LAB-shows AFW FW2013 Day 3

The two young LAB-designers who showed on Saturday, the third day of Amtserdam Fashion Week, were Domenico Cioffi and Jivika Biervliet. Both presented a collection with focus at silhouette  and fabric. Black and white were the main colors, with turkoise as a bright accent.

Backstage at LAB-show Tessa Wagenvoort & Laura Smith

The mannequins looked beautiful at the show of Tessa Wagenvoort and Laura Smith. Take a look backstage where make-up artistst did a great job.

LAB-show AFW FW2013: Fredfarrowbrittavelontan & Atelier Milada

The LAB-collection of Fredfarrowbrittavelontan in 10 words: Fantasy. Textures. Deconstructed. Laidback couture. Nature colors. Abstract expressionists. Workwear.

 

Atelier Milada by Ann Boogaerds in 10 words: Rich. Sculpted. Misty  blue. Princess. Feminin. Textures. Elegance. Personal story.

 

 

 

LAB-show AFW FW2013: Tessa Wagenvoort & Laura Smith

Travel-pictures were the inspiration for Tessa Wagenvoort’s collection. The designer from The Hague was the first to show in the LAB-cyclus at Amsterdam Fashion Week. Wagenvoort wanted to translate the often overwhelming feeling of being in another place and culture into prints. She used an old photo-technique to realize her handmade prints.

 

The British designer Laura Smith focused at vintage uniforms and a hippie-like beachstyle. Shirts, pants and fluid skirts form the basis of the collection. The style is minimal with sober colors and brick-red. Texture is more important than color.

 

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: Furansu & Nieuw Jurk

During the third LAB- show it was time for fashion labels Nieuw Jurk and Furansu to show their collections.

Nieuw Jurk
It’s not easy these days, especially during this financial crisis, to work in the cultural area. But we have to make the best of it and support it the best we can, must designer Esther Meijer has thought. The designer graduated in 2004 from ArtEZ in Arnhem and showing here for the first time, is not pessimistic at all these times although she’s also struggling sometimes starting her new label. ‘I’m an optimistic person and although the difficulties these days, with this collection I want to show in a humorous way that you can make it work.’

Her current collection is named Krisis. To finance the collection she came up with the idea to use crowdfunding. And with success. The label raised half of their money via their website and half by subsidies. Although the sober name of this collection,  she showed very colorful pieces. All unisex, her trademark, and multi- functional.  ‘You can wear all these clothes in many ways. With some you can zip off the sleeves, others are reversible. And it’s for both men and women, very androgyn. Just like myself.’  She used different fierce hues and fabrics, like the body-con lycra dresses with some cut outs or patches on places that accentuate the shapes of the body. And not just patches, if you take a good look, you see these round patches form the eyes of a smiley face, happy or sad. It’s up to you what you make of it.

Furansu
Also showing for the first time at the Amsterdam Fashion Week is knitwear label Furansu. The two young Chinese designers behind the label, Annie Ching and Kay Lai, have known each other for years but have been working together since 2010. Both studied fashion across the world, he in the US and she in the Netherlands, but two years ago they, both graduated by the time,  decided to join forces. And it worked out really well. Their label is known for their well executed, timeless knitwear but always with a contemporary edge. ‘I like knitwear so much because I like to work with a lot of different fabrics and textures. They way it looks and feels is very characteristic’, Annie says.

Today they showed a collection based on German dancer Pina Bausch, tells Annie. ‘I saw a picture of her and got a lot of inspiration. In her way of dancing and expressing you see a lot of interesting contradictions and the one that got me the most was the one between strong and feminine. And these things we also used in our current collection.’ It resulted in some heavy knitwear but with soft, feminine elements. Like the long, knitted dress with the transparent sleeves. Or a dark blue jumper revised with a plastic topcoat in the front. ‘We like to use different twists in our clothes.’

AFW FW2012 LAB-show: Melissa Siegrist & Bravoure

Up next to show in the LAB-series were Melissa Siegrist and Bravoure. Two completely different collections, but both very interesting in it’s own way.

Melissa Siegrist
Although she started designing womenswear at the Arnhem Institute of Fine Arts, today Melissa came up with a strong menswear collection. Not really out of the blue though. The young designer is exploring the borders between men- and womenswear for a while now. But eventually she seems to like menswear the most, she tells. ‘I always thought I had to graduate in womenswear, but I was wrong. That’s when I decided to design menswear, which in my opinion is the most interesting.  When I’m designing for men I start completely blank so I can be more creative. When I’m designing for women, I always think what will suit me, which gives me more restrictions.’

Her current collection is another journey searching for the fine balance between male and female, strong and soft elements and concept and comfort. This resulted in some interesting combinations, like jute bomber jackets worn over a perfectly executed, crispy white blouse. Or a jute, sleeveless top worn over a several layer, transparent skirt. And what about a long, see- through trouser worn over shorts. A great combination between sport and elegance.  The colors were very neutral, with the usual black and white. ‘I always work with black and white, because they make the perfect color blocking combination.’ It was her first appearance here on the Amsterdam Fashion week, but certainly not a bad one.

Bravoure
For designerduo Kim Jansen and Patricia Hofstede it was not the first time that they showed here. Last year they made their fashion debut here, but it didn’t made their appearance less exciting today. ‘I was a little nervous, I must admit. But it’s totally different this time, because we’re better prepared know’, Kim says. With both totally different backgrounds when it comes to their education, both designers make a perfect combination when it comes to their work. ‘With my technical background I’m more of the execution, while Patricia is more of designing the clothes. When we’re working it all slowly comes together.’

Today they showed a collection inspired by the late twenties. The contradiction between the really sexy and flirty and on the other hand the purity and innocence of women back then, were a real inspiration. Think flared, high waisted trousers combined with a sexy blouse, or a heavy knitted vest worn over an elegant dress. All perfectly executed, in beautiful colors like brown, beige, orange and ocher yellow. There were also some architectural prints used on tops. It made you definitely hungry for more fashion that seems to come straight out of this era.

 

 

 

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