TEAM TILBURG
Next up is Team Tilburg! Under the lead of Iris Ruisch (M-ODE), designers Katja Ravina, Jessica van Halteren, Laura Luchtman, Marionella Hanley and Gabriel Fontana will take a closer look at the city of Tilburg.
The city is known for its industrial nature and rich textile history – no wonder the Textiel Museum is based there! However, in North Tilburg 43,5% of youngsters have a low level of education and 21,4% of households earn the minimum income. With 160 nationalities, the city is rich in culture, ethnicities and identity. By focusing on offering new perspectives through identity building and participation, the city aims to reach eudaimonic wellbeing and ultimately keeping the youth away from the criminal path. During the next few months, Team Tilburg will research how fashion design can contribute to more happiness, welfare and prosperity with a social focus on creating inclusive encounters and stimulating ownership.
MARIONELLA HANLEY
Marionella Hanley is a unisex fashion designer with a mission. She raises social awareness by addressing the topics of equality, ecological responsibility and a need for improved education – accessible by everyone. In 2019 she won the fashion fest competition by MAFB: a multidisciplinary competition with a special focus on storytelling and creating a more inclusive future for the fashion industry.
JESSICA VAN HALTEREN
Jessica van Halteren is the initiator of the Mulas Hybrid Haus; a hybrid design studio where multidisciplinary design visions are blended with conceptual collaborations and in turn translated into tangible projects. Van Halteren aims to shape a new perspective on fashion by taking a critical stance towards the current fashion industry. Rather than continuously producing new goods from scratch, she recycles existing products. Her mission? To spread her vision; how fashion can be beautiful but also something we should be critical about.
GABRIEL FONTANA
Gabriel Fontana is a ‘social designer’; he designs strategies and innovative tools that enhance social inclusion and empower minorities within educational and cultural institutions. Fontana thus operates at the intersection of design and sociology and uses fashion as a tool for social change and to foster new value systems. His work has been awarded with multiple design prizes (Rotterdam New Talent Award 2018, Paris Design Forum 2019) and diverse design grants (Stimuleringsfonds, CityLab10 and CBK Rotterdam).
KATJA RAVINA
Katja Ravina is keen on returning to tradition and craftsmanship in fashion; no artificial intelligence, computerized production or exploitation. Rather, we need good-old manual labor, reinvented crafts, slow-pace and meditative production. Katja believes everyone can create beautiful objects and become an independent creator; it’s a matter of motivation, focus and discipline. She motivates creators to work with their hands, as it will improve the bond between the creator and the creation.
LAURA LUCHTMAN
Laura Luchtman is the owner of Kukka; a textile and surface design studio with a focus on experimental colour and material research. The studio designs tailor made prints and patterns as well as initiates experimental research. Through her thought-provoking approach towards textile design, colour, production and consumption Kukka aspires to change our perception and to open possibilities for a more conscious industry.
IRIS RUISCH
Iris Ruisch is the Managing Director of M-ODE and coaches team Tilburg. Throughout her entire career – she has worked for Viktor & Rolf, and HTNK, Amsterdam Fashion Week among others – she has focused on scouting and developing talented fashion designers. Her work is both cross-disciplinary and cross-sectoral and embraces an inclusive and social drive to offer both cultural value and an entrepreneurial foundation.