Being & Becoming presents the projects of this year’s ArtEZ MA Fashion Strategy graduates, who collectively plead for bringing back fashion’s human dimension.

Allow for sensitivity to re-enter into the realm of fashion. Reconnect the human being as a spiritual being to the experience of fashion, creating new perspectives on sustainability, resilience and inclusivity. Take it a step further by opening up your rigid system to mindfulness: dressing not only physical bodies but also the mind. Make us humans truly value our garments again, as you have so many undiscovered treasures to offer.

Let fashion become embodied again: rebel against the disciplining of human bodies through your out-dated fashionable codes. There is no need to go at this alone. Allow us inside your system, and we will try to guide, teach, inspire and connect with others.

"Our dearest fashion,

We are so glad we finally took it upon us to write you! How have you been? It seems like we have not heard from you in ages, but let’s not start playing the blame game. We completely understand that you were insanely busy with pumping out yet another set of trends: is it florals again for this spring?

What we are meaning to write you about is a subject dear to our hearts. You see, we are slightly worried about you. Fashion has always been about change. Make no mistake, we love change. We also constantly question ourselves on who we are, and who we want to be, adapting our views on the world and our behaviour accordingly.

It saddens us to say, but it seems you are spiralling out of control. The on-going change that you pride yourself on is going faster and faster, with no concrete goal in sight. New collections hit department stores every single week. The repercussions of this fleeting trend cycle are felt across multiple levels, from unfairly treated factory workers to a polluted planet. But shouldn’t fashion be something that brings freedom, rather than restrict it?

So, dear fashion, we think the case is quite clear. You are no longer changing for the good; you have become a victim of your fickleness. The need to move away from your system is becoming more urgent. But how can we do this? You might think that is easier said than done, but the solution is actually quite simple. All it takes is some long overdue soul-searching.

At the core of your system, underneath the mystified concept of ‘being in fashion’ - the rapid cycle of trends and the focus on accumulating more and more - we can find a human being wearing a garment. In order to reinvigorate yourself, this human being and the relationship you have with it should become this year’s hottest trend.

Just think of how much more you can be: not everything is about your skilful portrayal of superficial aesthetic qualities. Allow for sensitivity to re-enter into the realm of fashion. Reconnect the human being as a spiritual being to the experience of fashion, creating new perspectives on sustainability, resilience and inclusivity. Take it a step further by opening up your rigid system to mindfulness: dressing not only physical bodies but also the mind. Make us humans truly value our garments again, as you have so many undiscovered treasures to offer. Let fashion become embodied again: rebel against the disciplining of human bodies through your out-dated fashionable codes.

There is no need to go at this alone. Allow us inside your system, and we will try to guide, teach, inspire and connect with others.

We are generation #26, and together we can become a fashion system anew."