The Quirked Up, Intentionally Flawed Designs of Camiel Fortgens<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
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For more than a decade, Amsterdam-based designer Camiel Fortgens has built \u201cperfectly imperfect\u201d garments that embrace irregularity, visible handwork, and controlled idiosyncrasy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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WORDS BY NICO GAVINO \nPHOTOS BY SAM MORSINK<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
This article originally appeared in Hypebeast Magazine #37: The Architects Issue. Order a copy via HBX.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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A teenage Camiel Fortgens was sketching up designs for sneakers and clothes long before his own line came into being. Through working in a vintage store, sorting garments in his teens and early adulthood, Fortgens gained an intimate understanding of how clothes are transformed by everyday life: garments become faded by the sun, distressed by abrasion, and stained by long-term use.<\/p>\n
However, Fortgens wasn\u2019t attracted to any fashion programs back then, and remains averse to the word \u201cfashion\u201d today. To him, fashion as we know it represents commerce and fleeting trends. \u201cI\u2019m more interested in the garments themselves \u2014 how they\u2019re constructed, how they sit on the body, the fabrics, and the materials,\u201d he notes.<\/p>\n
The Dutch designer\u2019s eponymous label was founded in 2014, following his graduation from the Design Academy Eindhoven, where he enrolled in the branding-focused \u201cIdentity\u201d program. There, he was confronted with the ways that products are shaped by the manufacturing process, a jumping-off point for Fortgens\u2019 deconstructed designs.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Today, even though Fortgens\u2019 brand is more than a decade old, his unconventional start still informs its ethos, which can be summed up as \u201cperfectly imperfect.\u201d Raw cuts fray at the edges on many pieces, while others might have a twisted fit or asymmetrical construction. For Fortgens, these intentionally off details aren\u2019t mere aesthetic choices; they\u2019re signs of life.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn garments and imagery, everything has become a perfect object or picture. I think it\u2019s quite dangerous that imperfection is disappearing,\u201d Fortgens says. \u201cBy eliminating all imperfections from the world we live in, you can\u2019t live up to the perfection of everything around.\u201d<\/p>\n
What he describes echoes modern industry\u2019s obsession with maximum efficiency and immediacy, which buff out the blemishes that make individual objects unique. You could even argue that the fashion term \u201cready-to-wear\u201d obscures the real scale of labor involved in production before a garment reaches someone\u2019s closet.<\/p>\n
Camiel Fortgens\u2019s embrace of error is exactly what makes his label stand out in an era driven by algorithmic certainty and seamlessness. Or, as he puts it, \u201cIt\u2019s nice to try something and fail, because that\u2019s what creates new things.\u201d Speaking from his Amsterdam studio, Fortgens gave context to his offbeat approach to design and where he hopes to steer the brand next.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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You\u2019ve expressed a dislike for the term \u201cfashion.\u201d If fashion isn\u2019t what you hope to do with your label, what are you hoping to create?<\/strong><\/p>\n
Camiel Fortgens<\/strong>: \u201cFashion,\u201d for me, stands for a trend \u2014 something temporary that\u2019s in style for a little bit. I\u2019m not really interested in short-term trends. I\u2019m more interested in the garments themselves \u2014 how they\u2019re constructed, how they sit on the body, the fabrics, and the materials. I hope they last longer than \u201cfashion\u201d does.<\/p>\n
When people call me a fashion designer, I\u2019m not sure I fit that definition in the sense of designing a collection that\u2019s \u201con trend\u201d for a season. I don\u2019t really design \u201clooks\u201d \u2014 it\u2019s more about pieces I like, or a shape I think of.<\/p>\n
Can you say more about your university studies and how you ended up designing garments?<\/strong><\/p>\n
I actually started designing clothes when I was fourteen. First, I designed sneakers but started to design more clothing in high school. When I finished high school, I looked at fashion programs, but nothing appealed to me, so I visited the Industrial Design School at the Design Academy Eindhoven, which grasped me with its open view of design. Everybody could do their own thing.<\/p>\n
