Bart Zwanenburg

Only minutes after meeting Bart Zwanenburg, the man behind the impressive Dutch brand JANYAN, we began talking about his youth in Waldorf education—Joachim also being a lifelong expert and me being a newcomer, having indirectly encountered it through my daughter over the past few years. At the age of 12, Bart made the conscious decision to attend a school based on the alternative philosophy created by Rudolf Steiner, despite the 90-minute commute it required. Looking back, he took many things from that experience. Across the spectrum, it introduced him to design, manual crafts, Shakespeare, singing in a choir, and—not to forget—the practice of holistic movement: eurythmy! It gave him a somewhat gullible sense of what real life is like. But at the same time, it instilled in him an unstoppable drive to explore and an almost naïve belief that whatever he sets his mind to, he can make happen. To envision it is to create it. Which is exactly what he’s now doing with JANYAN.

In earlier stages of his career, Bart’s mentality led him to become a partner in a high-end menswear boutique in his adopted hometown of The Hague at a young age (21)—a venture that came to an unfortunate end due to bankruptcy. After that, he worked several jobs in fashion, varying from design to branding. Eventually, his Steiner-trained mindset landed him—seemingly out of the blue—a senior marketing role at a major corporation during the pandemic. While working part-time in that role, he began laying the foundation for what would become JANYAN. He wanted to explore a modern interpretation of the traditional man’s wardrobe, on a small and personal scale. In the beginning, most of his time and savings were spent on traveling and prototyping. Knowing his designs fully rely on their skill, it felt crucial to build direct relationships with the (near-extinct) workshops that still master the old crafts. Step by step, the brand took shape, working toward the launch that took place at the end of last year, debuting his first collection in a month-long pop-up concept in The Hague, which was succeeded by a temporary showroom in London.

Now, as he slowly expands the brand’s universe, his Steiner education continues to shine through in every aspect of the operation. On the creative side, he’s a self-taught designer who sourced all fabrics and manufacturers himself—literally by knocking on doors in countries like Romania, Italy, and the Netherlands—and does nearly all the brand’s photography himself. Simultaneously, he’s exploring the business model entirely on his own terms—not by following the beaten track, but by deliberately maintaining an intuitive approach. There’s plenty of debate about whether Waldorf education truly prepares one for life in Western late-stage capitalism. In our eyes, Bart is a perfect example that unshakable self-belief and an inherent inventiveness to realize your vision are vital entrepreneurial traits—and those, without a doubt, are direct results of the Steiner way.

Bart has a clear philosophy for his brand, where everything revolves around the concept of a “one-meter wardrobe”—a curated selection of garments that cater to all seasons and occasions. This modular approach emphasizes versatility and simplicity, allowing individuals to build a cohesive wardrobe with minimal pieces. JANYAN’s designs are characterized by clean lines, spacious silhouettes, and a focus on functionality. Garments feature half-raglan constructions for ease of movement while maintaining a refined appearance. Natural materials sourced from Europe’s heritage suppliers ensure both quality and sustainability.

The brand offers both ready-to-wear and made-to-measure, with the first sets of clothing ranging from exquisite merino-mohair tailoring and fine leather goods to boxy Goodyear-welted leather mules and shoes, and even an excellent model of glasses. Each piece is crafted with great attention to detail in different parts of Europe, reflecting his deep love for and commitment to traditional craftsmanship infused with modern sensibility.

In essence, JANYAN presents a refined, minimalist approach to menswear—evocative of Lemaire and Auralee, but with more pronounced lines and a boldness resulting from its silhouettes and, more so, his choice of fabrics. Even now, with only the first designs public, the brand exhibits the kind of idiosyncrasies that will continue to make it stand out. And as Bart charts his own path to the very end—there is no other way—we feel the only way is up: for JANYAN and its inevitable worldwide stage, far beyond the Netherlands (the brand being “un-Netherlandishly good,” as they like to say here).

Here are some of things we talked about >

The overcoat from the debut collection really caught our eye. What’s the story behind it?

I had a Mac from my grandfather straight front, raglan back. Lots of freedom of movement, but still clean. That coat was my starting point, trying to find a modern take on that cut and construction set the foundation for JANYAN.

And it’s remained unchanged since then?

Yeah, this is the base coat. The whole execution is really old-school tailoring—cupro lined, finished with horn buttons—but raglan at the back.

It looks really good.

The half raglan really works. Raglan is a typical utilitarian feature, invented in the army. Mixing that with traditional tailoring—it’s the clash of JAN and YAN. I’m always looking for some kind of contrast. And I’m not talking about a quirky red button or something, but I like it when a sharp cut can feel spacious too, or when something very fine can still be bold and lasting.

So, that also influenced making raglan your signature?

In some cases –or in most– you land on a design standard by accident, or through restriction. Money was tight, and making garment variants on existing patterns is cheaper than creating a whole new garment. So— as I already had the coat, that half-raglan construction was applied to all tops, which then became a signature feature in my range. Even the poplin shirts have a half-raglan shoulder. It makes for a nice rounded silhouette.

