schijndel @m_vanschijndel
www.fashionclash.nl
As a result, FC's activities are becoming less
and less of an agenda-setting and recruiting
character, but are mainly focused on depth,
experiment and impact. We will be investing
more time in the coming years to make the
impact more explicit and measurable.
Looking back over our decade of collaboration,
how would you describe the impact of
media in shaping the narrative and reach of
FASHIONCLASH?
Media simply has a big impact. FASHIONCLASH
is a very small organization, but we manage to
generate a lot of reach.
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