IGOR DIERYCK
19:15 Sat 19 Feb 2022
Streamed On Our Homepage & Instagram Live
Igor Dieryck is a 22 years old Master Fashion student at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of Antwerp. Originally from the province of Luxembourg in Belgium. Because of my father’s Flemish roots and my mother’s Wallonian, I’m a proud representative of the complex Belgian culture in all its diversity.
The collections are based on geopolitical problems. They are a mix of my interest in the contemporary world and a deep artistic experimentation. Before joining the academy, I did a preparatory year in plastic arts, as my background until then had been mainly mathematical and scientific. I am a menswear fashion designer and I mostly design high-end streetwear clothes dedicated to younger men that fit the women closet as well.
This collection is called "DUTY CALLS" and is about power, and more specifically political power. The whole collection is based on an analysis of how power is reflected into a garment. The question at the origin of my creation was: "Does this garment give me power? And if so, how? " I am myself passionate about politics and geopolitics. So for me, this theme is a way of linking my interest in the contemporary world with an historical (garment based) research of people in position of power through the 20th century.
The starting point of my collection was a questioning about the importance of the royal family in Belgium. Why do some people inherit power without even having to fight for it? I am personally rather partisan of the monarchy and yet this system goes against the values of equality propagated in society today. This contradiction between my ideals and my concrete opinions was the source of my interest in the subject of power. This collection is terribly political in the sense that it relates the diff erent political games that constitute the life of our nations. However, it was important to me that it would not be political in the sense of ideas. This reflection is found in the silhouettes that refer to imperial silhouettes. The royal and dictatorial elements are mixed with businessmen while maintaining a streetwear aesthetic that is dear to me. The man of power wears clothes that are often feminine and flamboyant, revealing a part of his body and yet not making him more vulnerable. We expect people in power to have an opinion on everything, but this is not a natural thing.
When the Covid-19 pandemic began, people around the world were waiting for consistent decisions. However, many leaders were not qualified on the subject of health. I myself have an opinion on many subjects but there is still a lot I can learn as my knowledge is limited. This is what the phrase "I have nothing to say, and I'm saying it" by performer John Cage refers to. Politicians don't always have something relevant to say, but they are still "obliged" to express their opinion, sometimes meaningless.
My collection is an analysis of the political game rather than a criticism of it. My intention was not to say that all politicians are bad. First of all because I express a deep respect for the functions of power but also because I think that it is not always as simple as it seems to be to be in a situation of power. It is often more comfortable to let yourself be guided. DUTY CALLS is a mixture between the admiration I have for people who put duty before their personal interests and a sharp criticism of the political games to keep this POWER.