One of our favorite discoveries of 2024 was a small brand from the Netherlands called De Dam Foundation. While still in the early stages in terms of the products it has released, it already offers a fascinating perspective on the Netherlands and clearly demonstrates its high ambitions for the future through a sophisticated design language and significant depth in storytelling. In a world full of merch brands, De Dam Foundation strives for something more meaningful. However, being independently run, it can only take a step-by-step approach to reach its full potential. To learn more about this intriguing brand, we sat down with founder John Ro. When we spoke with him, we learned that despite the entirely “Dutch” framework of De Dam Foundation, it was actually created with an outsider's perspective. [ Continue reading ]

We’ve known our friend Sergei Sviatchenko for many years, ever since he first reached out to us when we posted about his Close Up And Private in 2009. Over the years, we’ve stayed in touch via the internet. And despite being close to meeting a few times, we had never actually met in person. However, at the end of last summer, we finally found a great reason to collaborate—and as a result, meet in person for the first time. Over the past few months, we worked together remotely on a project that repurposes three years' worth of publicly available imagery we created, allowing Sergei to give it a second life, by creating new imagery with more lasting power—or at least make it part of his incredible oeuvre—while also marking the beginning of a new chapter for us, once again.

But first, to learn more about the artist (and architect) behind the collage imagery and to provide some context on how he became the person he is today, last Thursday we sat down with Sergei in the Cristel Ballroom Gallery, where we would later that day launch our project in Amsterdam. We discussed the different aspects of his career, which spans many decades and took him from Ukraine to Denmark in 1990. Fast forward to later years, when his career received another enormous boost with the emergence of the blogosphere. All the way to now, at the respectable age of 72, with our friend showing no signs of slowing down. [ Continue reading ]

At the end of last year, we sat down with our friend Clayton Chambers to talk about the rise of his inspirational menswear platform, Sprezza, and to hear his perspectives on the state of online content and media. We first connected with Clayton in early 2023, right after he had landed in Amsterdam, where he was planning to stay for a few months. We had discovered his inspiring newsletter sometime the year before. Sprezza had launched as a side project during the pandemic, delivering weekly dispatches of Clayton's (micro-)trend-focused observations, outspoken opinions on style, and his personal tastes in contemporary menswear. In many ways, it reminded us of the blogosphere, translated into today’s digital landscape. A few months after our initial meeting, we collaborated on a dinner activation for Atelier Munro during Pitti 104. Soon after, Clayton’s time in Amsterdam ended, but in the second half of that year, Sprezza really started to take off. [ Continue reading ]

We recently met up with Rop (/Rob) van Mierlo and Remco van der Velden to speak about their brand Wild Animals. Having just moved into a new space in the north of Amsterdam, which opened the week before our visit, they explained how a new phase is about to start. Having just introduced two new directions of products that will be available next season named Patterns and Flowers, for the first time moving beyond depictions of animals, they are ready to show the wide range of Rop’s signature wet-on-wet aesthetic.

The current moment also marks the end of a period that was dominated by three major brand collaborations, out of which the H&M kids wear partnership had by far the most impact on the duo. It introduced their work to a global audience, but at the same time (for the first time in their existence) it alienated some of their core followers that didn’t appreciate the fast fashion affiliation. Now, they are ready to move on, with a myriad of new insights, and with the space (financially and time-wise) to finally start growing their Wild universe into new realms. [ Continue reading ]

After discovering the extraordinary work of Belgian fashion designer Jurgi Persoons by chance, a little under ten years after his eponymous label closed in 2003, the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp graduate remained very much an enigma. The legacy of his raw-edged romantic vision includes punk-spirited seasonal presentations in Paris, along the banks of the Seine and in a deserted parking lot, at a time when he was breathing new life into the anti-fashion spirit of the Antwerp Six (+ Martin Margiela), who had emerged a decade earlier. As most of Persoons' vision (who withdrew from the fashion world after 2003) remains hidden in a time before the internet began absorbing everything that took place, only bits and pieces are still to be found today, with an occasional piece from his hands popping up on eBay.

