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Fashion Sustainability: AFA listed among the schools where to explore it

Amsterdam Fashion Academy has been recognised as one of the best schools where to explore fashion sustainability.

FashionUnited

FashionUnited is a popular platform which aims to inform and share information with the international fashion industry including fashion professionals, media and dedicated fashion industry followers.

Our summer course “Sustainable Pattern Cutting & Construction” has been included in the list of programmes focussed on sustainable fashion worldwide.

Click here to read the article.

Parostore

Parostore helps in discovering emerging designers who are driving the fashion industry towards a sustainable future.

Amsterdam Fashion Academy has been mentioned as one of the schools where students can explore fashion sustainability techniques, such as zero cutting, reuse of textiles, clothing alteration.

Click here to read the article.

Amazed or disappointed after your first fashion week at university?

If you are doubting, then it’s not too late to start this academic year at the Amsterdam Fashion Academy. From styling competitions, to photo shootings, professional workshops, visits to museums and fashion stores, the students of the Amsterdam Fashion Academy were totally immersed in the culture and creativity of Amsterdam during the induction fashion week. Watch the movie below and if you dream of being part of this intimate and small boutique academy, please be aware that there are still few places available in the Fashion with Textiles Design (Hons) BA and that you are still on time to enter in the programme now.

Induction fashion week was truly an inspiring, exciting and fun time with students and staff all getting to know each other. The 65 students who chose the Amsterdam’s finest international fashion academy come from every corner of Europe and the world, bringing an international vibe and different points of view. The highest quality of the international teaching staff flourishes in the informal and friendly atmosphere by having the time and space needed to nurture individual talent and creativity.

“A new year means new people! We would like to say hello and welcome to the new students and we wish them lot of luck, inspiration and most of all, fun! For this new school year, we are planning many competitions, exhibitions and collaborations with the industry to give the students more experience in the real world, starting now by bringing a group of them to the Amsterdam Fashion Week and to a masterclass by Viktor & Rolf”, says Iris Peitzmeier, Managing Director.

The University awarded Fashion with Textiles Design (Hons) BA is aimed at students who intend to pursue careers as Fashion and/or Textiles Designers and involves both conceptual and trend driven design work through experimentation with creative cutting techniques, traditional pattern cutting, textiles, research, illustration, business and manufacturing skills and culminates in a final professional collection show and portfolio outcome exhibition. Translate inspired ideas into real clothes. Turn abstract ideas into well-made garments. The Amsterdam Fashion Academy can help you become an independent creative thinker who can come up with your own innovative solutions on a daily basis.

You can contact the Amsterdam Fashion Academy by email at info@amsterdamfashionacademy.com or by phone at the number +31 (0)20 4896692.

More information about the Amsterdam Fashion Academy.
The Amsterdam Fashion Academy is a private international fashion school situated in the heart of Amsterdam; this state-of the-art academy has become a hub of student-centred learning with a high level of personal attention while also focusing on graduate employability. The Academy opened its doors in 2013 and was soon able to offer university awarded British Bachelor’s Honours degrees in Fashion with Textiles Design and Fashion Business, accredited by the reputable Buckinghamshire New University in England, along with a Fashion Foundation programme. This also means the degrees are aligned with the UK Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) standards. The Amsterdam Fashion Academy prides itself on being a, small and personal fashion school putting quality before quantity. In 2017 it moved to its current location in an elegant townhouse in the heart of Amsterdam, which helps create a more friendly and informal atmosphere where students can get to know each other better and inspire each other.

Meet Pauline: I’m taking 2 courses at the Academy to become a denim expert

The Pattern Cutting & Construction part-time course is in full swing and we want to introduce you the nine students who are attending it. The first one is Pauline, who is studying to become a denim expert.

Hello, Pauline. Can you please introduce yourself?

My name is Pauline, I am 38 years old. Born and raised in Paris. Been living in Amsterdam for 2 and a half years. I am now having a professional break to invest in my skills and reach the next level of my career.

Which are the best aspects of living in Amsterdam?

Amsterdam offers an intense life, day and night! But at the same time it’s a very relaxed lifestyle, and a no stress city. I really like the mixed populations living here: it’s very rich in terms of cultures, art and human relations.

What is your professional story?

I have 12 years’ experience in the fashion industry as Product Manager and my speciality is denim. I love this product because it has no limits in terms of creativity. I had the opportunity to work for sports brands and fashion brands such as Tommy Jeans here in Amsterdam.

