Reflections

Doc/34 in Conversation with the 2026 IFM MA Graduates Backstage

Written by Niclas Kauermann and Sofia Stagnitti, Edited by Sydney Wilde and Leyla Boudieb

Mar 9, 2026

Every year, the Fall/Winter Women's Fashion Week kicks off in Paris with the IFM Master of Arts’ graduate show debuting first on the calendar. This year, a selection of 23 MA students from diverse countries presented their work on a grand scale. Members from the Doc/34 team were able to catch some of the designers backstage shortly before the show began. Interview footage was filmed by Minoas Chatzopoulos, and the designers were interviewed by Sofia Stagnitti. Karine Sok supported with all backstage efforts, contributing largely to capturing the scene and events. Our desire throughout these interviews was to get an intimate look into the designer's process while also showcasing the ways IFM, as an ecosystem, has influenced their collection. Additionally, we believe collaboration is at the forefront of creative work, and while sometimes overlooked, it tends to be a crucial step on the way to arrival.


We are tremendously grateful to the entire MA program for participating and sharing stories of their process and of their collections for us to share on this platform, and we congratulate them on an amazing show. Additionally, a huge thank you to IFM administration and the communications team for supporting us throughout this process and granting us access to backstage. Finally, a huge thanks to Felix Onfermann and Sacha Kerbrat for the backstage photography and for capturing this special moment so beautifully. 

Conversation with Bérénice Rohrer-Missiaen about her collection “Beyond the Frame” 

@bereniiiss 

Photo by Felix Onfermann  

Sofia
Hey, could you maybe introduce yourself and your final collection?

Berenice
Hey, my name is Berenice, and I'm here to present my spring-summer collection with plus-size models. It is inspired by a comic book that I created this summer. In the collection, I try to connect these two passions of mine, for example, through sportswear shapes and through the work with knitwear and embroidery.

Sofia
Was there an initial image or material that started the inspiration for your collection?

Berenice
Actually yes. I love hitchhiking with friends during the summer. The idea came from my personal experience of being in a car with strangers and suddenly sharing very intimate things. That was the starting point for my comic strip, and then I translated it into fashion. The idea of layers also became an important keyword for my collection.

WWD.COM (https://wwd.com/fashion-news/shows-reviews/gallery/ifm-master-of-arts-fall-2026-ready-to-wear-collection-1238642546/ifm-master-of-arts-fall-2026-ready-to-wear-collection-27/) 

Sofia
Was there a certain collaborative experience that you had during your time at IFM that really stood out to you?

Berenice
I collaborated with Rilievi, an Italian brand that created the embroidery for my pieces. I first printed the fabrics at Teintures de France, then sent them to Italy where they embroidered every detail I asked for using different techniques. I'm very satisfied with the result, and I learned a lot from this experience.




Conversation with Adam Meng Wang about his collection “To Look Without Fear” 

@adammengwang 

Photo by Felix Onfermann  

Sofia
Was there an initial fabric or photo that kind of sparked the inspiration for the collection

Adam
I was inspired by the exhibition “To Look Without Fear” by Wolfgang Tillmans at the Centre Pompidou. Tillman often shows large photographs in exhibitions and also takes pictures of intimate and personal parts of the body as a queer artist. I used that as a starting point to talk about sexual desire in my collection.

There are also many references to other queer artists, for example, Boris Torres, an American artist I collaborated with. All of the motifs you see in the collection come from his artwork. Another artist who influenced the garments is Peter Berlin, a gay icon from the seventies, whose visual language really helped shape the direction of the collection. In this collection, I try to mimic the aesthetic of gay leather fetish wear and transform it into knitwear, so everything you see in the collection is knitted.

Left: Backstage lookbook by Sofia Stagnitti Right: Photo by Felix Onfermann

Sofia
Was there a specific collaborative experience in your time at IFM that really stood out? It could be with another department, with a peer, or with a professor?

Adam
The embroidery was made at the Fab Lab, and all of the hotfix crystal stones were sponsored by Preciosa.