Six years ago, after years of working in the printing workshop of his partner, Persoons returned to fashion, but in a completely new capacity: as a teacher at the Royal Academy of Art The Hague. He became Head of Fashion and Textile in 2013, which finally granted me the chance to sit down with him and learn more about what had fascinated me for so long, right before the 2016 graduation show. With the new graduation show upon us tomorrow, we sat down once again to speak about the rather eventful last twelve months and how they brought Jurgi new perspectives, both as Head and through the (highly surprising!) return of fashion design to his life. [ Continue reading ]

We meet Italian fashion designer Davide Marello at an interesting time in his life. Only a few weeks before the sunny Saturday afternoon at the end of February, when we meet in Bar Luce at the Prada Foundation, he had left his position as the very first creative director of Boglioli: the 100-year-old tailoring company that reinvented itself at the beginning of this century with a distinct broken-in and garment-dyed aesthetic. Marello’s departure took place quietly, gathering even less attention than his surprising—and thus underexposed—appointment two years earlier. Nevertheless, for those who were paying attention, the recent ‘intimate’ presentation of the Autumn/Winter 2017 collection, instead of the usual runway show, could clearly be seen as a marker that things were, to say the least, in turmoil. [ Continue reading ]

Unfortunately, it took a little longer to share this than we hoped, as it’s been a few weeks since we sat down with British artist John Stezaker during his visit to Antwerp for his duo exhibition, which closed today at Gallery Sofie Van de Velde. The exhibition juxtaposed his collages with the work of legendary Belgian artist Marcel Broodthaers. Meeting Stezaker gave us a highly enlightening conversation, but due to our busy schedule in the following weeks, it took time to prepare the text for sharing. What's particularly striking is the (shameful) fact that we’re publishing the conversation on the very last day of his exhibition in Antwerp. It almost feels like the perfect metaphor for the artist’s entire career: starting in the 70s but having to shift from art to lecturing, as nobody seemed to understand his surreal vision in the era of British conceptual dominance. [ Continue reading ]

Last Friday, the doors of the beautiful Capital C building in Amsterdam opened for BIG ART, a new initiative by curator Anne van der Zwaag, presenting over 50 XL artworks by contemporary artists and designers. The exhibition runs until the 27th of November in what was once the Diamant Exchange of the city. It's a unique mix of acclaimed names and up-and-coming talents, featuring monumental paintings, drawings, large sculptures, big photographs, and huge installations. As one of the official partners of BIG ART, we will present some of our favorite artists included in van der Zwaag’s curation. Today, we focus on a longtime favorite of ours: Amsterdam-based artist Marijn Akkermans, with whom we discussed the development of his work since graduating from the art academy 15 years ago, the pressures of modern society, and the installation-like presentation of his incredible work at BIG ART. [ Continue reading ]

This coming Friday, the doors of the beautiful Capital C building in Amsterdam will open for BIG ART. The exciting new initiative by curator Anne van der Zwaag presents over 50 XL artworks by contemporary artists and designers and will run for 10 days in what was once the Diamant Exchange of the city. It’s a unique mix of acclaimed names and up-and-coming talents, featuring monumental paintings, drawings, large sculptures, big photographs, and huge installations. As one of the official partners of BIG ART, we will present some of our favorite artists included in van der Zwaag’s curation. We begin with Rotterdam-based painter Katinka Lampe, with whom we discussed the democratization of contemporary visual culture, the rise of artificial self-representation, and how this is reflected in her haunting, distorted paintings of young human figures. [ Continue reading ]

In 2001, Brice Partouche became a prominent name (without ever stepping into the limelight) in the so-called ‘rock era’ of fashion when he founded the Paris-based jeans brand April77. The brand played a pivotal role in bringing the slim silhouette in menswear from the stages of pop venues and runways to the streets of the mainstream. Last summer, Brice launched a new project called Satisfy, this time infusing a fresh cultural elan into the world of performance-oriented running gear. Inspired by Partouche's exciting new endeavor—now with its second collection in stores—we gave him a Skype call (fresh out of the shower after his evening run) to ask about his love for running, the differences between starting a brand now and 15 years ago, and his plans for his subversive new movement in athletic gear. [ Continue reading ]

