#MBFWA | ON THE 9th DAY GOD CREATED FASHION

It is tuesday already and this season's fashion week is over. I already miss that moment just before the show when the lights fade and the music starts, the amount of creative people per m2 and leaving the Westergasterrein with a shitload of inspiration late at night. Although the catwalk shows were my favorite I also really enjoyed parts of the downtown program. Like this Sunday, when I had a few spare moments in between shows, I decided to head over to Hutspot for a low key fashion bazaar initiated by Jutka & Riska. Together with a handful of talented and upcoming designers they showed their new collection on an improvised catwalk. The bonus being that in this case one could also buy the pieces straight from the catwalk. And although I know my budget will not buy me anything more than maybe one woolen thread by Winde Rienstra, it was kind of nice for a change!

Earlier that week I met up Jiske Snoeks, head designer at Jutka & Riska, to talk about the label and their new collection over some coffee. She told me that their new collection is themed Circus, commenting on the rise of minimalistic fashion and sobriety as a result of the financial crisis. "We are done with those dark years and ready for something fun." Not that Jutka & Riska ever really gave in on the fun, but this collection is just all about celebrating life. With their androgynous clothing, this collection seeks to appeal to the more fashion forward men and women that love and are able to spend their money on something unique. A piece that might be a little bit more expensive than a similar piece at one of the big fashion chains, but handmade and therefore not mass produced. In other words, to someone that appreciates a well-made piece of clothing. 

I was surprised to learn that Amsterdam based fashionista's generally find it hard to pay a little more for creativity, at least when compared to cities like Arnhem and Antwerp, and are tempted to give in on the uniformity at the high street. A real shame, because are we not all our best selves when not dressed like everyone else? Anyway, as Jutka & Riska base their collection on social trends in the big cities the label is clearly not averse to trends. "Finding the right balance between innovation and making a piece of clothing that people actually like to wear is the biggest challenge of designing." Hmm...Did I not hear that phrase earlier this week when I did my research for the Ready to fish_ show? If so, I guess that finding that balance is like the holy grail of designing. Point taken. The identity of the Jutka & Riska label should be protected at all times though. And as Jutka & Riska stands for clothing with a fun factor and the mix and match of the old and the new, their new collection is just about that. 

I have to say that I did not only enjoy the Jutka & Riska collection, I also really liked the vintage label Het Kaufhaus. Actually, there was just a really cool vibe going on at Hutspot that Sunday afternoon. Making this event a useful platform for young labels to show their stuff to the public. Fashion week or no fashion week, I really hope that that all featured brands join forces again soon. If not only to give you the opportunity to go and check it out!

I will try to get out of my fashion week haze for now and focus on my work. Easier said than done though. Maybe I should have one more of that delicious Vita Coco that gave me the amazing opportunity to be part of this season's fashion week. Just for the sake of fashion.

Happy Tuesday!

-xoxo-

JP