Ann Demeulemeester x MFA Fashion Design & The Arts
Students in their first year of the MFA Fashion Design and the Arts program at Parsons Paris were challenged to research and reinterpret the philosophy and house codes of Ann Demeulemeester from a personal, forward-thinking and artistic point of view. They received a design brief from Ann Demeulemeester’s Creative Director Stefano Gallici, who encouraged them to embark on a creative journey exploring the DNA of the iconic house that was part of the original Antwerp Six. They studied how Ann Demeulemeester has combined strength with fragility and punk with poetry while redefining the conception of gender since the late 1980s and forging a strong connection with the worlds of music and art.
In addition to traditional design work and diving into the Ann Demeulemeester archive for inspiration, Stefano Gallici advised students to find their own paths empowering their individual creativity through exploring visual and sound landscapes and to define their personal storytelling fueled by muses, thorough visual research, literature, cinema, paintings and photography. As a result of these creative processes students created two looks combining their own creative identities and the heritage of Ann Demeulemeester.
Students also took part in a collaborative photoshoot of their final designs. They were encouraged to look at each other’s work as much as their own and do so by photographing each other’s collections. Every student performed a photoshoot in a different arrondissement of Paris, and the following pages showcase a 3-image spread of each student’s collection, which were gathered into a special publication documenting their creative journey with the house of Ann Demeulemeester.
Parsons Paris would like to extend the warmest of thanks to all involved!
Photography: @chrisvidaltenomaa
Female Model: @teti_mar_
Male Model: @calliste.lhtt
Casting: @alexandrasandbergcasting
Hair and make-up: @fatmabendris