WAKE - How do UMPRUM students perceive dress code? The unconven-tional WAKE exhibition at Milano Design Week

The WAKE installation is based on the semester assignment of the Studio of Fashion and Footwear Design, which was Red Carpet. Under the guidance of Simona Rybáková, the students creatively reassessed the current state of formal dress code, which, although it functions as a recommendation, is often perceived as a law and an obligation. To gain a comprehensive view of the whole issue, they worked with a number of external lecturers. They explored the interconnectedness of the dress code with social norms, cultural changes, and individual creative expressions. They also brought into their models the need for sustainability - recycling-upcycling, zero waste, social design, processing of natural biodegradable materials, and maintaining traditional craft techniques.

"I positively assessed that the students didn't approach the topic superficially and didn't just resort to obvious solutions. On the contrary, they brought their own attitudes and often critical insight to their designs," adds Simona Rybáková, the head of the studio, about the final collection. 

The final face of the WAKE project will be given a distinctive presentation in a historical villa on the outskirts of Milan. The central hall will be filled with inflatable objects designed by students of the Studio of Product Design under the direction of Michal Froňek.

In doing so, they add another layer to the project, which aims to reflect the current complicated social and political situation and open up discussion on topics that are essential to their work and lives.

The installation by the Academy of Arts, Architecture, and Design in Prague, which is exhibited as part of the Alcova Milano platform, will be on display from April 15th to 21st. For those who will not be able to visit WAKE, photo reports, videos, and other interesting facts will be published continuously on the UMPRUM website and social media.

Project leaders: Simona Rybáková, Vojtěch Novotný, Michal Froněk
Students of the Fashion and Footwear Design Studio:
Kryštof Bača, Alica Grebáčová, Šárka Zejdová, Kateřina Puchmertlová, Barbora Fialová, Daniela Smolařová, Tereza Fodorová, Anna Ryšánková, Hana Valtová, Valerie Vrbová, Václav Černý, Tomáš Višňovský
Intern students: Stanislav Palát, Tatiana Zvolská, Viktorie Macánová
Dressmaking Forewoman: Miroslava Slabá
Shoemaking Forewoman: Zuzana Jirsová
External lecturers: Helena Jarošová, Radana Sikorová, Roman Dobeš (National Theatre), Štěpánka Stein, Nora Grundová (Haarper´s Bazaar)

This project reg.no. 0314000011 is being realized with the financial support of the Ministry of Culture, the National Recovery Plan and European Union.

PRESS KIT: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1DN-aee-z2EP5YGLc1zcN-1rwNjhZdeZx?usp=drive_link

Article presenting individual models on UMPRUM Online: https://online.umprum.cz/en/wake-alcova-milano-2024-en/