In the first year, you did everything: life drawing, wooden chairs, ceramics. Along the way, I chose the direction called \u201cIdentity,\u201d which is more or less about branding and creative direction. So I didn\u2019t really make any garments \u2014 more movies, products, and concepts. But for my graduation collection, I wanted to combine what comes naturally, which has always been designing clothes, with everything I learned there. That was the start.<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t know you started by drawing footwear. What shoes do you have in rotation at the moment?<\/strong><\/p>\n
I never turned out to be a sneakerhead in the end. I love the core classics. I have my Blundstones \u2014 good for Dutch weather \u2014 and Birkenstocks. I want my shoes to be functional. I have a pair of Asics runners. I also really like the Nike Air Forces from the Hender Scheme Manual Industrial Products Series.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s how most of the things I like from our collections come to exist \u2014 because something went wrong.\u201d \u2013 Camiel Fortgens<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Did you ever have doubts because you didn\u2019t have an academic background in fashion?<\/strong><\/p>\n
No, I was always happy coming in from the outside, and that really became the identity of the brand. I didn\u2019t know anyone. I didn\u2019t even know how to make patterns or sew. I didn\u2019t know who to reach out to. I didn\u2019t know anything about the business, so I started by doing it and finding my own way.<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t know that if you want to start a business, you\u2019re supposed to go to Paris, present it in a certain way, and create a whole collection. So I learned what did and didn\u2019t work by doing it. Sometimes, the freedom of not knowing and just trying things is less scary because you don\u2019t have the expectation of failure. It\u2019s been like a master\u2019s project in the fashion business; I\u2019m learning everything along the way, which enables us to find new ways to do things.<\/p>\n
One of your recent collections was inspired by American vintage, and I heard that you worked in a store specializing in American vintage as a teenager. Is that right?<\/strong><\/p>\n
Yeah, it\u2019s true. It acts like a subconscious filter. It was my first job; I worked there on and off from when I was 16 to 25. They imported vintage from the US, and I was unpacking and pricing it. I learned so much along the way, and I guess that came out in the collections \u2014 the Americana workwear vibe has always been there.<\/p>\n
Would you say that you\u2019re somebody who still enjoys vintage shopping today?<\/strong><\/p>\n
I still enjoy vintage, but it has become so popular that it\u2019s hard to find gems. If you go to a store now, it is all so organized that the good pieces are filtered out and very expensive. Nonetheless, my biggest inspiration is still vintage. It captures the time and culture.<\/p>\n
You can find the human touch in vintage pieces \u2014 somebody put their hand in the pocket, and it got greasy, or the sun faded it, or maybe they reworked it. The human aspect of time is embedded in that piece.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Has being from the Netherlands shaped the identity of your brand at all?<\/strong><\/p>\n
I always used to think when I made a coat, \u201cWill it stand the rain and cold, and can I ride my bike?\u201d But people who buy our clothes don\u2019t always cycle in the rain, so I let that go. I sometimes wonder if it\u2019s in the style of the brand \u2014 if it\u2019s a Dutch thing to be a bit rebellious and have a sense of humor in it.<\/p>\n
You recently showcased a \u201cCut to Wear\u201d t-shirt concept with Amsterdam\u2019s Stedelijk Museum. Where does your interest in highlighting the industrial design process come from?<\/strong><\/p>\n
While becoming a brand, I learned that almost everything in garments is handwork. Looking from the outside, you might think it\u2019s machine work or industrial, but it is just handwork supported by machines.<\/p>\n
Looking back, what surprised me about studying industrial design was that most products are designed around the possibilities of how they are made in production, except for garments. To me, it\u2019s quite strange that the major market \u2014 fashion \u2014 is behind in that sense. I thought it could be interesting to research and design from that standpoint.<\/p>\n
I think there\u2019s an unawareness around how much handwork is involved, how to treat garments, and what\u2019s behind the price. It\u2019s a sort of disrespect for the garment and the people who make it. That\u2019s what I want to highlight in our collection: that hands are involved, so you can relate more or feel a connection to the garment.<\/p>\n
What is the value of imperfection to you?<\/strong><\/p>\n
It comes down to valuing yourself. By eliminating all imperfections from the world we live in, you can\u2019t live up to the perfection of everything around. So you think, \u201cI\u2019m not good, I can\u2019t do this.\u201d<\/p>\n
