From 13 to 15 November 2026, Maastricht becomes the epicenter of experimental European design as FASHIONCLASH Festival returns for its 18th edition. Staged across iconic cultural spaces throughout the city, this international, multidisciplinary gathering offers an uncompromised stage to more than 100 emerging talents from over 25 countries. Bringing together a fearless new generation of designers, visual artists, and performers, the three-day program unfolds through live performances, exhibitions, runway interventions, fashion film premieres, interactive workshops, panel talks, after-hours club sweat, and community-driven participatory projects.
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The opening program on Friday, 13 November takes over the historic Sphinxkwartier, kicking off with the premiere of the core exhibition New Fashion Narratives at Bureau Europa. The celebration continues with the Fashion Film Program, featuring international premieres and an awards ceremony at Lumière Cinema, followed by a free runway show inside the atmospheric Sphinx Passage showcasing visionary work by young talents and iconic guest designers Teigetje & Woelrat. The night culminates in the official festival opening party at The Social Hub.
Throughout the weekend, festival highlights span the performance trajectory of The CLASH House and CLASHLAB inside the monumental Peutzhal at ENCI, the socially engaged platform Fashion Makes Sense at Centre Céramique, the experimental residency showcase Amarte x FASHIONCLASH at Jan van Eyck Academie, the graduate showcase Class of 2026 at The Social Hub, and an extensive trail of interventions across the entire city. FASHIONCLASH remains an open, accessible meeting point for everyone, combining ticketed events with extensive free public programming. Full ticketing information and participant rosters are accessible via fashionclash.nl.
Visual Campaign by Hashim Nasr www.hashimnsr.com
The visual identity for FASHIONCLASH Festival 2026 was created by Sudanese visual artist and photographer Hashim Nasr. Based in Alexandria, Egypt, and originally trained as a dentist, Nasr constructs staged imagery and hand-built artifacts to unpack complex realities of displacement, exile, memory, and gender identity, with recent focus on experiences of war and forced migration.
For the 2026 campaign, Nasr fuses African and Middle Eastern cultural traditions into dreamlike, surreal avant-garde compositions. Ancient iconography, ceremonial vestments, sacred rituals, and tangible objects dissolve into evocative stories where cultural memory, folklore, and modern self-determination intersect. By staging these rich cross-regional references, the project creates an urgent framework where heritage is not merely protected, but actively reimagined. The conceptual imagery explores universal notions of belonging, transformation, and shared imagination, illuminating how creative expression is lived and felt across multiple cultural vantage points. More of his work can be explored at hashimnsr.com.
New Fashion Narratives: Fleshy, Wobbly, Slimy at Bureau Europa (13, 14, 15 November)
Serving as a philosophical core of the festival, the New Fashion Narratives exhibition is curated by Jamal Nxedlana, Karmen Samson, Welmoed Bosch, and Agatha Prieto Jeanty. Conceived during an intensive Residency Week in April 2026, their curatorial framework—Fleshy, slimy, wobbly—spotlights practices that reject rigid definitions, embracing garments and bodies that mutate, leak, and evade easy labels. Designed to dismantle the dominant, sterile conventions of the commercial fashion complex, the showcase carves out space for shapeshifting creators, revealing the tactile, formless, and unruly dimensions of fashion as a grotesque and mesmerizing act of defiance.
The curatorial ethos comes to life through distinct installations: Ida Stachura presents SCANDAL DO IT YOURSELF, drawing inspiration from Hollywood’s first European superstar, Pola Negri, to treat scandal as an art form for deliberate self-invention through a raw papercraft and DIY aesthetic. Ping Chen shares Thing in Itself, rooted in memories of his great-grandfather, merging sharp tailoring with modular and reversible garments to interrogate contemporary masculinity through domestic care and quiet routine. Justin Jacob presents FLESH AS CURRENCY, turning anonymous Grindr profiles into posthuman sculptural garments that probe what transpires when bodies are reduced to transactional data and algorithmic commodities. Robbeduz & Valentina Gal present Children of Zeus X Troubled Waters, a living installation composed of water basins and sculptures leading the spectator deep into an eerie mythical swamp. Aurore Montagner presents Les Belles Entravées, a project co-created alongside incarcerated women at Rennes Prison, imagining an expressive collective wardrobe rooted in freedom, autonomy, and psychological escape. Jessica Laures shares COIL, weaponizing gender performance stereotypes into physical systems of constriction that expose the internal toll of fighting for bodily independence. Hillz studio presents The First Potato, repurposing discarded workwear to dissect domestic hierarchies and power structures staged around the dinner table. Johannes Hartmann presents semi couture (wiener papierkörbe 30486), playfully transforming the municipal trash bins of Vienna into unconventional sculptural mannequins.
