By Gabrielle Kennedy / 02-07-2009

A sense of escape, and a journey back in time to a more innocent and naïve world dominated the collections on the runway during last week’s Amfi graduation show.

While Tuija Mantyla’s collection was perhaps the mose cohesive, it was her long grey dress with white fur trimmings that elicited audible gushes from the packed audience.  Each of her pieces exhibited a lyrical and nostalgic quality and was clearly inspired by her native Finland.

Rozemarie Beuzekom’s menswear collection was another tight and cohesive celebration of old-school simplicity.  With a nod to the 30s, Beuzekom recoiled from bling and the trend for oversized accessories to present beauty through clean lines.  Basic shapes like circles and triangles were crafted into classic garments in greys and browns.  One pair of pleated men’s grey shorts had an alluring metallic finish and a sheer shirt boasted oversized polka dots in muted tones.  Both pieces injected some forward thinking into a very humble yet exquisite collection.

Polish standout Izabela Skowronska was one of the audience’s obvious favourites.  Her collection was apparently inspired by a reunion with her father after a childhood spent apart.   Her delicate floral prints and shredded pink fabrics introduced images of girlhood and more innocent times to the catwalk.  Her pieces felt fragile, not just physically, but in the overall atmosphere they created.

Nathanya Zwart’s collection felt like it paid homage to a very modern version of the London dandy.  The looks were strong with a lot of detailing and craftsmanship.  A medium brown voluminous blouse over fitted pants and a vest that from afar looked like it was made from medieval chains all left room for body shape and personal style to play a starring role.  

In an associated exhibition Amfi branding and management students displayed their books and wares.  Standout was Jan Willem Hubner who presented a beautiful book based on a remodeling of the Bijenkorf department store’s visual experience.  His idea was to hold back and stimulate a shopper’s curiosity by not inundating them in the first moments with the best the shop has to offer. He also recommended lifestyle oriented shopping where the public could absorb a full experience in one department from fashion to homewares rather than having the store split up into traditiotnal departments.
 
More diverse and creative than last year’s graduation show, the students put some great concepts and garments down the runway.  There was a rich range of colours and our only complaint was the shoes because, after all, the models do need to be able to walk.

During the graduation show and in accordance with its stated goals to keep innovating, Amfi Creative Director Nannet van der Kleijn signed a privilege partnership agreement with Lectra's Chief of Human Capital, Veronique Zoccoletto.  Lectra is the worldwide provider of integrated technology solutions in the fashion industry.  This means it has the technology to make digital design, digital pattern making and turn production into an integrated whole.  Under the agreement, Lectra products will be implemented at Amfi and students will get the opportunity to work on product development.




Images: top page, main image Tuija Mantyla, next three Rozemarie Beuzekom with photography by Brenda van der Haak, next two Izabela Skowronska, next two Nathanya Zwart with photography by Fred van ‘t Slot, and bottom Veronique Zoccoletto, Nannet van der Kleijn and Alfons Schouten of MODINT.
 

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