During the same days of Fashion Week by Berns in Stockholm, Beckmans College of Design is running an exhibition with 12 fashion students creating visionary concepts of 3-4 outfits with an ambition to add something new to the fashion system. In conjunction with the third-year students from the Advertising and Graphic Design department, all together have created not only the concept of the exhibition but also have turned each piece into a film.

The approach from Beckmans is quite brilliant since the opportunity is great to get their pupils closer to the end-consumer but also different departments can put things together. The creative umbrella goes around an state-of-mind out of prejudices or linked to any guidelines or marketing strategies “In a perfect world…” Well, a challenge for both departments in the College to revise current framework within the business.

12 pieces with each ad-hoc film to dive into the boundaries between the coexistence of the fashion design and the communication field. All the titles are an extension to the main one. We grab some examples.

“In a perfect world…fashion cast spells” it is a piece created by the fashion design student Erik Annerborn and art director students Kian Zubicky and Phillipe Tempelman.

For them movement comes first. Same couple of art direction students have done with the fashion designer student Heidi Nilausen “In a perfect world…There´s just us”. It is an epic piece that poetically appeals to certain subculture aesthetics.

Art direction students Elena Becker and Lisa Nyman with a fashion design work of Klara Sjons Nilsson “In a perfect world…imagination adds a new dimension”, it is an interesting exercise about how fashion design is created in 3 dimensions but presented by the 2 dimensional world of media.

Annika Berner is the tutor responsible of the Advertising and Graphic Design department – “the aim of this course is to add a personal statement to the existing fashion system. The course started with lecturers and workshops in fashion and communication. Different groups was responsible for different parts, some of the exhibition, some of the overarching concept, some of the website, some of the press and the opening day. The second briefing was to make a fashion film.”

A short description about the process from the beginning.

Some fashion students were aware of their concepts more quickly and perhaps more clearly and then it was easier for the advertising students from the start, in some cases they collaborated and exchanged ideas a lot. The fashion students had to be ready with an outfit for the film production rather early, as some make their own materials and prints they had to work hard. So it’s a major logistical task.
I will also say that we are very grateful to the industry in Stockholm, which enable us to implement this kinds of projects to a high standard since it would be impossible unless suppliers and other creators, as for example in the film industry sponsor the projects.

Are you satisfied with the result?

A project with so much people and ideas and groups to work together, I think all the students have handled it very well. In some projects it may be difficult to get students to understand that there are journalists, bloggers and others who want to know the back story in detail. They may sometimes feel that “the work speaks for itself”.

How could you describe your role within the campaign?

The campaign is based on the students ideas, my role is to inspire and to guide them to get a bigger understanding in communication and help them in developing their ideas to communication concepts and visualize the concepts in different media. I create the setting, the brief and the course content and together with other creative professionals take the students step by step. It is extremely important that they learn to develop their own ideas.

What is your opinion about the current marketing strategies into the fashion industry?

Fashion has ceilings over the role as a cultural center point previously held by the music business. In combination with a changing media landscape, the world of fashion has become a territory bringing people together. It has become a global entertainment. I think that the brands that succeeded now have a big understanding of their costumers and how to interact with them. Since interest and exposure of fashion in the media has increased, the fashion houses had to rethink their strategies.

The exhibition is an initiative of Beckmans in collaboration with the PUB Department Store. PUB is a establish institution that has been renovated in 2007, a fresh up 3 floor building with some of the most exciting proposals in town.

In a perfect world…
Date: January 28th – February 7th, 2010
Place: PUB Department Store
Address: Hötorget, SE Stockholm
https:/www.beckmans.se