It was a long time coming when, three weeks ago, we finally met one of Belgium’s most exciting contemporary designers, Michaël Verheyden, in his beautiful home on the edge of the industrial city of Genk, in a green area toward neighboring Hasselt. Last year, Verheyden debuted on Wallpaper* Magazine's Power List—underscoring the widespread international recognition of his work. But even before that moment, we were very curious to learn more about his creative vision, basically from the moment we discovered his work at the beginning of 2015. The first appointment we made to meet up was scheduled for March of this year, but time and again, we were forced to reschedule due to various emerging obstacles on both sides. Eventually, we got in the car and made our way to the Belgian province of Limburg on a Friday afternoon at the beginning of June, right after a period of extreme rainfall that caused problems in northern France and different parts of Belgium. [ Continue reading ]

The new seasonal collections are one by one being released these days, and last week our good friend Olaf Hussein also presented his new set of creations. After opening his first flagship store named 'The Fitting Room' in Amsterdam last year, he continues to push the momentum he has created since the inception of the label forward. The new collection, which clearly shows the familiar minimal design elements in its overall aesthetic, allows its wearer to react and adapt to fast-paced modern life through its use of lightweight nylons, wrinkle resistant suiting fabrics, velcro straps and reversible styles. Turning novelty into a tool to express its themes, Hussein also introduces a range of bolder colors in addition to its signature grayscale palette and adapts the new moniker of “OH!” as branding, in line with current streetwear trends and possibly Acne Studios in particular as a great example of elegant implementation of this form of communication. The most striking new item of the collection is The Fundament Sneaker, the brand’s very first foray into footwear - perfectly complementing the apparel - which is available in black and white.
As has been the case for three seasons now, the majority of the just presented collection is available right away. Online, in the physical store at the Prinsengracht 491 and at the select retailers across the globe who carry the brand.

We love how Olaf relentlessly keeps building his brand and collections. To find out where he stands today, we asked him some questions what the new Spring/Summer 2016 collection means to him and how he sees the future for OLAF HUSSEIN. [ Continue reading ]

Last month, iconic Californian streetwear brand Stüssy presented its 7th seasonal Biannual — the magazine that celebrates the new upcoming collection. Where initially it stopped at being only that, over the years it has grown into a standalone publication in which the whole context around the brand is shared rather than just focusing on its own products and stories. It changed radically with Vol - 6, when the very talented Ryan Willms (of the recently stopped Inventory Magazine) took over as the editor of the magazine. Next to a new framework for the scope of the content, Willms' vision also included a new aesthetic for the publication to communicate the new ambitions for the Biannual. All of these elements put together makes the just released Vol - 7 a wonderful standout, the best they have put out so far, promising a lot for the future.

On the pages of the magazine its reader is taken to the island of Jamaica, which has been an inspiration for the brand from the very start through its rich culture, music and grounded lifestyle. On the island, photographer Tyrone Lebon shot his fourth series for Stüssy —very likely his best— exploring Jamaica’s great variety, spending time between Port Antonio and Kingston. Immersed into the Rasta, Reggae and Dancehall cultures of the island, the images convey an honest and exciting perspective of the country. Also dancehall superstar Popcaan is represented on the pages of the magazine. Next to these stories one will find enfant terrible and Bianca Chandôn mastermind Alex Olson, publisher Tom Adler (California Surfing and Climbing in the Fifties!), collage artist Tomoo Gokita, fashion designer Daiki Suzuki, and Hoffman Fabrics, alongside features photographed by James W. Mataitis Bailey, Antosh Cimoszko and Joyce Sze NG in the magazine.

