Known for his work made with upcycled materials since the mid-2010s, Dutch designer Ronald van der Kemp built his collection for the third time in a row without sourcing a single piece of fabric or component externally, working only with what was around the studio to create his quirky, hedonistic silhouettes.
His Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2021 collection, entitled ‘’The Mind Vaccine’’, envisioned a post-pandemic world where people remember to “do things responsibly and with more attention” as they return back to their lives of shopping and consumption. His newest upcycle collection follows the DNA of the brand with one hundred percent upcycled materials. That resulted in a heightened level of intricacy in his sculptural, ’80s-inspired silhouettes – several looks were created in collaboration with students from Amsterdam’s Jean School – many of them worked up from tiny scraps of fabric, reams of chain fringing and jewelry like embellishments made from scraps of plastic and gold leaf.
He also re-partnered with i-did, a Dutch company making new materials from felted textile trash, and two other Amsterdam sustainability pioneers on a showpiece coat and dress in white chain-link, with matching recycled felt textile trash handbags and jewelry.