History
The idea behind Fresh Fish arose in 2005 when founder Ali Davoodi wanted to create a concept that focused on unestablished artists and designers from different genres. The purpose was to provide a platform for interaction between the culture and business worlds, as well as the general public. Fresh Fish is the overarching name for a wide range of ideas and operations, some of which are yet to be fully developed. The central idea is about providing a platform for and supporting unestablished designers and artists by using a number of different approaches. The fashion aspect of Fresh Fish was the idea that first took shape. This resulted in Fresh Fish arranging its first fashion show and competition in Exercishuset in Gothenburg on the 5 and 6 May 2007. Since then, exhibitors from across Sweden have annually displayed their creations in the clothing, accessories, and jewellery categories. In 2009 the fashion show moved to Eriksbergshallen and added a third day. From the start, the show has appointed winners for best design. A jury comprising experienced designers from both fashion and design select a winner each year during the closing fashion show on the last day of the event. The previous winners of Fresh Fish are:
- 2007 Sabina Bryntesson
- 2008 Hanna Lindström
- 2009 Anna Falck
- 2010 Thorhildur Johannesdottir
- 2011 Tamara Simonovic (Accessories/Jewelry) & Linda Stjärnehag (Clothes Design)
- 2012 Sandra Lundblad & Carolina Baldal (Accessories/Jewelry) & Akharadet Ekchanok (Clothes Design)
- 2013 Mike Årsjö (Accessories/Jewelry) & Carolina Rönnberg (Clothes Design)
The first prize has included, among other things, some of the winner designer's creations being produced by and sold at one of Sweden's largest fashion stores. Among the companies that have participated with previous Fresh Fish winners are MQ and Nelly.
Fresh Fish Gallery is so far the only other aspect of Fresh Fish to have become operational. Fresh Fish Gallery had its first exhibition on 12 February 2009 at Stampgatan 9 in Gothenburg with the artist Oscar Gard Montàn. Since then, Fredrik Åkum has exhibited his work and exhibitions from Johnny Roy and Malin Heikenberg are planned for later on in 2010.
Fashion is a term used interchangeably to describe the creation of clothing, footwear, accessories, cosmetics, and jewellery of different cultural aesthetics and their mix and match into outfits that depict distinctive ways of dressing as signifiers of social status, self-expression, and group belonging. As a multifaceted term, fashion describes an industry, styles, aesthetics, and trends.
Giorgio Armani is an Italian fashion designer. He first gained renown working for Cerruti and then for many others, including Allegri, Bagutta, and Hilton. He formed his company, Armani, in 1975, which eventually expanded into music, sport, and luxury hotels. By 2001, Armani was acclaimed as the most successful designer of Italian origin, and is credited with pioneering red-carpet fashion.
Wearable art, also known as Artwear or "art to wear", refers to art pieces in the shape of clothing or jewellery pieces. These pieces are usually handmade, and are produced only once or as a very limited series. Pieces of clothing are often made with fibrous materials and traditional techniques such as crochet, knitting, quilting, but may also include plastic sheeting, metals, paper, and more. While the making of any article of clothing or other wearable object typically involves aesthetic considerations, the term wearable art implies that the work is intended to be accepted as an artistic creation or statement. Wearable art is meant to draw attention while it is being displayed, modeled or used in performances. Pieces may be sold and exhibited.
A cocktail dress is a dress suitable at semi-formal occasions, sometimes called cocktail parties, usually in the late afternoon, and usually with accessories.
Todd Oldham is an American-born designer and president of L-7 Designs Inc and Todd Oldham Studios. His approach to fashion and style has become known to millions through his fashion lines, interior designs, books and by appearing in television shows. Oldham is based in New York City.
Diana Eng is a Chinese-American fashion designer, author and fashion technologist based in New York. She is best known as contestant on the second season of the reality television program Project Runway. Eng is a co-founder of an art/electronic group called NYC Resistor, and authored a book called Fashion Geek.
Fashion design is the art of applying design, aesthetics, clothing construction and natural beauty to clothing and its accessories. It is influenced by culture and different trends and has varied over time and place. "A fashion designer creates clothing, including dresses, suits, pants, and skirts, and accessories like shoes and handbags, for consumers. They can specialize in clothing, accessory, or jewelry design, or may work in more than one of these areas."
