AFW: Humanoid celebrates anniversary show in Kröller Müller

The Arnhem label Humanoid is not a brand that you would usually see at a fashion week, but sometimes, very occasionally, an exception can be made. Especially when it came to the celebration of the 40th anniversary and the opportunity arose to display its collection in the Kröller Müller museum. So it happened, on Thursday evening a delegation of fashion lovers from Amsterdam Fashion Week (AFW) travelled to the Hoge Veluwe to celebrate the anniversary together with the brand.

Humanoid had actually planned a celebration earlier this year in March, spokesman Daan Berkhoff tells FashionUnited. However, due to the corona measures, it was cancelled a week before the show. But, as soon as AFW knocked on Humanoid's door, the brand could not resist using Kröller Müller Museum as the location to show its collection.

Humanoid was even more of a hit on Thursday evening, as the beautiful summer evening surprised the audience. The setting sun shone on the Rietveld Pavilion, one of the most important works in the museum's sculpture garden and the stage for the presentation. A pop-up had been made in the pavilion which was based on the pulley system that was formerly used in the mines. Miners hung their clothes and valuables on a hook and lifted them up for safekeeping. At the same time, the pop-up is an ode to the mining heritage of Müiler & Co., the company of the husband of Helene Kröller Müller, the founder of the museum. Various samples of iconic pieces by Humanoid can be seen that were built for the presentation in the Rietveld Pavilion.

The show started with some tones coming from behind the pop-up. It revealed a musician surrounded by various instruments and his own pop-up through which he composed a song himself. Models also appeared from various corners of the Rietveld Pavilion, who stopped one by one under the pulley system. Two people helped the models out or into a piece of clothing. The show’s main priority was to look back and symbolise the iconic pieces of Humanoid and secure them for the future, Berkhoff explained.

The presentation ended with a row of models criss-crossed in the pavilion with the setting sun creating a magical feeling. Standing in an almost deserted Kröller Müller Museum, with the last notes of music dying away and a golden glow on the present and past of Humanoid, one would almost forget that there is still a world outside the museum.

About Humanoid

Humanoid is a Dutch slow fashion brand that was founded in the eighties by an artist collective in Arnhem. It started as an international studio for silkscreen printing, fashion and graphic design. The brand is now characterised by handmade, fair trade and sustainable items.

This article was previously published on FashionUnited.nl. Translation and editing: Andrea Byrne.