Dutch Fashion Awards 2011 (part 2)

In half an hour the very first guests will arrive and the award show can start. We already spoke to the designers backstage, who all seem to be pretty nervous. Apparently the international judges gave them a hard time during their presentations. But let’s see that as a good sign, ‘ cause those Dutch Fashion Awards are not just handed out for fun, right?

Below you can find a preview of all the collections of the five Dutch designers.

Hyun Yeu, Ado Les Scents

Korean born and raised designer Hyun Yeu is, despite his first nomination, not nervous at all today. ,,Now it’s just waiting for the moment. I’m not really worrying, it comes when it comes.“ He might seem relaxed, but the designer is definitely aware of the other opponents. ,,It’s a presteges award and there are some strong designers nominated. But we’ll see what happens.” Tonight Yeu will show us what he has made so far for his menswear label ‘Ado les scent’, five years of Hyun Yeu, and a sneekpeak of his new collection for next season. He already showed the judges. ,,I had a tough time, they had some good points. I’m still learning.” Yet despite the critics, he’s still positive about tonight. ,,I’m just enjoying the moment.”

Joline Jolink

This year it’s different. I’m feeling more confident now”, tells nominee Joline Jolink, while she’s working backstage. For the second time the designer is nominated for a Dutch Fashion Award, and she feels great. ,,I have a good businessplan and my collection has been growing.” Showing her collection in front of the judges today was still a tough moment though. ,,At that moment I was definitely shaking (laughs). They were quite harsh for me, I must admit.” Tonight Joline will show us her new collection inspired by Jane Goodall, an English antropologist, who lived in the jungle, which we can see in her collection. ,,You will see a lot of jungle details and some poppy colours and cloudy details, which stands for the haze.” After a few weeks of hard work Jolink is a bit tired of all the tension, but no worries there for tonight. ,,When the show starts I will probably get a huge energy boost.”

Marcha Hüskes

Her designs are all about functionality and fit. She designed a few little black dresses with some funky details in gold and orange. They look simple and minimalistic, yet never boring. Marcha: “I mostly designs dresses, cause I think they’re a neverending source of inspiration.”

Conny Groenewegen

Conny not only designed clothes, she came up with a fabulous collection of shoes as well. The shoes, shown on the runway tonight, will be sold at several Sacha stores in the Netherlands from the 5th of November. Quite an accomplishment, we think. Conny’s designs are, like she says, very pure. She mixed sheer fabrics with heavy materials. But enough said, it’s showtime!

Erik Frenken, Avelon

While he’s busy getting his models ready for the rehearsal, there was still time to relax and laugh for Avelons Erik Frenken. ,,I’m feeling okay now. Showing the judges was a bit of a stressful moment, I mean, they’re not just somebody.” It was a tough moment standing there, he says. ,,At that moment you have to present your collection to so many people, it’s difficult to say everything right while you’re so stressed.” But Frenken is feeling confident and is not afraid to say he might win tonight. ,,About the award, we immediately tought: let’s do this. We’re at this point that we think we can make it internationally.” And what if he wins tonight… ,,There will be a huge party!” And what about the not so bad money prize attached to it? ,, Of course we will invest in our brand. For instance the interior of our shops. And we want to find a good PR- agency to promote our business.”