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Overview

Marga Weimans (Born in Rotterdam, 24 June 1970) is an AfroDutch fashion designer and the older sister of journalist and news presenter Simone Weimans. Marga has two children named Miles (son) and Grace (daughter).

Early Life

Weimans studied fashion design at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, where she graduated as the first Dutch fashion designer in 2005. During her studies at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, she did an internship at the fashion shows of Dries van Noten, Raf Simons and Veronique Branquinho, the costume department of Jan Fabre's show 'Parrots and Guinea' Pigs' in 2002, as well as a few others.

Career

Earlier in her career, Marga discusses her realisation of the competitive environment working in the fashion industry and how it took time to get noticed as a designer in her interview with Georgette Koning for Independent fashion daily in 2011. Marga says in this interview when discussing the development of her fashion identity I saw that fashion has two sides. An everyday, realistic world, in which I work as a designer, and a fantasy world that you try to evoke. I wanted to contrast those contrasts in Wonderland. Turn ugliness into hallucinating beauty. ” This gives an insight into her thought process when learning to become a successful designer and begin to develop a distinguishable difference between her work and the work of those she is competing against in the fashion industry. Marga sees her work as story telling and discusses how her work gives her the ability to reflect her life at the time of designing each show “I see it as a diary that always has a new page. In the beginning it was very much about my Parisian dream, and now it is about my life as a designer. ”Since her successful graduation Weimans' work is purchased by and exhibited at the Groninger Museum. In recent years she has achieved many successes including her collections which were presented in two haute couture weeks in Paris and also in several exhibitions in Dutch Museums. Weimans pushes the boundaries of the fashion industry with her designs. She is interested in the combination of fashion and architecture. Her collections are very broad: from haute couture to pret a porter, including architectural showpieces and minimalistic dresses. The designer has worked together with several artists from other fields in job roles like industrial designers and architects. Weimans shows her personal development and innovation in many of her designs. The realistic everyday environment of her studio is reflected in her work and transforms into a sublime dreamlike world when the final piece is produced. She incorporates elements of nature and space using earth tones and natural fabrics for multiple designs from her collections. She works with 3D perspectives and her designs include architectural materials like wood, iron and resin. She also creates her own fabrics by mixing fabric with fiberglass, this way, Weimans' designs tell a personal story of how her creative ideas are started, developed and concluded. Due to her black roots, Weimans is also interested in exploring the role of black women in our current global, complex culture. With her collection "Source of Power Collection", Weimans gives an image of the eccentricity, political incorrectness and dignity that come in to play analysing the contemporary black woman.

Filmography

Voro-Nova opened the Rotterdam Film Festival in 1985 and then went on to premier at a further 7 other film festivals in: Toronto, Riga, Valladolid, Bergamo, Montréal, São Paulo, Madrid. Marga Weimans starred in the short film alongside her younger sister at the time when the pair were only 14 and 15 years old. The film went on to win First Prize at the Art Exhibition ARCO ’91, Madrid. Huub Bals, the owner of Rotterdam Film Festival, also held the film in high praise by saying the following about the short film; "Voro Nova opens new vistas. I watched it breathlessly. You can't summarise that film. And that is what film is all about. It has to do with film history." Urban Jungles - The CITY LIFE is a cooperation between filmmakers and their contrasting cultures from various cities across the world such as Rotterdam, Budapest and Calcutta. The aim of the series of films is to create a global view of the world's rapidly changing societies in different places. In Rotterdam’s edition of the film, Marga Weimans plays a young successful city planner and is used as a contrast in society with the young children who pass time by causing trouble in their local subway. The children are influenced by Marga’s character which gives them guidance as they look to find their future in life.

The documentary ‘Fashion House’ follows Marga Weimans for a year as a growing fashion designer. It showcases her artistic talent when combining architecture, fashion, art and technology and her ability to work without boundaries and the limits which exist within the fashion industry. Director Maria Visser dives deep into Marga herself as well as what lies behind the Marga Weimans brand. The documentary also showcases an insiders perspective of how Marga develops her vastly growing international fashion house. Amsterdam fashion week preparations show the viewer how Marga tackles such events in a contemporary and unique way. The documentary also follows Marga in pursuit to return to her home country (Suriname).

Events

Marga was given the honour to run the final, closing show for the 18th edition of the Amsterdam fashion week in 2013. The collection was named ‘Body Archive’ showcasing her work with fashion, art and technology. Marga said "DNA is how you really are, what you truly believe and what your unique shape is” in this short film which was shown just before the show. This gives a clear insight into Marga’s inspiration for the show. Marga dressed her models in large cubes, leggings and short dresses which were all followed by the theme of colourful graphic designs which all were representative of her own DNA code. Marga’s first major solo exhibition was held at the Groninger Museum between June 15th and November 30th of 2014. The exhibition explored diverse themes that relate to Beauty, Identity and Technology and she worked with 3D perspectives regularly throughout the exhibition. She also worked with a range of materials such as wood, iron and resin as well as a unique material she works with regularly which is a fusion of fabric and fiberglass. During the summer of 2014 Marga Weimans released her SS2014 collection at Amsterdam Fashion Week with a runway designed to look like a living room, Marga ran a collection which yet again took Amsterdam fashion week by storm. Her use of garish colours which pay homage to architecture and visual arts are all packaged into all portable designs. The models wore a large range of colours and materials which prove Marga’s ability to work with a wide range of different colours and textures. In 2015, The Rotterdam Summer Carnival was cancelled due to extreme weather conditions. However, the TENT festivities continued with an indoor program, starting at 20.00, the exhibition On The Other Side Of Reality opened with a special opening performance created by Afrodutch fashion designer Marga Weimans. Dancers, models and a brass band presented her new monumental fashion installation, which is inspired by the Caribbean carnival. Throughout the whole day, TENT was open to the public for a look ‘behind the scenes’. During the afternoon, the dancers went ahead to perform in the exhibition space while a video clip was recorded. At 20.00 hrs, the public opening of the exhibition took place and the special opening performance started at 21.00 hrs. The dancers managed to breathe life into their architectural headdresses, accompanied by the beat of a special soundtrack. Marga Weimans was involved with TENT until the 27th of September during 2015.

