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Rains over Babel 
Film Jessie Beurskens 04/11/2025 Film Jessie Beurskens 04/11/2025

Rains over Babel 

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THIS WAS FASHIONCLASH FESTIVAL 2025!

From 14 to 16 November 2025, FASHIONCLASH Festival returned for its 17th edition. Taking place at several locations throughout Maastricht, this international and multidisciplinary fashion festival provided a stage for a new generation of designers, artists, and performers from the Netherlands and over 25 countries worldwide.

Over the course of three days, visitors immersed themselves in a thought-provoking programme filled with performances, exhibitions, films, workshops, talks, and participation projects. With programme components such as The CLASH House(fashion performance showcase at ENCI), the New Fashion Narrativesexhibition at Bureau Europa, the Fashion Film Program& Awards at Lumière Cinema, the participatory program Fashion Makes Senseat Centre Céramique, and many more events across Maastricht, the festival presented a multifaceted and inclusive perspective on contemporary fashion culture.

SAVE THE DATE FOR 18TH EDITION!
13 –15 November 2026

From Choir to Choir

The 17th edition of FASHIONCLASH Festival began and ended with the power of collective voices. On Friday, November 14th, the opening featured EAR to EAR—a choir that embodies intuitive listening and shared breath. Three days later, on Sunday, November 16th, the festival closed with Mounira Al Solh & Oasis One World Choir, whose voices carry stories of memory, migration, and hope. These two performances framed the festival's exploration of connection, creativity, and our shared humanity.

Friday, November 14: Opening Night

Festival kicked off with the opening of the New Fashion Narratives exhibition at Bureau Europa, featuring a touching performance by Júlia Galarza Arévalo, an interdisciplinary artist based in Maastricht. Through EAR to EAR, she presented what real and honest connection sounds like. This choir doesn't simply perform; it listens, moves, and breathes as one living body. Through intuition and collective listening, they allowed sound and movement to emerge naturally—reminding us that when we truly listen to one another, something beautiful and unrehearsed can arise. EAR to EAR is the sound of people becoming one resonant body.

The evening continued at Lumière Cinema with the Fashion Film Program Awardshowcase and the premiere of two new fashion films produced by FASHIONCLASH. An international jury comprising Adriano Batista, Marcel Schlutt, Kateřina Hynková, and Elie Inoue presented the FASHIONCLASH Festival 2025 Fashion Film Awardto "Do I?" Salt Murphy Fashion Film directed by James Nolan. "Do I?"interrogates modern love against the symbolic backdrop of a wedding day, contrasting the yearning for stability with the pull of uncertainty through both couture bridal looks and elevated guest attire.

The Feminine Urge directed by Lilian Brade, Phuong A Phi, and Niclas Hasemann won the Kaltblut Magazine Award.The filmexplores female rage and the monstrous feminine as a physical, aesthetic, and mythological experience. Through a poetic montage of body politics and rebellion, fabrics and gestures become a language of feminist horror sensibility that resists clear interpretation.The jury also announced two honorable mentions to Circle directed by Ferhat Ertanand Motherfocking Art directed by Marloes IJpelaar / Club Lam.

The festive opening night continued at the Sphinxkwartier at The Social Hub with the ESSENCEshowcase curated by Marlon Claessen, featuring a fashion show with designers from Brazil, followed by an opening party with music by DJ Kirakira and the Class of 2025 showcase.

ESSENCE Showcase featuring Brazilian Designers

Thear, an independent fashion brand from Goiás created by designer Theodora Alexandre, presented 'ÂNIMA'—a collection celebrating vital breath, roots, and memories. Deeply rooted in Brazilian culture and the Cerrado biome, each handwoven piece features cotton tulle, crochet, macramé, and Cerrado masks crafted from fibers, roots, seeds, and dried flowers.Reis Romeiro, a Bahian fashion designer of Pankararé Indigenous ancestry and founder of Reis Zen, showcased garments inspired by Brazilian art, culture, and ancestry. His designs celebrate Brazil's cultural richness and amplify Indigenous memory through contemporary fashion. Kistaku, an independent artistic fashion project by creator Jaira rooted in Circular Culture, presented 'CARROUSEL'—a theatrical collection tracing an emotional journey from vulnerability to empowerment through exclusive, one-of-a-kind upcycled creations handcrafted in Asnières-sur-Seine (Paris region).Jenny Monteiro, founder of JMonteiro Milano, showcased her Red Carpet and Prêt-à-Porter creations. Her work has been presented during Milan Fashion Week and featured in Vogue, Elle, L'Officiel, and Vanity Fair.

