Backstage Lichting 2018 Amsterdam Fashion Week

Lots of models, lots of outfits and a huge backstage-operation to keep it running smoothly. Lichting 2018 is a fact.

 

Backstage at Ninamounah Amsterdam Fashion Week

Take a peek backstage at the Celebration of the Species by Ninamounah.

 

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.

Backstage at Maison365 Amsterdam Fashion Week

What’s going on backstage at Maison365 ? Well guess: lots of hairdressers, make-up artistst and stylists getting all the models ready.

Maison365 Amsterdam Fashion Week SS2019

So Amsterdam Fashion Week has a brand new director, Danie Bles. For the ones who don’t know her yet, Danie has been working in fashion all her life. She started out as a stylist (of the stars), then built her own brand (collaborating with and hosting events and shows for big commercial brands such as L’Oréal) and she has had her own fashion label ByDanie for several years.

Given the fact that Danie is so familiar with setting up events and organising fashion shows it comes as no surprise that she would hold her own fashion show during her very first Amsterdam Fashion Week. And so on Friday morning we attended the show by her personal styling service Maison365 (a styling service sending you a box with three looks based on your personal style).

Fifty fall looks styled by Danie and her team entered the runway. Looks of different boutique brands that are linked to Maison365. “With Maison365 we want to show how we work when it comes to unique and complete personal styling. Plus we offer smaller, ambitious brand a chance to be part of a big event like Amsterdam Fashion Week”, Bles stated.

She and her styling team inspired us with a variety of fall looks in three different categories; Paris, upcoming Scandinavian talent and the Seventies. A casual start of leather pants and oversized sweaters. Looks styled off with loafers and berets for that extra Parisian feeling. More urban were the oversized coats and parkas styled off with fanny packs and hoodies. And we ended up in the party section of Maison365. With sparkling tops and pleated skirts, sequined shiny pants and luxurious looking velvet and jacquard suits given an extra glam touch by headbands and shiny earpieces.

The overall message was clear: from day to night, desk to dancefloor Maison365 has got you covered.

 

Backstage at David Laport Amsterdam SS2019

Take a look backstage at the first show of this Amsterdam Fashion Week. Hair, make-up and dressers getting the models ready for the show of David Laport.

Streetfashion Amsterdam Fashion Week SS2019, Day 01

What are you wearing during the fashionweeks? Your Off White-shoes, that Balenciaga-shirt or your latest Vetements-denim? Maybe we’ll spot you in Paris, Milan, New York or Amsterdam. During the fashionweeks we refresh our streetwear posts regularly. We don’t judge, we’re not the fashion-police, we just enjoy fashion and your own personal style. Next stop: Amsterdam Fashionweek, womenswear SS2019.

David Laport Amsterdam Fashion Week

We had to do without for a few seasons, but Amsterdam Fashion Week is back! Updated & improved Amsterdam Fashion Week (which already exists fourteen years) is now lead by Danie Bles. It has moved from het Westergasterrein to het Museumplein (to create more visibility in the city centre) and it now forms the kick off of fashion month (followed by New York, London, Milan and Paris) taking place in September (6 – 9 September) instead of June.

The show schedule exists of twelve fashion shows, which will be livestreamed online as well as projected on the outside of the fashion venue. Twelve shows of both commercial brands (like supermarket Lidl and warehouse Hudson’s Bay) and young design talents (like Ninamounah Langestraat and David Laport). The latter kicked off this fashion week.

Inspired by dance (he previously designed a collection for the Nationale Opera & Ballet) and photography David Laport (32) came up with his brand new collection. It includes flowerlike designs; a layered dress shaped like a sprouting rose, a poppy flower inspired design with endless colorshades changing with the light and the models movement.

To the sounds of piano music (there were eight piano’s placed in the show area), written by Studio Dennis Vanderbroeck, models appeared. They gracefully sported Laport’s pleated and feathered dresses which became even more beautiful with every step and every ray of light that hit the fabric. They appeared extraordinary in vivid shades like coral pink, yellow, baby blue and turquoise.