Which course are you attending at the Amsterdam Fashion Academy?

I am attending the CAD (Illustrator & Photoshop) workshop series and the Pattern Cutting & Construction part-time course.

Why did you choose these courses?

I chose these two courses to become more technically advanced in garment construction and fitting, and also to be able to design my own denim styles.

What’s the best part of these courses for you?

Thanks to the CAD workshops I am now able to create my own designs, while I really like the manual work I’m doing at the Pattern Cutting & Construction part-time course. It’s so impressive to create something by hand.

Which is the most challenging part of the course for you?

The sewing is the most challenging part for me, as I had never really experienced sewing before.

What do you expect from the course and afterwards?

With these courses my goal is to become a denim expert and to offer a large panel of skills to clients, such as design and development & production, besides improving my skills in garment construction and fitting.

Visit Pauline Pattier on LinkedIn.

First 2018 fashion students shortlist: 15 people and 9 nationalities

On the 9th of February we held the first interview day at the Amsterdam Fashion Academy for 2018 intake. It’s a day when we invite a group of potential fashion students to come and work with us. An important day for all concerned. The day is designed to give our team the chance to spend time with potential students of our three fashion programmes validated by Bucks New University (Fashion Business (Hons) BA, Fashion with Textiles Design (Hons) BA, Foundation Diploma) and work with them so they can get a real feel of what it is like at our international fashion academy, meet other would-be students and also see Amsterdam.

Last week our first group of 15 potential fashion students came from all corners of Europe: Netherlands, UK, Italy, Poland, Greece, Switzerland, Luxemburg, Germany and Norway. This to underline once again the international value of our boutique academy. They worked from 10:00m to 4:00pm with our lecturers Laura Malone and Laura Lepre and created mood boards based on their own taste and personality and in the meantime each student had an interview with Cristiano Carciani, Head of school.

We are holding two more interview days: March 23rd and April 26th. So if you missed out on this one but are still interested in studying fashion in Amsterdam, then please contact us as soon as possible. We will more than happy to inform you how to be shortlisted for the next two groups of potential fashion students.

Fashion styling in the real world!

Last semester, as part of the Fashion Styling course, second year Fashion Business (Hons) BA students worked in groups with real business clients. One group composed of Avalon Olivier, Aziza El Wanni and Robin Broekhuizen worked for the Salamon Art & Design concept store (created by our alumna Olga Salamon).

Avalon shared her thoughts with us about her personal experience: “I have recently done a photoshoot and look book for my styling course of the Fashion Business (Hons) BA. My client was Salamon Art & Design concept store located in Amsterdam. It was a lovely experience to work with a real-life client which also had such good products to work with. This project taught me a lot about working in a team and also about all the planning and responsibility it is to do the work of a stylist. It was a great pleasure to work with everyone and was pleased with the outcome”.

Below, the work of Aziza and Robin:

Photographer: Ping Huang
Models: Karlijn Groenendijk, Richelle van Norden, Wess Blok

From the Amsterdam Fashion Academy to Vogue: well done, Swinda!

We are so proud of our alumna Swinda van Dijk, whose new collection TRANSITION has been published on Vogue Italia. Swinda successfully completed our Fashion Forecasting, Marketing & Buying course in 2014. Here is what she told us about this new achievement:

“The dresses are elegant, edgy, timeless and the designs are beautifully wearable. They are characterised by the play of light and shadow as they have transparent inserts of georgette and organza. This ready-to-wear collection is also influenced by the architecture of Rem Koolhaas. Within the collection, I used viscose, wool and silk, creating a luxurious and delicate design. The result is that one can wear it to a chic party as well as to the office”.

Craftsmanship is in the DNA of Swinda. Refined fabrics and eye details are combined to captivate a luxurious design. Her career really started to blossom when started working for the Dutch fashion label JANTAMINIAU, which is internationally renowned as the preferred choice by Her Majesty Queen Máxima of The Netherlands. After JANTAMINIAU, Swinda continued her design career working for well-known Dutch commercial brands. Gaining experience in the haute couture and as well as the commercial side of fashion enriched Swinda van Dijk’s vision with more diversity and allowed her to establish her own signature.

If you are interested in following Swinda’s steps into the fashion world, from our international fashion academy to Vogue, then check our fashion courses and let us know if there is one that can be interesting for you.

