A Shaded View on HAPPY

This review of Arnhem Mode Biennale 2007 captures the vision of curators Piet Paris and JOFF as seen through the shaded glasses of fashion blogger Diane Pernet.

Close your eyes and imagine yourself walking through an enchanted paradise where butterflies follow you around as if you were a character from the pages of a Gabriel Garcia Marquez novel. Like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz you are guided through your fashion fantasy by a path covered in a myriad of different materials and textures. Welcome to the world of Happy Fashion! A review on this joyful ordeal:

This fairytale-like fashion experience began at the Museum of Modern Art Arnhem. Set up as a fashion theme park, the exhibition’s aim was to tap into your deepest emotions and to transport you into the land of Happiness. There was no hierarchy or distinction between established designers and emerging talents; among the garlands of rainbow coloured flowers space was shared equally.

“Happy, for me, is anything magical that can amaze you or that makes you feel euphoric,” explained co-curator JOFF. Piet Paris cited his happy childhood. “When I was a young boy, I fell in love with fashion and ever since that time it has been the basis for happiness in life.”

When Piet Paris and JOFF put the list of participating designers together, they noticed that all of the designers they chose had a very positive way of working. Some designers expressed this in bright colours and big silhouettes, while others created magical prints or worked with fairy tale themes. The selection included amongst others: Bernhard Willhelm, Cathy Pill, Henrik Vibskov, threeASFOUR, Cassette Playa, Gareth Pugh, John Galliano and ...and beyond. “This made us decide that we wanted to focus on the emotions involved in fashion and the aesthetics of beauty,” explained Piet Paris.

The museum struck a balance between two opposites: serene aesthetics on the one hand and super kitsch on the other, while the sound of music boxes filled the air. Eye catchers were three dresses designed by John Galliano, which were surrounded by fountains and big amounts of roses in all colours of the rainbow. There was even a chance of being kissed by a butterfly. A beautiful butterfly pavilion housed the work of Sandra Backlund, Lanvin, Rodarte, Cathy Pill, KIND, Viktor & Rolf and Maison Martin Margiela. All designers who exhibited in the Museum were asked to consider what it would be like to have their garments reside amongst the butterflies for one entire month.

JOFF compares butterflies to fashion as something magical. He explains this as butterflies being temporary, but when they appear they are beautiful, enchanting almost. However, the butterfly lives no longer than several days to a few months, which is the exact lifespan that is often assigned to fashion.

Downhill from the Museum of Modern Art, across the river, laid the beating heart of this biennale; a former factory called De Steenfabriek. Arnhem Mode Biennale concentrates on the art of fashion and believes this is not solely expressed in clothes but in a big variety of media, such as video, illustration, music, poetry, and performance art. In De Steenfabriek, the different approaches and forms that together represent the future world of fashion manifested themselves. Designers exhibiting here were asked to create a space that represented their own fashion paradise infused with the emotion that we identified as ‘happy’.

The festival could be described fashion stroll. In fashion, walking is quickly associated with the catwalk. A subtle twist to the catwalk tradition was made with the changing substance and material of the floor correlating with what was on show. On route you encountered washing powder, a mirrored floor, a floor covered in mattresses, another in birdseed and finally a sugar floor. In some the floors were designed to match the clothes and in others the floors came first. threeASFOUR developed something special for the mirrored floor. Matthew Ames created a collection to suit his mattress landscape. Cassette Playa unveiled a surprise… The installations invited visitors to take a close look at the garments and granted a peek into the world of the creative mind. The journey that paid respect to the power of sincere emotion ended with a rainbow of dresses by different Dutch designers. Located beyond the rainbow was a 4,000 square meter space where the catwalk shows took place and which housed a fashion shop.

In addition to the main exhibition there was a city programme that included photography and performance art as well as a Capricious exhibition in the Center for Fine Arts. Furthermore, Arnhem Mode Biennale simultaneously linked up with international commerce by means of an exclusive Arnhem Mode Biennale Collection. Nine designers who participated in the exhibition were asked to design a signature piece. During the month of June the Arnhem Mode Biennale Collection was sold in Pineal Eye in London, Colette in Paris, Opening Ceremony in New York and Jones for Arnhem Mode Biennale in Arnhem. This collection not only promoted the individual designers as well as the biennale, but also created a link between Arnhem and some of fashion’s key international selling points.

Welcome to the world of Happy fashion!

In this exquisitely curated fantasy, one found beauty, humor and most importantly Happiness,

Diane Pernet

Visit Diane Pernet’s website A Shaded View on Fashion