Last week at the House of Lithuanian Basketball the annual international fashion show “Gossips” took place. The event was organised by Stella Justina Kaperavičienė, coordinator of the Fashion Design study programme (Faculty of Arts and Education), along with programme lecturers. This year, fashion experts and enthusiasts had the opportunity to see 17 unique collections created by young designers inspired by everything from everyday objects to celestial phenomena.

For more than two decades, the fashion show “Gossips” has been providing young, talented fashion designers with opportunities to find niches for their future activities and development. At this event, which promotes fashion culture, well-known designers such as Egidijus Rainys, Laura Dailidėnienė, Kristina Kruopenytė, Kristina Kalinauskaitė, Kęstutis Lekeckas and Egidijus Sidaras presented their first collections.

The creative process of preparing the collections involves students from different study programmes – students from the Image Design study programme help create the looks for the collections, while students from the Cosmetology study programme (Faculty of Medicine) take care of the makeup.

Photos by Karolina Norkutė

At the event, following collections were presented:

Katrina Sadovskytė, “20020222” | Vilnius kolegija Higher Education Institution

The collection “20020222” was inspired by the feelings and thoughts born from experiencing existential loneliness, which helped in understanding how meaningless the world is if you don’t give it meaning yourself. Despite the pessimistic source of inspiration, the collection bursts with colours and hope.

Joint Fashion Design 2nd year students’ collection (Ariana Lindez Rimaitė, Ugnė Andrikaitytė, Meida Mikalauskaitė, Gabrielė Ruškytė, Milda Aukščionytė, Emilija Čekavičiūtė, Rosita Puidokaitė, Guostė Jankeviciūtė) | CYBER ATTACK | Kauno kolegija Higher Education institution

These days, we forget about the world around us and increasingly focus on modern technologies. The creative process of the collection explored how modern technologies, which have become an integral part of our lives, affect us.

Emilija Bertašiūtė, STARBOYS | Kauno kolegija Higher Education Institution

You were likely constantly shamed, deceived, intimidated and even terrorised; moreover, you were repeatedly made to believe that you were responsible for this abuse. The abusive behaviour of narcissists is a cancer that destroys your self-esteem, health, relationships, faith and financial resources. No matter how much you give to a narcissist, it will never be enough and in return, you will receive nothing.

Hatche Alieva, NEW GENERATION Z | National Academy of Arts (Bulgaria)

Generation Z are boys and girls born between 1997 and 2012. They are the digital citizens of the planet Earth who live in the new digital era. The collection “NEW GENERATION Z” is inspired by generation Z. Oversized clothes remind of the Z free spirit. Hand-printed and dyed fabrics present the individuality of the new gen. White, black and grey are the colours of the collection.

Justas Astaševskis, CASUAL DAY | Kauno kolegija Higher Education Institution

A collection inspired by everyday human items that are rarely left behind when leaving the house. This collection is based on five objects commonly used by people daily: a wallet, keys, a watch, sunglasses and a coffee cup. The message I want to convey with my collection is that the things we possess can own us. Addiction can arise not only from harmful habits but also from material possessions.

Gintarė Taluntytė, IM/MATERIAL | Vilnius kolegija Higher Education Institution

Since ancient times, people have used symbols to give meaning and to help understand the world around them. Symbols and their meanings have different impacts on each person, depending on their personal relationship with culture, history and spirituality. Therefore a particular symbol may evoke different emotions and memories in different people or groups. In the original experimental collection “IM/MATERIAL” the talisman, as a material object containing immaterial ideas, memories and symbolic meanings, becomes the main source of inspiration. By using their features – detail, the entirety of symbols, the importance of handmade craftsmanship – a garment is created as a talisman, with the intention of enhancing human abilities, providing confidence and strength.

Neringa Rinkevičiūtė, INSOMNIA | Kauno kolegija Higher Education Institution graduate

When you can’t sleep – you think.

When you don’t dream – you fantasise.

Join students’ clothing collection REMADE | Higher Vocational College for Wood and Design (Slovenia)

The clothes presented at the fashion show were designed by students of Materials Design at the Higher Vocational College for Wood and Design. Each student designed according to their own ideas, imagination and wishes. The special feature of the presented models is the transformation of old, discarded clothes in combinations with various veneer (wood) applications. In this way, clothes with special textures and textile materials get added value and come to life in a new image.

Rugilė Mikalopaitė, PSYCHEDELIC CONFINEMENT | Kauno kolegija Higher Education Institution graduate

The collection “Psychedelic Confinement” captivates with a wild inspiration from the circus world, along with chaos reminiscent of a climactic scene in a film. Models descend the runway adorned in avant-garde ensembles, embodying the untamed energy of wild creatures and the captivating allure of circus performers. Each garment is a kaleidoscope of vibrant colours, surrealist patterns and whimsical textures, evoking a disorienting feeling as if you are trapped in a psychedelic dream. Amidst the chaos, harmonious animal motives and the energy of theatrical circus extravagance prevail, creating a mesmerising spectacle that defies conventional boundaries. At the culmination, the audience is transported to a world where reality merges with fantasy, and the line between confinement and liberation becomes fascinatingly ambiguous.

