Sage & Ivy Preview Amsterdam Fashion Week

Fashion brand Sage & Ivy will show it’s fall/winter 2012/2013 collection on Friday 27 January at 05.00 PM. Designer Alexia van Engelen spoke with us about her brand new collection and her exquisite show location.

Amsterdam
“We have new agents in Russia and Canada which we’re very excited about. Yet even though we’re focusing more on the international market right now, we did think it was important to show our collection in Amsterdam. Not as much clothes will be sold here, but the press in Holland is very positive and uses Sage & Ivy quite a lot.”

Time
“This time we’re more on schedule than with previous collections. Especially since we’re going to Paris a week before our show a lot had to be done. We even had to make two new winter collections of around 20 looks, instead of the one we’re used to. Our agent in Russia needed one fall/winter collection as well; so we’re doing twice the amount of work.”

Show
“Our fashion show will be held in an old mirror studio in Amsterdam. In this studio old mirrors from the 18th and 19th century are restored. It’s an old workspace with concrete floors and raw walls on which over 200 mirrors hang. It’s a very special space. It feels very French to me; almost as if I am in Paris.”

Inspiration
“The collection is called Pelgrimage, which also was my inspiration. I thought of a strong woman making a long journey. The previous Sage & Ivy collections were always very sweet, yet this one is much more raw than what people have seen before. I had enough of the soft shades and the light fabrics and wanted to show another side of femininity. A tough, raw side, almost like an armor.”

Materials
“This raw look & feel gave me the opportunity to work with different materials. I used tulle decorated with patent paint; raw but still soft. I made skirts and evening dresses out of fake fur done in a jersey way; very soft but still rigid.”

Colors
“When I was in Paris to look for fabrics I ran into the perfect deep green fabric. I knew right then I really wanted to work with it. So with this green shade as a starting point I have been collecting the rest of the color palette. I used deep blue, black and nudes; all shades which work really well with the specific green.”

Changes
“The silhouette of the clothes is more tight than before. And even though I paid a lot of attention to details, they are less obvious. I think this collection is more grown up, just because I’m getting older as well. I feel really good about showing this part of me. In my opinion the Sage & Ivy brand becomes more balanced like this.”