Amsterdam Fashion Week: Olaf Hussein

Cities | 11.07.2014

Amsterdam fashion week opened up for men’s collections yesterday (Thursday July 10) at the Transformatorhuis (the short runway) with young Dutch designer Olaf Hussein. This was his first runway show ever and the event coincided with the release of the new Olaf Hussein website.

The colors Olaf is using range from the 4th spectrum (anything between black and white) to different shades and hues of blue, which makes for a definitive denim look and for practical street-style type associations. If this were middle class America somewhere in Detroit, baseball caps and hoodies would be part of the collection (indeed spotted one hoodie but not so visible) and the pants would have been worn lower on the hips for sure. But it gives you this Dutch style practical street look, casual but NOT worn/worn-out, but definitely loose and free and meant to wear on the streets.

Trendy sneakers in the same colors as described above – without socks of course – are the norm in the collection, and casualness here in Amsterdam is worn, well, casually, freely and without any pretension of who you are or who you like to be. And this is decidedly refreshing! Because indeed, why would casual wear denim street style have to be a fashion mission statement: Keep it simple, and keep it free and casual – this collection is meant to make you feel comfortable, yet nicely dressed while you walk on the streets of Amsterdam.

Thus it was the perfect kick-off for Amsterdam fashion week for the men’s collections. A brand new designer introducing a casual street denim style collection of what one would represent the streets of Amsterdam, practical in its conceptions, yet ready – to – wear, ready to roll it all out for all the guys and boys who like to be comfortable but who are not afraid of the streets, hop on the bus, go down in the metro, skate on the sidewalk, ride a bike, cross the street, or kick that stone.