A studded armpiece from silk dupion and leather took my attention immediately. Also a black leather dress, that was folded on the body and had no lining, from the Poland designer Maldoror, looked very special. During the show with supporting music everything came together and even more alive. The ‘Cutting Edge’ part of the show was the most raw and extravagant while the ‘Next’ part was more wearable.
Then there was a big jeans washlab. Stirred, scrubbed, laminated, ‘gunshot’, pressed, grinded and burn out denims seemed to be the next big thing in the land of jeans for next winter.
To protect myself for buying to many bags I didn’t allow myself to look at bag and accessory labels. Fortunately there was a small exhibition from the ‘Hendrikje’ museum with very special bags; like a poodle made of beads, a velours ninetheenth century clutch, a Swarovski dietcoke evening purse, a bag of peacock feathers and not to forget: the cupcake bag which one Carrie is wearing in Sex and the City. My creditcard was very happy with the protected window-glass between us.
This morning I woke up very happy, and to be honest with you, I'm not that much into mornings at winter time. But can you imagine a better way than a Fashion Fair to start the day with? I can’t. Therefore I was singing while taking an early shower and at punctually 10.00 AM I stood in front of the World Fashion Centre.
After a quick coffee and cupcake I visited the first catwalkshow at a square downstairs in the WFC, named ‘Plein13’. I seemed to be almost the only one awake there, so I had a good view at the current collections of the participating WFC showroom owners like Antiflirt and Brands in Mokum.
After that I went to another tower, where the Greatest Fashion Fair took place. With over thirtyfive different brands, this is the place to be for buyers for modern and well fitting plus sizes. When the show started the room was full and sociable. The always smiling models gave an energetic show, which ended with a live performance of the singer Anouschka.
Another exciting event that took place in the first weekend of the Downtown program of AIFW is the ‘Cultuur Couture’ exhibition at the Tropenmuseum, showing designs of 4 students of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp. This highly original location turned out to be the perfect romantic, multicultural setting to show these collections that were the result of the Ethnic Costume Project at the Antwerp Academy. The group of students who can maybe already be called the ‘Antwerp 4’ of our days, consists of Izumu Hongo, Setareh Mohtarez, Matthieu Thouvenot and Pierre-Antoine Vettorello.
Hongo’s collection ‘Donkey Couture’ is a mature girly look inspired by ethnic costumes, in particular by a coat from Turkmenistan. The work of contemporary Japanese designers from Hongo’s home country turned out to be another source of inspiration, as well as donkeys who represent the feeling of ethnicity in the costumes. ‘Donkey Couture’ shows all these elements but watching the shapes in the collection one can also recognise the designer’s education as an architect. Hongo created a colourful multicultural fairytale that dazzled the audience.
The second collection showed was ‘L’ombilic des limbes’ by Matthieu Thouvenot, inspired by a black bridal costume from Bretagne. This Frenchman honoured his roots with a Chanel-like elegant feminine collection: a lot of black and pink with checkered prints, classic tweeds, feminine tops and romantic braids. The exquisite details and beautiful elegance make this a truly timeless collection.
‘Brightness Dawn’ by Setareh Mohtarez from Iran is a collection inspired by a Palestinian wedding gown. She sees these dresses as an actual jewel, an item that makes a woman feel truly special. She created a gown with golden embroidery, one that would lit up as if it was a starry sky when you would turn of the light....
The final collection presented at the Tropenmuseum was ‘Bonnie Magnum vs. Samantha Beretta’ by Frenchman Pierre Antoine Vettorello. His inspiration was an African Egun mask: a spooky hatpiece resembling a ghost. The collection breaths the fear for the ghosts and uses typical African prints on the fabrics. The designer was also inspired by strong sexy female heroes from comic books: this shows in the guns sowed into the garments. The name of the collection comes from 2 women names and 2 guntypes: both the name and the collection are highly original and combine two complete different elements.
The entire show was a joy to watch, from the beginning till the end… We want more!
