As every year, our team awarded a Press Prize to two students who have just graduated from the fashion schools in Liège: HELMo Mode and IFAPME Château Massart. An opportunity to encourage the new generation of designers to look to the future with confidence. We have rewarded Tatiana Bifouri (IFAPME) and Léo Jennes (HELMo Mode), who have delivered very committed collections that are in keeping with contemporary. The two winners of our Prize are also nominated for the Belgian Fashion Awards 2024 in the « Most promising graduate of the year » category.
Tatiana Bifouri: the sleeve effect
Committed, but above all highly personal, her collection is a tribute to women and their place in society. Inspired by historical research, her own experiences and, in particular, the difficulties that she faced when transitioning careers, this series of silhouettes presented during a fashion show perfectly embodies her vision of a warrior woman, one who is also vulnerable, tackling questions of gender and identity. This theme is presented through a universal approach, and resulted in a collection with a very couture style, with each piece being made from recycled materials or dormant fabrics (mainly from the Christian Wijnants fashion house in Belgium). Tatiana Bifouri is on the lookout for future partnerships with Belgian and international designers, brands and artists, and is now looking to establish herself as a creator of stories that combine sustainable thinking and cultural blending.
Based on a neutral palette (black, ecru, navy, putty, etc.) that underscores her message, this designer has developed three concepts (carrying a burden, the multifaceted woman and liberation) that she has declined in a range of clothes with distinct cuts. In order to symbolise the multiplicity of roles that women play, she has reworked the patterning of the sleeves. Reinforced in the different elements of the collection, they turn up on the back of a padded cotton jacket or attached to a belt. The skilfully redesigned trench coat is composed of a collar that gives way to large, cocoon-like sleeves, symbolising comfort and protection. In terms of the silhouette that symbolises carrying a burden, this takes the form of a white, transparent silk dress with a sculptural drape made from a solidified fabric.
Léo Jennes : a fresh perspective on the star system
At just 21 years old, Léo Jennes (who has chosen for his project his mother’s name, Archambeau,) became interested in the career of the painter Basquiat. When invited to consider the concept of a star system, the young graduate of HELMo Mode offers a nuanced interpretation of this theme by exploring the contradictions linked to it. Entitled ‘Royalty, Heroism and the Street’ (a nod to Basquiat’s response to his friend, collector Harry Geldzahler, when asked about the essential font of inspiration for his art), this collection is based entirely around matter. Then comes the cut, which is considered as a detail at the centre of a rebellious and uncompromising score.
Léo Jennes is fascinated by the paradox that is inherent in the character of Basquiat, who is both idol and martyr, and transposed this by evoking Louis XVI. A white shirt made from transparent voile, inspired by the one worn by the King of France on the day he was beheaded, and enhanced with the message ‘King Pleasure’ painted in rust on the back of the garment, bolsters the young stylist’s passion for taking inspiration from multiple sources and reinterpretation. The dress is made from old training clothes and takes inspiration from a classic French model. This is another tip of the hat to Basquiat, a free spirit who went from an underground street artist to the ‘King of Painting’. The jacket that accompanies the dress (the bottom of which is adorned in clothing labels) hints at the artist, who was once deemed untouchable, but whose works now appear on fast fashion items.