New Fashion Narratives –Collective Movements

@Bureau Europa | 14, 15, 16 November

For this year’s exhibition program, FASHIONCLASHinvited four fashion makers to collaboratively develop the curatorial concept for New Fashion Narrativesat Bureau Europa. Earlier this year, they took part in a residency week in Maastricht, which led to the creation of this year’s curatorial framework. The exhibition, titled Collective Movements, is curated by Jonas Zitter, Paula Dischinger, Rafael Kouto, and Tjerre Lucas Bijker, and explores how fashion can act as a tool for connection, resistance, and collective action —operating at the intersection of fashion design, activism, and communal practice. The curators aim to present works that transcend dominant systems by embracing cultural rituals, shared knowledge, and collaboration.

This vision came to life through projects that prioritized co-creation and community engagement. Alessandro Santi & Brankica Sanadrovic presented The Memory of Skin, using participatory body casting sessions and living SCOBY materials to reflect the interdependence between microbial cultures and human relationships. mare mito showcased A Sewing Machine of One's Own, developed with women from a social sewing workshop in Naples, celebrating garments inherited from grandmothers and empowered by generations of women. CIMO from Croatia displayed an archive of over 100 embroidered pieces created in therapeutic workshops with asylum seekers, Ukrainian refugees, and elderly locals, reflecting the overlooked labor of women's handcrafts.

Cultural resistance and activism manifested through Mariia Pavlyk'sSpero, connecting Ukrainian Tripillia–Cucuteni symbolism with traditional Hutsul weaving techniques, and Kantamanto Social Club, which presented upcycling activations in collaboration with communities across Ghana, Canada, Egypt, and India. Zélig Davoult, a graduate from the Institut Français de la Mode, presented 'VIENDRA LE TEMPS DU FEU'("The Time of Fire Will Come"), reinterpreting workwear, tailoring, and sportswear into garments carrying political and social meaning. The collection frames the street as a stage of protest, tension, and resistance, merging authority uniforms with militant iconography to create garments oscillating between protection, disappearance, and defiance.

The Platform transformed a garden fence into monumental angel wings displaying a collaborative collection by eight designers, while G(end)er Swap invited participants to hack the binary through DIY customization, centering textiles as tools for self-expression and resistance. Manon Dufaupresented 'The Nipple and The Pansy', a collection made to fit transgender men and AFAB people while referencing queer iconography through prints and shapes. Co-created with transgender participants from concept to photoshoot, it celebrates inclusivity and provides garments accommodating diverse bodies. Maizie, a Dutch-Curaçaoan fashion designer, showcased 'Tutti Frutti', an unapologetic celebration of lesbian identity and sexuality, drawing from iconic symbols in lesbian culture like carabiners and U-hauling to create tools of connection through fruity feminine colors, unconventional silhouettes, and glistening rhinestones.

The exhibition also featured interactive works that challenged conventional fashion systems: Kim Gemmink's In The Corners Of A Circle offered a collection without defined looks, Giada Lou Hammel's DREIHUT critiqued smartphone culture through collective movement, and Hannah Smith'sThe Gentle Frame explored disability through wearable art. Fiona Elisa Carnuccio presented 'FIOSK', a mobile repair and re-design platform inviting people to engage with clothing through mending, upcycling, and conversations about care, value, and sustainability—turning textile repair into a shared creative act and soft form of resistance against fast fashion. Karl Joonas Alamaa & Lisette Sivarddocumented the 125-kilometer performative fashion show MANIA GRANDIOSA, questioning fashion's obsession with novelty. SWARM MAG, a non-profit cultural magazine focused on Central and Eastern Europe's art scene, shaped its manifesto into a physical object while spotlighting a curated online scene supporting artists and voices aligned with its mission. Through these diverse practices, Collective Movements demonstrated fashion's potential as a radical tool for building community, preserving memory, and imagining alternative future.

New Fashion Narratives participants: Alia Mascia, Alessandro Santi & Brankica Sanadrovic, Anita Ferrara, ii by Mariia Pavlyk, Kantamanto Social Club, CIMO –Center for Research of Fashion and Clothing, Elfje, Maizie, Karl Joonas Alamaa & Lisette Sivard, Fiona Elisa Carnuccio, mare mito, Margarida Coelho, Júlia Galarza Arévalo, Manon Dufau, Hannah Smith, Giada Lou Hammel, G(end)er Swap, Kim Gemmink, SWARM MAG, The Platform, ZELIGHD, XEROXED.

