Gangs of NK - Ilke Cop Collection 2014 - How a Movie by Park Chan Wook Inspired an Urban Womens Collection

They say time flies when you're having fun (or working your tail off)! I can only concurr. After four years of hard work and interesting ups and downs, I graduated in fashion design at the academy of Sint Niklaas. I'm proud to say that I did so with flying colors and top of my class! 

It seems only yesterday I was just a girl with a dream.

You can read reviews of this years Fashion Show on: ° Flanders Fashion Institute website

                                                ° Belmodo blog

Presenting Gangs of NK - A/W Collection 2014-15

My collection Gangs of NK is an attempt to show the contradiction between the masses and the individual. NK stands for North Korea and her mass culture and idoctrination. For me, gangs are a symbol for the rebellion of the individual that still doesn't leave the security of the group. The result is a womens collection that combines unexpected forms, prints and colors and yet shows a distinct unity.

The starting point for this collection was the Korean Movie 'Sympathy for Lady Vengeance' by director Park Chan Wook. I drew inspiration from different aspects of the movie which I transformed into a collection concept.

The movie is about a horrific child murder and contains a lot of nonsensical elements. I  started research on Asian toys, because they have that childlike quality and can be very weird and disturbing. These toys determined a lot of the imagery and colors of the collection. I combined the very bright almost psychedelic colors of the toys with the soft pastel tones prominent in the movie.

The embroidery in the collection refers to these bizarre toys and the pixelated crosses that make out the embroidered designs connect these to mass media like computer and television, which is also very often used as a medium of mass communication in North Korea.

The diverse handling of the fabric, like the quilting techniques used on certain fabrics and the use of cut-out shapes can all be traced back to elements in nature, like ice, snow and clouds. Natural formations are very prominent in Parks movie. These irregular lines are present throughout the whole of the collection. These lines also represent the borders, rivers and roads of a country. For example, I created a print out of an aerial view of North Korea.

Research of North Korea and its culture have partly determined the overall form and cuts of the clothing. The traditional Hanbok proved to be a great inspiration. The dress shows a lowered sleeve and remarkable volumes. The shoulders follow the form of the body and I tried to achieve the same shape in the collection.

For the style and layering of the collection I looked at the typical Asian streetstyle and hip-hop culture. Pieces are combined in an unexpected way and worn on top of eachother. Futuristic prints and plaid vintage fabrics are positioned next to one another to establish an urban yet womenly feel.

This year I worked with a fantastic team to put together a studio shoot as well as a street shoot. You'll find the studio images inclosed. Don't hesitate to let me know what you think, personally I'm super excited about the result! Hope you enjoy!

Design/Concept/Styling: Ilke Cop
Photography: Aaron Lapeirre

MUAH: Crystal D.
Assitant MUAH: Lisa Defoor

Model: Mo Li (Models Office)

Production Assistant: Pieter-Jan Donders

Special thanks to: Uschi Cop, Danielle Gabriels, Louis Strijbos, Marc Cop, Cristina Chuecos, Marijke Boye, Cleo Jespers, Maryam Kamal Hedayat, Ine de Haes, Annelies Demeulenaere, Nina Van Cauwenberge, Gitte Van den Bergh, Anaïs Raes, Nadia Hostie, Danny Defoor, Elien Defoor, Ines Gabriels, Monica de Ridder, Paul Gabriels, Erik Nagels, Sylvia, Annick Schokaert van The Stitching Room

Iberian Gold - Ilke Cop Collection 2013: The Story

Photography: Aaron Lapeirre

MUA: Sophia Alix

Production: Maryam Kamal Hedayat

Model: Tosca Schuermans

Special Thanks: Pieter-Jan Donders, Uschi Cop, Danielle Gabriels, Louis Strijbos, Fort 8

Cindy Sherman's Ugly Fashion

I have always been drawn to female artists, not in the least because, frankly, there aren't enough. The male artist, as well as the male gaze, has long dominated art and fashion, with the great exception of Coco Chanel. The woman was long destined to take on the role of 'muse' or 'model'.
Cindy Sherman defies this fact and is undoubtedly one of the most famous photographers of the last century. In her work she comments on the position of the woman in the art world. Her 'Untitled Film Stills' series, which she produced between 1977 and 1980, evokes the atmosphere of the black and white film without explicitly copying a particular movie. She takes on the persona of female figures, who are not seldom engaging in domestic activities.

