Show: Painting Pictures by MLY

Last afternoon, Emily Hermans showed her most personal collection until now. The collection was called ‘Painting Pictures’, which refered to her youth which she spend on a farm. On the one hand she was a girly girl, ride horseback and do ballet, on the other hand she did very forceful activities in the forest. The collection contains both sites of Emily.

MLY describes memories as fragments, which you colour during the rest of your life. Not like a chronologic story, but more like snapshots. Therefore the catwalk was instead of the usual white catwalk, coloured with spots and splashes. For some clothes, she lent the pattern from paint by number colouring pictures.

Before the show, which was held in Westerliefde, on a big screen her photo and videoshoot could be seen. It took place in Norway, the snow there refers to the white paper on which she projected her memories.

Emily, who is known for her knitwear, showed for the first time also a MLY Woven part. The good news about her whole collection is, that it will be available in a size range from XS to XXL.

Portrait de Karl Lagerfeld: Un roi seul

Yesterday evening the first documentary in a series of three about the life of famous designers took place at the French language instution ‘Maison Descartes’. The honour was to Karl Lagerfeld, a man who, despites he hates funerals, always appears in a black suit with dark (sun)glasses and his white hair worn in a tail, who doesn’t need an introduction.

I really hoped to see him without glasses during the documentary, but unfortunately, his youth pictures were shot in black and white. The film started in his library, where he storages 50.000 books about fashion. After that you saw him taking pictures at Versaille, his great source of inspiration and the reason why he moved from his birthplace Hamburg to France/Paris.

I was a little bit nervous, because there was no subtiteling, and instead of speaking slower for all the foreign viewers, Karl explained why he always speaks so fast: in his youth his mother didn’t have time to listen to his stories, and therefore he had only a few seconds in the morning, to say everything he wanted to tell her. So he practiced a lot with fast, fast, superfast speaking and he told a lot in only 50 minutes.
He said he never wanted to be ‘comme les autres’, even when he was just a small child and a teenager he found everything regular boring and tried to do it his very own way. And he is very successful sticking to that.

There were shots about his first show, in Hamburg in 1948, only for a very few selected customers. Although, he never want to go back to Germany because he will never understand the nazi regime. In another part of the film, he told about how he admires artist like Andy Warhol and excentric artists like Amy Winehouse, who performed in his show in 2008. He will never be like that, because his target is to be reserved (no alcohol, no cigarettes) and mysterious.

The word was also a few minutes to Coco Chanel, which I liked a lot. On the pictures a snapshot from the film, one of Coco Chanel and one of Karl Lagerfeld in his library.

Tonight at there’s a documentary about Sonyia Rykiel at 20.00h and tomorrow about Agnès B at 19.30h @ Maison Descartes, Vijzelgracht 2A, free entrance.

Text and pictures: Valerie Boersma

Modefabriek: day 2

After a quick limousine drive from the WFC I arrived at the RAI for the second and last day of the ‘Modefabriek’ (Factory of Fashion). What impressed me most was the Fashion Show from the ‘Cutting Edge’ and ‘Next’ area’s. I already enjoyed watching the clothes before the show.

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.

Greatest Fashion Fair and Showroom event, Plein13

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.

Pictures and text: Valerie Boersma

Sunday the 24th of January, an impression...

From top to bottom:

Official AIFW poster, special thanks to JCDecaux

PR agent of Jean//Phillip at modefabriek (left)

Designer Liza Koifman of OntFront at modefabriek (right)

Designer Miss Bibi at modefabriek (left)

Cultuur Couture at the Tropenmuseum (right)

All pictures by Maria Rudnaya

Ticket to the Tropics

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 Factory of Fashion

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

Rings by Miss Bibi

Tanja van Wijk and her Pieces of Art

Dance performance at Belgium Presents...

Bachelor 2010 with design by Jalta Evers in front

All pictures by Maria Rudnaya

Written by Lisa Goudsmit

PEOPLE @ AIFW SATURDAY 23RD

Nanna & Jelle @ Ganbaroo PR PR


wrapped up


Morena @ Petrovsky & Ramone

BY MIRJAM DE RUITER & CORNE RIJNEVELD

PEOPLE @ AIFW SATURDAY 23RD

art=art


Buba


Esther @ Nieuwjurk.nl


Sushi can be fashionable too

BY MIRJAM DE RUITER & CORNE RIJNEVELD

ALTER EGO

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.”

You can view the art works of Mimi Nizan at concept store Mixt Baby, Ferdinand Bolstraat 145

WRITTEN BY: MIRJAM DE RUITER
PHOTOS: CORNE RIJNEVELD

FUTURE PERFECT

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

IT WOULD BE SO NICE

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.



WRITTEN BY: MIRJAM DE RUITER
PHOTOS: CORNE RIJNEVELD