These are participating brands of The HUB by AFW 2023

The HUB by AFW hosts a unique selection of brands from The Netherlands and Belgium that have the potential to end up on the AFW schedule as a stand-alone entity in the years to come. Open on September 1st and 2nd in the city centre of Amsterdam, the unique space becomes a canvas for collaboration, inviting participating brands to forge connections, weave narratives, and share their visions. This is not merely a gathering—it is an orchestration of ideas that harmonises voices from diverse corners of the creative industry. As we count the days approaching, we proudly present to you the participating brands, artists and designers of this year’s edition.

 

Participating fashion brands/designers

Vitatijme
Vitatijme is the collaborative practice of designers Tijme Veldt and Vita Stasiukynaite, which was founded in 2020. in 2023, they both continued working individually, but they still find each other in presentations and collaborations.

Aline Van Hulle
Aline Van Hulle is a slow fashion brand founded in 2021. All pieces are non-seasonal and available all year round. Playful, feminine, energetic and elegant at the same time; its collection is perfect for mix-and-matching to create a durable wardrobe.

AMO
AMO was founded by model & stylist from Amsterdam, Vera van Erp, known for her iconic streetstyle looks. To share this dressing experience, she decided to launch her own brand. A Modern Object offers key-essentials to create a modern girl wardrobe, designed & curated by Vera herself.

Salon Heleen Hülsmann
Salon Heleen Hülsmann focusses on pre-loved luxury fashion, hand-picked and curated items. Instead of delving into vintage, the store carefully selects items from recent collections.

LATRIBEAU
LATRIBEAU is a sustainable lingerie brand founded on the principles of confidence, involvement & awareness. The brand aims to give a taste of its daily dose of inspiration; from beauty hacks to date nights, decor ideas, playlists, and everything in between.

BLAZE Amsterdam
BLAZE Amsterdam is an upcycling fashion brand that breathes new life into high-end vintage blazers, crafting them into exclusive, fashionable creations. “we care for the world and your wardrobe, dress the part with blaze.”

RERUN
rerun is a fashion rental service for luxury fashion, which offers a mix of luxury vintage, in-demand brands and creative cult labels.

BY RISQUÉ
Born in 2018 in Amsterdam’s dynamic South-East, BY RISQUÉ celebrates boldness, independence, and creativity. Firmly believing that taking risks is essential to reaching your goals, their clothing is designed to help you focus on pursuing your passions without being held back by your wardrobe.

The Knitwit Stable
The Knitwit Stable is a farm and knitting studio, aiming to transform fashion through transparency. The initiative traces wool’s ethical journey and hosts workshops on animal-friendly practices, sustainable production, and supply chains. Owner of The Knitwit Stable Reina breeds angora goats and merino sheep, crafting their fur into sustainable yarns using diverse knitting machines.

DYO Studio
DYO was founded by Heleen Hülsmann and Eva Lagos as an addition to Salon Heleen Hülsmann. Launched in 2022, the label offers sustainable, curated essentials with a modern twist that are distinguished by innovative colours and exceptional materials. All items are made with longevity in mind, by putting durability and transparency at the centre.

Reconsider Studio
Reconsider Studio brings Dutch craftsmanship and sustainability together. The label offers handmade, upcycled, and unique clothing and encourages you to join them in shaping a timeless, conscious fashion future.

STUDIO AR
The STUDIO AR wardrobe was created from the desire to create feminine, cool, and wearable pieces. Established by the owners of Arma, their family driven company has extensive knowledge of working with leather since 1985. Breaking the boundaries of traditional leatherwear, their stretch leather quality brings together practical luxury and timeless style in versatile silhouettes.

 New Optimist
New Optimist approaches fashion in a non-industrial way. They work with small batches and design for circularity. Their creations are hand-cut and sewn in Amsterdam, transforming the industry piece by piece.

The Next Closet
The Next Closet is a circular platform that allows people to sell and buy pre-loved designer fashion. As a response to fashion’s major impact of over-production, constant newness and under-utilization, The Next Closet’s mission is to promote and support a behavioural change in the way people buy and wear their clothes. Through their community, the label aims to inspire people to invest in quality products and re-use what’s already out there. From your closet to the next!

