Amsterdam in Motion: The future of Amsterdam fashion visualised
Project
What will Amsterdammers be wearing in the future? In Amsterdam in Motion, the Fashion Research & Technology research group (AUAS/AMFI) is investigating how fashion is evolving in relation to the city, from craftsmanship and innovation to digital and circular applications. In this multimedia exhibition at the Westergasfabriek, the research group brings together the past, present and future of Amsterdam fashion in an interactive experience.
Purpose
Amsterdam is celebrating its 750th anniversary, looking not only back but also forward. Fashion plays a key role in this: the city is known for its innovative spirit, creativity and drive for change.
The Amsterdam Museum asked the question: what will Amsterdammers be wearing in the future?
This question formed the starting point for the Fashion Research & Technology research group to develop a fashion installation that shows how the sector is changing and is already changing.
Goal
The Fashion Research & Technology research group aimed to:
- Make the future of Amsterdam fashion visible and experienceable.
- Involve visitors in new developments in fashion and textiles.
- Show how innovation, sustainability and local production come together.
- Present a new narrative on fashion that goes beyond trends and consumption.
Approach
As part of the exhibition, the research group has developed an interactive fashion section where visitors can not only view fashion but also experience it.
Six selected designs take the spotlight, representing different directions in future fashion, including:
- Digital fashion by The Fabricant, which visitors can try on virtually via a touchscreen
- A linen jacket made from locally grown flax, developed by TextileLab in collaboration with local makers
- A garment made from mycelium (fungus) by Yume Yume
- A 3D-knitted fisherman’s jumper, developed by AUAS researchers using technology and in collaboration with local communities.
In addition, visitors can virtually try on historical garments from the Amsterdam Museum’s collection via a digital fitting mirror by Modemuze.
The harvest
The project demonstrates that the future of fashion is already taking shape. The selected designs illustrate how sustainable and local production is taking form, how digital technology is opening up new ways of designing and wearing clothes, and how fashion plays a role in broader societal changes. The installation invites visitors to actively reflect on their own relationship with clothing and the future of fashion.
They are telling a new story, and that is exactly what we need. The fashion industry is at a turning point: designers, many companies and the education sector are all acutely aware that things need to change. Consumers, too, no longer want to carry on as before. These designs show what is possible: this is already happening, it is not a dream – it can be done. The exhibition engages visitors in this in a positive way.
Gwen Parry
Researchmanager Fashion Research & Technology
Amsterdam in Motion is a collaboration between organiser Duncan Stutterheim (Westergas) and the Amsterdam Museum. It brings together a wide network of Amsterdam-based partners, including the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences.
The exhibition showcases the city in all its facets, from history to visions of the future, with Amsterdam’s constant drive for change serving as the central theme.
Research group and study programmes
- Fashion Research & Technology Research Group
- Amsterdam Fashion Institute (AMFI)
Partners
- Amsterdam Museum
- Westergas
- Modemuze
- TextileLab
- The Fabricant
- Yume Yume
- Diverse local makers and designers
Over de expositie Amsterdam in Motion
The ‘Amsterdam in Motion’ exhibition showcases the city of Amsterdam in all its facets – from Ajax and fashion to climate change. The highlight is a gigantic model that takes visitors on a journey through time, past all the city’s historical highlights, with the aid of projections and audiovisual narratives. From its origins in 1275, through 17th-century prosperity, Sarphati, the squatter riots, to visions of the metropolis of the future.
From Tuesday 28 October, Amsterdam in Motion will be open to the public daily at the Zuiveringshal, Oost Westergas, Pazzanistraat 19-23. Tickets are now available Amsterdaminmotion.nl (opens in new window)