The collection is a statement against the fast-fashion system especially in couture. Its becoming obvious that couture is giving into commercialism and trends. For this very reason the new generation of couture designers dont feel comfortable joining this system and are starting to distance themselves from this system by calling themselves artists. By calling themselves artists they dont need to jion this current system. We need a new system within couture to make couture fashions art again. This collection is showing a new way of couture with the ambition to inspire others to look further.

A ambitious designer with a love for sculptural fashion. The story of the collection goes before functionality and wearability. Steven's signature as a designer is complementing the female body with a raw edge by using low-culture elements. Another element of his signature is the high standard of technical details and his fascination with fabric manipulation and volume. Steven doens't just present clothing but he presents looks. He makes his models part of the story by transforming them into characters that are living the story. They are placed into the story, play a part in it and they have to be the story. What is interesting about Steven's design is the new view on the topics of his collections. He likes to romanticize his topics and look for the beauty in the darksides of the stories.

This collection was made as a graduation project for the HKU School for the Arts Utrecht. Instead of presenting the collection at the regular graduation show, the collection was presented as a installation. This provided the element of slowing down and really take in the garment with all its details. The school provided a exhibition room in a old office building in the center of Utrecht. The floors and walls were all bear and you could see the concrete. The sculptures were put in absurd poses and were hanging on black frames. Working with these absurd poses all the looks looked really uncomfortable and made the statement come true that couture shouldn't be functional or comfortable. Also by making complete sculptures the collection showed more than just fashion. It made the collection come alive and instead of thinking of them as clothes they were considered almost like characters. It was a school's first that a fashion designer distanced himself from the regular fashion show and only wanted to exhibit his work. It took some time to convince them but during the exhibition they really appreciated the guts and respected the original way of presenting a graduation collection. After the exhibition the school expressed their appreciation one more time and said it was a new way on showing personal skills and they thought it really captured the concept of the collection. The school is proud of their sense of freedom within design and really pushes their students to get as free and creative as the designer wants to be.