To learn a little more on the interesting new creative direction for the Biannual we connected with Ryan, who in turn gave the word to the brand's in-house designer Chris Glickman, who was kind enough to answer some questions from us right before he took a trip to Japan. [ Continue reading ]

It’s always special to meet an artist you admire—especially when that artist is the incredibly talented Cleon Peterson, one of our undisputed favorite contemporary artists. His highly distinctive style and unfiltered observations on the world around us make his work stand out, not to mention the turbulent life he’s lived before reaching where he is today. So, last week was, to say the least, an exciting moment. [ Continue reading ]

We have been friends with Berlin-based everlasting source for inspiration Freunde von Freunden since its inception, so it was a great honor to be featured as one of their Workplaces visits in the Summer of 2014. Yesterday marked another great Freunde von Freunden moment for us, as we were very proud to see our close friend (and Tenue de Nîmes partner) Menno van Meurs as the latest addition in the series that focusses on the work environment. Shot by our friend Jordi Huisman and interviewed by CreativeMornings host Margot van der Krogt, Menno opened up both the doors of his home and the epicenter of the Tenue de Nîmes operation located in the far West of Amsterdam; sharing his passion for denim, vintage design and all those other things that get better over time, in other words: 'the good things in life'. Forming the firm fundament of Tenue, both as the shaping inspirations that have formed us and subsequently in the curation and creation of everything being released by and under the Tenue de Nîmes label. [ Continue reading ]

For the just released 12th issue of Journal de Nîmes we travelled to Antwerp to speak with retail pioneer and well-respected figure within the fashion industry: Geert Bruloot. The curator of the current shoe exhibition in the ever-inspiring MoMu has played a pinnacle role in the road to stardom of the infamous Antwerp Six, which he sold before any one else at the avant-garde designer store Louis and exclusive footwear boutique Coccodrillo. On that rainy wednesdayafternoon we sat down with him and talked about the main theme of the issue 'new vintage', the importance of the experience in a fashion store and the need for rebellion in these times of homogeneity. [ Continue reading ]

Frederik Vercruysse is a very talented Antwerp-based photographer whose beautiful work we discovered some years ago. He describes his work as still life photography in the broadest sense of the word, always aiming to photograph the subject in its purest form, sometimes realistic, often minimalistic. Distinguishing features of his work are fresh, graphic images bathed in a soft light. Vercruysse has an eye for detail and a well-defined sense of aesthetics. He is an expert in creating compositions, regardless of whether he is photographing architecture, an interior or a still life. With Frederik being such an inspiration for us, we asked him about his inspirations in life. [ Continue reading ]

We have been following the very talented Japanese designer Yusuke Seki for a couple of years in which he is constantly taking his work to the next level, whether it was for the Interior Design Office in Tokyo, corporate clients such as AU or Sony, and his independent projects on design products and architectural space design, of which many have been exhibited at the Milan Salone, Designer’s block, the Tokyo Style Exhibition, Stockholm Furniture and Light Fair. After establishing his own studio in 2008, Seki has designed for a variety of spaces, from shops like his incredible design for the Kyoto-based kimono store Otsuka-Dofukuten and his work at Nakagawa Masashichi Shoten-gai, to candy stores and salons like his work for Kolmio+LIM and most recently the utterly incredible Maruhiro Flagship Store. With Seki being such an everlasting source of inspiration, we asked him what he finds inspirational in life. [ Continue reading ]

We discovered the thrilling work of the Berlin-based Croatian photographer Katja Kremenić through her incredible series ‘Rip Currents‘, after which she has been creating a body of work in her signature romantic free-floating style - both for fashion orientated clients as her personal projects in which she has explored some of the most beautiful beaches of the globe, proving to be an everlasting source of inspiration in her photography. Blending her signature aesthetic in all areas of the work she produces, the photographer excels in translating emotions into her photographs. Making the fragmentations of her unique photographic gaze images which resonate through feelings rather than just the representation. As Kremenić has been such an inspiration for us in the last few years, we asked her about her inspirations. [ Continue reading ]