Solange Knowless wore on of David Laports designs to the Met Gala in 2016. And we can easily see these pieces end up at a red carpet big event upcoming year.

“I don’t want my show to be just a parade of pretty dresses, a collection should really tell a story. That’s the hardest part. I can easily design something hysteric, extravagant and over the top, but I don’t want it to be just about that”, David said in a recent interview. And a perfect, serene yet mesmerizing story was told. A beautiful start of this new & improved fashion week.

M-ODE AMSTERDAM: Saturday Recap – Bas Kosters

The United States of HOPE was our Saturday evening stop this week. It was Bas Kosters who invited us all to check out his brand new collection –  named “Hope” – for the first time. The biggest show of this (M-ODE) week.

“Hope originates from a strong desire to produce a graphic collection with a clear message. I started off with a kind of supermarket esthetic”, the designer stated. What we witnessed was a true Bas Kosters spectacle with different clips portraying “Hope” (produced in collaboration with artist Iztok Klančar) projected on the both sides of the show venue.

After Bas himself introduced the theme of his collection and spoke of what Hope stands for (cherishing your dreams, light at the end of the tunnel, a fresh start, ideals to live by and so on) the first model strutted the runway in a sequin bikini carrying an installation to which countless eggs (sunny side up! –  which also stands for hope) were attached. The diverse models (even a pregnant lady walked the runway) all looked extra extravagant with their rainbow colored make-up, teased hair and funky attitude. With expressive prints, exciting fabric decorations, show stopping masks (made out of huge boxes) and robot-shaped bags (made out of life vests or refugees) their was almost too much to take in at a first glance.

Recycling formed a big theme for this Bas Kosters collection too. A large selection of overalls formed the starting point of many of the designs. In the designers pop up atelier Waste to Want additional looks, accessories and signature Bas Kosters details were added. A super sustainable collection – even the make-up glitters (by Bioglitz) were eco proof – that formed a perfect fit with We Make M-ODE and absolutely gave us hope for the fashion industry.

M-ODE Amsterdam: An Introduction

Like any other year this week the Westergasterrein is (more or less) our temporary office. Yet this time around we’re based here for something other than Amsterdam Fashion Week. It’s M-ODE and it’s first edition of We Make M-ODE (part of We Make the City) that has us and other fashion professionals and fanatics gathered at the Westergasfabriek the upcoming days.

M-ODE is a completely new fashion initiative by fashion teacher Peter Leferink (48) and former Amsterdam Fashion Week director Iris Ruisch (43). It is a foundation which focuses on sustainability and therefore each and every fashion show, presentation or event this week is sustainable in a way. Whether it is a designer who chooses not to produce new collections every other season, a design collective producing eco-fabrics or someone like Bas Kosters who produces his new collection out of old (not sold Kingsday) clothes.

A fashion event with a 5 day programme like M-ODE turned out to be wasn’t even what Iris and Peter had in mind when they first decided to join forces. But as they spoke to the first designers interested (a few of whom were planning on showing during Amsterdam Fashion Week in January anyway) more people become enthusiastic and new ideas kept coming. And so for four months straight it was like a M-ODE roller coaster for Iris and Peter. Apart from fashion shows at the Westergasfabriek – with Bas Kosters’ show on Saturday evening being the biggest spectacle – there are lots of sustainable activities organized. Like workshops, a clothing exchange market, readings and a sustainable fashion route leading consumers to workspaces and (pop-up) shops. Not just the Westergasfabriek, but VondelCS and het Bos en Lommerplein have their own activities organized as well.

If you’d look at the schedule you’d hardly believe that M-ODE didn’t even start as an event hosting initiative. Supporting/coaching young fashion entrepreneurs for at least one and a maximum of three years, teaching them about the right balance between creativity, finance and the importance of collaborating, that is what Iris and Peter had in mind in the first place. A wonderful initiative that is off to a good start with a great first week filled with events . Stay tuned for more M-ODE updates on our Instagram, Facebook and blog.

We Make M-ODE, 20 t/m 24 juni, Amsterdam

 

 

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