YVONNE KWOK: fashion marionette 

Dutch fashion designer Yvonne Kwok received recognition on the fashion scene when she became one of the finalists at the London Graduate Fashion Week in the Best International Collection category. Inspired by tpunk culture and marionettes, I really like her bright colors, mix of fabrics and deconstructed silhouettes. Keep an eye out for her in the future…

“My concept is about the battle with the mental disorder caused by the restrictions within the fashion system where pressure plays a major role. With reference to the marionette “a person who is in the service of someone else”, I want to make a mockery of this subject.”

“The translation to my collection is a bombastic use of color. Warm tones combined with bright accents and pastels are inspired by the colors of organs. The strained strings stands for the restriction and the folding reflects the humor where some parts of the body are being blown up. Also the playing with the different placements of the limbs from the marionette doll are sometimes being taken out of context.”

“The use of neoprene gives a fleshy effect and refers to how artist Folkert de Jong calls it: “gebakken lucht”, which is a Dutch saying and means “nonsense”. The use of cardboard and brads are inspired by the paper doll, which gives the collection a crafted feeling. The search for quick ways to optimize decorating is my reaction to the system because self-reflection is jeopardized by the lack of time, which for me is ultimately the essence of fashion.”