Other alumni of the Amsterdam Fashion Academy are achieving good results. Olga Salamon is one of them. See her brand new concept store for Polish design.

Photos by Jeroen van Lelieveld.

Fashion Storytelling: 4 tips to use narrative to communicate

What is fashion storytelling? Before looking behind the façade of storytelling to examine it in terms of means and method, no one can deny the strength of a gripping tale when it comes to connecting communication with emotion. This is what our lecturer Rosie Martinez-Dekker told to the participants of our last Meetup. If you missed the event, then keep reading to learn more about her and fashion storytelling.

Hello, Rosie. Can you please introduce yourself?

Hello, my name is Rosie Martinez-Dekker. I am originally from Mexico City but have been living in The Netherlands for 10 years now. I have more than 20 years’ experience in the Fashion and Textile Industry, both on the creative and business side. I have worked in Mexico, the US and the Netherlands for companies like Nike, Levi’s and G-Star.

I studied Graphic Design specialising in Textile Design and also have a degree in Business Development both these were at the Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico afterwards I studied Fashion Marketing and Forecasting at Central St. Martins in London.

My curiosity and passion have helped me open the doors to both the art and science of fashion, one by working on the creative side of the process and the other by working in the business and operations side. After spending several years in the corporate world, I decided to open a design and consultancy studio: Believe Creative Studio, where we focus on textile and product design, illustration and consultancy in product creation, development and sustainability. My studio has exhibited at Premiere Vision Paris and London Textile shows.
We work with customers around the world, not only creating tailored collections and art but also collaborating and guiding them in different aspects of their businesses. I am also a proud member of the lecturers team at the Amsterdam Fashion Academy, where I have collaborated since the opening day of the school.
Lecturing is my way to give back to all the teachers and mentors who guided me through my career.

What kind of person are you?

I am an enthusiastic, determined and driven person. I love art, fashion and travelling and sports. I enjoy being surrounded by people, specially my family and friends.

During the last Meet up you talked about storytelling. Can you please make a summary of your presentation?

Storytelling is the art and science of using narrative to communicate the attributes or information of a brand, product or a person and is a very effective way of communicating not only in corporate meetings, conferences and presentations, but also in media and advertisements. Fashion storytelling, and storytelling in general, has many benefits such as differentiation, emotional engagement and relationship with your customers which results in sales increases and brand recognition.

What are your suggestions for those who want to implement a fashion storytelling strategy to promote their product/brand?

Knowing and understanding your consumers is essential; in that way you will be able to deliver direct messages.
It is important to engage and collaborate with professionals who can help a brand create a specific narrative for your products.
Always tell real stories and do not be afraid to be vulnerable.
And remember that your brand is the protagonist of the story.

Fast-Track Fashion Course in Amsterdam!

Amsterdam, world famous for its unique heritage and unsurpassed art, but also modern Amsterdam at the forefront of creative innovation and international trendsetting. A truly out-of-the-box mentality which inspires all visitors to this cosmopolitan melting pot, a fantastic place to come and get inspired, not only broadening your travel horizons but also your personal ones. And now you can come here for a fast-track fashion design and business course lasting 12 weeks. The perfect way to combine travel, culture, creativity, learning and laying the foundations of your future and all in 12 weeks, which also happens to fit the validity of a 3 month tourist visa to the Netherlands. This super opportunity to get a taste of a possible degree and career in fashion in all its facets, is now being provided by the Amsterdam Fashion Academy a highly personal and friendly boutique fashion school situated in the heart of Amsterdam.

Finished school but what now?

Maybe you have completed school but are daunted by all the possibilities open to you? The international fashion world appeals to you, but it is a real risk to commit yourself to a three year degree course when you are not completely sure if this is what you want. Even one year is a long time, especially when you are young, and a one year foundation course is also a major commitment. Now you can get a great insight and experience in fashion in just 12 weeks with the new fast-track fashion course. Long enough to learn the basics and experiment, so that after completion you will know whether fashion is for you and if it is whether you are more inclined to the business or creative side of the industry.

Fill your gap year.

‘So much to do and so little time to do it,’ a common complaint of young people embarking on a gap year. One year to enjoy freedom from commitment, broaden your horizons and grow as a person and hopefully get a better idea of what you want to do in life. Here is the ideal opportunity to combine travel, culture, creativity, learning and laying the foundations for your future. This Fast-track course fits the bill perfectly. Short, intensive and geared to the future this 12 week fast-track fashion course is shorter than the duration of a 3 month tourist visa. After completing this course you will not only have acquired considerable skills and knowledge but you will have a much better idea of which direction you want to go in life. More the tendency towards business or creative design or something else?

