Presented in her hometown of Utrecht, Keurslijf marks ten years of the Dutch couturier’s eponymous label. Rather than looking back through nostalgia, the anniversary collection revisits the ideas, silhouettes and craftsmanship that have defined her practice, taking them apart only to rebuild them in unexpected ways. Each of the fifteen looks traces a thread back to an earlier collection, transforming familiar techniques into something entirely new.
The title itself encapsulates that philosophy. In Dutch, keurslijf refers to both a corset and a constraint, a tension Van Zalinge has long explored in her work. Earlier this year, she described it as a metaphor for finding your own place within the fashion industry.
“Keurslijf stands for wanting to wiggle yourself into a garment that doesn’t fit quite perfectly yet, trying to create your own shape within it,” she told Amsterdam Fashion Week. “For the first ten years, I was busy searching for my signature. That is more steady now, but I think it will always remain a push and pull.”
That duality runs throughout the collection. Historical references are deconstructed rather than preserved, while the restrained palettes and raw toiles that once became synonymous with the label give way to colour, expressive pattern and new proportions. The result is less a retrospective than a conversation between past and present, revealing how Van Zalinge’s practice continues to evolve without losing sight of its foundations.
If Keurslijf reflects on the archive, it also celebrates the people who helped build it. Before the show began, Van Zalinge honoured everyone who has contributed to the label over the past decade, from interns and freelancers to long-time collaborators. It is an acknowledgement that feels inseparable from the way she has shaped her brand over the years.
Her casting, too, has become an extension of that philosophy. Rather than searching for a singular ideal, Van Zalinge surrounds herself with people she knows and trusts, many of whom have been part of her creative world for years.
“When I’m casting, I look for personality. People I’d genuinely like to have a coffee with,” she previously shared. “I only want to be surrounded by people I truly know. Since then, every show has felt much more like a celebration.”
That sense of community may be what distinguishes Tess van Zalinge’s work as much as the couture itself. While every garment is meticulously crafted by hand, the collections have always been shaped by the relationships behind them: pattern cutters, makers, friends, family and collaborators, all leaving their mark on the story of the label.
And while Keurslijf celebrates the first ten years, Van Zalinge is already looking towards the next chapter. During Amsterdam Fashion Week this September, she will invite Evy Cornelie, Dirkje Lemmink and Simone van Ommen to temporarily take over the creative direction of the label, each presenting their own interpretation of its heritage.
Images by Iris Ooms