During the opening reception, select participants will activate the gallery through live performances. The public can also engage in an exclusive Q&A with designer Marga Weimans on Saturday, 14 November, followed by an in-depth lecture by Studio Paul & Haiko on Sunday, 15 November.
Exhibiting artists within New Fashion Narratives include: Alper & Tim, Aurore Montagner, AKPIL, Cement Blanche, Giles Shepherd, Gloria Tomassucci, Gouled Ahmed, Ida Stachura, Isa Herrera and Maizie, Jessica Laures, C.PROTOCOL, Johannes Hartmann, Josiane Martinho, Julia Mazur, Justin Jacob, Martijntje Cornelia, Marga Weimans, Mia Bøgedal, Özgür Deniz Koldaş, Studio Paul & Haiko, Ping Chen, Robbeduz & Valentina Gal, Rosan Olij, NNAEJ, Hillz studio, Xanthe Pölk, and Liew & Wang.
The CLASH House at ENCI Maastricht (Saturday, 14 November)
Taking over the industrial architecture of the Peutzhal at ENCI on Saturday evening, The CLASH House stands as one of the festival’s most electrifying highlights. Ten selected designers completed an intensive creative trajectory of workshops and coaching, pushing past traditional runway tropes to translate their garments into expressive performative art pieces.
Thanks to the continued backing of the Meester Koetsier Foundation, an incentive prize of €2,500 will be awarded to an outstanding participant by an international jury. Concurrently, the FASHIONCLASH Festival 2026 TIM Award—a textile development initiative supported by Textile Innovation Maastricht valued up to €1,500 excluding VAT—will be presented, providing the winner with specialized machinery access, advanced knitting facilities at Qeske Maastricht, materials, and master guidance to evolve their collections.
The 2026 CLASH House cohort includes: Nouka Rous, Paco Teepe, Isa Hazelager, Anna Strengers, Emma Magermans, Larissa de Jager, Dies van Herk, Amy Praat, Aron Saxe Lydon, and Soojeong Lee.
CLASHLAB: Pre-Programme to The CLASH House
Staged as an essential prelude to The CLASH House, CLASHLAB positions creators from fashion, contemporary dance, and experimental music as equal creative partners. Stripping away conventional production hierarchies where one medium serves another, the lab fosters radical cross-pollination. For the 2026 edition, fashion designer Teun Seuren, choreographer Daniëlle Huyghe, and musician Nader Adabnejad underwent a two-week shared residency to birth an open-ended, experimental performance shaped by instinctive friction and multidisciplinary dialogue.
CLASHLAB is realized through an institutional partnership between FASHIONCLASH, Musica Sacra, Nederlandse Dansdagen, SALLY, Intro in Situ, schrit_tmacher Festival, Toneelgroep Maastricht, and Via Zuid, funded in part by Stichting Kanunnik Salden and De Hustinx Stichting.
The Festival Afterparty: Childhood Fantasies, Surreal Realities at ENCI Maastricht (Saturday, 14 November)
More than a conventional night out, the official afterparty serves as a co-creative sanctuary for raw expression and underground club culture. Operating under the theme Childhood Fantasies, Surreal Realities, the Peutzhal transforms into an immersive dreamscape of uninhibited nostalgia and altered states.
The night features DJ sets, live spoken word by Puss’ Poetry, a performance by multidisciplinary artist Feliz, a runway presentation by cult streetwear label TEARS.RIP from Heerlen, and a special appearance by La Monroy presenting Colossal Horizons: A Festive Requiem for Pedro Antonio Cano. The dress code invites guests to arrive as the creature, fantasy, memory, or alter-ego they always longed to be, complete with their favorite plush companion.
