La Cambre
École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Visuels in Brussels has a
formidable fashion course that is still a relatively stable secret when
compared with its more famous country counterpart at the Antwerp Royal
Academy. However, this school's alumni includes the likes of Olivier
Theyskens and Cathy Pill and its graduates have gone onto hold first
assistant and studio director positions at Maison Martin Margiela, Raf
Simons, Lanvin and Chanel to name but a few. It has also been scooping
up prize after prize at competitions like the Hyeres Festival of
Fashion and Photography.
Therefore, at the student show of La
Cambre Mode 2008, at Brussels last weekend, there was definitely a
feeling that the students were being scouted for future internships and
job opportunities and that people were taking note of specific names to
remember. The jury, assembled to judge the fourth and final year
collections, was also a formidable one. Jean Paul Gaultier presided the
jury and that in itself attracted a great deal of press attention, and
the likes of Isabelle Aout, studio director of Maison Martin Margiela
and Lucas Ossendrijver, head designer of Lanvin Homme were also present
as jury members.
With a five year intensive fashion course that
Tony Delcampe, the director of the fashion department has developed,
the first two years is spent concentrating on volume, colours, fabrics
and techniques which will then inform students and guide them to
creating their own collections in the last three years of the course.
"Our aim is to help students to get all this into their heads. When
they will be making trousers in fifth year, they will know where to
draw ideas from, because they acquired this vocabulary like learning
how to speak and write. Nevertheless, they will use it in their own
personal way. Of course, they will have their own references." says
Delcampe.
On the catwalk, every student from each year got to
show their work but it was obviously the fourth and fifth years'
collections which were the most anticipated. In the fourth year,
Caroline Hiernaux stood out with her mint and peach collection inspired
by David Bowie-style androgyny and mixed men and women's sizing in the
tailored jackets which were then stripped down to skintight mesh
bodies. Lea Peckre showed exceptional technical ability in her
collection that was brought about by the architecture of cathedrals and
ecclesiastical uniforms and presented linear graphic prints. A cultural
mix of Japanese, central Africa and European was cleverly executed by
Mansour Badjoko Wa Lileko in his menswear collection that featured
floral skinny trousers mixed with rope jewellery. Sarah de Grunne
focused on 80s' shoulders and 30s' jewellery and fused sportswear with
decorative embellishment.
In the final year, Roxane Baines took
duty free shopping and the associated logos to create a wardrobe for
the working girl who travels a lot and sees a lot of airports. Julie
Dekegeleer saw a female body building show and used the natural muscle
lines in the body to guide her collection that included plastic outer
jackets and neck braces and bodysuits with raised shoulders.
(all images taken by Pierre Debusschere)
Find out more about the history of the fashion department of La Cambre in the book 'La Cambre Modes: 1986-2006'