Komono x Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp

Grace Hyejin Kim took inspiration from one simple phrase: ‘it’s cold, I’m just chilling’. Inspired by sitting at home on the sofa during winter, Grace’s collection transmits a certain coldness that conveys the feelings of being lonely and longing for family as an international student in a foreign country – especially during the holidays. Linus Leonardsson’s See You in the Fog also tackles this feeling of isolation and loneliness with his collection referencing adolescence and a teenager’s concern of not fitting into a grown-up world. Set in a backdrop of a forest rave in Stockholm, Leonard connects the artificial with the natural, a juxtaposition of contemporary rave culture with nature and craftsmanship. His unisex sunglasses reference trees which are tinted blue, yellow, and green by the pulsating beams of artificial strobe lights.

Nick Haemels started putting together his collection after finding inspiration in the AI-related movie Ex Machina. The idea of playing with masks in a laboratory setting appealed to him, and further research into the negative space of these objects allowed him to create a new kind of shape for his collection. However, Nick was not the only one who also wanted to play around with the concept of shape. Quinten Mestdagh took a different approach as his main goal was to create the effect of makeup in eyewear. His interest in transforming it into an accessory that you can easily put on and off led to the creation of his collection consisting of glasses with one coloured lens that covers the face. The lens is then enhanced with gradient prints and embellished with rhinestones.