Drop back in after dropping out.

Maybe you’ve discovered the course you had chosen is not for you. Well don’t wait until September to try something else, you can start right now. That’s the benefit of a fast-track course. It gives you the opportunity to try something and see if it fits. It will give you skills and knowledge to build on for the future and it will give you enough time to discover if there is a click between you and fashion, helping you make the right choice for a new study next September. So get something positive out of this year and fast-track your future in fashion.

Fashion is a seven letter word.

Fashion is communication, on the part of the wearer and designer. An array of non-verbal messages, on different levels. This fast-track fashion course lets you develop your practical design skills, research your field and gain a critical view of your profession. This will give you what you need to take on the challenge of reshaping the future of the fashion. If you are more inclined towards the business side you will be able to extend your knowledge and grasp of both the theoretical background of international marketing, styling and branding, as well as its practical implementation including, for example, communication surrounding a particular brand or organising a styling shoot. By the end of your course you will have found out how to tap into an inexhaustible source of creativity, gained considerable knowledge of the fashion industry along with design skills you will be able to rely on for life and you will know the direction of your future in fashion.

This 12 week fast-track fashion design and business course will get your fashion career off to a flying start. Not just to work as a fashion designer or stylist, but also as a fashion marketer, journalist, trend forecaster, visual merchandiser, buyer of Women/Menswear. You will be given the freedom to experiment and explore where your true talent lies and so help you choose the right career path after completing the course, be it a follow-up programme or working in the industry.

Fashion is a seven letter word covering a multitude of directions, skills and knowledge. Why not find out which direction is closest to your heart and talent? Send an email to info@amsterdamfashionacademy.com to know more about the fast-track fashion course.

Fashion internship: from classroom to the real world

Finally our second year Fashion Business and Fashion with Textiles Design (Hons) Bachelor’s students are about to be unleashed on the fashion world. Yes, next semester they will be embarking upon their fashion internships experiences. We have asked two of them about how they feel about this future experience.

Avalon: “My name is Avalon Olivier and I am currently studying the Fashion Business (Hons) in this international fashion academy in Amsterdam. My next chapter will be doing my fashion internship here in Amsterdam and I am very excited. The company where I will be doing my internship is Suitsupply, working in the Buying Department. It is a Dutch company that makes suits for men and women and has grown globally. The lectures we had in school have made me very interested in buying and that is why I’ve chosen to go for this field. Also I believe I will learn a lot in different departments in the company. The experience of being in a global company will also teach me new job skills which will be useful for future opportunities. I cannot wait to start and learn as much as possible”.

Isabelle: “My name is Isabelle Wildenburg and I am a second year Fashion with Textiles Design (Hons) BA. On the 1st of February I will go to New York City, United States, for a seven-months internship at Anna Sui. I’m going to work in the sample department doing different things, from photography to sample investigation, from patter cutting to sewing. I am very excited about this fashion internship, not only because I will have the opportunity to work at the New York Fashion Week, but also because I really wanted to do an experience in a non-European fashion industry, which I already know”.

Lene: “My name is Lene Vindenes and I am a 2nd year Fashion Business (Hons) BA student at the Amsterdam Fashion Academy. I was so lucky that I got to work with Noumenon. For those who don’t know, Noumenon is a vegan clothing brand located in the heart of Amsterdam. I will be working there as an assistant office manager and will learn all about the business behind the brand. I have also been given the opportunity to join them at the trade show in Berlin in January, which is something I am truly looking forward to. I have the feeling the next half year will give me a lot of good knowledge and experience within the fashion industry”.

Keep following us on social media and the blog to know more about our student’s fashion internship experiences.

Create garments from above: new perspectives at the Amsterdam Fashion Academy

The 2nd year Fashion with Textiles Design (Hons) BA students are busy creating garments as part of the course Fashion Cutting & Construction, under the expert instruction of senior lecturer Cristiano Carciani. The theme is “top view” meaning they need to design and create garments as seen from above. We asked Myrthe van der Leden, Evelina Anglickaite, Silvia Porru and Alexandra Poláková to tell us more.

Evelina Anglickaite: “To some it’s a dangerous pseudoscience, to others it offers unique insights. The Rorschach psychological test consists of inkblots challenging a person’s perception. The piece, inspired by the controversial test and made from leather, showcases strong individual minds”.

