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16 November 2023
Vienna Opera Ball 2024 'Couture Salon' jury selects fashion designers for cooperation with Vienna State Ballet dancers based on criteria such as sustainability and waltz suitability
This October, for the first time, the Vienna State Opera invited fashion designers from across Austria to participate in a competition to design ball gowns for the collaboration with the principal dancers of the Vienna State Ballet for the Couture Salon, an official side event of the Vienna Opera Ball (article). The Couture Salon has been held since 2014. In 2024, it will take place at the Hotel Bristol on January 17, approximately two weeks before the Vienna Opera Ball on February 8.
Thirty designers from all over Austria have passed a rigorous selection process, and a prominent jury headed by Thang De Hoo, known for his high-quality couture creations, will select three winners. In the press release, Thang De Hoo expressed his deep connection to the Viennese ball tradition with an anecdote. When he came to Vienna from The Hague in 1986 with his master's degree, his first assignment was to design a gown for the Vienna Opera Ball. Attending the ball was one of the first and most formative experiences the then very young creative had in Vienna. Many balls and countless gowns later, the Opera Ball has not lost its fascination for him.
Louisa Rachedi, a member of the Vienna State Ballet's board of directors, says of her role on the judging panel that her focus is on evaluating the ball gowns for fit and wearability. Rachedi emphasizes the importance of the dress being appropriate for waltz dancing, since dancing is, after all, an integral part of the Opera Ball experience.
The third juror is popular film and television actress Lilian Klebow, a Jane Goodall ambassador and environmental activist since her youth. Klebow will evaluate the sustainability of the designs. Her role is probably the most challenging, as she will question the origin and sustainability of fashion beyond its aesthetics. As an introduction to her role, she points out that the fashion industry, especially "fast fashion," is a significant contributor to climate issues. Klebow expresses her enthusiasm for sustainable materials and young Austrian designers, citing her positive experience wearing a dress by Moulham Obid, one of the three designers from the Couture Salon 2023, at the last Opera Ball. She notes that Moulham's collections use mostly old fabrics and faulty leftovers.
It's announced that the three winners will be revealed at the end of November, with the grand unveiling of the gowns scheduled for January 17, 2024, at the Hotel Bristol during the Couture Salon.
Images: Portrait of Lilian Klebow; photo: © Jan Frankl. Portrait Thang De Hoo; photo: © Stefan Diesner. Portrait Louisa Rachedi; photo: © Andreas Jakwerth.
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