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Dutch Design Talent Show Nature-Couture in Expo “GROW: THE FUTURE OF FASHION”

From 29th October onwards, the new exhibition “GROW: the future of fashion” is officially opened in the Fashion for Good Museum. Young Dutch design talent created various designs made from sustainable, innovative materials.
Model: Eva Sofia Looren, Moxie Models | Outfit by Huong Nguyen with sustainable kapok material by Flocus | Photographer: Christian Mpamo

28 October 2021

AMSTERDAM – As of today, the new exhibition “GROW: the future of fashion” opens its doors at the Fashion for Good Museum in Amsterdam. What is there to see? Banana plant clothes, an orange peel silk dress, coconut leather and cork powder. Commissioned by the museum, young Dutch design talent has transformed these brand new, sustainable natural materials – that have never been shown in museums before – into unique fashion statements. Established names Karim Adduchi and Iris van Herpen are also part of the exhibition and show their own creations made from biomaterials. Last night, the exhibition was festively opened by deputy mayor and alderman for Arts and Culture of Amsterdam Touria Meliani.

Campaign photo of GROW: the future of fashion exposition at the Fashion for Good Museum, Amsterdam

(From left to right): Outfit: Frederieke Broekgaarden – made with fabric from Spinnova | Model: Eva Sofia Looren, Moxie Models | Outfit: Eva Sonneveld – made with Green Whisper, a sustainable fabric from banana stem fibres | Model: Jake Knaap | Outfit: Charlotte Bakkenes – made with sustainable material from kapok fibres from Flocus | Model: Eva Sofia Looren, Moxie Models | Photography: Christian Mpamo

How can fashion be sustainable, look good and be good for people and our planet? Dutch designers show the future of fashion in this nature-couture exhibition. Brand new sustainable natural fabrics are shown in the new expo “GROW: the future of fashion”. For example, orange peel silk, circular vegan leather from cork powder and coconuts and fibres from a banana plant were used. These biomaterials have been transformed into fantastic fashion items designed by young Dutch talent Huong Nguyen, Frederieke Broekgaarden, Eva Sonneveld and Charlotte Bakkenes. The exhibition is supported by a campaign photographed by Christian Mpamo and copy wise Zainab Goelaman has set to work.

Top: The GROW: future of fashion exhibition | Left: Museum Shop with outfits by Hul le Kus dyed using KBCols Science | Right: Natural rubber from Mirum | Photography: Alina Krasieva

Zainab Goelaman about the Grow Talent project:

“The combination of these six super talented and ambitious creatives has resulted in an end result that I as a writer cannot put words to. “Grow: the future of fashion” is an exhibition that you should not read about, but you should come in and see, feel and experience it in the museum itself. Then you really feel what I was allowed to feel during this entire process: connecting with each other, and hope for the future.”

In addition to work by the young talents, you can also admire items by Dutch couturier Iris van Herpen and fashion designer and illustrator Karim Adduchi in the museum, who have also started working with new sustainable, natural materials.

Left: “Radiation Invasion” by Iris van Herpen made with ECCO leather | Right: “Sevilla” by Karim Adduchi made with Orange Fiber, a type of orange silk | Photography: Alina Krasieva

Nature is often the source of inspiration in the fashion world, but is unfortunately also looted for the current fashion climate. The system behind the fashion industry has to change, a circular industry is the answer and new materials that are more sustainable than the current conventional fabrics are important for this change. New, natural materials are in full development, but are often unknown to the general public or not yet available in the shops. To stimulate this development, Fashion for Good initiated the “GROW talent” project, resulting in this new exhibition. The project brings together young design talent with innovative technologies in the field of textiles. The innovators and designers make the future of fashion tangible for visitors and want to inspire the public with their garments to experience new sustainable materials up close.

In this exhibition you can discover the future of fashion and see and feel materials that have never been shown in a museum before.

The new exhibition can be seen from October 29, 2021 to April 2022 at the Fashion for Good Museum at Rokin 102, in Amsterdam.

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