For the 11th time in a row, Dutch Sustainable Fashion Week (DSFW) showcases a better version of the Dutch fashion industry. Rotterdam is one of the main venues of the sustainable fashion event. With an extensive public programme, DSFW Rotterdam pays tribute to the innovative, diverse, entrepreneurial and creative character the city has grown up with.
Between 9 and 13 October, Rotterdam will show its most sustainable and fashionable side for the 11th edition of DSFW, with contributions from designers, artists and organisations throughout the city. The diverse programme aims to put sustainable fashion on the map in Rotterdam and to give visibility to local makers who contribute to it. Initiatives come from all along the chain, from high-end fashion design to creative solutions for our textile waste.
#30timeswearing
The theme for DSFW 2024 #30timeswearing is a call to wear clothes more intensively before we buy something new. After all, research shows that we only wear a third of our wardrobe. This immediately sets the tone: making the clothing industry more sustainable starts with ourselves. By making more conscious buying choices and being more careful with clothes, we can drastically reduce our collective environmental impact.
DSFW Rotterdam presents circular concepts such as repair cafés and green shopping streets, which help keep clothes alive longer. With surprising design, Rotterdam-based designers show that fashion can be more than a disposable product.
Full programme throughout the city
Ahead of DSFW Rotterdam, there is already a lot of sustainable things to see and do in the city. Among the pre-events is an exhibition on emerging sustainable fashion designers in Rotterdam. This can be seen from 8 August to 8 October in exhibition space De Goot, in the middle of the Koopgoot, where a lot of non-sustainable shopping takes place.
On 9 October, the official public programme begins with a Fashion March through the city centre. Sustainable fashion entrepreneurs from the city will make a statement about the change that is needed. Those who dare may join in.
After the kick-off, a varied programme unfolds throughout the city. Fashion shows, workshops and exhibitions take place in shops, studios and public spaces.
A selection of the programme
Earth Bride offers embroidery workshops with live classical music at iconic Rotterdam locations, such as Trompenburg’s cactus greenhouse. The Silkscreen Café invites you to ‘cheerfully protest’ against fast fashion with a pop-up workshop travelling around the city. Willem de Kooning Academy organises a special evening on repurposing discarded textiles and the Zadkine Beauty & Design Lab temporarily opens its doors to present the
‘upcycling’ project Microfactory meets Milan. 3D Fashion & Textile Designer Marlou Linders will give a lecture on digital fashion and the innovative centre BlueCity will literally put eco-friendly paints under the microscope. Workshop themes range from venyl printing to knotweed making from the ancient Dutch material flax. With a valid reservation, these sessions are free to attend.
Nationwide initiative
DSFW opens first in Amsterdam on 8 October, with a presentation by knighted fashion designer and artist, Sepehr Maghsoudi. After that, diverse programmes will start in ‘Experience Centres’ across the country: Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, Utrecht, Enschede, Almere, Lelystad, Arnhem, Den Bosch, Groningen and Haarlem will each give their own interpretation of the #30keerdragen theme, inspired by local talent. Thus, DSFW forms a weighty sustainable counterpart to the traditional unsustainable fashion weeks in cities like Paris and New York in September.
About Dutch Sustainable Fashion Week (DSFW)
The Dutch Sustainable Fashion Week foundation aims to bring sustainable developments in fashion to the attention of society. It has been doing this for 11 years through the use of various media channels and events, inspiring and encouraging direct action in favour of a greener, cleaner and fairer fashion industry. Recent years have seen high-profile shows featuring designs by Hans Ubbink, Monique Collignon (2017 edition) and Benchellal (2018 edition). During corona, virtual fashion was given a platform, presenting an all-digital collection with 13 looks by artist Meggie van Zwieten. In 2022, the first Experience Centre followed in the old V&D building on Kalverstraat; a concept DSFW rolled out to several cities in the Netherlands the following year.
Photos: Dutch Sustainable Fashion Week 2023