The CLASH House

@ ENCI Maastricht | Saturday 15 November

This edition of The CLASH House took place in the Peutz Hall on the ENCI site in Maastricht. The CLASH House serves as a showcase and development platform for designers working across fashion and performance disciplines. Through a creative coaching trajectory led by theatre-maker Nadîja Roza Broekhartand choreographer Laisvie Andrea Ochoa,and under the direction of Giovanni Brand,the designers exploredalternative ways of making and presenting fashion.

Programme & Participants:

•ULTRA-ORA –Après Nous: a post-flood society of new social classes —Distributors, Wetlanders, La CEOrenissima —where clothing reflects hidden agendas and adaptation.
•Rakee Chen –Melody Atlas: an emotional journey through human life expressed via music-generated garments and movement.
•POViS: a poetic interpretation of a Litehuanian riddle, exploring the tension between forging one’s own path and the desire for traditional recognition.
•Thibault Villard & Maxence Guenin –untitled (bassline II): a raw exploration combining textile research with handmade sound systems —a pop poem celebrating imperfection.
• EMIRHAKIN × David Siepman –Once it’s a memory, it’s too late.: a sensory performance navigating the architecture of breath, memory, and desire —a choreography of what cannot be spoken, unfolding through residue, leakage, and the refusal of closure.
•CLASHLAB –Lioba Benold, Shu Jantje & Jelle Huizinga: a daring meeting of three disciplines —fashion, dance, and music.

CLASHLAB is a creative laboratory where emerging makers collaborate intensively to create a ten-minute performance born from intuition, experimentation, and cross-pollination.CLASHLAB is a new interdisciplinary residency programme initiated by Musica Sacra, Nederlandse Dansdagen, Limburgs Museum, FASHIONCLASH, SALLY, and Via Zuid, offering space for experiment, encounter, and artistic growth.

Fashion Film Program

@ Lumière Cinema | 14 –16 November

The Fashion Film Programat Lumière Cinema celebrates designers and filmmakers experimenting with the short fashion-film format. Featuring a selection of 36 films from around the world, it offers a rich and diverse panorama of perspectives, disciplines, and narratives.

On Thursday 13 November, FASHIONCLASH and Lumière Cinema co-presentedthe screening of Rains over Babel. On Friday evening, the six finalists wererevealed, followed by the presentation of the FASHIONCLASH Festival 2025 Fashion Film Awardand the Kaltblut Magazine Award.

Two FASHIONCLASH-produced films will also premiere during the festival: The Sneezeand HANGMAN& CO., both developed within the Fashion Film Development Program.

The Sneeze by Yala Claessens, Vera van Nuenen & Bent Lochtenberg, offers a relatable portrayal of taking up space, transformation, and queer joy, where mounting discomfort culminates in a sneeze so powerful it propels the protagonist into completely unknown territory. HANGMAN & CO.by Birsu Tamer, Hedzer Seffinga, & Matti Paffen celebrates analog labor through a recently retired house painter who finds himself lost without his stained uniform. As he struggles with clean, crisp retirement clothes, his workwear comes alive in protest, leading him to reclaim the quiet dignity in the art of labor.

The 36 participating filmmakers represent a truly international selection, including creators from Italy, Russia, Spain, France, the Netherlands, Turkey, China, Lebanon, the United States, Japan, South Korea, and beyond. Together, they demonstrate that fashion film has evolved far beyond promotional content to become a legitimate art form—one that tackles pressing social issues, explores identity and transformation, challenges gender norms, and questions our relationship with both physical and digital realities.