Studio Ilfa Siebenhaar
Studio Ilfa Siebenhaar is a fashion studio in Amsterdam that focuses on natural colourants from plant residues and innovative bacterial dyes. The studio blends fashion and science harmoniously, resulting in vibrant garments with minimal environmental impact.

GAMEFACE
GAMEFACE is a bodysculpting womenswear brand. GAMEFACE researched the body shapes of the world’s most iconic women and based their Visual Body Sculpting™ line work on it. All garments are made by hand by the two founders in their atelier in Amsterdam where the brand also provides a made-to-measure service.

Esprit
Known and beloved since the 80s, today, Esprit is back as an iconic lifestyle brand defined by an ethos that is playful, modern, and cool.

Loys.Laundry
Loys.Laundry is a fashion brand dedicated to upcycling suits, rooted in the belief that endless pieces deserve endless stories. By crafting one-of-a-kind designs with versatile characteristics, the label initiates new chapters for these garments, ensuring their stories live on while allowing people to start a journey of exploration and self-expression.

Fabien Zou
The eponymous brand Fabien Zou is an ode to poise, will-power and freedom. Inspired by the Creative Director’s journey as well as his Guadeloupean heritage, the brand reinterprets the definition of perceived genders across cultures, how these are expressed through the medium of fashion and the subjective meaning of beauty.

Sneaker Hype
Sneaker Hype is an online retail market place specialising in the latest sought-after sneakers and luxury items. Offering limited editions and exclusives, they are the go-to for trend-conscious sneaker enthusiasts. Committed to excellent service, the platform provides a constantly updated selection of the hottest items.

NELSONJOHNSON
Looking for modern and creative ways to bring classic garments and materials back to life, Ardash Nelson and Bobbie Johnson founded NELSONJOHNSON in 2017, based in Amsterdam. Knowing that feeling good is not only about looking good, their designs embody the balancing act between style, comfort, quality, sustainability and individuality. This translates into designs that are unique, ethical and genderless.

Les Mères
Evocative, emotional and endearing are words that describe jewellery from Les Mères which means “The Mothers” in French. Each piece is an ode to the perfectly imperfect journey of every woman. Overflowing in organic beauty and style, Kim Harmsen’s passionate designs remind us of a beautiful bond we all identify with; motherhood.

FELT
FELT is widely recognised as a vibrant and expressive jewellery brand, but in reality, it serves as a dynamic creative studio. Within this studio, the talented individuals at FELT challenge their creativity with a diverse array of products, including bags and furniture. Guided by a commitment to fashion-forward designs, diverse images, and fostering innovation, FELT truly embodies a hub of creativity.

SYNAESTHETIC
SYNAESTHETIC is an Amsterdam based studio founded by Julie de Galan. She creates sculptural jewellery and objects from silver, gold and synthetic materials using 3D printing and laser-cutting techniques.

SKUA Studio
SKUA Studio makes people feel empowered by making bold and elegant footwear. With the use of classical shoemaking techniques, edgy, clear and sleek designs are created, without losing the element of comfort. All their shoes are available in the sizes 35-46, as they believe everyone should be able to wear heels if they feel like it.

Labro
Labro is a Dutch jewellery brand celebrating the spirit of Italy. The brand solely uses pure materials such as delicate freshwater pearls and carefully sourced gemstones, ensuring long-lasting and characteristic pieces.

SAINT MUZE
With a planet-centred approach, SAINT MUZE transforms vintage sportswear and deadstock into new one-of-a-kind pieces. In this way, the label stands by its mission to only work with materials the planet provides us with.

GINCE GOODS
Chelsey Noëll Weimar’s brainchild, GINCE, debuts with handmade sunglasses made in Rome focusing on unisex, chic styles in earthy tones with a hint of gold made from bio-acetate. A blend of classic and cool, reflecting multi-dimensional personalities; GINCE is a promise of forthcoming offerings.

Oro Jewels
Oro Jewels is a fine jewellery brand founded by three sisters. Curating unique vintage and creating timeless new jewellery, they are here to bring out your inner spark.

