NM

Iris van Herpen

Oliver Daxenbichler — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 09:45:52 +0000

With her avant-garde and futuristic designs Iris has opened new fields in fashion for a few years now. With extraordinary creativity and craftsmanship she works on her collections. Her pieces aren’t really mass-produced articles or noticed for their functionality, but rather for their unique, qualitative and exceptionally remarkable appearance. Iris describes her work as fantasy pieces and definitely not supposed to be wearable.

Iris van Herpen graduated in 2006 from the ArtEZ Institute of Arts in Arnhem and proved herself as an eminently talented and promising woman. After her graduation she cultivated her skills under Viktor & Rolf and Alexander McQueen. Iris her designs are an innovative, futuristic and empowering cross over between art, design and fashion all with a little dramatic effect in them.

Her interest in fashion was triggered at an early age, sniffing around her grandmothers loft who had a big collection of clothes, costumes, shoes, handbags, wigs, masks, jewellery, hats, make-up; everything that you could imagine. It was at her grandmothers loft that she started to combine looks and later on it was a great place to take friends to and do photo shoots. On high school she was determined to go to an art academy, it was there that she found out fashion was the best medium to express her creativity.

Looking at Iris her designs you can easily see that her design take a lot of time and are very laborious. Making her designs is for Iris almost meditating, nice to know that in general she doesn’t see herself as a patient person. She hates to waste time, like waiting for a bus. “The only time I am patient, is when I make my designs. I come in another state of mind. It is only about my own world then, nothing else matters that much anymore.”

Her main design philosophy is re-evaluating reality, because the notion of reality is just as subjective as the notion of art. “The essence of all my designs is expressing the character of an unique woman and extend the shape of the feminine body in detail. I combine her femininity with performance and exclusivity.”

The latest collection of Iris is called “Crystallization” which she presented exclusive as a preview with ten of these designs at the Amsterdam International Fashion Week last July. She used a new technique to produce these designs. Now she is starting to develop this technique, rapid prototyping, further. She is broadening her horizon thinking about developing bags and accessories in the future and almost like faith tuned in she collaborated with United Nude on developing a shoe.

Article by Laura van Erkelens

© Petrovsky & Ramone

Avelon Erik Frenken SS/12

Oliver Daxenbichler — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 11:51:05 +0000

When it comes to dutch fashion design, it is not that easy for most people to name a famous designer. Of course names like Iris van Herpen pop out after a few minutes of thinking, but when we are talking about wearable and affordable clothes, we have to dive deep inside the www or check out every shop in Amsterdam.

But this year an upcoming dutch brand started to take over.
Avelon combines luxury garments with rough edges and delicate elements. An affordable brand, which always creates a directional and season-less look, playing with shapes and proportions in a mixture of urban, futuristic and understated luxury. Combined with high waists, long, square silhouettes framed by details like copper metals – Avelon’s trademark – like the signature metal zip lined by bright blue satin, or the small A logo never to visible making sure the clothes do the talking.
Avelon is the perfect “jeans + shirt + a special piece” label and delivers the basics like black jeans with leather patches and white shirts with black prints plus highlights like long blazers with shoulder pads and egg shaped knitted pullovers.

And behind all this, of course, we have a dutch designer:
Born in Amsterdam in 1976 Erik Frenken graduated from The Royal Academy of Art The Hague and in 2004 he completed an MA with distinction from Central Saint Martins in London. After an experience at the Alberta Ferretti’s atelier, he joined Viktor & Rolf and covered the position of Head Designer of Women’s wear for 4 years. In 2008 Frenken started as Design Director for Avelon and in 2010 he took over the brand to develop and extend the Women’s and Men’s collections.

Article by Anna Bührmann

An interview with Petrovsky & Ramone

Oliver Daxenbichler — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 16:34:18 +0000

Dutch Duo Morena Westerik and Petra van Bennekum, known as PETROVSKY & RAMONE met while assisting the same photographer, traveling the world they started to create concepts and ideas for shoots and realizing them. In 2005 they entered a competition and they were invited to shoot a story for Avantgarde magazine. After that they started shooting editorials for national and international magazines. Petrovsky & Ramone is about holding your attention.

Who do you think are Petrovsky & Ramone at the moment?

Petra: We are all artists, but we don t know it, yet…

In which moments do you feel, that you are gifted?
Morena: I’m not to much aware of it, but when we finisched a project or piece of work the feeling pops up for a little moment.

Are you happy, having this talent?

Morena: Yes it gives a free feeling
Petra: We are lucky that we have the change to create from our hobby our work.

Describe intuition.
Morena: For me intuition is a unconscious way of thinking, in our art its a important part we make decisions by our intuition our work is our intuition.
Petra: Intuition is a way of knowing without thinking. No mind.

Describe your work.

No comment.

Do people need your work?

Petra: Our work has a sense of “breaking the ice”, we are looking for contrasts, ethical as well as visual. Our work could enhance feelings or emotions, and maybe, this human race is in need for that… and in need to feel LOVE as ONE.

Could things be changed by creativity?

Morena: 100%.

Describe rebellion.

Petra: Rebellion… we rebel when we feel trapped, when we feel cornered, there is a need to break through or open… rebelling comes across when you don’t understand a situation or find this situation to forced… it helps to rebel if you can review later and put your ego aside… be OPEN.

Tell us your most beautiful thought.

Morena: Traveling around in a camper and seeing the most breathtaking places on earth with a whiskey and a cigarette in my hands.
Petra: Close your eyes, see yourself from above sitting… go up, see your house, see your city, see your country, see the earth, go up further, see the earth floating in the universe…

What makes you smile?

