Monique van Heist launches hellofashion

Fashion design / Events

Since making a clean sweep at last year's Mercedes-Benz Dutch Fashion Awards, Monique van Heist has been busy developing her new project hellofashion. Here's a preview of it, to be seen at de Bijenkorf Amsterdam during May.

By Editor Design.nl / 14-05-2009

Dutch fashion designer Monique van Heist, triple winner of the Mercedes-Benz Dutch Fashion Award 2008, is launching her latest project called hellofashion. As part of winning the Incubator Award, a preview of this permanent collection is available from 9 to 30 May at department store de Bijenkorf in Amsterdam.

Monique van Heist (1972) started her label ‘moniquevanheist’ in 2004 after receiving her master degree from Fashion Institute Arnhem. With her label she investigates the grey areas of our dress culture while applying a good dose of humour. Van Heist gets her inspiration from observing the banal; lining up at the supermarket, on the street or in the news. Questions like ‘from where do we get our notions of what is pretty or ugly?’ or ‘what is the practical essence of our wardrobe?’ are elaborated into sophisticated collections based on Van Heist’s far from fashionable alter egos. Her work concentrates on classic unisex wardrobe pieces, including accessories like bags and jewellery, translating her sociological fashion observations into highly wearable, contemporary and luxuriously executed designs, full of smart detailing and clear references.

Monique van Heist’s latest project hellofashion takes her meta vision on fashion to a sales level. hellofashion is a continuous collection of ‘moniquevanheist’ classics by which she sets out to challenge the fashion system. This permanent and growing collection of garments, accessories and lifestyle products like furniture, make-up advice and even recipes, will be available for unlimited time, hence denouncing fashion’s short lived glory as suggested by commercial forces. hellofashion cuts across the fashion industry’s usual cycle by adding new products to the collection at any given time. The hellofashion project comes with a loose-leaf catalogue. With each new product launch a supplement will be released.

From 11 to 24 May, de Bijenkorf will also showcase hellofashion in their corner window on Dam Square. The official launch of the whole collection will take place on 28 May.