DAFES | Design, Art, Fashion, Education & Startups

Where To Find Design Inspiration?
We’ve gathered 4 platforms offering thoughtful, well-curated references — from typography to web design. Each brings a unique professional perspective and can become a valuable compass in your creative growth:
1. Deziiign.com
2. The Glitch Gallery
3. Brutalist Websites
4. Awwwards

Save this list, and subscribe for more inspiration!

Working with digital products? Apply your projects to the DAFES AWARDS in nominations: Product Design, Web Design, Artificial Intelligence, Mobile App, CX (Customer Experience), Interface Design, and Creative Programming!

#DAFESInspo

Girl with a Pearl Earring headphone cover
CASETiFY has turned Johannes Vermeer’s timeless painting into wearable art. The Girl with a Pearl Earring headphone cover transforms its users into the famous muse from the Dutch Golden Age.

The accessory wraps around the earcup, imitating the blue-and-yellow headscarf, while a delicate pearl pendant hangs exactly where Vermeer’s girl would have worn her earring. The accessory seamlessly merges fashion, technology, and art into a single collectible piece.

This design illustrates how classical heritage can inspire modern product innovation—blurring the lines between art and design.

Are you a fashion designer?
Apply for DAFES AWARDS 2025 in the Fashion Design nomination.
No entry fee, no age or nationality limits.
Deadline: October 12.

#InnovativeDesign #DAFESAwards

Weekend Recommendation: Book "Grace — A Memoir"

Grace Coddington, the flame-haired visionary and former creative director of Vogue US, shaped some of the most unforgettable fashion images of the last decades. Known for her dramatic, narrative-driven photoshoots, she became an icon of imagination and discipline in the fashion world.

Her memoir, Grace, is witty, candid, and richly illustrated with vintage photographs and her own line drawings. It offers a behind-the-scenes look at the designers, models, and photographers she worked with — from Jerry Hall’s to... King Charles III.

If you loved The September Issue, where Grace stole the spotlight with her no-nonsense approach and brilliant eye, this book will let you dive deeper into the stories and creative energy that made her legendary.

If you are a Fashion stylist like Grace Coddington, don’t miss your chance — apply for the current DAFES Open Call before October 12!

#WeekendRecommendation

DAFES | Design, Art, Fashion, Education & Startups pinned a photo

DAFES | Design, Art, Fashion, Education & Startups pinned a photo

OPEN CALL: SOUND DESIGN

For the first time, DAFES AWARDS invites creators to shape its official sonic signature!
The winner’s work will become the official audio identity of DAFES AWARDS ceremony and will receive a financial reward.

The assignment includes:
- Music & sound design for the official trailer (3–5 minutes);
- DAFES audio logo — a short, recognizable brand sound;
- Background music for the ceremony (5 minutes);
- Two 15-second jingles for the awards ceremony.

Key dates:
— Entry deadline: 31 October 2025;
— Jury voting: 1–5 November 2025;
— Ceremony: 21 November 2025 in Moscow.

This nomination is open to all, with no entry fee.

Apply via the link!

#DAFESAwards

OPEN CALLS DEADLINE
Only 1 month remains until the DAFES AWARDS 2025 submission deadline!
Don't wait until the last minute, apply today via the links below!

We are accepting entries across 22 design nominations:
- Font
- Lettering & Calligraphy
- Editorial
- Poster
- Packaging design
- Infographics
- Design-marketing
- Identity & branding
- Motion design
- CX (Customer Experience)
- Product design
- Web design
- Creative programming
- Game visuals
- Game development
- Interface design
- Artificial Intelligence
- Mobile app
- Fashion Design
- Fashion Photography & Styling
- Creative Entrepreneurship

Deadline:
October 12

Requirements:
- Open to all ages, backgrounds, and nationalities
- For students and professionals alike

Let’s shape the future of creative industries together!

DAFES CHOICE | July 2025
Aleksandra Manovtseva — “Tunnel” (III place).

The series was born when Aleksandra arrived in the U.S. One evening in Chicago, she was struck by the sight of glowing train windows cutting through a dark tunnel. Inside — passengers lost in their thoughts, each framed like a living portrait.

For several months, Aleksandra returned “on the hunt,” capturing strangers who happened to cross paths for a fleeting moment. The essence of the project lies in its simplicity: no event, no emotion, no “decisive moment.” Instead, it reveals the quiet state of being — faces caught between two worlds, suspended in the interval from work to home.

A meditation on time, space, and solitude, Tunnel turns everyday commuters into timeless characters.

P.S. Photographers working in the Fashion sphere are warmly invited to submit their projects for the DAFES AWARDS via the link. Deadline: October 12.

#DAFESChoice #DAFESTalents