Fashion Film Program at Lumière Cinema (13, 14, 15 November)
Hosted inside Lumière Cinema, the Fashion Film Program showcases 44 international short films exploring the narrative potential of moving imagery, digital world-building, and documentary realism, journeying across South Africa, Mongolia, Italy, and virtual landscapes.
On Thursday, 12 November, the cinema hosts a special pre-festival screening of The Designer Is Dead, chronicling the life of radical Spanish designer Miguel Adrover, who transformed late-90s New York fashion through uncompromising political commentary, multiculturalism, and early upcycling.
On Friday evening, six selected finalists will present their works, followed by the official deliberation of the jury—comprising Marcel Schlutt, Alex van der Steen, Esther Muñoz Grootveld, Katie Metcalfe, and Gloria Maria Cappelletti—who will present both the FASHIONCLASH Festival 2026 Fashion Film Award and the prestigious Kaltblut Magazine Award. The festival will also host the world premieres of two in-house productions, TRAMANTOJO and INVINCIBLE, both developed within the festival’s dedicated film trajectory.
Participating filmmakers include: Christos Panagiotou, Sofia Ivanova Kozhevnikova, Izzy Mana, Emma Evelein, Storm Nijhuis & Denise Bakker, Ida Boxem & Claudia Sanchez, Alyne Li & Qiyun Zheng, Jodi Cranen & Yorvique Macaay, Javi Bisbal, Naranjargal Enkhbat, Inez Carmen van Kessel, Polina Kulbachevskaia, Alessandro Amaducci, Aron Saxe, Michal Kucharski, Will Venter, Guus Bos, Adam & Nick Hayes, Zhenia Kazankina, Yiwei Huang, Emma Hakansson, Vittoria Mengoni, Lei Jiang, Hildegard Oehler & Stee van Stark, Cenyi Wang, Christophe Chudy, Anastasia Popescu & Noa Schraven, Hannah Varnell, Jordan Harvey, Sylwia Nazzal & Jad Madi, Kees de Klein, Marco Blazevic & Meike van Lelyveld, Victor Claramunt, Adam Muscat, Isa Carmejoole, Karisma Oluchukwu Ekeh, Sara Del Barba, Shako, Maria Nazarova, Julian Achilles Pawlak & Daniel Le Hai, Luigi Dalena, Yayra David Agbofah, Gina Siliquini, Luciënne Venner, Juul Sadée, and Kalon Films (Will Venter).
Amarte × FASHIONCLASH at Jan van Eyck Academie (13, 14, 15 November)
The ongoing collaboration between Amarte Fonds and FASHIONCLASH pairs non-fashion artists with cutting-edge fashion designers, offering them a blank canvas to develop interdisciplinary installations and live works that collide textiles with classical composition, poetry, and performance art.
The showcase also welcomes back theatre maker Mira Verhoeve, who presents a preview of Change the Guards, an intimate object-performance tracing a queer girl’s bodily experience navigating the rigid patriarchal and military lineage of her family through ceremonial male dress.
Collaborative pairs include: Arian x Peishan, Hsin x Pauline, Anto López Espinosa x Berend Brus, ULTRA-ORA x RADVLAD, and Mira Verhoeve.
Fashion Makes Sense: Participation Programme at Centre Céramique (3 – 22 November)
Occupying the third floor of Centre Céramique, Fashion Makes Sense explores how fashion functions as a tool for radical social inclusion, education, and collective healing. Open since 3 November, the exhibition highlights cross-disciplinary community works, including TexTiles: an expansive social artwork developed for Het Maastricht Jaar 2026, where hundreds of local residents designed individual textile squares reflecting personal narratives and civic connections inspired by the Maastricht Treaty.
The installation also spotlights a dedicated presentation by Ecopolitan Magazine, garments by Kunstbende Fashion winner Yani Jongen, and ceremonial costumes from the Stadsparade Helden designed by Scenography & Costume Design students at Toneelacademie Maastricht. Throughout the festival weekend, the public can take part in live textile making workshops examining repair, materials, and sustainable systems. On Sunday afternoon, 15 November, Jonas Zitter of Kledingcast moderates the Fashion Makes Sense Talk, gathering participants and designers to discuss community engagement and regenerative design.
