Marni Catwalk Fashion Show Menswear Milan FW2017

It’s not an easy challenge to set a new path for a fashion brand after the departure of its founder and creative director. With his debut collection for Marni, Francesco Risso was wise enough to not completely shock the label’s followers — there were references to the Consuelo Castiglioni era in the color palette, the graphic patterns and the use of fabrics — while attempting to tap into a younger generation of customers. So instead of continuing Castiglioni’s strive for quirkiness, Risso embraced a more approachable, cool street approach.

While Castiglioni with her approach to fashion drew fans of the avant garde, Risso with his first collection seemed interested in developing a more playful, youthful image for the brand — one that is definitely less edgy.

MOAM Catwalk Fashion Show 2016

MOAM is back for her third edition, MOAM 3.0. After two successful editions in EYE and Rijksmuseum, MOAM collective started with a new group of five designers. These talented designers have all graduated from different academies and worked together on one collection. This collective has been coached by iconic names from the fashion industry.

The designers
In this third edition of MOAM collective, MOAM has given a platform to Christiaan de Vries (AMFI), Elysanne Schuurman (HKU), Olivier Jehee (KABK), Maartje Janse (ArtEZ) and Nikki Duijst (KABK). They were weekly coached by three pioneers from the fashion industry: Frans Ankoné, Mariette Hoitink and Peter Leferink. Next to them this edition was also coached by Claes Iversen, Dieter de Cock, Fiona Hering, Iris Ruisch, Jan Jansen, Jan Taminiau, Maison the Faux, Mart Visser, Pauline van Dongen, Ronald van der Kemp and Saskia Stoeckler.

The process
In six months time this collective has worked closely together on a collection consisting of 25 looks for men and women. The designers received complete creative freedom and where responsible from first sketch to final catwalk show. In this process they where coached by professionals from the Dutch creative industry. The keystones for this process are talent development and passing knowledge from the current generation on to the new.
Hotelier and old clothing tailor Krasnapolsky invited this new generation of MOAM designers to host the catwalk show in de renewed ‘Wintertuinen’. This location fits this years design concept perfectly. With overlapping traits like; heritage, innovation and typical Amsterdam elements this was a collaboration made in heaven.

DANIAL AITOUGANOV wins LICHTING 2016

On Thursday night the Dutch fasion scene gathered at the Gashouder to attend the Lichting 2016 show. After ten years of Lichting show this was the first time the Amsterdam Fashion Week scheduled the young talent award show on the opening night.

Fourteen fashion graduates presented their impressive graduation collections to an international jury of fashion professionals and of course the audience. Sometimes chic and wearable other times fantasy driven en over the top, but always outstanding en qualitative. There were two awards to be won; one winner to be chosen by the jury, the other voted for by the audience.

Danial Aitouganov graduated at AMFI became the big winner of the night. He presented five looks from his “The second sex – vol. II” collection, an expressive and colorful collection based on the idea of a forth feminist wave; a generation of women who with the right manner fight for their right. Daniel won the Lichting Award; a money prize of 10.000 euro to be used on the development of his work.

The audience’s favorite turned out to be Marlou Breuls, also an AMFI graduate. With her outstanding red hot collection, including a majestic dress made out of a carpet, she won the Audience Favorite Award powered by Converse, a money prize of €3.000,-.

Congrats to the winners!

Balenciaga Catwalk Fashion Show Paris Menswear SS2017

It was Demna Gvasalia’s debut men’s collection for Balenciaga — and the brand’s first men’s show in its 99-year history. Not since Hedi Slimane’s rockers stormed down the runway some 15 years ago has anyone at a major house paraded a silhouette this severe: coats and suits with shoulders as wide as a fridge, immediately followed by the opposite: suffocating, shrunken styles on models with ironing-board physiques, most of them cast on Instagram.

Time will tell if the David Byrne look makes any sense to young generations weaned on droopy jeans and sloppy hoodies. While challenging, these Balenciaga clothes had such conviction behind them — and a peerless execution — that they commanded attention, and are bound to be influential.

Sies Marjan Catwalk Fashion Show NYC Womenswear FW2016

Dutch designer Sander Lak was the talk of town yesterday in New York. His fresh and relaxed debut-collection – after working for years as headdesigner at Dries van Noten and – was a welcome change of style between all the heavy, furry and layered styff people had been watching over the past days. The name Sies Marjan is a combination of his parents’ given names. The Dries influence was notable, most obviously on his familiar use of color combinations: warm pastels offset by natural tones. The freshness was in the more urban, utilitarian hand.

Lak sent out a beautiful wispy silk floral mid-length dress with a twisted cutout detail at the bodice, followed by a cargo pant and tunic version. But it was the Impressionist-printed jacket and matching wrap skirt, adorned by a fur stole worn like a slouchy backpack, that set the tone.

