Receiving the Cultuurfonds Mode Stipendium in the middle of the corona pandemic presented a ‘double dip’ opportunity for Claes Iversen; while making the best possible use of the lockdowns by investing both in deepening the couture label’s design and artisanal qualities as well as developing a new branch for the brand, bridal fashion. To approach bridal fashion as a proper (semi) ready to wear label rather than the occasional couture assignment meant entering an entirely different industry with its own rhythm, rules, and rituals. A particularly traditional market within which Claes Iversen manages to offer a distinctive alternative: beautiful contemporary clothes, and yet answering to that romantic notion of ’the most beautiful day in a woman’s life’, in all-white.

Claes Iversen has ultimately managed to set up his company in such a way that he and his team can properly enjoy what they do. They present the couture collections when they are ready – not more than once a year – and make sure to have space for occasional collaborations varying from interior to corporate clothing to capsules for other brands. 

Receiving the Cultuurfonds Mode Stipendium ‘bought’ Frenken the time to thoroughly rethink his label. He decided to proceed with 2 collections a year instead of 4, but at a higher level of design and quality, and thus a higher price point. Although he and his Portuguese production partner first had to overcome the considerable set back that corona was to fashion retail, by now this new direction is bearing fruit.

The digital b2b platform JOOR and a carefully targeted Instagram account are the post-pandemic tools of choice for the perfect high-end retailers to discover and team up with FRENKEN. The switch brought about by the Mode Stipendium has landed Erik where he wants to be, nurturing and aiming at continuity for his brand’s strong position in the global high end womenswear market.

The Cultuurfonds Modestipendium was instrumental for bringing the Francisco van Benthum label to a next level, with a stronger international presence and a brand store in Amsterdam. Facing the reality of this growth as a ‘one man show’ business, along with a growing awareness of systemic issues in the fashion industry, became the prelude to a major transformation. In 2014 Francisco decided to discontinue his label and start the HACKED by__ project with fellow designer Alexander van Slobbe, collaborating with fashion partners ranging from boutique stores to big fast fashion retailers, repurposing their access stock into new covetable designs. Pioneering sustainable fashion practices has been Van Benthum’s new ‘tightrope’ to balance ever since.

After Van Slobbe left the project Francisco once again decided to scale down his responsibilities and started his new label RE_EDITIONED, creating small collections from excess stock and fabrics for specific boutiques. Next to that Francisco van Benthum specialized in sustainable corporate fashion for hotels and theaters, for example, working with re-design, reuse and ecological and recycled materials. Being able to enjoy your solution-specialized design practice by controlling its scale is also an important form of sustainability in this regard.

Iris van Herpen has kept up with the Paris couture calendar ever since, impressing the international fashion elite time and again with her distinctive artistry. No small feat indeed. The Cultuurfonds Mode Stipendium’s financial infusion aided in building the foundation for a unique global fashion brand that, by now, includes regular collaborations on art projects and red-carpet performances of high-profile celebrities, a bespoke and bridal service, and a small collection of accessories for direct-to-consumer sales. All pristinely documented on her website.

From from 29 November 2023 to 28 April 2024 the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris pays tribute ‘to one of the most forward-thinking fashion designers with the exhibition Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses.
Iris van Herpen is a fashion fantasy come true, inspiring a generation in her wake to believe in their own artistic vistas, no matter how far-fetched.

After years of working within the realm of the rules of fashion and trying to bend the boundaries as much as possible, Joris Suk and Tessa de Boer of Maison the Faux felt a deep desire to explore new territory. In 2019 they decided to transform their ‘product focus’ from consumer goods to experiences: an investigation into what fashion and fashion shows can be as an art-form.

Receiving the Cultuurfonds Mode Stipendium was an instrumental boost in this transition. Maison the Faux teamed up with the MU in Eindhoven to work on their autonomous project TIMELESSTIME, a multi-disciplinary installation involving fashion, performance, scenography, and audiovisual elements, which drew an especially large and diverse crowd during Dutch Design Week.

Moving into new realms of collaboration, such as theatre, opera, dance and museum exhibitions, means that as fashion designers, they now reach audiences beyond the familiar bubble of fashion lovers.

MAISON the FAUX: “The recognition and trust that comes with the Cultuurfonds Mode Stipendium has touched us deeply. Especially at this point in our career, in which we are challenging the meaning and the role of fashion, like never before. It gives us time and space to develop further, to realize new, big dreams and to set our ambitions and goals even sharper. Thank you DFF for continuously pushing and supporting the Dutch fashion scene and us forward.”

Mohamed Benchellal: “The essence of my name Benchellal, means “Son of the waterfall”. I’ve come to see life as a waterfall, full of twists and turns. Life hasn’t always given me exactly what I wanted, but it’s given me exactly what I needed, therefore I’m very proud and honored to be the 12th recipient of the ModeStipendium. It’s about following your own unique flow, you own path. Just like a river streaming through different landscapes, I’ve chosen to embrace the unpredictable, to be the son of the waterfall, and let my creativity and passion for designing flow freely. And by doing so, I’ve found my own kind of success. One that’s uniquely mine and incredibly fulfilling.”

Ronald van der Kemp founded the world’s first sustainable couture label RVDK back in 2014, and it has been impactful ever since. Referring to his team as ‘fashion alchemists’, he insists on his believe that ‘a form of art can change behaviour which leads to a bigger change in the industry’. His website states that one essential truth: “The world is full of beautiful things we can’t see anymore… because we are too busy to consider them, or too rookie to appreciate them.” RVDK simply numbers his serial releases as wardrobes to oppose the idea of his creations becoming inevitably outdated.

Working with leftover and discarded materials and turning them into the spunky joyful (demi-) couture level creations that are Ronald van der Kemp’s signature, has evolved beyond a fashion experiment and into a leading laboratory for future design practices and collaborations. Meanwhile enthusing new generations of designers to join in this mission, this is the true force of creativity right here: to be a guiding light.

To underscore his positive and progressive message RVDK launched a sustainable fragrance in collaboration with ‘rockstar nose’ Isaac Sinclair and Salle Privée called The Mind Vaccine in the summer of 2023.