Berlin pop-up shop shows Dutch sustainable fashion
11/12/2017/BvLDutch Sustainable Business and Design has taken over Prenzlauer Berg. The first ever ‘inspired pop-up-shop’ recently opened its doors in Berlin.
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Fashion
The Dutch fashion industry is succesful and one of the most accomplished within our creative industry. Dutch designers such as Iris van Herpen and Jan Taminiau have established an international career and Viktor & Rolf are famous all over the world. The Amsterdam Fashion Week is also gaining more recognition internationally.
What's happening?
Johannes Vermeer Award for Iris van Herpen
05/09/2017/BvLFashion designer Iris van Herpen has been selected as the recipient of this year’s Johannes Vermeer Award, the Netherlands’ annual state prize for the arts. The jury voted unanimously to nominate Van Herpen, citing her longstanding prominence in the world of international fashion.
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Ronald van der Kemp wins prestigious fashion award
07/02/2017/JMEven though his international success story is a big one, Ronald van der Kemp isn’t a particularly famous name in the Netherlands. However, things seem to be changing now he has been awarded the highest distinction in Dutch fashion: the Mode Stipendium, sponsored by the Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds.
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The best examples
Denim that cleans the sea
Retrieving plastic rubbish from the ocean to make a popular clothing collection: G-Star managed to do just that with the help of Pharrell Williams and Bionic Yarn. “For us, it is about generating awareness for the pollution of the ocean.” The principle is simple. Reclaimed pet bottles are pulverized by Bionic Yarn and processed to form the core of an ‘eco thread’ that feels soft and natural, as the exterior is made from cotton.
Lees verder fashionThe fashion sector is a sector that employs more than 20,000 people: from independent designers, to purchasers at a fashion brand, from the quality controllers to export managers. The companies operating in this sector vary from retail organisations, designers, brand suppliers and private label suppliers, to corporate clothing companies, companies in the (interior) textile and carpet industry and suppliers of the fashion industry. Modint, the association of the Dutch fashion industry has 750 members and generates a total turnover of 9 billion euro, 50% of which is exported.
The total consumer market for clothing is worth 10 billion euros. This clothing is sold to the consumer in 20,000 shops and many webshops and other channels. Billions are also being made with the sale of many types of textiles, ranging from artificial grass to interior textiles. In total 11 billion euro of clothing and textile is imported, while 11 billion euro per year is also exported (wholesale prices). These figures reflect the enormous international dynamics of this industry.
Innovation in the creative industry is more and more about value, symbolism and culture. This applies to clothing and fashion in particular. Fashion is at the crossroads of local cultural heritage and innovation with international relevance: cultural (the high heeled clogs designed by Viktor & Rolf); social (when higher classes wear those jeans) and technology (as global organisation of supply and demand). Those 'Dutch' values add value to the Dutch fashion industry and also appeal to consumers abroad.
Dutch fashion companies fight off their competitors with the design of their products and the strength of their brand. The fact that fashion designers are successful proves that our creative Dutch fashion system is effective.
