As one of the final presentations of Amsterdam Fashion Week, Bonne Suits unveiled The Carpenter, a double debut that paired its new seasonal collection with the opening of Bart Lunenburg’s exhibition at Galerie De Schans. Both collection and installation stood as an ode to craftsmanship, a celebration of the city’s memory and the makers who keep it alive.
For Autumn/Winter 2025, Bonne Suits found its muse in De Branderij, a carpenters’ workshop tucked away on the Korte Kromboomsloot. Taking inspiration from a muse is not new for Bonne Suits; the brand’s first was Bonne Reijn’s great-aunt, which led to the collection The Gardener. This year’s muse, De Branderij, emerged from the squatting movement of the 1970s and remains home to a cooperative of independent craftsmen, from young apprentices to carpenters in their eighties. The collection honoured resilience, skill and community in a city centre increasingly polished by commerce. It paid tribute to the carpenter’s workwear with a crisp white buttoned long-sleeved shirt and two utilitarian suits in beige and black. Cut from heavyweight cotton canvas, the suits featured large patch pockets, a chest pocket and button closures over a concealed zip. Boxy and slightly oversized, the fit stayed true to the traditional carpenter style.
Each season, Bonne Suits also collaborates with an artist whose practice resonates with the brand’s philosophy. For The Carpenter, this was Bart Lunenburg, whose work reflects on the memory of buildings, architectural history and heritage. Working with scale models that lead to sculptures, photographs, drawings and textiles, his ongoing project Jaarringen (Tree Rings) traces the story of Amsterdam’s wooden architecture.
At Galerie De Schans, his exhibition transformed the white cube into something closer to a workshop. Sculptures, models and installations mapped forgotten layers of the city, inviting visitors to walk through memory. In this setting, the launch of the collection struck a balance between carpenter-inspired designs and Lunenburg’s artistic vision, bringing the concept together into one cohesive story.
With this presentation, Bonne Suits reaffirmed its place as a pillar of Amsterdam’s cultural scene, standing for independence, craftsmanship and community. More than a collection, The Carpenter was an ode to the places and people that shape the city’s character.
