MOMU AWARD 2012: MANON KÜNDIG

The recipient of the 2012 MoMu Award is Manon Kündig, with her collection 'Bowerbirds': The male bowerbird, a little creature that seduces the female by creating an odd composition of both natural and synthetic scraps to show off his creative skills, is a true freak of nature. He is the central inspiration behind the eclectic silhouettes in this collection. Fusing good and bad taste, unconscious fashion and the male peacock, it shows how keeping up appearances can be done spontaneously and creatively.

Materials that pretend to be something different, camouflage prints that are not what they seem, faux carré scarves turned into jackets, in Manon Kündig’s world, rubbish and haute couture are no opposites.

Just like the bowerbird, Manon Kündig also looked at her neighbours’ style for influences: being Swiss residing in Borgerhout, she integrated typical ornamentation, materials and silhouettes that can be seen in this and other district’s cultures. As a true pick-up artist, Kündig collects inspiration from wherever she happens to find it, showing the beauty of l’art du hazard.

Each year the Fashion Museum of Antwerp presents a MoMu Award to an MA student at the fashion department of the Royal Academy in Antwerp. This award, to be presented during the jury proclamation in June, gives a single student the opportunity to present his or her collection in an exhibition at the MoMu Gallery.

The MoMu Award is for a student whose course of study at the Royal Academy has been exceptionally motivating and whose work stands out in unique visual language.