2_DiscoverBenelux_Issue21_Sep_2015_Q9_Scan Magazine 1 28/08/2015 20:46 Page 60
Discover Benelux | Top Boutiques in the Nine Streets | ATELIERAMSTRDM
Unique items, made with love It certainly is one of those little gems ‘hidden’ in the Nine Streets in Amsterdam. ATELIERAMSTRDM was started in 2009, when the financial crisis was at its worst, by owner Wessel Buis and his wife Juliska Kiss. With an eye mostly for accessories, they went on to make an exclusive and full collection of clothing, all produced at their own workplace. TEXT: CATHY VAN KLAVEREN | PHOTOS: ATELIERAMSTRDM
“No item of ours is the same because of our hand printing. There’s always something different, which makes every piece unique,” says Buis. Buis and Kiss are at top of their game, making visits to other countries to learn about what’s new and to sell their brand to international clients. “We work for a high segment. We make two collections a year and we have shown our collection at Paris Fashion Week. That’s a big deal for us. There are buyers who come to those shows from all around the world. It’s nice if they see items of our label as well. People internationally dare to express themselves with clothing, we want our label to be that bold as well.” Buis explains ATELIERAMSTRDM as being for the fashionable woman, who knows what is out there to buy, but is still looking for that one particular item. “And
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one that’s still affordable," Buis explains. "Over the last couple of years the Nine Streets also have changed, but I notice that my customers think it’s nice there’s a shop where they can see our whole collection. Tourists sometimes can’t even believe it, because what we make by hand with the fabrics that we use, would be very expensive somewhere else,” Despite the global financial crisis, Buis just went to this typical location in the Nine Streets, asked the tenant if he knew of a decent location for ATELIERAMSTRDM and promptly found himself in the possession of the spot he stood in. “I thought: if we can make it through the crisis, we can always make it.” From the start, ATELIERAMSTRDM has used durable leathers like snake leather because it’s the kind that becomes more beautiful when used. The snake print has
become one of the details of the label: in every collection something references to the snake. “It’s our trademark. We build everything around it. We also use the finest fabrics. We want our clothes to be the best they can be.” www.atelieramstrdm.com