LIVE TO EXPRESS
LIVE TO EXPRESS hopes to inspire people to “live to express” and make sustainable decisions while doing so. The brand offers a selection of exclusive deadstock vintage earrings and garments which are made-to-order out of high-end deadstock fabrics in Belgium.

 

Participating artists/art platforms

Just Knoop x Eelco Hilgersom
For this AFW Edition, artist Eelco Hilgersom collaborates with fashion designer Just Knoop. Both operating in different creative fields, they blend their skills harmoniously by finding each other in their feeling for abstraction and colour-making, which creates an exciting play of contrasts.

ART FIX
ART FIX is an online platform that gets you into art. ART FIX collaborates with artists to create limited editions and tell the stories behind the art works through video’s, podcasts, and tip lists.

NOCKNOCK ART
NOCKNOCK is art and design fair founded to give artists the art platform they deserve. The idea originated at the beginning of the Corona period, at a time when it was very difficult for artists to show their work to art lovers. Anne Rose & Ciel have been showcasing artists and designers ever since.

1605 Collective
1605 Collective curates timeless elegance in art, photography, architecture, and design. Their annual 1605 magazine puts talents in the spotlight through captivating articles. The label hosts an enticing selection of items, including books, limited edition boxes, and prints, to expand inspiration and enrich creativity.

Raider (Scoop by Raider)
Amsterdam-based creator Raider masterfully blends digital artistry and craftsmanship, creating uniquely vibrant pieces with a captivating narrative. The artist is renowned for the iconic Scoop sculpture since 2020, embodying boundless creativity.

 

Participating lifestyle brands

Tree of Saba
Tree of Saba consists of two friends Luna and Keanni, who founded the label in 2021 in Amsterdam, in honour of their Caribbean roots. Their grandparents shared their knowledge with them, and subsequently, they also passed it on to their friends and relatives. The label sells wildcrafted sea moss and whipped shea butter.

Fresh ’n Rebel
Fresh ’n Rebel shares a genuine and unending love for music, fashion and colour and are bold at heart. The label creates mobile must-haves that people want to be seen with and that truly complement your style.

SELF STUDIES
Self Studies is an adult toy brand that believes every human deserves the right to enjoy love, pleasure and intimacy, whether this is with a partner(s) or simply going solo. Self Studies curates the world’s best brands and products to create a bodysafe, innovative and modern platform, no matter what your preference is.

Maniac Nails
There is no denying the positive impact your nails have on your mindset, mood and confidence. Maniac Nails believes everybody deserves to feel this way. The Maniac gel polish stickers allow you to create a high-quality gel manicure at home that’s easier, faster and better for your nails.

ROQUEBRUN.
ROQUEBRUN. Is a cosmetic store in Amsterdam, inspiring people to go sunless and to protect themselves against the damaging effects of the sun, without losing their perfect tan.

 La Louème
La Louème sells and rents a curated vintage interior collection to toast with, eat from and/or decorate a space with. The label firmly believes that beautiful items don’t have to be new.

BaByliss
BaByliss makes the tools you need to create the latest hair trends, whatever your inspiration. Their salon quality collection of styling tools allows you to recreate cutting edge trends and daring designer looks like a pro.

Studio Zuiderveld
Studio Zuiderveld allows you to show your fashion week look in their mirror! Share it on Instagram, tag and follow the artist @studio.zuiderveld and get a shot to win a limited micro mirror with colour of choice.

The Farm Paint
The farm Paint is a 500m2 showroom of distinctive materials, colours, and textures. Their goal is to cultivate an interior design community. The farm oversees full projects – from visionary advice to realisation, unearthing significant materials and expertly sourcing finishes that elevate colour and texture.

mmoire
mmoire is a fragrance brand founded by the young and entrepreneurial woman, Sophie. She personally crafts each fragrance, blending modern design with emotions to reawaken forgotten sensations.

Aia*
Aia* is a sexual wellness brand that fits today’s world. Its aim is to let you explore your intimacy in your own unique way, embracing curiosity and taking a step beyond your comfort zone.

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