Trend analyst Cay Bond praises students of Borås

02 May '09

3 min read

The graduation exhibition at the Swedish School of Textiles is one of the high points of the year. Our graduating students in 2009 promise not to disappoint! They have plenty of breadth and variation to offer. Last year, trend analyst Cay Bond praised the students of Borås and compared Borås with Antwerp, city of fashion. So maybe the big-name designers of the future are in this year's graduating classes?

The degree work on display includes all kinds of things; from pure, artistic and playful projects to more corporate styles. But a recurring theme in a number of them is a reaction to today's excessive consumption. Or how about collective garments, seven stunning scarves that reflect diversity, or slow fashion textiles that gradually change as they're worn?

Eight students from our fashion design course, eleven students from our textiles design course, four students from our weaving course and three students doing their Masters are all taking part in this exhibition.

Clothing for all Karin Lindahl has tested how different people would wear a simple square piece of fabric with one or more holes in. Suddenly, personalities emerge from this brilliantly simple idea. Karin Lindahl is sceptical about current levels of excess consumption and wants to create collective garments where everyone who wears them leaves their mark behind before passing the clothing on to the next person.

Slow fashion is the focal point of textile designer Rebeka Hansson's degree collection of textiles. In her view, the fabrics should change as they are used. Visions and experimentation are on display here.

Moving stillness is the working title of Petra Högström's degree collection. Here, contrasts have a big part to play. To bring movement to the fore, she works with pieces of glass inserted in the garments. This glass symbolises movement that has suddenly frozen. But to counteract the hardness of the glass, she uses lightweight, flexible material.

Sensual structures Textile designer Matilda Olsson has created a new material, woven on a machine, with a bubble surface on which to project films and photos. The matt smoothness of the fabric adds a new dimension in which film and fabric interact in new forms of expression.

While waiting to die A little squashed and deformed, the clown supports himself on his steel stand. There is great sorrow behind the smile. There is so much heart in Anna Lidström's degree work. In her thoughts are always memories of a mother. Fragments of periods of illness can be seen as details in the fabric. This is sweetly surrealistic, with tulle skirts and corsets with padding in the back. Despite the mournful foundation of this collection, the end results are playful.

The graduation exhibition at the Swedish School of Textiles will be taking place on 4-7 June at Simonsland in Borås.
Press previews: 4 June, lunch at 12:00, fashion show at 13:30
Opening: 5 June at 13:00, fashion shows at 13:30, 15:00 and 17:00
On 6-7 June, the exhibition will be on display from 11:00 to 17:00.
Address: Simonsland, Nybrogatan 9, inner courtyard, Borås

Swedish School of Textiles

More Fashion News - Sweden...