At BMIM Special 2025, a unique encounter took center stage: the meeting between music and fashion. Guided by Maxine Penney (cultural curator, Goddess of Queens Music), Francesca Barone (music supervisor for brands like Dolce&Gabbana) and Tamara van der Laarse (composer/producer) explored how music is far more than just a backdrop. What happens when sound becomes an integral part of a brand story: from catwalk to campaign, from installation to in-store experience?
Music that ‘feels’ the space
For Tamara van der Laarse, music is not a separate element, it moves through space like something alive. As a composer and sound designer for fashion shows and performances, she constantly searches for ways to make music physically tangible. Tamara explains: “I see a space as a body. Where does it breathe? Where does it pulse?”
She works with low frequencies, layered textures, always balancing silence and impact. A white gallery may call for subtlety, while an industrial hall demands bass that resonates in your chest. It’s never a standard soundtrack, but a tailor-made experience that responds to space, materials, and atmosphere – often coming to life through a combination of movement, light, and location.
Remarkably abstract requests
Maxine asked the panel about the strangest requests they’d received, and there were plenty. Francesca recalled a designer who asked her for ‘the sound of falling rose petals, but in techno.’ A challenge, especially when the result also had to be cleared for global use.
Tamara once received a brief to create a track that ‘sounded like an amethyst,’ leading her to produce something that quite literally felt purple. These kinds of requests reveal just how abstract the creative process can be – and how crucial it is for makers to move fluidly within that elusive language of mood, emotion, and aesthetics.
More diversity – and not just on the runway
The conversation shifted toward inclusion in the creative industry. Francesca spoke about her work with Equaly.it, an organization she co-founded to promote gender equality in the Italian music world. While diversity is increasingly visible on the fashion stage, she noted that behind the scenes – in sound, production, and creative strategy – it’s still far from the norm.
Tamara noted that she herself worked as a DJ for years before she started making fashion soundtracks and has studied music in her own way. She thinks it is important to always follow your own intuition and to continue to believe in your own work. That is precisely why she wants young makers to immediately feel that this world is also theirs.
Collaborating with brands: from the very first spark
One recurring theme was how music is increasingly involved from the early stages of fashion shows and campaigns. Where music used to be added at the end, people like Francesca and Tamara are now part of the process from the first sketch.
What does this feel like? How does it sound?
Francesca shared that brands no longer ask, ‘What fits this?’ but rather, ‘What does this feel like? How does it sound?’ She explained how music can even influence fabric choices, the pacing of the models, and the way visuals are shot.
Tamara agreed, highlighting how much more is possible when collaboration starts from the beginning. Rather than just ‘adding music,’ a shared narrative emerges – one where sound, image, and space evolve together. She often works in multidisciplinary teams where music plays an equal role in the storytelling.
AI: useful, but no substitute
Artificial intelligence also came up. Not as a threat, but as a tool in the creative process. Francesca described how AI can help quickly establish a mood or sketch out ideas, while the real emotional depth and nuance still come from human choices. Tamara explained that she connects sound and rhythm to color palettes, and that the texture of a collection is very important for which sounds are used in a composition. She does not use AI, because she thinks there is no soul in it.
From Sound to Statement
BMIM Special 2025 revealed just how much room there is at the intersection of fashion and music. For composers and producers interested in exploring brand identity, atmosphere, and creative collaboration, the opportunities are there. Especially for those willing to step forward and be heard.
As Francesca put it:
Fashion needs music with character. Makers with timing, courage, and a strong personal vision truly have the power to make an impact.
Text: Marije van Zoest
Photos: Birgit Bijl