Textiles Archieven - Aurora Concepts

Earth Matters :: Een verkenning van de postfossiele maatschappij

In de expositie Earth Matters, samengesteld door Lidewij Edelkoort & Philip Fimmano -nog te zien tot 26 november 2017 in het Textielmuseum Tilburg- staat de aarde centraal die nu, meer dan ooit lijkt het, om aandacht vraagt. Textiel, sculpturen, design, mode, film en muziek ondersteunen deze boodschap. De expo is een compositie van het werk van diverse ontwerpers, beter gezegd: wereldverbeteraars. Wat hen allen verbindt is hun bijdrage aan de zogenaamde Postfossiele maatschappij, zoals Edelkoort de huidige wereld noemt. Waarden zoals de huidige mentaliteitshervorming, intieme- en intuïtieve vormen van ecologie, oude rituelen, archaïsche systemen, natuurlijke processen, schoonheid, veerkracht, progressie en innovatie worden in de gepresenteerde kunstwerken uitgedragen. Bij binnenkomst word je meteen kleurrijk onthaald. Je valt gelijk met je neus in de botanische pigmenten die door middel van kleding, tapijten en canvassen bezig zijn met een tweede leven. Door middel van waanzinnige fotografische beelden en storytelling krijg je de culturele- en ecologische waarde van onder anderen Indiase, Japanse en Arabische ambachten te zien. Langzaamaan waan je je in een oase van crèmekleurige linnen lampen, waardoor de ruimte een zachte uitstraling krijgt. De toon is gezet: “Treed binnen, stel je open en laat je de adem benemen.” Hier staat alles in het teken […]

Meesterlijk Design & Ambacht :: 2016

Afgelopen vrijdag was ik aanwezig bij de opening van Meesterlijk Design & Ambacht georganiseerd door Nicole Uniquole. Voor drie dagen stond design en ambacht centraal in de Zuiveringshal en het Machinegebouw van het Westergasterrein in Amsterdam. Er waren makers uit uiteenlopende disciplines en je kon je er verheugen in ‘de nieuwe luxe‘: duurzame, verantwoorde en ambachtelijk geproduceerde producten van een uitzonderlijke schoonheid. Centraal stond ook de passie die al meteen te voelen was in de openingsspeech van Nicole. Ook al wordt de beurs voor de achtste keer georganiseerd; haar enthousiasme om mooi design en ambacht te presenteren is onverminderd groot terwijl de interesse de afgelopen jaren alleen maar toeneemt. Afgelopen jaar stond Meesterlijk (of Masterly) zelfs voor het eerst in Milaan op de Salone del Mobile en was daar een groot succes. Hoe valt deze toenemende populariteit te verklaren? Afgezien van het ijzersterke concept dat eraan ten grondslag ligt? Ik ging naar de beurs met mijn trendwatchpet op en duidde een aantal trends. Deze trends baden vanzelfsprekend in een zee van oneindig veel meer trends, maar geven op zichzelf ook een goed beeld van de tijdsgeest. Ik probeer vooral hun achtergrond te verklaren. In het verlengde hiervan zou je kunnen […]

feb 27

by Donata van der Rassel in Art, Conscious life, Fashion, Lifestyle, Textiles 2 comments tags: art, cloakroom, ecouterre. consumerism, fast fashion, florence, i-D magazine, li edelkoort, olivier saillaird, performance piece, tilda swinton

Tilda Swinton – Cloakroom – Protest against Fast Fashion

Li Edelkoort has said it and Tilda Swinton is saying it: we must re-invent fashion and the fashion industry. We have become obsessed with collections and the ongoing thrill (and stress) of fashion weeks, media frenzy and fashion statements. We are no longer ‘connected’ to the process of garment making, design & production: fast fashion has become as fast as a McDonalds burger. We do not buy from need but from an insatiable hunger to BE fashionable, on the trend and hip in an ongoing rollercoaster of following the latest greatest. To live in a garment, to really inhabit it, has become rare; we wear our garments occasionally, they gather dust in our closets. In the case of some Hollywood celebrities these closets have become a shrine of sorts where the vintage Valentino or Gucci bag is adored, but never worn or taken out. We have become estranged from our clothes and their origin and we need to reconnect. Tilda Swinton who is always keen to raise awareness and ask questions through art, said she realized the importance of garment longevity after going through her late mother’s wardrobe. She told magazine i-D that “Clothes outlive us very, very often. You […]

jul 15

by Donata van der Rassel in Accessories, Decorating, Design, Designer spotlight, Kindred spirits, Lifestyle, Textiles 0 comments tags: ish collection, mae engelgeer, magasinmae, marlous sijm, textiles

