Wednesday, August 31, Amsterdam-based fashion label MARTAN opened Amsterdam Fashion Week at the Grand Hotel Amrâth Amsterdam, a hotel built 107 years ago entirely in the style of the Amsterdam School as ‘Het Scheepvaarthuis’, where the brief was to design the most imposing building in the city. The fully sustainable collection is made of Amrâth’s upcycled hotel linen and is full of visual references to the architecture and history of the Scheepvaarthuis.

THE COLLECTION
The inescapable realization that our resources are not unlimited spurred Amsterdam-based fashion label MARTAN to renew its forward-thinking and creative spirit. The label presents a collection made from recycled hotel linen, such as damask tablecloths and Egyptian cotton sheets. Laser-cut patterns built from thousands of individual parts reference the seahorses of Amrâth’s tapestries and fall around the body like tinkling scales. Geometrically draped sleeves give a powerful character to fresh summer dresses and jackets. Prints inspired by the hotel’s iconic fencing and prints of picturesque waves transform hotel linen into a colorful base for long coats and suits. Organic-symmetrical rope constructions that tie the fabrics around the body merge with the stained-glass tentacles of the show environment. The fluidity of the sea is reflected in silhouettes that seem to drip off the body. Sharp trench coats in glossy coatings make you forget you’re looking at hotel linens. Soft tones like powder pink, light blue and camel are framed by bold colors like cobalt blue, plum purple, poison green and fuchsia. The tile motifs in the floor are reflected in the earrings. The limited MARTAN edition of the sustainably produced line of suitcases from premium travel label Nortvi blends seamlessly with the show’s theme and is a perfect extension of the collection.

DIRECTION, CAST AND MUSIC
Directed in collaboration with Char Li Chung of Toneelgroep Oostpool, the show outlines an abstract yet imaginative tale of traveling people with the same desires, but different destinations. It is a 21st century translation of the original function of the Scheepvaarthuis, portrayed by a mix of models and actors including Susan Visser, Joes Brauers, Britte Lagcher, Yela de Koning, ‘Ntianu Stuger, Jolanda van den Berg and Sigrid ten Napel. Composer Jelle Hoekstra created a collage of music pieces and texts by Nobel Prize winner and writer Olga Tokarczuk and Thijs Hoekstra. The music takes the viewer through various time units and phases of a journey, building up to an overwhelming finale in which all the models and actors, urged on by the horns of a departing ship, storm down the stairwell.

PARTNERS
Sustainable partners who played a big role in realizing the SS23 collection are Manufy, a platform for local and sustainable production of clothing within Europe, Blycolin, the supplier responsible for processing all the hotel linen of the Amrâth hotels, and vegan meal maker Plant B. The collaboration with Nortvi came about because of the common goals in terms of sustainability and quality. The special case will soon be available in exclusive edition.

PHOTOGRAPHY: Daniel Sars