Taking place at several locations throughout Maastricht, the FASHIONCLASH Festival provided a breathing space for an upcoming generation of designers, artists, and performers from the Netherlands and over 25 countries worldwide. Attendees could choose to spend their time browsing venues open for the entire duration of the festival (the main Collective Movements exhibition, Class of 2025 + ESSENCE Exhibition at The Social Hub Maastricht, exhibition Fashion Makes Sense at Centre Céramique, S.A.C – Space for Art & Culture, open days at artisanal workshops at Het Werkgebouw, many involved shops across the city, and more) or visiting one-off performances and screenings.
The pivotal moment of the FASHIONCLASH Festival happened on Friday when the Fashion Film Awards were handed over. Do I?, Salt Murphy Fashion Film directed by James Nolan, received the main festival award, while The Feminine Urge, directed by Lilian Brade, Phuong An Phi, and Niclas Hasemann, won the Kaltblut Magazine Award.
Below continues the interview with the SWARM co-founders in attendance.
What did you appreciate about the festival’s organisation and how you felt as its guests?
Markéta: The festival organization was fantastic. From the beautiful selection of venues – there were plenty of them, which meant we actually got to walk through and experience the whole city – to the thoughtful curatorial choices. I really have to highlight their intern Aneta, who was always there for us and genuinely made our stay more pleasant, whether it was by giving us great food tips or pointing us toward interesting local spots.
As a guest, I honestly felt pretty premium. We had access to most of the events, so we tried to see as much as possible and really soak up the atmosphere of both the city and the festival, which, this year, focused on collaboration and collective projects. The other guests were wonderful as well; over the course of the festival, I became friends with many of them, which helped me get a deeper insight into their creative work or understand certain details of their fashion collections and performances.
Kateřina: I was very happy we could be part of it, and that the organisation allowed us to come together as a team to Maastricht and share the experience. We created our first textile piece for the festival, and I’m especially grateful to all the young curators: Jonas Zitter, Paula Dischinger, Rafael Kouto, and Tjerre Lucas Bijker, and to Branko Popović, the co-founder and art director of FASHIONCLASH. I honestly felt like a VIP.
As you mentioned, we presented our very first physical object as SWARM MAG at FASHIONCLASH – the 4-metre-long banner, designed by Zdeněk Růžička, bearing our manifesto. How did it feel to step out of the purely digital for once?
Markéta: We finally had the chance to present our magazine in a different form. We originally planned to present a stylised and artistic video series introducing the manifesto, or excerpts from our fashion editorials, which we have been self-producing for 8 years. But getting to know the overall exhibition concept, we realised that the best form would be a larger physical object that would carry our founding “pillars” and values as SWARM MAG, alongside a QR code that could simply lead anyone interested further to both our videos and articles. Since Kateřina and I have been educated in different art fields and have already done exhibitions, we wanted the object to not only contain simple text but also graphic elements, so that it would tie into the whole exhibition, which mainly worked with fashion and textiles. That is why we chose the format of a banner, which, in itself, carries a certain meaning as a message and a way of displaying information in the simplest possible form.
From the performance co-organised with the Amarte Fund on Sunday, which one spoke to you in any way?
Kateřina: I saw so much potential in the collaboration titled Numina between Natalie Kulina and Alyne Li, and I really hope they continue and grow it. The surreal, futuristic elf environment they created together should be shared more. I liked the idea that visitors should go in one by one and have a bit of time to become part of the installation before others arrive. The violinist followed your movement, and it really felt like you were meant to be part of this living environment.
Markéta: I have to agree with Kateřina, because the performance by the Czech violinist Natálie Kulina who played in response to the people passing by and watching felt incredibly poetic. The entire installation, where the performance took place, was white, and everything had this delicate, fragile, almost ethereal atmosphere. The performer’s dress and mask were part of the piece, as well as the additional garments/masks placed throughout the installation, which looked like beautiful elven-inspired artworks.
How did you like the concept of the festival happening across Maastricht, in several larger venues and many smaller galleries and shops?
Markéta: I really loved the idea of the festival being spread across Maastricht. It naturally guided us through the whole city, which was great not only for discovering new places but also for clearly separating the different themes and creating distinct conceptual atmospheres for each installation. The performances and installations felt very thoughtfully matched to their locations, respecting the character of each space and that’s something I always appreciate.
Kateřina: I think it’s a brilliant idea that the festival connected the whole city. It feels a bit like site-specific work, and I love that you can invite people who aren’t normally into fashion to be part of it as well. You can walk through the city and see not only the place itself, but also performances, fashion, and different kinds of art along the way, even in bookshops and other small spots.
What do you think is the strongest suit of the FASHIONCLASH Festival, something that is wholly unique to it, compared to similar events?
Markéta: I think the strongest quality of the FASHIONCLASH Festival is how genuinely friendly and family-like it feels. You can sense that the organisers have been building it with love for fashion and with a real commitment to supporting both the local and international scene for many years. That energy really shines through. Participants and visitors can clearly feel how much effort, time, and care are poured into the festival.
I also believe it brings significant benefits to the city of Maastricht itself. I would definitely encourage artists not to overlook this festival and to come experience it in the coming years. It’s truly worth it.
Kateřina: It was my second time there. The first time, I came as a student, and now I have returned as a designer. I think FASHIONCLASH has a special power to bring very unique young people together and to show what is happening in the fashion world in a performative way: fashion performances, parties, fashion films… all mixed together. And it keeps fighting to protect culture and creativity in this family-like environment. Combining familiarity and community within the often-toxic fashion industry is a very unique position.
Have you learnt something new during your time in Maastricht?
Kateřina: I really wish we could create something similar here in Prague. FASHIONCLASH brings all creative people together for a few days, and I feel we could use this energy too. We have so many talented people here and cool places, but we miss the connection to build something bigger, and we stay separated in small groups within our bubble
Markéta: I definitely learnt that I’m capable of taking a 13-hour bus ride to another country, staying awake for 10 more hours and still happily enjoying a 5 a.m. walk through the city while waiting to install an exhibition. (Haha.) But honestly, I was quietly jealous that we do not have something similar like the Fashionclash festival in Czechia.
And during one of the performances, I overheard the question, ‘Are Marilyn Monroe and Britney Spears related?’ So, of course, I had to look it up – and they are, but in a very, very distant way (something like ninth cousins once removed). So… that’s my new knowledge from this trip.
