Arts & Design students experience creative workshop with renowned artist from Paris Fashion Week

On September 12, 2025, the Faculty of Arts & Design at Van Lang University hosted a workshop series titled “Material – Touch – Thought: From Material to Design”, led by Dr. Omri Goren, an artist, designer, and lecturer from the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design (Israel). During the workshop, students engaged in hands-on creative design using recycled materials, particularly denim.

Van Lang University encourages students to broaden their academic perspectives and embrace international integration. Through regular exchanges and workshops with esteemed guests, artists, and global experts, students gain creative experience, fresh insights, and the opportunity to nurture their own artistic identities.

1 / 9

2 / 9

3 / 9

4 / 9

5 / 9

6 / 9

7 / 9

8 / 9

9 / 9

Recycled denim creations gradually took shape under the skilled hands of Van Lang University students, guided by artist-designer Omri Goren and the faculty lecturers.

In the workshop, students worked in small groups to develop new designs using recycled denim. Over the course of two hours, their initial ideas transformed into diverse products, such as jewelry, accessories, and wearable fashion pieces, inspired by various artistic movements such as Van Gogh’s paintings, Art Deco, Japanese Manga, and Bohemian-Gothic aesthetics. Dr. Goren praised many of the students’ works as nearly complete and potentially ready for professional fashion runways. He was particularly impressed by their ability to combine soft and rigid materials to produce unique designs.

1 / 10

2 / 10

3 / 10

4 / 10

5 / 10

6 / 10

7 / 10

8 / 10

9 / 10

10 / 10

Dr. Omri Goren’s designs blend traditional and modern materials, bringing a fresh breath of creativity to the world of high fashion.

Sharing his artistic journey, Dr. Goren revealed that his inspiration stems from personal memories, especially from his grandfather, who is an oil painter. Drawing from his family’s paintings, he began experimenting by cutting and assembling elements into jewelry, masks, and three-dimensional wearable structures. This process of merging memory with tangible materials helped him form a distinctive personal style and explore new approaches to fashion. His works have been showcased at Venice Biennale, Paris Fashion Week, and New York exhibitions.

The dialogue between Dr. Omri Goren and the students created an open, engaging space filled with questions about expressing emotions through design, applying real paintings to garments, and maintaining creativity amid prejudice and convention. Dr. Goren emphasized the importance of preserving one’s personal voice in artistic creation. His multidisciplinary background in jewelry and fashion allows him to design with great flexibility, shaping a personal style where contrasting values can coexist in harmony.

The workshop offered the students from the Faculty of Arts & Design a rich artistic experience full of emotion, opening new perspectives on creativity while helping them develop teamwork skills and the ability to turn ideas into practical applications. It also gave them a chance to explore international design thinking, learning how to transform memories and emotions into distinctive artistic products, and nurturing a spirit of artistic courage and exploration.

News: Dang Khoa
Photos: Gia Khang