A disheveled button-down shirt, with oversize trousers was next-generation chic. Lak also paired languid tiered knits or big imperfect-ruffled blouses with diaphanous skirts, and showed trench coats that hung from the models’ backs on halter straps. It was all very, very cool.

Tommy Hilfiger Fashion Show New York Womenswear SS2016

At Tommy Hilfiger we sat back and relaxed while the designer took us on a trip to the Carribean. He recreated the turquoise waters of Jamaica and the sand beaches of Mustique as the backdrop of his catwalk. So his tropically, hippy-ish dressed models walked along the beach. Hilfiger’s signature American sportswear perfectly worked together with the island life dress code. Billowing dresses sport lush flora and fauna patterns, while tropical hued patchwork and vibrant stripes energize sundresses and separates. Denim jackets and chinos are faded for a loved effect and accented with beaded tapes and whip stitched borders. The traditional cricket sweater reinvented in homespun crochet, polos done in netted mesh, and oxford shirts personalized with embroidered eyelet. Roomy beach totes and layered espadrilles, colorful jewelry to top it all off. The holiday theme might have been a bit overdone every now and then and we’re not sure if those knitted bikini’s will take off, but the designer’s aim to reach out to a new generation of globetrotters might just work out. Island hopping ended with a splash as all models paraded through the water for the show’s finale.

Noir Near Future Catwalk Fashion Show Amsterdam SS16

Fantasies of anxiety, Noir Near Future’s SS16 collection, started off very solid. Models with tight braided hairdos and silver lines on their faces appeared wearing either black dresses or black leggings with dito T-shirts, United Nude shoes to match. ‘Anxiety’ was printed on their outfits and backpacks, as well as (what appeared to be) frequency graphics. Disturbed and pixilated black and white prints.
Halfway through the show designer Bregje Cox changed things up. Outfits became light, airy and colorful prints (with exotic color combinations the brand is always looking for) were introduced. Dazzling graphics, mesmerizing stripes and mirror pieces attached to tops and dresses added to the fantasy effect of this summer collection. A collection based on the reflection of feelings of fear one can have when going through a creative process. Bregje Cox was inspired by the book ‘Het begrip angst’ van Kierkegaard, which asks the question if a generation can learn and love and copy feelings of patience and fear from previous generations or each invididual should learn this himself. No doubt NNF is heavily inspired by technology and science fiction. We’re anxious to see what’s next.

Disturbed and pixilated black and white prints.

ArtEZ Masters presentation/show Paris

Five master design students of ArtEZ institute of the Arts Arnhem presented their highly personal visions on fashion in an intimate presentation yesterday at the Atelier Néerlandais. Labelled “Arnhem Masters in Fashion”, the 16th generation of the institute proved that an impactful presentation is not reserved for big catwalk shows.

In a small-scale and multidisciplinary presentation, fashion designers Haesung Bong, Anja Dragan, Nathalie de Koning, Sunanda Koning and shoe designer Chrissie Houtkooper deployed innovative ideas for the future of fashion. In the corridors of the Atelier Néerlandais, the audience was served new flavors of the designer’s fashion propositions, with a strong emphasis on expressive handmade textile innovations and tactile qualities, in ongoing presentations ranging from group installations and a video projection to perpetuate catwalk movement.

Mark van Vorstenbos, head of the department: “We’re proud to present a new generation of fashion designers in Paris, historically considered the heart of the fashion industry, in a refreshing way. The current system is in need of more personal visions, so we chose to show the collections in an intimate way. Up-close, personal, inviting visitors to give the garments a second or third look.”

The ArtEZ fashion design master aspires to educate fashion professionals who from a highly personal fascination, critically interrogate their own unique handwriting as fashion makers in relationship to the current design discourse to seek out both their relevance and their additional value through research and design. With Arnhem Fashion being founded over 60 years ago, the cultural heritage is enormous. Being positioned outside the fashion establishment, each student is offered a wide open space to explore and develop his or her own refreshing idiosyncrasy.

Thank you Oscar !

Thinking of glamour-dressing to the max, but with style and class – you had to think of Oscar de la Renta. The American designer – born in Puerto Rico – died october 21st at the age of 82.

His career began in the 1950s in Spain and sprawled across the better living rooms of Paris and New York. De la Renta was the last survivor of a generation of bold, all-seeing tastemakers.  Though ill with cancer for close to eight years, Oscar de la Renta was resilient. During that period his business grew by 50 percent, to $150 million in sales, as his name became linked to celebrity events like the Oscars. Amy Adams, Sarah Jessica Parker and Penélope Cruz were among the actresses who wore his dresses. Recently his biggest thing was to make the ivory tulle gown that Amal Alamuddin wore to wed George Clooney in Venice.

