Anneke Smelik on cyber-couture Anneke Smelik on cyber-couture

Whereas in previous decades fashion's primary concern was brand identity, today the focus appears to have shifted to other values than luxury and consumption. New technologies have made possible personalised silhouettes and industrial production of single unique garments. What will these developments mean for the future of fashion?

Professor Anneke Smelik gave a lecture linking their progressive work to the theories of Deleuze and Guattari and demonstrated how cyber-couture facilitates radical transformations to the body and identity. Read Professor Smelik's lecture.

Models showed pieces by Pauline van Dongen, Karin Vlug, Aniela Hoitink and Jasna Rokegem, giving the public an opportunity to see examples of cyber-couture in action and to understand how it works. Fashion designers Karin Vlug and Aniela Hoitink then gave introductions to their work. Hoitink works mainly in the field of smart textiles, incorporating new technologies and biological materials. Vlug is currently undertaking research into smart-fashion production methods that will one day eliminate waste in the production process.

The material of the Brainwave colleciton is set in motion by brainwaves:

Anneke Smelik conducts research into wearable technology and slow fashion. She is currently working on the research project Crafting Wearables (2013-2018) and the publication From Delft Blue to Denim Blue: Contemporary Dutch Fashion (expected in 2016). She is the Katrien van Munster professor of Visual Culture in the department of Cultural Studies at the Radboud University in Nijmegen. Smelik studied Film and Theatre Studies at Utrecht University and received her doctorate from the University of Amsterdam. Following years of research in the field of visual media (film, television and video) she shifted her attention to fashion and the creative industries.

Fashion designer Karin Vlug is interested in innovative methods for the construction and production of clothing. She is currently engaged in the research project Smart Production. In 2014 she won the Frans Molenaar Prize for her graduation collection 'One Square Fits All'.

Designer Aniela Hoitink is the founder of Neffa, which explores how we can use textiles in new ways. She translates technology into surprising, tangible results with a unique and personal style. She is a consultant for research institutes and universities. Her work has been widely exhibited and published in magazines and blogs including WGSN, Icon and Coolture.

This Thursday Night is part of the Temporary Fashion Museum project.