It is quite an androgynous silhouette too.

Yeah, the raglan allows some flexibility in sizing, which helps if you sell to both men and women. But there is also the option to have it made to measure, select custom fabrics, change the construction. In principle, anything’s possible for our clients. To a certain extent, of course—my limit is: I still have to like it myself.

How did you go about finding your supply chain for JANYAN?

It’s a rather closed world—especially the traditional craft workshops, which are hard to find. They’re often too small to present at fairs or trade shows, and they’re not very active online, so you need a way in. A lot of brands work through production agents, but I wanted to visit the workshops myself. So I spent a lot of time traveling, visiting workshops or their suppliers, and then asking if they could refer me.

That makes sense.

It was very difficult to find a leather goods partner, for instance. I wanted to work in the Veneto region, known for its ancient leather-crafts heritage. I was too small for the big manufacturers, but the artisan ateliers were hard to find and not easy to approach— craftsmen don’t do email. So, instead of searching workshops, I decided to visit the tanneries. One was so kind as to introduce me to a friend, a local master, taking small orders via via.

Some weeks later I had my first prototypes of the Lobby bag. So, that’s a tip from me: if you can’t find the workshop, try going through the material suppliers, much easier to approach. Via production-agents I would have gotten it much faster. But doing it this way really makes the project worth it. You learn so much about crafts, culture, and about food too! Want to know where to eat? Ask the workers.

Do you produce mostly in Italy?

Italy is great for many reasons, but let me endorse Eastern Europe for a moment. In the 90s, a lot of Italian manufacturers moved there – yes, a lot of ‘Made in Italy’ is from Romania – which led to this perfect clash of Soviet-roughness and Italian craftsmanship. That is perfect! And there is a down-to-earthness that is uncomparably easy to work with. And Bucharest is great too. But yes, most of the partners I work with are in Italy, mainly in the North.

How is it to run a brand from The Netherlands?

I often get the comment that JANYAN feels un-Dutch, haha! The fact that this a compliment perfectly explains how we, in Dutch fashion, tend to look up to the world and look down on ourselves. You see it in food too, and in cinema. But, that is changing. A lot of nice things are happening, and I am trying to be part of it.

So, do you consider it a Dutch brand?

The brand turned out very sober, and functional, so that’s very Dutch. But it is also pricey and serious, which is sort of forbidden in Dutch culture. Right? Don’t be too serious! Be FUN, HAHA! You might end up as the country’s prime minister for 14 years… I don’t know. It is very personal. I design for myself, and apart from the actual crafts, I do it all myself. I do my own photography, created a website, I designed this shop interior, this table, build it with my dad, who then also models in my campaigns.

You’ve kept it all to yourself for a while. At what point did you feel ready to start sharing things with the world?

Well, my initial ambition was to build the entire brand first—stealth mode—and then launch full force. But the longer you hold onto things, the harder it becomes to let go. That’s not ideal. So now, I’ve started sharing what’s ready, and I’m open to seeing where it takes me. I still believe it was the right call to create a full range first, rather than going live with just suits or shoes. It allowed me to showcase the complementary features from the beginning. But working toward that perfect starting point became a bit of an obsession—it started to feel forced. So last year’s pop-up was a good first kick-off.

You’re in it for the long term.

Exactly. But a few weeks before the launch, I still didn’t really want to do it.

But you did. Good call?

Yes! A good first weekend helped a lot too.

Your goal is to go as big as possible? Multiple stores—that’s the vision?

Well, let’s say that I am happy with the outcome of my designs. Now let’s see what I can do on the business-end of this project.

What were you doing in terms of sales before going live?

There was a little lookbook of the designs that I already had, and that just went around on WhatsApp. That’s how I built up some great relationships. There’s this woman who wears my clothes. When we first met, she said she loved the tailoring but wanted it in workwear fabrics too—for her job as a shepherd. Turns out, she’s the toughest person ever. She’s got 300 sheep out in the fields. Drives a white Toyota Land Cruiser. And she’s basically built an entire JANYAN wardrobe.

You were her personal tailor, in a way?

Yeah, the only thing she asked when she made her first purchase was: “You do repairs too, right?” At one point, she came back with a coat—she completely wore it apart! Unbelievable. And I had jeans at that point, a 17-ounce Japanese slub denim. And she wears it out, man. She destroys it. Amazing!

We are going to publish a film we made about her life in the fields, in full JANYAN. I also love the fact that it’s an authentic endorsement. I did not style her for a branded feature, we will capture her unique take on JANYAN.

It’s beautiful that you’ve built these first relationships, almost on an atelier level. And now it’s available for everyone. With lots more coming in the near future!

Yes, it’s great to be able to share everything we have now with the world, and I’m glad I could celebrate the launch with my friends and partners. Now it’s time to write the next chapter.

For everything JANYAN see here >