Sjaak Hullekes wins Dutch Fashion Award 2009

Sjaak Hullekes won this years Mercedes Benz Dutch Fashion Award, and received a price of € 25.000,- to extend his brand. Last friday the third edition of the MBDFA took place. After being held in Amsterdam twice, for this edition the Dutch fashionscene was gathered in The Hague.

For these annual award five Dutch designers were chosen by an international jury. Bas Kosters, Iris van Herpen, Mada van Gaans, Sjaak Hullekes en Jeroen van Tuyl were all nominated for their distinctive designer style.

The most important award of the evening is the Mercedes Benz Fashion Award. It goes to the designer who is most likely to succeed on an international level.

On the night of the awards Sjaak showed an enlarged version of his summer collection, called Oscar. Backstage before the show he told Team Peter Stigter: ‘The Fashion Awards are something I look forward to every year. Winning an award on this special night is really a great way to get noticed on a national and international level. It’s a great boost for your label and your career.’

Sjaak thinks he won the award because he distinguishes himself in the use of fabric. ‘I use natural materials, light fabrics like silk or linen. These are materials you usually wouldn’t expect for a menswear collection. My tailoring and the many details I use in my designs are aspects that mark me off as a designer too.’

Apart from his way of designing Sjaak also stands out because of the niche market he designs for. ‘In Holland everything always has to be favoured by the crowd. I’m glad I design for a special group of intelligent, classic, sensitive men unafraid to address their feminine side.’

The money-prize Sjaak won will be invested in his label. ‘We will continue doing what we were doing. We can use the money to maintain the status we reached. We also want to explore the new vision we have on men.’

Sjaak thinks he will be successful in Japan, America, Italy and France. In time he wants to build a strong and independent fashion label. We wish him all the best.

Tess van Daelen

DFF Prelude: Catta Donkersloot & Sjaak Hullekes Presentation SS10

By Ivo Wiermans

It’s time for change! And we don’t refer to the legendary words spoken by Obama, but to the atmosphere at Prelude. You know, the seasonal event on the eve of Amsterdam Fashion Week, where young Dutch fashion talents show their newest collections. The young designers at Prelude brought a unanimous message. Long-lasting designs, with a focus on shape and excelling with simplicity, showed a new generation of designers that prefers high quality to short-term fashions

In the hotel lobby of The Grand Catta Donkersloot presented her collection, which was inspired by poppy flowers and summer birds. The feeling of a warm and romantic summer resulted in graceful ribbon-covered dresses, some decorated with bird prints. The models were draped at the lobby furniture, looking like taken away by a sunny day dream.
Inside one of the hotel’s most impressive rooms, the fashion show by Sjaak Hullekes took place. The collection covered preppy outfits with Riviera-like pieces: shorts, chinos, blazers and polo shirts. Accessories and other small details were both surprising and delicate. Small leather belts covered shirts, very short shorts had fringes at the legs and male models wore bow ballerinas. ‘I want to create a new androgyny in fashion,’ explained Hullekes after the presentation. ‘With small I want to give a new impulse to classic men’s fashion.’ The items and colour palet – bright pink, beige and brown – had a vintage look. ‘My menswear has a vintage edge, but when you come closer you’ll see the renewing materials and high quality’, Hullekes concludes.

Sjaak Hullekes Prelude Catwalk Fashion Show SS09

Dutch Fashion Foundation: Prelude AW09

The fourth edition of Prelude was actually the unofficial kick start of Amsterdam International Fashion Week. This fashion-salon – initiated by the Dutch Fashion Foundation and Mercedes Benz – presents fresh, new Dutch fashiontalents. And we really experienced some fresh fashion! Like the debut of Sebastic, with his sensitive menswearcollection focused on shirts and pullovers in powdery colours. Sjaak Hullekes is also a promising mensweardesigner, with his tough collection were casual meets formal. Other contributors were Mada van Gaans (great dresses with beautiful ornaments), Conny Groenwegen (satin dresses & subtile knitwear) and Corné Gabriels. Now that’s a guy to watch! His weather-inspired menswearcollection was witty and stylish, especially those beautiful pullovers with digital prints of clouds, thunder and rain. He made us very happy!

Hullekes

Conny Groenewegen

Corne Gabriels

Mada van Gaans

Sebastic