Join the Fashion Design students’ clothing collection (Silvia Nikolova, Gabriela Mihova, Niya Iordanova, Debora Todorova, Ivaila Genova, Rim Ramadan, Georgi Karandilski, Angelina Dolgova) SURREALISM THROUGH GREY | National Academy of Arts (Bulgaria)

The project on the theme of surrealism demonstrates unity and cohesion through the choice of fabric, specifically the light grey cotton. Each outfit conveys the designer’s personal interpretation and inspirations on the theme, but when brought together as a unified collection, they complement each other and present a variety of techniques and textures that work together, thanks to the monochromatic palette.

Gabija Žymančiūtė, A SKYWARD ODYSSEY | Kauno kolegija Higher Education Institution

The sky is a symbol of hope, dreams and freedom, and freedom is the opportunity to choose. There are things in life that we cannot change, such as phenomena in the sky; we can only choose how to accept them. We can either overshadow ourselves with the darkness of difficulties or find even the smallest glimmer of light, like a bead of glass, in the darkness. In challenges, like in cloudy skies, we can see valuable lessons and new shades that add depth to life like passing shadows. Because everything passes in life after bad things come good ones, just as light comes after darkness and the sun rises after the night.

Anastasia Tsulukidze, MORF | National Academy of Arts (Bulgaria)

A fashion collection MORF inspired by Franz Kafka’s “Metamorphosis” and the movie ”Dune” could be an intriguing exploration of transformation, surrealism, and dystopian elements. Drawing from the themes of identity, evolution, and hidden depths found in Kafka’s work, as well as the desert landscapes and epic world-building of “Dune” the collection could feature pieces that blend organic textures, insect-like details, and futuristic silhouettes. Incorporating elements like oversized coats, structured layers, intricate embellishments, and unexpected juxtapositions of hard and soft materials could help bring this dark, mysterious, and otherworldly vision to life on the runway. The fusion of these two influential sources could result in a fashion collection that is both hauntingly beautiful and conceptually rich, inviting the audience to ponder the complexities of human nature and the ever-changing nature of our reality.

Akvilė Bernotaitė, ABOUT ME, YOU AND HER | Kauno kolegija Higher Education Institution

The collection “About ME, YOU and HER” addresses the theme of ageing from the perspectives of different women. The changes happening to ME, YOU and HER on the body signal that we gain experience from life, which manifests in wrinkles. But can we accept them? I examine the inner nature of women, the formation of personality, emotional interaction with the body and the acceptance of oneself as young, maturing, mature and ageing.
About:
ME – I am a young, evolving woman, reflecting on the body of youth and questioning how wisely we accept changes in the body.
YOU – this is an invitation for YOU to turn inward and spend time on this topic together.
HER – she is our friend, a familiar woman, inspiring ME and YOU to focus, accept ourselves and express the wrinkles on the body as features of personal identity that tell a story.
Each appearing wrinkle, deepening fold or change in the body after a stage is a unique narrative about our life journey and experience within it. During the collection, we will see HER and have a moment to think: how do I accept ageing?

Ieva Janušauskaitė, Rūta Kusaitė, THE CELESTIAL FEMININE | Kauno kolegija Higher Education Institution

This collection reflects the beauty of nature and feminine softness, which are revealed through a combination of bright and metallic colours. The collection is inspired by the often feminine-associated flowers and the beauty of the magical world. That’s why in this collection, nature-inspired forms are combined with mystical elements.

Dovilė Deveikytė, INSIDIOUS | Kauno kolegija Higher Education Institution

An internal demon haunting the human body, unresolved emotional issues, constantly trying to escape, break free from the possessed body.

Živilė Skurvydaitė, FOR MOTHERS WHO AREN’T MINE | Vilnius College of Design

The collection “For Mothers Who Aren’t Mine” subtly reveals the crises of dysfunctional families and the difficulties of transferring responsibility, which often fall on the shoulders of one of the family members. Here, the mother not only often fails to live up to the name of a mother but also brings pain and bitter tears. The red tulle in the collection symbolises spilt blood and my life story. Nevertheless, the collection also reveals the bright side – many other wonderful mothers who embody love in me, for which I now want to express my gratitude by giving all the flowers and my heart.

Alina Kusaitė, ILLUSION | Kauno kolegija Higher Education Institution

We live in a world where humans and nature merge into a harmonious whole. The life of bees becomes not only an inspiration but also an important symbiotic relationship in which humans play a significant role. Let’s look at beekeeping through the prism of illusion. Each design, with the help of illusion, portrays the life of bees.