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40 years HUMANOID

                                                                            

 

In collaboration with Amsterdam Fashion Week, HUMANOID celebrates its 40th anniversary with an ode to four decades of dedication to design. The exhibition takes place in the pearl of the Kröller-Müller sculpture garden: the Rietveld Pavilion. The museum in Otterlo is a great source of inspiration for HUMANOID and its history is the basis of the concept behind the presentation.

 

 

For our 40th anniversary, forty toiles, which are often made from raw materials such as cotton, are hung in the Rietveld Pavilion. Guests experience the art of making and the process behind a garment. A large loom in the center of the garden holds toiles on each rope with labels indicating which collection the pieces come from. Among others, “Champ 2005”, “Pick 2013”, and “Round 2022” indicate the path the brand has taken all these years.

 

The horizontal and vertical elements of the Rietveld Pavilion are also made of simple materials. Placement, architecture and choice of materials complement each other. The type of exhibition in the pavilion is a reference to the mining heritage of Müller & Co, the company of the father and later husband of Helene Kröller-Müller, the founder of the museum. Miners used to hang their clothes high and dry to keep them safe and to protect them from dirt.

 

     

When everyone is quiet, five people walk towards the loom and one by one they pull up the toiles with ropes. While the toiles move, models in similar garments walk through the garden. An open-back linen dress in beige and a cotton kaftan with a beige quilt draped over it walk through the Rietveld Pavilion. The garments have rough finishes. Arrows showing where the pockets should be are visible on a linen tailored jacket. The clothing is then attached to the hooks of the loom and slides off the models' shoulders as the pieces are lifted up by the people operating the loom. A second layer that was previously not visible under the clothing is revealed.

 

The showpieces on display today consisted of skeletons of creative concepts, reflecting the creators' process in a collection that was elegant, casual and above all raw. The minimalist approach of the garments brought the focus back to the essence of the design; craftmanship, the importance of a good foundation.