Dutch Fashion Awards 2012: Backstage

Take a look backstage at the Dutch Fashion Awards 2012 that took place in The Hague last friday. See how models get dressed, see the make up artists and hairdressers at work and even Mattijs ironing his dresses.

Dutch Fashion Awards 2012: Collections

December 3, 2012 by  
Filed under Fashion, Featured Items, Menswear, womenswear

For the ones who couldn´t attend Friday night´s spectacle or for those who want to take an extra look at the designs: here´s our gallery of collection images. From last year´s winner Conny Groenewegen, to Fair Luxury Award winner Elsien Gringhuis, Dutch Incubator Award winner (for the second year in a row) Hyun Yeu, Dutch Touch Paris Award winner Anne de Grijff, Marga Weimans and of course, Mattijs, who went home with two awards.

Click through the images of Elsien´s beautifully colored sustainable collection, dream away with Anne´s airy pleated creations, be amazed by Marga´s architectural looks, get overwhelmed by Hyun Yeu´s structured menswear looks and see just ow talented these young Dutch designers actually are.

DFA Nominee 2012: Anne de Grijff

November 30, 2012 by  
Filed under Fashion, Featured Items

She is one of the five designers nominated for a Dutch Fashion Award and Anne de Grijff (1978) might just become this year’s big winner. To freshen up everyone’s memory we’ve summarized what Anne de Grijff stands for. So you know just a bit of what to expect tonight in De Grote Kerk in The Hague.

Fashion label
Anne de Grijff, womenswear. Founded in 2008.

Signature
Lots of folding and pleating, subtle, minimalistic, mysterious. Anne: “My work is about perfection and imperfection, symmetry and a symmetry, revealing and dissembling.”

Short bio
Anne de Grijff graduated at AMFI in 2003. She interned at Alexander van Slobbe and G + N. Anne started off working for Mart Visser as an assistant designer and worked as a freelance designer for Claudia Sträter, Mexx and Turnover. She also lectured at fashion and styling academy Artemis and currently is a teacher at the fashion department of the Gerrit Rietveld Academy.

Quote
“I see clothes as a line, a line I love to redivide and suspend. I never know which direction it will go. Yet by deranging unexpected turns and shapes appear. That unforeseen and unpredictable part is the most appealing to me.”

Collection
For tonight´s show Anne has been looking back on some of her older designs and has made some slight changes. She, for instance, has started working with color. “My Dutch Fashion Awards nomination coincides with a period in which reflection is very important to me. I found out my work is always about researching and questioning a straight line. All my designs begin with a straight structure. At the same time I try to interrupt and challenge that, which results in clothes with asymmetrical details, layers and pleats. By the movements of the persons wearing my designs unexpected openings and shapes appear. The last couple of months I have been looking back and asking myself questions about the process and the evolvement. For that reason I have been revising pieces from earlier collection. In my latest autumn/winter 2012 collection Hidden Colors I´ve slowly began working with color. This is visible in my vision on the paintings from the golden age. You´ll slowly see color finding it´s way in between all the black. I see it as an enlightenment, which I needed as a counterpart for all the black”, Anne explains.

Strengths
Though Anne is aware that as a fashion label she´s relatively new, she feels she´s right on track and therefore might just win one of the Dutch Fashion Awards. Anne: “In four years I have had a good focus and I´ve worked hard on getting where I want to be. I´ve invested in the quality of the product, network, productions and sales points, which all have been growing for the last two years. Concept/vision and communication are the main focus points of next year. I expect the collection to become stronger, with an extra menswear expansion.”

Plans
Anne: “Winning the Dutch Fashion Award would enable me to perfection my new Slow Forward collection and make some international steps with it. With Slow Forward I´m going to question the ´color´ black.”

Website
www.annedegrijff.com

DFA Nominee 2012: Mattijs van Bergen

November 29, 2012 by  
Filed under Fashion, Featured Items

Just a month ago Mattijs visited the beautiful city of Istanbul to present his latest collection. Tomorrow night he will show that same collection, named Proserpina, in The Hague. A new collection made out of ´old´fabrics and objects. But just before we enjoy his show in De Grote Kerk let´s fresh up our memory on Mattijs for a bit.

Fashion label
Mattijs, womenswear. Founded in 2008.

Signature
Colorful, feminine, with lots of pleats.

Short bio
After Mattijs van Bergen graduated at Artez he did an extra master at the Central Saint Martin College in London. In 2006 he won the Modern Femininity award. He was also nominated for the Harrods Award. Mattijs has showed his work during Amsterdam Fashion Week and has even presented his collections in London, Aruba and Istanbul. Mattijs designs his own accessories and has worked together with United Nude on different shoe designs, the most recent being The Harem shoe.