Pictures from top to bottom:
Tropenmuseum 'Donkey Couture' by Izumu Hongo 'L’ombilic des limbes' by Matthieu Thouvenot ‘Brightness Dawn’ by Setareh Mohtarez (left) Bonnie Magnum vs. Samantha Beretta’ by Pierre Antoine Vettorello (right)
All pictures by Maria Rudnaya Written by Lisa Goudsmit
The 28th edition of modefabriek, Amsterdam’s biannual fashion retail fair, was already pretty busy Sunday morning only a few hours after the opening. The crowd that traditionally consists of buyers, fashion professionals, journalists and other fashion addicts, was treated to a broad selection of national and international brands. Everything from classic to casual and from luxurious to streetwear can be found at modefabriek, which each year proofs to be a true Luna Park to those who just love clothes. We especially enjoyed this years design platforms 'Cutting Edge' and 'Next' : both areas are filled with the greatest (young) trend-setting designers of today and true promises for the future. One of the surprises at ‘Cutting Edge’ was Leonie Smelt who showed her 2009 graduation collection of the Willem de Kooning Academy in Rotterdam. The collection, called ‘Kaleidoscope Eyes’, is inspired by the typical diamond shapes and features unique one-of-a-kind handmade pieces made out of leather, plastic, fleece line and golden laminated details. All together it created a magical, geometrical and feminine collection. Leonie was once an intern at Dutch designer Iris van Herpen and the resemblance in high level innovative fashion can definitely be seen.
Also once working together with van Herpen was ‘Hat Designer of the Year 2007’ Irene Bussemaker, another designer at ‘Cutting Edge’. Bussemaker’s hats are absolute artpieces who will make every women wearing one feel special. Even though she is already a well-known and much appreciated milliner outside of Holland, she was very happy with all the positive responses she is receiving from the Dutch audience at modefabriek.
Men’s fashion also got their share at ‘Cutting Edge’, with Danish designer Jean // Phillip showing his 7th collection. After showing at the Copenhagen Fashion Week, Jean Philip hopes to reach out to the rest of Europe now. Though his style seems to be rather androgynous at first sight, it turns out he just created a complete new look for the modern man when we take a closer look. Luxurious fabrics like leather, silk and wool create a ‘simple with something extra’-feel, according to Jean Phillip himself. Designed for men who feel comfortable with themselves, Jean Phillip Homme is sophisticated with an edge. Also showing their menswear is OntFront, founded by Liza Koifman and Tomas Overtoom. Their Winter 2010/2011 collection ‘Shift Gear’ is casual and chic, inspired by Lamborghini concept cars. Not only the shapes and lines of the car can be seen in the collection, gears are also actually knitted in the garments.
Another pleasant surprise at ‘Cutting Edge’ was Miss Bibi, showing her jewellery collection. Her pieces are playful, feminine with great attention to detail. Her rings decorated with shoes and hearts are already iconic pieces; adorable, pretty and funky all together. We want one!
Just as funky as Miss Bibi is Pieces of Art, knitted jewellery designed by Tanja van Wijk. Her designs are just as surprising as her choice of material, very innovative yet classic at the same time! Love it!
Another favourite at modefabriek is definitely ‘Belgium presents…, curated by Label’. The area is filled with fashion, accessories, gadgets but also featured a modern dance performance. All together the Belgium platform is a beautiful, inspiring and relaxing experience in the midst of the sometimes overwhelming fashion playground that is modefabriek.
Also seen at the modefabriek: Bachelor 2010, presented together with fashion recruitment & consultancy agency HTNK. The Royal Academy of Arts The Hague was the winning academy to present their most promising students: Nicolaas Hein, Geo Timmerman, Jalta Evers and Lotte Mostert. All of their collections are innovative and amazing in their own way, a true pleasure to see! We especially enjoyed the sophistaced pieces by Jalta Evers' ‘Face your Fear’ collection.
