There is never been any society in the world that has not had its own form of fashion. Everyone comes into contact with it, consciously or unconsciously, willingly or unwillingly. ‘Fashion’ is a multifaceted and laden concept. It is by definition excedingly topical and at the same time as old as the first people ever to clothe themselves. Fashion never exists in a vacuum. It is vilified as a fickle system and as frivolous consumer goods, yet also glorified as the ultimate means of expression. A narrow definition or perception of fashion as ‘apparel’ or a ‘commercial system’ detracts from its complex dynamics and its enormous artistic potential. Fashion is pre-eminently ambivalent and multidisciplinary. It absorbs its unique eloquence from all these fields of tension.

A multifaceted artistic practice

The fashion programme at KASK & Conservatorium very consciously chooses to approach fashion as a multifaceted artistic practice. The goal is not to train students to be designers in the service of an existing system, but to challenge and invite them to develop their own idiosyncratic artistic practice, in which the boundaries of the medium are constantly being explored, questioned and, above all, shifted. The student’s own individual engagement and profound commitment to their practice is far more important than following any of fashion’s more well-trodden paths.

The studios are the heart of the training. Throughout the bachelor trajectory, in diverse projects, students investigate their relationships to the medium, to society, with its urgencies and its challenges, to the broader context, the working field, and finally, to themselves as unique visual artists. During the master programme, all of this is forged into a coherent whole, culminating in the unique signatures revealed in the master thesis projects.

Every artist or designer inevitably relies on craftsmanship, so students master the fundamentals in a number of separate subjects. Depending on the needs of their own individual practices, these are further and more deeply developed. A variety of general and specific theory subjects provide a strong frame of reference and sharpen a critical eye. Through internships, students get to know the working field, helping them decide how they want to position themselves in the field.
Personal experimentation, thinking by doing, in-depth research, reflection, and a continuous, intensive dialogue with teachers all form the basic approach. Here, the process is at least as important as the output, and that output can certainly diverge widely from what might be considered traditional in fashion, or even fashionable.