Ninamounah Amsterdam Fashion Week SS2019

Friday night was all about the Celebration of Species set up by Ninamounah Langestraat (27). With her fashion show the young designer, who won de Frans Molenaar Couture award last year, debuts on Amsterdam Fashion Week and marks the one year anniversary of her brand Ninamounah. A brand that is outspoken to say the least. “With my designs I want to free people of shame. My clothes should be a tool to let go a little more. I want to make clothes for pure and free people, stripped from layers of civilazation” the designer stated.

Being who you want to be (free of shame) and living according to your (animalistic) instincts and needs are big themes in Ninamounah’s work. And thus sex(uality) plays a big part too (past July Ninamounah presented a genderless collection in a famous gay club in Paris). Tonight was no exception, as the flyer for her show with two nuns kissing passionately would suggest.

 There were sex dolls up on the ceiling and a provocative video opened the show.

Find a stereotype and Ninamounah will try to give it a whole different meaning. Give her an uniform, a suit or a different type of cliché and she’ll try to deconstruct it, make it asymmetric and make sure it is as remarkable and provocative (disturbing even) as possible.

Like a pinstripe suit she would transform to a pinstripe bodysuit with a tiny pair of shorts and long leather boots. Or a classic pair of pleated pants of which she would cut out the behind and style it with a leather corset. Tonight’s show was filled with extraordinary, disturbing looks like these. Lots of deconstructed suits and countless leather bodysuits. Styled off by leather chaps. 

In collaboration with Naomi Hille she designed a selections of shoes; pumps, chaps (Christina Aguilera already bought her own pair) and peeptoe biker boots made of recycled biker suits. The models red contacts added to the level of crazy/funky/sexy.

And it’s not just the clothes that were outspoken. Ninamounah takes the casting of the models very seriously too. And so a female judge, a pregnant lady and an 11-year old girl walked her runway show. All kind of species, if you like. Time to celebrate!

Spotted anything you like in Ninamounah’s show? Her collection will be on sale throughout September at Zeedijk 60, an independent boutique in the centre of Amsterdam.