Kindred Spirits Interview #7 Mae Engelgeer

I’m a huge fan of the work by Mae Engelgeer so I jumped at the opportunity of visiting her studio and interviewing her. If you don’t know her work, you must be living under a design rock, cause she’s been featured nationally and internationally in almost every design magazine and blog from Elle decoration, to Bloesem and she’s taking the world by storm. On top of that she really is the sweetest person. Please make sure to check out MagasinMae for your very own Mae Engelgeer piece or check for the nearest retailer. The Kindred Spirits interviews are now done in a slightly different format. I hope you like it! Can you tell something about your background and how you ended up in textiles? I have a background in fashion. I graduated at AMFI, the Amsterdam Fashion Institute, where I specialised in Textile Design. After a while of working in fashion I was accepted at the Sandberg Institute, direction Free Design, the master course of the Rietveld Academie. Here I had the opportunity to learn more about textiles in relation to autonomous art and design and especially the area that exists in between. Where do you find your inspiration? What has been the inspiration […]

Modefabriek 2013 #1

Last monday I went to the January edition of the Modefabriek in Amsterdam. I have been fortunate enough to attend the last two editions too, so by now I have a pretty good idea which areas I have to check out. I have to see MINT (with ambassador Egbert-Jan Weeber) of course and another area called Trash and Treasures which is pretty cool and a little bit edgy. I like the fair, clean and hip environment of MINT. Actually maybe it’s even my most favorite part of the fair. But I have to say I also get really inspired by the ‘Garage Sale Extraordinare’ where thirty sellers are handpicked to showcase (and sell!!) their handmade, vintage or young designer fashion and accessories. For me the Modefabriek was all about the details this edition. So lots of accessories and small details that caught my eye. I have posted some pics on Instagram too and will highlight some new brands the coming weeks. {1. Modefabriek promo photo / 2. Options department store selection in MINT area / 3. *eco* People Tree dress designed by Peter Jensen / 4. *eco* Granny’s Finest selection of knitwear in MINT area / 5. *eco* O My Bag […]

nov 07

Book: talking dress

As promised here, I would like to tell you about this great book I published recently. It’s called talking dress and discusses fair fashion and lifestyle in great detail, it has loads of practical tips and DIY’s, interviews and a fair shopping guide. About a month ago we had the book launch and it really was a huge pleasure to see the end result (the book we had all worked so hard on) and to celebrate. Actress Sanne Vogel came to receive the first copy of the book and we had great music by Mees. If you would like to see photo’s of the launch please check the FB page of talking dress (and make sure to like it!). And of course I would like to recommend you buy the book (for all Dutch and Belgian readers) and / or buy the app (also available for Android)! Talking dress was written by Marieke Eyskoot with beautiful full-colour illustrations by Koosje Ruijgrok. The book design was by Bonny Smit and it was printed on FSC qualified paper with eco ink. Although it was a time consuming project, it has really been a labor of love by all of us and it has been great […]

aug 20

by Donata van der Rassel in Design, Fashion, Holidays, Textiles 0 comments tags: audax textielmuseum, efteling, fabrics, museum of textiles, textiles, tilburg

Places to visit: Museum of textiles Tilburg

During our vacation we went to a B&B in Brabant for a couple of days. We were close to the Efteling which we visited and we were also close to Tilburg. I wanted to visit the Audax museum of textiles located in Tilburg for a while now and here we had the perfect opportunity! I made some pics at the museum, we enjoyed ourselves very much. If you love beautiful fabrics and would like to know more about their history and how they were produced and their production now this is just the place to visit.

jul 27

by Donata van der Rassel in Design, Fashion, Textiles 0 comments tags: brands, fashion, fifteen restaurant, jamie oliver, marieke eyskoot, mint, modefabriek amsterdam, nice things by paloma s., sessun

Fashion: Impressions Modefabriek Amsterdam 2012

Last Monday, when the weather was hot, I went to the Modefabriek in Amsterdam. I went there on the invitation of this sweet lady who organised one of the most inspiring area’s there called MINT. That area was fantastic as it was last time, you can read all about it here. There are some great photo’s too. The rest of the fair was pretty modest but I did snap a few shots of things I thought were pretty. I loved the Fifteen area cafe by Jamie Oliver! I felt a little bit like Alice in Wonderland after eating too much mushroom… {I restaurant area set up by Fifteen restaurant / II & III graduation design outfits by fashion students from all over Holland / IV Pink set up / V Collection Sessun / VI Collection Nice things by Paloma S.}