Petra: Good food with good friends who you can tease and make stupid remarks and have humor fun about your own and the other characteristics.
And: when my banc-account is really full and i am on top of the mountains with new years eve, and…

Anne de Grijff

Oliver Daxenbichler — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 08:59:49 +0000

The Dutch fashion designer Anne de Grijff (Arnhem, 1978) started with her label in 2008. Her last two collections were combined with original pieces of wearable basics in her love for black, gray and cream tones. “I see clothes as a forming part of a line, a line that I try to rearrange and pause until unexpected shades and new forms emerge”, says the Grijff. In her designs, innovation comes from repetition and subtle variations. The folds and creases add volume to fine leather, jersey, washed silk and pure wool.

During the latest edition of the AIFW I met someone who told me she worked for Anne de Grijff. I didn’t know who Anne de Grijff was so I asked this lady to tell me more about the clothes that Anne designs. She was exited to tell me that her garments are really well made and perfectly tailored. That Anne pays a lot of attention to her designs; the way they are produced and how they fit.

She develops her ideas to actual garments in a close collaboration between her pattern designer and seamstress. Giving her designs form and feeling staying true and close to her ideas and to her heart. After developing her ‘toile de luxe’ she finds it important to hand the actual production over, to guarantee the quality you would expect from a high end fashion label

The woman I met just loved to work for her especially because of the time she takes for each collection. Until the invitation for Anne de Grijff’s collection launch at Kabinet popped up in my e-mail I never saw her clothes, but I can honestly say, you can see that someone with great passion, dedication and devotion has worked on this Fall/Winter 2011 collection.

Anne de Grijff started her label in 2008. After graduating from AMFI in 2003 she worked as a freelancer on different assignments. Not finding enough satisfaction in the work she was doing she decided to start her own label.

While developing her collections she loves to experiment: “I see clothing as being part of a line, a line I like to rearrange and disrupt [until] unexpected gradations and forms emerge.”

Her fall collection pairs quirky pieces with wearable basics, all in sober black and grey. Innovative pleats and folds add volume to fine leather, stretch jersey, pure wool, and washed silk. The dark, mysterious aesthetic that runs through the collection was photographed by Sandor Lubbe, who collaborated with De Grijff on her Fall/Winter 2010-2011 campaign. The designer said she was inspired to call on Lubbe after viewing an exhibition of his photography at Steltman Galleries in Amsterdam.

Article by Laura van Erkelens

Iris van Herpen by Zach Gold

Oliver Daxenbichler — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 13:20:54 +0000

Iris van Herpen by Zach Gold in cooperation with Zoo Magazine.

Video: Zach Gold
Director of Photography: Brandon Finney
Art Director: Michael Sturgeon
Stylist: Julie Ragolia
Hair: Raymond McLaren
Makeup: Kouta
Music + Sound Design: Casa Nova Studios
Casting Director: Natalie Joos
Production Manager: Elsbeth Loughrey
Featuring: Siri Tollerod, Christian Ern, Elyse Taylor,
Jessamine Kelley, Charlie Hammerstein, Nancy Ozelli
1st AC: George Tur
2nd AC: Rory Mulhere
DIT: Luke Lanter
Digital Services: Capture This Digital
Gaffer: Krystallynne Gonzalez
Gaffer: Issac Rosenthal
Production Assistant: Michael Wasserman
Stylist Assistant: Brittany Assam
Stylist Assistant: Shakir Najieb
Manicurist: Myrdith Leon-McCormack
Jewelry: Briana Erin Jewelry

Co-Production: Zoo Magazine

Basic Instincts

Oliver Daxenbichler — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 10:24:17 +0000

This June and July, Premsela held the exhibition Basic Instincts, a multidisciplinary show of contemporary, directional visions in Dutch fashion culture, at Berlin’s Villa Elisabeth. Featuring work by approximately 50 designers and artists including Iris van Herpen, Klavers van Engelen, Jo Meesters, BCXSY and Doepel Strijkers Architects, Basic Instincts maps a range of ideas that originate in fashion but border on and interact with other fields. We are seeking future venues for the exhibition and will announce them as soon as possible.

(Un-)Dutch
Is it still relevant in 2011 to talk about what’s characteristically Dutch? Certain hallmarks and criteria for fashion in the Netherlands do exist, but distinctive ideas by individuals at the meta level are what make our fashion culture exciting. In Basic Instincts, therefore, we don’t attempt to distil an idea of Dutchness from a group of designers or designs. Instead, we highlight views and visions from Dutch fashion culture as they relate to each other and to other spheres – not only because they’re Dutch but most of all because they’re relevant and interesting from an international perspective.

Multidisciplinary concept, international team
One thing about Basic Instincts is characteristically Dutch: its multidisciplinary approach. Multidisciplinarity is often taken for granted in our country, though this way of thinking is also typical in much of northern Europe. The Dutch design climate also encourages crossovers and experimentation, partly thanks to the absence of a strong national fashion tradition, such as that found in France (Marchetti 2009). Basic Instincts’ emphasis on inter- and multidisciplinarity shows how Dutch fashion culture serves as a breeding ground for an open, creative mentality. To gain outside perspective, we enlisted an international creative team to help us to develop the exhibition:

creative directors José Klap and Sandor Lubbe, of Zoo Magazine;
artistic curators Luca Marchetti and Emanuele Quinz, of Mosign;
and Henrik Vibskov, who handled the exhibition design.

The exhibition will tour a series of countries. In each location, we will forge links with cultural organisations, designers, artists and architects by means of an innovative communication concept and a range of adjunct activities carried out with Dutch and local partners.
© Premsela