Michael van der Meide

Grey Sheep

http://instagram.com/michaelvandermeide

Location

rotterdam / The Netherlands

Main Manufacturing Countries

The Netherlands

MICHAEL VAN DER MEIDE is a Dutch fashion label founded by fashion designer Michael van der Meide in Rotterdam the 1st. of January 2004.

Just three more miles to go… his first independent collection launched at the prestigious Hyeres Festival May 2004. With this poetic collection of draped vintage parachute dresses which transform by wind Michael won two Awards the HENRI BENDEL Award (New York) and PUNTOSETA Award (Como) that helped him to launch his Label. With the PUNTOSETA team Michael collaborated on many unique high level textile collections…

Michael started to study to become a classic tailor at the Tailoringschool in the Hague specialised in menswear when he was only seventeen. After he got his degree he went to Charles Montaigne (AMFI) a re-knowned Fashion Academy in Amsterdam where he became a fashion designer and specialised in womenswear. Michael trained his technical, design and presentation skills with the British ‘Queen of Punk’ Vivienne Westwood, he did research for the conceptual Hussein Chalayan. Dutch Couturier Frans Molenaar learned him how to be a fashion designer and Frank Govers taught him how to embroider couture dresses and make a big impression with your work. Aziz Bekkaoui taught him the importance of clean cut in production…

Michael is a poet. He is inspired by light/dark, movement and transformation. He observes everything and looks at people in the way they dress, behave and move, nature, the elements. He is very intuitive when it comes to shape, colour, texture and materials. He constructs through lightness and fluidity and continues to search for total purity in form…

Latest Collection

Spread you wings...

MICHAEL VAN DER MEIDE established his label in Rotterdam the 1st. of January 2004. Michaels first collection from his Platinum label (Couture) Just three more miles to go… launched at the famous Hyeres Festival in may 2004. A poetic collection of vintage draped parachutedresses which transform by wind based on the idea of a longing for freedom. Michael won two international design awards the Henri Bendel Award (New York) and Punto Seta Award (Como) that helped him to establish his label. Due to these awards Michael was able to invest in his label and started to collaborate in 2005 with one of the best Italian textile manufacturers Punto Seta with whom Michael now was able to create his own personal high quality textiles in silk, wool and cotton of his kaleidoscopic computer manipulated photographs and drawings of elements in nature before it became fashionable. Michael a poet of light and dark is inspired by Mother Nature and her four elements Air, Earth, Water and Fire… Sometimes we speak of a fifth element called spirit. He likes to create worlds, an atmosphere that tell a story. Michael creates the shapes as well as the fabrics he uses for his collections. He plays and drapes with the dynamic of fabric to create movement intuitively and directly on the body to create shapes three dimensionally. He loves tailoring and construction through lightness and fluidity. The storytelling collections he creates for men and women are empowered by his own writing.