Annelies is the driving force behind ApronStudio. Also known as the ‘apron guru’ ‘apron genius’or ‘apron goddess’ she has always been fascinated by the apron as a phenomenon. Her very first design studying on the famous Artez fashion school was an apron for a nurse.
Since then aprons form a common thread running through all her activities. Up to a Paris catwalk as a design for her famous at the time label Der Kommissar.
Nowadays Annelies regards fashion as workwear. A challenge and a refreshing innovation after all these unimaginative red carpet repetitions that established the fashion look for so long.
Apron Guru
High
Workwear
Workwear is todays fashion trend : the new black”.
Wellknown brands like Gucci, Dior or Chanel causes a unilateral street scene and are often just a kinf of businesscard from people who earn their money in an easy way.
No longer of interest to the real fashionista or to a young and ambitious new generation, producing a new impulse.
A new impulse that is to be expressed in workwear, like a newcomer full of energy. Worn by young craftsmen with a passion and often their own comopany to be proud of.
People with a craft and a passion are nowadays of more value than people who are just welleducated but add notihing tangible to society.
Therefore more and more people create their own brand: themselves or the product they are standing for.
Take a look at Instagram and see how it works. People are creating and showing., using their own brand and logo.
High
Workwear
Every era gives me a new vision...
Photo: Steven Meisel
Today it is twenty years since I graduated from the University of the Arts, Artez, in Arnhem, The Netherlands.
In that days I had made the choice to graduate in applied art, fashion and design.
But not with a fashion collection – which was normal - but with a fashion website – which was not common at all in those days. (As it is not today either, by the way)
I was fascinated by characteristics, structures and possibilities of the Internet and my intention was to be part of this exciting revolutionary development and also be among the early adaptors who were able and interested to give shape to this phenomenon.
First result of this was the creation of Fashion Fast Forward, the first online fashion community where designers were given the opportunity to present their collections to a (worldwide!) audience op potential customers, and by doing so excluding intermediaries like professional buyers. It were all showcases of visions, inspirations and subcultures.
I got approval to graduate with this project under the condition that I should find and select my own mentors for this entirely new ground, and besides that I was asked to present the project in 3D, because, after all, it was was a 3D-course…
So I build a man-sized installation made of plexiglass. The connections were visible as steel thread with screws to connect. Thanks to a black-and-white transparant photo sheets this resulted in amazing images, time after time again.
Yvonne Brinkman a graphic designer took care of the flowchart, and IBM provided me with a laptop so the website was actually to be seen.
My hero in this project was a guy called Chrit Linsen, who responded to an open call I did in a nerdy magazine. This great guy spend hours, days and weeks to program the website.
After graduation I intended to ask the Fonds voor de Beeldende Kunst to give me the opportunity to further develop this project. To my surprise they asked me to deliver the side as a slide show! So no wonder this plan didn’t come to anything.
In the end the Vormgevingsinstituut produced some kind of derivate of the original: the fashion community.
Taken as a whole it was an informative experience to try to get the project financed by anxious investors and ‘cultural criminals’. The conclusion was clear: a website for fashion was not feasible.
So anyway, as cyberspace was on top of my mind back in 1997, nowadays it’s the earthly and primal principals that are leading in how I work today.
In my opinion Workwear is the "new black" and my inspiration is the landscape of Tirol! And not to forget the Neanderthalers of the most illustrious Walter van Beirendonck.