Camiel Fortgens

Camiel Fortgens is an Amsterdam label that began in 2014, when Camiel graduated from the Design Academy Eindhoven. Skipping fashion school left him free of the usual rules, and you can see it in the clothes: unpolished takes on ready-to-wear staples, with exposed construction and deconstructed detailing, cut from high-end fabrics.

The approach is playful, a little absurd and built on quick prototyping, with plenty of experiments in washes, textures and unusual construction. Ideas come from what people wear on the street, at flea markets and online.

Pieces are handmade in small ateliers across Europe, mainly in Portugal, Ukraine and Bulgaria, by people the team knows personally. Non-industrial machinery gives each garment a lived-in feel. Shows in Paris and Amsterdam have happened outside traditional settings.