We were completely stoked when we were invited to the catwalk show of Anbasja Blanken’s newest ready-to-wear collection at Mercedes-Benz FashionWeek Amsterdam, this time presenting a collection of women’s trousers under the name “ALA BLANKA”. Laying eyes upon the pictures from Anbasja Blanken’s first catwalk show at Mercedes-Benz FashionWeek Amsterdam in January 2016, her fondness of trousers and the exceptional skill and vision with which she creates them is indubitable.
Zyanya Keizers’ work is a true mixture of art and fashion, which is substantiated as each of her collections is an expression of fantasy and ethereal beauty. Zyanya is renowned for her advocacy of a timeless aesthetic and in her work a strong appreciation for nostalgia, as well as a surreal vision of the future is clearly visible.
Singer Maika opened the show for Monique Collingon this time, her strong vocals and poppy sound provided the perfect up-beat and uplifting ambiance for the presentation of the SS17 collection named “The Conscious Collection”. A sustainable ready-to-wear collection, which just like the previous two collections is made almost entirely (up to 70%) from Waste2Wear materials. These materials have been produced using a special recycling process which has been developed over eight years, using plastic bottles to create fabrics that closely mimic silk and crêpe. A really fun detail is that the label in each item of clothing will tell you exactly how many plastic bottles were used to create it. Even the other fabrics such as lace and details such as buttons and zippers have been produced following eco-friendly methods. As a designer, Monique Collingon takes responsibility by using modern technologies that support sustainability.
Right before the start of the show, we both remembered the dark and gloomy ambiance created by slow fashion label Two legged Creatures during their last catwalk show at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Amsterdam in January. This year however, the collection felt like a sweet symphonic expression of serenity, beauty and fun. The two models opening the show started with a powerful stomp down the catwalk, only to abruptly drop their pace as to appear in slow motion, revealing to be professional modern dancers as their limbs floated through the air into the abstraction of time and space. Frantically starting Shazam on our phone, Baby Alpaca’s song “Sea of dreams” proved to be the perfect soundtrack to foster the dreamy ambiance. It’s time for euphoria: in slooow motion.
On the evening that Tony Cohen presented his SS17 collection named “Restrained & Release” we were in awe of the simplicity yet complexity of the designs, featuring outfits that partially restrained the body with tight wraps of fabric, covered by loosely flowing layers on top. Some of the designs represented the feeling of total freedom, whereas others represented the feeling of merciless restraint. Inspired by bondage, the striking shapes and materials among the couture pieces provided the perfect edge to the more commercial pieces that are the essence of the pret-a-porter collection. With a palette of mostly black and white to symbolize and accentuate the contrast between ‘light’ and ‘dark’, just a few splashes of soft pink reminded us of the soft transition from feeling restrained, after which liberation feels like pure exhilaration.
One of the most intriguing shows at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Amsterdam in a very profoundly emotional way was Miriam Reikerstorfer’s SS17 collection named “Subconscious”. Bringing us to a seemingly dark, but much more complex world of subconscious feelings she showed us flowing, almost ghoulish silhouettes in shades of black, grey and petrol with some very surprising pops of bright red color. As we absolutely love ombre pattern schemes to begin with, the use of it here added so much to the marvelous construction and draping of the designs, sophisticated yet playful and daring.
Convoked by the sounds of roaring engines coming from backstage, the south-western desert scenery of Nevada adorned with Vegas-esque neon signs welcomes the audience to the reverie named “Sweet Rebel” by Dennis Diem. With the catwalk illuminated in mystical hues of electric blue, the models strut by in outrageous creations of a collection that appears to have been soaked-in-black leather, dipped-in-pastels and laced-with-romance. Wearing sky high heels, the models are flanked by shiny powerful motorcycles which cruise down the catwalk, adding an unmerciful amount of exhilaration to the spectacle.