IN DE MAAK – IN THE MAKING
Fashion is inseparable from making. A century and a half ago, de Bijenkorf started a small fabric and haberdashery store, where everything needed to make your own clothing was available. This inspired Room on the Roof to the traveling exhibition IN DE MAAK, which sheds light on the creative process in a contemporary way.
IN DE MAAK – IN THE MAKING takes you on a journey through the creative craftsmanship of makers and designers. All works are made in white test fabrics, also called toiles, and produced in honor of this exhibition.
The makers map out the history of de Bijenkorf. This group carefully studied the historical posters, illustrations and patterns of de Bijenkorf. Ranging from shoes from the space age to the flapper dress of the 1920s, they all brought them back to life.
These makers come from the Meesteropleiding Coupeur and Dutch Shoe Academy, two vocational schools specialized in making clothing and shoes. Unique in their kind, these two educational institutions are preparing a new generation of professionals. With all this acquired knowledge and special craft in lease, they know how to accurately translate the vision of designers into form and material. This makes them indispensable in the workshops and the driving force behind fashion.
We also give nine (inter)national designers, artists and design collectives a platform to share their inspiring vision of the future with us. After all, bursting with creativity and dedication, they form the spirit of tomorrow. They also respond in white toiles to contemporary topics, such as inclusivity, sustainability and creativity: values that fit in seamlessly with the identity of de Bijenkorf.
Room on the Roof is the artist-in-residency platform of de Bijenkorf. The name refers to the room in the tower on top of de Bijenkorf in Amsterdam. This place in the heart of the city is a place for reflection, creation and a platform for new ideas. Since 2015, De Bijenkorf has been inviting local and international artists, writers, musicians, architects and designers to create new work here as artist in residence. From the Room on the Roof, the work is visible in the store in various ways; music in the fitting rooms, a poem in the book department or exhibitions in the atrium, the stairwell and the shop windows.