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Creative Advisory Council

Open Call in collaboration with FDFA

Are you a designer, maker, or is fashion your discipline? Apply now for the Open Call organised by State of Fashion in collaboration with FDFA, to create new work as part of the upcoming State of Fashion Biennale Available to Promise; Hidden Systems, Shared Futures which will take place from 14 May to 28 June 2026 in Arnhem.

Every system begins with a promise. When the mechanisms we rely on define the world we stand in, what promises can we still make - to each other, to the land, to the future?What is still available to promise?

- Curators State of Fashion Biennale 2026

As with previous editions, we are once again reaching out to makers and designers who have a creative connection with Arnhem. We are looking for five (fashion) designers and or makers who want to create a new work based on one of the sub-themes below.

Is this you? We look forward to receiving your proposal! If you are selected, your work will be exhibited in Rozet during the State of Fashion Biennale 2026 as an official part of the public programme.

State of Fashion

State of Fashion is a platform for showcasing alternatives to the current fashion system. We connect fashion, explicitly and honestly, with the societal questions and challenges of our time. Our leading question is: how can fashion and textile contribute to a better world?

The State of Fashion Biennale 2026 curatorial team, , Anouchka van Driel and Shanu Walpita, have outlined five sub-themes. We invite you, as makers and designers with a connection to Arnhem, to reflect on these. The sub-themes are:

Develop : where fashion takes shape, ideas become form and materials are explored. The future of a garment begins with sketches, samples and purchasing; long before it reaches the wearer. Distribute : Fashion in transit - stitched, packaged and shipped across oceans and markets. Garments move through unseen hands and across global routes. Hype : the hype surrounding fashion is often constructed by algorithms and trends. Digital campaigns, influencer drops and "viral aesthetics" turn garments into (status) symbols even before they reach the body. Experience : clothing is worn and seen, it is lived in and it contains memories. Holding stories and creating encounters, this is often the longest and most intimate phase of fashion. Transform : the desire and motivations to reimagine and reshape fashion. A continuous movement of renewed possibility, shifting ways of thinking and doing.

How to apply?

Describe or visualise your idea for a new work and for a show or other activation of this new work. The work for the Open Call will be exhibited in Rozet and the show or activation will take place in the Historic City Cellars of Arnhem.

Submit your plan in English (maximum one A4 page) by 23 December 2025 via . Your idea will be discussed by a selection committee consisting of Mode Partners 025 (Museum Arnhem, ArtEZ, Rijn IJssel, State of Fashion and FDFA), Rozet, and the curators of State of Fashion Biennale 2026. The committee will consider the connection to and translation of the theme of 'Available to Promise' and the five sub-themes. It is important that you, as a designer or maker, have (had) some kind of creative connection with Arnhem. Educational background is not important, whether you studied at ArtEZ or Rijn IJssel or are self-taught; everyone is welcome to submit a plan! The selected makers and designers will receive coaching from Sjaak Hullekes on behalf of FDFA during the execution of their idea.

The selection will be announced at the end of January 2026.

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What do we offer?

A fee of €2,500 excluding VAT for you as a designer/creator;

A working budget of €1,000 excluding VAT to implement the idea in question. With this you will: - Realise the new work (e.g. fabrics or other materials) - Activate the new work once during the Biennale (e.g. a show or performance)

A platform during the international fashion Biennale, including the associated publicity.

Related

Programme announced for State of Fashion Biennale 2026 | Available to Promise; Hidden Systems, Shared Futures.

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