Participants Fashion Film Program:Alice Gatti & Diego Indraccolo, Andrew Krechetov, Sergio Palacio Monreal, Aidan AMORE & Joseph Nicholas & EVERETT REDGUN, Gwladys Gambie, Tyra Galieva, Lisaly Belcastro, Céline Ruault, Femke Hemelaar, Gönül Yigit, Rhandy van Duin, Claire Tsumura, Sem Oueslati, Sem Oueslati, Gina Siliquini, Ferhat Ertan, Lilian Brade & Phuong An Phi & Niclas Hasemann, Lei Jiang, Hadi Moussally, Elizabeth Haust, June Seo, Julez Brandes & Matthew S. Krivolapov, Julia de Beer, Caspar Heijnneman & Daan Sanders, Marloes IJpelaar/ Club Lam, Debora Brune & Jánik von Wilmsdorff, Zhaodong Zeng, James Nolan, Kasumi Hiraoka, Megan van Engelen, Paola Nerilli, Olga Lunina & Anna Rakhvalova, Pandemonia, Wwenen Lusa, Yijia mao.

Amarte × FASHIONCLASH

@ Jan van Eyck Academie | 14 –16 November

Once again, the Amarte Fundand FASHIONCLASH join forces to offer artists from different disciplines the opportunity to experiment with fashion and present new work. From an open call, three artists were selected and paired with fashion designers to collaboratively develop and present new creations.Discover three new installations / performances where fashion clashes with poetry, classical music and performance art. All three collaborations presented their outcomes as installations at Jan van Eyck Academy, activated through live performances. EMIRHAKIN × David Siepmanalso participated in The Clash House showcase.

EMIRHAKIN × David Siepmanpresented 'Once it's a memory, it's too late', a work that moves through the architecture of breath and denial, unfolding the erotics of nostalgia through leakage, residue, and the refusal of closure. Memory edges toward form but never arrives—it swells, flickers, withholds. The body, under pressure, does not break but contours, absorbs, and distorts, organizing itself around latency: tension without release, sensation without clarity.

Merel van Slobbe × David Paulusexplored contradiction through 'CONTRAST', a multidisciplinary installation examining how contrast and transformation manifest through image, body, and sound. The work unfolds as a dialogue where intimate audio fragments meet physical objects, inviting reflection on the contradictions that exist within yourself and in relation to others—not as a finished story, but as an open invitation to embody, listen to, and celebrate tension and change.

Natálie Kulina × Alyne Licreated 'Numina', a performative installation that allows visitors to step into an unfamiliar world, exploring themes of alienation, boundaries, and intercultural and interpersonal dialogue. Encounters with a being inhabiting the installation space provoke questions: Should our worlds be left separate, sacred, and untouched, or should we try to find a common language? Do we give in to curiosity? How entitled do we feel to others' spaces, cultures, and traditions? 'Numina' challenges visitors to wonder about the meaning of collectivity in experiencing and making art.

Fashion Makes Sense –Participan Programme

@ Centre Céramique | 14 –16 November

Fashion Makes Senseis FASHIONCLASH’s ongoing participatory program dedicated to social design, inclusion, and education. With thisinitiative FASHIONCLASH connects professionals and non-professionals —especially young people —in collaborative creative processes.

The exhibition on the third floor of Centre Céramique presents results from several participatory projects, including Mensen Dragen Mensen(People Carrying People)developed with Noah Jansenand partners for Heiligdomsvaart Maastricht. Over 100 participants —aged 3 to 70 + —co-created costumes, banners, and objects made from recycled textiles collected via Rd4 Reinigingsdiensten.

The documentary, created by Sem Dumont (Opulence Films), about the project premiered during the festival.Also featured: presentations by Ecopolitan Magazine, Kunstbende Fashionwinner Tara Smit, and students from AMFI’s Hypercraft Program, developed in collaboration with FASHIONCLASH. Upcycling workshops will take place throughout the weekend, and on Sunday 16 November the Fashion Makes Sense Talk, moderated by Carmen Hogg, brings together participating designers and artists(Yala Claessens, Arva Bustin, Laisy de Andrade Rodrigues en Wievien Albert.

Class of 2025 + ESSENCE Exhibition

@ The Social Hub Maastricht | 14, 15, 16 November

This year, FASHIONCLASH xThe Social Hub Maastrichthost 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 2025presented 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 makersis 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 AirMountainpresented 'ALOHA Wijk aan Zee', recycling beach materials—trash, wood, wetsuits, denim—into layered garments celebrating coastal life while addressing environmental waste. Maideexplored Dutch-Turkish heritage through 'Gurbet', translating traditional basket weaving learned from Turkish artisans into contemporary minimalist garments. Zhenyi Zhoure imagined Chinese folklore through "Gu Spirit –Post-Human Witchcraft", creating sculptural garments merging 3D-printed bones, silicone, and reclaimed textiles. Karolina Wójtowiczcreated 'POLISH YOUR GEAR'in latex and motorcycle gear, exploring immigrant identity through a character caught between Polish heritage and contemporary life. Claire Sillekenspresented '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 Romkenspresented 'LOUD & LIMITLESS', stage wear translating music's energy into bold garments through spray paint, patchwork, and embroidery. Babs Groote Schaarsbergdisplayed 'Een Ode Aan', wearable sculptures honoring traditional Salland attire with mechanical elements that invite curiosity. Larissade Jager presented 'Redress Is Rising', upcycled costumes with distorted volumes addressing body positivity and retail sizing limitations.

