RVDK Ronald van der Kemp Couture Spring 2022

Ronald van der Kemp found out on New Year’s Eve that his physical show scheduled for Paris would not be able to go ahead due to the rise in COVID-19 cases. In a way, the virtual world was a fitting setting for his collection, which saw him thinking about the metaverse, intentionally making the designs and models look like avatars through the screen.

“I’m intrigued by it but it’s very not me,” said the designer during a Zoom preview. “The carbon footprint of NFTs is enormous.”

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There was nothing virtual about the techniques involved. “It might be very modern and virtual, but the techniques are all very old-school, it’s a labor of love,” he said.

Ever the sustainability champion, the designer put his eclectic architectural hand to a variety of techniques. He questioned the waste generated by cut flowers, experimenting in order to preserve them and integrate them into his designs, as in a ruffled silk moiré bustier dress he compared to “whipped cream,” incorporating real roses.

Pewter found in a thrift shop was melted down to create a bodice and delicate jewelry pieces with an Art Deco feel, involving extensive experimentation in the atelier. That design school was also referenced in a graphic skirt made to look like stained glass with an appliqué of crêpe de chine.

A lot of the looks were hand-painted by the designer himself. Others made through his Trashur initiative, which upcycles old textiles into felt, involved creating a wall with the fabric that was then sprayed with graffiti by a street artist before being cut up and made into a dress.

Denim pieces were worked with elaborate couture techniques, imitating alligator skin on one look or in a cinched jacket with giant shoulders and a wave motif.

Despite the virtual setting, van der Kemp still knows how to put on a show. He was sick with COVID-19 last week, but nevertheless managed to shoot his feature at Amsterdam’s mythical Paradiso concert hall, complete with a performance by Pat Cleveland, who sang her debut single in his video. “She shows us all how to do it with grace,” said the designer, who created a relatively classic black coat dress for the iconic model’s performance.

Launch Gallery: RVDK Couture Spring 2022

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