Class of 2026: Exhibitions, Runway, and Dialogue at The Social Hub (13, 14, 15 November)
Returning to The Social Hub in the Sphinxkwartier, FASHIONCLASH presents two extensive showcases celebrating emerging voices. The Atrium houses an exhibition of upcoming design voices, while the Lobby features a dedicated display highlighting five innovative makers. On Friday evening, the atmospheric Sphinx Passage transforms into an open runway staging collections by exhibiting talents alongside guest designs by Teigetje & Woelrat.
The Class of 2026 selection spotlights newly minted graduates from seven leading art academies across Europe. United by an obsession with narrative fashion, these young talents translate intimate experiences, queer histories, generational memory, and critical social commentary into wearable manifestos that dismantle traditional industry standards. The venue also hosts an insightful panel conversation on circularity and textile waste led by Cristina Palacios, centered on the powerful documentary work of the Kantamanto Social Club.
The Class of 2026 features: Anne Prins, Arthur Wagenaar, Casper Naafs, Elia Anania, Nia Millano, JJAYCE, Kaat van Spaendonck, Kelly Cecilie Foss, Mare Langen, ROOS adjustable design (RAD), ROZE GOUD, Storm Nijhuis / Hellion Sin, Azzurra Ruimschotel, Berber Struiksma, Josquin Fromangé, Sarah Palomares, and Tara de Smit.
Citywide Presentations Across Maastricht (13, 14, 15 November)
Beyond the central anchors, FASHIONCLASH activates independent galleries, hotel lobbies, cultural venues, and public spaces with installations, talks, and interventions across Maastricht:
At S.A.C.59 (Space for Art & Culture, Rechtstraat), a group exhibition brings together visionary works by Piet Paris, Seeing Black, and Dre Drevens, exploring fashion through varied visual lenses. At Limestone Books, visitors can discover the work of Maya Gawel alongside SpeesBookLookPak, a wearable publication and legible garment by Anouk Beckers, Iris de Leeuw, and Harm Stevens, accompanied by a talk moderated by Tonya Sudiono on playful human expression. At Townhouse Design Hotel, forward-thinking designer Ruben Jurriën displays his size-inclusive creations, followed by a dedicated Designer Talk on Saturday, 14 November (15:00 – 16:00) exploring radical size inclusivity and garment adaptability. At Galerie Post + García, the FASHIONCLASH collection by Teigetje & Woelrat unfolds inside a world of bold checkered patterns, high-contrast knitwear, rich leather, and theatrical carnival motifs. Every piece was designed and hand-executed by the studio’s four makers, tracing each stitch from bare thread to the final artisan finish. At Boekhandel Dominicanen and De Bijenkorf, visitors can discover the historical and speculative costumes created for the Stadsparade Helden by local fashion designers. At Bonnefantenmuseum, student performers from Toneelacademie Maastricht activate the extensive showcase Cooking from the Fridge with responsive interventions navigating paintings, video works, and physical sculpture across an entire floor.
About FASHIONCLASH Festival
FASHIONCLASH Festival stands as an essential annual springboard for radical visionaries operating at the intersections of garment construction, visual art, live performance, and social activism. Defying the transactional nature of the commercial fashion circuit, the platform treats clothing as both an autonomous art form and a catalyst for societal transformation.
FASHIONCLASH Festival is made possible through the support of Province of Limburg, Municipality of Maastricht, Dutch Creative Industries Fund (Stimuleringsfonds Creatieve Industrie), Fonds Cultuurparticipatie, Cultuurfonds (supported by E.G. Bakker-Swart Fonds), VSB Fonds, Meester Koetsier Foundation, Townhouse Hotels, The Social Hub, ENCI Maastricht, Bureau Europa, Centre Céramique, Blanche Dael, Art of Colors, Living Things, S.A.C.59, Galerie Post + García, Jan van Eyck Academie, FashionUnited, Kaltblut Magazine, Chapeau Magazine, Curation Hour, Marketing Maastricht, and numerous community partners.
