A true passion for fashion will be celebrated in Kipsala, Riga, Latvia on 5 April with exciting fashion shows of the 14th Competition for Young Fashion Designers "Habitus Baltija 2014" and the Fashion Design Competition "The Amber Avant-Garde". These competitions are included in the programme of Riga 2014, the European Capital of Culture. 55 fashion designers from 12 countries will present their creations within the framework of these events.
"One of the most significant fashion events in the Baltics – the competition for young fashion designers "Habitus Baltija" is going to be an exciting and interesting event for all its participants, visitors and the jury. This year the competition is expected to be especially tight - there are many amazing and innovative collections of clothes prepared for demonstration and it will not be easy to choose a winner", says Linda Lejiņa, "Habitus Baltija 2014" Project Manager.
Fashion Design Competition "The Amber Avant-Garde" For the first time the competition "Habitus Baltija" will be organised simultaneously with the Fashion Design Competition "The Amber Avant-Garde". 20 fashion artists are going to take part in this event, among them "Habitus Baltija 2014" participants as well. The designers are going to present one extraordinary garment that is inspired by the ideas of the theme "Amber Vein" within the framework of the "Riga 2014" programme. "It is symbolic that the competition participants are from Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Germany - the countries along the historic Amber Road", explains Linda Lejiņa.
Record-breaking number of "Habitus Baltija" participants 50 fashion artists from Belarus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Russia, Latvia, Great Britain, Lithuania, Poland and Finland will present 46 collections of clothes in the fashion shows of the competition "Habitus Baltija 2014".
Besides the individual evaluation, the best fashion school is also going to be chosen. 13 universities are going to compete for this title. The first time competition participants are Tomas Bata University in Zlin (the Czech Republic), Koszalin University of Technology (Poland), Cologne Free Academy (Germany), Ivanovo State Textile Academy (Russia) and Vilnius College of Higher Education (Lithuania). The usual participants are Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture (Finland), Cracow School of Art and Fashion Design (Poland), Vilnius Academy of Arts, the Faculty of Telsiai of Vilnius Academy of Arts (Lithuania), the Estonian Academy of Arts, Tallinn University of Applied Sciences (Estonia), the Art Academy of Latvia and Riga Technical University (Latvia).
Latvia is represented by 7 young fashion designers The individual participants representing Latvia at the competition "Habitus Baltija 2014" are Eva Borherte, Signe Nasteviča and Marika Džule. The participants of the school competition are Reinis Ratnieks and Baiba Litiņa representing the Art Academy of Latvia and Jeļena Aleksandravičūte and Vineta Afanasjeva representing Riga Technical University.
The young talents are to be examined by world-famous designers The originality of the collections and the quality of works will be evaluated by an international jury of acclaimed professionals, led by the popular designer Giovanni Otonello, the representative of the European Institute of Design in Rome (Italy), the famous network of design and fashion art schools. Other members of the jury are the world recognised designers Peter Ingversen (Denmark), Paul Marchant (France) and Lara Aragno Gigli (Italy), the popular brand formation and marketing experts Judith Tolley (Great Britain), Victoria Diaz (Lithuania) and Heather Melville (Great Britain), as well as the Belarusian designer, the winner of "Habitus Baltija 2011" - Leor Gofman (Belarus). Latvian members of the jury are Indra Salceviča, designer of the fashion brand Red Salt, Olga Kolotova, fashion editor of the magazine "L`Officiel Latvija" and Anita Sedliņa, fashion blogger and fashion editor of the fashion and lifestyle magazine "Pastaiga".
Valuable prizes for the winners The competition winners will be announced at a special ceremony at 16.30. The winners will receive certificates for pre-paid studies and an opportunity to participate in various international competitions and shows. The best designer of the "Habitus Baltija 2014" competition will have the opportunity to attend summer courses organised by the famous International Fashion University ESMOD in Paris and other prize winners will receive pre-paid fashion marketing studies organised by the European Institute of Design in Milan, free publicity – exclusive interviews and reports on collections in the fashion portal NJAL (
www.notjustalabel.com) and the opportunity to participate in Cracow Fashion Week, the fashion design competition "The Windmill of Fashion" in Minsk, Belarus, the final of the popular competition for young designers "The Russian Silhouette" and many other competitions. The winner of the Grand Prix – the Best Designer and the Best School will receive the "Habitus Baltija" statuette created by the Latvian metal artist Māris Šustiņš. The winner of the Fashion Design Competition "The Amber Avant-Garde" will receive a cash prize of 500 EUR.
The event is going to be led by the charming singer and DJ Markus Riva, the winner of the "Latvian Style & Fashion Awards 2013".
The entrance to "Habitus Baltija 2014" fashion shows is granted upon presenting the ticket to the exhibition "Baltic Fashion & Textile RIGA 2014". Additional information:
www.habitus.lv Venue: Ķīpsala International Exhibition Centre, 8 Ķīpsalas Street, Riga, Latvia
