Chain of Pearls – Mattijs van Bergen with Dutch Fashion Foundation at Andaz Hotel

October 29th. 2013 Mattijs van Bergen (www.mattijsvanbergen.com) winner of the Mercedes-Benz Dutch Fashion Award last year, he was also the winner of the International Fashion Incubator Award for his S/S 2013 collection.  Mattijs is known for his feminine designs and daring use of prints and colors, which makes him one of the Netherlands’ most promising and ‘of the moment’ designers.

Angelique Westerhof director of The Dutch Fashion Foundation and Toni Hintertoisser general manager at Andaz Amsterdam Prinsengracht offered an event and private lunch in the elegant surrounding of the Andaz Hyatt Hotel in Prinsengracht in Amsterdam.

The series ‘Chain of Pearls’ is a collaboration between Dutch Fashion Foundation and Andaz Prinsengracht. During these gatherings the guests get the opportunity to meet and be inspired by The Netherlands’ most prominent designers, such as Sjaak Hullekes, Spijkers en Spijkers, Mattijs van Bergen and Elsien Gringhuis.

Linda Valkeman will be responsible for a creative workshop to give an introduction to the world of molding fabrics and the creation of beautiful fashion pieces. Spijkers en Spijkers are the recipients of the Prins Bernhard Culture Fund Mode Stipendium 2013. The Mode Stipendium was rewarded during the Dutch Fashion Awards, an event initiated by the Dutch Fashion Foundation. At this same evening, Elsien Gringhuis was the winner of the Fair Luxury Award 2012. The double winner of the Dutch Fashion Awards was Mattijs van Bergen after receiving the International Fashion Incubator Award 2012 as well as the prestigious Mercedes-Benz Dutch Fashion Award 2012.

In 2009, this prestigious prize was rewarded to menswear designer Sjaak Hullekes. He has proven to be a deserving winner and has recently opened two Sjaak Hullekes stores in Arnhem and The Hague.

Since its foundation in 2001, the DFF is committed to reinforcing the Dutch fashion discipline within the international fashion industry. These unique series are a very valuable addition to the long list of initiatives. In the past twelve years Dutch Fashion Foundation supported Dutch designers even more effectively with projects such as the international Dutch Touch campaign and the Dutch Fashion Awards. The feedback from internationally achieved successes to the domestic market is increasingly essential for a healthy economic embedding of Dutch talent.

Angelique Westerhof is a director of DFF and ideator of this unique event world wide.

Together with Cristina EGGER, liasion manager for DUTCH touch Italy since 2006, was created a big network with important istitutions like Camera Nazionale della Moda, Camera Buyer Italiana, Pitti immagine, White Milano and many more. Several designers had a possibility to stock the collections in some of the most important italian shops as Luisa Via Roma, Tessabit, Sugar and others.