Princess Máxima at Amsterdam Fashion Week FW2012

It’s all in the family: Jacob Kok

This edition of Amsterdam Fashion Week we focus at designers and their biggest supporters: their family. Where would they be without their mom, dad, brother(s), sister(s)and or grandma’s? They help finishing their designs, they drive the car, they cheer them up and cry emotional tears. The next family we would like to present is Jacob Kok and his lovely cousins Marte and Anne. Cool having an uncle like him!

Backstage at AFW FW2012 Marloes Blaas & Jacob Kok

Take a look backstage at Jacob Kok and Marloes Blaas. Who both held their own show today.

It’s all in the family: Winde Rienstra

This edition of Amsterdam Fashion Week we focus at designers and their biggest supporters: their family. Where would they be without their mom, dad, brother(s), sister(s)and or grandma’s? They help finishing their designs, they drive the car, they cheer them up and cry emotional tears. The nex family we would like to present is Winde Rienstra and her lovely and proud mother.

It’s all in the family: Spijkers & Spijkers

This edition of Amsterdam Fashion Week we focus at designers and their biggest supporters: their family. Where would they be without their mom, dad, brother(s), sister(s)and or grandma’s? They help finishing their designs, they drive the car, they cheer them up and cry emotional tears. The fourth family we would like to present is Truus and Riet Spijkers and their parents.

It’s All in The Family: Elise Kim

This edition of Amsterdam Fashion Week we focus at designers and their biggest supporters: their family. Where would they be without their mom, dad, brother(s), sister(s)and or grandma’s? They help finishing their designs, they drive the car, they cheer them up and cry emotional tears. The third family we would like to present Elise Kim with her mother and father in law.

AFW FW2012 LAB-Show: Winde Rienstra & Marije de Haan

The last LAB- shows of the day.  It was up to Marije de Haan en Winde Rienstra to close it down this thursday night. And we have to say, a great closure it was. Two totally different collections, but both with some stunning pieces.

Marije de Haan
Contrast seems to be the keyword in the work of this young designer. And it shows in every element, from A to Z. Starting with her sources of inspiration: she explores the world of people that seems to be the most distant from hers: criminals. Already  during her time at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in The Hague, where she graduated in june 2010,  she was fascinated by the obscure side of life, searching through police documents. And she did so for this collection.  ‘I don’t know why it fascinates me that much, maybe it’s because it’s a world so different from mine, which makes it very interesting’, she tells.

For this show it was American criminal Black Bart that inspired her. She takes us back to 1877, when he was one of the most famous robbers in America. Black Bart was familiar for the notes he left after every robbery. But is was especially his style of clothes that got her. Because no matter what, he was always dressed properly, wearing a three- piece suit and a bowler hat. But to keep anonymous he always wore something under his bowler that covered his face. And that she translated in some extravagant headpieces, like a blouse worn as a huge scarf covering a models face or a huge collar raised until the eyebrows. We also saw the classic menswear suit, but in a rough way. Like a leather pea coat or a denim blouse.  And you must have noticed there were real man walking down the runway, among which Ferry van der Nat. ‘Yes, I used older men as models, because they have this typical faces which suits so well with the story.’

Winde Rienstra
Graduated for Fashion Design in 2009 at the School of Arts in Utrecht, Winde Rienstra made a huge leap forward in the world of fashion with here strong, architectural shapes. As one of the few designers to promote slow fashion, she ended up as one of the three finalists in the Green Fashion Competition last year. ‘The environment is very important to me and I’ve always been eco- friendly in some ways.’ But she must admit it’s sometimes hard to find some good, eco- friendly fabrics for her designs.’

Today she showed here for the second time with an outstanding collection that made some people even speechless. The collection, based on a painting from Dutch painter J.C. van Schagen, was a perfect combination between strong and soft, feminine elements. Just the way she wanted it to be. ‘To give it that feminine touch is really important to me. I like feminine clothes, I wear only skirts myself too. I never wear trousers. And it’s also really nice to see how the hard and soft elements intensify each other.’ But it was also the strong 3D- effect that made this painting so special to her. ‘The light that falls on the painting determines the shapes and 3D- effects you see. So it changes all the time, which is so interesting.’ She translated that in big, sculptural 3D- pieces and all made from natural fabrics like silk, cardboard and wood. Like a cubist maxi-skirt made from silk or huge cardboard plateau shoes, which made it very difficult for the models to walk. According to the loud applause after the show this is probably not the last we will hear from this young talent.

AFW FW2012 LAB-show: Jivika Biervliet & Sarena Huizinga

Today it’s not only about the big boys in fashion, but also about celebrating new talent. And that’s what the LAB- shows are for, where new and young designers get a chance to show their talent and introduce themselves and their work to the big audience.  The first two designers to kick off the day were Sarena Huizinga and Jivika Biervliet.

Jivika Biervliet
As a young student she had no clue about once becoming a fashion designer. And look where she is today, showing her collection for the first time to a big crowd. And she’s more proud than ever. ‘This collection really feels as my very own.’ Graduated as a menswear designer at the Utrecht School of Arts in 2010, she worked herself up as a true fashion designer exploring menswear in every aspect. ‘Designers seem to be more cautious designing for men. But in my work I just really want to push the limits a bit.’

Today she showed her collection called Forever Young, which was about the child inside of us that will live forever. The theme resulted in soft colors and big and playful elements, like jackets covered all over with stuffed, fluffy hearts and a shirt with such a long sleeve you could skip with it. She also used the most gentle and warm fabrics like wool, fleece and faux fur that made remind you of the good things of childhood.

Sarena Huizinga
Graduated from the Royal Academy of Arts The Hague in 2008 with a great collection, Sarena Huizinga showed already the great potential she has.  The last few years she developed herself as a true knitwear specialist, well known for her high quality knitwear characterized by the industrial seamless knitwear combined with traditional handcraft. Something she has not only discovered and learned at school, but also from her mother. ‘My mum used to knit a lot and it made me really curious. What I like about knitwear is that you can really explore and develop the competence. It’s not only about structure and color, but also trying out different seamless shapes.’

She already showed once before at the Amsterdam Fashion Week, during the 2008 Lichting- show, and now she’s up for the second time. Her current collection is called Wickedland, inspired by soft toys like dolls and stuffed animals and used these playful elements in her designs. Like marching-girls wearing bunny ears on their caps or an alpaca dress revised with thick woolen ruffles, inspired by a Spanish doll she once got. Not wanting the collection being too sweet, she added some leather details to give it some edge. There was even a small surprise during the show: a little kid walked down the runway in the cutest little knitwear suit with little bunny ears on his head.

by Eva Dusch

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