Alexandra Verschueren and Karisia Paponi; Two Of My Favourtie 2009 Antwerp Academy Fashion Graduates

Having been to London Graduate Fashion Week again this year (and having been wowed by the amount of attendees wearing hareem pants and blazers) I was interested to look further afield and see what the rest of the world had to offer in terms of graduate talent. I have to say that one of my favorite shows this year came from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, in Antwerp, Belgium.

Showing work from first, second, third and fourth year students, the three hour event was brilliant! The work was innovative and exciting and two designers in particular stood out for me:



Strangely it was the opening and the closing designers of the show that wowed me the most . Alexandra Verschueren went first, displaying her skill for pattern cutting, with origami style papertype dresses cut into fantastic, futuristic-looking three-dimensional shapes.

I love the structure of these garments and the textures and pattern created through the folding. The middle one looks like the most stylish egg-box I have ever seen and the bottom one reminds me of a church organ...I seriously love Alexandra.



Karisia Paponi went last and closed the show brilliantly. Her slightly humorous collection is inspired by the quintessentially English pastime of afternoon tea. With garments mimicking giant cups and saucers. She uses heavy treated leather and heat responsive foam to mould and manipulate her material into extraordinary, well-structured shapes.

This collection reminds me of the mad hatters tea party in Alice in Wonderland and I absolutely LOVE it. I have wanted a lampshade style skirt for too long!