Silvia Porru: “This project is all about shapes, forms, geometry and chrome colours. I wanted to express these elements giving a three-dimensional effect to my garment. Inspired by the universe and the stars, I have created a spacey, star-shaped collar”.

Alexandra Poláková: “The most important part of the garment are the three-dimensional spikes placed on the shoulder. When the final garment will be completed, these elements will design a black hole when seen from above. I’m enjoying working on this piece, because it gives the opportunity to balance details and simplicity”.

Myrthe van der Leden: “For this project we had to create garments as seen from above. My inspiration came from the veins in the human body and by using see-through plastic and red felt I wanted to create the effect that if you looked down from above you could see the veins going down the arms and the body. Working with the plastic was a real challenge but with some help I still managed to achieve the look I was going for.”

The Fashion with Textiles Design (Hons) BA offers a nurturing environment where you our students develop industry standard skills in both fashion and textiles. The course is taught through a series of practical project assignments, with key emphasis on quality of products and innovative design. The practical modules are delivered through a variety of workshops, demonstrations, lectures and seminars, but the most important aspect of this programme is that each student becomes an individual designer. Thanks to our small classes and commitment we can achieve this together by providing each individual student with one to one tuition time every week.

At the Amsterdam Fashion Academy we pride ourselves on our commitment to our students. We recognise that giving each student substantial personal support is key to helping them get the most out of the course and themselves and help them successfully enter into the international world of fashion and textiles.

Would you like to study at our international boutique academy in Amsterdam and create garments like these? Then sign up to one of our open days and we will be happy to schedule for you a personal meeting with us.

Internship story: Linda’s fashion career starts at Asger Juel Larsen

Internship is a key moment for our students’ fashion career during their second year in both Bachelor’s honours degree in Fashion Business and Bachelor’s honours degree in Fashion with Textiles Design. Linda is back from Copenhagen where she spent a rewarding 4 months working at Asger Juel Larsen renowned for unconventional tailoring with a heritage of hell-raising. She explained us why she decided to study fashion design in Amsterdam and what she learnt during her internship.

“Hello, my name is Linda Dittrich, I am in my 3rd year of the Bachelor’s honours degree in Fashion with Textiles Design. Originally, I am from Berlin, Germany and chose the Amsterdam Fashion Academy ahead of other fashion schools because of the personal attention it gives its students. During my intake interview I had the feeling I would get the support I was expecting from tutors and that the Academy would be able to give me the right base for my future career.

In my second year I went to Copenhagen for my internship. I was always interested in men’s wear and thrilled when I got accepted for one of my favourite designers Asger Juel Larsen. At AJL I worked closely with Asger and the design team on the upcoming collection. My responsibilities included researching for the collection, digital realisation of design sketches, making range plans and other overviews and creating technical specs ready for production. In addition to this, I worked closely with the print designer which I found very inspiring. Being away in another country and different environment helped me further develop as a person and was definitely the right decision. There are certain things a school can’t teach you and an internship is the best possible way to find out and understand what the industry expects from you as a young fashion designer.”

Do you want to know more about our students and steps towards a bright fashion career? Then read here!

Elegant up-cycling for our boutique academy’s interior style

On August 1, 2017 we moved to a beautiful townhouse in Amsterdam’s city centre. This is the story about how the new interior style has been conceived.

My name is Sandrine Botilde-Doré, I’ve been living in Amsterdam for 5 years. I’m a traveller at heart, a nomad. I moved here from the South of France, but have also lived in Mali, Guinea, Belgium, Switzerland and France. Before coming to the Amsterdam Fashion Academy, I was already working in the fashion industry, being mainly involved in PR and events. I realised I wanted to learn more about the business side of fashion and so I started studying for a BA in Fashion Business. Then my second child was born and I took a year off. Now I’m back again, this time studying Fashion Design. I decided that studying fashion business was really my comfort zone and that I wanted to explore the process of garment making. I can use my background in fashion marketing to build a brand which will be ready by the end of this year. It’s a big challenge and I am working hard.

I am grateful to the Amsterdam Fashion Academy for giving me the opportunity to decorate the building and design its new interior style. Interior design is something that I have always loved. I adore second-hand furniture. Furniture is timeless: if you buy the right pieces, they can stay with you forever. Most of the pieces I found for the library, for instance the chairs, already have a long history.

