AMFI alumnus and Lichting winner Ruben Jurriën talks about his new collection

Anyone who says cheerful, flamboyant and positive says Ruben Jurriën, the Amsterdam-based young fashion designer and AMFI alumnus who won 'Lichting' 2022, an annual prize that rewards the best fashion design graduate in The Netherlands. Jurriën presented "Take my heart!", a collection that made reference to tailoring and to the relief Jurriën felt seeing his vision of fashion become a reality. It screamed positivity and inclusivity.

Lichting 2022 gave Jurriën reassurance. His work, which coloured outside the lines of the traditional, was labelled 'cool' and 'innovative', according to him. Lichting 2022 gave him opportunities. For example, the Dutch band Goldband wore his creations at Lowlands festival in The Netherlands and Rock Werchter festival in Belgium. Moreover, it landed Jurriën several collaborations. What those look like, he is not yet allowed to share.

This year, the Lichting 2022 winner is scheduled to appear half an hour before the Lichting show with a new collection and his own show at Amsterdam Fashion Week (AFW). His flamboyant self-expression has now become his brand value, which is fully reflected in his new collection.

When FashionUnited contacts Jurriën a few weeks before Amsterdam Fashion Week, he is in the middle of preparations for his show at AFW.

"I've been working on it for a year, but I'm now putting all the finishing touches," the young fashion designer tells FashionUnited. "I took the whole of July off to make the collection. I am now working on the final garments." In addition, scouting models keeps him busy. "I'm doing that through an open-call and I got a lot of applications, including model Jurre Geluk. I think that's super fun!" It gives him extra confirmation that his clothes are appreciated, he says.

Ruben Jurriën shows 'Super Femboyant' at Amsterdam Fashion Week: "Love is just stronger than such a macho culture"

Jurriën is already sharing some details about what you can expect from him during his AFW show on Friday, September 1. What is certain, at least, is that an old acquaintance will be starring again: Toetie the sleeping cuddle. In Jurriëns' graduation collection, Toetie was looking for a way out of traditional fashion and went his own way, he says. "Now he has grown into a superhero. In this collection, Toetie encounters his arch-enemies whom he fights with love - his superpower." In other words, another testament to a collection overflowing with positivity and strength.

'Super Femboyant', the name of the collection, represents softness, but also tremendous strength. Anyone who agrees with that becomes a superhero, says Jurriën. Those who dissect Femboyant get an even better picture of the collection: 'fem' stands for 'feminin', 'boy' for 'masculine' and 'boyant' for 'beyond'.

The story of the collection stems from an experience Jurriën had with his partner. "We gave each other a kiss in a swimming pool. Some traditionally robust people, that's what I call them, were quite angry about that." They had six-packs and looked tough, according to the fashion designer. "Later I realised that maybe my kissing was stronger than their presence. They felt triggered by something that is actually very loving. Love is just stronger than such a macho culture."

The text continues below the photo.

In his show, this story translates into 18 looks, including two children's looks. "You can expect trench coats, but also suits and denim," he says. His collection goes through a transformation during the show. "We start with pieces that are associated with the traditional form of strength. Slowly these are transformed into flamboyant items, so the further into the show, the more 'femboyant' people dare to dress, because they realise how strong love is," the fashion designer explains.

It is also the first time Jurriën has ventured into children's fashion. "I always get inspired by the inner child," he says. The openness that children are born with, according to the designer, is something we need to hold on to. "My brand is all about that openness and my brand is for everyone. Also for children. After all, the clothes are adjustable in sizes, so the items can also be worn by adults."

Ruben Jurriën makes flamboyance his brand value

Besides Amsterdam Fashion Week, Jurriën has a busy schedule. In November, for instance, he will participate in Fashionclash in Maastricht, where he will put on a performance with 'Super Femboyant'. Moreover, various collaborations with Dutch brands are planned, to be announced later. And last but not least, the fashion designer hopes to sell his ready-to-wear collection in concept stores. " Here I am thinking of the concept stores that have a lot of underground artists, like X Bank Amsterdam," he says. Eventually, Jurriën hopes to spot a stranger in his clothes on the street. "'If I can talk about a couture Ruben Jurriën piece, my life is pretty much complete!"

This article was originally published on FashionUnited.NL. Translation and editing from Dutch into English by Veerle Versteeg.