2017 July Mercedes-Benz Amsterdam fashion week – Part 1: the Future Generation

Still recovering… Still processing. How do I put everything I’ve seen last week at the Amsterdam Mercedes-Benz fashion extravaganza into words? The colors, the people, the shapes… so many impressions, so much beauty. I attended Fashion week specifically to see shows that contained sustainability elements. For me, the fashion week started on Saturday with an exhibition – the Future Generation. 

Future Generation presents Eutopia

“In this edition of Future Generation we asked designers and other creatives to think about the future”, says Peter Leferink, the initiator, producer and curator for Future Generation. The result: eleven completely different projects by artists and designers. The audience got a chance to explore their innovative visions of the future of fashion. Sustainability was prominent in this vision, defined by both technology and craftsmanship alike. Here are my favorites:

Karlijne Opmeer

From fab to the lab. This amazing girl has developed dyes from bacteria. Bac-te-ria! Non-pathogenic and all natural!Considering the amount of damage chemicals have on the environment, the health of the workers during the production phase of clothes, and all the harmful chemicals that rub off the clothes into our skin everyday, this is an impressive development.

Karlijne Opmeer (27), a fashion graduate from the AMFI (Amsterdam Fashion Institute), came up with an amazing graduation project called ‘dyeing for a change’. Being a fashion student working in an industry which is based on constant change and unsustainable to it’s core, was not something Karlijne was particularly proud of. So she started to look for alternatives, and found one in bacteria. At the end of the project Karlijne successfully dyed 3 shirts based on 100% bacteria and 0% chemicals.  Even though this project is still in it’s early stages, Karlijne has managed to create solid dyed shirts, which is difficult with a live bacteria. I’m intrigued and will be meeting with Karlijne soon to find out how her project is progressing.

Oh, and the amazing blue top exhibited at the Future Generation? It was featured in the M.E.N catwalk show, but more about that tomorrow (part 2).

Photography © Team Peter Stigter

Photography © Team Peter Stigter

Labfresh

How often have you thrown out a white shirt because it has yellow sweat stains, gone grey in the wash or just because of a pesky stain that won’t come out? True sustainability is when you can wear the same shirt for years. This dream became a reality for Labfresh, a young duo determined to make stains on your shirt a thing of a past. At the Future Generation exhibition I got to spill some red wine on a crisp white shirt to see for myself how the shirt repels the liquid and to feel how soft the fabric was. Lotte Vink, one half of the dynamic duo, has put my concerns about the chemicals or fibers shedding in a wash to rest. Lotte reassured me that all the components blended into the fibers are organic. I must say, as a mom, this does sound like a dream. I can’t count how many times I had to change my shirt before leaving the house after jammy fingers hugs.

Here are some more impressions from the Future Generation:

Photography © Team Peter Stigter

What did I wear?

This  plum organic silk dress by ByBrown. Instead of using the provided slip, I paired it with a strapless bustier and leggings for an edgier look.

Enough about me, what did the beautiful crowd wear?

Amsterdam is notorious for comfortable, normcore wear. Fashion week was no different. You could divide the crowd into two camps: “normal” and “fashion”. The “normal” part wore their “sunday best” which wasn’t very interesting but more focused on looking pretty. The interesting outfits (as always) came from the fashion conscious camp, combining athletic wear with vintage and brands. Overall not as exciting or diverse as other major fashion weeks but with the occasional surprise here and there. Here are some of my favorite looks:

Love this outfit. One of my favorites.

A ray of sunshine on an cloudy day.

#familystylegoals2017. Photography © Team Peter Stigter

Soooo cute!

Will.I.Am is that you?

Fierce! Photography © Team Peter Stigter

You can even get your hair done at the Mercedes-Benz Amsterdam Fashion Week.

Not so sure about this one…

Perfection. Photography © Team Peter Stigter

Such a cute skirt!

Clear  footwear is still a hot trend. Photography © Team Peter Stigter

Love this vintage dress! Where do I get one of these?

The post-Soviet gopnik trend is still going strong. Photography © Team Peter Stigter

Th-th-th-that’s all folks!, the rest is to come tomorrow.