Reaching the culmination of the first day of Amsterdam Fashion Week, we bore witness to an electrifying spectacle as the Amsterdam fashion label MARTAN boldly stepped onto the international stage with an explosive show. Unveiling their most expansive upcycled collection to date, the show was a resounding testament to the label’s innovation and unwavering dedication to sustainability.
MARTAN’s venture into ready-to-wear knows its origins at Amsterdam Fashion Week. Whereas last year, the three-headed creative team made their first commercial collection wander around the rooms of the Grand Hotel Amrâth Amsterdam, this year’s show was grander, louder and highly intense.
Created entirely from upcycled hotel linens, MARTAN’s Spring-Summer ‘24 collection showcased a realm of imaginative potential that extends far beyond the conventional confines of fashion production. A nod to nautical seemed to be the red threat that weaved itself onto the catwalk. A familiar source of inspiration for MARTAN, the nautical elements were made apparent by the brand’s use of scaffolding nets, shapes inspired by underwater life and sailing knots. Shirts and belts adorned with crumpled-like bedding reminiscent of the outlines of coral and fish fins, brought back a certain quirkiness that’s embedded in MARTAN’s design style. Scallop-shaped bra’s and mesh shirts with cut-open seams at the neckline delivered an unexpected seductiveness, as well as long gaping dresses made entirely out of rope that’s tied up in sailing knots.
As MARTAN exchanged the mystique of last year’s presentation for a light and sound spectacle overwhelming to the senses, their SS24 backdrop emerged as a visual symphony that choreographed the progression of the show. At its inception, glitching picture flashes painted a momentary mosaic, morphing and melding into darkness, leaving the audience in a state of anticipation. Followed up by bright red lights and the sounds of hardcore galore, an alarm sound aggressively makes its way to every corner of the high-ceilinged building, silences when the models are standing in place, and transitions into upbeat music propelling the energy and momentum of the show forward. The colour pallet of fiery vermilion, intense cyan and deep-sea green elevated the intensity of the setting, whilst hues of cocoa brown, soft lavender and powder yellow gave the eyes a chance to take in the garments and observe MARTAN’s craftsmanship.
MARTAN’s newest upcycled ready-to-wear collection stands as an embodiment of the brand’s evolution, a testament to their trajectory of growth through both national acclaim and burgeoning international recognition. At the heart, a tribute to the origins of its materials.
Photo’s by Isabelle Bucx
