Lichting celebrates the most promising design talent by featuring the best fashion academy graduates of the year in one event. The talent program progressed to an open call policy in 2022, giving every student in their last year the opportunity to be a finalist. Out of the 25 participants that had been selected in the first round, the Dutch jury has chosen 10 who will have to honour to present their final collections during Amsterdam Fashion Week. As we eagerly wait to see their work up and close, we introduce you to the 10 graduates that made the cut and the collections they will be presenting during AFW Edition 2024.
Pauline Blind (@puliean) – AMFI (Amsterdam Fashion Institute)
“A Girl Is a Gun” is a fashion collection empowering women by celebrating their femininity. Inspired by her experiences as a young woman in a society that often doubts assault victims and blames women for their sensuality, Pauline’s collection aims to help women reclaim their agency. By challenging societal norms, her graduation collection seeks to change perceptions of women’s vulnerability. The collection envisions a culture where women can freely and unapologetically express their sensuality, feeling safe and celebrated. Through fashion, Pauline aims to educate both predators and those who enforce victim-blaming attitudes, promoting a shift in societal attitudes.
Nouka Rous (@noukarous) – ArtEZ (Institute of the Arts)
“But by Reflection” is an exploration into a sense of (queer) self within society’s expectations of femininity. Nouka is interested in the friction such constraints cause, and the gradual transformation into one’s true self, which can be difficult yet liberating. Her collection takes place in this moment of struggle, and mental growing pains are made visible. Nouka’s models are partially restricted in their movement, whilst some garments act like discarded cocoons. Using body language and materiality as a means of expression, Nouka has made fragile sculptures ranging from protective shells to vulnerable transparencies to tell this story.
Peter Wertmann (@p.wertmann) – KABK (Royal Academy of Art, The Hague)
“Lost Product of Society” captures the essence of Arctic and Antarctic exploration, fused with the freedom of Peter’s experience growing up in the Swiss Alps and the structure of military experience. The collection embodies the contrasts between vast, open landscapes and disciplined, confined living.
Jinwon Kim (@jinwx_xkim) – AMFI (Amsterdam Fashion Institute)
“Flowing and Blooming in Uncertainty” draws inspiration from the rapidly changing world, influenced by new technology, global events, and evolving ideas. Jinwon’s work embodies the uncertainties and challenges faced by today’s youth. Despite the frustrations that come with these challenges, Jinwon’s designs showcase resilience and determination. The theme of overcoming adversity is symbolised by the lotus flower, which grows beautifully in murky water. Just as the lotus thrives in challenging conditions, Jinwon’s collection represents young people’s ability to rise above difficulties and transform for the better.
Arva Bustin (@Arva_Bustin) – ArtEZ (Institute of the Arts)
“Ultra Ora” symbolises the awkwardness of a transitionary period and a refusal to change for conventionality, which is inspired by Arva’s own transition. To portray this, she created a world in which humanity immediately went from the middle ages to the space age in a manic progressive rush. Within the collection, Arva works with a cast of characters derived from European medieval archetypes who are in varying stages of their transition towards space, and wear combinations of their traditional garments and spacesuits. Each of them portray this necessary identity change while struggling to hold on to their core identity.
Michał Zgierski (@zgiersk1) – Willem de Kooning Academy
Michal’s graduation collection “Żółć” channels his anger at Poland’s patriarchal structures, turning his struggles into a form of revenge. The collection is meant for queer people from similar backgrounds to feel less lonely and more understood. Michal aims to shock and challenge the conservative straight community whilst empowering the gay community. Rejecting sanitised portrayals of queerness, Michal challenges the need to conform to be accepted. By using traditional cultural elements and personal story, he exposes and combats systemic homophobia. Through digital fashion, Michal creates his own fantasy world—one that’s inaccessible and challenging to the heteronormative patriarchy, offering a powerful counter-narrative to their oppressive norms.
David R. Siepman (@drs.oooo) – AMFI (Amsterdam Fashion Institute)
“Ambition is like a drug to me; I can’t get enough. It causes problems in my personal life. I’m pushing myself physically to compete digitally. A personal struggle I recognise in all industries of my generation.”
“DRAGEN” focuses on the heavy thoughts and feelings you carry with yourself, caused by ambition. David’s graduation collection is about ambition, pressure, decisions, and love. In his collection, gradients show added weights in the garments, triggering the vagus nerve, to reduce anxiety and boost confidence. Inspired by anxiety blankets and weighted vests, David’s approach uses physical weight as a remedy for mental weight, addressing the psychological burden with a tangible solution.
Yaroslav Grygorchuk (@yaroslav.grygorchuk) – AMFI (Amsterdam Fashion Institute)
“Till death do us part” embodies existentialism, portraying garments as reflections of a life boldly lived. Each piece symbolises a journey of defiance and self-expression, capturing the wearers’ essence through every stitch. Transforming fabric into vibrant narratives, the garments in Yaroslav’s collection reveal vices, virtues, and fears, immortalising the daring spirit of those unapologetically true to themselves.
David Okkerse (@davidokkerse) – HKU (Utrecht School of the Arts)
In the reflection of sound, the fabric weaves a symphony of chaos. Fragments of familiar tones, entangled in a game of alienation. Sleeves reach for the unknown, pockets collect echoes of disturbed harmony. A collar stands like a beacon in a sea of dissonance. Garments, as images of discomfort, are the limits of wearability. In this meeting of fashion and sound, David’s collection “Sorry Not Sorry” challenges the viewer to take a journey outside of your comfort zone. “Let the boundaries blur, and discover the beauty of the unexpected.”
Erin McClain (@erinmclarin) – Gerrit Rietveld Academy
“At the Base of Little Sheep Mountain” consists of nine looks; each referencing an archetype you would encounter in storytelling. The bride, the fisherman and the cowboy, among others. Each look is dressed head to toe using a singular colour and fabric to make the entire outfit. Erin’s collection has been an exploration of the collective imagination, and questions whether these archetypes (or ‘ideas of people’) hold any truth. Erin explores the blurry lines between garments rooted in our reality, and the mere creation of the idea of these garments, to in turn, create the idea of an archetype when they are worn.
