MAIKEL_BONGAERTS

Maikel is based in Amsterdam - London, Netherlands. He studied at Fashion Institute Arnhem. His collections are produced in Netherlands.

Biography
Born in 1982, Maikel Bongaerts grew up in Tegelen, The Nederland’s – a small and serene village near the German border. Influenced by his grandfather, a ceramic artist, Maikel flourished in an artistic environment.
Graduating from the Fashion Institute Arnhem with a major in Fashion Design in 2007, Maikel had a glimpse of garment making and immediately fell in love with its intricacies and techniques. He discovered himself the traditional ways of garment making and recalls once going as far as taking an old jacket apart to analyze the materials and methods used. He seeks to combine traditional tailor making with new techniques and cutting edge details.
Theory and concepts take shape in a continuous flow of ideas, just like the fashion he creates. To change and expand our perceptions; to perceive in a different way the normal things as Marcel Duchamp makes with the "ready made”. The Maikel Bongaerts collection consists of apparel and beautiful apparel for men. Bongaerts design philosophy is to break through the boundaries that we have set up through the course of fashion history. He designs with the intent of changing our perception and stereotypes. Not interested in churning out mass produced high street numbers, Bongaerts is interested in the reaction of people to his clothes; he wants an emotive response. As a result, his designs are exceptionally witty, eclectic and contemporary.
After winning the “Frans Molenaar Prijs 2007” and the “H&M Prize for most innovative and global collection during Mittel Moda 2007,Bongaerts moved to Great Britain to work for Gieves and Hawkes on Savile Row No 1 in London. Here he learned the very best of men’s tailoring and the speed and necessities the market demands. At this moment Bongaerts is working on his own label. As an ambitious and thirsty talent, he is expecting to introduce his collections with great response from the industry and the retail distribution.