Preview AIFW – Jan Boelo SS2012

It will be Jan Boelo’s first time to show during Amsterdam Fashion Week and from what he tells us, it will be a show to remember.

Long Nights
With just a few days left until his show Jan Boelo and his team are working late every day. “I’m finishing the collection with three other people and I’m getting some help from friends and family. It’s usually not until 2 or 3 a.m. that we stop working and go to bed. But I’m making sure I have one more relaxed day before the show, so I wouldn’t be all tired and stressed out on Sunday.”

Jan’s collection (it’s the second collection he has made) will exist of men- and womenswear. “The biggest part will be womenswear, but there’s a small menswear section as well. All together we will present about 26 looks.”

Inspiration
“Those looks are inspired by the late seventies. It’s all about the rise & fall of punk and glam rock. There will be a lot of leather and chains. Almost anything in the collection will be shiny. The fit will be tight, but there are loose pants too and I stressed some of the shoulders. It will feel like Alexis herself (from Dynasty) walks into the room.”

Fabrics
“We got a special kind of denim from Italy and we had our leather custom made in an Italian factory. I personally went there this spring to make a selection of the leather I wanted to use.”

Rock ’n Roll
“Since I’m a big Rock ’n Roll fan; I translated this to the collection. Songs from bands like The Sex Pistols and Patti Smith inspired me. The soundtrack of the show is going to be very rock ’n roll too. It will be a pretty fierce mix, made by Tim Holland.”

Jan has already convinced Dutch rock singer/actress Ellen ten Damme of his talent (she wore his clothes to several official events) so we’re very curious to see what everyone else thinks of his designs.

Jan Boelo will show his collection on Sunday 17 July at 3 p.m.

Preview AIFW – SIS by Spijkers en Spijkers SS2012

This upcoming edition of the Amsterdam International Fashion Week the twins sisters Riet en Truus Spijkers will be the first to show their  SIS collection. We spoke to the sisters about this new collection and what kind of story they will be telling during the opening event.

“We’re very excited to be part of the opening show this season. For us that’s even better than just doing a regular fashion show. It results in a lot of media attention, which is one of the reasons we decided to show during Amsterdam Fashion Week. More media coverage results in more requests for our collection and that’s always good.”

It’s only one year ago that Spijkers en Spijkers launched it’s little sister SIS, yet so far the new line is doing great. “We are getting applications for the collections from abroad as well. SIS is now being sold in countries like Italy, Japan and Australia.”

As for the new summer collection we can expect nothing but summery/sunny clothing. “The collection is sunny, optimistic and a little naughty. The theme is Bain du Soleil. Again it will have some twenties references, which we also used in our music. The soundtrack will be modern but with a definite twenties twist.”

Like in every collection the sisters chose a certain woman as their female muse for the collection. “This time Olympic swimmer Zus Braun gave the designers their inspiration. Due to that the collection has some slightly sporty details in it, but mostly done in a very feminine way.”

“The clothes will have a tight fit and come in colors like rose, pistachio, amber and nautical blue. There are some bright Au Bain de Soleil prints as well. We used cotton, crêpe de chine and some very comfy jerseys. It’s just a fun collection, so we’re very much looking forward to the show.”

SIS by Spijkers en Spijkers will be shown on Wednesday evening 13 July at 6.30 p.m.

Preview AIFW – Sage & Ivy SS2012

The Sage & Ivy fashion show is part of the official Amsterdam International Fashion Week program for the first time this season. Yet, as designer Alexia van Engelen tells us, the label is still giving the audience something different…

“When we were approached by the AIFW if we wanted to join the official schedule, we had one condition: we still wanted to be able to create our own little Sage & Ivy world around the show. We didn’t want to use just an ordinary, plain, white catwalk. We discussed all possibilities and are now showing the new Sage & Ivy collection near the pond of the Westergasterrein. This means the models are going to be walking on a catwalk build over water. We’re very excited”

And though the concept alone is already interesting, water has a special meaning in Alexia’s new collection too. “The collection is called hemisphere and is inspired by water. Yet not in an too obvious matter. You’ll see the water in reflections, the golden color it creates when the sun sets, the many colors that appear when the sun shines at it and the transparency of water.”

These diverse sides of water are brought to live in a two sided collection. “On one side it shows Greek influences like draping, braiding and lots of volume. On the other side you’ll see day wear with a seventies vibe (high pants and accentuated shoulders). Bianca Jagger really was the inspiration for this since she used to mix those two styles together in her impeccable looks.”

The whole Sage & Ivy collection consists of 24 looks, all handcrafted in small studios in Belgium and Germany (no longer in Morocco, like before). The fabrics as well as the colors of the collection breath femininity. “We used shades like light pink, light green, grey, gold and some degrade. All looks were made from materials like jersey, lace, chiffon, organza, satin, cotton and a special wool melange. There are many feminine pieces in the collection but in the show we will always combine a very feminine, elaborating item with a more simple and cool (almost manly) piece. Just wait and see…”

The Sage & Ivy show will be held on Friday 15 July at 8 p.m.

Amsterdam International Fashion Week Preview: SIS by Spijkers en Spijkers FW2011

For the second time the sisters Truus and Riet Spijkers will show their SIS collection during the Amsterdam Fashion Week. Their second collection of their more affordable line will exist of 30 looks, containing 90 outfits.

‘For this fall collection we were inspired by the first female drivers and aviators back in the days. We used ladies like Amelia Earheart, the first woman to cross the ocean, as an inspiration. We were already thinking about doing something with he for a long time and now was the right time’, Truus Spijkers explained.

Truus and Riet didn’t use the theme very literally. ‘When you think of aviators you almost immediately think of lammy coats, well you’re not going to see those in our collection’, Truus said. ‘We did design knitted dresses with ribbons stitched on top of it, tough overalls and jackets with fur collars. We used shades of blue, light taupe, grey, black and some red.’

While the sea was a big theme in the latest SIS collection, this time it’s all about the sky. The twin sisters therefore designed a print of clouds that will pop up in the collection.

Truus tells the collection will definitely be a winter collection: ‘We used heavy wool, silk and cotton, yet we also did one lightweight parachute fabric.’

Her favorite items are the knitted dresses: ‘They’re comfortable and luxe, so I think many people will like them. Our musthaves for next winter must be the overall and the jumpsuit.’

Like at last year’s SIS show some video material might be shown, but the sisters can not give away too much. What they can say is that Joost van Bellen is working on some very tough rock ‘n roll music, which we’re dying to hear on Thursday evening (27 January).

Photos: Muriel Schouten @ Team Peter Stigter