THE UNDAUNTED & UNUSUAL BEAUTY OF 'AND BEYOND' PART 2

CONTINUED FROM PART 1

WHAT IS RELEVANT FOR YOU THEN IN ORDER TO CREATE GOOD DESIGN?

J: “One of the main principles is that we don’t want to decorate. So every decision is related to the concept, from the lines and coups in the design to the choice of the fabric and print; so it’s not just a dress with flowers on it. That’s very important for us.”
B: “We don’t want to make just another pretty dress. We want to make a pretty dress, but with a story, feeling or something you have never seen before. That’s what we liked about the 3D-print; we looked at it and we thought: we have never seen this, but it has an effect, so maybe it should be there.”
J: “Our work is kind of a personal feeling translated in designs, that in some way become universal, comprehensive- even if you’re not us. For me, that’s good work, when you make something with such good care, that people notice it in all the blur of this mediated world.”


WHAT WILL YOU BE PRESENTING ON THE ARNHEM FASHION BIENNALE THIS MONTH?

B: “We have three different projects that are part of the Arnhem Fashion Biennale program. First, we are going to present our new full collection at the Young Shape-show at the end of June. We’re also part of the exhibition, where we give a preview of the shape that has been iconic for the new collection. Next to that, we designed a mini-collection, consisting of three limited-edition pieces, that will be for sale at De Bijenkorf (Dutch department store, red.).
J: “This mini-collection called ‘Voodoo’ is an in-between collection, that is also conceptually in between the previous and the next collection. Elle Verhagen en Carmen Freudenthal made a accompanying photo of this collection, that will be in the exhibited in the Museum for Modern Art in Arnhem (MMKA red.). We are really excited about that, because we wanted to work with them for a long time. It finally happened that all things came together and we wanted to collaborate, that’s really great.”


“We don’t want to make just another pretty dress.”
Pictured: And Beyond's creation for the Arnhem Fashion Biennale and their studio where work is in progress...

WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM THE NEXT ‘AND BEYOND’ COLLECTION?

J: “The starting point is the undaunted. We wanted to translate that attitude in a collection, that’s a reaction to things that happen in the world. The collection we are presenting at the Arnhem Fashion Biennale will be our first only-women’s collection. The girls will have a very strong ‘here I am’ attitude like the undaunted. This is also how we feel in our career at this moment. We have chosen to do this, so the way we’re presenting ourselves has become stronger and stronger.”

WHAT ARE OTHER PLANS AND GOALS FOR ‘AND BEYOND’ IN THE FUTURE?

J: “For now, I dream of finishing this collection, haha. I hope to see it in front of me soon, although that’s a very short-term dream. And I just want to continue doing what we’re doing in this space. From the point we graduated, there has been a constant growth in our work and in And Beyond as a label. It’s all getting more and more real and hopefully this will go on and we will be able to go on.
B: “Before, we saw ourselves as separate designers, but now we choose to work less scattered and more from an And Beyond kind of focus.”
J: “Yes, in other words: to present our way of thinking and our reaction on society –this may sound too big, but this is simply how we work.”

WILL YOU BE DESIGNING OTHER THINGS NEXT THAN CLOTHES IN THE FUTURE?

B: “We thought we would have wanted to do that until now, but we haven’t yet.”
J: “I can still imagine that we will, because it’s all about building worlds and creating an atmosphere. However, we decided that, if we really want this to work, we have to focus on one thing. That’s also the reason why we stopped designing a men’s collection. Collaborations would be nice, but the focus has to be on And Beyond now, on working together and making things better and better.”
B: “It’s already quite a challenge to find a focus in And Beyond. That’s why we thought: let’s try to eliminate as much as possible next to it.”
J: “A lot of good things also come on our way and sometimes it’s just hard to say no. But in the end, there are only 24 hours in a day and we want to do what we do, with good care.”

The young shape show on the arnhem fashion biennale 2009 will be on the 26st and 27st of june. For more information visit: www.arnhemfashionbiennale.com

WWW.ANDBEYOND.NL

WRITTEN BY STYLE REPORTER MEHTAP GUNGORMEZ

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THE UNDAUNTED & UNUSUAL BEAUTY OF 'AND BEYOND' PART 1 of 2