Pictures from top to bottom:
modefabriek, overview
Leonie Smelt with her collection Kaleidoscope Eyes
Hats by Irene Bussemaker (left) and Jean//Phillip with his designs
After painting her icons and fashion alter ego’s for many years at home, Mimi Nizan thought it was about time to expose her work to her audience. “It’s very exciting, I always paint for myself, but now everyone can see them!” Mimi gets her inspiration from her daily life, and favorite fashion magazines. “Of course I get influenced by the current fashion trends, but I never think before hand what the painting will be about.” The artworks show surrealistic Barbie’s, dark girls in unrealistic settings, with a feminine and rock & roll attitude. “My dream is that inspirational illustrators as Piet Paris or Laura Laine would buy one of my paintings, they’re only 300 euros, which I think is pretty affordable.”
With an outstanding collection Denise Esser graduated from the Rietveld Academie in July 2009. Today she is presenting her collection at SPRMRKT during the Amsterdam Fashion Week Downtown program. Initiator of this event 'Future Perfect' is Joyce Bidouzo pr agent of agency Courdray. "When attending the last Rietveld Graduation show, I directly spotted Denise's enourmous potential. I met her after the show and we got along almost instantly!" Coudray fast secured several PR post such as Volkskrant, Glamour, Italian Vogue and Het Parool, and got international exposure through famous blogs as BobbinTlak.com, SuperFuture.com, Diare Pernet's ASVOF and even Kanye West's blog. "After a brainstrom with AIFW late 2009, I thought it would be great to use the Downtown promotional platform to introduce a rising designer as Denise Esser." With a huge sponsor as Absolut Vodka and a stunnig venue as SPRMRKT the event 'Future Perfect' was born.
“We have spotted her work before at the Beurs of Berlage and knew this would be something we wanted to support during fashion week. Denise’s collection is raw, but contains innovation and a good sense of materials at the same time. It reminded me of the collection by Iris van Herpen which we showcased before, except that Denise’s collection is more feminine and subtle.” says the creative director of SPRMRKT, Anne Marie Kramer.
“My collection Future Perfect is based on the concept of transformation. With new materials I wanted to lay emphasis on the contradiction between hard and soft and the changes and process between these two. The constructions have to form an illusion of a jewel or accessory, this time not worn with the clothes, but attached to them.” Denise targets her collection at strong sexy women, who are a bit more tough and want to make a statement. “With exhibiting these 14 looks I am curious about the responses from the audience, some of them are very wearable, others may be more difficult.”
For more information about Denise Esser, please contact her PR Agency; Coudray. Joyce Bidouzo, 0031-206206402, 0031-643184287, coudray@xs4all.nl, www.coudray.nl WRITTEN BY: MIRJAM DE RUITER PHOTOS: CORNE RIJNEVELD
Rebellious, feminine, fun, raw and intense are words that describe the young generation Mylou Oord pin points in her photography. This fashion week FOAM museum feautures a series of photos by this 21 year old fashion photographer.
Pure photos of fashion icon Aynouk Tan are spread around the third floor of the museum. “FOAM wanted a collection during fashion week which was of the current, but also specific for their museum. Colette Olof had spotted me during a Blend portfolio night and approached me about this unique collaboration.” Mylou says; “Aynouk has been a friend for a long time, and during the special relationship we have, I’ve always taken photos of the most intimate moments we find ourselves in, some obviously posed, others just a snapshot.” “It was exciting for us, to expose such a young artist. But after seeing her portfolio it was worth to take that risk, and I am glad we did it!” thus Colette Olof (FOAM).
“It is very overwhelming to see these photos of myself. I would never show images like this to others, but this is me through the eyes of Mylou.” Aynouk Tan reacts when just entering the exhibition. “Very confrontational to see yourself in so many different moods and situations, for me, every snapshot has its own story, and they now all come so close.” says Aynouk. But she looks very proud and compliments Mylou on her work with a big hug.
What used to be a store of the fashion label Individuals, is now a Statement Store called BY AMFI. The space at Spui 23 in Amsterdam, now shows a preview of the collection “The Porcelain Papillon” which will be launched on the catwalk later this fashion week.