In garments and imagery, everything has become a perfect object or picture. I think it\u2019s quite dangerous that \u201cimperfect\u201d imagery is disappearing. It can make people insecure and feel less free. It\u2019s nice to try something and fail, because that\u2019s what creates new things.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s how most of the things I like from our collections come to exist \u2014 because something went wrong. I\u2019m not a designer who sketches a look, and that\u2019s the design; rather, it\u2019s sculpted along the way. Maybe we have leftover fabric and try something quickly, or three colors of stitch yarn end up in one machine. New things happen.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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How do you decide the balance between maintaining that symmetry and irregularity? How do you know when it\u2019s enough?<\/strong><\/p>\n
That\u2019s a fine line. It\u2019s really a feeling. I like things to be wearable. I want it to be an object you can cherish and wear. In the core collections, we try to have wearable pieces with just enough of a twist.<\/p>\n
If we have time, I like to work on the \u201cResearch Collection,\u201d which is where we really go crazy and let everything happen without thinking about wearability. But we also have to run the business. So it\u2019s always a struggle to get that balance right between the bread and butter and the showpieces.<\/p>\n
What comes first when you\u2019re starting a collection? Is it fabrics, patterns, or a concept?<\/strong><\/p>\n
There are two different things. On one side, there is the business part: what will our core collection look like? Which styles perform well? On the other hand, it\u2019s random thoughts, ideas, books, pictures, or a vintage garment I think would work well \u2014 so that could be the colors, the fabrics, or it could be a detail.<\/p>\n
For the last summer collection, I was interested in the fading of fabrics by the sun. The collection before that was a muddy British hunting vibe. This season, we\u2019re doing something like urban caveman\/mountaineer.<\/p>\n
Do you seek inspiration or do you allow it to arrive naturally?<\/strong><\/p>\n
I think both. Nowadays, I have to forcefully look for it as well. I have one image, and will continue looking at other things around that subject. Due to time, when I was young, I just wandered around, and everything came over me. Now there\u2019s less time, and I say, \u201cOK, now I\u2019m going to look for it.\u201d It always starts with a random thing I see or stumble upon. For this season, I\u2019ve been wearing more practical outdoor gear myself, so maybe I wanted to bring that element in.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t really design \u2018looks\u2019 \u2014 it\u2019s more about pieces I like, or a shape I think of.\u201d \u2013 Camiel Fortgens<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Could you describe a piece from the collection you\u2019re developing right now?<\/strong><\/p>\n
Last winter, we started working on a waxed hunting jacket, like a Barbour. I love working around these archetypal pieces. We also started working on bags more. It\u2019s a challenge because bags are such a specialist thing to work on, and we\u2019re really searching for our own language.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not only the shapes but a lot of fabric developments this season. There\u2019s also a shift from oversized \u2014 which we were always doing \u2014 to more fitted. We did a fitted zip hoodie in wool that acts like a track jacket, which is really functional.<\/p>\n
What do you think the fashion industry needs more of in 2026, and what does it need less of?<\/strong><\/p>\n
We definitely need fewer of these cheaply produced clothes, like Shein. We need more quality fabrics, which I think we\u2019re seeing with brands like Auralee. Vintage used to have such high-quality fabrics, but my old boss said that now the quality is so poor. So less quantity, more quality. I would say for myself, invest in good pieces instead of more pieces.<\/p>\n
I would also like to add the importance of the team. We have a small team \u2014 five full-time \u2014 and without these people, we are nothing. We are the company. In the beginning, I thought it was weird that people wanted to interview me because we\u2019re really doing this together. Some things start with me, and others come from the team \u2014 that\u2019s not really shown in the fashion landscape.<\/p>\n
And, if I\u2019m good at something, and someone on my team is good at something else, we can combine our strengths and are capable of so much more. That\u2019s something I\u2019d like to add to the fashion landscape: don\u2019t push each other away, do it together.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n