The New York Times recently named him a 'Digital Tastemaker for Young Men', and although we aren't as young as we were when we discovered him through his inspirational blog 'Words for Young Men', the multitalented New York-based creative Chris Black continues to be one of the people out there we hold in the highest regard for his inspirational vision and output. Before starting his blog 'Words for Young Men', the Atlanta-born was part of the early wave of people creating campaigns for social media, leading the way in a field of practice which has slowly devaluated into a metrics-obsessed monster of mediocrity and boredom, worlds apart from the cutting edge creative thinking that dominated it in the early days. Chris himself has been doing so much more than just social media in recent years, working through his creative agency named Done To Death Projects. Next to a focus on strategy and creative direction for clients, he does whatever he feels like: from publishing books and zines with different highly talented young photographers to putting out t-shirts. With Chris being such an inspiration for us, we asked him some questions on what inspires him in life. [ Continue reading ]

With globalization of the creative industry at an all time high and digital interaction just one mouse-click away, we seem to have entered the most fruitful period ever of unlimited cross-pollination within the global creative community. From a different perspective one could argue the exact opposite by pointing out the copycat culture which has become a significant element of the digital era's zeitgeist. We try to look at it from the first angle and appreciate the worldwide exchange of ideas, inspirational collaborations and formerly unexpected joint ventures. If the new (copy enabling) preconditions make that one has to be more critical then ever to separate the wheat from the chaff, the collateral damage of the digitalization is nowhere near life-threatening for great work to be created and discovered. One of the most exciting collaborations we recently discovered comes from England, where two of our favorites: Joe Cruz and Jack Davison have found each other. Although they lived far from worlds apart before they got together, it was still the internet that opened the door for the newly created work. To learn more about the works we've asked Joe Cruz some questions on the collaboration and can only hope that this is only the start for more to come by the two talented artists. [ Continue reading ]

After premiering the first half of Ashkan Honarvar's ‘King of Worms’ last week, we now present a selection of the second half of the biggest project till date created by the Norway-based visionary. Ashkan has been producing collages for almost a decade now, both under his own name as the pseudonym Who Killed Mickey, always finding inspiration in the dark side of humanity and from the questions that rise about it. The extraordinary new project is no different; consisting of 107 collages, divided in 10 chapters with a unique aesthetic, although undeniably marked with Honarvar’s signature style. Today we ask him about that particular style and  his vision, inspirations from the dark side, Jane Arden’s film ‘The Other Side of the Underneath’ and how he translated this into a major work like 'King of Worms'. [ Continue reading ]

The Amsterdam-based Raymond Lemstra has been one of our favorite Dutch artists for some years now. The creatures he creates (mostly drawn) show his interest in distortion as a result of selective emphasis; parts of interest are emphasized, unimportant parts reduced or left out. His distinct characters therefore often come out big headed, with focus on the faces and the body trimmed to its essential properties, all marked with his personal style, tough often very different in specific form. As he has stated on his vision and aesthetic: "The contrast between my naive and at the same time sophisticated approach to my work gives it a somewhat awkward taste. It is a clash of intent, simultaneously assuming simplicity and complexity, randomness and reason, flaws and perfection." We've been following Raymond since the very beginning of Another Something & Co and feel extremely grateful to have collaborated with him during the first Our Current Obsessions. Having been this inspired by his work for all this time, we now ask him about his inspirations. [ Continue reading ]

The super inspirational Mannheim-based creative studio Deutsche & Japaner was formed in 2009 by Moritz Firchow, David Wolpert, Ina Yamaguchi and Julian Zimmerman: working in the field of graphic, product and interior design with a rich and highly aesthetic style. Since their start we’ve always been a big fan of their multidisciplinary work. The studio focuses on communication, regardless of its physical condition, environmental, haptical or visual, but always in regard of sustainable experiences, which over the course of the last years resulted in incredible free work, which blends smoothly with commissioned assignments. Next to Moritz' endeavors under the Deutsche & Japaner flag, he has also been running another important source of inspiration named Arcademi; an online publication focusing on (autonomous) creative work from all over the world. To which he added two other amazing projects in 2012; Aesthetics Habitat, through which content is created in collaboration with brands and creative visionaries with thrilling results so far, and lastly in the same year he co-founded a distinguished winery named Love Me Los Angeles, together with wine-expert Katharina Riess, Florian Breimesser. Having been constantly inspired by the creative mind of Moritz, we now ask him about his - general - inspirations. [ Continue reading ]