Awards

In 2005 Weimans won an i-D Styling Award with the help of her graduation collection "The Power Of My Dreams". In 2012 Marga Weimans was nominated for a Dutch Fashion Award among 4 other nominees: Anne de Grijff, Hyun Yeu, Mattijs van Bergen, and Elsien Gringhuis but was beaten by Mattijs van Bergen who did not only win the much desired Mercedes-Benz Dutch Fashion Award along with a financial reward but also the International Fashion Incubator Award for 2012 as well. In 2013, Weimans was nominated for the Rotterdam Design Prize for her Body Archive collection by Fashion consultant Carlo Wijnand (also the owner of a fashion consultancy located in North Holland near the centre of Amsterdam). Carlo Wijnand had decided to nominate Marga as a result of her collection, which he claimed to ‘combine fashion, technology and architecture in a powerful, innovative manner and makes a personal statement in the process.’ Although she didn’t win the award she was part of a shortlist of 15 creatives which were each individually nominated by 15 individuals in the Netherlands creative industry. Later in 2013, Marga Weimans received the IAF prize, during the World Apparel Convention of the International Apparel Federation (IAF) in Shanghai, China for the most creative collection.

References

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MacDonell, N. (2014). Fashion Designer Marga Weimans Gets Her First Major Solo Exhibit. [online] W Magazine | Women's Fashion & Celebrity News. Available at: https://www.wmagazine.com/story/marga-weimans-exhibit [Accessed 20 Jan. 2020].

Artdaily.cc. (2015). Debut Collection of the Dutch Fashion Designer Marga Weimans on View at Groninger Museum. [online] Available at: https://artdaily.cc/news/27960/Debut-Collection-of-the-Dutch-Fashion-Designer-Marga-Weimans-on-View-at-Groninger-Museum#.Xd0c6pP7Su4 [Accessed 20 Jan. 2020].

Brankopopovic.blogspot.com. (2013). Marga Weimans - Body Archive collection. [online] Available at: http://brankopopovic.blogspot.com/2013/01/marga-weimans-body-archive-collection.html#.Xh24SJP7QY0 [Accessed 20 Jan. 2020].

de Randamie, M. (2020). Marga Weimans - Vogue.it. [online] Vogue.it. Available at: https://www.vogue.it/en/vogue-black/the-black-blog/2011/04/marga-weimans?refresh_ce= [Accessed 1 Dec. 2019].

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Irenebrination: Notes on Architecture, Art, Fashion, Fashion Law & Technology. (2015). In Search of a Fashion Designer's Soul: "Fashion House - Marga Weimans" by Maria Visser. [online] Available at: https://www.irenebrination.com/irenebrination_notes_on_a/2015/02/fashion-house-marga-weimans-maria-visser.html [Accessed 20 Jan. 2020].

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Esser, Y. (2015). Indoor zomercarnaval voor Marga Weimans. [online] Fashionunited.nl. Available at: https://fashionunited.nl/nieuws/mode/indoor-zomercarnaval-voor-marga-weimans/2015072824066 [Accessed 20 Jan. 2020].

Stylus | Innovation Research & Advisory. (2014). Marga Weimans At The Groninger | Stylus. [online] Available at: https://www.stylus.com/bblrnf [Accessed 20 Jan. 2020].

Fashionunited.nl. (2013). Marga Weimans wint IAF prijs. [online] Available at: https://fashionunited.nl/v1/leads/marga-weimans-wint-iaf-prijs/201309252759 [Accessed 20 Jan. 2020].

Wijnands, C. (2013). Marga Weimans | Rotterdam Designprijs 2013. [online] Designprijs.nl. Available at: http://designprijs.nl/en/marga-weimans-body-archive/ [Accessed 20 Jan. 2020].

Overdose.am. (2013). A striking architectural crossover in fashion by Marga Weimans | Overdose.am - Amsterdam's cultural magazine. [online] Available at: http://www.overdose.am/2013/07/16/a-striking-architectural-crossover-in-fashion-by-marga-weimans/ [Accessed 20 Jan. 2020].

Weimans, M. (2013). BLCK | Inspiration. [online] Blck.nl. Available at: https://blck.nl/blog/blck-quoted/marga-weimans-fashion-designer [Accessed 20 Jan. 2020].