For F/W ’26, BONNE looks to biker culture, queer Amsterdam and the idea of clothing as a marker of identity. Titled The Biker, the collection takes its cues from the cult classic Quadrophenia (1979), the story of a young man navigating identity, social pressure and the rivalry between Mod and Rocker subcultures in 1960s Brighton. At the heart of the film is a world in which clothing becomes much more than a uniform: it becomes a way of belonging, self-expression and making an identity your own.
That idea became the starting point for BONNE. Looking closer to home, the brand found a local figure who embodies that same relationship between identity and style: Bet van Beeren, the legendary founder of Café ’t Mandje on Amsterdam’s Zeedijk.
Opened in 1927, Café ’t Mandje is considered the oldest surviving queer café in Europe. Van Beeren was known for her distinctive character and, when she wasn’t behind the bar, could often be found riding her motorbike — a fitting extension of her identity at a time when gender roles were far more restrictive. For BONNE, the motorcycle becomes a symbol of that independence and self-definition.
This season, Café ’t Mandje forms the setting for BONNE’s campaign and becomes a central reference throughout the collection. By looking to Bet, the Zeedijk and the neighbourhood’s history as a place of freedom and emancipation, BONNE aims to bring stories of Amsterdam’s diverse communities back into focus.
“We tell these kinds of stories from the neighbourhood deliberately, to bring out the diversity that the area has known, rather than the monoculture that has taken over the city.”
A collaboration with Karel Martens
The collection’s graphic language takes shape through a collaboration with legendary Dutch graphic designer Karel Martens. The initial connection came from the visual resemblance between Martens’ work and the classic Mod logo, referencing the British Royal Air Force. Martens’ work also offered a natural connection to the mechanical forms associated with biker culture.
Throughout his oeuvre, Martens has explored mechanics and the forms found within them. He has used found metal objects as printing elements, rolling them with ink before pressing them onto old archival cards with a traditional letterpress. The resulting compositions play with colour, transparency and the unexpected shapes of everyday mechanical objects.
For The Biker, BONNE and Martens explored which elements of a motorcycle could be extracted and transformed into graphic icons. The result is a series of nine limited-edition iron-on patches, bringing together biker iconography, mechanical forms and Martens’ distinctive use of colour.
Make it your own
The patches are designed as additions to the collection rather than fixed elements. They can be applied to pieces from BONNE’s F/W ’26 collection or to garments already in your own wardrobe, introducing an element of personalisation that is deeply rooted in biker and Mod culture.
The Biker launches during Amsterdam Fashion Week
The Biker will launch on 3 September as part of Amsterdam Fashion Week and the launch is open to the public.
Visitors can expect an evening celebrating the release of the new collection, with drinks and music alongside an exhibition and installation by Karel Martens. The event will also offer a first look at BONNE’s upcoming collaboration with British footwear label George Cox.