Meet The Print designer: Class of 2025/ ESSENCE : Marlon Claessen
This year, FASHIONCLASH x The Social Hub Maastricht host an additional showcase highlighting a new generation of designers, launching with a festive evening of music (DJ Kirakira and performance during the festival opening night on Friday 14 November.
Class of 2025 presented a selection of emerging designers graduating in 2025 from Dutch academies including AMFI, HKU, ArtEZ, Design Academy Eindhoven, Maastricht Academy of Fine Arts, WDKA, and Gerrit Rietveld Academie. What connects this diverse group of young makers is their commitment to storytelling through fashion—whether drawing from personal heritage, cultural memory, experimental techniques, or social commentary. Each designer transforms intimate experiences and critical questions into wearable narratives that challenge conventional fashion systems.
Jamie AirMountain presented 'ALOHA Wijk aan Zee', recycling beach materials—trash, wood, wetsuits, denim—into layered garments celebrating coastal life while addressing environmental waste. Maide explored Dutch-Turkish heritage through 'Gurbet', translating traditional basket weaving learned from Turkish artisans into contemporary minimalist garments. Zhenyi Zhou reimagined Chinese folklore through "Gu Spirit – Post-Human Witchcraft", creating sculptural garments merging 3D-printed bones, silicone, and reclaimed textiles. Karolina Wójtowicz created 'POLISH YOUR GEAR' in latex and motorcycle gear, exploring immigrant identity through a character caught between Polish heritage and contemporary life. Claire Sillekens presented 'De zon schijnt precies op je gezicht', interactive costumes for four characters whose missions provoke conversations about societal impact through absurdity. Paco Teepe showcased 'Monuments T-Shirts', a Wearable Visual Archive printing childhood memories onto T-shirts, making the past literally wearable. Jessie Romkens presented 'LOUD & LIMITLESS', stage wear translating music's energy into bold garments through spray paint, patchwork, and embroidery. Babs Groote Schaarsberg displayed 'Een Ode Aan', wearable sculptures honoring traditional Salland attire with mechanical elements that invite curiosity. Larissa de Jager presented 'Redress Is Rising', upcycled costumes with distorted volumes addressing body positivity and retail sizing limitations.
In parallel, Marlon Claessen curated the ESSENCE Exhibition, featuring international designers alongside work by Toneelacademie Maastricht students Valerie Ludwig, who presented The Songs of Girlhood—a radical feminist performance exploring collective healing through voice and movement—and Jeroen Bik, who showcased "ME TOCA MAÑANA", an interactive work making viewers active participants through digital platforms, fashion, and video.
