ArtEZ Arnhem graduates explore identity, memory and transformation through fashion

Graduating designers from ArtEZ University of the Arts are presenting collections that examine themes of identity, memory, transformation, spirituality, and self-expression, reflecting the increasingly conceptual direction of contemporary fashion education.

The 2026 cohort brings together emerging designers from across Europe, with collections drawing on personal histories, cultural heritage, mythology, and social experience. Several projects use fashion as a medium for storytelling, moving beyond traditional garment design to explore broader emotional and philosophical themes.

Among the designers is Dutch graduate Casper Naafs, whose collection SuperMen, SwagKnights, Young Boy Prince traces the evolution of personal style from childhood to adulthood through an eclectic mix of references ranging from luxury fashion and carnival dress to everyday clothing and self-made garments.

Cypriot designer Stasha Pigkou's collection The Great Escape explores transformation through the myth of Icarus, using asymmetrical forms and layered constructions to examine vulnerability, ambition, and the desire for renewal.

Several collections engage directly with personal and cultural memory. Ukrainian designer Sofiia Popil's Intermezzo reflects on the emotional impact of war and the role of hope as a coping mechanism, incorporating references to traditional Hutsul craftsmanship and material culture. Meanwhile, Julia Verberne's Memoria Blanca draws on memories of Nicaragua and her grandmother's wedding dress, exploring longing, displacement, and the fragility of remembrance through repeated pattern-making and reconstruction.

Other designers focus on personal transformation and spirituality. Dutch designer Luus van Steenbergen's Sacred Surface investigates the relationship between glamour and faith, using repetitive handcraft techniques as a form of ritual and reflection. Belgian designer Zaïna Timmermans' Adaptation centres on self-love and personal growth through colourful floral-inspired silhouettes and textiles.

Themes of childhood, imagination, and becoming are explored in Lizzy Isabel Voeten's Eclosion, a collection inspired by personal photographs, butterflies, and migration, while Polish designer Józefina Wojtkiewicz examines stillness, surrealism, and decontextualisation in One and Three Blank.

Slovenian designer Nina Železnik's SFINGA. approaches fashion through sculptural construction techniques inspired by concrete, architecture, and inherited traditions of making and repair. Her work investigates the boundary between garment and sculpture through hand-painted, engraved, and manipulated textiles.

Together, the collections highlight a generation of emerging designers increasingly concerned with narrative, material experimentation, and personal expression, demonstrating how fashion education continues to evolve beyond commercial trends toward broader cultural and artistic inquiry.