La Cambre Class of 2008…

With only 7 students in the fourth year and 3 students in the final year, there was much to dissect amongst the 20-something member jury and much to discuss.  As I said, the students presented their work in great detail in a blindingly bright white studio, talking us through 5/6 of the sillhoeuttes from their collection as well as presenting us with lookbooks, CV’s, inspiration images etc.  Understanding somebody’s work with this information seemed to be crucial but at the end of the day, the work should also speak for itself. 

It was quite a lo-ong jury process (lots of French dialogue going on that I only vaguely understood so just tried to nod in an intelligent way…) and I won’t discuss the results (duh!) but I will say that the whole jury including Mr Gaultier were highly impressed with the work they saw.  Et moi?  With such a selective class, I do feel this five year course at La Cambre hones the students in a way that is very unique in comparison to other schools and the resulting work is indicative with the thought processes behind it being quite highly evolved. 

Celine Petit//’Safety Elegance’ – A technically proficient menswear collection that explored ideas of protection and hospital attire.  The tailoring was fluid rather than rigid and there were lots of interesting detailing and deconstruction in the garments with a lot of multi-purpose functions.  I possibly think doing a womenswear collection might push the ideas further.    

Ann Bruggeman//’Mine’ – Ann very jovially explained that the inspiration behind the collection was James Bond, the Sean Connery years.  She was intrigued by the persona and facets of Bond and was trying to push the boundaries of a cliche to see if it was possible to subvert it.  The Scottish kilt becomes a pair of pleated white wrap-around pants and a tweed suit is pushed up with volume and an inverted collar.  Gotta love the courage to be inspired by Bond!      

Mansour Badjoko Wa Lileko//’Neat & Tight’ – I absolutely adored this menswear collection.  Combining Shibari, pre-colonial Congo and late 19th century military styles, Mansour managed to make embellishment in menswear work.  The cultural references and clever use of fabrics, balanced out with a subdued grey seems to come together beautifully. 

Sarah de Grunne //’If you put it on’ – It was odd to look at Sarah’s collection as she is also a friend in real life but I had to be objective of course.  She mashed up sportswear, shoulders, 1980’s and 1930’s jewellery to make something quite ornate but without that feeling of heaviness.  The styling was exaggerated but purposefully so and in a difficult mix of fabrics and styles, I think something of an extreme ‘look’ was pulled off.  Oh and the harem/MC hammer pants are looking most enticing indeed.   

Caroline Hiernaux//’W(h)o/Man/’ – The title of the collction sort of says it all and without even explaining her collection, Caroline’s collection also speaks volumes.  David Bowie was her initial inspiration and yup, you’ve guessed it, ideas of androgyny and exploration of feminine and masculine ensued.  Not particiularly new ideas but they have been freshly re-interpreted with the superb tailoring here that combined men and women’s sizing systems.  Strip the suits down and you get sportswear-influenced swimwear representing the female skin.  A striking presentation that had a clear vision communicated just like that. 

Helen Balle//’Urban Evolution’ – What intrigued me about this collection was the initial references of the Russian matryoshka doll and traditional Russian costume and then came the fusion with 1980’s hip hop culture.  It takes a couple of glances to really see that fusion as on first impression, you’re thinking ‘Nu-rave kids’…. but the prints, the clever zip actions and the nudges towards Russian costume make this a bit of a grower.   

Lea Peckre//’Taping Austerity’ – Blew.  Me.  Away.  Her techniques and precision.  I had to blink at the work that had gone into it.  The use of materials was quite astonishing.  Lea took her inspiration from cathedral architecture and what emerged was a linear patternation and prints that had a stunning effect. 

Gaelle Smits//’Reboiled Rice sous les Palmiers’ – Probably the one that challenged me the most in terms of trying to understand the designer’s intentions.  From a jam packed and rich inspiration imagery of her mother’s wedding, honeymoons in Hawaii and war came a collection that for me probably had the least visual impact.  It was clear the ideas were flourishing in the garments but something was amiss and I still can’t quite put my finger on it. 

Roxanne Baines//’Boarding Time’ – Roxanne had a working girl in mind, a girl who travelled a lot, shopped in duty free shops, picked up a lot of influences style-wise and infused all of those experiences into her collection.  Media and brand infiltration is the main focus and that probably got in the way of the garments themselves but on display was some fine handiwork and interesting use of materials. 

Julie Dekegeleer//’Cult(e)eurism’ – Again, there was a technical finesse here that was very precise and well conceived.  Can you guess that the roots of this collection was female body building, muscles in the body and connective tissues?  No, I couldn’t either but look closely and everything has it’s anatomical place.  She also delved into a wide range of materials that was well-researched and came up with techniques that were quite impressive.