“The aim is to change the concept of the store every ten weeks” manager Orpheo Jungst tells me. “By AMFI contains 75 percent of exhibition space and 25 percent of sales point for the label Individuals. The changes are made very raped but hereby we want to transform this store into a diorama, a magnifying-glass showing the work of the AMFI students.”
“There is a lot of talent within AMFI” say the institutes’ director Liesbeth in ‘t Hout. “I believe this will now be a good teaser for the Individuals label, but also a terrific platform for all the great work that is been done within the Amsterdam Fashion Institute.” BY AMFI, Spui 23 Amsterdam, is opened every Tuesday till Saturday 12.00 – 18.00.
Today, Saturday the 23rd of January, Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2010 was officially opened at Maison de Bonnetrie. By introducing Design Market the big and well known warehouse gives eight ‘emerging’ designers the opportunity to get closer to their public. For the next nine days designers Bibi van der Velden, Camilla Norrback, EnD by Eva and Delia, Jan Taminiau, NON by KIM, Ontfront, Mada van Gaans and Micheal Barnaart van Bergen are available at the first floor of Maison de Bonetrie. “I think it is an amazing opportunity to be here with my collection. Right in the city centre of Amsterdam; I can communicate with a broad public that walks through this store and the Kalverstraat. This way I can also see what the actual response will be towards my pre-summer collection.” says Kim Bakker designer of NON by KIM.
“Many different locations are involved with Amsterdam International Fashion Week; clubs, gallery’s, stores and of course the fashion week tents on the Westergasterrein.” says Merle Deterink the director of the AIFW. “Special this season is the fashion show ‘Cultuur Couture’ at the Hermitage, where six design students from Antwerp will show their collections. Also the biggest sample sale ‘Mode Marche’ held at the Westergasterrein will be worth visiting.”
Next to the overall festive opening by Trijntje Oosterhuis and Candy Dulfer, fashion weeks’ magazine ‘Front Row’ was launched by Merle Deterink (AIFW) and Hilmar Mulder (Grazia). Front Row is now available at all the downtown locations, and filled with all the inns and outs around Amsterdam International Fashion Week F/W 2010.
The van Gogh museum wouldn’t be the first place you would think of when showcasing a fashion collection. But designer Catta Donkersloot had a good reason for doing so; her F/W 2010 collection was inspired by Alfred Stevens' artworks. Beautiful imperfect and elegant women are highlighted in his work. Every painting of Stevens', showcases a woman filled with emotions, painted in detailed garments, a beautiful gown and with an intriguing expressions on their faces.
Catta Donkersloot, who graduated from the Amsterdam Fashion Institute in 2004 and from the Fashion Institute Arnhem in 2006, She was inspired by the expressions featured in Stevens' work. Her collection was translated into an installation; ‘(DE)-constructing me’ which could be viewed every Friday night at the museum. An art project constructed in collaboration with photographer Lisa Kortenhorst which showcases three different fashion shoots in an interactive movie, combining fashion and film.
During the event this Friday, Catta had chosen six different models, who were wearing the pieces from her latest F/W collection. Beautiful women all dressed in the same authentic silhouette and style as Stevens' portraits. By taking the distinctive shapes, but translating them into modern time, Catta’s collection is feminine and graphical at the same time. When the models had made their pace through the museum they, individually or in groups, turned into real-life portraits, as tableau-vivants; yet another link between Catta Donkersloot’s F/W 2010 collection and her inspiration, the paintings by Alfred Stevens.
The second collection showed was ‘L’ombilic des limbes’ by Matthieu Thouvenot, inspired by a black bridal costume from Bretagne. This Frenchman honoured his roots with a Chanel-like elegant feminine collection: a lot of black and pink with checkered prints, classic tweeds, feminine tops and romantic braids. The exquisite details and beautiful elegance make this a truly timeless collection.
The 28th edition of 
Just as funky as Miss Bibi is 
Another favourite at modefabriek is definitely ‘Belgium presents…, curated by Label’. The area is filled with fashion, accessories, gadgets but also featured a modern dance performance. All together the Belgium platform is a beautiful, inspiring and relaxing experience in the midst of the sometimes overwhelming fashion playground that is modefabriek.
