HOW PRE-RESERVED IS MAKING THE IMPOSSIBLE POSSIBLE
Words by Asia Lanzi
“Where the impossible is made possible through imagination and co-creation”, this is the visionary approach PRE-RESERVED continues to reflect in their creative projects. PRE-RESERVED represents a multimedia platform, creative agency, event space, and photo studio all at once, where individuals and like-minded brands from different backgrounds and disciplines are invited to connect, create, collaborate, inspire, and be inspired. The variety of creatives involved with the studio is what forms its strong sense of community – ranging from artists, designers, performers and entrepreneurs to creative directors, stylists and models, to name a few. The vision is to combine cross-cultural skills in order to connect the right dots for the best outcome. In essence, they want to support creatives with bringing their innovative ideas to life which is facilitated through their initiative, broad network and physical locations.
In addition to its small in-house personnel, the ever-changing team for each project continuously adds new and refreshing perspectives to the company and allows for diverse outcomes in many different fields. No project looks like one another, because every team of creatives has a different background and vision in mind. And that’s what makes PRE-RESERVED so particular – breaking any disciplinary boundaries and creating limitless opportunities by blending art, fashion, design, music and technology.
With photo shoots for fashion designer Iris van Herpen, video recordings for singer Sevdaliza and archive sales by Daily Paper or Sneaker District, the strength of the company lies within its diversity. Besides these aforementioned studio bookings, PRE-RESERVED is also working on its own projects, for example, designing a sustainable vintage T-Shirt, and collaborating with renowned local and international clients. In the past three years, global brands like Nike, Adidas, Numéro Magazine and Tommy Hilfiger, and Dutch brands such as Ronald van der Kemp, Filling Pieces and Maha Amsterdam have used the studio space/have worked at the studio. The animated Air Max Day 2022 campaign with Nike X The Ahlete’s Foot was one of the first independent collaborations, where the concepts, casting, creative direction and production was realized by the collective itself. Today, PRE-RESERVED has grown into an all-around creative community with an extensive portfolio of international and local projects.
Located in an old shipyard close to NDSM in Amsterdam Noord, the creative hub resembles a modern industrial building in Brooklyn, New York. The love for design and detail becomes apparent immediately upon entering, where a stylish staircase decorated with many round fish-eye-like mirrors leads up to the office. Here, visitors are welcomed with exquisite choices in interior furniture, such as the famous Desede Terraza by Ubad Kluch or the Elephant chair by French designer Marc Venot. Furthermore, numerous unique artworks and books surround the enormous office desk – this is where the creative magic happens. A wall covered in endless Polaroid pictures showcases the studio’s tradition to capture creatives, community friends, and other co-creators through portraits, which demonstrates the ever-expanding network so particular to PRE-RESERVED.
The former ship dock comprises an area of 3100 m2, ideal to let imagination flourish endlessly and bring visions to life with no limitations. The space is divided into two studios, each with its own individual facilities like a limbo wall on wheels or make-up rooms. In a nutshell, the wide range of services offered, from creative consultancy to design and product development, is what makes the studio so versatile for multidisciplinary projects. Together with Arthub, twelve ateliers are used by different artists such as Boris Acket, Raquel van Haver, Neo Matloga, Bob Sizoo and Studio Vrij to create, experiment with new art works and realize imaginations. Another artist – Kennedy Yanko – created her biggest project so far in the studio space and exhibited the sculpture at Art Basel in 2022, which is the leading global platform connecting collectors, galleries, and artists.
PRE-RESERVED initially launched as an Instagram mood board in 2018 with the vision of inspiring creatives, both online and offline. Only a year later, founder Willem Sizoo took the opportunity of adding a physical location as a creative hub for individuals and brands to cultivate a collaborative community. Sizoo, originally a photographer, was able to use the network he had already established with local and international talents to achieve this goal. However, the approach to this success formula didn’t change over time: Thinking outside the box, never compromising an idea, and, most importantly, choosing the right individuals with the best skills. Recently, PRE-RESERVED has also opened another location Studio C with the aim of facilitating more ideas and collaborations.
Words by Asia Lanzi