WWD.COM (https://wwd.com/fashion-news/shows-reviews/gallery/ifm-master-of-arts-fall-2026-ready-to-wear-collection-1238642546/ifm-master-of-arts-fall-2026-ready-to-wear-collection-31/)




Conversation with Patrick Garvey about his collection “Chromatic Alchemy”

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Sofia
What was your initial inspiration in terms of fabric, image or an initial thought that sparked the process?

Patrick
The idea behind my collection is that if I had not taken the path of becoming a fashion designer, I might have been a scientist in another life. I imagined that, from that perspective, after having a crisis of conscience as a scientist, I would decide to make a fashion collection. So each garment includes some kind of scientific experiment happening inside it.

For example, some of the pieces are filled with different oils and liquids that separate and create visual illusions inside the knitted structures. In one garment, you can actually see movement inside, because there is a chemical reaction that separates the liquids. Another experiment happening in the collection is a crystallisation process. All the embroidery you see growing on the garments is not sewn on. It is created through a chemical reaction that forms crystal embroidery directly on the pieces.

Backstage lookbook by Sofia Stagnitti

Sofia
What was a collaboration that you experienced during your time at IFM that stood out to you?

Patrick
During this project, I collaborated with the material science department at the University of Luxembourg. Together, we developed the idea of separating liquids to create different perspectives and illusions inside the knit, so you can see different reflections, illuminations, and glitter powders moving inside the garments.

We also started developing a yarn that changes colour when it is stretched, which is something we are still working on. They also helped me improve the crystallisation process. Before, when I made it, the crystals came out very cloudy. Now they can be produced in different colours, and they are much clearer and more sparkly.

Process photo taken from Patrick Garvey's Instagram / @patrickjgarvey




Talk with Nikki Kähr about her collection, Pippi Långstrump: World's Strongest Girl“

@nikki_kahr 

Process photos shared by Nikki Kähr

Sofia
Was there an initial material or visual element, a picture, that sparked the references for the collection?

Nikki
Well, my collection is based on Pippi Longstocking, because I’m Swedish and it’s a very strong Swedish reference. So my collection is called, Pippi Långstrump, The World’s Strongest Girl“.

Process photos shared by Nikki Kähr

Sofia
Was there a collaborative experience in your time at IFM that really stood out to you and influenced this project?

Nikki
Probably me forcing my boyfriend to do my embroidery for over 200 hours.

Sofia
Were there any images that were super relevant on your mood board?

Nikki
There's another famous Swedish textile designer named Josef Frank, and he's really famous for his floral wallpaper and his animal prints, and that really inspired me and my jacquards.

WWD.COM https://wwd.com/fashion-news/shows-reviews/gallery/ifm-master-of-arts-fall-2026-ready-to-wear-collection-1238642546/ifm-master-of-arts-fall-2026-ready-to-wear-collection-123/




Conversation with Ryan Treadwell about his collection “Four Men walk into a Bar”

@ryan.treadwell 

Photo by Felix Onfermann

Sofia
Was there an initial fabric or image that kind of sparked the research for this project?

Ryan
Yes, more of a fabric. Things like striped poplin and other classic menswear fabrics. But floral prints also became very important for my collection. I was inspired by the 1990s in Hong Kong, especially as captured in the film “In the Mood for Love” by Wong Kar-wai.

Moodboard process image shared by Ryan Treadwell

Sofia
What was the first image on your moodboard?

Ryan
Yeah, actually, it's a photo of my grandfather and grandmother, in which she is wearing this crazy 90s print thing, and he is wearing a beautiful, pinstripe suit.

Sofia
Was there a collaboration or collaborative experience that you had at IFM that really stood out to you?

Ryan
I was really lucky for this to actually do the Jacquards with BMA Maglificio, which is in an Italian knitwear factory. It changed a lot of how I approached the collection, which was super nice.

WWD.COM https://wwd.com/fashion-news/shows-reviews/gallery/ifm-master-of-arts-fall-2026-ready-to-wear-collection-1238642546/ifm-master-of-arts-fall-2026-ready-to-wear-collection-123/

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