So as I mentioned before (did I?) the shops in Amsterdam open at noon on Mondays, so be prepared for that…as well as being prepared for being limited to one afternoon to see all the beauties that the city has to offer, and first on the list is the Individuals Statement Store. It is located at Spui, hose nr. 23 – the initiative of the Hogeschool van Amsterdam and is designed, marketed and produced by the young creatives of Amsterdam Fashion Institute. So what you get at this simple and rather well presented store is not a random fashion statement, but a collection designed by the students of the 3rd year of fashion design, with each design produced in quantity of only 8 pieces. Winter 7 is a contrast of rough and shiny materials and a clash of spicy brique and old lady grey colours, the pieces are created for the layering, but do stand out on their own and create a simple, yet very personal silhouette, since the ways of wearing it and combining with other clothes are infinite.
Presentationwise, the hangers spattered in paint do the trick, as well as a weekly-changing shop window. Every time one designer is invited to present their work together with sketches, books and any other relevant creative objects…so I found a black stuffed fish – the distant echo of the fish prints on jersey tops. Alongside the AMFI student collective work you can find accessories from Flo and Arvid van Schaller.
You next stop should be at Rika. And yep, I’m advertising it here, but I got very kindly kicked out of that place and been told not to touch the new collection, and not allowed to take pictures…hmm, is it for the scruffy leather jacket…but nomatter now paranoid some creative people get ( we’ve all heard about the thin line between the madman and the genius), the shop is pricy, but definitely attractive. The small place is shared between Rika – the house brand, and several other ones, the names of which I, unfortunately, did not manage to jot down. Anyhow, Rika is on Wolvenstraat, and very much worth to visit.
Next up is Sky at Herengracht 228:
this shop is a mixture of A.P.C., Isabel Marant, Humanoid, Prairies de Paris, etc…so very much like the stuff that we get at Icon in my almost native city of Brussels, but I did manage to dig out one Amsterdam native gem – Iefke de Roos. She makes beautiful hand printed motifs on simple cotton tunics, dresses, bags and brooches, and her drawings are fragile and feminine.
*pictures of Iefke de Roos' collection by Claire Witteveen
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