AMFI Fashion & Design Graduation Show 2026 Showcases a New Generation of Designers
On Thursday 18 June, Amsterdam’s Central Market Hall hosted the AMFI Fashion & Design Graduation Show 2026. Before an audience of industry professionals, press, family and friends, 43 graduating students from AMFI – Amsterdam Fashion Institute unveiled their final collections, marking the culmination of four years of research, craftsmanship and creative development. The result was a new generation of designers, each presenting a distinctive creative voice.
A 50-metre runway ran through the centre of the venue, framed by vertical LED displays featuring the designers’ names and collection titles. From the surrounding balconies, moving spotlights followed each model, bringing silhouettes, textures and craftsmanship into sharp focus.
The collections reflected a broad spectrum of contemporary fashion practices, ranging from sharp tailoring and innovative ready-to-wear to experimental couture and conceptual streetwear. Other projects explored performativity, movement and the relationship between clothing and the body. What united the graduating cohort was the way personal narratives were translated into thoughtfully developed collections with a strong sense of authorship and technical skill.
At AMFI, students are encouraged not only to design, but also to research, experiment, develop and position their work within today's fashion landscape. That approach was evident throughout the show, as designers transformed personal starting points into collections that engaged with wider social and cultural questions.
The programme’s key themes; sustainability, diversity and digitalization, were reflected in subjects including the tension between romance and reality, identity and belonging, queer culture, the manosphere and the role of technology in everyday life. Across the collections, traditional craftsmanship was combined with innovative materials and contemporary narratives, demonstrating how heritage and innovation can reinforce one another.
"What connected the collections was a visible joy in making, combined with a desire to imagine alternative futures. The result was a show in which research, craftsmanship and imagination came together," said Oscar Raaijmakers, Graduation Coordinator, Fashion & Design.
AMFI congratulates all graduates on this important milestone and looks forward to following the ways in which they will contribute to the future of fashion and the wider cultural conversation in the years ahead.
Show Development & Head of Production: Py Tswang Jin (AMFI Connect) | Show Production: Faima Karimi | Show Direction & Choreography: Nathalie Haelermans and Bas Andrea @FRONTROWBACKSTAGE @House of Orange | Hair & Make-up: Art of Colors | Technical Production: Stefan Prokop | Technical Execution: MNT Stoker | DJ: Julian Sentener | Show Videography: Martine Stig and Bette West Kolman | Drone Operation: Maximilian Robijns | Show Photography: Sanne Peper | Backstage Photography: Zoie Kasper | Communication: Milou Schmit (AMFI) | Graphic Design: Ilaria Poloni
Special thanks to BOEi, Centrale Markthal, Oscar Raaijmakers and Mikki Engelsbel (Graduation Coordinators Fashion & Design) as well as Niall Cottrell, Pieter Eliens, Mark Goss, Mirjam Ingram, Ellen Jaarsveld, Calvin Kooiman, Andrea Kristic, Charlotte Lokin, Alina Morar, Birgit Muis, Oscar Raaijmakers, Karime Salame Sainz and Saskia Stöckler (Fashion & Design Graduation team).