Cindy Sherman, Untitled Film Still #21 , 1978

Cindy Sherman, Untitled Film Still #3 , 1977

In addition to this clear affinity with the cinematic medium, Sherman also centered on the connection of paintings from the pre-modern art tradition with the postmodern world. In the series History Portraits (1989 - 1990) Sherman has photographed herself in the style of the traditional painters.

Cindy Sherman, Untitled, 1989

Using props to replace human body parts, the artist gets inside the character portrayed. This is the moment that Sherman's work starts to get unsettling, even creepy.
Also in these works, the image of the woman is critically defined. This happens for example in Untitled #228 in 1990. Here Sherman portrays herself as the biblical character Judith who holds the severed head of Holofernes.

Cindy Sherman, Untitled #228, 1990

 This theme reflects a certain feminism. The woman in this story is indeed depicted as a pious heroine who saves her people from foreign domination. This is an exceptional theme in the Bible, where the woman is usually depicted as the fruit of all sins. 


Dozens of books have been written about Cindy Sherman's oeuvre, but the thing that gets overlooked quit often is her affinity with fashion. 
Her fashion series of 1983 caused a stirr. Sherman was asked to do a series of advertisements for the Dianne B. store. These photographs appeared in Interview Magazine.  

Cindy Sherman for Interview Magazine, 1983

The pictures that resulted from Sherman's efforts can be described as the antithesis of conventional fashion photography like that of Richard Avedon. The female persona is displayed as imperfect, distorted, psychologically challenged and worn down. The poses appear uncomfortable, clumsy and even silly. The clothes have lost their shape and are unflattering. I interpret this as a feminist way of pushing the boundaries of what is considered to be the perfect female body.


In 1993 Sherman repeated this act with pictures for Harper's Bazaar. 

Cindy Sherman for Harper's Bazaar, 1993

To me these look much more 'fashion' and can be compared to some alternative contemporary fashion editorials. In the nineties however, this imagery was considered innovative and even provocative.


In 1994 she collaborated with Rei Kawakubo, providing advertisement material for the fall/winter 1994 collection of Comme des Garçons. The views of this fashion label coincided with Sherman's look on photography.

Cindy Sherman for Comme des Garçons, 1994

  In 2006, she worked on advertisements for designer Marc Jacobs with fashion photographer Juergen Teller.

Cindy Sherman and Juergen Teller for Marc Jacobs, 2006

Notice again the poses that are not usually used in fashion photography. The construction of this picture resembles that of a family portrait.

In 2008, she made a series for Balenciaga. Once again the characters look old, tired and out of place.

Cindy Sherman, Untitled (Balenciaga), 2008

In 2011 cosmetic company M.A.C. acquired Sherman as the face and photographer for the fall line. The three images of the campaign depict three different colorpalets. Sherman transforms into a clown, a vulgar heiress and an angel-faced cheerleader. Not exactly what you have in mind when thinking of a make-up add.

Cindy Sherman for M.A.C., fall 2011

Although Cindy Sherman's road can't be reduced to a feminist battle, you could say that in this add Sherman's voice was heard. By replacing the young perfect model with a female artist, who's well in her fifties, but above all raising fashion advertizing to the level of free art, liberates not only women but also fashion photography.


Imperfection in fashion photography is on the rise. Unfortunately this still happens too scarcely and stays limited to the alternative magazines.


I give my vote to art, theater and (limited) ugliness in my mags!






The Mere Alchemist 




Cindy Sherman's work
Museum of Modern Art in NY :A retrospective of Cindy Sherman runs now till the 11th of June 2012.