We have to learn to be more sustainable in the way we consume. There are so many things which already exist that we can re-use. The bookcase and the 4-meter long table now in the library were found in this way. It took me 6 hours to pick up the table, but I was really motivated to have that piece. I also didn’t know what kind of lamps to put in the library, so I thought “let’s create one”. I decided to use different kinds of lamps to reflect the diversity of the academy. Moreover, I didn’t want to use fixed lamps because I wanted a flexible space: one where the table can be made smaller and moved depending on the situation.

I don’t have a particular style that people can instantly recognise. What I did was mix and match styles. We could have gone for only using modern furniture, with the same colour, but then we would have turned this International Fashion Academy into a showroom. I wanted to give the Academy’s interior style a hotel-feeling. It is a boutique academy where people should not feel like they are at school. I wanted to give them a pleasant atmosphere conducive to developing skills and learning. I wanted personality.

The space that I am most proud of is the basement, the student lobby, even though it is not finished yet. It was a real challenge. The space was limited by its low ceiling, light wooden floor and low lighting. The opposite of all the other floors of the building. I didn’t know what to do with the space, I just knew I wanted to design a space where students could feel good and chill. I am particularly proud of the colourful chairs and poufs. I drove to an antique store at a riding school to pick them up and spent a whole day cleaning them! But now I am more than satisfied since it is these elements with their bright colours which light up the members lobby.

I am also proud of the library, although it was the most challenging space. It was extremely difficult to find the right bookcase for the 5-meter wall. I wanted one to fill the wall completely, with no spaces and, of course, it had to have a style which fitted with the rest of the library. An elegant mahogany table full of poise and purpose really needs an accompanying mahogany bookcase. We were really focused on this, as it was to be the central piece for the most central space of the Amsterdam Fashion Academy. And I can proudly say that the bookcase I found is perfect!

How would I describe the interior style of the Academy? First, with the word “second-life”, because I wanted to give antique but precious pieces a new use; then with cosy and sophisticated hotel-vibe, and finally I would describe it as a timeless style. One word that I didn’t have in mind was school. I wanted and went for quality.

Catch a glimpse of Induction week

Induction week was truly an inspiring, exciting and fun time with new students and staff all getting to know each other. Students were totally immersed in the culture and creativity of Amsterdam. Sharing ideas and appreciation of the finer things in life, drawing inspiration from the masters to the modern, enough food for thought to spark off lots of creative ideas for the coming year.

Watch the full video:

Why all eyes are on our 3rd year Fashion Business student, Noortje

Our third year Fashion Business student Noortje is already working wonders in marketing and she was happy to tell us more about her new job and why she is looking forward to her final year at the academy. We were curious to find out more…

Hello, Noortje. Would you please introduce yourself?

Hello, my name is Noortje van Warmerdam. I’m 21 years old and a third-year Fashion Business student at the Amsterdam Fashion Academy. I come from Lisse in The Netherlands, a nice town south-west of Amsterdam.

Would you tell us about your experience at the Amsterdam Fashion Academy?

I am grateful to the Amsterdam Fashion Academy for all the countless experiences I have had during the last two years, I can now really start a career in the fashion business. Above all, the internship I did at Loes Vrij during my second year represented a big step forward for me, because I could practice what I had learnt in the class about branding and marketing. Thanks to the curriculum vitae I built up while studying Fashion Business at the Academy, I am already working in marketing.

This is great news! Can you please tell us something about your job?

I am working for a company called Eyes on Media and I take care of online marketing inside the Sales Department. I am really enjoying this job, especially because we have recently worked with advertisements for Chanel and Hugo Boss.

Congratulations then. Let’s talk about your last two years at the Amsterdam Fashion Academy. Which was your favourite course and which was the hardest one?

I really loved the Fashion Communication course, because I had to write a script for a new advertisement of MiuMiu. It was fun and fascinating studying the brand and creating a promotional strategy from scratch. On the other side, the Historical and Contextual studies course was the hardest, although interesting.

What are you working on today and which are your plans for next year?

As a third year Fashion Business student, I am now starting to work on my final project which will be the creation of an online platform dedicated to new designers who need to meet each other, to exchange advice and share ideas. It will be basically a social networking platform for designers. Next year, I am planning to study for a Master’s degree in Marketing Management.

One last question. Which is the company you admire the most in terms of branding or marketing strategy?