In parallel, Marlon Claessencurated 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.

Class of 2025
Participants: Andra Blažģe, Babs Groote Schaarsberg, Claire Sillekens, Jamie AirMountain, Larissa de Jager, MAIDE, Paco Teepe, Studio Jessie,Karolina Wójtowicz, Zhenyi Zhou aka ApriscillaValerie Ludwig, Jeroen Bik.

ESSENCE Participants (curated by Marlon Claessen): Jenny Monteiro, Kistaku Handmade Upcycling Fashion, Reis, Thear.

Afterparty

@ Dans-& Partycentrum Bernaards | Saturday 15 November

The FASHIONCLASH Festival Afterpartyis more than a celebration —it is an interdisciplinary, co-creative platform for community, expression, and togetherness. For this edition, FASHIONCLASH collaboratedwith Yorvique Macaay, Neele Kamerbeek, Laisy de Andrade Rodrigues, and designer Jessie Romkens,who together craft an unforgettable night of music, fashion, performance, and visual art. Dress code was blue.Prior to the event, co-creation workshops focused on fashion-making, movement, and voice were organized; the outcomes were presented during the Afterparty.

WE STAND TOGETHER IN POWER—The Afterparty celebrates unity, empowerment, and visibility. By standing authentically as individuals while joining collectively, we amplify one another’s voices. Through music, dance, performance, and fashion, we create a space of freedom, energy, andconnection —a living community of inspiration. –Yorvique, Neele & Laisy.

Bonnefanten Museum Live-Performance Mounira Al Solh & Oasis One World Choir |

Saturday 16 November

The festival closed on Sunday with a live performance by Mounira Al Solh & Oasis One World Choir—a relevant and moving display of humanity. From Bonnefanten museum staircase, voices and rhythms filled the space, guiding audiences through the museum to the installation 'A Night Hour, as Long as Night'. The Oasis One World Choir, founded in 2015, brings together people who have fled to the United Kingdom along with members of the local community, creating a safe space where participants can express themselves through music, song, and movement—regardless of background or language.The journey culminatedat the installation A Night Hour, as Long as Night, part of the acclaimed exhibition A Land as Big as Her Skin. At its heart stands an impressive embroidered Bedouin tent, surrounded by portraits and stories that resonate with memory and imagination.

And there’s more!

14 - 16 November

Beyond the main festival venues, FASHIONCLASH invited visitors to discover fashion across Maastricht through exhibitions, installations, and workshops at various locations throughout the city.At Juunam, visitors could discover work by Het Stort, Studio Wievien, and RE-RARDE.At S.A.C / Space for Art & Culturein Rechtstraat, Esra Çöpürpresented Everything I Touch Turns Into Me, an exhibition where installations, garments, and image transfers on wood merge into a visual landscape of identity and culture. Born and raised in Amsterdam with Turkish roots, Esra explores how intuition and creativity shape identity through patterns and materials. Her research began with dress practices within Dutch-Turkish communities compared with traditional clothing from rural Turkish villages, reimagining techniques such as İğne Oyası lace and knotting to reveal how migration and context shape ways of dressing.Limestone Booksspotlighted a selection of independent fashion publications.At Het Werkgebouw, visitors could meet Maastricht-based designers and participate in workshops by gescher + brosky, Kristy Bujanić, and Sophie van Dooren.At Townhouse Design Hotel, innovative and sustainable designers Jef Montes, Studio Wolfs, and KINKLEIDpresented their work. On Saturday, November 15th at 16:00, a Designer Talk moderated by journalist Nora Veermanbrought these makers into conversation.

SAVE THE DATE FOR 18TH EDITION!

13 –15 November 2026

FASHIONCLASH
Batterijstraat 48
6211 SJ Maastricht (NL)
info@fashionclash.nl

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