This spring IRK attended Hyeres' 34th Festival in Fashion, Photography & Fashion Accessories to discover the newest talents selected by this years prestigious Juries. The festival is acknowledged as the oldest fashion competition aimed at young professionals. Several prizes are awarded to the competing designers thanks to grants provided by the festival’s partners including Chanel, Chloe, Swarovski and many others who commit, together with the festival, to provide long term support. From the selection stage, practical assistance is provided to the young talents during a period of two years in various different domains: financing, production, workmanship, materials, production, legal, media, exhibitions, workshops and residencies.
Grand Prix from the jury Première Vision, Christoph Rumpf:
Christoph Rumpf, Austria, Menswear
In the large Industrial Hangar along the wild Salins in Hyeres IRK was at the closing fashion show and award ceremony. As we watched one impressive collection after another come down the runway we new that the judges had their work cut out for them. This year's increase of more creative menswear lead to the winner of the grand prix of the Première Vision jury being given to Austria's Christoph Rumpf, with a Flamboyant Men's collection.
The 25 year old fashion designer, who studied at the Vienna University of Applied Arts, gave life to a sculpted collection carved in precious fabrics. The story is based on a long lost prince who grew up in the jungle. Most of the looks made from recycled fabrics were structured works of art. For example, Christoph Rumpf transformed an old Persian carpet into a ceremonial dress with oversized shoulders. The second key piece is the oversized grey trench coat as it shows that the prince is living a fake phantasmagoric life as the buttons dont work and one can only close it with a belt.
Honourable mention from the jury Tetsuya Doi, Yota Anazawa & Manami Toda:
We were happy that a special mention was given by the fashion jury to the Japanese trio composed by two men Tetsuya Doi, 26 years old, and Yota Anazawa, 25 years old, and a young woman Manami Toda, 32 years old. The three designers from Tokyo were bursting with creative humour as they revisited the classics of fashion, from preppy Armani suits to Ralph Lauren with an adorable and childish take. The moving ears on the fluffy hoody were a must must have!!!
Chloé Prize, Tina Schwizgebel-Wang:
The Chloé Prize went to: Tina Schwizgebel-Wang from Switzerland. She was able to capture the femininity and style of Chloé while staying true to herself. She dared in the pattern of the skirt to repeat the intrauterine device expressing the femenism values of Chloé. Each designer was asked to create a look for Chloé that captured the brands feminine spirit and Tina was definitely the most connected brand while staying true to her herself. The 29-year-old Swiss designer is a full-time tattoo artist, and part-time cellist who designed her first collection last year proving she is a woman of many talents. Her menswear collection “Inked" was inspired by her background in tattoos.
The SWAROVSKI Fashion Accessories Grand Prize from the jury, Noelia Morales:
The Swarovski fashion accessories grand prize was won by Spain's Noelia Morales, who made beautiful accessories and underwear for women who have gone through breast removal surgery as well as scarves with hair printed on them for people who have lost their hair to chemotherapy. Her collection was both inspiring and poetic and IRK's first choice as well as the Jury's. Originally from Barcelona, this 46-year-old woman has been dealing with consumer trends since 2004 in a consulting firm.
The Photography Grand Prix of the Jury, Alice Mann:
The festival, since 1997, has also supported emerging photographers and this years jury headed by Craig McDean selected a diverse group of aspiring photographers. 28 year old South African photographer, Alice Mann, won the grand prize for her series Drummies. These images depict the unique and aspirational subculture surrounding all-female teams of drum majorettes in South Africa. These girls, affectionately known as ‘drummies’ are from some of the country’s most marginalised communities.
The 34th edition was dense, full of surprizes and as usual Hyeres was the perfect backdrop to breath fresh air into the creative world of Fashion and photography. Everyone selected to this years festival has a strong vision of the future and we look forward to seeing where they will go next.
