Défilé HEAD 2024 // Collection « A Bride’s Rebirth » de Yabin Chen, Master Design Mode et Accessoires // Scénographie imaginée par les étudiant.e.x.s du Master Espace & Communication, et un univers visuel proposé par Offshore.
Geneva is known for many things but innovating in fashion is not one of its defining traits. It was a pleasant and welcomed surprise to find that the Bachelors and Masters fashion design programs at HEAD Genève produced such a vast variety of budding young designers, proving that casting a wider net when it comes to discovering new talent is a necessity.
The university’s annual graduate runway show was a large production with 2000 guests. Each designer had a distinct source of inspiration and sartorial identity, such as a student who used her collection to revive the age-old tradition of knitwear. She worked with artisans to produce a youthful and contemporary wool collection that meshed ancient practices with a modern and minimalist eye. Tailoring was particularly strong in menswear, with silhouettes ranging from lacy and feminine to sporty and sculptural.
Défilé HEAD 2024 // Collection « [InProcess] » d’Alan Clerc, Master Design Mode et Accessoires // Lauréat du Prix La Redoute x HEAD 2024 // Scénographie imaginée par les étudiant.e.x.s du Master Espace & Communication, et un univers visuel proposé par Offshore.
HEAD tutors demonstrated such devoted consideration and care for the vision of their students, often encouraging collaboration between the different departments. It felt like a nurturing environment to develop as a designer. 2023 graduate Jeremiah, who returned this year to show his collaboration collection with La Redoute, is testament to the university’s strong fashion design program. Named “teenage business,” his collection combined the smart business look of the financiers in Geneva with the street wear aethetic he grew up with at the city’s skate park. Jeremiah’s collection was cohesive, commercial and cool. Looks like a black trooper hat and a hoodie with a built-in tie would fit perfectly into any city creative’s wardrobe from Shoreditch to Soho.
Défilé HEAD 2024 // Collection «TEENAGE BUSINESS» de Jeremy Currat, diplômé 2023 (lauréat du prix La Redoute x Head 2023), pour sa marque Jeremiah. // Scénographie imaginée par les étudiant.e.x.s du Master Espace & Communication, et un univers visuel proposé par Offshore.
And that is perhaps one of the most impressive thing about all of the students. The diversity of each collection from loose and colourful pleats to feminine and fitted vixen looks, towed the line between commerciality and creativity. The sheer calibre of talent at HEAD was consistently high across the board. From the collection prize winners and beyond, each student has a very bright future ahead of them. It’s safe to say that Geneva’s design offering is underrated and HEAD’s 2024 graduate fashion show was a confident call for the rest of Europe to take note.
photography. © HEAD – Genève, Raphaelle Mueller
words. Shama Nasinde
