Save the date FASHIONCLASH Festival 2026

From 13–15 November 2026, FASHIONCLASH Festival returns to Maastricht for its 18th edition. The international and multidisciplinary festival brings together a new generation of designers, artists and performers from the Netherlands and abroad through a three-day programme of performances, exhibitions, fashion shows, films, workshops, talks and participatory projects, presented across various locations in the city.

We proudly present the first campaign images
for the 18th edition created by Hashim Nasr!

About Hashim Nasr
Hashim Nasr is a Sudanese visual artist and photographer based in Alexandria, Egypt. Graduated as a dentist his conceptual and surreal artistic practice started as an experimental act to explore themes of displacement, memory, and gender identities through staged images and symbolic visual language that reflect emotional and psychological landscapes. He uses experimental handcrafted objects to navigate exile, identity, and the search for belonging . His recent projects focus on the experience of war and migration. His works have been exhibited locally, internationally, and in several publications and virtual exhibitions.

Campaign concept
The campaign brings together African and Middle Eastern cultural traditions through a surrealist and avant-garde visual language. Set against open landscapes and carefully staged environments, the images transform traditional symbols, clothing, rituals and objects into dreamlike narratives in which the boundaries between memory, mythology and contemporary identity blur.

By bringing together diverse cultural references in symbolic scenes, the campaign creates a space in which heritage is not only preserved but also reimagined. Through conceptual photography and carefully constructed visual narratives, it celebrates cultural connections while exploring themes of connection, transformation and collective imagination.

Developed by Sudanese visual artist and photographer Hashim Nasr, the campaign reflects FASHIONCLASH Festival's commitment to presenting diverse perspectives and creating space for new narratives.

Stay tuned for program announcements, campaign highlights and more. The full program will be announced after the summer.

Open Calls

In the run-up to FASHIONCLASH Festival 2026, we’re once again opening up space for ideas to enter, shift, and take shape.

The festival starts long before it arrives in conversations, proposals, and collaborations. Over the coming weeks, we’ll be gradually unveiling the open calls that will define this year’s programme. Some are already live, others are still in the making, including the upcoming New Fashion Narratives exhibition open call, which will follow shortly.

Rather than presenting everything at once, we’re building the program step by step allowing each call to breathe, resonate, and invite its own community of makers, performers, filmmakers and interdisciplinary practitioners.

Together, these open calls form the early contours of the festival: a shared space for experimentation, exchange, and the creation of new narratives within fashion.

We will continue adding to this overview as each call goes live, gradually building the full program of FASHIONCLASH Festival 2026.

New Fashion Narratives – Residency
FASHIONCLASH has invited four fashion practitioners to co-develop the curatorial concept for a multimedia exhibition that will be presented at Bureau Europa during the festival in November.

The project kicked off with a four-day residency in Maastricht from 14 to 17 April 2026. During the residency, participants collaborated with the FASHIONCLASH team to explore new ways of curating, presenting, and contextualizing fashion. The ongoing process includes research, concept development, artist selection, and hands-on curatorial work. The project explores future fashion narratives, encourages polyphonic storytelling, and provides a platform for new voices in the field.

From this collaboration, a curatorial concept will emerge that will be translated into an open call for makers for the New Fashion Narratives exhibition. This open call will launch on 18 May.

The CLASH House
In 2026, the CLASH House trajectory is reframed towards a more hands-on and selective development process. The journey begins with a Bootcamp for 25 selected participants, taking place in Maastricht on 12 May 2026. During this one-day programme, participants engage in sessions on fashion performance, dramaturgy, storytelling, and presentation formats.

After the Bootcamp, participants are invited to submit a concept application for a performative idea. From this group, 10 participants will be selected to enter the full CLASH House trajectory and develop their work towards presentation during the festival.

These 10 selected participants receive an extensive coaching trajectory, including online sessions, an in-person Development Day in Maastricht, technical production meetings, and close collaboration with the FASHIONCLASH team and young theatre makers. Each participant is supported in shaping an interdisciplinary performance in dialogue with movement, theatre, and production practices.

The trajectory culminates in live presentations on Saturday 14 November 2026 during FASHIONCLASH Festival 2026. Each performance has a maximum duration of 5 minutes and may be followed by a short on-stage conversation. A professional jury will award one of the participants the Meester Koetsier Talent Award (€2.500).

Fashion Film Project – Bootcamp and Pitch
This educational and collaborative program is designed for early-career makers to explore fashion film. Following a one-day Bootcamp in Amsterdam earlier this year, participants formed teams and pitched short film concepts.

Two chosen teams received a production budget of €5500 and professional guidance to realize their film. The completed films will premiere at the festival and be submitted to international fashion film festivals throughout 2027. Experience in filmmaking was not required; motivation and collaboration were key selection criteria.

FASHIONCLASH x Amarte
In collaboration with the x Amarte Fund, this open call supports three duos of artists and fashion makers. The project focuses on artists from disciplines not commonly linked to fashion, such as music, literature, immersive art, or public space.

The outcomes are currently in development and will be presented during the festival. Formats range from installations and performances to interactive works. The project encourages new interdisciplinary collaborations and meaningful audience engagement.

Fashion Film Program
FASHIONCLASH has invited filmmakers, designers, and artists from around the world to submit short fashion films for screening at the festival. Around 35 films will be selected for screening during FASHIONCLASH Festival 2026.

Five of these films will be nominated for the FASHIONCLASH Fashion Film Award. In addition, media partner KALTBLUT Magazine will select its favorite film for online publication.