That’s a difficult question! I love Chloé’s style, but I think that Gucci did a great job in changing its brand image. It represents a really interesting case-study to analyse and to take inspiration from.

Our international lecturers have a special message to send out

And so, the academic year 2017-2018 has started. The induction week was a big success and the students were involved in several activities: they had a tour around Amsterdam and its museums, they created decorative embroidery hoops on the theme “what does fashion mean to you?” and finally developed a critical analysis based on the exhibitions visited. Through the induction week, we wanted the students to get to know each other and feel at home from the very beginning, while we aimed to help the 2nd and 3rd year students to settle down after summer holidays.

“I immediately felt like home”, 1st year student Phillip Roessen says. “The induction week was such a warm and welcoming experience!”, 1st year student Frederique Hofman adds. “Not only did we get to know Amsterdam, but also bond with everyone from the other classes”. After one week, we can then say: mission accomplished!

On Monday, courses started and students are livening up our new boutique academy. We love seeing them working around the four floors of our elegant townhouse in Amsterdam’s city centre. To celebrate this new chapter, we asked some of our lecturers to send a message to the students, which you can read in the image below.

This year, our lecturers team has some new entries with people who will bring to our international fashion academy more ideas, new points of view and innovative visions. We can’t wait to see what fashion business and fashion with textile design students will create under our experienced teachers. Keep following the Amsterdam Fashion Academy on social media and this blog: amazing projects are on the way!

European Fashion Market: our speech at the African Fashion Designers Expo 2017

It was a big honour for us to be invited at the African Fashion Designers Expo 2017, which has been celebrated on Monday, 28th of August, at the World Fashion Centre. Our new Senior Lecturer, Cristiano Carciani, gave a speech about the European fashion market, in front of professionals of the fashion industry from Nigeria, Ghana and other African countries.

To understand the actual European fashion market, Cristiano made an overview of the fashion design history from 1858, when Charles Frederick Worth begun designing complete collections for his clients and sawing his personal labels on garments he created.

Q. Cristiano, can you tell us a bit of the European fashion design history?

From 1860 to 1960, haute couture’s designers were from Western Europe, specifically from Italy and France: Paul Poiret, Chanel, Elsa Schiapparelli, Salvatore Ferragamo, Christian Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, Roberto Capucci, Valentino, and so on. One hundred year of haute couture: a combination of fine materials, interesting silhouettes and … artisanship.

Q. What happened after the 1960s?

During the 1970s, fashion designers started to experiment with materials and techniques. Let’s think about Paco Rabanne and his clothes made with metals and crafted with hammers and pliers. Then, in the 1980s, catwalks saw the arrival of the prêt-à-porter (or ready-to-wear), a new sector of the fashion industry, in which North American (Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Betsey Johnson) and Japanese (Issey Miyake, Yohji Yamamoto) designers occupied an important portion of the market. These are the times of mass production, and ten years later, of fast fashion with H&M and Zara. During the 1990s, technology and innovation started to be integrated with fashion design and the main exponent was, certainly, Hussein Chalayan, who created foldable dresses and motor-powered skirts.

Q. What about the new millennium?

Today, the fashion industry is composed of three sectors: haute couture, prêt-à-porter, fast fashion. In haute couture, Middle and Northern European designers are gaining great value. For example, Dutch fashion designers like Iris van Herpen and Viktor & Rolf. While fast fashion is being populated by numerous commercial brands, many Eastern European designers are “conquering” prêt-à-porter world: Ksenia Schnaider from Ukraine, Anton Belinskiy from Ukraine, Situationist from Georgia, Misbhv from Poland. These fashion brands have strong identities, historical and folk references that are new and exotic to Western consumers. Also, since the explosion of internet, prêt-à-porter is also been populated by a lot of independent designers.

Q. What can you tell us about independent brands?

Independent brands are businesses that are owned, run or managed by the designers or their families. They have a fair and transparent supply chain, and no sweatshops. Sustainability is their most important value: they don’t use fur or exotic skins, their products are chemicals-free and have natural or organic ingredients. In addition, they produce limited editions of products, which are made to last and to be worn season after season. In general, independent brands focus more on quality than on trends.

Q. What did you suggest to the fashion designers at the African Fashion Designers Expo 2017?

I think they should follow the example of the independent brands that make of sustainability and transparency their key strength and that produce high-quality products, in limited quantities. They should also focus their attention on the e-commerce and social media channels to reach the global market.

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