Eighteen editions in, FASHIONCLASH Festival still treats Maastricht as one large stage. From 13 to 15 November 2026, the city hosts a new generation of designers and artists from over 25 countries, with a programme that runs through performances, exhibitions, fashion shows, films, workshops, talks and parties.
Friday 13 November opens in the Sphinxkwartier. The evening begins at Bureau Europa with New Fashion Narratives, an exhibition curated by Jamal Nxedlana, Karmen Samson, Welmoed Bosch and Agatha Prieto Jeanty under the title Fleshy, wobbly, slimy. The selection gathers work that leaks, mutates and slips out of every category. Lumière Cinema follows with the Fashion Film Program: 44 short films, two premieres and an awards ceremony. A free fashion show then fills the long Sphinx Passage with collections by young designers and a guest runway by Teigetje & Woelrat, and the night closes with the opening party at The Social Hub.
Saturday 14 November belongs to the Peutzhal at ENCI. CLASHLAB opens the evening with a short piece developed during a two-week residency by fashion designer Teun Seuren, choreographer Daniëlle Huyghe and musician Nader Adabnejad. The CLASH House follows with ten designers who present their collections as performances, with two prizes awarded on the night. The afterparty, themed Childhood Fantasies, Surreal Realities, keeps the hall open late, and the dress code asks guests to arrive as the creature, fantasy or memory they always dreamed of becoming.
The rest of the weekend spreads across the city. Centre Céramique hosts Fashion Makes Sense, the festival's participation programme, including TexTiles, a collective artwork built from textile tiles made by hundreds of Maastricht residents. At Jan van Eyck Academie, Amarte x FASHIONCLASH pairs four artists with fashion designers for new installations and performances. The Social Hub shows Class of 2026, a selection of graduates from seven academies, while galleries, bookshops, a design hotel and the Bonnefantenmuseum add further presentations and talks.
The 2026 campaign comes from Hashim Nasr, a Sudanese visual artist and photographer based in Alexandria. His staged images draw on African and Middle Eastern traditions and turn symbols, garments and rituals into dreamlike scenes. On the poster, a black pointed figure covered in gold crescents stands alone on pale desert ground under a clear blue sky.
FASHIONCLASH Festival 2026
13 to 15 November 2026
Various locations, Maastricht
Tickets and free programme: fashionclash.nl