Oscar de la Renta achieved fame as a couturier to socialites and as a red-carpet king. He also dressed four American first ladies, but it was Hollywood glamour that defined him for a new age and a new customer.

Here are some highlights of his collections from the past five years.

 

 

 

 

Individuals by AMFI Amsterdam Fashion Week Preview FW2013

For the very first time Individuals by AMFI, a collection designed by student, will have the honor of opening Amsterdam Fashion Week. We caught up with Peter Leferink, Principal Design Lecturer at AMFI and creative Manager of Individuals, to talk about the design process, the collection and the success of Individuals.

About Inviduals
AMFI’s Individuals project is a 6 month minor that BA students at AMFI can take during their third or at the beginning of their fourth and final year. A total of around 24 – 30 students from the 3 different departments Fashion & Design, Fashion & Management and Fashion & Branding together design, produce and deliver to retail a collection for the school’s label Individuals.

Why is it important that Individuals gives a show during Amsterdam Fashion Week?
“First of all it is a big honor. For the students a show at the end of their period with Individuals. Those 12 minutes of fame are quite fundamental to the process. Showing in a professional environment like AFW gives the students such a boost. This year we were asked to open the fashion week, which is the ultimate moment and compliment. It means people take us seriously and appreciate what we do with our students. To me personally it means a lot. The fact that our show is held in the Gashouder is extra special too; when I graduated from the C Montaigne Academy in 1994 with a small group of students we rented the same Gashouder for our show. At that time we felt it was the coolest spot in Amsterdam, I believe we had to pay 400 Gulden for it. Being able to see our students shine there as well makes it very special.”

What is the most important aspect of holding a show?
“If you bring it down to the basics a show is a form of PR. You want to reach the press, the retailers and your audience. Yet as a school we believe there a more platforms on which you can show your collections and creativity. There is lots of new media via which you can reach your audience quickly and effectively. But, to be honest, for a lot of students a catwalkshow is the ultimate highlight; the spotlights, the people, the camera’s clicking and the feeling that comes with such a live event. It gives them such excitement, which is hard to match. Therefore I feel catwalkshows will always be there, even though lots of new platform (digital or non digital) will be introduced.”

How did it happen that Individuals is opening Amsterdam Fashion Week?
“We have been showing, with smaller and larger shows, during Amsterdam Fashion Week since the start. This definitely is the icing on the cake for AMFI and Individuals. Especially since around 800 extra young people, students and teachers will be able to see the show through live stream, thanks to Vodafone. I’m very excited how it will all turn out, but I am sure it will be a great happening.”

What part of the collection will eventually be sold?
“It’s hard to put that in percentages, since it depends on the styling of the show, which is planned for the second week of January. We always create Production Pieces, which retailers can buy and Unique Pieces (for the catwalk and photoshoots). Eventually the Production Pieces will be sold in a total of 10 boutiques ranging from high end casual to designer/luxury across the Netherlands.”

Is the collection sold in your own AMFI store as well?
“The Inviduals sales to retailers is organized via our By Amfi store. Every season we change the store in a way that it matches perfectly with the collection and invite our retailers there. After a period of about three weeks the store becomes a By Amfi store again; a very pleasant and dynamic collaboration.”

One of the design students spoke to us about inspiration, colors and materials

What was the inspiration for the upcoming collection?
“We were inspired by the current state of the world. We provide a contemporary solution for how to deal and live within it, partly inspired by Darwin’s theory of survival of the fittest. We draw the line. We tell the story of the Neo-Pioneer who dares to settle within the unsettled. For fall/winter 2013/2014 we’ve communicated it like this

A multitude of choices has resulted in an inability to move forward in the world. The time has come to confidently step forward and set the underlying tone for this generation. Armed with a desire for progress, we draw the line in order to create an enhanced state of protection. We attract because we dare. We survive because we protect. We are an energy to be reckoned with. We are the Neo-Pioneers and ELEMENT is the key to our survival. 

This collection boldly draws the line by settling within the unsettled. An action towards survival defined by a magnetic attraction of angular and curved shapes. A mix of unconventional fabrics sculpts this modern day armour. Each piece makes its own statement, building a positive tension thus, empowering the wearer. An air of artificiality emphasizes the evolution of crucial details in design.

What can we expect to see?
“We will see colours that are derived from a dark uniform palette. Think about a dark oil stain on a wet pavement. Furthermore we want to put the spotlight on the strong and the vulnerable parts of a woman in order to provide her the protection that she needs to face the world. As for the fit, think pronounced angular and curved shapes mixed with a touch of tailored design. We chose new materials that are more technological than we have ever used before. We also used leather and other materials that enhance protection and are key iNDiViDUALS materials are used in every collection.”

Individuals By AMFI will present their latest collection on Wednesday night, the 23rd of January at 07.00 P.M.

See our gallery below for some sneak peeks of the collection.

 

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