Katayoun "Kathy" Rose is an Iranian-American jewelry designer, actress, and entrepreneur.
Italy is one of the leading countries in fashion design, alongside France and the United Kingdom. Fashion has always been an important part of the country's cultural life and society, and Italians are well known for their attention to dress; la bella figura, or good appearance, retains its traditional importance.
Giorgio di Sant' Angelo (Jorge Alberto Imperatrice), commonly known as Giorgio Sant'Angelo, (1933–1989) was an Italian/Argentinian fashion designer based in the United States. He was known for creating ethnic-inspired looks early in his career, for which he won the prestigious American Coty Fashion Critic's award in 1968 and in 1970. Using fabrics like tie-dyed chiffon, leather and cotton, he created romantic clothing that reflected the hippie culture of the era. But his innovative use of knitwear, which he continuously developed throughout his career, was often his signature and was an influence on other designers.
A fashion museum is dedicated to or features a significant collection of accessories or clothing. While there may be some overlap with Textile museums, fashion museums focus on what trends in clothing and accessories reveal about the larger cultural, social, and economic values of different historical periods. Although fashion is a broad term that applies to more than just clothing items, these provide tangible examples of trends changing over the years which explains why the term fashion museum is most commonly referring to those featuring clothes.
John Brevard is an American designer, architect, developer, and investor. Brevard applies his background in architecture and multidisciplinary arts to create designs that are both visually appealing and conceptually meaningful. Inspired by the principles of sacred geometry, John Brevard's creations feature fractal patterns found in nature and organic and man-made materials, and are symbolic of the inseparable relationship of the part to the whole. His designs are expressed in different physical scales across many creative mediums, from jewelry to furniture, from sculpture to architecture.
Israeli fashion refers to fashion design and modeling in Israel.
Karin Larsson, née Bergöö, was a Swedish artist and designer who collaborated with her husband, Carl Larsson, as well as being often depicted in his paintings.
Maison Margiela, formerly Maison Martin Margiela, is a French luxury fashion house founded by Belgian designer Martin Margiela and Jenny Meirens in 1988 and headquartered in Paris. The house produces both haute couture-inspired artisanal collections and ready-to-wear collections, with the former influencing the designs of the latter. Product lines include womenswear, menswear, jewellery, footwear, accessories, leather goods, perfumes and household goods. Known for deconstructive and avant-garde designs with unconventional materials, Maison Margiela has traditionally held live shows in unusual settings, for example empty metro stations and street corners. Models' faces are often obscured by fabric or long hair to direct attention to the clothes and design. Margiela resigned as creative designer in 2009. John Galliano was appointed to the role in 2014, and resigned in 2024. The identity of his successor is unknown.
Alessandro Michele is an Italian fashion designer and creative director of Valentino. He grew to international recognition as the creative director of Gucci, the Italian fashion luxury house where he worked from 2002 to 2022. Known for his maximalist designs, Alessandro Michele revived Gucci's popularity, most notably with a Geek-Chic aesthetic. He had been responsible for all of Gucci's collections and global brand image from January 2015 until he stepped down from the role in November 2022.
Steinunn Sigurðardóttir is an Icelandic fashion designer. She is the founder and creative director of the label STEiNUNN, founded in 2000.
International Talent Support (ITS) is a platform created to give support and visibility to young talents in the field of fashion design, design of accessories and jewelry. The most artistic-oriented designers are also challenged with ITS Artwork, a purely artistic contest.
Claire Barrow is an English artist. Known for her unique hand-painted leather jackets and caricature illustrations, Barrow does not view being an artist and a designer as mutually exclusive, but rather integrates both aspects into her work. Barrow is currently based in London, using British culture as an inspiration in her art. Barrow is, also, inspired by the idea of consumerism and its effect on art. She, like Burberry, has rejected traditional ideas of the fashion system and announced in 2021 that she would no longer show her designs in accordance with the traditional seasonal model, preferring to focus on creating fashion and art without the motivation of consumerism.
Ulla Birgitta Eson Bodin née Ericsson (1935–2009) was a Swedish textile artist who designed textiles for everything from interior furnishings to costumes for the stage. For over 30 years, she worked at Almedahls AB where she became head designer. As professor of the Swedish School of Textiles at the University of Borås, she helped to establish the international reputation of her department as well as Sweden's association with smart textiles.
