Pauline van Dongen

Barely in her mid twenties, Pauline van Dongen is already one of the most promising Dutch fashion designers. Pauline is born in Amsterdam in 1986 and as a little girl dreams of becoming a doctor. In 2008, however, she earns her BA in Fashion Design from the renowned Artez, Academy of the Arts in Arnhem. Two years later she acquires a Masters Degree at the Fashion Institute of Arnhem; her graduation collection Morphogenesis, exploring the space between the body and the garment, is awarded Most Creative Collection by the Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana in one of the biggest fashion competitions worldwide – Mittelmoda. During the same year, 2010, her superb avant-garde design of the Vertigo shoe wins her the Sacha Golden Heel Award.

Throughout her studies, Pauline van Dongen shapes her creative process around the “moulage” technique, fitting or rather molding the fabric directly on the mannequin. She also dedicates her time to experimenting with textures and surfaces, manipulating fabric into intricate volumes and shapes and researching new materials and fabric finishings. Since the starting point of her work is often the textile and its relation to the body, Pauline plays with innovative materials such as knitted metal mesh and buntal (a fiber extracted from a Buri palm tree).

Her last collection, Kinetic Landscapes, presented during the S/S 2012 Amsterdam International Fashion Week, once again employs her signature organic, yet futuristic look along with nearly architectural, while in the same time minimalistic silhouettes. The beautifully tailored outfits in white, orange, beige, blue and black are inspired by the structural changes, unusual forms and deterioration that natural elements like air and water create along earth’s crust.