3 shows to watch during the Mercedes-Benz Amsterdam Fashion Week if you are curious about sustainability

Today is the kick off of the summer edition of Mercedes-Benz Amsterdam Fashion Week. Besides the usual excitement of seeing shows and rubbing shoulders with the fabulous crowd, I have noticed this year a real interest in sustainability. There are more and more designers paying attention to environmental and ethical aspects of the design process. I’ve shortlisted 3 shows to watch and I’m beyond excited to be there:

Future Generation presents Eutopia

Future Generation is a recurring platform at Mercedes-Benz Amsterdam Fashion Week. It is a concept by Peter Leferink, who has also produced it. It offers visionary designers the chance to explore and present innovative visions of the future of fashion. Sustainability is playing a big part in this vision, defined by both technology and craftsmanship alike. This exhibition will be free for public on Saturday the 15^th and Sunday the 16^th of July, so if you are in Amsterdam you should come and have a look!

Ajbilou | Rosdorff + M.E.N.

Ajbilou | Rosdorff

Ajbilou | Rosdorff started in 2006 as a collaboration between Yasmina Ajbilou and Lynn Kate Rosdorff. One of the basic principles of the philosophy behind the label is the focus on zero waste fashion. When it comes to the kinds of textiles they use for their designs, Ajbilou | Rosdorff only use remnants from other designers or old clothes. They see their work as not only a sustainable good, but also as an art form, turning leftover fabrics into good, purposeful designs. The label doesn’t want to be pigeonholed as a ‘green fashion label’, but rather they want to show people the beauty in so-called ‘worthless’ fabrics. “Throwing things away isn’t a solution, it’s a problem, and we’re offering the solution,” says Ajbilou | Rosdorff. The collection the designers showed at the 26th edition of Mercedes-Benz Amsterdam Fashion Week was inspired by the Japanese ideals of perfect harmony between man, woman and nature.

M.E.N.

Maartje Janse, Elysanne Schuurman and Nikki Duijst together form the M.E.N. collective. For their first collection, M.E.N. have taken traditional gender roles and pulled them out of their original context. This collection will combine traditional attire, craftsmanship and innovative techniques. As part of the show, M.E.N. will say ‘ES TUT MIR LEID! Ich habe mich verwählt’. This is their way to apologize for the fast-fashion industry and at the same time bring back the crafting business and give color to a world that is grey and threatened.

Amsterdam maakt er wat van

Amsterdam is a popular place, and the city is aware of the pressure that comes with that popularity. In addition to efficiently and effectively keeping the city clean, an awareness campaign has been started called “Amsterdam Makes Something of It” (Amsterdam Maakt Er Wat Van). Designers were selected after the kickoff on 27 April. Six graduate designers from the Rietveld Academy and AMFI were chosen to make three sets for Mercedes-Benz Amsterdam Fashion Week 2017, coached by Hans Ubbink, Niels Klavers (Rietveld) and Peter Leferink (AMFI). The designers have made these new creations out of the discarded clothes collected at the end King’s Day. These unsold clothes would have been thrown away and now they shine on the catwalk!

And this is what I’m planning to wear to the Mercedes-Benz Amsterdam Fashion Week. Come back next week for the recap of the shows, who wore what and much more!