Collection
Friday night Mattijs will present his spring/summer 2013 collection named Proserpina. Mattijs: “The collection is about the changes we as people go through. Growth in life, the change of seasons. Proserpina, the goddess of the seasons and growth, was the starting point of this collection. It´s about girls wanting to become women and women who want to stay young. I always look for that dualism in my work.”

Clothes
When he began designing his collection Mattijs asked himself ´What is all that new actually worth?´. “I then decided to start creating clothes made out of fabrics and objects I have been collecting for a while. That patchwork of fabrics and ideas has made this collection the most personal I´ve made”, Mattijs explains.

Plans
Like all four other designers nominated for this year´s DFA´s Mattijs already has a bigger plan in case he´s lucky enough to win the big Dutch Fashion Award. Mattijs: “If I should win it would be an acknowledgment by the Dutch fashion industry for five years of hard work and building a name for myself. It would create international opportunities. I would use the money to improve my sales abroad. The price would help me participating in trade shows and together with an agent in Paris I should be able to give my sales that extra push it needs.”

Website
www.mattijsvanbergen.com

See some of Mattijs´ work below

 

 

 

 

 

 

DFA Nominee 2012: Hyun Yeu

November 28, 2012 by  
Filed under Fashion, Featured Items

Last year designer Hyun Yeu received the Dutch Fashion Incubator award during the DFA´s, which gave him the opportunity to sell his design in Dutch department store De Bijenkorf. This year he is nominated again and determined to win in order to expand his team and pursue an international career in fashion. Time to freshen up everyone´s memory and give a small impression of what we can expect coming Friday in The Hague.

Fashion label
Ado Les Scents, menswear. Founded in 2009.

Signature
High quality menswear with innovative shapes en fabrics.

Short bio
After graduating at the Gerrit Rietveld academy Hyun Yeu did an internship at Viktor & Rolf. He than founded his menswear label Ado Les Scents in 2009. That same year Yeu won the Frans Molenaar award (a 10.000 Euro money price) during the Amsterdam International Fashion Week. Last year Hyun Yeu also won the Dutch Fashion Incubator award durin the Dutch Fashion Awards. This summer it was announced Yeu is the new designer for Dutch fashion brand Gsus.

Quote
“My clothes may be artistic. As soon as they leave the work room it’s all about business.”

Collection
Friday night during the Dutch Fashion Award show Yeu will show his brand new collection for the very first time. “It´s named CLONES and it´s a story about identity,” says Yeu.

Plans
Yeu says he has been working very hard and of course hopes he will win Friday night´s big award. Yeu: “It´s time to grow internationally. If I win, I will use the money to set up a good team to grow further.”

Website
www.adolesscents.com

DFA Nominee 2012: Elsien Gringhuis

November 26, 2012 by  
Filed under Fashion, Featured Items

She is one of the five designer nominated for a Dutch Fashion Award and Elsien Gringhuis might just become this year’s big winner. To freshen up everyone’s memory we’ve summarized what Gringhuis stands for and asked her a few short questions.

Fashion label
Elsien Gringhuis, womenswear. Founded in 2009.

Signature
Clean, chic and architectural. Elsien uses unconventional shapes and makes them wearable in a minimalistic way.

Short bio
Elsien Gringhuis graduated in Fashion Design from the ArtEZ Institute of the Arts in Arnhem in 2008. Since then, she presented her collections during Amsterdam International Fashion Week. Elsien Gringhuis’ design principal is completely based on sustainability. Her choice of materials consists of hand dyed silks, bamboo, wool and cotton, all with a certified eco and/or fair trade label. In 2011 she won the first prize of The Green Fashion Competition for bringing the best businessplan in supporting biodiversity. Next to her high-end sales collection Elsien Gringhuis is momentarily working on a second, more affordable line called BASIC ONES.

Quote
“My challenge is to get the maximum out of the minimal.”

Collection
On Friday, during the Dutch Fashion Awards 2012, Elsien will present a mix of creations from her fall/winter 2013 and spring/summer 2013 collection. Elsien: “It’s a collection on transformation, dead as the start of new life and fall, which is sunny and optimistic yet also dark and heavy.”

Clothes
“All my models will be very covered up and many of the designs can be worn two ways or are multi functional. A long skirt, for instance, can be turned into a dress. I also developed patterns made out of a maximum of one or two pattern parts in order to waste as little as possible”, Elsien explains.

Plans
Elsien: “I have worked very hard to build the fundament of my company and I’ve invested in a good team. If I should win we´d like to start focusing on expanding Elsien Gringhuis abroad. Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Russia and Japan, we’re ready!”

Website
www.elsiengringhuis.com

Dutch Fashion Awards 2011 – Front Row

November 5, 2011 by  
Filed under Events, Fashion

The crème de la crème of the Dutch fashionscene was present at the Dutch Fashion Awards on Friday. Check out who were sitting front row at the award show, you might even spot some brand new Vogue NL editors while you’re at it!