Alina Kusaitė and Dovilė Deveikytė, Fashion Design students of the Faculty of Arts and Education of the Kauno kolegija Higher Education Institution (HEI) not only had a vacation during the summer but also participated in the prestigious international fashion week Feeric Fashion Week in Sibiu, Romania. At the event, students from different countries of the world presented their collections: Croatia, Bulgaria, Macedonia, India, Ukraine, Romania, Egypt, etc. One of the most creative fashion weeks in the world surprised the audience with unconventional locations for fashion shows, such as a karting club, an airport, a city promenade, the Brukenthal Museum, etc.

We live in a world where human 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 an important role. Let’s look at beekeeping through the prism of illusion. Each design, with the help of illusion, conveys the life of bees. This is how A. Kusaitė describes the “Illusion” clothing collection, which she presented in Romania.

The creation of the collection was inspired by the deep connection between humans and bees, observed and nurtured by the author in her childhood. Growing up, the young designer spent summer vacations in the village, visiting her grandparents. Her grandfather, a devoted beekeeper, became a figure of admiration for her. His deep connection with bees, careful care and the miracles these little creatures provided left an indelible impression on A. Kusaitė. Therefore, with this collection, the student sought to embody that magical interaction between the tangible and the illusory, drawing inspiration from the harmonious and complex world of bees.

An inner demon haunting the human body, unresolved emotional issues, trying to escape every time, to break free from the possessed body. D. Deveikytė reveals this idea in the clothes she designs. The collection “Insidious” was inspired by a schizophrenic girl and her emotional struggle with her inner demons. These demons are creations of her mind, but they act so realistically that they seem to be trying to break through her body, to break free from the shackles of her own consciousness. Each garment in this collection is like an expression of that struggle between a girl and her obsessed body, between reality and fantasy.

According to Stella Justina Kasperavičienė, the Coordinator of the Fashion Design study programme of the Faculty of Arts and Education of Kauno kolegija HEI, the students took advantage of the great opportunity to get to know students from foreign countries, make new connections and show their talents to the world. Feeric Fashion Week hosted masterclasses where future professionals developed their professional skills and learned from experts in their field, such as Sara Sozzani Maino, Senior Editor of Vogue Italia.