Young designers are not indifferent to environmental issues – this trend was perceptible during the fashion show Design Days 2019 last week. 15 collections by budding designers from Lithuania and Latvia were showed on the stage in the event organised by the Student Union of Kaunas University of Technology (KTU) Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Design.
The collections of young designers were defining new boundaries between tradition and innovation, between the new and old. On stage one could enjoy the luxurious frills, plisses next to classical shirts, fantastic retro costumes, finished with exceptional hats and strictly cut dresses or tunics decorated with geometrical patterns.
However, the main trend across the show remained sustainability and environmental protection. The young designers are caring about the future of the planet – in their collections, they are using recycled, secondary materials. In such a way the creators are provoking a discussion about the pollution of the planet and are encouraging to look for an individual style without overusing.
“Fashion industry is one of the most polluting industries on our planet. This fact inspired me to manually create a collection, which is based on recycling principle”, says one of the young designers who introduced their collection on the stage.
Design Days is not only a fashion show but also a competition. This year, the main prize was awarded to Jūratė Vaškienė from Kaunas University of Applied Sciences (Kauno Kolegija). The second place was taken by the guests from Riga Technical University Marta Cimdina and Nadina Poga, and the third place was awarded to Šarūnė Vaidelinskaitė from KTU.
Among the notorious board who was evaluating the collections was Dr Eugenijus Skerstonas, author of numerous publications on style, fashion and interior design, Irina Cybina, the main stylist of the magazine L’Officiel, designer Ieva Daugirdaitė who has just recently created a collection for Audimas and Professor Virginija Daukantienė from KTU Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Design.
This year, Design Days 2019 was organised for the 24th time. According to the organisers, although every year the main idea is different, the main purpose of the event remains the same – to provide the stage to the young artists.
More photos from Design Days 2019 – on Facebook.
